Tracy Anderson — who has sculpted the bodies of Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Nicole Richie and a slew of other stars — knows that wellbeing isn’t all about how long you can hold a wall-sit. That’s why she’s launching a new meal-delivery program nationwide on June 1, just in time for swimsuit season. The Food Program by Tracy Anderson uses local and organic ingredients whenever possible in meals like provencal egg stacks with veggies and sundried tomato-crused eggplant — and yes, each plan comes with dessert. How the food is made is noteworthy too: Meals are cooked and then blast-chilled to keep nutrients intact. The program is comparable in price to other meal-delivery services, and when combined with the Tracy Anderson Method, is a one-two punch to kicking bad health habits to the curb. $50 per day plus delivery, www.foodprogrambyta.com

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If a relationship in bed or in the office isn’t giving you what you need, walk on.

Bad sex doesn’t magically happen. Fear of inadequacy, limited skills, distaste for confrontation and passivity are but a few among many identifiable afflictions that could jeopardize your orgasms. It’s worth noting the behaviors that make your genitals frown could also decrease your paycheck. I’m not going to explain why you might suck in bed. Quite the opposite; I want you to have a better sex life. And you deserve more money. Whether you wish to be properly paid or laid, the secret could lie with improving your ability to negotiate for yourself.

And that starts with recognizing your self-worth. Confidence is strongest when based on what we believe to be fact. People who think they are beautiful exude higher self-esteem, regardless of height, thigh width, hair length or other physical traits. Likewise, when you know the value of your contributions to the workplace and can communicate them effectively, it’s easier to ask for a raise. So do it!

Do your research:

Get Laid: DO read credible articles, books, and advice columns. Listen to podcasts, and talk with your doctor. When it comes to sex, more information is better.

Get Paid: DO use an online salary calculator to estimate what peers at similar companies earn. Adjust upward for years of experience, degrees, and company size.

Communicate and listen to needs:

Get Paid: DO remember that salary is only one aspect of compensation. Include flexible hours, more vacation days or other perks in the conversation about your employment needs. Also pay attention to what your employer needs from you.

Get Laid: DON’T expect your lover to read your mind. Be vocal inside and out of the bedroom. Also, pay attention to what your lover is looking for.

Walk away if you need to:

Get Paid: DON’T remain with an employer who is either unable or unwilling to adequately compensate your work. If you have to find a better match and break up with them over it, seriously consider it.

Get Laid: DO Realize you are worth more than your most horrible relationship. Stay solo when necessary because your own company is better than bad company.

The post Dating: How to get laid and get paid appeared first on Metro.us.

Many Americans find it challenging to fill half their plate each meal with fruits and vegetables, as dietary guidelines recommend. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics encourages Americans to add both color and nutrients to Memorial Day cookouts by grilling with a variety of healthy fruits and vegetables.

“Fill up on fewer calories with nutrient-rich, low-calorie produce,” says nutritionist Judy Caplan. “It’s not only good for your waistline, but water-rich produce will also help keep you hydrated on hot summer days.”

A quick and easy way to pack nutrients into your grill-centered meal is to skewer marinated vegetables like red, yellow or orange bell peppers, mushrooms, eggplant, cherry tomatoes and onions into a tasty kabob. Simply brush the vegetables with olive oil and your favorite herbs and spices, and grill over medium heat; turning until marked and tender (about 12-15 minutes, and 8-10 minutes for cherry tomatoes and pre-boiled potatoes).

“For a sweet treat, grill sliced watermelon for about 30 seconds on each side,” says Caplan. “Some of the water will evaporate over the heat, which leaves an intensely flavored watermelon slice to savor and enjoy.”

Summer squash like zucchini, patty pans and yellow crooknecks are other delicious options that you can stuff, bake, steam or grill:

• Grate squash as a replacement for angel hair pasta and top with tomato sauce; pack grated squash into meatloaf, muffins or quick breads.
• Place zucchini halves (cut length-wise) on the grill and heat until soft (about 15 minutes). Stuff with cooked quinoa or shredded chicken breast, flaked salmon or browned, lean turkey meat.
• Slice a variety of summer squash and toss with olive oil, minced garlic and rosemary sprigs and put into a vegetable grill basket, heating through until tender and flavorful.

Sweet potatoes add a splash of color and are loaded with beta-carotene – a carotenoid that is great for eye health and is an anti-oxidant, which can help keep your cells healthy:

• Slice a sweet potato, toss with olive oil add a pinch of salt, pepper and cayenne (if you like a spicy flavor). Place over a medium heat; turn each side after 10 minutes. Remove when crisp and browned (but take care not to char as they will not be as tasty).
• Cut into strips and bake for sweet potato fries. Sprinkle with garlic or onion powder for more flavor.
• Wrap a medium whole sweet potato in tin foil and place over medium heat, cover and let cook for 45-60 minutes. When done, top with salsa and a dollop of plain yogurt or a hint of brown sugar and freshly grated nutmeg.

For more information on healthy ways to enjoy summertime and to locate a registered dietitian nutritionist in your area, visit the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics at www.eatright.org.

The post Delicious ways to add more veggies to your Memorial Day cookout appeared first on Metro.us.

If spending the day crawling through mud pits, traversing over water and leaping over fire sound a lot more fun than an hour at the gym, you’re not alone — obstacle races are all the rage these days. Planning to unleash your inner warrior at a mud run this season? Check out these tips for attacking the course.

As soon as you sign up

Start training
You don’t have to change your whole workout routine, says James Villepigue, CSCS, the author of “Obstacle Race Training Bible.” But you do want to “think about what you’re gonna be doing on the course,” he says. On top of metabolic resistance training — switching between resistance-training and cardio moves that you probably already do — Villepigue recommends functional training, in which you mimic the moves you’ll do on race-day.
“It’s things like getting down on your knees and crawling, pulling your body with your elbows,” he says. “It’s doing an actual pull-up where you’re pulling yourself up over [something]. It’s switching things up a little from the traditional setting of the gym.”
Get your diet in order
“I suggest incorporating lean protein, calcium-rich foods and vegetables in your diet as soon as possible,” says Anita Mirchandani, M.S, R.D, C.D.N. and the founder of FitMapped.com. “I never like to say ‘remove’ or ‘eliminate,’ but try to avoid eating high-fat triggers such as pizza, burgers, fries and sweets.”
The day before

Take it easy
If you’ve been training on the regular, your “body, muscles and cardiovascular have been stimulated sufficiently,” Villepigue says. “Taking a day off the day before a race will allow you get the necessary rest that allows muscles to be completely fueled and ready to work.”

Eat right
“Try to eat a healthful diet the day before a race,” Mirchandani says. “I do believe in carb-loading but I don’t necessarily think that you only need to eat rice, pasta and bread. I think that at least 4-6 servings of protein is important also. A good plan would be to have protein and carbs for every meal — for example, an egg sandwich for breakfast, a grilled chicken wrap for lunch and a lean protein, pasta/rice/quinoa/cous cous and greens for dinner.”

Drink up (water, that is)
“Drinking more water the morning of race day is great, but it won’t necessarily cover you unless you were effectively hydrating a day or more before,” says Villepigue.
The morning of

Have a bite to eat
But don’t go overboard on a big breakfast, Mirchandani says. “My recommendation is to consume a mini-meal of at least 200 calories.” What’s that look like? Try a banana and a piece of toast with peanut butter.

Dress right
Check the weather and map out the course before you leave, says Mike Silverman, a physical therapist at NYC’s Hospital for Special Surgery’s James M. Benson Sports Rehabilitation Center. “Many of these mud runs involve you repeatedly going in and out of water, so wearing too many layers can weigh you down and too little may make the day very uncomfortable.”

Don’t stretch!
“You’re basically telling the muscles to rest,” Villepigue says. “A dynamic warm-up is key to prepare the muscles for what’s about to happen.” Try jumping jacks, high-knee kicks or a short jog. Indeed, “one of the most common reasons why people get injured before any type of endurance activity is because they are not properly warmed up,” Silverman says.

Strap on your water
“Put a little harness on or a little backpack,” Villepigue says. “People a lot of time don’t even realize they’re dehydrated because they assume that you’re thirsty when you’re dehydrated and that’s not true. For us to have really efficient muscles we need to make sure that we’re drinking water before, during and after the race.”

Don’t try anything new
“Try not to introduce anything on race day that you haven’t already tried before,” Mirchandani recommends. “For example, don’t take energy gels on race day if your body isn’t used to them. Focus on consistency.”
Post-race

Fuel yourself
“First, hydrate,” Mirchandani says. “Then, a medium piece of fruit is always good to consume soon after. After 60 minutes, a protein-rich snack is ideal.”

Stretch it out
“To minimize soreness, perform some light static stretching after the run to help elongate the muscles. Hold contractions for approximately 20-30 seconds and perform multiple repetitions,” Silverman says. “Another way to minimize soreness is to ice your joints after the run. Keeping an ice pack on the effected joint for 15-20 minutes will help decrease pain and inflammation that may have developed with the run.”
Prep here
Fitness studio As One hosts small-group obstacle race training classes (the only in the city!) that simulate the challenges participants face on race day, as well as help to build strength and endurance. Classes are Mondays and Wednesdays and your first is free; get the schedule at www.as1effect.com.

Stay here
Vermont’s Windham Hill Inn has created an “After Tough Mudder” package ($991.50) for participants in need of a little post-race pampering. It includes two nights at the hotel, a champagne cocktail upon arrival, daily breakfast and tea, a five-course post-workout meal for two, a bath with Epsom salts and a deep tissue massage.

Upcoming races
Dirty Girl Mud Run (women only):
Philadelphia: June 22
Boston: July 13
New York: Aug. 3

Tough Mudder
Boston and Philadelphia: June 1 and 2
Englishtown, New Jersey: Oct. 12 and 13

The Survival Race (founded by Villepigue)
Long Island: Sept. 7
New Jersey: June 15
New York: Aug. 25

Spartan Race:
Tri-state area: June 1, 2, 8; Sept. 7, 8
Boston: Nov. 16

Rugged Maniac
New York: June 29
New Jersey: July 13 and 14

The post Tackle that mud run like a boss appeared first on Metro.us.

Dairy products and tooth decay

Study subjects: 68 subjects ranging in age from 12 to 15
Results: A new study published in General Dentistry states that consuming cheese may help protect teeth against cavities. Study subjects were split into groups with each eating either cheese, milk or sugar-free yogurt. Those who ate cheese experienced an oral pH level increase, while the other two groups stayed the same. The higher the pH level, the lower the chance of developing cavities said researchers.
Significance: So what can decrease the pH level in your mouth? Diet soda, the experts say. Dairy products have been widely known as good for teeth because of the calcium content, and this shows another way dairy, specifically cheese, aids them.

Generic statin might block exercise benefit in obese

Location of study: U.S.
Study subjects: 37 previously sedentary, obese individuals ages 25-59, 18 of whom took 40 mg of simvastatin daily
Results: A study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology finds that simvastatin, a generic type of statin previously sold under the brand name Zocor, hindered the positive effects of exercise in overweight and obese adults. Statins are prescribed to lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease, often in people with obesity, and are one of the most widely used drugs worldwide.
Significance: Study author John Thyfault advises that cardiologists think more carefully about providing statins given this new information.

Green teas and lead contamination

Location of study: U.S.
Study subjects: Lab study
Results: Recent tests by ConsumerLab.com, which reports on the quality of health and nutrition products, found that some brands of green tea contained significant amounts of lead in their leaves. The liquid in the actual brewed teas did not contain measurable amounts of lead (i.e., no more than 1.25 mcg per serving), but the brewed leaves had between 2 to 5 mcg of lead. Many of the teas reviewed originated in China, but lead was not found in decaffeinated green teas or in a Japanese green tea.
Significance: Researchers concluded that though the lead contamination was worrying, the fact that most of this lead stays within the leaves and doesn’t get into the tea meant poisoning was unlikely for green tea drinkers. The researchers also recommended Lipton Green Tea — it yielded the most antioxidant EGCG at the lowest cost.

Premature death among people with mental illness

Location of study: Australia
Study subjects: Retrospective analysis of population based registers
Results: A new report states that since 1985 the gap between life expectancy in patients with a mental illness and the general population has widened. The study, published today on www.bmj.com, found a higher death rate in people with mental illness, which was mostly not linked to suicide. Eighty percent of deaths were the result of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and cancer.
Significance: The study shows a correlation between mental disorders and physical illness. Researchers concluded that better general health care for mentally ill people would close the widening gap.

The post Today in Medicine: Cheese is good for your teeth appeared first on Metro.us.

Gretchen Holt-Witt lost her son Liam to pediatric cancer. Since then, she’s sought to create a world where other families wouldn’t have to endure such a tragedy.

In 2007, upon learning of her son’s diagnosis, she baked and sold 96,000 cookies over the holidays, with the money going to fund research for pediatric cancer — which kills more children than any other disease in the U.S. That initial sale raised $42,000 for new pediatric cancer treatments and inspired a movement — Cookies for Kids Cancer, a nonprofit encouraging people to host bake sales and other events to raise money for the cause.

Out of the movement came Holt-Witt’s first cookbook, “Cookies for Kids’ Cancer: Best Bake Sale Cookbook,” and led to “Cookies for Kids’ Cancer: All the Good Cookies,” a second cookbook that was just released.

If you’re looking to host a bake sale for Holt-Witt’s cause, try this recipe from her book:

Seriously Short Chocolate Chip Cookies
We love our cookies short — not in stature, but with just the right blend of fat and sugar to melt in your mouth. The shortening here is key: It gives the perfect balance, with the butter adding depth of flavor. This recipe makes a big batch of dough that can be scooped up in any size you want. Just keep an eye on them and adjust the baking time.

Yield: Depending on scoop size and whether or not nuts are added, four to 12 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
2 sticks (½ pound) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup butter-flavored shortening
1¼ cups light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
6 cups (2¼ pounds) semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 cups chopped nuts (optional)

• Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Place the butter, shortening and sugars in a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition, and the vanilla.
• Place the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl; mix well and add to the butter mixture. Beat until everything is well incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the chocolate chips and mix again. Add nuts, if using, and mix again.
• Using a cookie scoop, drop the dough about 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
• Transfer to the oven and bake until the cookies begin to brown at the edges, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets on the oven racks halfway through the baking time. Cool on the cookie sheets for 3 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough on cool cookie sheets.
• Store in an airtight container for up to three days, or freeze for up to three months.

The post A cookie recipe that fights pediatric cancer appeared first on Metro.us.

Even though skin cancer can be as deadly as breast or any other cancer, people still take chances with sun and tanning bed exposure. Every year, there are more new cases of skin cancer than breast, prostate, lung and colon cancer combined, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. We asked Dr. Ellen Marmur, a New York-based dermatologist and member of the American Academy of Dermatology, for the lowdown on keeping skin healthy.

The sunscreen rules have changed
“The FDA has made a radical change in sunscreen labeling,” Dr. Marmur tells us. “Now, any sunscreen with a SPF of less than 15 has to carry a warning, just like packets of cigarettes. (That applies to sunscreens not labeled “broad spectrum” as well.) UV light is a known carcinogen. An SPF of 30 to 50 is now recommended. Sunscreen is essential, but even with using a sunscreen continue to be smart. Stay out of the sun between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. or 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., depending on where you live.”

The difference between melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer
“Melanoma is the least common, but it’s the most serious,” Marmur says. “If you catch it early enough, you’re fine. Once melanomas grow deeper, the mortality rate skyrockets. Then, there’s basal cell cancer — it looks like a pimple. Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common, and it’s crusty and darkish red.

What to look for
“Look for the ugly duckling,” she says. “If you have a lot of moles or discoloration, look for the one that grows faster. Commonly, it’s brown, but if it’s red then it’s forming its own blood vessels. If it’s bluish-brown, then it’s gone deeper. Check your skin from head to toe. If in doubt, seek medical help.” Click here for a chart on what cancerous and non-cancerous moles look like.

Seriously, stop tanning
Tanning beds are known to increase the risk of skin cancers by 75 percent. “No one should use them, no matter what age,” Marmur says.

Redheads — listen up
The old adage that redheads are more susceptible to sun damage is no old wives’ tale, it seems. BioEssays reports that people with pale skin and red hair are at greater risk of cancer because they synthesize a pigment called pheomelanin. It gives red hair its color and is carcinogenic, independent of UV light. If you’ve got those luck-of-the-Irish locks, be extra careful about slathering on SPF, tossing on a hat and seeking out shade.

Landon Donovan had a brush with cancer in his family. Credit: Victor Decolongon/Getty Images

Why this issue is important for me — and other guys

Landon Donovan, soccer player, Los Angeles Galaxy

“It’s no secret that I’ve spent most of my life playing soccer outdoors, but I wasn’t always diligent in applying sunscreen. That all changed when my father discovered a bump on his eyelid that turned out to be skin cancer. My father was lucky to have caught his cancer early and received treatment immediately. He’s now happy, healthy and cancer-free. Many men overlook the importance of sun protection. In 2012, the Skin Cancer Foundation issued a national survey evaluating awareness and usage of sun protection and found that nearly half of men don’t wear sunscreen. To help spread the word, I’ve partnered with the Skin Cancer Foundation and the makers of Banana Boat and Hawaiian Tropic sunscreens to launch a public awareness campaign to educate men on the risk and how easily they can protect themselves. Visit www.sunblunders.com to learn more about how to stay safe in the sun.”

The post How to not get skin cancer appeared first on Metro.us.

Mental illness can affect young adults, and even children. But with the proper diagnosis and treatment, young people can go on to lead healthy, productive lives.

Here are some quick statistics to consider:

• Four million children and adolescents in this country suffer from a serious mental disorder that causes significant functional impairments at home, at school and with peers.
• Of children ages 9 to 17, 21 percent have a diagnosable mental or addictive disorder that causes at least minimal impairment.
• Half of all lifetime cases of mental disorders begin by age 14. Despite effective treatments, there are long delays, sometimes decades, between the first onset of symptoms and when people seek and receive treatment. An untreated mental disorder can lead to a more severe, more difficult to treat illness and to the development of co-occurring mental illnesses.
• In any given year, only 20 percent of children with mental disorders are identified and receive mental health services.
• Suicide is the third leading cause of death in youth ages 15 to 24. More teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza and chronic lung disease combined.
• Approximately 50 percent of students age 14 and older who are living with a mental illness drop out of high school. This is the highest dropout rate of any disability group.
• Left untreated, childhood disorders are likely to persist and lead to a downward spiral of school failure, limited or lack of employment opportunities, and poverty in adulthood. No other illnesses harm so many children so seriously.
• Early and effective mental health treatment can prevent a significant proportion of delinquent and violent youth from future violence and crime. It also enables children and adolescents to succeed in school, to develop socially and to fully experience the developmental opportunities of childhood.

The Child and Family Institute at St. Luke’s and Roosevelt Hospitals treats children and adolescents ages 0 to 18. For more information visit www.childfamilyinstituteny.org.

If your or your loved one is experiencing suicidal thoughts, go to the nearest emergency room or call 800.273.TALK (8255).

The post Treating mental illness in childhood can make all the difference appeared first on Metro.us.

Osteoporosis and osteopenia, both conditions characterized by loss of bone mass, are major health concerns in the United States. Throughout our lifespan, bone is constantly broken down and rebuilt, usually in a balanced way that results in bone growth and mineral accumulation in bones (bone mineral density) that supports a strong skeleton.

As we age, this accumulation reaches its highest point (peak bone mineral density) and gradually shifts towards bone loss. Osteopenia occurs when bone mineral density declines below a healthy value; osteoporosis is its more severe manifestation, and both increase the risk of bone fractures.

The most recent national survey estimates that 9 percent of people over age 50 have osteoporosis, while 49 percent have osteopenia. In other words, more than half of the aging U.S. population has a chronic bone disease that puts them at risk for injury. When bone fractures occur in older people with osteopenia or osteoporosis, patients often require surgery, usually followed by a prolonged recovery period, often in a nursing facility. They may still experience significant pain and/or a permanent decline in function, or even death — an estimated 20 percent of those who suffer osteoporosis-related fractures die within a year.

Reduce your risk

There are many lifestyle changes that everyone at any age can make to help reduce their risk of osteopenia, osteoporosis and bone fractures:
• Get an adequate amount of vitamin D and calcium from your diet.
• Engage in consistent weight-bearing and muscle-strengthening physical activity.
• Avoid tobacco and excess alcohol consumption.

Vitamin D and calcium are the superstars of bone health. Most of the body’s calcium is stored in the bones, and adequate calcium intake is essential for healthy bone formation. Vitamin D is important for calcium absorption from the gastrointestinal tract and helps maintain the balance between calcium deposited in the bones and the calcium in body fluids. Adequate dietary intake of both nutrients is important for achieving peak bone mineral density in early life (for most people by age 30, with adolescence being the most important time for building strong bones) and maintaining bone mineral density in later years.

Calcium

The recommended daily intake of calcium is 1,000 mg for women age 19-50 and men age 19-70, and 1,200 mg for women 51 years and older and men 71 years and older.

Consuming a healthy, well-balanced diet generally provides adequate amounts of calcium from food sources. About three daily servings of low- or nonfat dairy products (1 serving = 8 oz. of milk or 6 oz. of yogurt or 1o oz. of cheese) can provide the majority of daily needs. For people who do not consume dairy products, there is a wide variety of good nondairy food sources, including dark green leafy vegetables, the soft bones of fatty fish, such as salmon and sardines, and calcium-fortified foods.

If adequate calcium intake still cannot be obtained from diet alone, a calcium supplement with vitamin D may be considered. These should be taken with food and in quantities of less than 500 mg of calcium per dose, to optimize absorption.

Vitamin D

The recommended daily intake for vitamin D is 600 IU (15 mcg) for adults age 19-70, and 800 IU (20 mcg) for adults 71 years and older.

Vitamin D is found in various food sources, including liver, egg yolks, fatty fish such as salmon, herring and sardines, and fortified foods, such as fluid milk (cow, soy, almond, rice, etc.), yogurt and breakfast cereals.

The human body can produce its own vitamin D through sun exposure, and this contributes to a person’s vitamin D status. Unfortunately, there are currently no guidelines as to an appropriate amount of sun exposure for this purpose.

Individuals at risk for vitamin D deficiency, including the elderly, individuals with limited sun exposure, obese individuals and people with dark skin, may benefit from vitamin D supplements.

For more information, check out the websites for the National Osteoporosis Foundation and the NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Resource Center.

To find a doctor near you, contact the Physician Referral Service at 866.804.1007. Information provided by Simone Walters, clinical nutritionist at Beth Israel Medical Center.

The post Keep your bones healthy with calcium and vitamin D appeared first on Metro.us.

In an effort to raise public awareness about breast and ovarian cancer prevention, actress and director Angelina Jolie shared her personal story with the world. Her op-ed piece in the New York Times revealed that a family history of cancer had prompted Jolie to seek genetic testing for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which are associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.

The testing revealed a heightened risk for both, and she made the decision to undergo a preventative double mastectomy, reducing her breast cancer risk to under 5 percent.

The Stats
Approximately 5-10 percent of breast and ovarian cancers are due to genetic defects, known as mutations, that cause an increased risk for cancer, mostly due to the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.

The general population has a 12 percent risk of breast cancer and 1 to 2 percent risk of ovarian cancer. For women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 inherited mutations, the risks are significantly greater, with a lifetime risk of breast cancer up to 87 percent and a 27 to 44 percent risk of ovarian cancer.

Options
Knowing their risk empowers women to make informed decisions about their health, cancer screening and the option of risk-reducing surgery. It also enables family members to determine their risk of having the same genetic mutation. For women who have this mutation, it is important to remember that there are options. While Jolie opted for preventative surgery, another option is close surveillance with imaging and physical exams.

Who should consider testing?
Women with a personal or family history of breast cancer (particularly those diagnosed before the age of 50) or ovarian cancer are encouraged to speak to their doctor and to seek the expertise of a genetic counselor to assess the likelihood of a hereditary cancer gene in their family. Genetic counselors are specially trained health care professionals who can talk with women prior to and after genetic testing to help them understand the implications of their genetic test results, not only for themselves but for their family members.

Continuum Cancer Centers of New York provides genetic counseling to help determine the likelihood of a cancer gene and to discuss what steps patients can take to be proactive in their fight against cancer. For an appointment, call 212.844.6231. For more information on what steps you can take to reduce your risk of breast cancer, and to get your own personalized prevention plan, visit www.cancerteam.com.

The post BRCA1 and cancer: What women need to know appeared first on Metro.us.

Boys who are diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in elementary school are more likely to grow up to be obese adults than those who don’t have the condition, a new study suggests.

Researchers surveyed two groups of 41-year-old men and found those with a history of ADHD were 19 pounds heavier than their non-ADHD counterparts, on average.

The findings are consistent with past studies that looked only at children or only at adults and linked ADHD to extra pounds, researchers said.

“There’s definitely been enough research now where it does appear there is some connection between these two disorders,” said Sherry Pagoto, who has studied ADHD and obesity at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester.

Data for the new study came from 207 white boys with ADHD who were referred to a research clinic at around age eight and followed as they grew up. Ten years later another group of teenage boys without ADHD, who were otherwise similar to the original participants, were added to the study.

By the time they were asked to report their weight at age 41, 111 men from each group were still in the study.

On that survey, men with a history of ADHD reported weighing 213 pounds, on average, and 41 percent of them were obese.

In comparison, men without ADHD weighed in at an average of 194 pounds, and 22 percent qualified as obese, Dr. F. Xavier Castellanos from the Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York and his colleagues wrote in Pediatrics.

“As we learn more about the regions of the brain that may be implicated in obesity, they overlap with brain regions implicated in ADHD,” Castellanos told Reuters Health. “The reward system seems to be relevant to both conditions.”

In addition, he added, “There is the speculation that the obesity is at least partly reflecting some of the impulsivity, poor planning and the difficulty in making choices” that come with ADHD.

Pagoto, who was not involved in the new research, agreed that young people with the disorder could be more impulsive when it comes to their food choices and may also spend more time in front of screens than their peers.

“Parents of children who have ADHD should pay special attention to how that child’s weight is changing over time, knowing that they may be at greater risk for becoming obese,” she told Reuters Health.

“If they’re at higher risk of obesity, that may bring other things with it,” such as type 2 diabetes, she added.

Contrary to the study team’s hypothesis, they found that men who no longer had their childhood ADHD symptoms were especially likely to be obese – not those who still had persistent attention and hyperactivity problems.

Pagoto agreed that finding was unexpected and said the study may simply have been too small to tease out reliable differences among adults with a history of ADHD.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, parents report that close to one in ten kids and teenagers has been diagnosed with ADHD. Boys are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed as girls.

Castellanos recommended parents of children with ADHD make sure their kids are getting enough exercise and help them cut back on sugary drinks and other high-calorie food choices.

The post Childhood ADHD tied to obesity years later appeared first on Metro.us.

Allana Maiden started a petition on Change.org asking Victoria’s Secret to make a “Survivor Line” of mastectomy bras after watching her mother struggle for years to find a nice bra that fit her new body.

“My mom is a breast cancer survivor — 21 years cancer-free! I’m so inspired by her strength and hope, and after everything she went through, it doesn’t seem fair that shopping for bras is such a discouraging, time consuming and frustrating ordeal,” she wrote on the petition. “There are so many women out there, like my mom, who have survived breast cancer but are left feeling altered and uncomfortable because of undergoing chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. I think they deserve to feel beautiful and Victoria’s Secret is the perfect company to help make that happen with a line of “Survivor” mastectomy bras.”

The petition gained momentum with more than 120,000 supporters.

It turns out, Victoria’s Secret is not up for the task of making the Survivor Bras.

“Through our research, we have learned that fitting and selling mastectomy bras in the right way … a way that is beneficial to women is complicated and truly a science. As a result, we believe that the best way for us to make an impact for our customers is to continue funding cancer research,” Victoria’s Secret said in a statement.

Maiden seems to be disappointed her favorite bra retailer won’t help breast cancer survivors directly.

“My mom and I have always said how much we appreciate Victoria’s Secret research efforts. But cancer research doesn’t help survivors feel beautiful after the battle is over – mastectomy bras do,” she said in a statement. “This is a company that prides itself in innovation that helps women feel beautiful. I don’t think cancer survivors like my mom should be the exception to the rule.”

The news comes only a week following Angelina Jolie’s announcement that she had a double mastectomy to reduce her change of breast and ovarian cancer.

“On a personal note, I do not feel any less of a woman. I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity,” Jolie wrote in her op-ed.

Despite Victoria’s Secret’s response, Maiden has been able to rely on other retailers.

“My mom and I have had an amazing experience at Nordstrom – a store that’s already figured out that ‘science’ of helping breast cancer survivors. But with more than 1,000 stores in 49 states, Victoria’s Secret is in a position to help empower so many women to feel beautiful after their battle with cancer,” she said.

The post Despite petition, Victoria’s Secret won’t sell mastectomy bras appeared first on Metro.us.

Is happiness something that happens to you, or something that you make happen for yourself? If you ask “Glee’s” Jenna Ushkowitz that question, she’ll tell you it’s the latter.

In fact, she’s written the book on finding your own glee through the power of self-affirmation and positive thinking. “Choosing Glee: 10 Rules to Finding Inspiration, Happiness, and the Real You” is part memoir, part self-help tome, and all motivational. Written through anecdotal vignettes, personal photos, lists and charts, “Choosing Glee” is Ushkowitz’ way of giving back to the world, putting out positivity as a means of reaping more good vibes. “I like to think that positivity is a choice, and you wake up and make a conscious decision,” says the 27-year-old actress. And though she admits, “I’ve never been through any really dark times where I hit rock bottom,” she seems to know what she’s talking about.

So, what’s this book really about?

It’s 10 rules that I live by, to success, to where I’ve gotten, where I am. I just wanted to share that with my fans and readers. You know, to tell them that it’s something you can choose to believe in every day. It’s like your mantra. You know, there are like people who feel that they’re the victim and it’s always happening to them? You can turn that around, and change your outlook on life, and it really makes life a little bit brighter.

Have you always thought this way?

Yeah, I think I’ve always been this way. You could say I was born this way, but I also think I owe it to my parents teaching me to have a good head on my shoulders, and rely on my support system, and always stay true to who you are.

But what about somebody who wasn’t born that way?

Well, again, it’s making it a choice. You make it a choice, and every day you wake up and make it your mantra and say today I’m going to make the best of every situation and look at every situation with the glass half full. And then, after awhile, it sort of becomes subconscious and it becomes a way of life. It’s a lifestyle change, it’s like a diet. People always say, oh, I’m going to diet for this amount of time — well, it’s actually a lifestyle change you need to make.

Can you think of a recent situation where you had to make that choice?

Sure, I mean there was a time in the industry where I did a pilot — my belief is that everything happens for a reason — so I was doing this pilot and it got picked up, and I was all excited, and then I got this phone call that they actually weren’t going to pick me up, that they were going to recast me. And the first thing I thought was, ‘Oh, well, I’m not a good actor; I’m fat, I’m ugly, they hate me!’ (laughs) And then you turn around and say, you know what? It wasn’t me, it wasn’t meant to be, and actually it turned out that the reason was that I was a little too young. But you still believe, Oh, they’re lying,’ so I went to my friends and we vegged out and did our thing, it’s like a breakup. But then you get over it. And I then went on to book “Spring Awakening,” and then “Glee,” and wouldn’t have finished college. So you have to look at it like, well, I wouldn’t have been able to experience those things.

So you’re obviously a big believer in karma.

Oh yeah, 100 percent. Everything happens for a reason and I believe in karma. I believe that what you give to the world — the energy that you give to the world — is what you get back. And it will come back to you if you’re not good to it. (laughs)

The post Jenna Ushkowitz talks the power of positivity in ‘Choosing Glee’ appeared first on Metro.us.

A newer version of the whooping cough vaccine doesn’t protect kids as well as the original, which was phased out in the 1990s because of safety concerns, according to a new study.

During a 2010-2011 outbreak of whooping cough in California, researchers found that youth who had been vaccinated with the newer, so-called acellular, vaccine were six times more likely to catch whooping cough than those who had received a series of the older whole-cell vaccine.

“This is an ongoing saga,” said Dr. H. Cody Meissner, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston.

The rate of whooping cough, or pertussis, has been climbing in recent years, he said — to the point where “we’re worried about losing control of pertussis in the United States.”

The pertussis vaccine is given in combination with vaccines for diphtheria and tetanus.

Originally the shot contained whole pertussis bacteria, which triggered reactions in some babies — including prolonged crying, fever and a “shock-like state,” said Meissner, who wasn’t involved in the new research.

So in the 1990s, the U.S. switched over to an acellular version of the vaccine, which has reduced the rate of side effects.

“But the price we’ve paid to get more safety is that we have less effectiveness,” Meissner told Reuters Health. “It doesn’t protect as well against pertussis.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends four doses of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine (DTaP) be given to babies between two and 18 months, and a fifth dose by age six. A booster was recently added to the vaccine schedule for 11- to 12-year-olds.

For the new study, researchers from the Kaiser Permanente Northern California health system compared the vaccination history of 138 teenagers and preteens who tested positive for whooping cough and about 55,000 who did not during the state’s 2010-2011 outbreak.

Over the course of the outbreak, 78 out of every 100,000 adolescents were infected per year.

Almost all of the kids had received the newer acellular vaccine as their fifth DTaP dose. But Dr. Nicola Klein and her colleagues found that teens who’d been vaccinated with the acellular version for each of their first four doses as well were six times more likely to contract whooping cough than those who’d received four doses of the whole-cell vaccine.

Each extra acellular rather than whole-cell dose increased a child’s risk of later developing whooping cough by about 40 percent, the researchers reported Monday in Pediatrics.

Klein said there seem to be some differences in the initial immune response to the whole-cell vaccine versus the acellular vaccine, which may persist as children get older. Her team’s study, she said, suggests there needs to be more of a focus on developing a third pertussis vaccine.

But any new shot for whooping cough that could address both safety and effectiveness concerns is still years away, Meissner said.

“So now we’re confronted with this difficult problem,” he said.

“It’s very hard to recommend a vaccine that is known to be associated with more side effects than another vaccine that’s safer, even though the first vaccine gives better protection. It’s a dilemma.”

The findings do not mean parents shouldn’t get their children fully vaccinated against pertussis, the researchers agreed.

“In the short run, we have to keep vaccinating kids on the recommended schedule because that’s definitely the best way to protect kids,” Klein told Reuters Health.

“The acellular vaccine does work, it just doesn’t last as long as we hoped,” she said. “It’s the best tool we have right now to protect against pertussis.”

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Lundbeck says new drug shows improvement in depression symptoms Danish pharmaceutical group Lundbeck and Japanese partner Takeda said on Saturday that data from clinical phase III studies with the antidepressant vortioxetine had shown significant improvement in patients’ symptoms.
Lundbeck said in a statement that the trial showed safety levels consistent with previously completed studies at lower doses.
Lundbeck and Takeda submitted vortioxetine, also known as Brintellix, for regulatory approval in the United States and Europe at the end of last year.
Industry analysts at Deutsche Bank see the new drug having sales potential in excess of $1.5 billion and possibly up to $3 billion a year, although consensus forecasts for 2016 are a more modest $500 million, according to Thomson Reuters Pharma.
Lundbeck hopes the new drug will provide a new source of revenue as its existing antidepressant, Cipralex, sold as Lexapro in the United States and Japan, comes off patent protection.

The post Move over Lexapro — Vortioxetine to help appeared first on Metro.us.

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Topic of Study: Anti-cocaine vaccine
Location of study: U.S.
Study subjects: Mice, non-human primates
Results: Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College say they have successfully tested an anti-cocaine vaccine in primates, bringing them closer to launching human clinical trials. This study, published online by the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, compared the vaccine’s effect to that of Pac-man, in this case gobbling up cocaine in the blood before it can reach the brain.
Significance: Researchers state there are about 1.4 million cocaine users in the United States seeking to break their addiction to the drug. They hope that the anti-cocaine vaccine will render the drug ineffectual due to antibodies produced by the body when the drug enters the body.

Topic of Study: Nicotine and Parkinson’s disease
Location of study: U.S.
Study subjects: 490 patients newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, 644 unrelated individuals without neurological conditions as a control
Results: A study recently published in Annals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society, found that eating foods containing trace elements of nicotine, such as peppers and tomatoes, might reduce risk of developing Parkinson’s. Researchers seem to think that Solanaceae, a flowering plant family that includes variants that are edible sources of nicotine, may provide a protective effect against Parkinson’s disease. Eating vegetables in general did not affect Parkinson’s disease risk, but as consumption of edible Solanaceae increased, Parkinson’s Disease risk decreased. Peppers displayed the strongest effect.
Significance: Previously, researchers have found that smoking cigarettes and other forms of tobacco, also a Solanaceae plant, reduced relative risk of Parkinson’s Disease, which is caused by a loss of brain cells that produce dopamine and results in facial, hand, arm, and leg tremors; stiffness in the limbs; loss of balance and slower overall movement. Experts are not sure if nicotine or other components in tobacco provide a protective effect.

Topic of Study: Fish vs. red meat in reducing cancer risk
Location of study: Canada
Study subjects: Meta-analysis
Results: Nutrition Reviews just published a report stating that people who eat red and processed meat are 40 percent more likely to develop oesophageal cancer than others who ate a diet with more fish.
Significance: It’s been thought that nitrates and other chemicals used in processed meat are carcinogenic. This new study provides more evidence that cutting down on red meat is healthier.

Topic of Study: Coumarin In cinnamon and cinnamon-based products
Location of study: U.S.
Study subjects: Data study
Results: The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry reports that many cinnamon-flavored foods, drinks and supplements sold in the U.S. use a form of the spice that contains high levels of a natural substance, coumarin, which may cause liver damage. Cassia cinnamon, which is used as a cinnamon flavor in most American breads, sticky buns and other products, is cheaper than Ceylon, true cinnamon. Cassia was found to have higher levels of coumarin than ceylon.
Significance: The study results are similar to those out of the European Union.

The post Today in Medicine: Can nicotine prevent Parkinson’s? appeared first on Metro.us.

First dates can be seriously tricky business, so take this expert advice:

Don’t talk only (or mostly) about yourself.
So you’ve traveled to every continent, do something really important/prestigious, have a bunch of funny stories exhibiting how you can kill the one-liners. The problem is, no one likes to be talked at—even if it’s really impressive. There can be a rush to get out all of the positive things about yourself on the first date to try to keep the other person interested. But if you’re so concerned about how you’re coming across, you’re not actually connecting with the other person…which, you know, is sort of what the date is about.

Don’t be difficult to pin down.
If your next free night is three weeks from this Tuesday, maybe this isn’t the best time in your life to be starting to date someone.

Don’t go out to dinner.
First of all, if you’re a guy this can start to add up fast. But more than that, dinner is a high-pressure situation where you’re forced to keep up the conversation because there are no other distractions. This doesn’t exactly lend itself to you putting your best foot forward. Instead of dinner (or even drinks) plan an activity date.

Ask job interview questions.
The things we talk about on a first date tend to do with where we grew up, went to school, or what we do for a living…all things that are painful to talk about repeatedly and don’t actually get to the crux of who a person is. If you want your first date to be fun and stand out, ask things more along the lines of: what is the creepiest thing you’ve ever done? What’s the closest you’ve been to getting arrested? Have discussions about getting along with siblings/parents, what you think makes a good movie, whether brunch is awesome or an over priced breakfast. Really have a conversation together, don’t just take turns reciting your resumes.

Don’t start planning your wedding.
So the date went well? Awesome. But don’t let your fantasies get the best of you and convince yourself that this is The One. The truth is, after one date—even a great one—you just don’t know someone that well yet. So stay open minded to both the good qualities and the bad instead of painting a full picture of the person you just met based on your very limited information.

— Amber Madison is a Manhattan-based relationship expert and dating coach. She is the author of ‘Are All Guys Assholes?’ for which she traveled the country, spoke to over 1,000 men and discovered that the answer to this question is no. You can follow her on Twitter @ambermadi.

The post Dating: 5 things you should NOT do on a first date appeared first on Metro.us.

Two men bravely underwent the procedure, and if their video — and countless others from those who have undergone the medical experience as well — says anything, it hurts pretty badly. However, ABC News senior medical contributor Dr. Jennifer Ashton explained in an article that the process actually isn’t nearly as painful as the real thing.

But, at the very least, it should make you more grateful to the person who brought you into this world. Now go give her a hug.

The post VIDEO: Two men take on the labor pain simulator appeared first on Metro.us.

National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month is halfway over, and while we can’t control Mother Nature and substances outside of the home, we can minimize allergy triggers inside it.

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ambassador Robin Wilson is a New York City-based designer who heads Robin Wilson Home (clients include President Bill Clinton). Wilson gives us tips on creating a low-allergy inner sanctum — and that includes cutting chemical exposure, which makes the body more sensitive to reactions.

Bed

“You go out into the sun on a daily basis, but if you sit in it for six hours you’ll get a sunburn. It’s the same with sleeping on a toxic mattress. If you spend a third of your life sleeping, you’re spending a third of your life absorbing toxins. Cheap mattresses are sprayed with boric acid: That’s roach killer! Buy the most expensive mattress you can. Dust mites collect in your mattress and pillow. Change pillows every three years, wash them once a year and choose synthetic pillows, not down-feather ones: Feathers trigger allergies.”

Bath

“Choose a nylon shower curtain, not a vinyl one. Nylon doesn’t off-gas and it’s more mold-resistant and washable. Check and replace caulking once a year. Flushing the toilet sends microscopic water droplets throughout the bathroom every time you flush. That means mold and E. coli might be landing on your toothbrush, so put the lid down before flushing.”

Beyond

“Your floors and walls are the largest surfaces in your home. Use non-VOC paints that won’t off-gas. Replace wall-to-wall carpeting with carpet tile, which can be cleaned properly. Use cotton-backed, not vinyl-backed rugs — they trap less dirt and dust. Use white vinegar to clean fridge pans and add it to the soap compartment in your dishwasher. Run it while empty.”

Is your home an allergy nightmare?

“If your allergies clear when you go [on vacation] and then when you get home you start feeling ‘blargh’ again, then your environment is full of triggers,” says Wilson. “Two easy tips: Every 60 days, freeze your child’s stuffed animals in sealed bags to kill dust mites. Also, whenever you walk into your home, take off your shoes to prevent the outside world from coming in. ”

The post Keep allergens out of your home appeared first on Metro.us.

You likely already know that a total deprivation diet won’t keep you skinny long-term — and who could go through life without dessert? With waistlines in mind, Lisa Lillien, aka Hungry Girl to her legions of readers and Food Network followers, just released her eighth book, “Hungry Girl 200 Under 200: Just Desserts.” We chatted with the bubbly recipe whiz and got her best tips for how to enjoy the sweet stuff without totally going overboard.

Think beyond the box
If you’re looking to shave some fat and calories from a traditional cake mix, ignore the instructions, Lillien says. From whipping up Funfetti cake with club soda to using pumpkin instead of oil, eggs and butter, “there are great shortcuts,” she says.

Make ingredients do double-duty
Lillien makes pie crusts with Fiber 1 cereal and mini desserts with eggroll wrappers, wonton wrappers and tiny phyllo shells, which she calls “just brilliant because they’re low in fat and calories and are great vehicles for your dessert items.”

Jazz up your fruit
Hungry Girl calls herself a “fruit maniac” (she eats a Fuji apple every day!) But if fruit just isn’t your go-to, you can find ways to make it sweeter.

“I like to take pineapple, grill it and drizzle a little bit of reduced-fat caramel on it,” she says. Also big in Lillien’s house: fun with apples. “I do so many weird things to my apples,” she says. “I will chop them up and shake them in a bag with cinnamon, I throw them in the microwave like that, I make baked apples with diet soda — I have so many recipes in that book where you just cook some chopped apples in a pot with a little bit of cornstarch, a little bit of water and a tiny bit of sugar and cinnamon and you make it into like a gooey apple pie filling and put it in so many different places.”

Enjoy in moderation
When Lillien goes out to eat, “if a big, gooey dessert shows up I’ll stick a fork in there,” she says. “I don’t really deprive myself fully, but I indulge in moderation. If I’m at a place where I love the pretzel bread and I’ve had a piece of pretzel bread, I probably won’t eat the dessert also. It’s a give and take.”

Trying to lose weight?

Be accountable
This is Lillien’s top piece of advice, she says. “If you know something is your weakness, don’t have it in front of you. Don’t keep it in the house. I’m a chip lover. I try not to eat it too much because I’ll overdo it. Ice cream is not my go-to treat but if I have a pint in the house and I stick my spoon in it I’ll eat three servings at a time. So keep portion-controlled stuff in the house.”

Skipping meals backfires
“Don’t skip meals because people tend to get really hungry,” she says. “I know for me, especially when I’m on the road … I [don’t] want to be ridiculously hungry and reach for the wrong thing within an hour or two.”

Her snack pick

Quest bars
“They’re loaded with protein, loaded with fiber, they’re low in sugar, they really are filling they’re very satisfying. I love them so much. They’re a favorite of bodybuilders — everybody is obsessed with what they’re made of and the stats on them, but for me it’s like, usually if I eat a bar I am hungry afterwards, and those I’m not hungry. They’re with me all the time when I travel.”
$2.39 per bar or $25 for a box of 12, GNC stores

Tasty recipe

Freezy PB Pie Cups

You’ll Need: 12-cup muffin pan, foil baking cups, large bowl, electric mixer
Prep: 15 minutes Freeze: 3 1⁄2 hours

1/12th of recipe (1 pie cup): 134 calories, 6g fat, 132mg sodium, 16g carbs, 0.5g fiber, 8g sugars, 4g protein

Ingredients
1⁄2 cup reduced-fat creamy peanut butter
4 ounces (about 1⁄2 cup) fat-free cream cheese
1⁄4 cup powdered sugar
1⁄2 cup light vanilla soymilk
One 8-ounce container Cool Whip Free (thawed)
3 tablespoons mini semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Line a 12-cup muffin pan with foil baking cups.

In a large bowl, combine peanut butter with cream cheese. With an electric mixer set to medium speed, beat until uniform.

Reduce speed to low. Continue to beat while gradually adding powdered sugar, followed by soymilk. Beat until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.

Fold in 1 cup Cool Whip until uniform. Evenly distribute mixture among the cups of the muffin pan.

Spread remaining Cool Whip over the mixture, and sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Freeze until firm, at least 3 1⁄2 hours. Mmmm!

MAKES 12 SERVINGS
134 calories per serving

Get more recipes in Lillien’s new book, “Hungry Girl 200 Under 200: Just Desserts.”

Follow Meredith Engel on Twitter @MeredithAtMetro

The post Sweet secrets from Hungry Girl appeared first on Metro.us.

Angelina Jolie made headlines Tuesday by announcing that she had undergone a preventative double mastectomy after testing positive for a mutated BRCA1 gene, which indicates a strong predisposition to breast and ovarian cancers.

In her New York Times op-ed piece, “My medical decision,” Jolie reveals that her doctor estimated she had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent chance of developing ovarian cancer. “I decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much I could,” she writes. Now, post-mastectomy, her risk of breast cancer has dropped to 5 percent. Jolie’s mother died of cancer in 2007 at age 56.

BRCA1 and BRCA2 are two genes that, when mutated, have been linked to breast and ovarian cancers, as well as other types of the disease. Both women and men are susceptible to the faulty genes. Patients can undergo a blood test to see if they have the mutated genes, and genetic counselors can help patients decide on the best course of treatment for them. That might be a prophylactic (preventative) mastectomy, taking drugs like tamoxifen or raloxifene — which are proven to lower breast cancer risk — or simply continuing cancer screenings.

Indeed, the aggressive procedure Jolie had is not for everyone, says Dr. Fred Jacobs, chief medical officer of the eastern division of the American Cancer Society: “That decision needs to be made in conjunction with a very experienced medical oncologist and a genetic counselor who can make sense of the data the woman has.”

“If a woman has a family history which suggested that an evaluation for the BRCA mutation would be medically indicated, and they did it and she had [the mutated gene] — which increased the risk of them getting cancer to a very high number — then it’s a very personal thing,” he adds. “The women who have this issue have a problem with suppressing the development of cancer. Everybody has cell division that may go a little out of whack, but there’s natural body defenses [against that]. This gene suppresses that defense.

“Do you want to live with that risk, or do you want to take aggressive action to reduce it, meaning a rather extensive surgical procedure? [Jolie] spent three months doing it. That requires a bit of a commitment for a disease you don’t have.”

Jacobs also says that Jolie’s procedure does not mean everyone needs to be genetically tested.

“The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommend that only women with a strong family history be evaluated for genetic testing, and that only is about 2 percent of adult women in the U.S. But, that is a very large number of women.”

Those who opt for a mastectomy can expect a procedure that takes a few hours, more if the patient opts for reconstructive surgery during the same operation. Patients often choose the simultaneous procedure, Jacobs says, “because they go to sleep and then they wake up and still have breasts.” Reconstructive surgery involves a plastic surgeon recreating the breasts once the breast surgeon has finished his portion of the operation.

Insurance coverage “depends on the policy,” Jacobs says, though he argues that “insurance should cover it because it’s a legitimate form of therapy for a disease process,” when cancer itself has yet to manifest. In the future, Jacobs adds, we “may be able to attack the gene and prevent it from expressing itself in a way that would result in a risk of cancer.” Until then, post-procedure recovery is “like any major surgery, measured in weeks and months.”

Though Jolie greatly reduced her risk from 87 to 5 percent, Dr. Jacobs notes that even that number is still more than the average woman’s risk. “It’s because you can’t remove all the breast tissue in a bi-lateral prophylactic operation,” he says. “Some of the breast tissue is gonna be left behind. We’re gonna take out all that we can, so that her risk is now reduced from 9/10 to 1/20  — that’s a very substantial reduction, but she didn’t reduce her risk to zero.”

Still, Jacobs is quick to commend the actress and director on her decision. “She took the matter into her own hands and said, ‘I’m not gonna sit back and wait for this, I can’t live with that. Other women might be able to, [but] … I want to take charge of my life, and this is available to me.’ It’s a perfectly reasonable thing that she did for herself.”

The post Should you get a preventative mastectomy like Angelina Jolie? appeared first on Metro.us.

“Doc, rubbing alcohol on a cut will prevent an infection, right?”

Wrong! Here are a few of the most common ill-advised home remedies, why they don’t work, and what you should do to help yourself before seeing a doctor.

Burns and butter
Butter has no medicinal properties whatsoever and may even contaminate a burn, causing it to become infected. Any burns should initially be treated with cold water or an ice pack. Any first-degree burn (redness) can be treated with ibuprofen or aspirin for pain and inflammation, while second-degree burns (blisters) should probably be evaluated by a health care professional.

Nosebleeds and ice, tilting your head back or putting tissues in your nose
Nosebleeds are almost universally caused by breakage of tiny capillaries in the mucous membrane lining of the nasal septum, usually from a picking finger or blunt trauma. Dry mucous membranes from a cold, dehydration or dry air may contribute. Like all bleeding, the immediate treatment is direct pressure to the area — in this case, by blowing out any blood clots, and then pinching the nostrils over the fleshy part of the nose for 8-10 minutes. Ice will only make you nose cold. Tilting your head back will cause you to swallow any blood, inducing nausea and vomiting. And sticking tissues or cotton in the nostrils may be a temporary fix, but removing the packing will likely reopen the wound. Anyone taking blood thinners and those with a history of anemia, heart disease or lung disease should probably seek medical attention.

Cuts and rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol and iodine-based antiseptics (betadine) all kill bacteria, but these preparations also kill normal cells and tissue, making the injury worse if applied directly to a wound. Any break in the skin is best treated by flushing the cut, scrape or puncture with running water, applying pressure until the bleeding stops and covering he wound with a sterile bandage and antibiotic cream or ointment. If you can see fat or other underlying tissue, then the full thickness of your skin has been cut and you probably need stitches. See a doctor ASAP.

Heat or ice?

Acute musculoskeletal injuries (sprains, bruises) are best treated with intermittent ice and elevation, 20 minutes on and off, in order to reduce swelling and limit disability during the first 24 hours. Heat will increase circulation and so may make swelling from an acute injury worse. After 48 hours heat may improve mobility and accelerate reduction of bruising and swelling. Heat may also be used for improving circulation to soft tissue infections and facilitate treatment with prescribed antibiotics.

The post Home remedies that don’t help, and could even hurt appeared first on Metro.us.

A new study supports what any parent of a teenage girl already knew — that adolescent girls spend their lives arguing with people, tearfully making up, and arguing all over again.

The survey of hundreds of parents by manufacturers of feminine hygiene products said that teen girls argue with their mothers on average 183 times a year — or once every two days.

In between the punch-ups with mom they fight 257 times on average each year with siblings, slam 164 doors and fall out with their friends 127 times. And they cry over boys on average 123 times a year.

After all of that, they spend an average of 274 hours on the phone to their friends, the survey by Li-Lets revealed.

Arguments over the tidiness of bedrooms, unsuitable boyfriends and impudence to parents dominated the rows, the survey found.

Meanwhile a quarter of grown women, looking back at their teen years, agreed they had been a positive menace and regretted the effect their behavior had on the rest of their family.

The women said it was only when they reached the age of 23 that they began to appreciate what their mothers had done for them, and they regarded an 25-year age gap as ideal in a mother-daughter relationship.

Two-thirds of women said they felt they owed a great debt to their mothers, but only 22 per cent agreed that women and girls and their mothers should share every intimate secret.

A third of the women surveyed said they would be reluctant to discuss their monthly period with their mothers, and two-thirds shuddered at the idea of discussing contraception or sex.

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Three of New York’s trendiest fitness clubs may be putting a spiritual spin on their services as a way of avoiding sales taxes, but state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman isn’t having it, Crains reports.

Schneiderman last week issued subpoenas for unpaid sales taxes to popular spinning clubs SoulCycle and Flywheel Sports, and to Bar Method, which bills itself as a combination ballet and Pilates-style workout. The subpoenas are investigative and the companies have not been accused of any wrongdoing.

Fitness companies in New York City, uniquely within the state, are subject to sales taxes unless their services are limited to yoga and meditation, which allows them to qualify for a religious exemption. Bar Method, SoulCycle and Flywheel Sports do not offer yoga, but their branding and testimonials often tout a spiritual element to the workouts.

The tax distinction between yoga studios and other fitness clubs was only made by the state last July, and a consultant for the health and fitness industry told Crains that the problem had arisen before.

“There’s been a real confusion for years as to what the criteria are for payment,” said Richard Caro, president of Management Vision. “This is not something that’s a new topic.”

The post Confusion as ‘spiritual’ fitness boutiques probed for unpaid sales taxes appeared first on Metro.us.

The question:
I have really noisy neighbors who are driving me crazy. I hear all their personal conversations and parties, and know way too much about their sex lives. Plus they argue a lot and slam the front door really loud. I pay a lot of rent and resent having to deal with this. Any suggestions?

As the saying goes, good fences make good neighbors. For many cosmopolitans, unfortunately, those proverbial fences are thin walls and creaky floors that broadcast every groan, thump or raised voice from strangers who share the same address. We pay a premium for every square foot of privacy, yet unwittingly share plumbing, critters and private moments. Still, many of us know next to nothing about the lives, much less the names, of the people we pass in halls daily. It’s a strange and uninvited intimacy.

Your frustrations are completely understandable. We expect our homes to be sanctuaries from the hustle and bustle of city life — which is all the more reason we get so bent out of shape by unwelcome disturbances. But you need not suffer interminably. Aside from sound-proofing, there are several things you can do to restore your sanity:

1. Assess the situation. Acting on anger, like retaliating or slamming your door, may only aggravate the situation, and could lead them to believe that you’re the problem. Unlike passengers on a packed train, these aren’t pushy strangers you’ll never see again. Until one of you moves, you’re stuck with them. White noise machines can help buffer conversational intrusion. If the noise is louder and ongoing, you may want to collect your thoughts or make a list of your complaints. If you’re awoken in the middle of the night, knocking on the wall may be just enough to remind your neighbor that the walls are thin.

2. Politely discuss the noise levels with your neighbors (for safety purposes, you may want to take someone else along). Be factual: Tell them what you can hear and suggest they keep noise levels down late at night. If possible, find humor in the situation (a friend received a letter from her neighbor stating: “We respect people’s right to a healthy sex life, but you are keeping our kids up at night”). Your neighbors may be unaware and will want to maintain their privacy. They may also be able to hear you too, which may affect how you choose to modulate your volume. See if you can come up with a mutually agreeable solution. Write down the date when you confronted your neighbors, as you may need it if the issue isn’t resolved.

3. If you receive a negative response, or no response at all, supply them with a copy of your lease. Most leases contain a clause stating your right to “quiet enjoyment.” You might also consider writing your neighbors a letter informing them that if they don’t quiet down, you will be notifying the landlord. A letter signed by other neighbors who don’t appreciate the noise could be additionally effective.

4. If necessary, contact your landlord. Inform him or her of what you’ve done thus far and supply them with a copy of your letter, if you wrote one. You’d be amazed at how much quieter people become if they fear eviction. Calling the police is also an option if the noise is “disturbing the peace,” especially if you suspect domestic violence.

— This column is not intended to be used as a substitute for a private consultation with a mental health professional, nor is this therapist to be held liable for any actions taken as a result of this column. If you have any concerns related to this column, make an appointment with a licensed mental health professional. Metro does not endorse the opinions of the author.

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Some people simply cannot be convinced to eat broccoli despite all its nutritional value. Fortunately, there are other cruciferous vegetables that, like broccoli, are packed with beneficial nutrients that research tells us may have the ability to fight cancer, decrease cognitive decline associated with aging and reduce inflammation in the body.

Part of the cabbage family, cruciferous vegetables include Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, Swiss chard and collard greens, among others. Including these nutrient-packed veggies in your diet is easy, especially since they are widely available in grocery stores and green markets. Here are just a few ideas for you to try:

Cauliflower Try oven-roasting cauliflower, which will enhance its natural sweetness. For a change of pace, seek out the antioxidant-rich purple variety or the orange cauliflower, which is rich in vitamin A. Hold the cheese sauce, though — it adds too many calories from saturated fat.

Bok choy Also known as Chinese cabbage, this low-calorie veggie can be steamed, sautéed or stir-fried. It also is delicious raw, tossed lightly with a dressing made with rice wine or cider vinegar and a small amount of oil and reduced-sodium soy sauce. Eating the bok choy raw helps preserve the vitamin C, which is heat-sensitive.

Kale Known as a superfood because it is packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, kale can be steamed, sautéed or eaten raw.

The American Institute for Cancer Research website is a great resource to find out more about cancer-fighting foods and delicious recipes to enjoy them.

Michele Weisberge is a dietitian and nutritionist for cancer supportive services at Beth Israel Medical Center. Read her previous posts here. This article first appeared on www.healthbytesnyc.com.

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The thyroid gland got its name from the Greek word for “shield,” inspired by its physical appearance in the neck. In many ways, it acts like a shield by protecting our bodies from losing functional balance. The gland produces and releases thyroid hormone, which is crucial in regulating metabolism — digestion, weight, temperature regulation and reproduction all are affected.

The thyroid works like a thermostat via its connection with the brain. If there is not enough thyroid hormone in the bloodstream, the brain will stimulate the thyroid gland to produce and release more. Blood tests are an easy way to detect both the level of thyroid hormone circulating in the blood — generally free thyroxine (T4) — and the stimulating signal from the brain (TSH, or thyroid stimulating hormone). The most common thyroid problems involve abnormal production.

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is the term used to describe an underactive thyroid.

Symptoms include:
• Fatigue
• Feeling colder than usual
• Changes in skin and hair
• Weight gain

Causes
A common cause of hypothyroidism is Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune disorder in which cells in the body prevent the thyroid from producing and releasing enough thyroid hormone. Other causes include surgical removal of the thyroid gland for thyroid cancer; treatment of hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid gland) with radioactive iodine; or being born with an underactive thyroid gland.

Treatment
The treatment for hypothyroidism is to replace thyroid hormone in the form of a pill taken once a day, preferably by itself and on an empty stomach so that it is fully absorbed. The dose is easily adjusted based on blood tests.

Hyperthyroidism

Hyperthyroidism describes an overactive thyroid gland.

Symptoms include:
• Increased sweating
• Heart palpitations
• Increased anxiety
• Diarrhea
• Weight loss

Causes
A number of conditions can cause hyperthyroidism. Opposite to hypothyroidism, cells in the bloodstream called antibodies make the thyroid gland secrete an excessive amount of thyroid hormone.

Treatments
The two most common treatments for hyperthyroidism are radioactive iodine and medication. Radioactive iodine works by destroying part of the thyroid gland to restore a normal level of thyroid hormone in the body; however, it is possible that hypothyroidism may then develop. Radioactive iodine has the benefit of generally being a more permanent treatment, although medications used to treat hyperthyroidism can be very effective in certain people, too. Just as in hypothyroidism, blood tests should be done routinely to monitor treatment.

Thyroid cancer

Thyroid cancer can develop and, in the majority of cases, is curable by surgical removal of the thyroid gland by an experienced surgeon. Radioactive iodine may be used after surgery to destroy any small remaining cancer cells. An endocrinologist should be directly involved in monitoring care.

Extremes of thyroid function can certainly have an impact on your quality of life; the beauty is that with the correct diagnosis and management, these conditions can be greatly improved!

Information provided by Dr. Gregory B. Dodell, who works in endocrinology, diabetes and nutrition at St. Luke’s and Roosevelt hospitals. Click here to view all of his posts. This article first appeared on www.healthbytesnyc.com.

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It is no coincidence that May was selected as Allergy and Asthma Awareness Month: March through May is when trees are pollinating in most of the United States, with some varieties in the South and Southwest getting an even earlier start.

Pollen — the microscopic plant particles that cause seasonal allergies in many people — comes from three general types of plants: trees, grasses and weeds. In general, trees pollinate in the late winter and early spring; grasses often overlap with trees at the end of their season and extend late into the summer; and ragweed, the most potent of allergenic weeds, starts pollinating in mid-August and lasts through September.

Each tree pollinates for one to two weeks, and at that time pollen levels can be quite high, resulting in severe nasal symptoms and, in more severe cases, asthma. In especially pollen-heavy years, some people with nasal allergies can even develop asthma. If you are allergic to only a couple of trees (usually not the case for most tree-allergic people), then your symptoms might only last for a couple of weeks. Any patient with seasonal asthma (or even chest symptoms) should be monitored by a physician, and the same applies to patients with more severe springtime nasal symptoms.

The timing of tree pollens varies each year, depending on the pattern of weather in the preceding winter months. A warmer winter will often result in earlier pollination, and a wetter winter may cause trees to pollinate at higher levels.

Treatment options

The management of pollen symptoms is improved if patients begin medications prior to the development of symptoms. You do not need to suffer during allergy seasons — there are plenty of treatment options:

• Over-the-counter antihistamines (the non-sedating variety are preferable) can help control sneezing and itchiness.
• Prescription nasal and lung steroid sprays can help control nasal congestion and asthma symptoms.
• There are newer prescription nasal antihistamine sprays that work on both sneezing and itching and, when used regularly, can help control congestion, too.
• Patients whose symptoms cannot be controlled with medications might benefit from allergy injections. These injections are given weekly, then less frequently once the patient is desensitized. They reduce the body’s reaction to the normally harmless pollen granules, but they take months or longer to start working.
• For eye itching, the oral antihistamines can be of benefit, and there are antihistamine eyedrops available by prescription and over-the-counter, too.

This post first appeared on www.healthbytesnyc.com. Dr. Bruce Dobozin is an attending allergist in the Department of Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center. Click here to view his previous posts.

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Suicidal kids have access to guns

Location of study: U.S.
Study subjects: 524 patients aged 10-21 with physical or mental health issues
Results: A new report, to be released Monday at the Pediatric Academic Societies’ annual meeting, finds that almost 20 percent of children and teens at risk for suicide live in homes where a gun is on the premises, and have access to it.
Significance: The CDC says that suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 10 to 24 in the U.S. About 50 percent of those suicides involve a firearm.

High-protein, low-carb diets affect fertility

Location of study: U.S.
Study subjects: 120 women undergoing IVF treatment
Results: New research presented at the recent American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ annual meeting touted the benefit of a high protein diet on a woman’s fertility. The study found that those women whose diets included 25 percent or more of protein and under 40 percent carbohydrates quadrupled their chances of becoming pregnant.
Significance: The researchers concluded that protein both produced healthier eggs and that although higher body mass index has been indicated in women with lower fertility, poor quality eggs were found in thin women, too.

Americans not exercising enough

Location of study: U.S.
Study subjects: Americans
Results: Nearly 80 percent of Americans do not exercise enough, a new report from the CDC says. Only 29.3 percent of Americans did enough muscle-strengthening exercise to the recommended level and only 51.6 percent of those who did aerobics reached the same standard.
Significance: The CDC recommends people walk two and a half hours per week (or jog one hour and fifteen minutes), plus do calisthenic exercises like situps and pushups at least twice a week.

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