Pesticide in Milk Years Ago May Be Linked to Signs of Parkinson’s: Study

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Men who drank milk that may have been tainted with a pesticide when they were young might be more likely to develop signs of Parkinson’s disease, a new study out of Hawaii suggests.

A pesticide called heptachlor epoxide was found at high levels in milk in the early 1980s in Hawaii, according to the study authors. The pesticide was used in the pineapple industry, and can also be found in well water. Use of the pesticide was banned in the United States around the same time, the researchers noted.

The current study can’t prove that the pesticide or milk consumption directly causes Parkinson’s disease; it can only show an association, according to study author R. D. Abbott, of Shiga University of Medical Science in Otsu, Japan. The study authors also pointed out that they don’t know for sure if the milk consumed by these men had heptachlor epoxide in it or not.

One Parkinson’s expert urged restraint.

“This study is not a wake-up call to stop drinking milk — only 12 people who drank about two glasses of milk a day showed significant loss of neurons,” said James Beck, vice president of scientific affairs at the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation. “Nevertheless, its results also suggest that low levels of a pesticide, accumulated in milk, contributed to the loss of brain cells. So a practical question to ask is if it is time to consider strategic purchases of organic foods — it may be.”

The study included almost 450 Japanese-American men living in Hawaii. Their average age was 54. All of the men took part in an aging study and were followed for more than 30 years. After their deaths, autopsies were conducted.

Compared to nonsmokers who drank less than two cups of milk a day, nonsmokers who drank more than two cups of milk a day had 40 percent fewer cells in a certain area of the brain, the study revealed.

The loss of cells in that particular area of the brain occurs in Parkinson’s disease. Changes in that area of the brain can begin decades before people have any symptoms of the disease, the study authors said.

There was no link between milk consumption and brain cell loss in smokers, the study noted. Previous research has found that smokers have a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease, the researchers said.

The study also found residue of heptachlor epoxide in 90 percent of study participants who drank the most milk, compared to 63 percent of those who drank no milk.

The findings were published online Dec. 9 in the journal Neurology.

“There are several possible explanations for the association, including chance,” Dr. Honglei Chen, from the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, wrote in an accompanying journal editorial.

“Also, milk consumption was measured only once at the start of the study, and we have to assume that this measurement represented participants’ dietary habits over time,” he said.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more about Parkinson’s disease.

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CDC: Too Few Schools Teach Prevention of HIV, STDs, Pregnancy

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Too few U.S. schools teach students how to protect themselves from HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, how to prevent pregnancy, and other important sexual health information, federal officials reported Wednesday.

In most of the country, fewer than half of high schools and only one-fifth of middle schools teach all 16 sexual health education topics recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 44 states, the proportion of high schools that teach all 16 topics in grades 9, 10, 11 or 12 ranges from 21 percent in Arizona to 90 percent in New Jersey. Only three states — New Hampshire, New Jersey and New York — have more than 75 percent of high schools teaching all of the topics.

The proportion of middle schools that teach all 16 topics in grades 6, 7 or 8 ranges from 4 percent in Arizona to 46 percent in North Carolina. No state had more than half of middle schools teaching all the topics, and in most states it was less than 20 percent of middle schools, the CDC report said.

“We need to do a better job of giving our young people the skills and knowledge they need to protect their own health,” Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention, said in an agency news release.

“It’s important to teach students about healthy relationships and how to reduce sexual risk before they start to have sex,” he added.

Dr. Stephanie Zaza, director of CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health, said: “Lack of effective sex education can have very real, very serious health consequences.

“Young people who have multiple sex partners, don’t use condoms, and use drugs or alcohol before sex are at higher risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. School-based sex education is a critical opportunity to provide the skills and information they need to protect themselves,” she said.

Half of all sexually transmitted diseases and nearly one-fourth of HIV diagnoses in the United States occur among people younger than 25. About 47 percent of American teens have had sex, including 30 percent of those in grade 9. In 2013, 15 percent of teens said they had had sex with four or more partners, according to the report.

Condom use among teens fell from 63 percent in 2003 to 59 percent today, and 22 percent of teens said they drank alcohol or used drugs the last time they had sex.

The report was released Dec. 9 at the National HIV Prevention Conference in Atlanta.

More information

The American Academy of Pediatrics has more for teens on healthy decisions about sex.

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First ‘Test-Tube’ Puppies Born, Researchers Report

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Researchers who were the first to create a litter of puppies through in vitro fertilization (IVF) say their breakthrough could benefit dogs, their wild cousins and even people.

With a combination of IVF and gene editing, it may be possible to eliminate inherited diseases in dogs. Inbreeding has made such diseases a major problem in purebred dogs. For example, Golden retrievers are at high risk for lymphoma and Dalmatians have a gene that puts them at risk for blockages from urinary stones, the researchers explained.

“Since the mid-1970s, people have been trying to do this in a dog and have been unsuccessful,” Alex Travis, an associate professor of reproductive biology at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, said in a university news release.

He and his colleagues transferred 19 embryos to the host mother, who gave birth to seven healthy puppies. Two of the puppies came from a beagle mother and a cocker spaniel father, and the other five came from two beagle mother and father pairs.

The researchers said they made two significant changes in the IVF process to achieve fertilization rates of 80 percent to 90 percent.

The study was published online Dec. 9 in the journal PLoS One.

These findings may also be used to help endangered species of wolves and other wild cousins of dogs, and to preserve rare breeds of show and working dogs, according to the researchers.

The investigators also pointed out that dogs and humans share hundreds of similar genetic disorders. The successful use of IVF to create a litter of puppies means that dogs now offer a “powerful tool for understanding the genetic basis of diseases,” Travis said.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on assisted reproductive technology.

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Get Sculpted Shoulders Like Cookie Lyon, TIME’s Most Influential Fictional Character of the Year

Photo: Getty Images

Unless you’ve been locked in an underground bunker Kimmy Schmidt-style, you know that Cookie Lyon, the matriarch on the hit Fox TV series Empire, is the Queen B (Sorry Bey!). She’s a no-nonsense-taking woman who fiercely protects her family while making big business moves at the same time. And if that wasn’t enough, Cookie was just named the Most Influential Fictional Character of 2015 by TIME.

While we love Cookie, we love Taraji P. Henson even more—every week, she breathes life into the sassy character. And the Oscar-nominee’s fabulously fit frame…just wow. Do you remember the time she showed it off in that sexy little lingerie number? Right. Taraji proves that 45 looks damn good.

Lucky for you, we have one of her must-do moves, courtesy of her trainer Mike T. of Force Fitness Inc. Work this shoulder sculptor into your next workout and get ready to show off that upper bod.

RELATED: 5 Ways to Work Your Abs Without Crunches

Trainer: Mike T.
Go-to move: Incline Front & Lateral Raise
“The slow and controlled lowering of the weights forces the deltoids to stay contracted longer leading to a more effective workout. Performing both of these exercises while in the inclined position will add more challenge and strict application of these two shoulder exercises.”

How to do it: Lie facedown on an incline bench. Hold a 3-pound dumbbell in each hand (palms facing in), letting arms hang down (A). Raise arms out to sides until they reach shoulder height (B). Hold, then slowly lower. Raise arms again, this time straight out in front of you (C). Pause when they reach shoulder height, then slowly lower. Repeat entire sequence. Do 4 sets of 10 to 15 reps 2 or 3 times a week; follow with stretching and cardio.

Pin this move:

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Tia Mowry Slams Online Body Shamers: “I’m Not Pregnant, I’m Just Happy”

Photo: Getty Images

It’s hard to believe that after the many body positive moments we witnessed this year, there are still people out there who use social media as a place to be critical of others’ appearances.

On an episode of HuffPost Live earlier this week, actress Tia Mowry spoke out against insensitive online commenters who asked her if she was pregnant. “I just looked at my Instagram before I came here, and someone was insinuating that I was pregnant again,” she said. “Guys, I’m not pregnant, I’m just happy. I’ve gained these—whatever, 10, 15 pounds—because of my cooking show.”

RELATED: The Top 10 Body Positive Moments of 2015

The Tia Mowry at Home star expressed her frustration with social media bullies who focus on her weight, calling it “a form of body shaming”—but she isn’t letting it interfere with her happiness. “I’m just enjoying life and when I want to drop the pounds I will, but right now I’m happy with who I am,” she said. “Someone even wrote on my Instagram page today, ‘Looks like you picked up a little weight, I hope you lose it.’ And it’s like, really? Why would you say that? Why do you feel the need to say that?”

This isn’t the first time the actress has spoken out against online trolls: back in July, she shared a tongue-in-cheek photo on Instagram of a pregnancy test, writing, “For all the people that think I’m pregnant. I’m NOT just enjoying life and eating and cooking some great food!”

RELATED: Why Lauren Conrad’s New Body-Shaming Policy is Awesome

Mowry joins a long list of female celebs and public figures who have slammed body-shamers this year, from Ariana Grande to Serena Williams to Pink. “It has to stop… We need to be more supportive with body images, especially with women, showing that all sizes are beautiful. I’m talking about in magazines, advertisements in regards to what’s sexy and what’s not sexy,” Mowry said. “We all need to be a little more supportive of each other. If we start there, we’ll see a difference.”

Watch the HuffPost live interview below:

RELATED: Watch This Pregnant News Anchor Shut Down Body Shamers

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Is Brain Wiring to Blame for Some Teens’ Bad Behavior?

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Young people with behavioral problems, such as aggressive or antisocial behavior, appear to have noticeable differences in certain areas of their brains, new research suggests.

Scientists at the University of Birmingham, England, analyzed brain imaging data from 13 studies that involved 394 youths with behavior problems and 350 normally developing kids. Those with behavioral issues had a lower volume of gray matter in areas of the brain involved in decision-making, empathy and the regulation of emotions, the study found.

The findings were published Dec. 9 in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

“We know that severe behavioral problems in youths are not only predictive of antisocial and aggressive behavior in adulthood, but also substance misuse, mental health problems and poor physical health,” study author Dr. Stephane De Brito said in a university news release.

“For that reason, behavioral problems are an essential target for prevention efforts, and our study advances understanding of the brain regions associated with aggressive and antisocial behavior in youths,” De Brito said.

It’s unclear if environmental factors, such as smoking and child abuse, contribute to these structural differences in the brain, the study authors added.

“There are a lot of questions still outstanding. For instance, prospective longitudinal studies are needed to assess if these structural differences are present early in life and if they persist over a longer period of time,” Dr. Jack Rogers, a research fellow at the university, said in the news release.

Future research, Rogers said, should examine whether treatments can influence these brain differences and the mental processes they are involved in “to promote a good outcome in adult life.”

More information

The U.S. National Library of Medicine provides more information on child behavior disorders.

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Drugs May Protect the Heart During Chemotherapy

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Two kinds of medications can prevent heart damage in breast cancer patients as they undergo chemotherapy, a new study suggests.

Chemotherapy improves survival among women with early-stage breast cancer, but can dramatically increase their risk of heart failure, the researchers explained.

This five-year study of 100 early-stage breast cancer patients in Canada found that two kinds of heart medicines — beta blockers and ACE inhibitors — seem to protect the heart during chemotherapy.

“We think this is practice-changing. This will improve the safety of the cancer treatment that we provide,” study co-investigator Edith Pituskin, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Nursing and Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta in Canada, said in a university news release.

The heart medications not only protect the heart, but may also improve breast cancer patient survival rates by reducing the number of times chemotherapy needs to be interrupted, according to study leader Dr. Ian Paterson, a cardiologist at the Alberta Heart Institute and an associate professor in the department of medicine at the University of Alberta.

If a patient shows signs of heart weakening, chemotherapy is halted — sometimes for one or two months — until heart function returns to normal, he explained.

“We are aiming for two outcomes for these patients — we’re hoping to prevent heart failure and we’re hoping for them to receive all the chemotherapy that they are meant to get, when they are supposed to get it — to improve their odds of remission and survival,” Paterson said in the news release.

He also noted that heart failure often causes fatigue, shortness of breath or even death, making it “an equally devastating disease with worse prognosis than breast cancer.”

The findings were to be presented Wednesday at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Findings presented at meetings are generally viewed as preliminary until they’ve been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about breast cancer treatment.

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Dentistry Without the Drill? New Study Offers Hope

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Good news for those afraid of the dentist’s drill: New research suggests that a “no-drill” approach can halt tooth decay in many cases.

An Australian team’s seven-year study found that the need for fillings fell 30 to 50 percent if patients used preventive care after the first sign of tooth decay.

“It’s unnecessary for patients to have fillings because they’re not required in many cases of dental decay,” study lead author Wendell Evans, an associate professor at the University of Sydney, said in a university news release.

The findings highlight “the need for a major shift in the way tooth decay is managed by dentists,” he believes.

Many people believe that even the smallest sign of tooth decay warrants a filling. But Evans said that the decay does not always progress and often develops more slowly than widely believed.

“For example, it takes an average of four to eight years for decay to progress from the tooth’s outer layer (enamel) to the inner layer (dentine),” he said. “That is plenty of time for the decay to be detected and treated before it becomes a cavity and requires a filling.”

The no-drill approach developed by Evans and his colleagues has four aspects: application of high-concentration fluoride varnish to the site of early tooth decay; attention to home tooth-brushing skills; no between-meals snacks or drinks with added sugar; and regular monitoring.

Tests of this approach on patients at a number of general dentistry practices “showed that early decay could be stopped and reversed, and that the need for drilling and filling was reduced dramatically,” Evans said.

But will the dreaded drill become obsolete? Not anytime soon, Evans said, because advanced cavities need filling. Still, “a tooth should only be drilled and filled where an actual hole-in-the-tooth (cavity) is already evident,” he said.

Two dentists in the United States said that the no-drill approach does have some merit, and in some cases is already used.

“This is a standard approach for those children identified as high-caries [cavity] risk,” said Dr. Paul Crespi, director of pediatric dental medicine at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park, N.Y. “These patients are treated with fluoride varnishes, dietary modification, and therapeutic dental materials that have the capacity to reverse dental caries without placing fillings.”

He also noted that in April, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved SDF (sodium diamine fluoride), a compound that can reverse or stop “significant” cavities without the need for drilling.

Dr. John Pfail is chair of the department of dentistry at the Mount Sinai Medical Center and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. He agreed that cavity formation in teeth “is an entirely preventable disease through proper oral hygiene and healthy eating habits.”

However, he noted that the study did have some flaws. For example, about half of the 22 dental practices originally enrolled in the study dropped out before the trial’s end. According to Pfail, no-drill cavity prevention relies largely on the patient following a dentist’s instruction as regards to brushing, eating habits and other practices.

That’s not always easy because “modern culture tends to promote sugary snacks and beverages more than ever before,” Pfail said.

“Today, getting people to implement proper oral hygiene habits is one of the biggest challenges faced by dentists,” he explained.

The study was published Dec. 6 in the journal Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology.

More information

The U.S. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion outlines how to take care of your teeth and gums.

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Bullying Can Leave Lasting Mental Scars

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Bullying can lead to lasting psychological effects for both victims and tormentors, researchers report.

More than 20 percent of children who have suffered bullying are prone to depression serious enough to require medical help by their late 20s, researchers from Finland said.

“Frequent victimization at age 8 is associated with adult psychiatric disorders needing treatment,” said lead researcher Dr. Andre Sourander, a professor in the department of child psychiatry at the University of Turku.

Besides depression, researchers found that bullying or being bullied were associated with psychosis, anxiety, and drug and alcohol abuse.

“We need to understand the importance of early peer and school experiences for children,” Sourander said. “We should integrate a mental health perspective to anti-bullying campaigns, because early intervention can prevent long-term consequences.”

The report was published Dec. 9 online in JAMA Psychiatry.

Bullying can include repeatedly making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, or excluding someone from a group, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

For the study, Sourander and colleagues reviewed data on more than 5,000 Finnish children to see whether there was an association between bullying-related incidents at age 8 and mental problems by age 29.

Incidents of bullying or being bullied were based on reports from the children, parents and teachers. Data on services to treat psychiatric disorders from ages 16 to 29 were from a Finnish hospital register.

Sourander’s team found that among kids who did not engage in bullying — and that was the overwhelming majority — nearly 12 percent were diagnosed with mental problems by their 20s.

But nearly 20 percent of bullies, more than 23 percent of victims, and more than 30 percent of those identified as both bullies and bullied ended up with mental issues that needed treatment later in life, the researchers found.

Only an association rather than a cause-and-effect link was seen between childhood bullying and mental problems as adults.

Dr. Matthew Lorber, acting director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said that schools and parents need to stop bullying before it starts.

“We need to increase our anti-bullying campaigns, especially in elementary schools,” he said.

Lorber said that most schools know that bullying is going on, but they don’t think they can stop it. “But if you start at a young age, you can create a culture where bullying is not tolerated,” he said.

Also, Lorber thinks bullied kids need counseling to prevent depression or anxiety disorders later in life.

Bullying can never be totally eliminated, but most of it can be prevented, he said. “I have been to schools where it is understood that bullying will not be tolerated under any circumstance — that means verbally, physically, sexually and cyberbullying,” he said.

Starting in kindergarten, Lorber said, children and parents should sign contracts that say bullying will not be tolerated.

Schools and parents are often unaware of bullying’s long-term consequences, he added. “Bullying often falls into the category that ‘kids will be kids’ and ‘it’s part of growing up,’ ” Lorber said. “That’s not true.”

In his own practice, Lorber has treated kids suffering from depression, cutting themselves or having panic attacks because of bullying.

“Kids being kids is not systematic intimidation and repeated harassment and repeated torture,” Lorber said. “A victim of bullying is a victim of trauma because it is traumatic.”

More information

For more on bullying, visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Refuses to Play on Turf

Photo: Getty Images

After more than a year of arguments with FIFA about the safety of turf fields, the U.S. women’s national soccer team is taking a stand against what they call FIFA’s sexist policies on playing on fake grass.

The team refused to take the field in a friendly match against Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday after assessing the conditions of the field and deeming them dangerous.

“We have become so accustomed to playing on whatever surface is put in front of us,” the team wrote in an open letter posted Monday on the Players’ Tribune. “But we need to realize that our protection — our safety — is priority No. 1.” Goalie Hope Solo shared a photo with her 1 million Twitter followers of the unsafe conditions, and star Alex Morgan, who struggled with an injury last year and risks millions in endorsement deals if she gets hurt again, told Fox Sports that the women finally asked “whether we should be playing on it if the men wouldn’t play on it.”

Our loyal fans: Thanks for standing with us against unsafe field conditions & standing tall for #equal treatment http://pic.twitter.com/abn560Kitw

— Hope Solo (@hopesolo) December 6, 2015

It’s a war that’s been waging between the players and FIFA for over a year. While women are often asked to play on turf, including in this summer’s World Cup where the champion U.S. women’s team played eight of their 10 games on turf, men’s teams rarely are told to do the same. And when the men’s national team does schedule a game at a stadium that has turf, the maintenance crew lays down sod before the game, regardless of the cost.

Some of soccer’s biggest stars have protested about the playing conditions on faux grass which can cause bad rug burns when pellets lodge in players’ legs, deter players of diving or sliding for fear of burns, or tripping on uneven surfaces, and even cause serious injuries. Male soccer and football players have backed up their claims.

This is why soccer should be played on grass! http://pic.twitter.com/fsNGi27oRY

— Sydney Leroux Dwyer (@sydneyleroux) April 15, 2013

Now retired all-star Abby Wambach led an international group of women in a discrimination lawsuit against FIFA a year ago asserting that men have never had to play a World Cup on turf. But the female players never boycotted the games, and FIFA waited out the fight until the women had no choice but to compete.

Now, with a World Cup championship under the belts, the women have more notoriety and thus more leverage to fight against the unequal conditions. The protests are a long-term measure — all of the 2016 Olympic matches will be played on grass since men will be sharing the same field. Whether FIFA will listen is still to be seen.

This article originally appeared on Time.com.

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