KLAS-TV Channel 8 News Las VegasEye On Health -- Oct. 31
Take Care of Your Skin During the Winter Months
Your house and car aren't the only things that need to be "winterized." Dermatologists say you need to use a special skin care routine during the cooler months. The most important winter skin tip that dermatologists can give patients is to moisturize. It's important to moisturize within three minutes of getting out of the bath because it will help trap in the moisture and will help prevent dry, itchy skin that many people get in the winter. Doctors also recommend avoiding washing your clothes with detergents that can dry the skin, so use a soap free cleanser.
Eat Whole Grains, Stay Slender
Research suggests whole grain foods can help you stay slender. According to a new study, women who eat high-fiber whole grain foods, like some cereals and breads, are 50% less likely to gain weight over the course of several years.
FDA: Cloned Animal Meat Appears Safe
Meat or milk derived from healthy cloned farm animals appears safe to eat, the Food and Drug Administration said Friday in its first attempt at assessing questions about the emerging technology. That doesn't mean Americans will be eating cloned meat any time soon, if ever. FDA wants public reaction to its assessment before it decides if cloned farm animals will require government approval before being sold as food - a decision expected to take another year. The still fledgling industry - there are at most a few hundred cloned farm animals alive - has voluntarily agreed for the last several years not to allow any products from cloned animals into the food supply.
Virus-Related Muscle Damage Tied to Chronic Fatigue
Chronic fatigue syndrome seems to occur sometimes after a virus infection. Now, researchers have shown that some patients with the syndrome have evidence of virus in their muscles, and this in turn is linked to abnormal muscle function. Researchers at Imperial College in London looked for RNA from enteroviruses in muscle biopsies taken from 48 patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and from 29 people with normal muscles. Muscle biopsy samples from 10 of the 48 chronic fatigue patients were positive for enterovirus RNA. In addition, the patients with chronic fatigue syndrome went through an exercise test on the day of the biopsy, and the researchers measured the patients' blood levels of lactic acid before and after the test. Twenty-eight patients had an abnormal lactate response to exercise, "reflecting impaired muscle energy metabolism." Moreover, 9 of the 10 subjects who tested positive for the presence of virus in their muscles had this abnormal response. The team concludes that their findings support the notion that chronic fatigue syndrome has different causes, "and that some cases have a peripheral component to their fatigue related to muscle dysfunction."
U.S. Pregnancy, Birth, & Abortion Rates Decline in 1990's
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says pregnancy, birth and abortion rates dropped from 1990 to 1999. Pregnancies fell seven percent, to 6.28 million in 1999. The birth rate declined nine percent, to 64.4 per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44. And the abortion rate went down 22%, to 21.44 per 1,000 women. Teen pregnancy rates reached historic lows, dropping 25%. The teen birth rate dropped 19%, and the teen abortion rate was down 39%.
Did FDR Suffer From Polio, or Not?
Some researchers say President Franklin D. Roosevelt may not have had polio, but a paralyzing disease called Guillain-Barre syndrome. This contradicts all the history books and biographies. Historians and others are skeptical. The researchers note that many of F-D-R's symptoms match those of polio. But they say his age, the pattern of his paralysis and the pain he experienced point to Guillan-Barre. The lead researcher is an emeritus professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. The report is in the Journal of Medical Biography.
