Health Extra!
Wellness news from the world over

Fill 'em up!

You can lead kids to water, but can you make them drink? Apparently not, says a study from the University of Connecticut that found most children who attend summer sports camps don't drink enough fluids to replace what they lose through exercise. By day two, researchers found about 70 percent of kids at soccer camps were significantly or seriously dehydrated even though all campers had access to fluids and were encouraged to drink. Serious dehydration ups the risk of heat illness. The researchers suspect young athletes don't realize the need for fluid replacement and, instead, focus on their friends and playing the game.

Speak two tongues to keep your mind young

Growing up knowing two languages may pay off years later with better mental abilities. Older adults who grew up bilingual have quicker minds and less natural age-related decline, according to findings in the journal Psychology and Aging. Canadian researchers assessed more than 150 adults, ages 30 to 88, with a test that measures reaction time for cognitive tasks. Half the participants were bilingual: They grew up speaking either French or Tamil at home and English outside, and they spoke both languages every day since childhood. Both younger and older bilinguals scored better on the test, and bilinguals older than 59 were considerably faster than their one-language counterparts. Researchers suggest juggling between two languages keeps the brain elastic.

Chest pain = 911< /SPAN >

If you experience chest pain or discomfort, don't wait more than five minutes to call for emergency medical help, say new guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology. It could signal a heart attack, especially if you are also short of breath; sweating profusely; or feeling weak, nauseated or light-headed. Speedy treatment--within 20 minutes--is key to survival. Unfortunately, many people (especially women) delay seeking help for two hours or more. If you have these symptoms, don't try to drive. Your best bet is to call an ambulance right away so emergency services can start treatment as soon as they arrive and continue care as you're being transported to the hospital.

Overweight women risk inaccurate mammograms

Here's yet another reason to shed those unwanted--and unhealthy--extra pounds: Overweight and obese women are more likely to have a false-positive mammogram result than are normal or underweight women, according to findings published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Researchers evaluated more than 100,000 mammograms and found overweight women were 17 percent more likely to be recalled for additional tests; obese women were 27 percent to 31 percent more likely to be recalled. If you have a few pounds to lose, don't use this to rationalize putting off your mammogram: Obesity is associated with increased risk for breast cancer. Get the screening and ask your doctor for help losing weight, too.

Sinus pain or migraine?

Suffering sinus headaches? You may be experiencing migraines instead, according to researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale who found nearly nine out of 10 people misdiagnosed their own headaches. Since the migraines were often triggered by weather, seasonal changes and allergies or accompanied by a runny nose and watery eyes, the sufferers assumed their headaches were sinus-related. Plus, the researchers say, many people mistakenly think migraines affect just one side of the head, and so when they have pain on both sides, they assume it's not a migraine. These misunderstandings mean fewer people seek effective treatments and may be suffering needlessly.

Ovarian cancer warning signs

Ovarian cancer, long thought to show no symptoms until its advanced stages, may not be such a silent disease after all. A recent study found severe and recognizable symptoms such as bloating, increased abdominal size, urinary urgency, back pain, fatigue, indigestion, constipation and pelvic pain often precede the diagnosis. Researchers from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle surveyed 128 women with ovarian masses and about 1,700 cancer-free women. While the symptoms were common in the cancer-free group, doctors found significant differences among the women with ovarian cancer: Their symptoms tended to last for longer time periods and be more frequent, severe and likely to occur in combination with each other.

Fight knee pain with fitness

If arthritis pain is your excuse for being a couch potato, the jig is up. Losing weight and exercising significantly improve the condition, according to a report in the medical journal Arthritis & Rheumatism. More than 250 overweight and sedentary people with osteoarthritis in their knees took part in an 18-month program that included a weight-loss plan, an exercise routine or healthy-living classes. Those who dieted and exercised, including aerobic and resistance activities for one hour, three times a week, benefited the most: They reported a 24 percent improvement in physical function and a 30 percent decrease in knee pain. You may want to ask your doctor for help with losing weight and creating an exercise program before you begin drug therapy or sign up for surgery.

Good news--the eyes have it

Scientists are making progress in the effort to protect against vision loss. Two recent studies in The Archives of Ophthalmology found new ways to delay or prevent glaucoma, a condition in which pressure builds in the eye and damages the optic nerve, which can eventually lead to blindness. About 2.2 million Americans over age 40 have glaucoma, about half of whom don't know they have the disease. One study found an eyedrop was effective at reducing eye pressure among African-Americans. Another study found that anti-cholesterol drugs lowered glaucoma risk, especially among people with heart disease. Because early detection is key to avoiding vision loss, be sure to have a pressure test at your next annual eye exam.