Blog 12: For Alzheimer's, Detection Advances Outpace Treatment Options

A reversal of dementia remains unobtainable despite improvements in the degenerative disease's ability to be detected. A new scan, available in most major metropolitan areas, allows for the disease to be detected in earlier stages than before, giving the patients and their families more time to react and plan for the future. The scan reveals plaques composed of the protein beta-amyloid, many of which lead to Alzheimer's disease, something previously only able have been done in an autopsy. Medicare and other insurers will not pay for the scans, which are risky and upwards of $3,000.

This new ability to detect Alzheimer's is unfortunate in that it disrupts whatever blissful ignorance the victims may be expereincing and forces them to confront the reality that they will face for the rest of their lives, however many years or months they have left. Randy Pausch, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, discovered that he had pancreatic cancer when he had around four months left to live and used that time to give his "last lecture" and write a very inspirational book about it. However, many others are faced with financial strains due to the current economy and have not the freedom that he had to do as they pleased and cross off their bucket lists. This new and advanced medical technology actually poses a psychological disadvantage in that respect. It is one thing to be expecting an aging population in wealthy countries, but a demented aging population is another thing entirely. The elderly, who have long been a source of wisdom and guidance for the young, are now finding their ability to do that significantly lessened. Alzheimer's is also known as Type III Diabetes, and for that reason one of the top priorities of the United States government should be to reduce the circumstances that allow for diabetes (namely fast food). However, the cost of doing such a thing frequently impedes them and a clash emerges between financial interest and the well-being of the population: in the future, what will it be forced to choose?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/16/health/for-alzheimers-detection-advances-outpace-treatment-options.html?ref=health

Blog 11: Alarm Over India's Dengue Fever Epidemic

An epidemic of dengue fever has swept India; a mosquito-borne tropical disease that is also epidemic in Madeira, Portugal and Puerto Rico and endemic in half of the world's countries. India reported a 59 percent increase in cases from last year, a figure that experts assert is actually in the millions. There has been a massive underreporting of cases which is suspected to be the leading cause of the disease's spread; associated with scant awareness for the disease, poor cleanup of sources for it, and an unsuccessful vaccine  search. The reporting's inadequacy is liable to have stemmed from political leaders aiming to protect their reputations. 80 percent of dengue symptoms are that of mild fatigue, while the remaining 20 percent consist of intense flulike symptoms. Upon the second infection, the disease can become fatal but only 1 percent die from it. The acute phase passes within around two weeks, but fatigue and depression can linger for months. There is also the fear of a sudden shift in the circulating dengue strain that could cause a widespread increase in life-threatening illnesses. Trucks are commonly seen spewing pesticides around areas with standing water in areas such as New Delhi, but it is rapid and disorderly urbanization that continue to proliferate the disease; with a vaccine looking unlikely in the next decade.

The attribution of the spread of dengue fever to urbanization demands investigation in that multiple aspects of urbanization are liable to be responsible for it. Byproducts of urbanization, especially the rapid and disorderly type mentioned above, include hectic schedules, readily available food of all types and exploitation of the land's resources, people and animals. De-urbanization is obviously impossible, but many changes can be made immediately to prevent the spread of dengue without a vaccine and counteract the untidy urbanization that has occurred and transition toward more sustainable cities. More opportunities for exercise can be made available for all regardless of income to prevent the stress that accompanies a hectic schedule, and more emphasis can be placed on the nutrient content of the Indian diet; both of which will aid in preventing the loss of immune system strength that allows for contraction of dengue. Additional cleanup of standing water will also aid greatly in reducing the amount of mosquitoes, combined with instruction for the public to eliminate or protect standing water around their homes. This measure will especially help those who live in slums, as they likely have poor means of protecting themselves from mosquitoes via mosquito nets and air conditioning. In addition to urbanization, globalization also has played a leading role in the spread of dengue fever due to the fact that India's leaders have elected to dismiss the epidemic rather than encourage the quelling of it so as not to appear in the ill favor of other prominent figures in the world. By behaving in the public's best interest, they could have reported the cases for what they truly are and already have commenced measures against dengue fever.


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/07/world/asia/alarm-over-indias-dengue-fever-epidemic.html?pagewanted=all

Blog 10: Recognizing Mental Health as Public Health

The public health agenda of the United States seems to have overlooked mental health in favor of other aspects, with half of the mentally ill population not receiving needed treatment. Human productivity and social interaction has been proven to be linked with mental health, and mental disorders caused as much disability as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and more than all cancers and HIV. Most mental disorders have onsets by age 14 to 24, although depression and anxiety disorders can have a period of 8 to 14 years between onset and diagnosis, which indicates a suggested window of screening for adolescents. Access for Americans to health care has increased due to the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act, which also allows for those 26 and under to stay on their parents' health care plans.


This lack of emphasis on mental health in United States society carries over to other countries, as fitness centers and "health" food stores abound but mental health clinics do not. The precedence rests itself on appearance as though that will make on happy, but statistically that is not the case. Although in some areas such as Argentina, seeing a therapist is considered "chic", for the vast majority of the world this activity is viewed as less than socially acceptable, if even available. If the United States were to move mental health to the forefront of its priorities, other countries would follow suit and relationships between countries would undeniably improve. If there is no change, however, it will continue to worsen. Health and mental health are viewed as two separate entities in most places, but viewed holistically they can be understood better and by improving one the other aspects of health will get better as well.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/neal-l-cohen-md/mental-health_b_2057553.html?utm_hp_ref=health-news&ir=Health%20News

Blog 9: Safety Becomes a Concern With High-Caffeine Drinks

Mio Energy, a new energy drink by Kraft Foods, contains 60 mg of caffeine in every half-teaspoon serving, or for every two grams. One bottle contains 18 servings, which equals 1,060 mg of caffeine: 2.65 times the recommended limit by U.S. medical specialists. Canada, Mexico, France, and India are considering implementation of a tax on such heavily caffeinated drinks, yet the United States Food and Drug Administration has a laissez-faire attitude toward caffeine levels despite their having risen by 16 percent last year to $8.9 billion. Producers of energy drinks in the United States have the ability to market those drinks as beverages or dietary supplements, and can mask the type of caffeine(synthetic, guarana, tea extract, etc.) on ingredient lists by labeling it under "energy blend." There have been five deaths since 2009 linked to consumption of Monster Energy, and 12,000 emergency room visits.

This drastic increase in energy drink complications casts a spotlight on the role of caffeine in the American diet. It in itself is a stimulant drug, and while a cup of coffee isn't as potent as many other drugs are known to be, adverse health effects are nevertheless eventually inevitable. This is shown by the 12,0000 emergency room visits and five deaths, all of which likely could have been prevented had the United States imposed stricter regulation of caffeine in energy drinks like the other countries aforementioned. The freedom of energy drink producers to label them as beverages or dietary supplements and to mask the type of caffeine included in them is not without the expense of the consumer, both financially and physically. There is also the possibility of a caffeine addiction, and those dependent on caffeine will not benefit from Mio Energy or any other similar drink, even if it was labeled as a dietary supplement. Ingredients in caffeinated drinks, such as guarana, are imported from other countries that may need to investigate America's motives for buying their ingredients, since the effects can be wide-ranging and the product overmarketed. Much money is spent both on hospitalizations and the products causing them, resulting from the misrepresentation of caffeine as a nutrient.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/24/business/safety-becomes-a-concern-with-energy-drinks.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

Blog 8: Daily Multivitamin May Reduce Cancer Risk, Clinical Study Finds

A recent study of 15,000 older male doctors indicated that those who took daily multivitamins as opposed to a placebo “dummy pill” experienced 8 percent fewer cancer cases.  The purpose of this randomized, double-blinded clinical trial was to test whether multivitamin intake had an effect on cancer, even though the purpose of consuming such vitamins is to avoid nutritional deficiencies. While the difference in cancer cases was statistically significant, the study’s lead author acknowledged that taking a quotidian multivitamin is not the most beneficial way to lower cancer risk: in accordance with many other studies on the effectiveness of vitamins(some of which link vitamin consumption to adverse health effects).  In this study, prostate cancer was unaffected by multivitamin use while all other cancers were reduced by 12 percent.  The effect on cancer deaths was not statistically significant.

The very first "vitamin" was created by Casimir Funk in 1911 from brown rice to function as a medicine for beriberi. Were Funk alive today, would he approve of the mass production and globalization of vitamins made from all kinds of sources, consumed by those who do not even have diseases? If the multivitamins of today are little more than ineffective as the article suggests, it raises the question of how to justify importing them from China(amid the other drawbacks of supporting China's manufacturing industry). The rise of vitamins seems to have accompanied the rise of cancer, along with diabetes and obesity and the worsening of the American diet. This "dummy pill" described in the study does not have a definition as to what it is made of, and could be sucrose or another substance that may actually increase the risk of cancer. The study examined whether or not the doctors took vitamins, but it did not examine the diets of the subjects and therefore a major lurking variable could be present. In the documentary Forks Over Knives, disease presence is broken down into geographic locations with a large range, indicating that countries who eat mostly local whole foods have much lower disease rates than the more Westernized countries. If this practice is resumed in other areas, vitamins would likely not be as desired.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/18/health/daily-multivitamin-may-reduce-cancer-risk-clinical-trial-finds.html?_r=0

Blog 7: New York State Tightens Drug Rules for Racehorses

New legislation has been passed by the New York State Racing and Wagering Board severely restricting the  use of legal drugs on racehorses and requiring trainers to report what treatments they give their horses. Earlier this year, Aqueduct Racetrack lost 21 racehorses and it is likely that many of these deaths were due to inappropriate prescription drug use. These are the most restrictive rules in the field yet, in response to veterinarian records indicating frequent injections of corticosteroids directly preceding the races at Aqueduct which resulted in the horses losing their lives. New policies place more distance between when a horse is injected with corticosteroids and when it races. They also require previous horse owners to disclose all steroid injections within the past thirty days to prospective buyers.
This instance has put corticosteroids in the spotlight as a heavily and inappropriately used drugs responsible for the deaths of horses via their owners's use. However, one must wonder how these drugs were so readily available in the first place. Due to globalization, drugs are available in the masses: and this can only have negative results for those who have no medical need of them. Drugs can be as lethal as guns, and so these horse owners have committed crimes with corticosteroids equal to shooting the horses that they prize in races. Since it is unclear where the corticosteroids in the article come from,  they might be from a foreign country and if so were likely purchased inexpensively by the horse owners, at the expense of those working in drug manufacturing plants. Such use of a commodity shows the negative impact of labor globalization through its ability to manifest it in large quantities without firm regulation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/12/sports/new-york-state-tightens-drug-rules-for-racehorses.html

Blog 6: In Outbreak, Meningitis is Reported in 5 States

A recent meningitis outbreak has swept the eastern part of the United States, stemming from a fungus in spinal injection fluid. It has killed 5 and left 30 ill, with new cases emerging daily. Aspergillus, the fungus in question, has been infecting the victims through its accidental inclusion in a steroid drug used for back pain and could possibly have been shipped to 23 states. This drug can is traced to the New England Compounding Center in Framingham, Massachusetts. Compounding pharmacies are not subject to the same rigorous safety standards that major drug manufacturers are. Three lots of methylprednisolone acetate were recalled on September 26 after the fungus was identified. Details of in what amounts and where it was shipped are unavailable.  The compounding center has refused comment.  Due to the severity of fungal infections, patients are estimated to need six months to a year to recover.

This outbreak questions the integrity of pharmacies in the United States, while simultaneously raising the question of how the fungus arose from the drug methylprednisolone acetate. With drugs being produced around the world in countries such as India, it becomes difficult to ascertain whether the fungal drug is to the fault of the United States or wherever it received the drug from(if outside the United States). This growing disconnect between the product and the consumer is a natural result of globalization, and in this context it is at the consumer’s expense, as the meningitis victims have had their lives seriously impacted(or ended) due to a source that they cannot directly identify. This is an ethical issue, as it is to be expected of the drug’s manufacturer’s to take responsibility and accept the consequences for its mistake. One would also wonder if the drug in question is a particularly cheap drug or not, since those with higher incomes would likely not have purchased it if it was and therefore would not be subject to this disease. The fact that in this situation one's social status could be costing his or her life is especially problematic.

Blog 5: Animals Suspected in Spread of New Virus

A new respiratory virus recognized by the British Health Protection agency has a close connection with a virus in bats; and possibly sheep, goats camels as well. Due to the similarity between the two viruses, it is considered that two victims of the virus from the Middle East contracted it from animals. This type of virus, also known as a coronavirus, is suspected to have infected the two victims through direct contact with animals, likely to be bats. The infections happened months apart, and the first victim died but the second is in critical but stable condition. The World Health Organization has issued a global alert asking doctors to be vigilant of any potential cases of this virus. The Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia is a potential opportunity for it to spread, and officials in that country have already notified pilgrims to cover theri faces in crowded places and maintain clean hands. Origins of the virus are still unknown, as is its future.
 The globalization of disease would definitely be accelerated if the virus is contracted by pilgrims on the Hajj pilgrimage, since pilgrims from around the globe arrive for it. Health isn't usually thought of as affecting religious and cultural traditions, but the point may be approaching where some traditions have to be let go of because they aren't safe anymore due to the risk of disease, as happens in this article. This begs the question of how the bats got the disease to begin with: human disease is(a majority of the time) correllated with diet, and the same may be true here. Bats feed on(among other things) pollen, which has been negatively affected by colony collapse disorder. Colony collapse disorder, in turn, has been instigated in part by cell phone radiation, genetically modified crops and other enrivonmental exhaustions. Therefore, globalization might very well be the essential cause of the coronavirus and the potential disruption of a centuries-old tradition: an especially ominous phenomenon.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/28/3024418/animals-suspected-in-spread-of.html

Blog 4: US Obesity Battle: What Can and Is Being Done

Obesity has long been problematic in the United States, but the breadth(no pun intended) of this dilemma manifests itself in a new study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The study predicts that obesity will affect the majority of Americans in thirty-nine states by the year 2030. Although obesity affects both industrialized and non-industrialized nations according to the World Health Organization, the United States is particularly vulnerable to this condition and its accompanying diseases due to the mass availability of easily prepared, low-quality food at affordable prices. This is especially tempting to Americans, many of whom have sedentary lifestyles and hectic schedules that correspond with the apparent need for this type of dietary practice. This has in turn given rise to the diet industry, whose critics claim thrives on the failures of its participants. Despite this predicament, lawyer and legal activist John Banzhaf maintains his stance against the current nutritional fiasco by instigating legal actions against fast food companies. Banzhaf expresses both the need for political courage and integrity to be directed toward the well-being of consumers and optimism for the reduction of obesity, given that the former occurs and increases.

 

Power held by the wrong individuals is a recurring circumstance throughout history, usually marked by the deaths of many innocent people at the hands of their ruler(s).  Yet this can occur in other, subtler ways that are much more difficult to recognize. The diet of the United States is largely influenced by advertisers, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Department of Agriculture. The diets of other countries, while still containing their own traditional nourishment, have caught on increasingly to the diet of the United States- especially in large cities where Americans tend to visit, resulting in its spreading into less populous areas as well. Therefore, those who make decisions on what and how foods are being hugely promoted in the United States possess influence extending beyond their own country. Rather than  local foods, these decisions-makers have promoted pre-made foods, the ingredients(or whole entities) of which may come from other countries. This globalization of food has fomented the production of processed foods that last much longer than food ever has before. Clothing and other products are required to have labels stating where they were made, but food is not. Perhaps these food corporations feel that by stating where a pre-made food comes from, it will detract from its value. However, much produce will blatantly state where it is from, no matter how far away. Therefore, there must be a stigma around those foods that were assembled in another country, as opposed to simply being detached from the earth and transported. Stating where a processed food is from, if distant, would possibly in the eyes of the consumer make the food akin to eating a toy or piece of clothing, if not a bizarre refined amalgamation made by unknown hands(or machinery). Food manufacturing companies undoubtedly know this, and for that reason elect to perpetuate the ignorance that has clouded American plates since the rise of food's globalization, leading to a ballooning obesity epidemic that affects the United States and is spreading across the world.

http://blogs.aljazeera.com/blog/americas/us-obesity-battle-what-can-and-being-done

Blog 3: UN health agency says Ebola toll at 31 in Congo

The incurable Ebola virus has spread throughout the northeastern part of Congo, increasing the death toll by twofold to 31 over the past week. The World Health Organization states that the first known infected person was a health worker, a peculiarity in instances such as these(if it really is the first infected person). The disease is characterized by severe internal bleeding and is contagious, to the dismay of local cultural practices. Normal Congolian funerals include the body being displayed to onlookers in the days preceding burial- a custom that works to their severe disadvantage at this point, since it exposes them to the disease. Efforts to improve public education about the consequences of this practice have been expended by the WHO, Doctors Without Borders and Congo's health ministry. Two quarantine centers are also being supervised. This is Congo's ninth Ebola epidemic.
Congolians don't have nearly the same access to information as more Westernized nations, which can explain why after eight epidemics they are still adhering to traditional burial practices for Ebola victims. Therefore, their lack of development is a direct contributor to this epidemic, as it is in many nations. Other countries likely have similar burial practices, and so will need to be educated on this in case an epidemic occurs. Disease also increases poverty as families have to struggle to pay medical bills, which can also place a burden on their mental health. This prevalence of disease in the developing world is a debilitating factor for economy as well, due to health care expenses.



http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/14/3002079/un-health-agency-says-ebola-toll.html

Blog 2: Blood Sugar Levels On High End Of Normal Tied To Brain Shrinkage: Study

An Australian study indicates that fasting blood glucose levels on the upper end of the normal range negatively affect the brain, causing constriction of the hippocampus and amygdala(among other influences considered, 6-10% of the constriction was caused by the blood sugar level). This is a sign of aging and dementia, and the subjects were at least 60 years of age. However, a new Pediatrics study found the same hippocampal constriction in teenagers who had metabolic syndrome. Abnormal blood sugar eventually leads to a plethora of health problems; and is a contributing factor to heart disease.
Type II Diabetes Mellitus and Dementia are rapidly increasing as the rest of the world continues to consume a Westernized diet. These conditions will certainly affect people of all social classes, but those in the lower class will likely struggle the most: they will have to pay for their doctor visits, medication and insulin for Diabetes, and increased care for Dementia; all of which can be very costly. There is also the factor that diet plays: it seems to be harder for those with lower incomes and Diabetes to adjust their diets accordingly because of a widely held belief that healthy food is expensive. There is also the fact that advertisers continually bombard the public from a young age into eating overly refined and processed foods. This is seen in the Pediatrics study, and highlights the difference in advertising between the two generations studied: elderly and teenagers. Therefore, if teenagers continue to consume their current diet, the onset ages for both Diabetes and Dementia will lower significantly over the next century and a massive health crisis could result.



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/06/blood-sugar-brain-glucose-normal-high-shrinkage-volume_n_1855148.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular#slide=1470528
Australian Study http://www.neurology.org/content/79/10/1019
Pediatrics Study http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2012/08/28/peds.2012-0324.abstract

Blog One: August 31, 2012 5:06 PM: Disease in South Sudan Refugee Camp

Food is on the way for Yida, a refugee camp in South Sudan with only roughly around a month's supply left. However, limited consolation is this to an area vastly impacted by hygienic inadequacies. Yida consists of approximately 60,000 refugees nutritionally dependent on Nuba, a region across the border in Sudan's mountains. While the alimentation situation(which can be impeded by rains and bombing in the area) is slowly being improved upon, of greater consequence are problems such as diarrhea caused by an impure water supply, which mainly affects children. Most refugees lack toilets and soap, the latter of which will be redistributed to a two-times greater degree by the United Nations. More toilets will also be built, as well as access points to running water. On a slightly more worrisome note, the 60,000 refugees present a balance in proportion to the size of improvements in food supply and hygiene. If this number significantly increases, the problems will not change.
The lack of basic human necessities presented in this situation is what gives birth to the passion that drives people to actively foment social change, whether they are affected by it directly or indirectly. By tearing down the fence that separates mental health from physical health, we can see that they are both two halves of the same whole: the distress that the refugees currently face stems from their inability to provide themselves with ample food and sanitation. Although this limitation was not described as being life-threatening, it has a large impact on the quality of life in South Sudan. People across the world have seen the urgency of this problem; shown in the book Wine to Water by Doc Hendley. Hendley travels to Sudan to improve their water situation based on his belief that access to clean water is the most basic human right. Why is it so important for people to consume the right substances? Because if they don't, mental and physical health(synonymous with quality of life) are unattainable.




http://www.voanews.com/content/disease_malnutrition_plague_growing_south_sudan_refugee_camp/1496629.html