Healthsifter by mary desmond pinkowish, since 2003

Pertussis, aka the 100-Day Cough, is Up

Pertussis rates are increasing, and under-vaccination is not the culprit according to Tara Parker-Pope's article in today's New York Times. Her description of devastating coughing fits in her fully vaccinated 11-year-old daughter is enough to send you packing to the doctor for a booster shot. Pertussis (also known as whooping cough) rates are up 7-fold from last year in California and are also up in Pennsylvania. Overall, as many as 3 million Americans may get the infection this year. 

It's bad enough that adolescents and adults may experience pertussis as "the 100-day cough" (it just doesn't go away), but babies can die of the infection. Many of them become infected before they're old enough to get the vaccine and are exposed to adults or teens with pertussis.

And why are an increasing number of adults, and especially teens getting sick? The problem seems to be waning immunity even after getting all the recommended immunizations. And you know all the warnings we get about not demanding antibiotics from our doctors for head colds? Well, it's possible that back in the day when doctors did hand out antibiotics for what appeared to be colds, they were actually treating early pertussis. No way should we routinely take antibiotics for colds, but we could get tested for pertussis more often. Unfortunately, lab tests for pertussis are pretty sketchy right now. 

As I wrote earlier this summer, my doctor gave me a Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis) vaccine this spring. You can ask about it too. To hear what whooping cough sounds like, check out WhoopingCough.net, a site maintained by a British doc who recommends that if necessary you record your cough so your doctor can hear it (in case there's a problem with diagnosis). Think your cough doesn't matter? This baby probably caught the infection from an adult, maybe even a parent or grandparent:

Nine Things Cause 90% of Strokes--And You Control Most of Them

Stroke takes a terrible, terrible toll.  It's the third leading cause of death in the US behind heart disease and cancer. People who are lucky enough to survive have a long road to recovery. But here's the thing: Data from the INTERSTROKE Study, which was conducted in 3000 people in 22 countries, showed that 90% of strokes are caused by 9 factors, all of which are under your control to a greater or lesser extent:

• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Smoking
• Low waist-to-hip ratio
• Unhealthy diet
• Lack of exercise
• Moderate/high alcohol intake
• Stress or depression
• Diabetes
• High ratio of apoB to apoA1 lipoprotein

Journal Watch has a summary. The original article appeared in The Lancet. 

To Prevent Alzheimer's, Chop that Wood, Run That Ultramarathon, Pull that Crab Pot

I'm in a rush on my way out to start pulling tree stumps, but I wanted to post this article from MedPage Today  about a study that was presented this week in Honolulu at the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease. It was a smallish (1200 people) study showing that physical activity may protect against Alzheimer's disease. Trouble is, that while a walk around the block may help prevent heart disease or stroke (and that's important--no argument there), it apparently takes more strenuous physical activity to prevent (or maybe delay?) Alzheimer's. It's not definitive, but I'm taking it seriously. 

Hey guys...I need some exercise, you need a break...can we trade places for a few hours?

 

Vitamin D: Wonder Drug?

Well, not quite, but scientists are learning lots about the importance of vitamin D to good health, and we're way beyond rickets. It's been linked to the prevention of everything from osteoporosis, chronic pain, and autoimmune diseases. Read about it today at ScienceDaily. Be careful with it: 800 to 1,000 International Units is sufficient for most adults.

Melinda Beck talks about vitamin D today too in her column at the Wall Street Journal, and she provides a list of of the few foods that are good sources of this vitamin. Beck provides more detail about the evidence linking vitamin D deficiencies to an increased risk of type 1 diabetes, several common cancers, MS, and macular degeneration, among other disorders. Why does vitamin D have such widespread effects? Here's what one of her experts said:

"It sounds crazy -- until you realize that vitamin D turns into a steroid hormone that's involved in the maintenance of over 200 human genes," says John J. Cannell, founder of the nonprofit Vitamin D Council in Atascadero, Calif.

Laughing Will Save Your Life

Really. I believe this. Read about it in NatureNews. A study just presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Physiological Society demonstrates that just thinking about laughing decreases levels of three nasty stress hormones: cortisol, adrenaline, and dihydroxyphenylacetic acid.

                                                                                     

Mosquito Repellents

Someone sent an email about the wonders of Listerine for preventing mosquito bites. Fans tout it as a natural alternative to DEET-containing products. I'm not sure it's really "natural," and no one can clearly define what "natural" means anyway. But more important, it really doesn't seem to be very good at killing bugs, according to Snopes. Sure, it may kill them on contact when you spray them with it, but you're probably drowning them! Hey, it's good mouthwash, though.

Vitamin D: Anti-cancer, Anti-Heart Disease?

This story has been building for awhile. As described in the Globe and Mail, scientists are taking a long, hard look at the health benefits of vitamin D. Lots of circumstantial evidence suggests that somewhat subtle vitamin D shortfalls can lead to everything from several forms of cancer to heart disease to osteoporosis, and even schizophrenia. Vitamin D is hard to get from natural sources (cod liver oil, yuck, and salmon), but our skin actually manufactures it when exposed to sunlight. Just 15 minutes of sunlight exposure daily is enough to produce enough vitamin D (but skin cancer prevention professionals go crazy when this issue comes up). Some of the data about the health benefits of sunlight exposure and vitamin D intake are pretty exciting, but don't take too much if you decide to up your dose. The stuff is toxic in very high doses. Even fans take only 1,000 to 1,5000 units of the stuff daily, according to the Globe and Mail.