Health Extra!

Wellness news from the world over

It’s all in the wrist splint

Wearing wrist splints while you sleep may be all you need to treat the numbness and tingling of early-stage carpal tunnel syndrome, says a study in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the wrist’s median nerve is compressed for long periods, such as during repeated motion. The study involved workers at an automotive plant who showed early symptoms of the syndrome—burning, tingling, numbness and pain in the hand. Those who wore splints every night for six weeks found their symptoms’ severity lessened by almost half. If you suffer from early symptoms, it may be worth giving splints (available at drugstores) a six-week trial. No improvement? Talk to your doctor. Left untreated, the condition can cause permanent nerve damage.

Never too late to exercise

Exercise can help slash your risk for heart disease and diabetes no matter how late in life you start, say University of Western Ontario researchers. Investigators compared two groups of healthy but sedentary adults ages 55 to 75. One group began regular, supervised exercise, and the other stayed inactive. After 10 years, the exercisers grew fitter while the couch potatoes’ fitness declined. What’s more, those in the active group were less likely to develop metabolic syndrome, a collection of factors—high blood pressure; high cholesterol, triglyceride and blood sugar levels; and too much abdominal fat—that raises heart disease and diabetes risk.

A recipe for a stronger heart

If a recipe could reduce your risk for cardio-vascular disease by as much as 76 percent and add six years to your life, would you follow it? That’s the idea proposed by British scientists who came up with the "Polymeal," a daily menu that includes ingredients known to improve heart health. The meal includes wine and fish to reduce cardiovascular disease risk; dark chocolate, fruits and vegetables to reduce blood pressure; and garlic and almonds to lower cholesterol. While the Polymeal remains hypothetical, eating a healthy diet that includes these foods is a good way to reduce heart disease risk.

Where there’s smoke, there’s lower grades

If you want your kids to go to college, you better quit smoking: Kids who inhale secondhand smoke have lower math and reading scores, according to a study in Environmental Health Perspectives. Researchers measured levels of cotinine, a marker for tobacco smoke exposure, in the blood of more than 4,000 kids ages 6 to 16 after they took reading, math and reasoning tests. The higher the cotinine levels, the lower the test scores. Doctors think smoke may affect brain function by changing the nervous system’s structure and depriving kids of oxygen.

Too much of a sweet thing

One spoonful of sugar may help the medicine go down, but a dozen spoonfuls are way too sweet. Today’s preschoolers consume 14 to 17 teaspoons of sugar a day that comes from foods and beverages like soda, fruit drinks and desserts, says a study in the Journal of Pediatrics. Those foods and drinks squeeze out more healthful fare like grains, vegetables, fruit and dairy. After analyzing more than 5,000 preschoolers’ diets, researchers found dramatic decreases in vitamins and minerals among kids whose added sugar intake was more than the 25 percent of calories recommended by the National Academy of Sciences. Even kids whose intake was just 10 percent of calories still didn’t consume enough grains, produce and calcium. The authors say their work suggests the sugar recommendations may be too high.

A toothy display of bone health

Do you know whether your bones are thinning? Ask your dentist for an answer. According to the American Journal of Roentgenology, dental X-rays are sensitive enough to identify low bone density, a sign of osteoporosis. In a study of more than 300 postmenopausal women with no osteoporosis symptoms, dental X-rays were just as effective in identifying women with the beginnings of the disease as were typical questionnaires. Although dental X-rays won’t substitute for a bone density scan, think of your dentist as one more professional looking out for your bone health.

What your workout says about you

Taking a personality test may help you find an exercise routine you can stick with, suggests a report in The Physician and Sportsmedicine. After conducting personality assessments on 700 fitness center members, researchers found those who liked aerobics were the most sociable; those who liked yoga scored high in mental focus; and those who liked karate scored the highest in aggressiveness and risk taking. If you have trouble sticking with an exercise program, try an activity that may better suit your personality.

Make time for your mammogram

Why is it better to have breast cancer detected by a mammogram than by a physical exam? Because finding a tumor by a mammogram reduces the chance you’ll need more toxic or aggressive treatments such as chemotherapy and mastectomy. A study by the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center of nearly 1,000 women with invasive breast cancer suggests that women whose cancer was found by physical exam were three times more likely to have chemotherapy and twice as likely to have a mastectomy than women whose cancer was detected by a mammogram. What’s more, the tumors detected by mammogram were half the size of those found by exams and less likely to have spread to lymph nodes. The bottom line: If you’re due for a mammogram, make your appointment today.