INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('288','1','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Activists raise outcry over stunting disabled girl</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>They\'ve filed complaints, want AMA to condemn surgery to stunt growth</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"20\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><img src=\"/images/icons/video.gif\" width=\"20\" height=\"14\"></td><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#ffffff\">FREE VIDEO</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"1\" style=\"border:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#eeeeee;background-image:url(\'/images/backgrounds/component_grey.gif\');\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#cccccc\" background=\"/images/backgrounds/component_dkgrey.gif\" width=\"100%\"><tr valign=\"top\"><td align=\"middle\"><a href=\"javascript:msnvDwd(\'00\',\'02cffddf-c723-40fa-ad75-75c825317a01\',\'us\',\'hotvideo_m_edpicks\',\'\',\'msnbc\',\'\',\'16486707\',\'Growth stunted\')\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/070105/n_stunted_growth_070105.vsmall.jpg\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></a></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td align=\"middle\"><div class=\"scalAd\"><input type=\"button\" class=\"mbox w77\" value=\"Launch\" title=\"Launch\" onmouseover=\"swapbtn(this, 1)\" onmouseout=\"swapbtn(this, 0)\" onclick=\"javascript:msnvDwd(\'00\',\'02cffddf-c723-40fa-ad75-75c825317a01\',\'us\',\'hotvideo_m_edpicks\',\'\',\'msnbc\',\'\',\'16486707\',\'Growth stunted\')\"></div></td></tr></table></td><td style=\"padding:10px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font><font class=\"textMedBlackBold\"><a href=\"javascript:msnvDwd(\'00\',\'02cffddf-c723-40fa-ad75-75c825317a01\',\'us\',\'hotvideo_m_edpicks\',\'\',\'msnbc\',\'\',\'16486707\',\'Growth stunted\')\">Growth stunted</a></font><br><font color=\"black\">Jan. 5:? disabled girl who can\'t walk, talk or eat is being kept small. NBC\'s Jinah Kim reports. </font><p class=\"credit\">NBC News Channel</p></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font size=\"-2\"></font><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>CHICAGO - Activists are demanding an investigation into treatment performed on a severely brain-damaged girl whose growth was deliberately stunted to make it easier for her parents to care for her at home.</p><p>Critics want an official condemnation from the American Medical Association, which owns a medical journal that first published the Washington state case. They also want state and federal officials to investigate whether doctors violated the girl\'s rights.</p><p>\"It is unethical and unacceptable to perform intrusive and invasive medical procedures on a person or child with a disability simply to make the person easier to care for,\" said Steven Taylor, director of Syracuse University\'s Center on Human Policy.</p><p>Taylor said that the treatment was essentially a medical experiment and that a hospital institutional review board should have been consulted beforehand.</p><p>Complaints have been filed with the federal Office for Human Research Protections. But Kristina Borror, a director at the office, said Thursday her agency does not believe it was a research case and thus has no authority to investigate.</p><p>The case has prompted an outcry nationwide and abroad since the bedridden girl\'s parents disclosed details of the treatment on a blog last week.</p><p>The girl, identified only as Ashley, had surgery in 2004 to remove her uterus and breast tissue at a Seattle hospital and received growth-stunting hormones. She is now 4-foot-5, about a foot shorter than the adult height she probably would have reached, her parents say.</p><p>Ashley suffered brain damage from an undetermined cause that was diagnosed shortly after birth, leaving her in an infant state. She cannot sit up, walk or speak. Her parents say keeping their little \"pillow angel\" small will allow them to continue caring for her at home even when she is an adult.</p><p>Her treatment also will allow her to avoid menstruation and related discomfort, as well as breast cancer, which runs in the family, her parents say.</p><p>The girl\'s doctors at Children\'s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle described the case in October\'s Archives of Pediatrics &amp; Adolescent Medicine.</p><p>Dr. Richard Molteni, the hospital\'s medical director, said there was no need to consult an institutional review board because Ashley\'s case was not an experiment. He said the hospital firmly believes it acted in her best interest.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/16473471/\">Surgery to stunt girl\'s growth sparks debate</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16472931/\">Opinion: Is keeping girl small ethical?</a></li><li><a href=\"http://boards.msn.com/MSNBCboards/thread.aspx?BoardID=762&amp;ThreadID=115796&amp;BoardsParam=HIPDelay%3d1\">Join the ongoing discussion</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>The decision to proceed was \"thoroughly reviewed by a wide range of medical and surgical specialists, including neurologists, development specialists and ethicists,\" Molteni said.</p><p>The Washington state attorney general\'s office said it is evaluating a complaint from a New Jersey disabled-rights activist. The state has no laws prohibiting forced sterilization.</p><p>Feminist and disabled-rights groups are also demanding an AMA ethics committee look into the case.</p><p>\"This is an issue of basically subjecting a child to drastic physical alterations to fit the convenience of her caregivers,\" said Stephen Drake of the suburban Chicago-based disabled rights group Not Dead Yet.</p><p>Amber Smock of Feminist Response in Disability Activism said the AMA sanctioned Ashley\'s treatment by allowing the report to be published. The journal is owned by AMA but has an independent editorial board.</p><p>The AMA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.</p><p>Dr. Frederick Rivara, the journal\'s editor, said he published the case not out of support or opposition, but to bring it to doctors\' attention \"and to have exactly this kind of discussion in the scientific community about is this the right thing to do or not.\"</p><p>Ashley\'s parents have not been identified and have declined media requests for interviews.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('287','1','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Cough, cold remedies might be lethal to infants</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>After 3 deaths, CDC urges parents to consult doctor before giving drugs</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceReuters.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></a></a><p></p></font><p>NEW YORK - After investigating the deaths of three infants between 1 and 6 months old linked to cough and cold medication use, officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are emphasizing that these drugs should be used only after talking with a physician.</p><p>Between 2004 and 2005, about 1,500 children younger than 2 years old were treated in emergency rooms for adverse events associated with cough and cold medications, Dr. A. Srinivasan and colleagues at the CDC note in Friday\'s issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.</p><p>For each of the three dead infants, a medical examiner or coroner determined that the cough and cold medications were the underlying causes of death. Blood levels of the decongestant pseudoephedrine at autopsy were far above what\'s normally expected after therapeutic dosing in children between 2 to 12.</p><p>Because of the risk of toxicity, the lack of dosing instructions, and the scarcity of published evidence on effectiveness of these medications in children younger than 2, the authors had this advice: \"Parents and other caregivers should not administer cough and cold medications to children in this age group without first consulting a health-care provider and should follow the provider\'s instructions precisely.\"</p><p>In an editorial note, the CDC adds that the results of controlled trials indicate cough and cold medications are no more effective than placebo in children younger than 2.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;CLICK FOR RELATED CONTENT</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"http://boards.msn.com/MSNBCboards/thread.aspx?ThreadID=167803\">Discuss: How do you help your kids cope with a cold?</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16491375/\">Baby makes 3: How kids rattle friendships</a>?/li><li><a href=\"/id/11025380/\">Why? boy smells like pancakes</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>Furthermore, the American College of Chest Physicians in 2006 released clinical practice guidelines for management of cough, advising clinicians to refrain from recommending cough suppressants for this age group.</p><p>Safer and probably more effective treatments for young patients\' symptoms include softening nasal secretions with saline nose drops or a cool-mist humidifier, then clearing nasal congestion with a rubber suction bulb.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>Copyright 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('286','1','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">If you procrastinate, don\'t put off reading this</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Foot-dragging is worse than ever - and makes us poorer and fatter</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>Procrastination in society is getting worse and scientists are finally getting around to figuring out how and why. Too many tempting diversions are to blame, but more on that later.</p><p>After 10 years of research on a project that was only supposed to take five years, a Canadian industrial psychologist found in a giant study that not only is procrastination on the rise, it makes people poorer, fatter and unhappier.</p><p>Something has to be done about it, sooner rather than later, University of Calgary professor Piers Steel concludes. His 30-page study is in this month\'s peer-reviewed Psychological Bulletin, published by the American Psychological Association.</p><p>In 1978, only about 5 percent of the American public thought of themselves as chronic procrastinators. Now it\'s 26 percent, Steel said.</p><p>And why not? There are so many fun ways to kill time - TVs in every room, online video, Web-surfing, cell phones, video games, iPods and Blackberries.</p><p><b><strong>Wasting our time<br></strong></b>At work, e-mail, the Internet and games are just a click away, making procrastination effortless, Steel said.</p><p>\"That stupid game Minesweeper - that probably has cost billions of dollars for the whole society,\" he said.</p><p>The U.S. gross national product would probably rise by $50 billion if the icon and sound that notifies people of new e-mail suddenly disappear, he added.</p><p>And there\'s good reason to worry right now about the problem of procrastination.</p><p>\"People who procrastinate tend to be less healthy, less wealthy and less happy,\" Steel said Wednesday. \"You can reduce it, but I don\'t think you can eliminate it.\"</p><p>Psychologist William Knaus, who has written several self-help books on fighting procrastination since 1977\'s \"Overcoming Procrastination,\" said Steel is \"absolutely right.\"</p><p>He said he found it harder to wean chronic procrastinators from the habit of delaying than to wean alcoholics from booze. Knaus mentioned one businessman who spent 40 hours of delay time to avoid five minutes of work.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;CLICK FOR RELATED CONTENT</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"http://boards.msn.com/MSNBCboards/thread.aspx?BoardID=476&amp;ThreadID=167523&amp;BoardsParam=HIPDelay%3d1\">Discuss: How do you beat procrastination?</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16581082/\">Vote: Do you procrastinate?</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16562844/\">Coffee helps douse workout pain</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>\"It\'s a huge problem,\" Knaus said. \"I think the majority of mental disabilities people have - anxiety, panic - they can be defined as a special case of procrastination.\"</p><p>There is personal financial fallout from procrastination, too. Delay in filing taxes on average costs a person $400 a year and last-minute Christmas shopping with credit cards was five times higher in 1999 than in 1991, Steel found in a review of more than 500 economic and psychological studies about putting off unpleasant chores.</p><p>Steel\'s study found that in the past quarter century, the average self-score for procrastination (using a 1-to-5 scale with 1 being no delaying) has increased by 39 percent.</p><p><b><strong>Men are worse<br></strong></b>Overall, more than a quarter of Americans say they procrastinate. Men are worse than women (about 54 out of 100 chronic procrastinators are men) and the young are more like to procrastinate than the old, Steel said. Three out of four college students consider themselves procrastinators.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"1%\"><tr><td><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Art/HEALTH/070111/AP_PROCRASTINATION.gif\" align=\"Right\" height=\"208\" width=\"323\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></td></tr></table>Early studies looking at U.S. and Canadian cultures didn\'t find any differences in the two countries\' procrastination problem, but Steel said when he has more time he\'ll get around to more cross-cultural studies.</p><p>The causes of procrastination combine temptation, sense of immediacy, the value of doing the job, and whether you believe you can get the work done, Steel found. He even created a complicated mathematical formula, complete with Greek letters, to figure out when a person is likely to procrastinate.</p><p>Temptation is the biggest factor. And it\'s why procrastination is getting worse, Steel said, citing technology.</p><p>\"It\'s easier to procrastinate now than ever before. We have so many more temptations,\" he said. \"It\'s never been harder to be self-disciplined in all of history than it is now.\"</p><p>But procrastination goes back thousands of years, before technology. Ancient literature harps on the problem, Steel said. Knaus mentioned a book from 1852: \"Thoughtless Little Fanny: The Unhappy Results of Procrastination.\" The author is just called \"a friend of children.\"</p><p>While many self-help books say perfectionists procrastinate because they don\'t want to get things wrong, Steel found just the opposite. Perfectionists procrastinate less and do better because they avoid delaying. However they do worry more about putting stuff off, he said.</p><p>Studying procrastination as a field has a benefit, said the professor. The more he knows about the problem and the causes, the less he procrastinates - even though he sheepishly acknowledges his study was completed five years late.</p><p>The good thing about studying procrastination, he said: \"If you take a day off from it, you can always say it\'s field research.\"</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('285','1','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Inspiration or static? TV, iPods affect workouts</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Audio, video keep some exercisers pumped but distract others, experts say</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070111/070111_musicExercise_vmed_1p.vmedium.jpg\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" alt=\"IMAGE: Jacqueline Wojtusik\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font size=\"-2\">Tim Roske / AP</font><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"-1\">Jacqueline Wojtusik adjusts her MP3 player during a workout in Colonie, N.Y. Participants in a British study worked about 13 percent harder to up-tempo music compared with silence.</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>Jennifer Unruh can run a mile in two songs.</p><p>\"I\'ve got it figured out,\" said Unruh, who moves to the beat of Van Halen and The Fray on her iPod. \"Usually, every song lasts about four minutes. I run a mile in a little over eight. So if I can get through two songs, I know I\'m a mile though my run.\"</p><p>Gyms are jammed with people like Unruh - the guy on the treadmill watching ESPN, the aerobic class bouncing to \"Hollaback Girl,\" the spinner reading Self magazine. Words, images and especially songs can provide inspiration for exercisers, as well as a distraction from tedium and discomfort.</p><p>Unruh, director of wellness support at the YMCA of Metropolitan Atlanta, uses her songs-per-mile mind games as a way to keep engaged.</p><p>But are those distractions good or bad for exercisers? Researchers say it cuts both ways. Yes, a dose of video or audio can inspire better workouts. But distractions also can hurt performance. In a way, music can add static to the mind-body connection.</p><p>Since the dawn of the Walkman, headphones have been as important as sneakers to many exercisers. Jacqueline Wojtusik, an Albany, N.Y.-area fashion designer who wears headphones for her regular workouts, listens to disco, \'80s dance, electronic - anything as long as it has a fast beat.</p><p>\"If it has a higher beat per minute,\" she said, \"then I tend to stay with that beat.\"</p><p>Science is on her side.</p><p>In a 2005 study, British researchers put 18 undergraduates on stationary bicycles to pedal either to silence or to \"popular electronic dance music\" on headphones. Participants worked about 13 percent harder to the up-tempo music compared with silence. One of the researchers, Sam Carr, suggested in an e-mail interview that music competes with an exercisers\' awareness of how hard they\'re breathing, or how much their legs ache.</p><p>Psychologists sometimes use the phrase \"dissociation effect\" to describe distractions like music and TV, and they have found it can have other benefits.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;CLICK FOR RELATED CONTENT</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/16584197/\">Vote: Do you listen to an MP3 player when you workout?</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16562844/\">Coffee helps douse workout pain</a>?/li><li><a href=\"/id/16566208/\">For weight loss that really counts, count calories</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>Dr. James Annesi, a health psychologist who works at the same Atlanta YMCA as Unruh, found that novice exercisers given a choice of TV or music were more apt to stick with an exercise program than those told to focus only on their exertions or people limited to one type of media. If the gyms look like media centers, that\'s fine by Annesi, as long as it encourages people to exercise.</p><p>\"The more dissociation the better, the more we can distance the people from their discomfort,\" he said.</p><p>Still, athletes digging deep for peak performance would do well to ditch the headphones and focus on their bodies. Studies have shown that the more distracted the athlete, the slower the times, said Ohio University psychology professor Benjamin Ogles.</p><p>\"If you want to maintain a high level of intensity, you pretty much have to focus on your body,\" he said.</p><p>This is related to the belief that noisy gadgets interfere with the intensely focused mental state many athletes refer to as \"flow.\" For instance, visitors to the Kripalu Center for Yoga &amp; Health in Stockbridge, Mass., are encouraged to leave the headphones behind. Jennifer Young, director of healthy living programs, said she wants to keep visitors\' mind-body connections strong.</p><p>Hikers at Kripalu are coached to \"scan\" their bodies by concentrating sequentially on their ankles, hips, shoulders and so on. Even during weightlifting - an activity linked more to Metallica then meditation - people are asked to visualize what their muscles are doing, or to focus on their breathing.</p><p>\"Don\'t turn out and turn off,\" Young said, \"because then there\'s that underlying signal, \'Oh, working out is something I don\'t want to do. I\'m escaping it by doing this.\' \"</p><p>Even Anna Fyodorova, a triathlete from New York City who calls the iPod one of the \"greatest creations made\" for training, sees its limits. When other runners wore their ear buds during a recent 60-kilometer race, she decided against it.</p><p>\"When you\'re racing, you have to concentrate,\" she said. \"You have to be totally in the moment.\"</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('284','1','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Food pyramid to be erected in stores at last</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Revised nutrition triangle promoting better eating will appear in 17 states</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070111/070111_foodPyramid_hmed_2p.hmedium.jpg\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" alt=\"Food pyramid\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font size=\"-2\">Joe Raedle / Getty Images file</font><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"-1\">Based on federal dietary guidelines, the colorful pyramid appeared in 2005, replacing an old one that most people recognized but hardly anyone heeded, surveys revealed.</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>WASHINGTON - The government\'s new food pyramid is finally headed to supermarkets after two years of being confined largely to the Internet.</p><p>The triangle-shaped guide for healthy eating will be promoted in 2,000 stores in 17 states, reaching millions of grocery shoppers, officials announced Thursday. More supermarket chains are expected to join the campaign, which is being paid for by food companies and stores.</p><p>The industry makes no apology for any of its products, even those full of fat or sodium, said Cal Dooley, who heads the Grocery Manufacturers of America and Food Products Association.</p><p>\"We also know we have a whole host of products that are meeting the guidelines today,\" Dooley said.</p><p>Eating food advertised as fitting into the pyramid will make people healthier, he said.</p><p>Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns endorsed the campaign. \"It\'s a powerful way to extend the reach of the federal nutrition guidance system,\" he said at a news conference with Dooley and other industry officials.</p><p>People want to learn how to eat healthier, but they are starved for time, said Tim Hammonds, president and CEO of the Food Marketing Institute, which represents supermarkets.</p><p>The officials said they don\'t know how much stores and companies will spend on the campaign.</p><p>A critic called the effort a publicity stunt and questioned whether the food pyramid campaign would reach many people or make them healthier.</p><p>\"This program won\'t undermine Americans\' diets, but it won\'t significantly improve people\'s diets,\" said Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. \"It\'s a cute, silly little thing. It\'s not a serious government action.\"</p><p>Based on federal dietary guidelines, the rainbow-colored pyramid appeared in 2005, replacing an old pyramid that most people recognized but that hardly anyone followed, surveys showed.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;CLICK FOR RELATED CONTENT</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/16566208/\">For weight loss that really counts, count calories</a>?/li><li><a href=\"/id/16564328/\">Latest dieting trend: Wishful thinking</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>The old pyramid provided all the information people needed in an image they could clip out and stick on the fridge.</p><p>The new pyramid doesn\'t spell out what foods to eat or how much to put on your plate. It\'s supposed to be a motivational symbol, like a Nike swoosh, directing people to a <a href=\"http://www.mypyramid.gov/\" target=\"_blank\">Web site</a>. The Agriculture Department also has a kids\' food pyramid and a Spanish-language pyramid.</p><p>Here is what the food pyramid says should be eaten on a 2,000-calorie daily diet:</p><ul><li class=\"textBodyBlack\">3 cups of fat-free or lowfat milk or the equivalent amount of cheese.</li><li class=\"textBodyBlack\">2?cups of vegetables.</li><li class=\"textBodyBlack\">2 cups of fruit.</li><li class=\"textBodyBlack\">6 ounces of grains, half of them whole grains.</li><li class=\"textBodyBlack\">5?ounces of meat or beans.</li></ul><p>Store chains in the campaign are Publix Supermarkets Inc., the central region of Supervalu Inc., Brookshire Grocery Store Co., Giant Eagle Inc. and Raley\'s.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('283','1','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Scientists map bug that causes sexual disease</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>The parasite trichomoniasis can make some women more vulnerable to HIV</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070111/070111_parasiteSTD_hmed_3p.hmedium.jpg\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" alt=\"IMAGE: Parasite\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font size=\"-2\">Antonio Pereira-Neves and Marlen / Santa Ursula University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil</font><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"-1\">The Trichomonas vaginalis parasites (green) adheres to vaginal epithelial cells (pink) in this image collected from vaginal swabs. </font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>WASHINGTON - The tiny parasite undulates under the microscope like some creature from a sci-fi movie, but this one is all too real, latching onto the sexually unwary with tentacle-like probes.</p><p>Now scientists have mapped the genes of the nasty little bug that causes one of the world\'s most common, and arguably least recognized, sexually transmitted infections, one with the tongue-twisting name of trichomoniasis.</p><p>Researchers hope the work will bring new attention to a parasite estimated to infect 170 million people a year worldwide, including 8 million in North America - and one emerging as a player in the spread of the AIDS virus.</p><p>\"There are a huge number of people infected out there, but they don\'t know it so you don\'t know it,\" warned Dr. Jane Carlton, a parasite specialist who led the four-year effort by The Institute for Genomic Research to crack the bug\'s genome.</p><p>The work is published in Friday\'s edition of the journal Science.</p><p>Most sexually transmitted infections are caused by viruses or bacteria. A microscopic, single-celled protozoan named Trichomonas vaginalis causes this one.</p><p>The good news: \"Trich,\" as it\'s short-handed, is easily curable, with a drug called Flagyl. The bad news: Many people go undiagnosed and thus continue spreading trich, plus the parasite is starting to develop resistance to the drug.</p><p>Both men and women can be infected, although trich is more common in women. But men usually suffer no symptoms, while about half of women do, reporting such problems as vaginal itching and a fishy-smelling frothy discharge.</p><p>During pregnancy, trich can cause premature birth or low-weight babies. It\'s linked to pelvic inflammatory disease.</p><p>But trich\'s real threat is that it quietly increases women\'s vulnerability to HIV, by altering the lining of the vagina so that it\'s easier for the AIDS virus to sneak in. Trich also seems to increase the chances that people who already have HIV spread it, enhancing that virus in different ways.</p><p>\"It is a bad actor,\" said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which funded the genome work.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/16157113/\">Condoms a big problem for men in India</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16287113/\">Even grandma had premarital sex, survey finds</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>The genetic mapping \"is a very strong step in the right direction with regard to a parasite we still have not fully appreciated,\" he added.</p><p>The genome - which turned out to be 10-fold larger than researchers had predicted - highlights this bug\'s predatory nature, says Carlton, now at New York University School of Medicine.</p><p>First, it shifts from the shape of a pear to flatten and cover as much of the vaginal surface as possible. Then it sends tendrils under that surface to latch on. And then it gobbles up the vagina\'s good, anti-infective bacteria even as it secretes proteins that can erode holes in cells in the vaginal lining.</p><p>\"We think it\'s a very voracious parasite,\" Carlton said.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('282','1','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Prostate cancer treatment might shorten penis</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Hormone therapy plus radiation reduced average length 2.2 inches in study</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceReuters.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></a></a><p></p></font><p>NEW YORK - Men who receive combination treatment with hormone therapy plus radiation for local or locally advanced prostate cancer may experience a significant reduction in penile length, according to a report in the January issue of the Journal of Urology.</p><p>There has been anecdotal evidence that radiation therapy can reduce penile length but, to the authors\' knowledge, the present study is the first to determine if penile length changes following combination treatment with hormone therapy plus radiation.</p><p>Dr. Ahmet Haliloglu and colleagues at the University of Ankara in Turkey enrolled 47 men with local or locally advanced prostate cancer. The patients, who were followed from 2000 to 2005, received leuprolide or goserelin injections every three months, for a total of three doses. At Month 7, radiotherapy, using a 70-Gy dose, was initiated and continued for seven weeks.</p><p>Just before treatment began, the average stretched penile length was 5.6 inches. Eighteen months later, the average penile length had shortened significantly to 3.4 inches.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;CLICK FOR RELATED CONTENT</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/16437638/\">Daily drink may help men\'s high blood pressure</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/13154507/\">Low Blow: One man\'s battle with prostate cancer</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>Erectile function was also adversely affected by treatment. Roughly 23 percent of men had normal erectile function before therapy. Eighteen months later, 12.5 percent were able to have an erection that was suitable for intercourse.</p><p>\"Quality-of-life concerns are important when considering treatment options for prostate cancer,\" the investigators conclude. Before starting combination hormone and radiation therapy, the patient should be told that \"penile shortening may occur.\"</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>Copyright 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('281','1','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Don\'t plan to buy Viagra over the counter soon</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Complications cited after Pfizer reportedly weighs non-prescription sales</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>NEW YORK - It is highly unlikely that federal regulators would ever give Pfizer Inc. approval to sell its erectile dysfunction medication Viagra over the counter because of safety risks associated with the drug, analysts said.</p><p>Pfizer confirmed Thursday that it routinely evaluates Viagra for a number of options including selling it without a prescription. That followed news reports Wednesday that the company was considering an over-the-counter launch. However, the company declined to provide any details about whether such a move would be taken.</p><p>Analysts said it doesn\'t make sense for Pfizer to pursue that strategy because the chances of regulators approving the drug as an over-the-counter medicine are practically nil. </p><p>A major reason is that men who take drugs that contain nitrates, such as nitroglycerin for chest pain, should not take Viagra, because serious complications can occur. A warning notice about that is included on Viagra\'s label, but doctors also tell patients about the risk, said Jason Napodano, an analyst at Zacks Independent Research.</p><p>\"You can\'t trust patients to read the label,\" Napodano said.</p><p>Viagra also has other risks such as sudden vision loss and the potential of causing a four-hour erection.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;CLICK FOR RELATED CONTENT</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><p><a href=\"/id/16582687/\">Prostate cancer treatment might shrink penis</a></p></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>Jon LeCroy, an analyst with Natexis Bleichroeder Inc., said he didn\'t think the FDA would take a chance on letting a drug with such risks be sold without a prescription, especially since it is a lifestyle product and not something that treats a disease.</p><p>For the nine months ended in September, Viagra sales fell 1 percent to $1. 2 billion. The drug has come under pressure because of competition from Cialis, which is made by Eli Lilly and Co and ICOS Corp., and Levitra, which is marketed by Schering-Plough Corp. and GlaxoSmithKline PLC.</p><p>Schering-Plough spokeswoman Julie Lux said the company wouldn\'t speculate on any future decisions about Levitra. Glaxo and Lilly didn\'t immediately return calls for comment.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('280','1','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Heart doctors urge caution with drug stents</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Group supports continued use of coated devices, with conditions</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceReuters.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></a></a><p></p></font><p>CHICAGO - A group representing 3,700 cardiologists around the world Thursday warned physicians to be careful when recommending drug-eluting stents to treat diseased arteries.</p><p>Amid a flurry of controversy over the popular heart devices, the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions said it supports continued use, but stressed the importance of careful patient selection, meticulous implantation and consistent use of blood thinners to prevent blood clots.</p><p>Stents, tiny wire mesh tubular devices, are inserted into diseased arteries after the blood vessels have been unclogged. The drug coating on the metal keeps vessels from reclogging. Drug-eluting stents quickly supplanted the bare metal variety when the drug-eluting versions were launched three years ago.</p><p>Recently however, doctors have become concerned about a small, but serious risk for deadly blood clots that can form long after the drug-eluting devices are implanted.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/16114030/\">\'Safety concerns\' for majority of stent patients</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16300653/\">No \'magic\' test for predicting heart attacks</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16368980/\">Big bellies tied to heart disease risk</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/6852335/\">Are you at risk for heart attack?</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>The Food and Drug Administration is reviewing the matter after an advisory panel debated it last month, concluding that the benefits outweigh the risks when placed in appropriate patients. The panel called for more research.</p><p>Dr. Kirk Garratt, clinical director of Interventional Cardiovascular Research at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, echoed the view of the FDA panel, saying more data was needed to answer important questions, like what about the device causes clotting.</p><p>\"We don\'t understand the mechanism of the clots in this instance. Is it the polymer on the stent? That\'s probably the leading contender, but we don\'t know,\" he said.</p><p>Garratt is an advisor to Boston Scientific Corp. , one of just two manufacturers approved to sell the devices in the United States. Johnson &amp; Johnson is the other company approved to sell drug-eluting stents on the U.S. market.</p><p>Abbott Laboratories , Medtronic Inc. and Conor MedSystems?which agreed to be acquired by J&amp;J, sell their own versions overseas, and are poised to launch in the United States over the next couple of years.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>Copyright 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('279','1','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Drugmakers to help fund review of TV ads</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Some money would go to FDA\'s scrutinized safety system</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceReuters.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></a></a><p></p></font><p>WASHINGTON  - Drugmakers have agreed to pay millions of dollars in new fees next year to allow U.S. health officials to review TV commercials before they reach consumers, the industry and government officials announced Thursday as part of a larger funding proposal.</p><p>Under the plan, companies would pay the Food and Drug Administration a one-time fee on top of charges for each TV ad submitted for review - totaling $6.25 million in fiscal year 2008.</p><p>The deal accompanies proposed legislation to renew other industry funding for FDA drug reviews through 2012. Some of that money would target the agency\'s drug safety system, which has come under scrutiny in recent years amid several withdrawn medicines.</p><p>The funds would be used to boost the FDA\'s own database to track drug use once products hit the market, the FDA said.</p><p>While the FDA also receives money from the federal budget, Congress first passed legislation in 1992 for industry fees aimed at speeding the FDA\'s review process. It has been renewed several times since but not without controversy.</p><p>Critics have said the fees allow industry influence to seep into the agency and pressure staff to work more for the companies instead of consumers.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;CLICK FOR RELATED CONTENT</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><p><a href=\"/id/16562840/\">Drugmakers improve at listing vital study info</a></p></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>But FDA Commissioner Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach said the arrangement works well.</p><p>The fees \"have brought enormous public health gains to our and, indeed, the world\'s consumers, by helping FDA make increasingly complex medications available to patients faster than was ever possible before without sacrificing quality,\" he said in a statement.</p><p>The FDA released the proposal after consulting with industry, consumer and patient groups, but Congress must still approve it.</p><p>Drug advertising has also been controversial with various groups, including the Institutes of Medicine, calling for limitations or an outright ban.</p><p>Companies do not need FDA approval to run commercials, but many submit them ahead of time to avoid possible fines and other penalties for misleading content. Various drugmakers have been warned in the past about misleading claims.</p><p>In 2005, the drug industry said it would voluntarily submit its advertising, including television commercials. But that has made more work without resources to keep pace, the FDA said.</p><p>\"As a result, it is impossible for FDA to review all of the DTC (direct-to-consumer) television advertisement advisory submissions it receives in a timely manner,\" it said.</p><p>The ad fees would allow for 27 additional staff reviewers who would evaluate the ads in 45 days.</p><p>Billy Tauzin, head of the industry group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, welcomed the plan.</p><p>\"The FDA would have more resources to develop comments for companies before their ads are broadcast, which would help to ensure the advertising\'s accuracy, balance and compliance with all regulatory requirements,\" he said in a statement.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>Copyright 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('278','1','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Arthritis conditions cost U.S. billions of dollars</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Tab could get worse as Americans grow older, heavier, government says</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>ATLANTA - The nation\'s costs for arthritis and related conditions rose to $128 billion in 2003, and the tab will continue to grow as the U.S. population gets older and heavier, the government said Thursday.</p><p>The 2003 costs, the latest data available, included $80.8 billion in direct costs such as medical expenses and $47 billion in indirect costs such as lost wages, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.</p><p>The total was a 58 percent increase over the 1997 figure of $86.2 billion cost, largely because government surveys identified 9 million more cases of arthritis or related conditions, the CDC said.</p><p>The CDC estimated that 46.1 million people were treated for arthritis and other rheumatic conditions in 2003, and 29.5 million of them lost earnings. The government estimates 8 million more people will suffer from arthritis between 2005 and 2015.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;OTHER TOP STORIES</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/16578828/\">Heart doctors urge caution with drug stents</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16577881/\">Bird flu suspected in Japan chicken deaths</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>The government recommended lowering costs with widespread use of self-management programs, which teach patients how to manage their pain and continue working with the condition.</p><p>California had the largest costs from arthritis at $12.1 billion, followed by $8.7 billion in New York and Utah, and $7.6 billion in Florida.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('277','1','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">For weight loss that really counts, count calories</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Study finds those who shed pounds and kept them off limited portions</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><div class=\"textMedBlackBold\" style=\"padding-top:10px;\">By Robin Lloyd</div><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Sources/Art/sourceLiveScience.gif,standard.jpg\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>Enough with the dieting advice. Here is what actually worked for 99 percent of 5,000 people who lost weight and kept off at least 30 pounds of it. </p><p>Count calories.</p><p>Researchers identified these \"big losers\" using newspaper and magazine ads, according to a new study published in the Mayo Clinic Health Letter. The average weight loss in the group was 72 pounds.</p><p>The successful dieters had various methods for counting and controlling their intake of calorie and fat grams, such as restricting their intake of certain foods and eating smaller portions. </p><p>More than 90 percent of the participants exercised regularly, mostly walking or doing something else to sweat out the equivalent of a one-hour brisk walk. </p><p>And forget about skipping breakfast. Bad plan if you want to succeed. Nearly 80 percent of the losers ate breakfast daily, usually cereal and fruit. </p><p>Frequent visits to the scale helped too - 75 percent weighed in at least weekly. </p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;CLICK FOR RELATED CONTENT</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"http://boards.msn.com/MSNBCboards/thread.aspx?BoardID=490&amp;ThreadID=166764&amp;BoardsParam=HIPDelay%3d1\">Discuss: Share your weight-loss tips</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16564328/\">Latest dieting trend: Wishful thinking</a>?/li><li><a href=\"/id/16565297/\">If you have a dog, you\'re likely to be heavier</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>Keeping it off once the weight was lost amounted to maintaining these behavior changes and responding quickly when the pants started to feel tight again. Those who noticed and addressed it quickly when weight crept ever-so-slightly back on again were most likely to stop or reverse the gain. </p><p>The dieters who managed to keep off the weight for at least two years halved their risk of putting it all back on again.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2007 LiveScience.com. All rights reserved. </em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('276','1','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Indonesian teen dies from bird flu</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>2nd victim hospitalized; farmer in eastern China sick with virus</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceReuters.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></a></a><p></p></font><p>JAKARTA - The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed on Thursday the death of an Indonesian teenager from bird flu. A second Indonesian bird flu victim, a 37-year-old woman from Banten Province on Java island, was in hospital on Wednesday, WHO said. </p><p>China said on Wednesday that a farmer from the eastern province of Anhui had contracted H5N1, the country\'s first human case in months. As in other human bird flu cases in China there was no reported poultry outbreak in the area, raising questions as to how he contracted the virus.</p><p>Separately, South Korea\'s health ministry said on Thursday a poultry worker was infected with the H5N1 strain of bird flu late last year, but had not been seriously ill.</p><p>Most human victims of bird flu have contracted the virus from infected birds, usually chickens, ducks or geese and there is usually a surge in cases during cooler months when the virus seems to thrive.</p><p>The 37-year-old Chinese man from the eastern province of Anhui kept backyard birds, but as in other human bird flu cases in China there was no reported poultry outbreak in the area, raising questions as to how he contracted the virus.</p><p>The man developed symptoms of fever and pneumonia early last month and was discharged from hospital on Saturday, the state-run Health News said.</p><p>\"In China, the challenge is now to identify where this virus is hiding and how it is circulating,\" Henk Bekedam, the WHO\'s China representative, told Reuters.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/16577881/\">Bird flu suspected on Japanese farm</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16153744/\">What happened with bird flu?</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>China has reported 22 human cases, including 14 deaths, since 2003 and, with the world\'s largest poultry population and millions of backyard birds roaming free, it is seen as a centre in the fight against the virus.</p><p>Bekedam said that as vaccination rates for birds improve in China, detecting avian influenza becomes harder and harder, offering a possible explanation for why there was no reported outbreak where the farmer lived.</p><p><b><strong>Boy dies</strong></b><br>Indonesia has the highest human death toll from bird flu of any nation, and on Wednesday that number grew to 58 when a boy, from Tangerang near Jakarta, died, said the head of the Indonesian health ministry\'s bird flu center Runizar Ruesin.</p><p>The boy was admitted to hospital in the capital last week and deaths among poultry in his neighbourhood had recently been reported, the WHO said in a statement posted on its Web site.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"20\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><img src=\"/images/icons/interactive.gif\" width=\"20\" height=\"14\"></td><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#ffffff\">INTERACTIVE</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"1\" style=\"border:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#eeeeee;background-image:url(\'/images/backgrounds/component_grey.gif\');\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#cccccc\" background=\"/images/backgrounds/component_dkgrey.gif\" width=\"100%\"><tr valign=\"top\"><td align=\"middle\"><a href=\"/id/9959820/\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Interactives/_prod/bird_flu_quiz/birdFlu_QA_tease.vsmall.jpg\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" alt=\"A chicken is prepared to be immunized by\"></a></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td align=\"middle\"><div class=\"scalAd\"><input type=\"button\" class=\"mbox w77\" value=\"Launch\" title=\"Launch\" onmouseover=\"swapbtn(this, 1)\" onmouseout=\"swapbtn(this, 0)\" onclick=\"javascript:window.location.replace(\'/id/9959820/\');\"></div></td></tr></table></td><td style=\"padding:10px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font><font class=\"textMedBlackBold\"><a href=\"/id/9959820/\">Facts not fears</a></font><br><font color=\"black\">Questions and answers about avian influenza</font></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></td></tr></table>Muhammad Nadirin, another official at the country\'s bird flu center, said hospital staff had to take extra care washing the boy\'s corpse because of concerns the virus might infect them.</p><p>\"He was washed using special protection methods to prevent contagion,\" but added he didn\'t know if it could be transmitted from human-to-human this way.</p><p>The H5N1 virus mostly affects birds, but it has infected 263 people in 10 countries since 2003, killing 157 of them.</p><p>Scientists fear the virus could mutate and spread rapidly between people, triggering a pandemic that could sweep the globe in weeks and possibly kill millions.</p><p>The outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza began in Asia in 2003 and spread rapidly in early 2006.</p><p><font size=\"2\"><span CM=\"PageNavBot\"><b><a CE=\"2\" href=\"/id/16579503/page/2/\">CONTINUED: Following bird flu\'s spread</a></b><hr width=\"100%\" noshade=\"true\" size=\"1\" color=\"#808080\">1 | <b><a CE=\"2\" href=\"/id/16579503/page/2/\">2</a></b>\n			| <b><a CE=\"2\" href=\"/id/16579503/page/2/\">Next &gt;</a></b></span></font></p><br><table width=\"100%\" style=\"background-color:#ffffee\" cellPadding=\"2\" cellSpacing=\"0\"><tr><td width=\"50%\"><font size=\"1\"><img src=\"/images/msnbc/print02.gif\" width=\"25\" height=\"20\" align=\"absmiddle\"> <a href=\"javascript:printThis(\'16579503\')\" class=\"linkBlack\">Print this</a></font></td><td><font size=\"1\"><img src=\"/images/msnbc/email02.gif\" width=\"25\" height=\"20\" align=\"absmiddle\"> <a href=\"javascript:emThis(\'16579503\')\" class=\"linkBlack\">Email this</a></font></td></tr></table></td><td width=\"10\"></td></tr></table><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#ffffff\">&nbsp;MORE FROM BIRD FLU</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"1\" style=\"border:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" 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bird flu</font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/16577881/\">Bird flu suspected on Japanese farm</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/16313464/\">Pandemic could kill up to 81 million</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/16194268/\">Quarantine unit ready to isolate infection</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/16043274/\">Govt. is looking in wrong place for bird flu</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/15936044/\">$1.3 billion more needed for bird flu</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/15919265/\">S. 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Korea confirms outbreak of bird flu</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/15816828/\">U.S. orders $200 million in bird flu vaccine</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/15619626/\">Bird flu expert to head WHO</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/4067116/\">Bird Flu Section Front</a></font></td></tr></table><font class=\"textSmall\">?/font></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table><br><table width=\"98%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"20\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/msnbc/Test-Dev/donna/msnbc10/Launch%20images/top_msnbc.gif,standard.jpg\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></td><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#26386b\"></b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#FFF;\" bgcolor=\"#FFF\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\"><tr><td style=\"padding:5px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"/id/16600139/\"><font color=\"33527A\">Missing Scout, other boy found</font></a></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"/id/16599329/\"><font color=\"33527A\">Federal deficit at 4-year low</font></a></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"/id/16599217/\"><font color=\"33527A\">FDA probes Texas \'embryo bank\'</font></a></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"/id/16599540/\"><font color=\"33527A\">Ford called Carter a \'disaster\'</font></a></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"/id/16599880/\"><font color=\"33527A\">D.A. asks off Duke lacrosse case</font></a></td></tr><tr><td width=\"15\"></td><td width=\"405\"></td></tr></table></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"20\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/j/msnbc/Test-Dev/donna/msnbc10/Launch%20images/tv_highlights.gif,standard.jpg\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></td><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#26386b\"></b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#FFF;\" bgcolor=\"#FFF\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\"><tr><td style=\"padding:5px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"/id/16583889/\"><font color=\"33527A\">Olbermann: The president who cried wolf</font></a></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"javascript:OCW(\'http://hardblogger.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/01/11/30328.aspx\', \'_blank\',\'resizable=yes,status=yes,scrollbars=yes,fullscreen=no,location=yes,menubar=yes,titlebar=yes,toolbar=yes,\');\"><font color=\"33527A\">Deconstructing Bush\'s speech</font></a></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"javascript:OCW(\'http://hardblogger.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/01/10/29301.aspx\', \'_blank\',\'resizable=yes,status=yes,scrollbars=yes,fullscreen=no,location=yes,menubar=yes,titlebar=yes,toolbar=yes,\');\"><font color=\"33527A\">Hardblogger; 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man charged</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><a href=\"/id/16583889/\">Bush\'s legacy: The president who cried wolf</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><a href=\"/id/16557455/\">Va. school board fires \'butt-printing\' art teacher</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><a href=\"/id/16562633/site/newsweek/\">Entitled Selfishness</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><a href=\"/id/16599035/\">Women accused of pimping girls on Craigslist</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><b><a href=\"/id/7468311/\">Most viewed on MSNBC.com</a></b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></div><div style=\"padding-bottom:20;\"><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#FFFFFF\">&nbsp;BIRD FLU QUESTIONS?</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#a4abc1\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-right:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-bottom:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-left:solid 1px #a4abc1;background-color:#f3f3f6;\" bgcolor=\"#f3f3f6\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tr valign=\"top\"><td><a href=\"/id/9914962/\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Newsletters/Images/nl_Generic.gif\" height=\"90\" width=\"150\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></a></td><td style=\"padding:10px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table><tr><td rowspan=\"2\" width=\"15\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><b><a href=\"/id/9914962/\">E-mail us</a></b></td></tr><tr><td><p class=\"textMed\">Have a question about bird flu? We\'ll answer it in a future experts column.</p></td></tr></table></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></div><script src=\"/js/std.js\"></script><script src=\"/js/std.js\"></script><div style=\"padding-bottom:20;\"><SCRIPT LANGUAGE=\"JavaScript\">var tcdacmd=\"dt\";</SCRIPT>\n<SCRIPT SRC=\"http://an.tacoda.net/an/13015/slf.js\" LANGUAGE=\"JavaScript\"></SCRIPT></div></td></tr></table><table width=\"560\" cellpadding=\"10\"><tr><td align=\"center\"><script src=\"/js/std.js\"></script><div style=\"padding-bottom:20;\"><hr id=\"foothr\" width=\"758\" color=\"#000000\" noshade=\"true\" size=\"1\"/><div class=\"bb\" style=\"padding: 10 0 8 0;\"><a href=\"/\">Cover</a> | <a href=\"/id/3032525/\">U.S. News</a> | <a href=\"/id/3032553/\">Politics</a> | <a href=\"/id/3032507/\">World News</a> | <a href=\"/id/3032072/\">Business</a> | <a href=\"/id/3032113/\">Sports</a> | <a href=\"/id/3032118/\">Tech/Science</a> | <a href=\"/id/3032084/\">Entertainment</a> | <a href=\"/id/3032123/\">Travel</a> | <a href=\"/id/3032076/\">Health</a> | <a href=\"/id/3032105/\">Blogs Etc.</a> | <a href=\"http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3362034/\">Weather</a> | <a href=\"http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3098358/\">Local News</a></div><div class=\"bb\"><a href=\"/id/3032542/site/newsweek/\">Newsweek</a> | <a href=\"/id/3032633/\">Today Show</a> | <a href=\"/id/3032619/\">Nightly News</a> | <a href=\"/id/3032600/\">Dateline NBC</a> | <a href=\"/id/3032608/\">Meet the Press</a> | <a href=\"/id/3096434/\">MSNBC TV</a></div><div class=\"bb\" style=\"padding: 22 0 8 0;\"><a href=\"/id/3303510/\">About</a> | <a href=\"http://alerts.msnbc.com/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Alerts</a> | <a href=\"/id/7422001/\">Newsletters</a> | <a href=\"/id/5216556/\">RSS</a> | <a href=\"/id/16192026/\">Mobile</a> | <a href=\"/id/8132577/\">Podcasts</a> | <a href=\"/html/HtmlSitemap0.html\">Site Map</a>  | <a href=\"/id/3303511/\">Help</a> | <a href=\"/id/3152772/\">News Tools</a> | <a href=\"/id/3303596/\">Jobs</a> | <a href=\"/id/10285339/\">Contact Us</a> | <a href=\"/id/3303540/\">Terms & Conditions</a> | <a href=\"http://privacy.msn.com\">Privacy</a></div><div class=\"bb\" style=\"padding=0 0 8 0;\"><a href=\"/\">&#0169; 2006 MSNBC.com</a></div></div></td></tr></table><hr><table width=\"560\"><tr><td><a href=\"http://g.msn.com/0nwenus0/AE/20?SU=http://msnbc.msn.com/\">MSN Privacy</a> | <a href=\"http://g.msn.com/0nwenus0/AE/18?SU=http://msnbc.msn.com/\">Legal</a></td><td align=\"right\"><script language=\"javascript\" src=\"http://hp.msn.com/scr/op/ol-fdbkv3_r1.js\"></script><a href=\"javascript:O_LC();\">Feedback</a> | <a href=\"http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3303511/\">Help</a></td></tr></table></body></html></em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('275','1','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Latest dieting trend: Wishful thinking</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Weight-loss plans hit 16-year low, but most adults hope to shed pounds</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceReuters.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></a></a><p></p></font><p>LOS ANGELES - The percentage of Americans who are dieting is at its lowest in at least 16 years even though most adults say they would like to lose 20 pounds, according to a study released Wednesday.</p><p>Baby boomers are making their own dieting decisions rather than relying on medical advice, said Harry Balzer, author of the study by research firm NPD Group.</p><p>\"This is a time in life where health issues begin to creep into our lives, and in the past, doctors provided advice,\" said Balzer, NPD vice president.</p><p>\"It appears people in this age group today are either not getting - or not listening to - their doctor\'s advice,\" he added in a statement.</p><p>According to the survey, in the 12 months ended in February 2006, 26 percent of women and 19 percent of men in the United States said they were on a diet. That\'s down from 35 percent of women and 26 percent of men in 1990.</p><p>Still, 60 percent of U.S. adults say \"they would like to lose 20 pounds,\" the study said.</p><p>In 2006, the most popular diet in the United States was a self-made regimen, the study said. The second-most followed diet was one prescribed by a doctor, and the third was Weight Watchers.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;RELATED CONTENT</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/16331336/\">January Jumpstart: Get your daily tips</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16540633/\">Milk cancels tea\'s benefits</a>?/li><li><a href=\"/id/16523298/\">Liquids make up 22 percent of calories</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>Government health officials estimate about 60 percent of the adult population is overweight, with the number of those considered obese on the rise over the past decade.</p><p>A recent survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found about 23.9 percent of U.S. adults are obese, up from 15.6 percent in 1995 and 19.8 percent in 2000.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>Copyright 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('274','1','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Bird flu suspected in chicken deaths in Japan</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Unclear whether humans infected on farm in southern part of country</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceReuters.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></a></a><p></p></font><p>TOKYO - An outbreak of suspected bird flu has killed about 750 chickens on a farm on south Japan\'s Kyushu island, a farm ministry official in Tokyo said on Thursday.</p><p>The farm, which has over 12,000 birds, is located in the small town of Kiyotake in Miyazaki Prefecture, an area devoted mainly to forestry and farming. </p><p>The deaths occurred on Wednesday and Thursday, and if bird flu is confirmed, all the chickens on the farm will be destroyed, he said. It was not known if any humans were infected, he added.</p><p>The farm will be placed in quarantine and local authorities are urging people to stay away from the area, he said.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>Copyright 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('273','1','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Baby makes 3: How kids rattle friendships</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Child-free pals often feel dumped just when new moms most need support</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070109/061230_health_friendship956.hmedium.jpg\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" alt=\"Image: Pizzo and Popoli\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font size=\"-2\">Carissa Ray / MSNBC.com</font><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"-1\">Kathryn Pizzo, left,?8, is a Bellevue, Wash., stay-at-home mother to 9-month-old Kara and 2-year-old Tessa. Her best friend,?Barbara Popoli, a-33-year-old general manager of an international corporation, has chosen not to have children. </font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><div class=\"textMedBlackBold\" style=\"padding-top:10px;\">By By Sue Kidd</div><div class=\"textMedBlack\">MSNBC contributor</div><p></p></font><p>Aliza Sherman Risdahl was driving in downtown Anchorage, Alaska, when her cell phone rang. On the other end was her best friend calling with big news: She was pregnant.</p><p>Risdahl congratulated her, then hung up - and burst into tears.</p><p>\"I struggled with multiple miscarriages over a two-year period. During that time, my girlfriend Jo (McGuire) got married and was pregnant within a few months,\" says Risdahl, 41, a writer and Internet consultant.</p><p>McGuire knew news of her pregnancy would trigger mixed feelings in her friend. \"There is no doubt that I hesitated to call Aliza to tell her I was pregnant,\" she says. \"I knew she would be happy and angry.\"</p><p>While Risdahl tried to juggle the sting of her own infertility with being supportive of her best friend, McGuire worried she would hurt her friend with even the smallest details of her pregnancy and chose not to share many of them.</p><p>\"It strained our friendship some,\" recalls McGuire, a 32-year-old stay-at-home mother in Fort Collins, Colo.</p><p>The issue of having children - or not - can pit women\'s friendships with land mines. What for some is a joyous event can trigger painful feelings in others. Some may have regrets about their own choices, worry they\'ll lose their friend to the pull of playgroups and other mommies or feel a stab of grief about their past own losses or infertility. And even when both women in a friendship are at peace with the decisions they\'ve made, having a child often still means the relationship needs to be renegotiated.</p><p>Four months after McGuire learned she was pregnant, Risdahl found out she was going to have a baby as well. Today, they remain close, but both say navigating that particular period in their friendship was tricky. What saved them, she says, was being honest with each other.</p><p>\"We learned some lessons,\" says Risdahl. \"We respected one another\'s feelings and never pushed too hard. We stated how much we cared for one another - you can\'t be too clear about this and it should not go unspoken.\"</p><p><b><strong>Green-eyed monster</strong></b><br>Vicki Iovine, author of \"The Girlfriends\' Guide to Pregnancy\" and other books, points out that it\'s natural for women to feel jealous about what their friend has - whether it\'s a baby or a more carefree childless life.<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#FFFFFF\">&nbsp;Tips to help your friendship survive</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#a4abc1\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-right:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-bottom:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-left:solid 1px #a4abc1;background-color:#f3f3f6;\" bgcolor=\"#f3f3f6\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\"><tr><td style=\"padding:10px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table><tr><td><p class=\"textMed\">Guidelines for childless friends:</p><table cellspacing=\"3\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" ID=\"Table1\"><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\">Don\'t take absence personally. \"In the early phases (motherhood) can be really demanding. It\'s really natural for a new mother to disappear,\" says Amy Tiemann, host of the Web site <a href=\"http://www.mojomom.com/\" target=\"_blank\">www.mojomom.com</a>. </font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\">Be patient while your friend gets her bearings with the new baby, says Tiemann. </font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\">Redefine your activities. \"Be willing to meet a new mom on her turf. Maintain that connection anywhere you can,\" she says.</font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\">Find a new hobby together, like walking in the early mornings or evenings.</font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\">Get mommy alone. Talk a mutual friend into watching the baby so your friend can get out of the house for a few hours.</font></td></tr></table><p class=\"textMed\">Guidelines for new mothers: </p><table cellspacing=\"3\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" ID=\"Table1\"><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\">Get a sitter once a week and spend half that time running errands and the rest socializing with girlfriends. \"It is the key to a mother\'s sanity. Girlfriends sustain us and amuse us and inspire us,\"?says Vicki Iovine, author of \"The Girlfriends\' Guide to Pregnancy.\"</font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\">Ask your husband or partner to watch the baby when you go out or just gab on the phone.?</font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\">Don\'t ramble about the baby. \"Think of your baby reports as \'headline news.\'\" says Jen Singer, creator of <a href=\"http://mommasaid.net/\" target=\"_blank\">mommasaid.net</a>. </font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\">Remember your childless friend\'s feelings. \"We\'re so enthralled with the baby that we inadvertently make comments that make our lives seem better because we have this baby. Be careful,\" says Susan Newman, author of \"The Book of NO.\"</font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\">Reassure your friend that you love her and this is a temporary hiatus in the relationship, says Newman.</font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>\"(A new mom) may get jealous and a little exasperated when you tell her about the sexy little dress you bought for a party that you\'re going to with a hot guy. She may even tell you that your life feels a little \'trivial\' to her now that she has found her true meaning in life,\" says Iovine. \"Don\'t let it hurt your feelings - she is really just frustrated and a little jealous that you can even think of being sexy when she is trying to express milk with an electric breast pump.\"</p><p>How do friends get past it? Talk - even when it\'s a hard conversation to have.</p><p>\"Feeling jealous does not make one a bad person. It is a normal feeling especially when there is a disparity,\" says Debbie Mandel, a New York-based stress-reduction specialist, mother of three and author of \"Turn On Your Inner Light.\" \"If you are the jealous person, affirm your friend. If you are the object of jealousy, be understanding and compassionate.\"</p><p>As lives evolve, so do priorities. Some childless women complain their friends with children turn into mommy machines - always wanting to talk about their babies and resembling very little of their former fun selves.</p><p>Amy Tiemann, author of \"Mojo Mom: Nurturing Your Self While Raising a Family\" and host of the Web site <a href=\"http://www.mojomom.com/\" target=\"_blank\">www.mojomom.com</a>, says mothers need to make the active choice to work at and maintain their friendships.</p><p>\"You need to keep your lifelines and the friendships that helped you figure out who you were and who you want to become next,\" she says. \"It might seem a great idea to get lost in motherhood now, but two years from now, you might wonder, \'Where did all my friends go?\' And that\'s a real loss.\"</p><p><b><strong>Beware the \'mommy mafia\'<br></strong></b>Happily child-free by choice, Lisa Giassa, a 35-year-old public relations executive who lives in Bergen County, N.J., saw many of her friends get sucked into what she calls \"the mommy mafia.\"</p><p>\"All they do is talk - more like complain - about their kids, their husbands, dramas with teachers and other mommy mafia members,\" says Giassa.</p><p>She has few friends left who have children and cherishes the ones she calls \"me-first moms.\"</p><p>Me-first moms, she said, nurture friendships, while members of the mommy mafia are more likely to go months without calling.</p><p>\"It\'s as if they became incapable of doing anything that didn\'t fit their ideal of what a mommy should be and do. It just became too much effort and I began to ask what am I getting from these friendships? What am I giving? Then I realized we just grew apart. So it was time to find new friends.\"</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/16549192/\">Vote: Has parenthood impacted your friendships?</a></li><li><a href=\"http://boards.msn.com/MSNBCboards/thread.aspx?ThreadID=165847\">Discuss: How do you balance friends and family?</a>?/li><li><a href=\"/id/16326136/\">What\'s the real measure of a \'good mom\'?</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16455766/\">Birth imminent for embryo saved post-Katrina</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p><b><strong>Common ground</strong></b><br>Kathryn Pizzo, 38, and Barbara Popoli, 33, met long before Pizzo became a stay-at-home mother to two.</p><p>While they say their friendship never really struggled even as Pizzo\'s family grew, it has changed.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#FFFFFF\">&nbsp;Repairing a broken friendship</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#a4abc1\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-right:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-bottom:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-left:solid 1px #a4abc1;background-color:#f3f3f6;\" bgcolor=\"#f3f3f6\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\"><tr><td style=\"padding:10px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table><tr><td><p class=\"textMed\">So you\'ve become a member of the mommy mafia and completely neglected your childless friends and now they\'re nowhere to be found. Don\'t lose hope. You can restore failed friendships. Here\'s advice from Amy Tiemann, author of \"Mojo Mom: Nurturing Your Self While Raising a Family\": </p><table cellspacing=\"3\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" ID=\"Table1\"><tr><td><font color=\"black\">-</font></td><td><font color=\"black\">Make a repair attempt when you can commit. \"It\'s humbling, but you should tell the friend, \'You\'re really important to me.\' \"?</font></td></tr><tr><td><font color=\"black\">-</font></td><td><font color=\"black\">Make a regular, ongoing date. \"Schedule a once-a-month coffee or lunch. It will go a long way to making your relationship solid and strong.\" </font></td></tr><tr><td><font color=\"black\">-</font></td><td><font color=\"black\">Get real. \"You need to give your friends a shot at talking honestly. Their feelings might be hurt because you\'ve ditched them.\"</font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></td></tr></table>\"There isn\'t quite as much wine to be had,\" jokes Pizzo, who lives in Bellevue, Wash.</p><p>Popoli and her husband, who have chosen not to have children, moved to London for two years and by the time they returned, many of their friends had kids. </p><p>\"Instead of ending a dinner party at 11 ... now dinner\'s moved up to 7 so they can get the kids home to bed. We make it work,\" says Popoli, who lives in Marysville, Wash., and is a corporate general manager. \"My husband and I love all the children in our lives but also love that at the end of the evening, they go home with their parents.\"</p><p>Pizzo says she and Popoli have kept their friendship strong through communication and finding new common ground. The two focus on a shared passion - talking about current events.</p><p>She adds it\'s important to talk with each other about the changes the relationship is experiencing.</p><p>\"Don\'t pretend they aren\'t happening or you\'ll both have unmet expectations,\" says Pizzo. \"Appreciate what you can learn from the other, and try to live vicariously a little bit through the other to help see things from their point of view. Find more and new common ground than what you may have had BC (before children).\"</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><SCRIPT language=\"javascript\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/components/interactives/tools/mailbag.js\"></SCRIPT><SCRIPT language=\"javascript\"> oMailbag = new Array(); oMailbag.appWidth = 460; oMailbag.BoxStyle = 3053755; oMailbag.appHeader = \"Share your thoughts\"; oMailbag.appDeck = \"How has having kids changed your friendships with other women? What are some of the obstacles you\'ve had to overcome to help those relationships survive? Have you lost friends? We\'ll post selected answers.\"; oMailbag.sSubject = \"friendship\"; oMailbag.aRetLink = new Array(\"http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16491375\",\"Click here to return to How kids change female friendships\"); oMailbag.sMailTo = \"health@msnbc.com\"; oMailbag.bTown = 1;  oMailbag.navsectionID = 3088327; if (window.MailbagWB3) { MailbagWB3(oMailbag); } </SCRIPT></td></tr></table></p><p><em>Sue Kidd is a writer based in Tacoma, Wash.</em></p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2007 MSNBC Interactive</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('167','1','<p>WASHINGTON -- Health officials said Wednesday that inspections revealed serious concerns about drug testing done by a Canadian company that underpinned the applications of potentially hundreds of medicines pending federal approval or already on the market.</p><p>The concerns could compel some drug companies to either confirm or repeat certain tests their products underwent required to win federal approval, Food and Drug Administration officials said. While the work won\'t result in the removal of any drugs from the market, it could slow the approval of some drugs awaiting federal clearance.</p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" align=\"right\" width=\"238\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"228\">\n<title></title><div style=\"width:228px;\">\n<div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div>\n<div class=\"sidebar\">\n<h2>In Depth</h2>\n<div class=\"sidebarcontent\" style=\"padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px;\">\n<div class=\"sidebarbox\" style=\"color: #333;\">\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/health/special/index.html\"><img src=\"http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/health/images/healthSpecialReports_206.gif\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Health: Special Reports\"></a>\n<p style=\"border-top: 1px dashed #CCC; padding-top: 7px;\">\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/health/lpc/features/2007/index.html\"><img src=\"http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2006/12/29/PH2006122901164.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 7px;\" width=\"80\" height=\"72\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Success Stories\"/></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/health/lpc/features/2007/index.html\">Success Stories</a><br />\nGain inspiration from Lean Plate Club readers who have lost weight ... and kept it off.\n<br clear=\"all\" />\n</p>\n<p style=\"border-top: 1px dashed #CCC; padding-top: 7px;\">\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2006/01/27/LI2006012700907.html\"><img src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2006/05/30/PH2006053000889.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 7px;\" width=\"80\" height=\"72\" border=\"0\" alt=\"AIDS/HIV\"/></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2006/01/27/LI2006012700907.html\">AIDS/HIV</a><br />\nTwenty-five years after the first diagnosis of the first case of AIDS, the world is waking up to the epidemic.\n<br clear=\"all\" />\n</p>\n<p style=\"border-top: 1px dashed #CCC; padding-top: 7px; margin-top: 5px;\">\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/10/17/LI2005101700979.html\"><img src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2005/08/23/PH2005082300406.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 7px;\" width=\"80\" height=\"72\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Bird Flu\" /></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/10/17/LI2005101700979.html\">Focus on Bird Flu</a><br/>Track the latest developments in the spread of the deadly H5N1 influenza virus.\n<br clear=\"all\" />\n</p>\n<!--\n<p style=\"border-top: 1px dashed #CCC; padding-top: 7px; margin-top: 5px;\">\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/11/08/LI2005110800857.html\"><img src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2005/11/11/GR2005111101024.gif\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 7px;\" width=\"80\" height=\"72\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Medicare\" /></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/11/08/LI2005110800857.html\">Medicare Part D</a><br/>An in-depth look at Medicare and its new voluntary prescription drug benefit.\n<br clear=\"all\" />\n</p> -->\n<!--\n<p style=\"border-top: 1px dashed #CCC; padding-top: 7px; margin-top: 5px;\">\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/swing\"><img src=\"http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2005/04/25/PH2005042500121.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 7px;\" width=\"80\" height=\"72\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Medicare\" /></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/swing\">Regional Golf</a><br/>Find courses, get pointers and look at some of the area\'s most scenic courses.\n<br clear=\"all\" />\n</p> -->\n<!--\n<p style=\"border-top: 1px dashed #CCC; padding-top: 7px; margin-top: 5px;\">\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/29/AR2006052900755.html\"><img src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2006/05/26/PH2006052601076.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 7px;\" width=\"80\" height=\"72\" border=\"0\" /></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/29/AR2006052900755.html\">Guns and Children</a><br />\nWhat you think your kids know and what they really know may differ, according to a recent study.\n<br clear=\"all\" />\n</p>\n-->\n<!--\n<p style=\"border-top: 1px dashed #CCC; padding-top: 7px;\">\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/flash/health/caloriecounter/caloriecounter.html\"><img src=\"http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/images/I10762-2002May13\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 7px;\" width=\"80\" height=\"72\" border=\"0\" alt=\"fastfood\"/></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/flash/health/caloriecounter/caloriecounter.html\">Fast Food Calories</a><br />\nHow do your meals add up? Calculate calories and fat at fast-food restaurants\n<br clear=\"all\" />\n</p> -->\n<!--\n<p style=\"border-top: 1px dashed #CCC; padding-top: 7px;\">\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/03/24/LI2005032401363.html\"><img src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/images/promobox/movingcrewthumb1.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 7px;\" width=\"80\" height=\"72\" border=\"0\" alt=\"movingcrew\"/></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/03/24/LI2005032401363.html\">Moving Crew</a><br />\nGet Moving! Live discussion with the Post\'s John Briley, Susan Morse, Craig Stoltz and Sally Squires\n<br clear=\"all\" />\n</p>\n-->\n<p style=\"border-top: 1px dashed #CCC; margin-top: 5px; padding-top: 7px; font-weight: bold;\">\n&raquo; <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/health/special/index.html\">MORE SPECIAL REPORTS</a>\n</p>\n</div>\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"clearboth\"></div>\n</div>\n\n<script src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-adv/jobs4/javascript/scripts.js\"></script>\n<link href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-adv/jobs4/css/jobsboxes.css\" rel=\"stylesheet\" type=\"text/css\">\n<!-- ====================================== -->\n<!-- ========= START JOB SEARCH =========== -->\n<!-- ====================================== -->\n<div class=\"jobsearch\">\n<div class=\"jobsbox228\">\n<div class=\"boxpad\">\n<div class=\"titleimg\"><img src=\"http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-adv/jobs4/images/title-job_search_228.gif\" alt=\"Job Search\" /></div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom:10px;\">\n<img src=\"http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2006/11/27/GR2006112700853.jpg\" style=\"height:72px;width:80px;float:left;margin-right:7px;\"/>\n<div class=\"job_search_header1\">Your Co-Workers Like McSteamy?</div>\n<p class=\"job_search_text\">We can help you find the right work environment with competitive benefits.</p>\n<div class=\"clearboth\"></div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"job_search_header3\">Nursing, Allied Health:&nbsp;<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/jobs/DC-health-care-jobs.html?nav=apj\" class=\"font3\">Get a New Job</a></div>\n</div>\n</div>\n</div>\n<!-- ====================================== -->\n<!-- =========== END JOB SEARCH =========== -->\n<!-- ====================================== -->\n\n<script src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/technorati/Technorati.js\"></script><script>\nvar technorati = new Technorati() ;\ntechnorati.setProperty(\'url\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011001354_Technorati.html\') ;\ntechnorati.article = new item(\'FDA Eyes Drug Tests Done by Canadian Lab\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011001354.html\',\'WASHINGTON -- Health officials said Wednesday that inspections revealed serious concerns about drug testing done by a Canadian company that underpinned the applications of potentially hundreds of medicines pending federal approval or already on the market.\',\'ANDREW BRIDGES\') ;\n</script><script src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011001354_Technorati.js\"></script><script>document.write( technorati.getDisplaySidebar() );</script>\n<link href=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/css/bookmarking.css\" rel=\"stylesheet\" media=\"all\"/><div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div><div class=\"sidebar\"><h2><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"right\" border=\"0\" width=\"222\"><tr><td class=\"sb-left\" align=\"left\">Save &amp; Share Article</td><td class=\"sb-right\" align=\"right\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/community/saveandshare.html\">What\'s This?</a></td></tr></table></h2><div class=\"sidebarcontent\"><div class=\"sidebarbox\"><div class=\"bookmark\"><div class=\"generic_bookmark digg_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011001354.html%3Freferrer=digg&title=FDA Eyes Drug Tests Done by Canadian Lab&bodytext=WASHINGTON -- Health officials said Wednesday that inspections revealed serious concerns about drug testing done by a Canadian company that underpinned the applications of potentially hundreds of medicines pending federal approval or already on the market.\" target=\"new\">Digg</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark google_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=add&title=FDA Eyes Drug Tests Done by Canadian Lab&labels=&annotation=WASHINGTON -- Health officials said Wednesday that inspections revealed serious concerns about drug testing done by a Canadian company that underpinned the applications of potentially hundreds of medicines pending federal approval or already on the market.&bkmk=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011001354.html%3Freferrer=google\" target=\"new\">Google</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark delicious_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://del.icio.us/post?v=4&partner=wpni&noui&jump=close&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011001354.html%3Freferrer=delicious&title=%22FDA Eyes Drug Tests Done by Canadian Lab%22 By ANDREW BRIDGES&notes=WASHINGTON -- Health officials said Wednesday that inspections revealed serious concerns about drug testing done by a Canadian company that underpinned the applications of potentially hundreds of medicines pending federal approval or already on the market.\" target=\"new\">del.icio.us</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark yahoo_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/myresults/bookmarklet?u=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011001354.html%3Freferrer=yahoo&title=FDA Eyes Drug Tests Done by Canadian Lab&popup=true\" target=\"new\">Yahoo!</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark reddit_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://reddit.com/submit?url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011001354.html%3Freferrer=reddit&title=FDA Eyes Drug Tests Done by Canadian Lab\" target=\"new\">Reddit</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark facebook_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"javascript:void(0);\" onclick=\"void(window.open(\'http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011001354.html?referrer=facebook\')+\'&t=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'FDA Eyes Drug Tests Done by Canadian Lab\'),\'sharer\',\'toolbar=no,width=642,height=436\'));\">Facebook</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/></div></div></div>\n</td></tr></table>\n<p>The FDA stressed it has no evidence of problems with the quality, purity or potency of the affected drugs. Still, the agency is sending more than 1,000 letters to drug companies asking them to reevaluate the results of tests performed by MDS Pharma Services between 2000 and 2004 and included in their applications to the agency. Companies have six months to comply.</p><p>Ultimately, the request likely will affect only a small percentage of the drug applications submitted since 2000, FDA officials said.</p><p>\"The FDA is taking this precautionary measure to make sure the data submitted to the agency is of the highest quality,\" said Joseph Famulare, deputy director of the office of compliance in the agency\'s drug evaluation and research division.</p><p>FDA inspections of two of MDS Pharma Services\' facilities in Canada revealed a variety of problems with its testing procedures. The contract company, part of MDS Inc. of Mississauga, Ontario, originally agreed to audit its own work, but that failed to satisfy the FDA and prompted the agency to appeal directly to drug makers.</p><p>The FDA said MDS Pharma Services failed to identify and fix sources of contamination in the tests, which measured drug levels in the blood of patients. The company also failed to validate and document the accuracy of the testing methods it used, the FDA said.</p><p>In a statement, MDS Inc. said it has taken numerous corrective actions to meet the FDA\'s requirements but hadn\'t been able to fully satisfy the FDA. It planned to redirect efforts to support its clients with independent audit activities, the company said.</p><p>\"While we are disappointed in the time and effort that it has taken to get to this course of action, we believe that it will benefit everyone involved to have a crisp path forward to resolve this issue,\" said Stephen P. DeFalco, president and CEO of MDS Inc. \"We will fully support our clients with data and information from their studies to help bring this issue to a rapid and complete resolution.\"</p><p>Agency officials have identified all 217 generic drugs that either have won or are seeking federal approval and that included MDS Pharma studies in their applications. For brand-name drugs, FDA isn\'t as sure which companies relied on testing done by MDS Pharma Services. As a result, it is notifying all brand-name drug makers that submitted the more than 900 applications received since 2000 to comb through their files to find out.</p><p>The FDA declined to identify the drug companies known to have contracted with MDS for testing.</p><p>___</p><p>On the Net:</p><p>Food and Drug Administration <a href=\"http://www.fda.gov\" target=\"\">http:/<wbr/>/<wbr/>www.fda.gov</a></p><p>MDS Pharma Services: <a href=\"http://www.mdsps.com/\" target=\"\">http:/<wbr/>/<wbr/>www.mdsps.com/<wbr/></a></p></div></div><br clear=\"all\">\n');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('166','1','<p>The House is expected to pass today, by a substantial margin, legislation that would loosen President Bush\'s restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research -- a bill identical to the one it passed in 2005.</p><p>Next month, the Senate is expected to do the same, as it did last year.</p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" align=\"right\" width=\"238\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"228\">\n<div class=\"media_photo\"><!--link rel=\"image_src\" href=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2007/01/10/PH2007011002077.jpg\"/--><a href=\"javascript:void(popitup(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/postphotos/orb/asection/2007-01-11/index.html?imgId=PH2007011002079&imgUrl=/photo/2007/01/10/PH2007011002079.html\',650,850))\"><img src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/largerPhoto/images/enlarge_tab.gif\" width=\"103\" height=\"12\" border=\"0\" align=\"bottom\" alt=\"\"></a><br/><a href=\"javascript:void(popitup(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/postphotos/orb/asection/2007-01-11/index.html?imgId=PH2007011002079&imgUrl=/photo/2007/01/10/PH2007011002079.html\',650,850))\"><img src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2007/01/10/PH2007011002077.jpg\" border=\"0\"  alt=\"Proponents of stem cell research attend a news conference on legislation they support. From left are Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Rep. Michael N. Castle (R-Del.) and Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.).\"  height=\"128\" width=\"228\" align=\"top\"></a><div id=\"caption\">Proponents of stem cell research attend a news conference on legislation they support. From left are Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Rep. Michael N. Castle (R-Del.) and Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.).<span id=\"credit\"> (By Chris Greenberg  --  Bloomberg News) </span></div></div>\n<div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div><div class=\"sidebar\"><h2>Stem Cell Research</h2><div class=\"sidebarcontent\"><div class=\"sidebarbox\"><ul>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011100463.html\"><b>Britain Seeks Opinion on Stem Cell Study</b></a>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010900566.html\"><b>House Resumes Stem Cell Research Debate</b></a>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010800227.html\"><b>House to Resume Stem Cell Debate</b></a>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010800111.html\"><b>Human stem cells found in amniotic fluid</b></a>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/07/AR2007010700460.html\"><b>Study: Amniotic Fluid Yields Stem Cells</b></a>\n</ul><div align=\"center\" style=\"clear:both;\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2006/01/18/LI2006011800846.html\" style=\"FONT-WEIGHT:normal; FONT-SIZE:11px; COLOR:#333399; FONT-FAMILY:arial,sans-serif; margin-top:8px;\">More Stories</a></div><div style=\"clear:both;\"></div></div></div></div>\n\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"></div>\n<div style=\"width:228px;\">\n<div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div>\n<div class=\"sidebar\">\n<h2>In Depth</h2>\n<div class=\"sidebarcontent\" style=\"padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px;\">\n<div class=\"sidebarbox\" style=\"color: #333;\">\n<p style=\"border-top: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-top: 7px;\">\n<a href=\"http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/109/senate/2/votes/206/\"><img src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2005/12/05/GR2005120501681.gif\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 7px;\" alt=\"votes database\" border=\"0\" height=\"72\" width=\"80\"></a>\n<a href=\"http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/109/senate/2/votes/206/\">Legislative Debate</a><br>\nHow Congress voted on the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005.\n<br clear=\"all\">\n</p>\n</div>\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"clearboth\"></div>\n</div>\n\n<div style=\"width:228px;\">\n<div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div>\n<div class=\"sidebar\">\n<h2>Special Report</h2>\n<div class=\"sidebarcontent\" style=\"padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px;\">\n<div class=\"sidebarbox\" style=\"color: #333;\">\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0; padding-top: 0;\">\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2006/01/18/LI2006011800846.html\"><img src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2006/01/18/PH2006011801457.jpg\" border=\"0\" width=\"206\" height=\"108\" style=\"padding-bottom:5px;\"></a>\nFollow advances in stem cell research and learn who the key players are.\n</p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0; padding-top: 0;\">\n&#8226; <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/18/AR2006071800722.html\"><b>Timeline of Stem Cell Debate</b></a><br />\n&#8226; <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/05/18/LI2005051801621.html\"><b>The Debate: Legislative Coverage</b></a><br />\n&#8226; <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/custom/2005/08/12/CU2005081200827.html\"><b>Stem Cell Legislation by State</b></a><br />\n</p>\n<p style=\"border-top: 1px dashed #CCC; margin-top: 5px; padding-top: 7px; font-weight: bold;\">\n&raquo; <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2006/01/18/LI2006011800846.html\">MORE ON STEM CELL RESEARCH</a>\n</p>\n</div>\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"clearboth\"></div>\n</div>\n\n<div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div>\n<div class=\"sidebar\">\n<h2>RSS Special Report Feed</h2>\n<div class=\"sidebarcontent\">\n<ul class=\"rss\">\n<li><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/rss/linkset/2005/05/18/LI2005051801621.xml\">Stem Cell Debate</a></li>\n</ul>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n</div>\n</div>\n<!-- END RSS BULLETS -->\n\n<script src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/technorati/Technorati.js\"></script><script>\nvar technorati = new Technorati() ;\ntechnorati.setProperty(\'url\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002076_Technorati.html\') ;\ntechnorati.article = new item(\'On Stem Cell Legislation, a Reprise With Twists\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002076.html\',\'The House is expected to pass today, by a substantial margin, legislation that would loosen President Bush\\\'s restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research -- a bill identical to the one it passed in 2005.\',\'Rick Weiss\') ;\n</script><script src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002076_Technorati.js\"></script><script>document.write( technorati.getDisplaySidebar() );</script>\n<link href=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/css/bookmarking.css\" rel=\"stylesheet\" media=\"all\"/><div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div><div class=\"sidebar\"><h2><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"right\" border=\"0\" width=\"222\"><tr><td class=\"sb-left\" align=\"left\">Save &amp; Share Article</td><td class=\"sb-right\" align=\"right\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/community/saveandshare.html\">What\'s This?</a></td></tr></table></h2><div class=\"sidebarcontent\"><div class=\"sidebarbox\"><div class=\"bookmark\"><div class=\"generic_bookmark digg_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002076.html%3Freferrer=digg&title=On Stem Cell Legislation, a Reprise With Twists&bodytext=The House is expected to pass today, by a substantial margin, legislation that would loosen President Bush\'s restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research -- a bill identical to the one it passed in 2005.\" target=\"new\">Digg</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark google_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=add&title=On Stem Cell Legislation, a Reprise With Twists&labels=&annotation=The House is expected to pass today, by a substantial margin, legislation that would loosen President Bush\'s restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research -- a bill identical to the one it passed in 2005.&bkmk=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002076.html%3Freferrer=google\" target=\"new\">Google</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark delicious_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://del.icio.us/post?v=4&partner=wpni&noui&jump=close&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002076.html%3Freferrer=delicious&title=%22On Stem Cell Legislation, a Reprise With Twists: Passage, Veto Likely as Supporters Wield New Power and Foes Cite New Alternatives%22 By Rick Weiss&notes=The House is expected to pass today, by a substantial margin, legislation that would loosen President Bush\'s restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research -- a bill identical to the one it passed in 2005.\" target=\"new\">del.icio.us</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark yahoo_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/myresults/bookmarklet?u=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002076.html%3Freferrer=yahoo&title=On Stem Cell Legislation, a Reprise With Twists&popup=true\" target=\"new\">Yahoo!</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark reddit_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://reddit.com/submit?url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002076.html%3Freferrer=reddit&title=On Stem Cell Legislation, a Reprise With Twists\" target=\"new\">Reddit</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark facebook_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"javascript:void(0);\" onclick=\"void(window.open(\'http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002076.html?referrer=facebook\')+\'&t=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'On Stem Cell Legislation, a Reprise With Twists\'),\'sharer\',\'toolbar=no,width=642,height=436\'));\">Facebook</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/></div></div></div>\n</td></tr></table>\n<p>And all indications are that soon after that,  Bush will, for the second time, veto the bill.</p><p>But the final outcome of this year\'s emotional fight over the science and ethics of stem cell research is not as predictable as it may seem, said scientists and  congressional strategists on both sides of the issue.</p><p>Opponents of the research say they have never been stronger, not only because of the ongoing support of the president but also because several recent studies have suggested that non-embryonic cells have significant medical promise that may rival that of embryonic cells.</p><p>Proponents, however, have a new ace up their sleeve as well: the political shifts wrought by voters in November. With stem-cell-friendly Democrats in the majority for the first time since the cells were discovered in 1998, supporters of the research will be able to work Congress\'s complex rules in their favor.</p><p>\"This is not a \'one bill and you\'re out,\' but a two-year time frame with potentially multiple legislative possibilities,\" said a research supporter involved in Capitol Hill strategizing, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to comment publicly.</p><p>\"They can stretch it out,\" the strategist said, so Bush and his backers in Congress must keep saying no to research that the public says it strongly supports. The research advocates \"can make it as painful as possible.\"</p><p>Congressional leaders driving the legislation say they hope to avoid all-out war. Compromise language \"is welcome,\" Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) said Tuesday at a news briefing, conceding that Bush has rebuffed all entreaties so far.</p><p>But if it comes to war, members of Congress and aides from both parties said,  supporters have many options not available to them last year. They range from subtle moves that could enhance the odds of overriding a veto to heavy-handed tactics such as attaching the bill to must-pass budget legislation.</p><p>\"I\'m confident we\'ll have a veto-proof bill this time,\" said Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), one of three high-powered Republican supporters of stem cell research who attended the Tuesday briefing. In an odd Washington moment,  all three seemed briefly grateful that the Democrats were back in charge.</p><p>Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who has led the stem cell charge in the Senate along with Specter, agreed. \"One way or another, we\'re going to get this done this year,\" he said yesterday in a meeting with Washington Post editors and reporters.</p></div></div><br clear=\"all\">\n<div align=\"right\"><table width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td align=\"right\"><font face=\"arial,sans-serif\" color=\"#CC0000\" size=\"-1\"><b>CONTINUED</b></font>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <b><font face=\"arial,sans-serif\" size=\"3\" color=\"#CC0000\">1</font> &nbsp;&nbsp; <font face=\"arial,sans-serif\" size=\"3\"><script>document.write(\'<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002076_2.html\'+unescape(location.search)+\'\">2</a>\')</script><noscript><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002076_2.html\">2</a></noscript></font></b> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<font face=\"arial, ms sans serif, sans-serif\" size=\"3\"><b><script>document.write(\'<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002076_2.html\'+unescape(location.search)+\'\">Next</a>\')</script><noscript><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002076_2.html\">Next</a></noscript> ></b></font></td></tr></table></div><br>\n');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('165','1','<p>Learning how to eat according to the <a href=\"http://www.mypyramid.gov/\" target=\"\">U.S. Food Guide Pyramid</a> may soon get a little easier: Grocery manufacturers and food product makers today unveiled a <a href=\"http://www.tapintomypyramid.com/\" target=\"\">new national campaign</a> in stores and elsewhere to help consumers follow the government\'s healthy diet advice.</p><p>Called &quot;Take A Peak,&quot; the program highlights food and beverages that meet the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for healthy eating and activity. Some 2,000 grocery stores in 17 states are slated to roll out the program throughout the upcoming year. Among the stores participating in the effort are Publix, Giant Eagle, Brookshire Grocery Company, Raley\'s and SuperValue.</p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" align=\"right\" width=\"238\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"228\">\n<div class=\"media_photo\"><!--link rel=\"image_src\" href=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2007/01/11/PH2007011100849.jpg\"/--><a href=\"javascript:void(popitup(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2007/01/11/PH2007011100851.html\',650,850))\"><img src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/largerPhoto/images/enlarge_tab.gif\" width=\"103\" height=\"12\" border=\"0\" align=\"bottom\" alt=\"\"></a><br/><a href=\"javascript:void(popitup(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2007/01/11/PH2007011100851.html\',650,850))\"><img src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2007/01/11/PH2007011100849.jpg\" border=\"0\"  alt=\"\"  height=\"190\" width=\"203\" align=\"top\"></a></div>\n<div style=\"width:228px;\">\n<div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div>\n<div class=\"sidebar\">\n<h2>What Readers Are Saying</h2>\n<div class=\"sidebarcontent\" style=\"padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px;\">\n<div class=\"sidebarbox\" style=\"color: #333;\">\n <p style=\"margin-top: 0; padding-top: 0;\"> <span style=\"color: rgb(204, 0, 0);\"><strong>Your Comments On...</strong></span><br> <h1 style=\"color: rgb(0, 51, 153);\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/19/AR2006121901431.html\" target=\"_blank\">Short Mental Workouts May Slow Decline of Aging Minds, Study Finds</a></h1></p> <p style=\"margin-top: 0; padding-top: 0;\"> \"It would be interesting to know if factors such as stress, or sleep disorders etc. were taken into account. They can be quite memory inhibiting and are more likely to be present in the control group, as a lack of mental stimulation can increase self doubt, decrease confidence and cause a form of panic. Could this have put the control group behind, at the same time the motivated groups were leaping ahead and would this not effect the measurement of the outcome? \" </p> <div style=\"text-align:right;\">-- <b>By smilesturner01 ;</b></div> <p style=\"border-top: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); margin-top: 5px; padding-top: 7px; font-weight: bold;\"> <strong><font face=\"arial,helvetica\" SIZE=\"-1\">&#149; </font> <span style=\"font-family:arial;font-size:11px;color:#000000;\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/comments/display?contentID=AR2006121901431&start=1\"><b>View, Add More Comments</b></a></span><br> <font face=\"arial,helvetica\" SIZE=\"-1\">&#149; </font> <span style=\"font-family:arial;font-size:11px;color:#000000;\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/19/AR2006121901431.html\"><b>Read the Story</b></a></span><br></strong> </p> \n</div>\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"clearboth\"></div>\n</div>\n\n<script src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/technorati/Technorati.js\"></script><script>\nvar technorati = new Technorati() ;\ntechnorati.setProperty(\'url\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011101163_Technorati.html\') ;\ntechnorati.article = new item(\'New Program to Direct Healthier Food Purchases\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011101163.html\',\'Learning how to eat according to the U.S. Food Guide Pyramid may soon get a little easier: Grocery manufacturers and food product makers today unveiled a new national campaign in stores and elsewhere to help consumers follow the government\\\'s healthy diet advice.\',\'Sally Squires\') ;\n</script><script src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011101163_Technorati.js\"></script><script>document.write( technorati.getDisplaySidebar() );</script>\n<link href=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/css/bookmarking.css\" rel=\"stylesheet\" media=\"all\"/><div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div><div class=\"sidebar\"><h2><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"right\" border=\"0\" width=\"222\"><tr><td class=\"sb-left\" align=\"left\">Save &amp; Share Article</td><td class=\"sb-right\" align=\"right\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/community/saveandshare.html\">What\'s This?</a></td></tr></table></h2><div class=\"sidebarcontent\"><div class=\"sidebarbox\"><div class=\"bookmark\"><div class=\"generic_bookmark digg_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011101163.html%3Freferrer=digg&title=New Program to Direct Healthier Food Purchases&bodytext=Learning how to eat according to the U.S. Food Guide Pyramid may soon get a little easier: Grocery manufacturers and food product makers today unveiled a new national campaign in stores and elsewhere to help consumers follow the government\'s healthy diet advice.\" target=\"new\">Digg</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark google_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=add&title=New Program to Direct Healthier Food Purchases&labels=&annotation=Learning how to eat according to the U.S. Food Guide Pyramid may soon get a little easier: Grocery manufacturers and food product makers today unveiled a new national campaign in stores and elsewhere to help consumers follow the government\'s healthy diet advice.&bkmk=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011101163.html%3Freferrer=google\" target=\"new\">Google</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark delicious_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://del.icio.us/post?v=4&partner=wpni&noui&jump=close&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011101163.html%3Freferrer=delicious&title=%22New Program to Direct Healthier Food Purchases%22 By Sally Squires&notes=Learning how to eat according to the U.S. Food Guide Pyramid may soon get a little easier: Grocery manufacturers and food product makers today unveiled a new national campaign in stores and elsewhere to help consumers follow the government\'s healthy diet advice.\" target=\"new\">del.icio.us</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark yahoo_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/myresults/bookmarklet?u=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011101163.html%3Freferrer=yahoo&title=New Program to Direct Healthier Food Purchases&popup=true\" target=\"new\">Yahoo!</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark reddit_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://reddit.com/submit?url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011101163.html%3Freferrer=reddit&title=New Program to Direct Healthier Food Purchases\" target=\"new\">Reddit</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark facebook_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"javascript:void(0);\" onclick=\"void(window.open(\'http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011101163.html?referrer=facebook\')+\'&t=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'New Program to Direct Healthier Food Purchases\'),\'sharer\',\'toolbar=no,width=642,height=436\'));\">Facebook</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/></div></div></div>\n</td></tr></table>\n<p>Consumers will find aisle banners, kiosks and other displays in stores that will help point them to fare that is consistent with the 2005 U.S. Dietary Guidelines. For example, signs will remind them of how many servings of whole grains to eat daily (three) and then show them what foods equal a single serving. (A slice of whole grain bread.) Floor graphics will serve as additional signposts to healthier fare. This new effort comes in response to a widely perceived problem with the guidelines. While they were praised by nutrition and consumer groups, the re-designed Food Guide Pyramid -- now known as MyPyramid -- was criticized for being accessible largely on the Web. The new displays will put the government\'s message in front of shoppers as they roll their carts.Congress mandates revisions of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines every five years but provides little, if any, funding to publicize the any new advice that arises from those revisions. So the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which shares responsibility for the guidelines with the Department of Health and Human Services, has been seeking public-private partnerships to help promote the nutritional and physical activity messages in MyPyramid.</p><p>&quot;I am very pleased to see the food industry taking up the challenge to help consumers make healthier choices,&quot; said U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns, who today helped unveil the program, which is sponsored by the Grocery Manufacturers Association/Food Products Association, the Food Marking Institute and MatchPoint Marketing. &quot;We\'ve had a tremendous response to MyPyramid,&quot; Johanns said. &quot;And I\'m confident that as awareness increases, so will the health of Americans.&quot;</p><p>To see what effect the program could have on nutritional intake, the sponsors of Take A Peak commissioned four weeks\' worth of sample menus aimed at helping women, age 31 to 50, gradually adjust their diets to meet the MyPyramid standards. The researchers found that a woman who followed the advice and menus could indeed eat according to the MyPyramid goals in about a month, said Betsy Hornick, a registered dietitian who planned the menus for the program.</p><p>While the new program is drawing praise, it has also raised some concerns that it might further bombard Americans with conflicting nutritional advice.</p><p>&quot;It raises the question of inconsistent standards,&quot; said Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a consumer advocacy group. CSPI has petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to establish consistent standards for healthy food and to develop a universal symbol that could be used to guide consumers to healthy choices.</p><p>&quot;What\'s a consumer to do if one product has the \'Take a Peak\' logo and right next to it is a product that gets the American Heart Association logo for being a healthy food?&quot; Jacobson asked.</p></div></div><br clear=\"all\">\n');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('164','1','<p>The D.C. Council opened its legislative year by introducing a bill that could make the District one of the first jurisdictions in the country to require girls younger than 13 years old to get a new nationally debated vaccine against cervical cancer.</p><p>Female students enrolling in the sixth grade would be asked to show proof of receiving the vaccine against the sexually transmitted human papilloma virus (HPV) under the bill, introduced yesterday by council members David A. Catania (I-At Large) and Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3).</p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" align=\"right\" width=\"238\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"228\">\n<div class=\"media_photo\"><!--link rel=\"image_src\" href=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2007/01/09/PH2007010901795.jpg\"/--><div style=\"float:left;position:relative;top:14px;\"><a href=\"javascript:void(popitup(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/postphotos/orb/asection/2007-01-10/index.html?imgId=PH2007010901797&imgUrl=/photo/2007/01/09/PH2007010901797.html\',650,850))\"><img src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/largerPhoto/images/enlarge_tab.gif\" width=\"103\" height=\"12\" border=\"0\" align=\"bottom\" alt=\"\"></a></div><div style=\"float:left;\"><div style=\"padding-left:135px;\"><img src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/images/pictopia1.jpg\" width=\"15\" height=\"12\" border=\"0\"/><span style=\"position:relative;bottom:2px;font-family:Arial;font-size:10px;\"><a href=\"http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp?provider_id=25&ptp_photo_id=xt-mt-25-title_7332962\">Buy This Photo</a></span></div>\n</div><br clear=\"all\"/><a href=\"javascript:void(popitup(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/postphotos/orb/asection/2007-01-10/index.html?imgId=PH2007010901797&imgUrl=/photo/2007/01/09/PH2007010901797.html\',650,850))\"><img src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2007/01/09/PH2007010901795.jpg\" border=\"0\"  alt=\"N.Y. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, right, in the District at the request of Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, visited the new D.C. Council during its first meeting. A vaccination bill introduced at the meeting would affect girls 13 and younger\"  height=\"172\" width=\"228\" align=\"top\"></a><div id=\"caption\">N.Y. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, right, in the District at the request of Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, visited the new D.C. Council during its first meeting. A vaccination bill introduced at the meeting would affect girls 13 and younger<span id=\"credit\"> (By Andrea Bruce  --  The Washington Post) </span></div></div>\n<title></title><div style=\"width:228px;\"> <div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div> <div class=\"sidebar\"> <h2>In Depth</h2> <div class=\"sidebarcontent\" style=\"padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px;\"> <div class=\"sidebarbox\" style=\"color: #333;\"> <p style=\"padding-top: 7px; margin-top: 5px; border-bottom: 1px dashed #CCC;\"> <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/metro/special/8/index.html\"><img src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2006/10/09/GR2006100900706.gif\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 7px;\" width=\"80\" height=\"72\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Maryland\" /></a> <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/metro/special/8/index.html\">D.C. Politics</a><br/> Complete coverage of the new administration under Mayor Adrian Fenty. <br clear=\"all\" /> </p> <p style=\"padding-top: 7px; margin-top: 5px; border-bottom: 1px dashed #CCC;\"> <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/metro/special/2/index.html\"><img src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2006/07/07/GR2006070700804.gif\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 7px;\" width=\"80\" height=\"72\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Maryland\" /></a> <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/metro/special/2/index.html\">Maryland Politics</a><br/> Complete coverage of the Maryland General Assembly and Congress members. <br clear=\"all\" /> </p> <p style=\"padding-top: 7px; margin-top: 5px;\"> <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/metro/special/7/index.html\"><img src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2005/05/17/GR2005051700759.gif\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 7px;\" width=\"80\" height=\"72\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Maryland\" /></a> <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/metro/special/7/index.html\">Virginia Politics</a><br/> Transportation tops the agenda during this election year. <br clear=\"all\" /> </p> <p style=\"font: bold 11px arial; color: #c00; margin:0; padding-top: 7px; margin-top: 5px;\">2006 Local Election Results</p> <p><span style=\"font: 12px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"> <form name=\"myform\" style=\"display: inline;\" id=\"myform\"> <select name=\"dest\" onchange=\" window.location.href=this[selectedIndex].value;\" style=\" width:210px; font-family:arial;font-size:1.00em;\"> <option value=\"nope\" selected=\"selected\">Pick Your County or City</option> <option value=\" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/elections/2006/results/general_annearundel.html\">Anne Arundel County</option> <option value=\" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/elections/2006/results/general_arlington.html\">Arlington County</option> <option value=\" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/elections/2006/results/general_calvert.html\">Calvert County</option> <option value=\" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/elections/2006/results/general_charles.html\">Charles County</option> <option value=\" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/elections/2006/results/general_alexandria.html\">City of Alexandria</option> <option value=\" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/elections/2006/results/general_fallschurch.html\">City of Falls Church</option> <option value=\" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/elections/2006/results/general_fairfax.html\">Fairfax County</option> <option value=\" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/elections/2006/results/general_fauquier.html\">Fauquier County</option> <option value=\" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/elections/2006/results/general_frederick.html\">Frederick County</option> <option value=\" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/elections/2006/results/general_howard.html\">Howard County</option> <option value=\" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/elections/2006/results/general_loudoun.html\">Loudoun County</option> <option value=\" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/elections/2006/results/general_montgomery.html\">Montgomery County</option> <option value=\" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/elections/2006/results/general_prgeorges.html\">Pr. George\'s County</option> <option value=\" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/elections/2006/results/general_prwilliam.html\">Pr. William County</option> <option value=\" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/elections/2006/results/general_stafford.html\">Stafford County</option> <option value=\" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/elections/2006/results/general_stmarys.html\">St. Mary\'s County</option> <option value=\" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/elections/2006/results/general_dc.html\">Washington, D.C.</option> </select></form> </span> </p> <!-- <p style=\"font: bold 11px arial; color: #c00; margin:0;\">Maps: Results at a Glance</p> <p><span style=\"font: 12px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"> <form name=\"myform\" style=\"display: inline;\" id=\"myform\"> <select name=\"dest\" onchange=\" window.location.href=this[selectedIndex].value;\" style=\" width:210px; font-family:arial;font-size:1.00em;\"> <option value=\"nope\" selected=\"selected\">Pick a Race</option> <option value=\" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2006/11/09/GR2006110900829.html\">Graphic: Va. Senate Race</option <option value=\" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2006/11/08/GR2006110800340.html\">Graphic: Md. Senate Race</option> <option value=\" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2006/11/08/GR2006110800341.html\">Graphic: Md. Governor Race</option> <option value=\" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2006/11/08/GR2006110800343.html\">Graphic: Same-Sex Marriage</option> <option value=\" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2006/11/08/GR2006110800365.html\">Graphic: Maryland Exit Poll</option> <option value=\" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2006/11/08/GR2006110800375.html\">Graphic: Virginia Exit Poll</option> </select></form> </span> </p> --> <!-- <p style=\"font: bold 11px arial; color: #c00; margin:0;\">Full Coverage</p> <p><span style=\"font: 12px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"> <form name=\"myform\" style=\"display: inline;\" id=\"myform\"> <select name=\"dest\" onchange=\" window.location.href=this[selectedIndex].value;\" style=\" width:210px; font-family:arial;font-size:1.00em;\"> <option value=\"nope\" selected=\"selected\">Pick a Key Race</option> <option value=\" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2006/09/28/LI2006092801194.html\">Virginia Senate Race</option> <option value=\" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2006/09/28/LI2006092801183.html\">Maryland Senate Race</option> <option value=\" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2006/09/29/LI2006092900979.html\">Maryland Governor Race</option> </select></form> </span> </p> --> <!-- <p style=\"padding-top: 7px; margin-top: 5px; border-top:1px #ccc dashed;\"> <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2006/11/08/LI2006110800217.html\"><img src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2006/11/08/PH2006110800158.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 7px;\" width=\"80\" height=\"72\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Maryland\" /></a> <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2006/11/08/LI2006110800217.html\">VIDEO: Election Night</a><br/> Watch candidate speeches from the key races. <br clear=\"all\" /> </p> --> <!-- <p style=\"border-top: 1px dashed #CCC; margin-top: 5px; padding-top: 7px; font-weight: bold;\"> &raquo; <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/elections/2006/index.html\">COMPLETE COVERAGE</a> </p> --> </div> </div> </div> <div class=\"clearboth\"></div> </div>\n\n<div>\n<div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div>\n<div class=\"sidebar\">\n<h2>Mayor\'s Cabinet</h2>\n<div class=\"sidebarcontent\" style=\"padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px;\">\n<div class=\"sidebarbox\" style=\"color: #333;\">\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/politics/district/cabinet.html\"><img src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2006/10/09/GR2006100900706.gif\" border=\"0\" style=\"float:left; margin-right: 5px;\"></a>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0; padding-top: 0;\">\nGet information on Mayor-elect Adrian Fenty\'s top-level proposed cabinet members.\n</p>\n<p style=\"border-top: 1px dashed #CCC; margin-top: 5px; padding-top: 7px; font-weight: bold;\">\n&raquo; <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/politics/district/cabinet.html\">PROPOSED CABINET MEMBERS</a>\n</p>\n</div>\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"clearboth\"></div>\n</div>\n\n<script src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/technorati/Technorati.js\"></script><script>\nvar technorati = new Technorati() ;\ntechnorati.setProperty(\'url\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901386_Technorati.html\') ;\ntechnorati.article = new item(\'D.C. Bill Would Mandate Vaccine\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901386.html\',\'The D.C. Council opened its legislative year by introducing a bill that could make the District one of the first jurisdictions in the country to require girls younger than 13 years old to get a new nationally debated vaccine against cervical cancer.\',\'Nikita Stewart and Rob Stein\') ;\n</script><script src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901386_Technorati.js\"></script><script>document.write( technorati.getDisplaySidebar() );</script>\n<link href=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/css/bookmarking.css\" rel=\"stylesheet\" media=\"all\"/><div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div><div class=\"sidebar\"><h2><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"right\" border=\"0\" width=\"222\"><tr><td class=\"sb-left\" align=\"left\">Save &amp; Share Article</td><td class=\"sb-right\" align=\"right\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/community/saveandshare.html\">What\'s This?</a></td></tr></table></h2><div class=\"sidebarcontent\"><div class=\"sidebarbox\"><div class=\"bookmark\"><div class=\"generic_bookmark digg_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901386.html%3Freferrer=digg&title=D.C. Bill Would Mandate Vaccine&bodytext=The D.C. Council opened its legislative year by introducing a bill that could make the District one of the first jurisdictions in the country to require girls younger than 13 years old to get a new nationally debated vaccine against cervical cancer.\" target=\"new\">Digg</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark google_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=add&title=D.C. Bill Would Mandate Vaccine&labels=&annotation=The D.C. Council opened its legislative year by introducing a bill that could make the District one of the first jurisdictions in the country to require girls younger than 13 years old to get a new nationally debated vaccine against cervical cancer.&bkmk=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901386.html%3Freferrer=google\" target=\"new\">Google</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark delicious_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://del.icio.us/post?v=4&partner=wpni&noui&jump=close&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901386.html%3Freferrer=delicious&title=%22D.C. Bill Would Mandate Vaccine: Proposal for Girls Under 13 Targets Cervical Cancer%22 By Nikita Stewart and Rob Stein&notes=The D.C. Council opened its legislative year by introducing a bill that could make the District one of the first jurisdictions in the country to require girls younger than 13 years old to get a new nationally debated vaccine against cervical cancer.\" target=\"new\">del.icio.us</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark yahoo_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/myresults/bookmarklet?u=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901386.html%3Freferrer=yahoo&title=D.C. Bill Would Mandate Vaccine&popup=true\" target=\"new\">Yahoo!</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark reddit_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://reddit.com/submit?url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901386.html%3Freferrer=reddit&title=D.C. Bill Would Mandate Vaccine\" target=\"new\">Reddit</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark facebook_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"javascript:void(0);\" onclick=\"void(window.open(\'http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901386.html?referrer=facebook\')+\'&t=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'D.C. Bill Would Mandate Vaccine\'),\'sharer\',\'toolbar=no,width=642,height=436\'));\">Facebook</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/></div></div></div>\n</td></tr></table>\n<p>A parent or legal guardian would have the right to &quot;opt out&quot; of the requirement, Catania said, but the bill does not detail under what circumstances exemptions would be permitted.</p><p>Similar proposals are pending in Kentucky and California, and several other states are also considering such legislation. A bill to require the vaccine failed last year in Michigan.</p><p>In other business during the council\'s first working session, Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) withdrew a motion to override the veto of his bill that would protect former criminal offenders against job and housing discrimination.</p><p>Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D), who left office last week, rejected the measure, agreeing with business and community leaders that the bill could open employers to public safety issues and unfair litigation. Although the council approved the bill 10 to 2 last month, members of the new council said the bill needed re-examination.</p><p>Catania\'s decision to introduce the vaccine proposal was based in part on the high incidence of cervical cancer in the District. HPV causes cancer in about 10,000 women in the country annually and kills about 3,700, according to the American Cancer Society. The national incidence rate of the disease is 8.8 per 100,000 females, and the District\'s rate is 13.5 per 100,000, according to the society.</p><p>Catania also said he was introducing the bill now because federal support is available for the vaccine, which costs $360 for a full three-shot series. He said children receiving Medicaid benefits and others who are uninsured or underinsured can receive free HPV vaccinations. &quot;With January being National Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, now is the perfect time for the District to lead the nation in the fight against what is in essence a preventable disease,&quot; Catania said at the council meeting.</p><p>Reaction to the local legislation was mixed. &quot;I think this makes perfect sense,&quot; said Stanley A. Gall of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. &quot;There would certainly be a significant health benefit.&quot;</p><p>There were questions by some about the timing of such a requirement. Although the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the vaccine for all girls ages 11 and 12, an adviser to the academy said he thought it was premature to recommend making it mandatory. &quot;I think it\'s too early,&quot; said Joseph A. Bocchini, who chairs the academy\'s committee on infectious diseases. &quot;This is a new vaccine. It would be wise to wait until we have additional information about the safety of the vaccine.&quot;</p><p>Although a number of public health organizations have promoted widespread use of the vaccine, some groups and parents fear that such requirements can infringe on parental rights and unintentionally encourage sexual activity. &quot;That\'s really a decision between parents and doctors,&quot; said Iris Toyer, co-chair of Parents United for D.C. Public Schools. &quot;I understand the intent, but a lot of discussion must be done.&quot;</p><p>&quot;It would be one thing if the American Medical Association or the D.C. Health Department was telling me to do it,&quot; she said.</p></div></div><br clear=\"all\">\n<div align=\"right\"><table width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td align=\"right\"><font face=\"arial,sans-serif\" color=\"#CC0000\" size=\"-1\"><b>CONTINUED</b></font>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <b><font face=\"arial,sans-serif\" size=\"3\" color=\"#CC0000\">1</font> &nbsp;&nbsp; <font face=\"arial,sans-serif\" size=\"3\"><script>document.write(\'<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901386_2.html\'+unescape(location.search)+\'\">2</a>\')</script><noscript><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901386_2.html\">2</a></noscript></font></b> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<font face=\"arial, ms sans serif, sans-serif\" size=\"3\"><b><script>document.write(\'<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901386_2.html\'+unescape(location.search)+\'\">Next</a>\')</script><noscript><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901386_2.html\">Next</a></noscript> ></b></font></td></tr></table></div><br>\n');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('163','1','<p>Democrats are fond of citing the Department of Veterans Affairs as evidence that Medicare officials could squeeze lower prices out of drugmakers if the government merely used its negotiating clout. But that comparison ignores important differences between the two systems, experts say.</p><p>Unlike Medicare, VA by law receives an automatic 24 percent discount from the average price that wholesalers pay. Its prices are also low because VA, which prescribes medications for 4.4 million veterans annually, has a relatively narrow formulary, or list of approved drugs. The agency secures big discounts from the manufacturers of a few drugs in each class by promising not to offer competing drugs. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is prohibited by law from adopting such a list for the year-old Medicare drug benefit, in part because seniors enrolled in what is known as Part D want to have a wide range of drug choices.</p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" align=\"right\" width=\"238\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"228\">\n<!-- Commented out until duplication is fixed in templates.  -->\n<script>\n\nimgUrl     = \"http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/ssi/articles/testing/horiz_sample.jpg\" ;\nimgWidth   = 145 ;\nimgHeight  = 100 ;\nimgCaption = \"Liberty Middle School teacher Karyn Niles discusses superlatives with eighth-graders Hae Jin Kye, left, Sharon Shokir, Felobateer Hana and William Baek. She thinks many immigrants would struggle with grade-level tests.\" ;\nimgCredit  = \"Dayna Smith For The Washington Post\" ;\n\npopupUrl  =\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/postphotos/orb/asection/\" ;\np_width = 785 ;\np_height = 645 ;\npopupAd    = false\nif ( typeof thisNode == \"undefined\" )\n  thisNode = \"\" ;\ncaptionWidth = 228 -2*1 -5 -2*8 -imgWidth ; // 210-imgWidth\n// -->\n</script> <script language=\"javascript\" SRC=\"http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/javascript/common/article/largerImage.js\"></script> <img src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/ssi/articles/postPhotos_228x33.gif\" width=\"228\" height=\"33\"><br> <table width=\"228\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFFF\"> <tr> <td width=\"1\" bgcolor=\"#CCCCCC\" rowspan=\"5\"><spacer type=\"block\" width=\"1\"></td> <td width=\"8\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFFF\" rowspan=\"5\"><spacer type=\"block\" width=\"8\"></td> <td width=210 height=1><spacer type=\"block\" width=\"210\" height=\"1\"></td> <td width=\"8\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFFF\" rowspan=\"5\"><spacer type=\"block\" width=\"8\"></td> <td width=\"1\" bgcolor=\"#CCCCCC\" rowspan=\"5\"><spacer type=\"block\" width=\"1\"></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign=\"top\"> <div align=\"center\"> <a href=\"javascript:void(0)\" onClick=\"largePhotoPopup(popupUrl+\'?nav=E3&id=\'+getArticleId(),p_width,p_height,\'todays_post\');\"><script>document.write(\'<IMG SRC=\'+imgUrl+\' WIDTH=\'+imgWidth+\' HEIGHT=\'+imgHeight+\' BORDER=0>\');</script></a><!--a href=\"javascript:void(0)\" onClick=\"largePhotoPopup(popupUrl+\'?nav=E3&thisnode=\'+thisNode+\'&showSky=\'+popupAd,p_width,p_height,\'todays_post\');\"><script>document.write(\'<IMG SRC=\'+imgUrl+\' WIDTH=\'+imgWidth+\' HEIGHT=\'+imgHeight+\' BORDER=0>\');</script></a--></div> <font size=\"-2\" face=\"arial, helvetica\" color=\"#333333\"> <script>document.write(imgCaption)</script> <font color=\"#666666\">(<script>document.write(imgCredit)</script>)<br></font></font></td> </tr> <tr><td width=\"210\" height=\"4\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFFF\"><spacer type=\"block\" width=\"210\" height=\"4\"></td></tr> <tr> <td width=\"210\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFFF\"><a href=\"javascript:void(0)\" onClick=\"largePhotoPopup(popupUrl+\'?nav=E3&id=\'+getArticleId(),p_width,p_height,\'todays_post\');\"><font face=\"verdana,sans-serif\" size=\"-2\"><b>SEE FULL COLLECTION</b></font></a></td> </tr> <tr><td width=\"210\" height=\"8\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFFF\"><spacer type=\"block\" width=\"210\" height=\"8\"></td></tr> <tr><td height=\"1\" colspan=\"5\" bgcolor=\"#CCCCCC\"><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"1\"></td></tr> <tr><td height=\"1\" colspan=\"5\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFFF\" align=\"right\"><A HREF=\"javascript:void(window.open(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/admin/redesigntest/contact3.html\',\'\',\'width=500,height=430,location=no,scrollbars=no,status=no,resizable=no\'))\"><font face=\"verdana,sans-serif\" size=\"-2\">Feedback</font></A></td></tr> <tr><td height=\"1\" colspan=\"5\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFFF\"><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"1\"></td></tr> </table> <script>\n<!--\n// window.onload = experimentOnload ;\n\nfunction experimentOnload ()\n{\n  if (typeof sa_onclick != \"undefined\" )\n    sa_onclick(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/ssi/articles/experimental_ssi.html?nav=E3\') ;\n}\n// -->\n</script> <br clear=\"all\">\n\n<title></title><div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div>\n<div class=\"sidebar\">\n<h2>In Today\'s A Section</h2>\n<div class=\"sidebarcontent\">\n<script language=\"javascript\">\nvar output = \"\";\nvar counter = 0;\nif (typeof module !== \'undefined\')\n{\nwhile (counter < module[0].content.length && counter < 5)\n{\noutput+= \"<span style=\\\"font: normal 12px arial,helvetica;\\\"> &#149; 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But that comparison ignores important differences between the two systems, experts say.\',\'Christopher Lee\') ;\n</script><script src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002150_Technorati.js\"></script><script>document.write( technorati.getDisplaySidebar() );</script>\n<link href=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/css/bookmarking.css\" rel=\"stylesheet\" media=\"all\"/><div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div><div class=\"sidebar\"><h2><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"right\" border=\"0\" width=\"222\"><tr><td class=\"sb-left\" align=\"left\">Save &amp; Share Article</td><td class=\"sb-right\" align=\"right\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/community/saveandshare.html\">What\'s This?</a></td></tr></table></h2><div class=\"sidebarcontent\"><div class=\"sidebarbox\"><div class=\"bookmark\"><div class=\"generic_bookmark digg_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002150.html%3Freferrer=digg&title=Experts Fault House Bill On Medicare Drug Prices&bodytext=Democrats are fond of citing the Department of Veterans Affairs as evidence that Medicare officials could squeeze lower prices out of drugmakers if the government merely used its negotiating clout. But that comparison ignores important differences between the two systems, experts say.\" target=\"new\">Digg</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark google_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=add&title=Experts Fault House Bill On Medicare Drug Prices&labels=&annotation=Democrats are fond of citing the Department of Veterans Affairs as evidence that Medicare officials could squeeze lower prices out of drugmakers if the government merely used its negotiating clout. But that comparison ignores important differences between the two systems, experts say.&bkmk=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002150.html%3Freferrer=google\" target=\"new\">Google</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark delicious_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://del.icio.us/post?v=4&partner=wpni&noui&jump=close&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002150.html%3Freferrer=delicious&title=%22Experts Fault House Bill On Medicare Drug Prices: Comparison With VA Called Invalid%22 By Christopher Lee&notes=Democrats are fond of citing the Department of Veterans Affairs as evidence that Medicare officials could squeeze lower prices out of drugmakers if the government merely used its negotiating clout. But that comparison ignores important differences between the two systems, experts say.\" target=\"new\">del.icio.us</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark yahoo_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/myresults/bookmarklet?u=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002150.html%3Freferrer=yahoo&title=Experts Fault House Bill On Medicare Drug Prices&popup=true\" target=\"new\">Yahoo!</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark reddit_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://reddit.com/submit?url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002150.html%3Freferrer=reddit&title=Experts Fault House Bill On Medicare Drug Prices\" target=\"new\">Reddit</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark facebook_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"javascript:void(0);\" onclick=\"void(window.open(\'http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002150.html?referrer=facebook\')+\'&t=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'Experts Fault House Bill On Medicare Drug Prices\'),\'sharer\',\'toolbar=no,width=642,height=436\'));\">Facebook</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/></div></div></div>\n</td></tr></table>\n<p>The legislation that House Democrats hope to pass tomorrow to require the Bush administration to negotiate drug prices for Medicare would neither permit a formulary nor require an automatic discount. It would simply require the secretary of health and human services to pursue negotiations and report back to Congress in six months.</p><p>That is part of the reason that many experts do not expect the measure to deliver significant savings even if it overcomes opposition in Congress and escapes a possible presidential veto.</p><p>In fact, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said yesterday that the House bill would have a \"negligible effect\" on federal Medicare spending because without a formulary the HHS secretary probably could not obtain better drug prices than those negotiated by the many private insurers who offer Medicare drug plans.</p><p>\"The federal government can get lower prices, but only if it\'s willing to exclude a certain number of drugs from the formulary,\" said Robert Laszewski, a nonpartisan health policy consultant in Washington. \"And that\'s a huge political leap that I would be very surprised if this Congress took. I don\'t think they are going to give CMS any teeth.\"</p><p>\"The VA is really a different animal than Medicare Part D,\" said Robert B. Helms of the American Enterprise Institute, who was an assistant secretary of health and human services in the Reagan administration.</p><p>But Democrats and their allies say that the gulf between drug prices under the VA system and those under Medicare is too large to ignore, and that requiring the government to negotiate prices for Medicare would help narrow the gap significantly.</p><p>On average, prices are 58 percent higher in Medicare than in the VA system for the 20 drugs most commonly prescribed for seniors, according to a study released Tuesday by the nonprofit advocacy group Families USA. The lowest price for a year\'s supply of 20-milligram pills of the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor, for instance, was $1,120 in Medicare and $782 in the VA system, the report said.</p><p>\"These high prices are devastating seniors,\" said Ron Pollack, the group\'s executive director.</p><p>Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on health, called eliminating the current prohibition on government negotiations a \"no-brainer.\"</p><p>\"It makes absolutely no sense to say that the administration should not be able to negotiate prices for all these seniors,\" Pallone said. \"There\'s no way it\'s not going to save a significant amount of money.\"</p><p>Pallone said Medicare could obtain prices similar to the VA system\'s even without a formulary. \"I have every reason to believe that there is enough persuasion power, with different things that could be implemented by the secretary, that could get down to those levels,\" he said. He added that Democrats will consider further changes down the road.</p><p>Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), lead sponsor of the House bill, discounted the importance of the CBO analysis. \"Common sense tells you that negotiating with the purchasing power of 43 million Medicare beneficiaries behind you would result in lower drug prices,\" he said.</p><p>Critics of the VA comparison note that some of VA\'s costs are buried in overhead. The department employs the doctors and nurses who write the prescriptions, and it operates the mostly mail-order pharmacies through which 76 percent of veterans\' prescriptions are distributed. Medicare does not have that kind of infrastructure, and seniors have demonstrated a preference for retail pharmacies, CMS officials say.</p><p>CMS officials also note that about a quarter of the 3.8 million Medicare beneficiaries who get VA health-care benefits are also enrolled in Part D, in which the choice of drugs is broader.</p><p>\"It\'s apples to oranges,\" former CMS administrator Mark B. McClellan said of the comparison. \"The VA is a closed health-care system relying on mail order and a tighter formulary than Medicare beneficiaries have shown they prefer.\"</p></div></div><br clear=\"all\">\n');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('162','1','<p>When vexed parents ask Greg Reed why their children must be vaccinated against chickenpox and hepatitis B -- a question he has fielded in the past week as more than 20,000 Maryland middle and high school students failed to meet the state\'s Jan. 2 immunization deadline and some were barred from school -- he cites the case of a 32-year-old Maryland man who died several years ago after contracting chickenpox from his young daughter.</p><p>\"We tell parents every year that about 100 people die from chickenpox\" in the United States, said Reed, program manager for the Maryland Center for Immunization, a branch of the state health department. Vaccination, he said, will \"provide protection for a lifetime.\"</p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" align=\"right\" width=\"238\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"228\">\n<div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div><div class=\"sidebar\"><h2>related content</h2><div class=\"sidebarcontent\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801144.html\" target=\"\">Clinics Offer Shots to Meet New Deadline</a><br/>Maryland parents scrambling to obtain required immunizations for their children should first call their physician, health officials advise.<br/>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"></div></div></div>\n<script src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/technorati/Technorati.js\"></script><script>\nvar technorati = new Technorati() ;\ntechnorati.setProperty(\'url\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801254_Technorati.html\') ;\ntechnorati.article = new item(\'A Shot of Urgency In Md.\\\'s Vaccine Debate\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801254.html\',\'When vexed parents ask Greg Reed why their children must be vaccinated against chickenpox and hepatitis B -- a question he has fielded in the past week as more than 20,000 Maryland middle and high school students failed to meet the state\\\'s Jan. 2 immunization deadline and some were barred from school -- he cites the case of a 32-year-old Maryland man who died several years ago after contracting chickenpox from his young daughter....\',\'Sandra G. Boodman\') ;\n</script><script src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801254_Technorati.js\"></script><script>document.write( technorati.getDisplaySidebar() );</script>\n<link href=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/css/bookmarking.css\" rel=\"stylesheet\" media=\"all\"/><div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div><div class=\"sidebar\"><h2><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"right\" border=\"0\" width=\"222\"><tr><td class=\"sb-left\" align=\"left\">Save &amp; Share Article</td><td class=\"sb-right\" align=\"right\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/community/saveandshare.html\">What\'s This?</a></td></tr></table></h2><div class=\"sidebarcontent\"><div class=\"sidebarbox\"><div class=\"bookmark\"><div class=\"generic_bookmark digg_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801254.html%3Freferrer=digg&title=A Shot of Urgency In Md.\'s Vaccine Debate&bodytext=When vexed parents ask Greg Reed why their children must be vaccinated against chickenpox and hepatitis B -- a question he has fielded in the past week as more than 20,000 Maryland middle and high school students failed to meet the state\'s Jan. 2 immunization deadline and some were barred from school -- he cites the case of a 32-year-old Maryland man who died several years ago after contracting chickenpox from his young daughter....\" target=\"new\">Digg</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark google_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=add&title=A Shot of Urgency In Md.\'s Vaccine Debate&labels=&annotation=When vexed parents ask Greg Reed why their children must be vaccinated against chickenpox and hepatitis B -- a question he has fielded in the past week as more than 20,000 Maryland middle and high school students failed to meet the state\'s Jan. 2 immunization deadline and some were barred from school -- he cites the case of a 32-year-old Maryland man who died several years ago after contracting chickenpox from his young daughter....&bkmk=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801254.html%3Freferrer=google\" target=\"new\">Google</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark delicious_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://del.icio.us/post?v=4&partner=wpni&noui&jump=close&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801254.html%3Freferrer=delicious&title=%22A Shot of Urgency In Md.\'s Vaccine Debate%22 By Sandra G. Boodman&notes=When vexed parents ask Greg Reed why their children must be vaccinated against chickenpox and hepatitis B -- a question he has fielded in the past week as more than 20,000 Maryland middle and high school students failed to meet the state\'s Jan. 2 immunization deadline and some were barred from school -- he cites the case of a 32-year-old Maryland man who died several years ago after contracting chickenpox from his young daughter....\" target=\"new\">del.icio.us</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark yahoo_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/myresults/bookmarklet?u=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801254.html%3Freferrer=yahoo&title=A Shot of Urgency In Md.\'s Vaccine Debate&popup=true\" target=\"new\">Yahoo!</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark reddit_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://reddit.com/submit?url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801254.html%3Freferrer=reddit&title=A Shot of Urgency In Md.\'s Vaccine Debate\" target=\"new\">Reddit</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark facebook_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"javascript:void(0);\" onclick=\"void(window.open(\'http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801254.html?referrer=facebook\')+\'&t=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'A Shot of Urgency In Md.\\\'s Vaccine Debate\'),\'sharer\',\'toolbar=no,width=642,height=436\'));\">Facebook</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/></div></div></div>\n</td></tr></table>\n<p>While most of the focus has been on the logistics of enforcing Maryland\'s latest vaccination deadline for students in grades six through nine, public health officials say that the medical reasons for the requirement imposed by the state legislature have received scant attention.</p><p>Contrary to popular belief that chickenpox is a mild illness, Reed and other health officials say, it is impossible for doctors to predict who will suffer serious complications, the risk of which increases with age. The most dreaded includes necrotizing fasciitis, the so-called \"flesh-eating bacteria,\" which can be fatal.</p><p>\"Every doctor who has seen a case of this hopes never to see one again,\" said physician Deborah Wexler, executive director of the Immunization Action Coalition, a nonprofit Minnesota group that provides informational materials about vaccines to doctors and works closely with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</p><p>\"People who don\'t vaccinate their children are putting them at risk, as well as kids who can\'t be vaccinated\" because they have cancer or other medical problems, Wexler said. \"This is about protecting yourself and protecting your community.\"</p><p>Once accepted without question as a parental responsibility, immunization has lost the urgency that used to propel it, Wexler and others say, in part because mass vaccination has been so successful.</p><p>Most parents have never seen or heard of children who went blind from measles, deaf from mumps or suffered overwhelming infection from other childhood diseases such as haemophilus influenza.</p><p>Some of the skepticism about the need to vaccinate is attributable to what many health officials say are persistent unsubstantiated myths about childhood vaccines that circulate on the Internet: that the dangers of vaccines outweigh their benefits, that they cause autism and other serious ailments or that they encourage promiscuity.</p><p>Much of the controversy has swirled around mercury, which was once used as a preservative for the vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella known as the MMR.</p><p>In 19 states, lawmakers have made it easier in recent years for parents to opt out of vaccinations based on a \"personal belief exemption\" that in some states may be obtained simply by signing a waiver. (In the District, Maryland and Virginia, exemptions are permitted for religious or medical reasons, such as a severe allergy to a vaccine component.)</p><p>\"The MMR controversy did a lot of damage and made people scared of vaccines,\" Wexler said.</p></div></div><br clear=\"all\">\n<div align=\"right\"><table width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td align=\"right\"><font face=\"arial,sans-serif\" color=\"#CC0000\" size=\"-1\"><b>CONTINUED</b></font>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <b><font face=\"arial,sans-serif\" size=\"3\" color=\"#CC0000\">1</font> &nbsp;&nbsp; <font face=\"arial,sans-serif\" size=\"3\"><script>document.write(\'<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801254_2.html\'+unescape(location.search)+\'\">2</a>\')</script><noscript><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801254_2.html\">2</a></noscript></font></b> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<font face=\"arial, ms sans serif, sans-serif\" size=\"3\"><b><script>document.write(\'<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801254_2.html\'+unescape(location.search)+\'\">Next</a>\')</script><noscript><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801254_2.html\">Next</a></noscript> ></b></font></td></tr></table></div><br>\n');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('161','1','<p>TORONTO, Jan. 9 -- The SARS epidemic that killed 44  people in Ontario in 2003 spread because of a shoddy public health system and inadequate safety practices, according to an investigative commission  report released Tuesday.</p><p>The mysterious disease infected nearly three-fourths of its victims at clinics and hospitals, facilities that should have prevented its spread, the report said. But the epidemic was finally stopped by health employees who worked despite wrenching fears of a then-unknown killer.</p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" align=\"right\" width=\"238\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"228\">\n<script src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/technorati/Technorati.js\"></script><script>\nvar technorati = new Technorati() ;\ntechnorati.setProperty(\'url\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901472_Technorati.html\') ;\ntechnorati.article = new item(\'Canadian Report on SARS Cites Health System Failures\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901472.html\',\'TORONTO, Jan. 9 -- The SARS epidemic that killed 44  people in Ontario in 2003 spread because of a shoddy public health system and inadequate safety practices, according to an investigative commission  report released Tuesday.\',\'Doug Struck\') ;\n</script><script src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901472_Technorati.js\"></script><script>document.write( technorati.getDisplaySidebar() );</script>\n<link href=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/css/bookmarking.css\" rel=\"stylesheet\" media=\"all\"/><div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div><div class=\"sidebar\"><h2><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"right\" border=\"0\" width=\"222\"><tr><td class=\"sb-left\" align=\"left\">Save &amp; Share Article</td><td class=\"sb-right\" align=\"right\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/community/saveandshare.html\">What\'s This?</a></td></tr></table></h2><div class=\"sidebarcontent\"><div class=\"sidebarbox\"><div class=\"bookmark\"><div class=\"generic_bookmark digg_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901472.html%3Freferrer=digg&title=Canadian Report on SARS Cites Health System Failures&bodytext=TORONTO, Jan. 9 -- The SARS epidemic that killed 44  people in Ontario in 2003 spread because of a shoddy public health system and inadequate safety practices, according to an investigative commission  report released Tuesday.\" target=\"new\">Digg</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark google_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=add&title=Canadian Report on SARS Cites Health System Failures&labels=&annotation=TORONTO, Jan. 9 -- The SARS epidemic that killed 44  people in Ontario in 2003 spread because of a shoddy public health system and inadequate safety practices, according to an investigative commission  report released Tuesday.&bkmk=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901472.html%3Freferrer=google\" target=\"new\">Google</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark delicious_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://del.icio.us/post?v=4&partner=wpni&noui&jump=close&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901472.html%3Freferrer=delicious&title=%22Canadian Report on SARS Cites Health System Failures%22 By Doug Struck&notes=TORONTO, Jan. 9 -- The SARS epidemic that killed 44  people in Ontario in 2003 spread because of a shoddy public health system and inadequate safety practices, according to an investigative commission  report released Tuesday.\" target=\"new\">del.icio.us</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark yahoo_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/myresults/bookmarklet?u=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901472.html%3Freferrer=yahoo&title=Canadian Report on SARS Cites Health System Failures&popup=true\" target=\"new\">Yahoo!</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark reddit_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://reddit.com/submit?url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901472.html%3Freferrer=reddit&title=Canadian Report on SARS Cites Health System Failures\" target=\"new\">Reddit</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark facebook_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"javascript:void(0);\" onclick=\"void(window.open(\'http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901472.html?referrer=facebook\')+\'&t=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'Canadian Report on SARS Cites Health System Failures\'),\'sharer\',\'toolbar=no,width=642,height=436\'));\">Facebook</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/></div></div></div>\n</td></tr></table>\n<p>&quot;Nurses lived daily with the fear that they would die or infect their families with a fatal disease,&quot; said the report, the last of three volumes produced in an exhaustive inquiry headed by Ontario Superior Court Justice Archie Campbell.</p><p>&quot;The surprise is not that Ontario\'s response to SARS worked so badly, but that it worked at all,&quot; Campbell said in the 1,204-page report.</p><p>The outbreak of SARS -- severe acute respiratory syndrome -- hit Toronto area hospitals in two waves in the spring of 2003. The  illness, eventually traced to central <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/countries/china.html?nav=el\" target=\"\">China</a> and brought unwittingly to Canada by an elderly woman who had visited Hong Kong, closed hospitals, brought routine health care in the province to a halt and prompted visitors to Toronto to be quarantined.</p><p>It was an &quot;economic disaster,&quot; the report noted, and infected more than 330 people with serious lung disease in four months, in addition to those who died. The disease also killed hundreds of people in other countries, mostly in Asia.</p><p>Throughout much of the epidemic, Canadian authorities assured the public and health workers that precautions were being taken to prevent the disease\'s spread.</p><p>&quot;This was a system failure,&quot; the report said. &quot;The lack of preparation against infectious disease, the decline of public health, the failure of systems that should protect nurses and paramedics and others from infection at work&quot; all failed.</p><p>&quot;The only thing that saved us from a worse disaster was the courage and sacrifice and personal initiative of those who stepped up -- the nurses, doctors, paramedics and all the others -- sometimes at great personal risk, to get us through a crisis that never should have happened,&quot; the report said.</p><p>Reacting to the report, medical authorities noted improvements made in the system since 2003.</p><p>&quot;You have to remember we were in the fog of war when SARS came to Ontario,&quot;  Tony Clement, the federal health minister now and health minister of Ontario at the time, told CTV television in an interview. &quot;We didn\'t know what it was, how it was transmitted. We didn\'t know how to deal with it.</p><p>&quot;In terms of infectious disease controls in hospitals, we are much better prepared,&quot; he said.  &quot;I would argue we have the best infectious disease control in the world now.&quot;</p></div></div><br clear=\"all\">\n');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('160','1','<p>Last week, the <a href=\"http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2007/01/weightloss.htm\" target=\"\">Federal Trade Commission</a> fined four dietary supplement $25 million for making deceptive weight loss claims.</p><p>And as you\'ll learn in <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801140.html\" target=\"\">today\'s Lean Plate Club column</a>, some scientists and a consumer group are criticizing Coca-Cola for making calorie-burning claims on its new green tea beverage-- <a href=\"http://www.enviga.com\" target=\"\">Enviga.</a></p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" align=\"right\" width=\"238\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"228\">\n<script src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/technorati/Technorati.js\"></script><script>\nvar technorati = new Technorati() ;\ntechnorati.setProperty(\'url\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010900521_Technorati.html\') ;\ntechnorati.article = new item(\'Too Good to Be True?\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010900521.html\',\'Last week, the Federal Trade Commission fined four dietary supplement $25 million for making deceptive weight loss claims.\',\'\') ;\n</script><script src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010900521_Technorati.js\"></script><script>document.write( technorati.getDisplaySidebar() );</script>\n<link href=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/css/bookmarking.css\" rel=\"stylesheet\" media=\"all\"/><div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div><div class=\"sidebar\"><h2><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"right\" border=\"0\" width=\"222\"><tr><td class=\"sb-left\" align=\"left\">Save &amp; Share Article</td><td class=\"sb-right\" align=\"right\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/community/saveandshare.html\">What\'s This?</a></td></tr></table></h2><div class=\"sidebarcontent\"><div class=\"sidebarbox\"><div class=\"bookmark\"><div class=\"generic_bookmark digg_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010900521.html%3Freferrer=digg&title=Too Good to Be True?&bodytext=Last week, the Federal Trade Commission fined four dietary supplement $25 million for making deceptive weight loss claims.\" target=\"new\">Digg</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark google_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=add&title=Too Good to Be True?&labels=&annotation=Last week, the Federal Trade Commission fined four dietary supplement $25 million for making deceptive weight loss claims.&bkmk=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010900521.html%3Freferrer=google\" target=\"new\">Google</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark delicious_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://del.icio.us/post?v=4&partner=wpni&noui&jump=close&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010900521.html%3Freferrer=delicious&title=%22Too Good to Be True?%22&notes=Last week, the Federal Trade Commission fined four dietary supplement $25 million for making deceptive weight loss claims.\" target=\"new\">del.icio.us</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark yahoo_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/myresults/bookmarklet?u=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010900521.html%3Freferrer=yahoo&title=Too Good to Be True?&popup=true\" target=\"new\">Yahoo!</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark reddit_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://reddit.com/submit?url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010900521.html%3Freferrer=reddit&title=Too Good to Be True?\" target=\"new\">Reddit</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark facebook_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"javascript:void(0);\" onclick=\"void(window.open(\'http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010900521.html?referrer=facebook\')+\'&t=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'Too Good to Be True?\'),\'sharer\',\'toolbar=no,width=642,height=436\'));\">Facebook</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/></div></div></div>\n</td></tr></table>\n<p>What do you think? Share your thoughts in today\'s <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/12/22/DI2006122200365.html\" target=\"\">Web chat</a> from 1 to 2 p.m. ET. Can\'t join live? Leave your <a href=\"http://discuss.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/zforum/content/submit_squires5.htm\" target=\"\">comments, tips and questions</a> anytime. Then check the chat <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/03/24/LI2005032401720.html\" target=\"\">transcript</a> later. Or e-mail me at <a href=\"mailto:leanplateclub@washpost.com\" target=\"\">leanplateclub@washpost.com</a>. I love to hear from you and answer as many e-mails personally as time permits.</p><p></p><P><FONT FACE=\"Arial,Helvetica\" COLOR=\"#000000\" SIZE=\"-1\"><B>Overweight Pets</B><br/><!-- BREAK --></FONT><hr size=\"1\" align=\"left\" color=\"#cccccc\"></P><p>It was probably only a matter of time: The Food and Drug Administration has okayed a <a href=\"http://foodconsumer.org/7777/8888/Non-f_ood_Things_27/010611402007_FDA_Okays_weight_loss_drug_for_obese_dogs.shtml\" target=\"\">weight loss drug</a> for overweight dogs. Your <a href=\"http://discuss.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/zforum/content/submit_squires5.htm anytime.\" target=\"\">thoughts</a>, LPCers?</p><P><FONT FACE=\"Arial,Helvetica\" COLOR=\"#000000\" SIZE=\"-1\"><B>In Search of...Stress Eaters</B><br/><!-- BREAK --></FONT><hr size=\"1\" align=\"left\" color=\"#cccccc\"></P><p>Maybe you reach for chocolate. Or perhaps you\'re soothed more by savory snacks when the going gets tough. For an upcoming Lean Plate Club column, I\'m looking for LPCers who can talk about their stress food cravings and how they cope with them. E-mail me at <a href=\"mailto:leanplateclub@washpost.com\" target=\"\">leanplateclub@washpost.com</a>.</p><P><FONT FACE=\"Arial,Helvetica\" COLOR=\"#000000\" SIZE=\"-1\"><B>Successful Losers</B><br/><!-- BREAK --></FONT><hr size=\"1\" align=\"left\" color=\"#cccccc\"></P><p>While the obesity epidemic continues to rage, there are many Lean Plate Club members who are quietly reaching a healthier weight. For inspiration, meet some of our successful losers including <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/health/lpc/features/2007/success/crossman.html\" target=\"\">Markie Crossman</a>, <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/health/lpc/features/2007/success/mckibbin.html\" target=\"\">David McKibbin</a>, <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/health/lpc/features/2007/success/dybwad.html\" target=\"\">Erin Dybwad</a>, <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/health/lpc/features/2007/success/gordon.html\" target=\"\">Cynthia Gordon</a> and <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/health/lpc/features/2007/success/ness.html\" target=\"\">Andrew Ness</a>, our newest addition to this ongoing feature. Are you a successful loser? Would you like to offer your tips and experiences? E-mail me at <a href=\"mailto:leanplateclub@washpost.com\" target=\"\">leanplateclub@washpost.com</a> with a little about yourself, including, of course, your name, address, phone number and best times to call. Please put &quot;successful loser&quot; in the subject line.</p><P><FONT FACE=\"Arial,Helvetica\" COLOR=\"#000000\" SIZE=\"-1\"><B>Weight and Adoption</B><br/><!-- BREAK --></FONT><hr size=\"1\" align=\"left\" color=\"#cccccc\"></P><p>China has recently altered their <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/03/AR2007010300158.html\" target=\"\">rules for adoption</a>. Among the changes: Morbidly obese adults--that is those with a <a href=\"http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov\" target=\"\">body mass index</a> of 40 and higher--are <a href=\"http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6194477.stm\" target=\"\">no longer eligible</a> to adopt. How about it? Should weight be considered in the adoptive process? <a href=\"http://discuss.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/zforum/content/submit_squires5.htm\" target=\"\">What do you think</a>?</p><P><FONT FACE=\"Arial,Helvetica\" COLOR=\"#000000\" SIZE=\"-1\"><B>Move It!</B><br/><!-- BREAK --></FONT><hr size=\"1\" align=\"left\" color=\"#cccccc\"></P><p>Making your workouts fresh is one way to use new muscles and keep from getting bored. So here are some ways to help shake up your exercise routine:</p><p></p><p>? <a href=\"http://www.fitnessmagazine.com\" target=\"\">Fitness magazine</a> offers a growing collection of <a href=\"http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/fitness/file.jhtml?item=/Video/fit_absvideosplashpage&temp=yes&ordersrc=rdfit0053&_requestid=199334\" target=\"\">free online fitness videos</a> (registration required) as well as exercises to <a href=\"http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/fitness/category.jhtml?categoryid=/templatedata/fitness/category/data/1142266162790.xml\" target=\"\">strengthen and tone</a> specific body areas. They also recommend <a href=\"http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/fitness/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/fitness/story/data/1165940916690.xml\" target=\"\">Minna Lessig\'s One-Minute Workout</a>--now we\'ve all got one minute, don\'t we?--as best for boredom busting. (There are actually 127 minutes on this particular workout, but you get to design your own customized workout. See a clip at <a href=\"http://www.collagevideo.com\" target=\"\">www.collagevideo.com</a>)</p><p></p></div></div><br clear=\"all\">\n<div align=\"right\"><table width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td align=\"right\"><font face=\"arial,sans-serif\" color=\"#CC0000\" size=\"-1\"><b>CONTINUED</b></font>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <b><font face=\"arial,sans-serif\" size=\"3\" color=\"#CC0000\">1</font> &nbsp;&nbsp; <font face=\"arial,sans-serif\" size=\"3\"><script>document.write(\'<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010900521_2.html\'+unescape(location.search)+\'\">2</a>\')</script><noscript><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010900521_2.html\">2</a></noscript></font></b> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<font face=\"arial, ms sans serif, sans-serif\" size=\"3\"><b><script>document.write(\'<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010900521_2.html\'+unescape(location.search)+\'\">Next</a>\')</script><noscript><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010900521_2.html\">Next</a></noscript> ></b></font></td></tr></table></div><br>\n');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('159','1','<p>I\'m 27 years old, newly married, happily employed -- and, for two months this fall, I was petrified to leave my house. I have panic disorder.</p><p>According to statistics from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), panic disorder afflicts roughly 6 million Americans, and women are twice as likely to suffer from it as men are. The attacks usually begin in one\'s 20s. Trembling, sweating, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, chest tightness and nausea are a few of the symptoms that come on like a lightning storm, out of the blue.</p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" align=\"right\" width=\"238\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"228\">\n<div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div><div class=\"sidebar\"><h2>related content</h2><div class=\"sidebarcontent\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801138.html\" target=\"\">For Anxiety Disorders: Therapy and Medication</a><br/>According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety disorders affect about 40 million American adults in any given year. NIMH offers information on getting help for an anxiety disorder. Here is a sampling of its advice:<br/>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"></div></div></div>\n<link href=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/css/sidebars.css\" rel=\"stylesheet\" media=\"all\"/>\n<!-- **** NO NEED TO INCLUDE CSS FILE ABOVE, WHEN ORBITIZING.  ONLY USED HERE FOR DISPLAY. **** -->\n<!-- *** CHTML *** -->\n<div style=\"width:228px;\">\n<div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div>\n<div class=\"sidebar\">\n<h2>Find a Therapist</h2>\n<div style=\"background:url(\'http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/health/images/therapySearch228_bg.gif\') bottom left no-repeat; min-height:160px; height:auto; _height:160px;\">\n<div class=\"sidebarcontent\">\n<div class=\"sidebarbox\">\n<div style=\"padding:5px 0 18px 0;\">Find help with relationships, depression,<br/> anxiety, addiction, kids and more. </div>\n<div style=\"font-weight:bold; padding-bottom:2px;\">City or Zip Code:</div>\n<form name=\"therapysearch\" method=\"get\" action=\"http://health.washingtonpost.com/therapistfinder/prof_results.php\">\n<input type=\"text\" name=\"search\" style=\"float:left; width:100px; margin-right:4px; padding-top:6px;\">\n<div style=\"float:left; width:24px;\"><input type=\"image\" src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/images/cg/goButton_white.gif\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Go\" /></div>\n<div style=\"clear:both; height:1px; overflow:hidden;\"></div>\n<div style=\"padding-top:3px;\">&raquo; <a href=\"http://health.washingtonpost.com/therapistfinder/index.php?t=custom\" style=\"font-weight:normal;\">Advanced Search</a></div>\n</div>\n</div>\n</div>\n</div>\n</div>\n<!-- *** /CHTML *** -->\n\n<div style=\"width:228px;\">\n<div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div>\n<div class=\"sidebar\">\n<h2>What Readers Are Saying</h2>\n<div class=\"sidebarcontent\" style=\"padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px;\">\n<div class=\"sidebarbox\" style=\"color: #333;\">\n <p style=\"margin-top: 0; padding-top: 0;\"> <span style=\"color: rgb(204, 0, 0);\"><strong>Your Comments On...</strong></span><br> <h1 style=\"color: rgb(0, 51, 153);\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/19/AR2006121901431.html\" target=\"_blank\">Short Mental Workouts May Slow Decline of Aging Minds, Study Finds</a></h1></p> <p style=\"margin-top: 0; padding-top: 0;\"> \"It would be interesting to know if factors such as stress, or sleep disorders etc. were taken into account. They can be quite memory inhibiting and are more likely to be present in the control group, as a lack of mental stimulation can increase self doubt, decrease confidence and cause a form of panic. Could this have put the control group behind, at the same time the motivated groups were leaping ahead and would this not effect the measurement of the outcome? \" </p> <div style=\"text-align:right;\">-- <b>By smilesturner01 ;</b></div> <p style=\"border-top: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); margin-top: 5px; padding-top: 7px; font-weight: bold;\"> <strong><font face=\"arial,helvetica\" SIZE=\"-1\">&#149; </font> <span style=\"font-family:arial;font-size:11px;color:#000000;\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/comments/display?contentID=AR2006121901431&start=1\"><b>View, Add More Comments</b></a></span><br> <font face=\"arial,helvetica\" SIZE=\"-1\">&#149; </font> <span style=\"font-family:arial;font-size:11px;color:#000000;\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/19/AR2006121901431.html\"><b>Read the Story</b></a></span><br></strong> </p> \n</div>\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"clearboth\"></div>\n</div>\n\n<script src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/technorati/Technorati.js\"></script><script>\nvar technorati = new Technorati() ;\ntechnorati.setProperty(\'url\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801131_Technorati.html\') ;\ntechnorati.article = new item(\'Not Just Any Old Butterflies\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801131.html\',\'I\\\'m 27 years old, newly married, happily employed -- and, for two months this fall, I was petrified to leave my house. I have panic disorder.\',\'Kara Baskin\') ;\n</script><script src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801131_Technorati.js\"></script><script>document.write( technorati.getDisplaySidebar() );</script>\n<link href=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/css/bookmarking.css\" rel=\"stylesheet\" media=\"all\"/><div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div><div class=\"sidebar\"><h2><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"right\" border=\"0\" width=\"222\"><tr><td class=\"sb-left\" align=\"left\">Save &amp; Share Article</td><td class=\"sb-right\" align=\"right\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/community/saveandshare.html\">What\'s This?</a></td></tr></table></h2><div class=\"sidebarcontent\"><div class=\"sidebarbox\"><div class=\"bookmark\"><div class=\"generic_bookmark digg_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801131.html%3Freferrer=digg&title=Not Just Any Old Butterflies&bodytext=I\'m 27 years old, newly married, happily employed -- and, for two months this fall, I was petrified to leave my house. I have panic disorder.\" target=\"new\">Digg</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark google_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=add&title=Not Just Any Old Butterflies&labels=&annotation=I\'m 27 years old, newly married, happily employed -- and, for two months this fall, I was petrified to leave my house. I have panic disorder.&bkmk=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801131.html%3Freferrer=google\" target=\"new\">Google</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark delicious_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://del.icio.us/post?v=4&partner=wpni&noui&jump=close&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801131.html%3Freferrer=delicious&title=%22Not Just Any Old Butterflies: Successful People Like Me Can Become Victims of Panic Disorder. For the Millions Who Are Affected, Treatment Can Help.%22 By Kara Baskin&notes=I\'m 27 years old, newly married, happily employed -- and, for two months this fall, I was petrified to leave my house. I have panic disorder.\" target=\"new\">del.icio.us</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark yahoo_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/myresults/bookmarklet?u=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801131.html%3Freferrer=yahoo&title=Not Just Any Old Butterflies&popup=true\" target=\"new\">Yahoo!</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark reddit_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://reddit.com/submit?url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801131.html%3Freferrer=reddit&title=Not Just Any Old Butterflies\" target=\"new\">Reddit</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark facebook_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"javascript:void(0);\" onclick=\"void(window.open(\'http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801131.html?referrer=facebook\')+\'&t=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'Not Just Any Old Butterflies\'),\'sharer\',\'toolbar=no,width=642,height=436\'));\">Facebook</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/></div></div></div>\n</td></tr></table>\n<p>I know. I\'m a textbook case: My first attack happened a week before my graduation from college. I was in bed, painting my nails bright red, when my heart began racing. I had the sensation that I was watching myself from above -- not alive but not quite dead. (I\'d later learn that a sense of dreamlike unreality -- depersonalization -- is a hallmark of panic.)</p><p>I wondered at first if I were being punished for drinking too much at a party the night before. Perhaps someone had spiked my drink. (Nobody had.) What if I were actually dying? (I wasn\'t.) This is panic\'s flailing logic. Other sufferers I know count coins to ground themselves; some clean out their closets. Back then, when the attacks were new to me, I used to match celebrities with their home towns. (I recall murmuring, \"Rosie O\'Donnell, Merrick, Long Island,\" repeatedly.)</p><p>Ten minutes after they began, the feelings would vanish as inexplicably as they had descended upon me. That\'s the upside, I\'ve since learned: A panic attack usually lasts just a few minutes; however, the memory of the fear haunts sufferers long after the symptoms disappear.</p><p>Without missing a beat, I\'d return to my smug Type A existence. Yes, smug. Ever since I reached adulthood, I\'ve flaunted hyperactivity like a new BlackBerry, the ultimate on-the-go Washingtonian, always complaining about how much I \"had\" to do while what I was really doing was refusing to sit still with my emotions.</p><p>Occasionally, the wrongheadedness of my lifestyle would tug at me -- leaving me crying for my beloved grandparents, who were aging; for my gentle, brilliant father, who was trying to help me and couldn\'t; for my mom, whom I wanted to protect from my problems; and for my fiance, Brian, who lived at the mercy of my emotions. But for the most part, it remained a nasty little itch that kept me running from flashy job to fancy dinner until I\'d crash at 3 a.m.</p><p>For the ultimate control freak like me, finding myself quite literally paralyzed by fear was demoralizing. Determined to beat this thing into submission, I went to the ER (twice). Once I called an ambulance. (The EMT, upon finding nothing remarkable about my condition, looked at me as though I\'d called him for a morning tryst.) I also saw an allergist, a gastroenterologist and an internist (because I was embarrassed to return to the gastroenterologist) and then a cardiologist. Each one confirmed the humiliating truth: I was physically healthy.</p><p>A generation ago, sufferers like me were generally told they had \"nerves\" or, more clinically, \"anxiety neurosis,\" Jerilyn Ross, a psychotherapist and director of the Ross Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders in Washington, told me. Some were treated with electric shock therapy; others were locked in psychiatric wards. We are inheritors of the mysterious nervous conditions that have long plagued humankind, and more commonly womankind -- like the Victorians\' broad diagnosis of \"hysteria.\"</p><p>It wasn\'t until the 1980s, when the American Psychiatric Association began to make differential diagnoses, that the term \"panic disorder\" came to be accepted. Still, it remains woefully misunderstood by even the most well-meaning physicians. The symptoms that panic sufferers describe (such as shortness of breath) mimic serious physical illnesses. But the doctor often finds nothing wrong. So, Ross tells me, the typical panic patient sees 10 doctors before receiving an accurate diagnosis. And in doing so, we begin to feel like hypochondriacs, running from one specialist to the next, not realizing that our enemy is our mind, not our body.</p><p>According to the NIMH, panic disorder appears to be inherited and is often accompanied by other serious problems such as depression, drug abuse or alcoholism; once diagnosed, it is also one of the most treatable of all anxiety disorders.</p><p>That\'s the message I heard from Ross, who is president and chief executive of the Anxiety Disorder Association of America and whom I consulted when I began to research the disorder.</p><p>\"Panic is real, it\'s serious and it\'s treatable,\" she says, and she speaks from experience, having overcome a phobia herself. I could have used her mantra on my honeymoon three months ago. This is when panic began to dominate my life. After the wedding, separated from my hectic Washington life, there we were: me, my new husband and my neuroses, marooned on a tropical island. I refused to leave our suite on Maui, taking comfort in the familiar cadence and tinny laugh of \"Roseanne\" reruns on TV, which soothed me to sleep. When awake, I mapped routes to the nearest hospital. Just in case.</p><p>Many panic sufferers become agoraphobics, first fleeing and then staying away from panic-inducing situations. That\'s what I did when I came back to Washington. I was so paralyzed by fear that I couldn\'t bear to ride the Metro or drive a car. I locked myself away -- and so exacerbated my problem. \"By staying in the situation, and allowing yourself to be with the feelings, rather than leave, you\'ll desensitize yourself,\" Ross explains. \"Every time you leave a situation, you think, \'Phew, thank God.\' The fear builds. To break it, keep yourself in the situation.\"</p><p>Easier said than done when your mind and body are getting the message that they are in danger, and the flight-or-fight response kicks into gear.</p><p>The treatment for panic is typically some combination of the antidepressants known as SSRIs, which blunt the symptoms; anti-anxiety medications such as Valium for quick relief; and, over the long term, cognitive behavioral therapy. I\'m now in treatment, taking medication and learning in therapy to recognize my destructive patterns of thinking and reacting, with the goal of replacing those patterns with more productive ones.</p><p>And I feel better than I have felt in years. I\'ve also begun researching my illness, confident enough now to share my experience in the hope that it helps others. Many fellow sufferers are high-achieving and intelligent, it turns out. (Maybe it takes ingenuity to create such ghastly what-if-I\'m-dying scenarios.) Put-together on the outside, hearts pounding within. And, while  millions of us suffer from panic disorder, Ross estimates that less than a third of us know it and thus seek the treatment we need.</p><p>In therapy, I\'ve learned that panic symptoms are scary, but they\'re also manageable. \"If you have butterflies in your stomach, just give them a color,\" Ross says. I\'ve always liked red. ?</p><p><i>Comments:<a href=\'mailto:health@washpost.com\'>health@washpost.com</a>. For a panic disorder self-test, visit<a href=\'http://www.rosscenter.com\'>http:/<wbr/>/<wbr/>www.rosscenter.com</a>. For additional resources, go to<a href=\'http://www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/anxietymenu.cfm\'>http:/<wbr/>/<wbr/>www.nimh.nih.gov/<wbr/>healthinformation/<wbr/>anxietymenu.cfm</a>and<a href=\'http://www.adaa.org\'>http:/<wbr/>/<wbr/>www.adaa.org</a>.</i></p><p><i></i></p></div></div><br clear=\"all\">\n');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('158','1','<p>Earlier this month, the federal government imposed stiff fines on some well-known marketers of weight loss pill for deceptive marketing. Now, there are  signs of concern about the marketing of other products that appear to promote weight loss. A new green tea beverage is drawing sharp criticism from scientists and from a consumer group that says the drink\'s promotional material implies that it could help with weight loss.</p><p>Enviga -- a green tea beverage supplemented with calcium and caffeine -- has been test-marketed in Philadelphia and New York since October. A joint venture of Coca-Cola and Nestle S.A., Enviga is slated to be sold  nationwide in early February. A 12-ounce can is expected to cost between $1.29 and $1.49, according to Coca-Cola.</p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" align=\"right\" width=\"238\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"228\">\n<title></title><div>\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/health/lpc/features/2007/index.html\"><h3>Lean Plate Club Success Stories</h3></a>\n<!-- <a href=\"http://www.leanplateclub.com\"><img src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2006/11/20/GR2006112000860.gif\" height=\"42\" width=\"228\" border=\"0\" valign=\"top\"></a> -->\n<div class=\"clearboth\"></div>\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/health/lpc/features/2007/index.html\"><img src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content//photo/2007/01/08/PH2007010800790.jpg\" height=\"133\" width=\"228\" border=\"0\" valign=\"top\"></a>\n<div class=\"clearboth\"></div>\n<div style=\"font-family:arial;font-size:11px;margin-bottom:10px;color:#333333;\">\nMeet Andrew Ness. He lost 45 pounds in nine years.</div></div>\n\n<div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div><div class=\"sidebar\"><h2>\nGraphic</h2><div class=\"sidebarcontent\">\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2007/01/08/GR2007010800879.html\" target=\"\">Drinking Light</a><br/>Beverages can account for 20 percent of daily calories consumed by those 2 and older, according to Barry M. Popkin, director of the Interdisciplinary Obesity Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. To minimize calories consumed while maximizing nutrition, follow these recommendations.<br/>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"></div></div></div>\n<div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div><div class=\"sidebar\"><h2>Tuesday, Jan. 9, 1 p.m. ET</h2><div class=\"sidebarcontent\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2007/01/02/DI2007010200658.html\" target=\"\">Lean Plate Club</a><br/>Post health and nutrition writer Sally Squires talks about how to eat healthier.<br/>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"></div></div></div>\n<script src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/technorati/Technorati.js\"></script><script>\nvar technorati = new Technorati() ;\ntechnorati.setProperty(\'url\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801140_Technorati.html\') ;\ntechnorati.article = new item(\'Drink Up to Slim Down?\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801140.html\',\'Earlier this month, the federal government imposed stiff fines on some well-known marketers of weight loss pill for deceptive marketing. Now, there are  signs of concern about the marketing of other products that appear to promote weight loss. A new green tea beverage is drawing sharp criticism from scientists and from a consumer group that says the drink\\\'s promotional material implies that it could help with weight loss....\',\'Sally Squires\') ;\n</script><script src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801140_Technorati.js\"></script><script>document.write( technorati.getDisplaySidebar() );</script>\n<link href=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/css/bookmarking.css\" rel=\"stylesheet\" media=\"all\"/><div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div><div class=\"sidebar\"><h2><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"right\" border=\"0\" width=\"222\"><tr><td class=\"sb-left\" align=\"left\">Save &amp; Share Article</td><td class=\"sb-right\" align=\"right\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/community/saveandshare.html\">What\'s This?</a></td></tr></table></h2><div class=\"sidebarcontent\"><div class=\"sidebarbox\"><div class=\"bookmark\"><div class=\"generic_bookmark digg_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801140.html%3Freferrer=digg&title=Drink Up to Slim Down?&bodytext=Earlier this month, the federal government imposed stiff fines on some well-known marketers of weight loss pill for deceptive marketing. Now, there are  signs of concern about the marketing of other products that appear to promote weight loss. A new green tea beverage is drawing sharp criticism from scientists and from a consumer group that says the drink\'s promotional material implies that it could help with weight loss....\" target=\"new\">Digg</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark google_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=add&title=Drink Up to Slim Down?&labels=&annotation=Earlier this month, the federal government imposed stiff fines on some well-known marketers of weight loss pill for deceptive marketing. Now, there are  signs of concern about the marketing of other products that appear to promote weight loss. A new green tea beverage is drawing sharp criticism from scientists and from a consumer group that says the drink\'s promotional material implies that it could help with weight loss....&bkmk=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801140.html%3Freferrer=google\" target=\"new\">Google</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark delicious_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://del.icio.us/post?v=4&partner=wpni&noui&jump=close&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801140.html%3Freferrer=delicious&title=%22Drink Up to Slim Down?%22 By Sally Squires&notes=Earlier this month, the federal government imposed stiff fines on some well-known marketers of weight loss pill for deceptive marketing. Now, there are  signs of concern about the marketing of other products that appear to promote weight loss. A new green tea beverage is drawing sharp criticism from scientists and from a consumer group that says the drink\'s promotional material implies that it could help with weight loss....\" target=\"new\">del.icio.us</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark yahoo_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/myresults/bookmarklet?u=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801140.html%3Freferrer=yahoo&title=Drink Up to Slim Down?&popup=true\" target=\"new\">Yahoo!</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark reddit_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://reddit.com/submit?url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801140.html%3Freferrer=reddit&title=Drink Up to Slim Down?\" target=\"new\">Reddit</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark facebook_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"javascript:void(0);\" onclick=\"void(window.open(\'http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801140.html?referrer=facebook\')+\'&t=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'Drink Up to Slim Down?\'),\'sharer\',\'toolbar=no,width=642,height=436\'));\">Facebook</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/></div></div></div>\n</td></tr></table>\n<p>Enviga has five calories per can, according to its makers. It provides 90 milligrams of green tea extract, known as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), as well as caffeine and 20 percent of the daily value for calcium. That\'s a combination that is \"proven to burn calories,\" its makers say on their Web site.</p><p>How many calories? That\'s under debate. There\'s limited research on the calorie-burning effects of EGCG and caffeine. There\'s also little, if anything, to show that consuming these substances  translates into actual weight loss, since most studies have been small and short-term.</p><p>Take the company-funded research presented in October at the annual meeting of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity (NAASO). It found that drinking about three cans of Enviga daily boosted metabolism by about 100 calories. \"When consumed regularly as part of a healthy diet and exercise regime, such a beverage may provide added benefits to help in weight control,\" the team concluded.</p><p>But the experiment lasted just three days and involved 32 people, a sampling that scientists would consider small. And all participants were either lean or of normal weight. Whether Enviga would have the same effect on overweight or obese people is not known.</p><p>NAASO was concerned enough that the researchers went too far in their conclusions that it issued a statement on the findings: \"It is improper to state or imply that the results of this study support any weight loss or any statement related to this.\"</p><p>These scientists aren\'t the only ones concerned that Enviga might boost hopes for weight loss. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group, has threatened legal action to stop Coca-Cola from marketing and promoting Enviga as a calorie burner.</p><p>\"The implication is that this will help you lose weight,\" says the center\'s executive director, Michael Jacobson. \"The effect of these ingredients on weight is trivial. . . . We have told Coca-Cola that if they don\'t stop making these claims we will sue them.\"</p><p>Ray Crockett, a spokesman for Coca-Cola, said that \"we have worked very hard to get across the point that we are not presenting Enviga as a weight-loss product. We\'ve said quite the opposite. It is not a magic bullet. It is a small step that a person can take in conjunction with a sensible diet and regular exercise to help maintain a healthy lifestyle.\"</p><p>As the obesity epidemic rages on, Enviga illustrates a growing interest in beverages and the role they may play in body weight.</p><p>When most people think about calories, they consider food, not drink. Yet beverages now account for about 20 percent of daily calories consumed by those 2 and older, according to Barry M. Popkin, director of the Interdisciplinary Obesity Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.</p></div></div><br clear=\"all\">\n<div align=\"right\"><table width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td align=\"right\"><font face=\"arial,sans-serif\" color=\"#CC0000\" size=\"-1\"><b>CONTINUED</b></font>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <b><font face=\"arial,sans-serif\" size=\"3\" color=\"#CC0000\">1</font> &nbsp;&nbsp; <font face=\"arial,sans-serif\" size=\"3\"><script>document.write(\'<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801140_2.html\'+unescape(location.search)+\'\">2</a>\')</script><noscript><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801140_2.html\">2</a></noscript></font></b> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<font face=\"arial, ms sans serif, sans-serif\" size=\"3\"><b><script>document.write(\'<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801140_2.html\'+unescape(location.search)+\'\">Next</a>\')</script><noscript><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801140_2.html\">Next</a></noscript> ></b></font></td></tr></table></div><br>\n');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('157','1','<p>When time\'s short, the weather\'s lousy or the gym\'s not a remote possibility, fitness DVDs can be a godsend. Here are a few of my favorites, moving from beginner to advanced:</p><p></p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" align=\"right\" width=\"238\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"228\">\n<div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div><div class=\"sidebar\"><h2>Tuesday,  Jan. 9, 11:30 a.m. ET</h2><div class=\"sidebarcontent\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2007/01/04/DI2007010401003.html\" target=\"\">Fitness - Moving Crew</a><br/>Writer Vicky Hallett and personal trainer and writer Lennie Magida join the Health section\'s Susan Morse to take your questions about health and fitness.<br/>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"></div></div></div>\n<title></title><div>\n<a href=\"http://www.leanplateclub.com\"><img src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2006/11/20/GR2006112000860.gif\" height=\"42\" width=\"228\" border=\"0\" valign=\"top\"></a>\n<div class=\"clearboth\"></div>\n<a href=\"http://blog.washingtonpost.com/holidaychallenge/\"><img src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2006/12/05/PH2006120500753.jpg\" height=\"160\" width=\"228\" border=\"0\" valign=\"top\"></a>\n<div class=\"clearboth\"></div>\n<div style=\"font-family:arial;font-size:11px;margin-bottom:10px;color:#333333;\"><a href=\"http://blog.washingtonpost.com/holidaychallenge/\">\n<strong style=\"color:#CC0000;\">HOLIDAY CHALLENGE VIDEO BLOG</strong></a></span>\n<li>Exercising Downtown</li>\n<li>Christmas Calories</li>\n<li>Cookie Overload!</li>\n</div>\n<div style=\"font-family:arial;font-size:11px;margin-bottom:10px;color:#333333;\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/25/AR2006092500929.html\"><strong>Lean Plate Club: Add Calcium For Health</strong></a></div>\n<div style=\"font-family:arial;font-size:11px;margin-bottom:10px;color:#333333;\"><a href=\"http://www.leanplateclub.com\"><strong>Full Holiday Challenge Page With Goals</strong></a></div>\n</div>\n\n<script src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-adv/jobs4/javascript/scripts.js\"></script>\n<link href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-adv/jobs4/css/jobsboxes.css\" rel=\"stylesheet\" type=\"text/css\">\n<!-- ====================================== -->\n<!-- ========= START JOB SEARCH =========== -->\n<!-- ====================================== -->\n<div class=\"jobsearch\">\n<div class=\"jobsbox228\">\n<div class=\"boxpad\">\n<div class=\"titleimg\"><img src=\"http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-adv/jobs4/images/title-job_search_228.gif\" alt=\"Job Search\" /></div>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom:10px;\">\n<img src=\"http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2006/11/27/GR2006112700853.jpg\" style=\"height:72px;width:80px;float:left;margin-right:7px;\"/>\n<div class=\"job_search_header1\">Your Co-Workers Like McSteamy?</div>\n<p class=\"job_search_text\">We can help you find the right work environment with competitive benefits.</p>\n<div class=\"clearboth\"></div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"job_search_header3\">Nursing, Allied Health:&nbsp;<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/jobs/DC-health-care-jobs.html?nav=apj\" class=\"font3\">Get a New Job</a></div>\n</div>\n</div>\n</div>\n<!-- ====================================== -->\n<!-- =========== END JOB SEARCH =========== -->\n<!-- ====================================== -->\n\n<title></title><div style=\"width:228px;\">\n<div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div>\n<div class=\"sidebar\">\n<h2>In Depth</h2>\n<div class=\"sidebarcontent\" style=\"padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px;\">\n<div class=\"sidebarbox\" style=\"color: #333;\">\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/health/special/index.html\"><img src=\"http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/health/images/healthSpecialReports_206.gif\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Health: Special Reports\"></a>\n<p style=\"border-top: 1px dashed #CCC; padding-top: 7px;\">\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/health/lpc/features/2007/index.html\"><img src=\"http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2006/12/29/PH2006122901164.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 7px;\" width=\"80\" height=\"72\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Success Stories\"/></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/health/lpc/features/2007/index.html\">Success Stories</a><br />\nGain inspiration from Lean Plate Club readers who have lost weight ... and kept it off.\n<br clear=\"all\" />\n</p>\n<p style=\"border-top: 1px dashed #CCC; padding-top: 7px;\">\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2006/01/27/LI2006012700907.html\"><img src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2006/05/30/PH2006053000889.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 7px;\" width=\"80\" height=\"72\" border=\"0\" alt=\"AIDS/HIV\"/></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2006/01/27/LI2006012700907.html\">AIDS/HIV</a><br />\nTwenty-five years after the first diagnosis of the first case of AIDS, the world is waking up to the epidemic.\n<br clear=\"all\" />\n</p>\n<p style=\"border-top: 1px dashed #CCC; padding-top: 7px; margin-top: 5px;\">\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/10/17/LI2005101700979.html\"><img src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2005/08/23/PH2005082300406.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 7px;\" width=\"80\" height=\"72\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Bird Flu\" /></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/10/17/LI2005101700979.html\">Focus on Bird Flu</a><br/>Track the latest developments in the spread of the deadly H5N1 influenza virus.\n<br clear=\"all\" />\n</p>\n<!--\n<p style=\"border-top: 1px dashed #CCC; padding-top: 7px; margin-top: 5px;\">\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/11/08/LI2005110800857.html\"><img src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2005/11/11/GR2005111101024.gif\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 7px;\" width=\"80\" height=\"72\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Medicare\" /></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/11/08/LI2005110800857.html\">Medicare Part D</a><br/>An in-depth look at Medicare and its new voluntary prescription drug benefit.\n<br clear=\"all\" />\n</p> -->\n<!--\n<p style=\"border-top: 1px dashed #CCC; padding-top: 7px; margin-top: 5px;\">\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/swing\"><img src=\"http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2005/04/25/PH2005042500121.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 7px;\" width=\"80\" height=\"72\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Medicare\" /></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/swing\">Regional Golf</a><br/>Find courses, get pointers and look at some of the area\'s most scenic courses.\n<br clear=\"all\" />\n</p> -->\n<!--\n<p style=\"border-top: 1px dashed #CCC; padding-top: 7px; margin-top: 5px;\">\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/29/AR2006052900755.html\"><img src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2006/05/26/PH2006052601076.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 7px;\" width=\"80\" height=\"72\" border=\"0\" /></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/29/AR2006052900755.html\">Guns and Children</a><br />\nWhat you think your kids know and what they really know may differ, according to a recent study.\n<br clear=\"all\" />\n</p>\n-->\n<!--\n<p style=\"border-top: 1px dashed #CCC; padding-top: 7px;\">\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/flash/health/caloriecounter/caloriecounter.html\"><img src=\"http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/images/I10762-2002May13\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 7px;\" width=\"80\" height=\"72\" border=\"0\" alt=\"fastfood\"/></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/flash/health/caloriecounter/caloriecounter.html\">Fast Food Calories</a><br />\nHow do your meals add up? Calculate calories and fat at fast-food restaurants\n<br clear=\"all\" />\n</p> -->\n<!--\n<p style=\"border-top: 1px dashed #CCC; padding-top: 7px;\">\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/03/24/LI2005032401363.html\"><img src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/images/promobox/movingcrewthumb1.jpg\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 7px;\" width=\"80\" height=\"72\" border=\"0\" alt=\"movingcrew\"/></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/03/24/LI2005032401363.html\">Moving Crew</a><br />\nGet Moving! Live discussion with the Post\'s John Briley, Susan Morse, Craig Stoltz and Sally Squires\n<br clear=\"all\" />\n</p>\n-->\n<p style=\"border-top: 1px dashed #CCC; margin-top: 5px; padding-top: 7px; font-weight: bold;\">\n&raquo; <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/health/special/index.html\">MORE SPECIAL REPORTS</a>\n</p>\n</div>\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"clearboth\"></div>\n</div>\n\n<script src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/technorati/Technorati.js\"></script><script>\nvar technorati = new Technorati() ;\ntechnorati.setProperty(\'url\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801143_Technorati.html\') ;\ntechnorati.article = new item(\'Fitness on Demand  --  With a Little Help From DVDs\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801143.html\',\'When time\\\'s short, the weather\\\'s lousy or the gym\\\'s not a remote possibility, fitness DVDs can be a godsend. Here are a few of my favorites, moving from beginner to advanced:\',\'Vicky Hallett\') ;\n</script><script src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801143_Technorati.js\"></script><script>document.write( technorati.getDisplaySidebar() );</script>\n<link href=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/css/bookmarking.css\" rel=\"stylesheet\" media=\"all\"/><div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div><div class=\"sidebar\"><h2><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"right\" border=\"0\" width=\"222\"><tr><td class=\"sb-left\" align=\"left\">Save &amp; Share Article</td><td class=\"sb-right\" align=\"right\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/community/saveandshare.html\">What\'s This?</a></td></tr></table></h2><div class=\"sidebarcontent\"><div class=\"sidebarbox\"><div class=\"bookmark\"><div class=\"generic_bookmark digg_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801143.html%3Freferrer=digg&title=Fitness on Demand  --  With a Little Help From DVDs&bodytext=When time\'s short, the weather\'s lousy or the gym\'s not a remote possibility, fitness DVDs can be a godsend. Here are a few of my favorites, moving from beginner to advanced:\" target=\"new\">Digg</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark google_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=add&title=Fitness on Demand  --  With a Little Help From DVDs&labels=&annotation=When time\'s short, the weather\'s lousy or the gym\'s not a remote possibility, fitness DVDs can be a godsend. Here are a few of my favorites, moving from beginner to advanced:&bkmk=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801143.html%3Freferrer=google\" target=\"new\">Google</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark delicious_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://del.icio.us/post?v=4&partner=wpni&noui&jump=close&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801143.html%3Freferrer=delicious&title=%22Fitness on Demand  --  With a Little Help From DVDs%22 By Vicky Hallett&notes=When time\'s short, the weather\'s lousy or the gym\'s not a remote possibility, fitness DVDs can be a godsend. Here are a few of my favorites, moving from beginner to advanced:\" target=\"new\">del.icio.us</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark yahoo_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/myresults/bookmarklet?u=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801143.html%3Freferrer=yahoo&title=Fitness on Demand  --  With a Little Help From DVDs&popup=true\" target=\"new\">Yahoo!</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark reddit_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://reddit.com/submit?url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801143.html%3Freferrer=reddit&title=Fitness on Demand  --  With a Little Help From DVDs\" target=\"new\">Reddit</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark facebook_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"javascript:void(0);\" onclick=\"void(window.open(\'http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801143.html?referrer=facebook\')+\'&t=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'Fitness on Demand  --  With a Little Help From DVDs\'),\'sharer\',\'toolbar=no,width=642,height=436\'));\">Facebook</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/></div></div></div>\n</td></tr></table>\n<p><i>Walk Yourself Fit ($20)</i> For exercise newbies, there\'s no better starter routine than going for a walk: It requires no special skills, clothing or gear, and can be done anywhere at any time. So why would you need a DVD to lead you? And why would you want to stroll around the family room? Well, as Prevention\'s Chris Freytag explains (while pumping her arms and keeping a quick pace and a chipper demeanor), with this DVD there\'s no skipping your scheduled stomp if it\'s rainy, cold or dark outside. Plus, she keeps your heart rate up -- there\'s no pausing to window-shop or chat with a neighbor.</p><p>The Workout: Folks who haven\'t exercised for a long time will want to start with \"The Cardio Workout.\" It\'s a 20-minute routine of simple aerobic moves that all involve walking. (Try stepping up to the \"the salsa walk\" or \"the power walk.\") After that feels comfortable, you can try jogging in place with \"The Accelerated Workout,\" or using light hand weights with \"The Body-Shaping Workout.\" Even advanced exercisers may dampen their brows sampling these.</p><p>Extras: Although a DVD may be fine for gloomy days, viewers will probably want to hit the sidewalks sometimes, too. So the package includes a bonus audio CD that gives guidance for outdoor walks. Freytag\'s cheerful voice pops in to give encouragement, and shifting beats let listeners know how to change their pace. On the DVD, Freytag also offers tips in segments on perfecting your walking technique (don\'t make your stride too wide!), exercises that prevent foot pain (try lifting your ankle and writing the alphabet in the air with your big toe) and signs you need new walking shoes (if they look cruddy on the outside, it\'s already too late).</p><p></p><p><i>Denise Austin: Fat-Burning Dance Mix ($15)</i> The chances of hearing a few notes of a song and thinking, &quot;That makes me want to work out,&quot; are slim. But tunes do bring people onto the dance floor, which is why fitness goddess Denise Austin\'s newest DVD disguises a sweat fest with four dance routines. And it doesn\'t hurt that dancers are known for those killer, slim-limbed bodies.</p><p>The Workout: After a five-minute warm-up, viewers dive into dance moves. \"Jazz &amp; Pop\" lets you dream you\'re  in the chorus line of a Broadway show, with big kicks, spread arms and dramatic foot drags. In \"Latin Groove,\" Austin puts together a routine of mambos, shimmies and whole lot of hip-shaking. The \"Club Funk\" steps won\'t do anyone much good at a club today, but viewers can imagine their family rooms transformed into discos as they throw their arms into the air and spin. Those are each 10 minutes long, and move at a pace that makes it possible to learn the choreography and string it together by the last two minutes. The \"Ballet Sculpt\" segment runs 15 minutes, and as Austin pli?s, lunges and pushes up, you may realize that prancing alone won\'t give you toned arms and solid abs. Then, of course, there\'s a cool-down. Although there is a lone dude in the back row of Austin\'s dance crew, this is a decidedly un-macho DVD.</p><p>Extras: An interactive custom workout option lets you pick which sections of the DVD you\'d like to do and in what order. So if you can\'t stand \"Jazz &amp; Pop,\" you can leave that off; or if you just want to do \"Ballet Sculpt,\" you could do it six times in a row. Not that we\'d recommend that . . .</p><p></p><p><i>The Biggest Loser Workout, Vol. 2 ($15)</i> The first step in dropping 214 pounds, as Erik Chopin did to win the last season of NBC\'s &quot;The Biggest Loser,&quot; is believing that you can do it. And watching the familiar faces of contestants from the second and third seasons of the show drenched and panting behind trainers Bob Harper and Kim Lyons lets viewers know that these are people just like them, instead of the perky stick figures who usually populate fitness DVDs. If they can slim down and firm up, so can you. But Harper and Lyons let everyone know it\'s going to take determination -- and a lot of sweaty T-shirts.</p><p>The Workout: There are nine segments to mix and match that add up to 90 minutes of heart-rate-raising exercise. A beginner routine might incorporate the warm-up, the low-intensity cardio workout (a quickie kickboxing class), functional flexibility (a stretching session that requires a stability ball) and the cool-down. To up the energy output,  throw in Bob\'s boot camp, which feels like 15 minutes of personal training, using a stability ball, medicine ball and hand weights. Guys and gals can also add sex-specific high-intensity segments: Power sculpt for women focuses on butts and thighs (think loads of lunges, ladies); while power sculpt for men targets their arms, chests and abs (and get a pair of heavy hand weights, gentlemen). The men\'s cardio dives into interval training, and the women\'s cardio is simply exhausting. Because each segment is short, there\'s always a new exercise (and muscle group) to focus on (and the pain never lasts too long).</p><p>Extras: If you never tuned in to \"The Biggest Loser,\" you can get a taste for the reality show with the \"Inspirational Stories\" segment. Contestants gush about how losing weight has changed their lives by reducing their health problems and making it possible for their kids to see them as active adults. Prepare to tear up. Then get cooking, with six healthy recipes for dishes, including breakfast taco muffins and turkey kabobs.</p></div></div><br clear=\"all\">\n');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('156','1','<p>A type of cell that floats freely in the amniotic fluid of pregnant women has been found to have many of the same traits as embryonic stem cells, including an ability to grow into brain, muscle and other tissues that could be used to treat a variety of diseases, scientists reported yesterday.</p><p>The cells, shed by the developing fetus and easily retrieved during routine prenatal testing, are easier to maintain in laboratory dishes than embryonic stem cells -- the highly versatile cells that come from destroyed human embryos and are at the center of a heated congressional debate that will resume this week.</p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" align=\"right\" width=\"238\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"228\">\n<div style=\"width:228px;\">\n<div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div>\n<div class=\"sidebar\">\n<h2>In Depth</h2>\n<div class=\"sidebarcontent\" style=\"padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px;\">\n<div class=\"sidebarbox\" style=\"color: #333;\">\n<p style=\"border-top: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-top: 7px;\">\n<a href=\"http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/109/senate/2/votes/206/\"><img src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2005/12/05/GR2005120501681.gif\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 7px;\" alt=\"votes database\" border=\"0\" height=\"72\" width=\"80\"></a>\n<a href=\"http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/109/senate/2/votes/206/\">Legislative Debate</a><br>\nHow Congress voted on the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005.\n<br clear=\"all\">\n</p>\n</div>\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"clearboth\"></div>\n</div>\n\n<div style=\"width:228px;\">\n<div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div>\n<div class=\"sidebar\">\n<h2>Special Report</h2>\n<div class=\"sidebarcontent\" style=\"padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px;\">\n<div class=\"sidebarbox\" style=\"color: #333;\">\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0; padding-top: 0;\">\n<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2006/01/18/LI2006011800846.html\"><img src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2006/01/18/PH2006011801457.jpg\" border=\"0\" width=\"206\" height=\"108\" style=\"padding-bottom:5px;\"></a>\nFollow advances in stem cell research and learn who the key players are.\n</p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0; padding-top: 0;\">\n&#8226; <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/18/AR2006071800722.html\"><b>Timeline of Stem Cell Debate</b></a><br />\n&#8226; <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/05/18/LI2005051801621.html\"><b>The Debate: Legislative Coverage</b></a><br />\n&#8226; <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/custom/2005/08/12/CU2005081200827.html\"><b>Stem Cell Legislation by State</b></a><br />\n</p>\n<p style=\"border-top: 1px dashed #CCC; margin-top: 5px; padding-top: 7px; font-weight: bold;\">\n&raquo; <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2006/01/18/LI2006011800846.html\">MORE ON STEM CELL RESEARCH</a>\n</p>\n</div>\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"clearboth\"></div>\n</div>\n\n<div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div>\n<div class=\"sidebar\">\n<h2>RSS Special Report Feed</h2>\n<div class=\"sidebarcontent\">\n<ul class=\"rss\">\n<li><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/rss/linkset/2005/05/18/LI2005051801621.xml\">Stem Cell Debate</a></li>\n</ul>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n</div>\n</div>\n<!-- END RSS BULLETS -->\n\n<script src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/technorati/Technorati.js\"></script><script>\nvar technorati = new Technorati() ;\ntechnorati.setProperty(\'url\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/07/AR2007010700674_Technorati.html\') ;\ntechnorati.article = new item(\'Scientists See Potential In Amniotic Stem Cells\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/07/AR2007010700674.html\',\'A type of cell that floats freely in the amniotic fluid of pregnant women has been found to have many of the same traits as embryonic stem cells, including an ability to grow into brain, muscle and other tissues that could be used to treat a variety of diseases, scientists reported yesterday.\',\'Rick Weiss\') ;\n</script><script src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/07/AR2007010700674_Technorati.js\"></script><script>document.write( technorati.getDisplaySidebar() );</script>\n<link href=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/css/bookmarking.css\" rel=\"stylesheet\" media=\"all\"/><div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div><div class=\"sidebar\"><h2><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"right\" border=\"0\" width=\"222\"><tr><td class=\"sb-left\" align=\"left\">Save &amp; Share Article</td><td class=\"sb-right\" align=\"right\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/community/saveandshare.html\">What\'s This?</a></td></tr></table></h2><div class=\"sidebarcontent\"><div class=\"sidebarbox\"><div class=\"bookmark\"><div class=\"generic_bookmark digg_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/07/AR2007010700674.html%3Freferrer=digg&title=Scientists See Potential In Amniotic Stem Cells&bodytext=A type of cell that floats freely in the amniotic fluid of pregnant women has been found to have many of the same traits as embryonic stem cells, including an ability to grow into brain, muscle and other tissues that could be used to treat a variety of diseases, scientists reported yesterday.\" target=\"new\">Digg</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark google_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=add&title=Scientists See Potential In Amniotic Stem Cells&labels=&annotation=A type of cell that floats freely in the amniotic fluid of pregnant women has been found to have many of the same traits as embryonic stem cells, including an ability to grow into brain, muscle and other tissues that could be used to treat a variety of diseases, scientists reported yesterday.&bkmk=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/07/AR2007010700674.html%3Freferrer=google\" target=\"new\">Google</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark delicious_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://del.icio.us/post?v=4&partner=wpni&noui&jump=close&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/07/AR2007010700674.html%3Freferrer=delicious&title=%22Scientists See Potential In Amniotic Stem Cells: They Are Highly Versatile And Readily Available%22 By Rick Weiss&notes=A type of cell that floats freely in the amniotic fluid of pregnant women has been found to have many of the same traits as embryonic stem cells, including an ability to grow into brain, muscle and other tissues that could be used to treat a variety of diseases, scientists reported yesterday.\" target=\"new\">del.icio.us</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark yahoo_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/myresults/bookmarklet?u=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/07/AR2007010700674.html%3Freferrer=yahoo&title=Scientists See Potential In Amniotic Stem Cells&popup=true\" target=\"new\">Yahoo!</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark reddit_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://reddit.com/submit?url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/07/AR2007010700674.html%3Freferrer=reddit&title=Scientists See Potential In Amniotic Stem Cells\" target=\"new\">Reddit</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark facebook_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"javascript:void(0);\" onclick=\"void(window.open(\'http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/07/AR2007010700674.html?referrer=facebook\')+\'&t=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'Scientists See Potential In Amniotic Stem Cells\'),\'sharer\',\'toolbar=no,width=642,height=436\'));\">Facebook</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/></div></div></div>\n</td></tr></table>\n<p>Moreover, because the cells are a genetic match to the developing fetus, tissues grown from them in the laboratory will not be rejected if they are used to treat birth defects in that newborn, researchers said. Alternatively, the cells could be frozen, providing a personalized tissue bank for use later in life.</p><p>The new cells are adding credence to an emerging consensus among experts that the popular distinction between embryonic and \"adult\" stem cells -- those isolated from adult bone marrow and other organs -- is artificial.</p><p>Increasingly, it appears there is a continuum of stem cell types, ranging from the embryonic ones that can morph into virtually any kind of tissue but are difficult to tame, up to adult ones that can turn into a limited number of tissues but are relatively easy to control.</p><p>The newly analyzed fetal stem cells, scientists said, have many of the advantages of both.</p><p>&quot;They grow fast, as fast as embryonic stem cells, and they show great pluripotentiality,&quot; meaning they can become many kinds of tissues, said study leader <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=Anthony+Atala\" target=\"\">Anthony Atala</a>, director of the <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=Wake+Forest+University\" target=\"\">Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine</a> in <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=Winston-Salem\" target=\"\">Winston-Salem</a>, <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=North+Carolina\" target=\"\">N.C.</a> &quot;But they remain stable for years without forming tumors,&quot; he added, something that embryonic cells are not very good at.</p><p>Atala and other scientists emphasized that they don\'t believe the cells will make embryonic stem cells irrelevant.</p><p>&quot;There\'s not going to be one shoe that fits all,&quot; said <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=Robert+Lanza\" target=\"\">Robert Lanza</a>, scientific director at <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=Advanced+Cell+Technology+Inc.\" target=\"\">Advanced Cell Technology</a> in <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=Worcester\" target=\"\">Worcester</a>, <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=Massachusetts\" target=\"\">Mass.</a> &quot;We\'re going to have to see which ones are most useful for which clinical conditions.&quot;</p><p><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=George+Daley\" target=\"\">George Daley</a>, a <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=Harvard+University\" target=\"\">Harvard</a> stem cell researcher, echoed that sentiment. &quot;They are not a replacement for embryonic stem cells,&quot; he said.</p><p>But in the past, even hints that non-embryonic cells might have medical potential similar to embryonic ones have complicated the political push to expand federal funding for the controversial field. And accordingly, opponents quickly pounced on the new results.</p><p>&quot;This is wonderful news,&quot; said Richard Doerflinger, deputy director of pro-life activities at the <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=United+States+Conference+of+Catholic+Bishops\" target=\"\">U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops</a>, which opposes research that depends on embryo destruction. &quot;It doesn\'t require harming anyone or destroying life at any stage.&quot;</p><p>Last year, <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=George+W.+Bush\" target=\"\">President Bush</a> vetoed a bill that would have allowed federal funding of research on stem cells from embryos discarded by fertility clinics. The newly Democratic Congress has promised to send the same or a similar bill to Bush\'s desk with even greater majorities early this term, with <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=the+House\" target=\"\">the House</a> slated to vote on the matter this week.</p><p>The new work, described in yesterday\'s online edition of the <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=Nature+Publishing+Group\" target=\"\">journal Nature</a> Biotechnology, shows that &quot;amniotic fluid-derived stem cells&quot; can be isolated as early as 10 weeks after conception from fluid extracted during tests widely done to detect birth defects.</p><p>In the laboratory, the amniotic cells can mature into all of the major types of cells, dividing at the impressive clip of once every 36 hours yet never showing signs of aging and never becoming tumors -- even after living for more than two years in the lab.</p><p>With co-workers from Wake Forest and from Children\'s Hospital in <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=Boston\" target=\"\">Boston</a>, Atala coaxed the cells to become brain cells and injected them into the skulls of mice with diseased brains. The new cells filled in diseased areas and appeared to make new connections with nearby healthy neurons.</p><p>When coaxed to become bone cells and seeded onto a gelatin scaffold that was then implanted in a mouse, the cells calcified and turned into dense, healthy bone.</p><p>Under other conditions they became muscle, fat, blood vessel and liver cells.</p><p>Atala said that if 100,000 women donated their amniotic cells to a bank, that would provide enough cells of sufficient genetic diversity to provide immunologically compatible tissues for virtually everyone in the <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=United+States\" target=\"\">United States</a>. With more than 4 million U.S. births a year, it would not take long to collect that many specimens, he said -- especially because the cells can be found not only in amniotic fluid but also in the placenta, which  is discarded after birth.</p><p>The rights to certain patent claims relating to the cells have been licensed to Plureon Corp. of Winston-Salem, a privately held company on whose board of directors Atala sits.</p><p>Although several stem cell experts applauded the work, some questioned the novelty of the newly described cells. Similar cells have been under study for years with little fanfare, they noted. And though Atala\'s careful characterization of them is better than any previously done, they said, it is not clear that his cells are truly different than ones others have in hand.</p><p>At Children\'s Hospital in Boston, for example, <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=Dario+Fauza\" target=\"\">Dario Fauza</a>, a pediatric surgeon, has been cultivating similar cells and getting them to grow into cartilage, which he has used to repair defective windpipes in newborn sheep. He has also grown the cells into tendon tissue that was used to repair defective diaphragms in sheep.</p><p>Fauza is  seeking <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=U.S.+Food+and+Drug+Administration\" target=\"\">Food and Drug Administration</a> permission to try the method in children diagnosed with birth defects while in the womb. He hopes to grow replacement tissues from their own amniotic cells and use those tissues to repair their defects after birth.</p><p>\"Typically, you don\'t do anything until the child is born, and then you are scrambling to fix it,\" Fauza said. \"Why not take out some amniotic fluid, which we do routinely anyway, and engineer a tissue in parallel during the remainder of gestation so he or she will have a tissue by the time he or she is born?\"</p></div></div><br clear=\"all\">\n');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('155','1','<p>NEW YORK -- Daniel Santos became an instant hero in 1996 when he jumped 130 feet off a bridge into the Hudson River to rescue a young woman trying to commit suicide.</p><p>Then came the national TV interviews, the fan mail from strangers, the offers to do commercials, the free trip to Disney World.</p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" align=\"right\" width=\"238\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"228\">\n<div class=\"media_photo\"><!--link rel=\"image_src\" href=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2007/01/07/PH2007010700960.jpg\"/--><a href=\"javascript:void(popitup(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/postphotos/orb/style/2007-01-08/index.html?imgId=PH2007010700962&imgUrl=/photo/2007/01/07/PH2007010700962.html\',650,850))\"><img src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/largerPhoto/images/enlarge_tab.gif\" width=\"103\" height=\"12\" border=\"0\" align=\"bottom\" alt=\"\"></a><br/><a href=\"javascript:void(popitup(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/postphotos/orb/style/2007-01-08/index.html?imgId=PH2007010700962&imgUrl=/photo/2007/01/07/PH2007010700962.html\',650,850))\"><img src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2007/01/07/PH2007010700960.jpg\" border=\"0\"  alt=\"Wesley Autrey, above with his children, at a news conference in New York\'s City Hall last week after he saved a man who fell onto the subway tracks; left, Daniel Santos, who rescued a woman who jumped off a New York bridge in 1996. \"The publicity changed my life,\" Santos said. \"I didn\'t want it to.\"\"  height=\"190\" width=\"138\" align=\"top\"></a><div id=\"caption\">Wesley Autrey, above with his children, at a news conference in New York\'s City Hall last week after he saved a man who fell onto the subway tracks; left, Daniel Santos, who rescued a woman who jumped off a New York bridge in 1996. \"The publicity changed my life,\" Santos said. \"I didn\'t want it to.\"<span id=\"credit\"> (By Bebeto Matthews  --  Associated Press) </span></div></div>\n<link href=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/css/sidebars.css\" rel=\"stylesheet\" media=\"all\"/>\n<!-- **** NO NEED TO INCLUDE CSS FILE ABOVE, WHEN ORBITIZING.  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They can be quite memory inhibiting and are more likely to be present in the control group, as a lack of mental stimulation can increase self doubt, decrease confidence and cause a form of panic. Could this have put the control group behind, at the same time the motivated groups were leaping ahead and would this not effect the measurement of the outcome? \" </p> <div style=\"text-align:right;\">-- <b>By smilesturner01 ;</b></div> <p style=\"border-top: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); margin-top: 5px; padding-top: 7px; font-weight: bold;\"> <strong><font face=\"arial,helvetica\" SIZE=\"-1\">&#149; </font> <span style=\"font-family:arial;font-size:11px;color:#000000;\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/comments/display?contentID=AR2006121901431&start=1\"><b>View, Add More Comments</b></a></span><br> <font face=\"arial,helvetica\" SIZE=\"-1\">&#149; </font> <span style=\"font-family:arial;font-size:11px;color:#000000;\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/19/AR2006121901431.html\"><b>Read the Story</b></a></span><br></strong> </p> \n</div>\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"clearboth\"></div>\n</div>\n\n<script src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/technorati/Technorati.js\"></script><script>\nvar technorati = new Technorati() ;\ntechnorati.setProperty(\'url\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/07/AR2007010700959_Technorati.html\') ;\ntechnorati.article = new item(\'Overnight Heroes Can Buckle Under Load\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/07/AR2007010700959.html\',\'NEW YORK -- Daniel Santos became an instant hero in 1996 when he jumped 130 feet off a bridge into the Hudson River to rescue a young woman trying to commit suicide.\',\'Verena Dobnik\') ;\n</script><script src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/07/AR2007010700959_Technorati.js\"></script><script>document.write( technorati.getDisplaySidebar() );</script>\n<link href=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/css/bookmarking.css\" rel=\"stylesheet\" media=\"all\"/><div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div><div class=\"sidebar\"><h2><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"right\" border=\"0\" width=\"222\"><tr><td class=\"sb-left\" align=\"left\">Save &amp; Share Article</td><td class=\"sb-right\" align=\"right\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/community/saveandshare.html\">What\'s This?</a></td></tr></table></h2><div class=\"sidebarcontent\"><div class=\"sidebarbox\"><div class=\"bookmark\"><div class=\"generic_bookmark digg_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/07/AR2007010700959.html%3Freferrer=digg&title=Overnight Heroes Can Buckle Under Load&bodytext=NEW YORK -- Daniel Santos became an instant hero in 1996 when he jumped 130 feet off a bridge into the Hudson River to rescue a young woman trying to commit suicide.\" target=\"new\">Digg</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark google_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=add&title=Overnight Heroes Can Buckle Under Load&labels=&annotation=NEW YORK -- Daniel Santos became an instant hero in 1996 when he jumped 130 feet off a bridge into the Hudson River to rescue a young woman trying to commit suicide.&bkmk=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/07/AR2007010700959.html%3Freferrer=google\" target=\"new\">Google</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark delicious_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://del.icio.us/post?v=4&partner=wpni&noui&jump=close&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/07/AR2007010700959.html%3Freferrer=delicious&title=%22Overnight Heroes Can Buckle Under Load: An Earlier Rescuer Has a Warning for  Subway Samaritan%22 By Verena Dobnik&notes=NEW YORK -- Daniel Santos became an instant hero in 1996 when he jumped 130 feet off a bridge into the Hudson River to rescue a young woman trying to commit suicide.\" target=\"new\">del.icio.us</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark yahoo_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/myresults/bookmarklet?u=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/07/AR2007010700959.html%3Freferrer=yahoo&title=Overnight Heroes Can Buckle Under Load&popup=true\" target=\"new\">Yahoo!</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark reddit_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://reddit.com/submit?url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/07/AR2007010700959.html%3Freferrer=reddit&title=Overnight Heroes Can Buckle Under Load\" target=\"new\">Reddit</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark facebook_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"javascript:void(0);\" onclick=\"void(window.open(\'http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/07/AR2007010700959.html?referrer=facebook\')+\'&t=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'Overnight Heroes Can Buckle Under Load\'),\'sharer\',\'toolbar=no,width=642,height=436\'));\">Facebook</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/></div></div></div>\n</td></tr></table>\n<p>Then came the nightmares resulting from his near-death plunge. He returned to work after the Disney World trip only to be harassed about his absence, and quit. He lost his health insurance, the money ran out, and he started drinking heavily.</p><p>\"My life unraveled. The publicity changed my life. I didn\'t want it to,\" said Santos, who still occasionally hears the words \"the bridge jumper\" from strangers on the street. \"I had my 15 minutes of fame and I was yesterday\'s news. I didn\'t care, but it took me four or five years to get my life back.\"</p><p>Santos recalled his experience Friday as New York crowned a new hero -- the man who dove in front of a Manhattan subway train Tuesday to save a teenager, one of the city\'s most amazing acts of bravery in recent memory.</p><p>Since then, fame has accompanied subway rescuer Wesley Autrey everywhere he has gone.</p><p>The 50-year-old construction worker won accolades such as \"the hero of Harlem\" and \"Subway Superman,\" appeared on David Letterman and accepted money and other gifts -- including a trip to Disney World. Mayor Michael Bloomberg bestowed him with the city\'s highest civic award, the Bronze Medallion; past recipients include Gen. Douglas MacArthur.</p><p>As Santos can attest, though, there are dangers in becoming an overnight hero in a media-saturated society.</p><p>\"They go one of two ways: They either recognize that their act was a moment in time they can enjoy temporarily, and the rest of their life is a consequence of everyday routine -- or they get stuck in their deed or action, feel entitled and lose perspective. That\'s the danger,\" said Alan Hilfer, chief psychologist at Brooklyn\'s Maimonides Medical Center.</p><p>Joseph Dunwald was only 17 when he did about the same thing as Autrey. He leaped off a Manhattan subway platform to rescue a man who had fainted and fallen onto the tracks.</p><p>\"Been there, done that,\" Dunwald, now 81, said while watching Autrey on TV.</p><p>Dunwald, a retired New York firefighter who lives in Lake Mary, Fla., said the moment and the public attention \"changed my persona. It was a new level of responsibility, a prep course for what was about to happen -- ducking German submarines in World War II.\"</p><p>It was, he said, \"a great preparation for life\" -- a happy, healthy life far from the spotlight.</p><p>For his efforts, Dunwald also got a gold Bulova watch as a reward, and \"baby, did I ever get lots of dates.\"</p><p>Another overnight hero who succeeded amid the glow was Felix Vazquez, a New York City housing employee who caught an infant thrown from a burning apartment in December 2005.</p><p>\"I just went back to work like nothing happened. But people kept calling,\" said Vazquez, who also received the Bronze Medallion from the mayor.</p><p>At the time, he was in the middle of a divorce and under stress, \"and I became a better person. People started noticing me, and saying hi -- appreciating me,\" said the 40-year-old father of three, speaking from the stairwell of a Bronx housing development where he supervises janitors.</p><p>Autrey has seemed to take his instant celebrity in stride, calling his act the only decent thing to have done.</p><p>\"How are you going to walk by someone who\'s ill and just look -- \'Oh, well, I\'m busy, I\'ve got to go to work\'?\" Autrey said.</p><p>Rewind a decade.</p><p>\"When you see somebody in the water like that, hopeless, and you\'re afraid they\'re going to drown, you\'re going to do something to help them, so that\'s what I did,\" Santos, then a volunteer firefighter, said in the days after his plunge from the Tappan Zee Bridge.</p><p>Santos\'s troubles piled up quickly, however. On top of losing his job, a TV network threatened to sue him, accusing him of not sticking to his \"exclusive\" interview contract. Everyone wanted him on the air.</p><p>\"My personality changed,\" he recalled.</p><p>Santos, now 31, still lives near the bridge, north of New York City. He works as a plumber and is engaged.</p><p>One afternoon when a job fell through, he visited the old firefighter friends he credits with helping him get back to normal. \"They\'re the guys who were there for me when I went from being a superstar to being nobody, and they\'re still there for me now,\" he said, speaking by phone from the firehouse.</p><p>To this day, he is \"petrified of heights.\" Still, he climbs the 110-foot ladder of a firetruck, \"even if I\'m nervous.\" The woman he rescued still occasionally calls him from Connecticut, where she lives.</p><p>He had some advice for Autrey: \"It\'s going to take time, but try not to change, try to continue doing the same thing as before.\"</p></div></div><br clear=\"all\">\n');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('154','1','<p>LOS ANGELES, Jan. 8 -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Monday proposed a system of universal health insurance for Californians that would make the nation\'s most populous state the third to guarantee medical coverage for all its residents.</p><p>&quot;Prices for health care and insurance are rising twice as fast as inflation, twice as fast as wages. That is a terrible drain on everyone, and it is a drain on our economy,&quot; Schwarzenegger said. &quot;My solution is that everyone in California must have insurance. If you can\'t afford it, the state will help you buy it, but you must be insured.&quot;</p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" align=\"right\" width=\"238\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"228\">\n<div class=\"media_photo\"><!--link rel=\"image_src\" href=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2007/01/08/PH2007010801291.jpg\"/--><a href=\"javascript:void(popitup(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/postphotos/orb/asection/2007-01-09/index.html?imgId=PH2007010801293&imgUrl=/photo/2007/01/08/PH2007010801293.html\',650,850))\"><img src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/largerPhoto/images/enlarge_tab.gif\" width=\"103\" height=\"12\" border=\"0\" align=\"bottom\" alt=\"\"></a><br/><a href=\"javascript:void(popitup(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/postphotos/orb/asection/2007-01-09/index.html?imgId=PH2007010801293&imgUrl=/photo/2007/01/08/PH2007010801293.html\',650,850))\"><img src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2007/01/08/PH2007010801291.jpg\" border=\"0\"  alt=\"Appearing via video conference California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger discusses his plan to extend health coverage to nearly all Californians during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif. on Monday, Jan. 8, 2007, as Kim Belshe, Secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services looks on at left.\"  height=\"128\" width=\"228\" align=\"top\"></a><div id=\"caption\">Appearing via video conference California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger discusses his plan to extend health coverage to nearly all Californians during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif. on Monday, Jan. 8, 2007, as Kim Belshe, Secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services looks on at left.<span id=\"credit\"> (Rich Pedroncelli - AP) </span></div></div>\n<div style=\"width:228px;\">\n<div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div>\n<div class=\"sidebar\">\n<h2>What Readers Are Saying</h2>\n<div class=\"sidebarcontent\" style=\"padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px;\">\n<div class=\"sidebarbox\" style=\"color: #333;\">\n <p style=\"margin-top: 0; padding-top: 0;\"> <span style=\"color: rgb(204, 0, 0);\"><strong>Your Comments On...</strong></span><br> <h1 style=\"color: rgb(0, 51, 153);\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/19/AR2006121901431.html\" target=\"_blank\">Short Mental Workouts May Slow Decline of Aging Minds, Study Finds</a></h1></p> <p style=\"margin-top: 0; padding-top: 0;\"> \"It would be interesting to know if factors such as stress, or sleep disorders etc. were taken into account. They can be quite memory inhibiting and are more likely to be present in the control group, as a lack of mental stimulation can increase self doubt, decrease confidence and cause a form of panic. Could this have put the control group behind, at the same time the motivated groups were leaping ahead and would this not effect the measurement of the outcome? \" </p> <div style=\"text-align:right;\">-- <b>By smilesturner01 ;</b></div> <p style=\"border-top: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); margin-top: 5px; padding-top: 7px; font-weight: bold;\"> <strong><font face=\"arial,helvetica\" SIZE=\"-1\">&#149; </font> <span style=\"font-family:arial;font-size:11px;color:#000000;\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/comments/display?contentID=AR2006121901431&start=1\"><b>View, Add More Comments</b></a></span><br> <font face=\"arial,helvetica\" SIZE=\"-1\">&#149; </font> <span style=\"font-family:arial;font-size:11px;color:#000000;\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/19/AR2006121901431.html\"><b>Read the Story</b></a></span><br></strong> </p> \n</div>\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"clearboth\"></div>\n</div>\n\n<script src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/technorati/Technorati.js\"></script><script>\nvar technorati = new Technorati() ;\ntechnorati.setProperty(\'url\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010800865_Technorati.html\') ;\ntechnorati.article = new item(\'Schwarzenegger Proposes Universal Health Coverage\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010800865.html\',\'LOS ANGELES, Jan. 8 -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Monday proposed a system of universal health insurance for Californians that would make the nation\\\'s most populous state the third to guarantee medical coverage for all its residents.\',\'Sonya Geis and Christopher Lee\') ;\n</script><script src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010800865_Technorati.js\"></script><script>document.write( technorati.getDisplaySidebar() );</script>\n<link href=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/css/bookmarking.css\" rel=\"stylesheet\" media=\"all\"/><div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div><div class=\"sidebar\"><h2><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"right\" border=\"0\" width=\"222\"><tr><td class=\"sb-left\" align=\"left\">Save &amp; Share Article</td><td class=\"sb-right\" align=\"right\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/community/saveandshare.html\">What\'s This?</a></td></tr></table></h2><div class=\"sidebarcontent\"><div class=\"sidebarbox\"><div class=\"bookmark\"><div class=\"generic_bookmark digg_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010800865.html%3Freferrer=digg&title=Schwarzenegger Proposes Universal Health Coverage&bodytext=LOS ANGELES, Jan. 8 -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Monday proposed a system of universal health insurance for Californians that would make the nation\'s most populous state the third to guarantee medical coverage for all its residents.\" target=\"new\">Digg</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark google_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=add&title=Schwarzenegger Proposes Universal Health Coverage&labels=&annotation=LOS ANGELES, Jan. 8 -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Monday proposed a system of universal health insurance for Californians that would make the nation\'s most populous state the third to guarantee medical coverage for all its residents.&bkmk=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010800865.html%3Freferrer=google\" target=\"new\">Google</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark delicious_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://del.icio.us/post?v=4&partner=wpni&noui&jump=close&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010800865.html%3Freferrer=delicious&title=%22Schwarzenegger Proposes Universal Health Coverage: California Plan Could Cost State $12 Billion%22 By Sonya Geis and Christopher Lee&notes=LOS ANGELES, Jan. 8 -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Monday proposed a system of universal health insurance for Californians that would make the nation\'s most populous state the third to guarantee medical coverage for all its residents.\" target=\"new\">del.icio.us</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark yahoo_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/myresults/bookmarklet?u=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010800865.html%3Freferrer=yahoo&title=Schwarzenegger Proposes Universal Health Coverage&popup=true\" target=\"new\">Yahoo!</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark reddit_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://reddit.com/submit?url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010800865.html%3Freferrer=reddit&title=Schwarzenegger Proposes Universal Health Coverage\" target=\"new\">Reddit</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark facebook_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"javascript:void(0);\" onclick=\"void(window.open(\'http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010800865.html?referrer=facebook\')+\'&t=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'Schwarzenegger Proposes Universal Health Coverage\'),\'sharer\',\'toolbar=no,width=642,height=436\'));\">Facebook</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/></div></div></div>\n</td></tr></table>\n<p>Much of the opposition to Schwarzenegger\'s program, which requires legislative approval, is expected to come from his fellow Republicans, who object that the plan will be costly for small businesses. But the governor said California cannot afford not to do it. Nearly one in five California residents does not have health insurance -- a total of 6.5 million people, many of whom seek expensive care in emergency rooms.</p><p>Nationwide, the ranks of the uninsured are growing. Census figures show that a record 46.6 million Americans, including 8.3 million children, had no health insurance in 2005, up from 45.3 million in 2004. Among those who did have coverage, fewer were receiving it through their jobs as employers scaled back their health plans.</p><p>Analysts say the California proposal is illustrative of the resurgence of interest among politicians at all levels in expanding health coverage to the uninsured and that it provides fresh evidence that, with Congress stalled on enacting comprehensive health-care reform, the states are beginning to take matters into their own hands.</p><p>In the past year, Massachusetts and Vermont have passed laws requiring all their residents to obtain health insurance, with help from the state if necessary. Other states considering expanding coverage to reduce the number of uninsured include Washington, Montana, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and Illinois.</p><p>&quot;Health care for the uninsured is back on the agenda,&quot; said Diane Rowland, executive vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that researches health-care issues. &quot;The governors are trying to lead the way, but it\'s also going to take national action to try to address this problem.&quot;</p><p>Schwarzenegger\'s plan would require everyone living in California -- even illegal immigrants -- to have health insurance, at an estimated cost of $12 billion. Individuals who refuse to carry insurance could face reductions in their state income tax refunds or the garnishment of their wages. All businesses with 10 or more employees would have to offer coverage or pay a fee of 4 percent of their payroll into a fund to help the uninsured buy health insurance.</p><p>Schwarzenegger also recommended expanding the state\'s existing program for children\'s health insurance to families that earn less than three times the poverty level, or about $60,000 for a family of four.</p><p>The governor also wants to force insurers to offer coverage to people with existing medical conditions. Currently many insurers will not cover older people, those with major illnesses or even people with relatively minor complaints such as asthma or varicose veins.</p><p>Schwarzenegger also would require insurance providers to use 85 percent of their premium proceeds on patient care.</p><p>The state would increase reimbursements to doctors and hospitals by a total of $4 billion. Money for the program would come from new taxes on doctors (2 percent of their revenue) and hospitals (4 percent), federal funds, and county funds that now pay for emergency care for the uninsured.</p><p>In addition to objections from small business, Schwarzenegger is sure to face opposition to taxes on doctors and hospitals, additional regulation of insurance providers and the extension of coverage to illegal immigrants.</p><p>&quot;Imposing a new jobs tax on employers of any size and expanding costly government mandates is the wrong approach, one which will devastate our economy,&quot; the Assembly\'s Republican leader, Mike Villines, said in a statement Monday.</p><p>But Schwarzenegger said that while the plan will cost money, it will pump funds back into the health system because of the expanded coverage. &quot;Everyone ends up with a better deal,&quot; he said.</p><p><i>Lee reported from Washington.</i></p></div></div><br clear=\"all\">\n');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('153','1','<p>In the past 20 years, just about everything has changed in the treatment of HIV infection except that there is still no answer to the question: When should it start?</p><p>The answer is easy in the case of many diseases, but not for infection with the AIDS virus, whose course is languid -- and lethal.</p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" align=\"right\" width=\"238\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"228\">\n<script src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/technorati/Technorati.js\"></script><script>\nvar technorati = new Technorati() ;\ntechnorati.setProperty(\'url\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/06/AR2007010601097_Technorati.html\') ;\ntechnorati.article = new item(\'A New Attempt to Solve One of AIDS\\\'s Biggest Riddles\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/06/AR2007010601097.html\',\'In the past 20 years, just about everything has changed in the treatment of HIV infection except that there is still no answer to the question: When should it start?\',\'David Brown\') ;\n</script><script src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/06/AR2007010601097_Technorati.js\"></script><script>document.write( technorati.getDisplaySidebar() );</script>\n<link href=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/css/bookmarking.css\" rel=\"stylesheet\" media=\"all\"/><div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div><div class=\"sidebar\"><h2><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"right\" border=\"0\" width=\"222\"><tr><td class=\"sb-left\" align=\"left\">Save &amp; Share Article</td><td class=\"sb-right\" align=\"right\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/community/saveandshare.html\">What\'s This?</a></td></tr></table></h2><div class=\"sidebarcontent\"><div class=\"sidebarbox\"><div class=\"bookmark\"><div class=\"generic_bookmark digg_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/06/AR2007010601097.html%3Freferrer=digg&title=A New Attempt to Solve One of AIDS\'s Biggest Riddles&bodytext=In the past 20 years, just about everything has changed in the treatment of HIV infection except that there is still no answer to the question: When should it start?\" target=\"new\">Digg</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark google_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=add&title=A New Attempt to Solve One of AIDS\'s Biggest Riddles&labels=&annotation=In the past 20 years, just about everything has changed in the treatment of HIV infection except that there is still no answer to the question: When should it start?&bkmk=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/06/AR2007010601097.html%3Freferrer=google\" target=\"new\">Google</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark delicious_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://del.icio.us/post?v=4&partner=wpni&noui&jump=close&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/06/AR2007010601097.html%3Freferrer=delicious&title=%22A New Attempt to Solve One of AIDS\'s Biggest Riddles: Researchers to Seek Approval for a Global Study That Will Examine When Patients Should Begin Drug Treatment%22 By David Brown&notes=In the past 20 years, just about everything has changed in the treatment of HIV infection except that there is still no answer to the question: When should it start?\" target=\"new\">del.icio.us</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark yahoo_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/myresults/bookmarklet?u=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/06/AR2007010601097.html%3Freferrer=yahoo&title=A New Attempt to Solve One of AIDS\'s Biggest Riddles&popup=true\" target=\"new\">Yahoo!</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark reddit_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://reddit.com/submit?url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/06/AR2007010601097.html%3Freferrer=reddit&title=A New Attempt to Solve One of AIDS\'s Biggest Riddles\" target=\"new\">Reddit</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark facebook_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"javascript:void(0);\" onclick=\"void(window.open(\'http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/06/AR2007010601097.html?referrer=facebook\')+\'&t=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'A New Attempt to Solve One of AIDS\\\'s Biggest Riddles\'),\'sharer\',\'toolbar=no,width=642,height=436\'));\">Facebook</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/></div></div></div>\n</td></tr></table>\n<p>For most people with HIV, there are few problems and almost no symptoms for years after they acquire the virus. But the disease is incurable, and without treatment, it is eventually fatal for almost everyone who has it.</p><p>Treatment consists of a combination of three or more drugs, known generically as antiretroviral therapy (ART). But the drugs are not without a downside. They are costly, they have side effects, and, once started, they must be taken for the rest of the patient\'s life.</p><p>Tens of billions of dollars in health-care costs around the world -- and in foreign aid and charity -- hinge on knowing the best time to start treatment.</p><p>&quot;This is like the holy grail of AIDS research,&quot; said <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=Fred+Gordin\" target=\"\">Fred Gordin</a>, an AIDS specialist at the Washington Veterans Affairs Medical Center. &quot;People pretty much thought it couldn\'t be studied.&quot;</p><p>This month, Gordin and a group of researchers will ask the government to underwrite an audacious effort to answer the &quot;when-to-start&quot; question.</p><p>On Jan. 17 they plan to propose to the <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=National+Institutes+of+Health\" target=\"\">National Institutes of Health</a> an international study that would enroll more than 9,000 people, children and adults, from poor and rich countries. Each would be randomly assigned to start AIDS treatment either soon after infection or after the virus has begun to measurably erode their immune systems. Participants would be followed and studied for five years to see who fares best -- and who dies prematurely.</p><p>&quot;Universally, people feel this is an important question,&quot; said <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=Anthony+Fauci\" target=\"\">Anthony S. Fauci</a>, head of the <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=National+Institute+of+Allergy+and+Infectious+Diseases\" target=\"\">National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases</a>, whose Division of AIDS will consider the request.</p><p>Paula Munderi, of the <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=Uganda\" target=\"\">Uganda</a> Virus Research Institute in Entebbe, agreed. &quot;The rationale for doing this is clearly global. It is useful for everyone,&quot; she said recently.</p><p>While a previous attempt to answer the question failed, and the rapid treatment advances of the past decade made similar studies impossible, the current enthusiasm for a when-to-start study shows there are seasons in the lives of diseases as well as of men.</p><p>Starting antiretroviral therapy requires tradeoffs in lifestyle, economics, self-image and possibly health, since early in the course of infection the drugs\' side effects can outweigh the immune-system benefits. Nobody knows when in the long downhill course of infection the balance finally tips in favor of treatment.</p></div></div><br clear=\"all\">\n<div align=\"right\"><table width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td align=\"right\"><font face=\"arial,sans-serif\" color=\"#CC0000\" size=\"-1\"><b>CONTINUED</b></font>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <b><font face=\"arial,sans-serif\" size=\"3\" color=\"#CC0000\">1</font> &nbsp;&nbsp; <font face=\"arial,sans-serif\" size=\"3\"><script>document.write(\'<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/06/AR2007010601097_2.html\'+unescape(location.search)+\'\">2</a>\')</script><noscript><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/06/AR2007010601097_2.html\">2</a></noscript></font></b> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<font face=\"arial, ms sans serif, sans-serif\" size=\"3\"><b><script>document.write(\'<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/06/AR2007010601097_2.html\'+unescape(location.search)+\'\">Next</a>\')</script><noscript><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/06/AR2007010601097_2.html\">Next</a></noscript> ></b></font></td></tr></table></div><br>\n');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('152','1','<p>Democrats face a difficult time delivering on their pledge to eliminate the &quot;doughnut hole&quot; in Medicare\'s drug benefit, despite having used the unpopular coverage gap as a rhetorical club against Republicans in regaining control of Congress in the fall elections.</p><p>Requiring Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices from pharmaceutical companies -- a popular idea that nevertheless faces significant political hurdles -- will not produce enough savings to fill the doughnut hole, experts say. And making up the difference would require big tax increases or spending cuts elsewhere if Democrats are to keep another campaign promise, to be fiscally responsible and avoid increasing the federal budget deficit.</p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" align=\"right\" width=\"238\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"228\">\n<script src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/technorati/Technorati.js\"></script><script>\nvar technorati = new Technorati() ;\ntechnorati.setProperty(\'url\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/06/AR2007010601096_Technorati.html\') ;\ntechnorati.article = new item(\'Democrats Face Hurdles in Bid to Close Medicare Gap\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/06/AR2007010601096.html\',\'Democrats face a difficult time delivering on their pledge to eliminate the \"doughnut hole\" in Medicare\\\'s drug benefit, despite having used the unpopular coverage gap as a rhetorical club against Republicans in regaining control of Congress in the fall elections.\',\'Christopher Lee\') ;\n</script><script src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/06/AR2007010601096_Technorati.js\"></script><script>document.write( technorati.getDisplaySidebar() );</script>\n<link href=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/css/bookmarking.css\" rel=\"stylesheet\" media=\"all\"/><div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div><div class=\"sidebar\"><h2><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"right\" border=\"0\" width=\"222\"><tr><td class=\"sb-left\" align=\"left\">Save &amp; Share Article</td><td class=\"sb-right\" align=\"right\"><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/community/saveandshare.html\">What\'s This?</a></td></tr></table></h2><div class=\"sidebarcontent\"><div class=\"sidebarbox\"><div class=\"bookmark\"><div class=\"generic_bookmark digg_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/06/AR2007010601096.html%3Freferrer=digg&title=Democrats Face Hurdles in Bid to Close Medicare Gap&bodytext=Democrats face a difficult time delivering on their pledge to eliminate the \'doughnut hole\' in Medicare\'s drug benefit, despite having used the unpopular coverage gap as a rhetorical club against Republicans in regaining control of Congress in the fall elections.\" target=\"new\">Digg</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark google_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=add&title=Democrats Face Hurdles in Bid to Close Medicare Gap&labels=&annotation=Democrats face a difficult time delivering on their pledge to eliminate the \'doughnut hole\' in Medicare\'s drug benefit, despite having used the unpopular coverage gap as a rhetorical club against Republicans in regaining control of Congress in the fall elections.&bkmk=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/06/AR2007010601096.html%3Freferrer=google\" target=\"new\">Google</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark delicious_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://del.icio.us/post?v=4&partner=wpni&noui&jump=close&url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/06/AR2007010601096.html%3Freferrer=delicious&title=%22Democrats Face Hurdles in Bid to Close Medicare Gap: Eliminating Hole in Drug Coverage Would Require Tax Increases or Spending Cuts to Avoid Expanding Budget Deficit%22 By Christopher Lee&notes=Democrats face a difficult time delivering on their pledge to eliminate the \'doughnut hole\' in Medicare\'s drug benefit, despite having used the unpopular coverage gap as a rhetorical club against Republicans in regaining control of Congress in the fall elections.\" target=\"new\">del.icio.us</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark yahoo_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/myresults/bookmarklet?u=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/06/AR2007010601096.html%3Freferrer=yahoo&title=Democrats Face Hurdles in Bid to Close Medicare Gap&popup=true\" target=\"new\">Yahoo!</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/><div class=\"generic_bookmark reddit_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"http://reddit.com/submit?url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/06/AR2007010601096.html%3Freferrer=reddit&title=Democrats Face Hurdles in Bid to Close Medicare Gap\" target=\"new\">Reddit</a></div></div><div class=\"generic_bookmark facebook_bookmark\"><div class=\"pad_bookmark\"><a href=\"javascript:void(0);\" onclick=\"void(window.open(\'http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/06/AR2007010601096.html?referrer=facebook\')+\'&t=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'Democrats Face Hurdles in Bid to Close Medicare Gap\'),\'sharer\',\'toolbar=no,width=642,height=436\'));\">Facebook</a></div></div><br clear=\"all\"/></div></div></div>\n</td></tr></table>\n<p>&quot;I think the Democrats are going to shy away from it because it\'s very costly,&quot; said <a href=\"http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/g000386/\" target=\"\">Sen. Charles E. Grassley</a> (R-Iowa), who was chairman of the <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=U.S.+Senate+Committee+on+Finance\" target=\"\">Senate Finance Committee</a> when it crafted the Medicare drug benefit in 2003. &quot;I think you\'ll find out that closing the doughnut hole would have just about doubled what we were going to put into the whole program. So you\'re talking about hundreds of billions of dollars.&quot;</p><p>Democrats are still determined to eliminate the gap, said <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=Brendan+Daly\" target=\"\">Brendan Daly</a>, spokesman for House Speaker <a href=\"http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/p000197/\" target=\"\">Nancy Pelosi</a> (D-Calif.). <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=The+House\" target=\"\">The House</a> is expected to vote this week on a bill Democrats introduced Friday  that would require the secretary of health and human services to negotiate the prices of drugs covered by what is formally known as Medicare Part D.</p><p>&quot;We\'re hoping to get some savings, obviously, from the price negotiation, and then we can try to use some of that to start to close the doughnut hole,&quot; Daly said. &quot;I don\'t think we\'re going to have enough to close it entirely. It\'s a difficult task. . . . We are committed to doing it, though.&quot;</p><p>The doughnut hole refers to a coverage gap in which Medicare beneficiaries must pay for 100 percent of their drug purchases, even as they continue to pay monthly premiums. An estimated 3 million to 4 million people fell into the gap last year. In 2007, under the standard plan, the gap opens when a senior\'s total drug costs reach $2,400 and closes when out-of-pocket expenses total $3,850. Medicare then picks up most additional costs.</p><p>The <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=U.S.+Congressional+Budget+Office\" target=\"\">Congressional Budget Office</a> has informally estimated that filling the hole would cost $450 billion over 10 years, but the agency has no estimate of how much government price negotiations might save. A study released in October by <a href=\"http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/w000215/\" target=\"\">Rep. Henry A. Waxman</a> (D-Calif.), the new chairman of the <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=U.S.+House+Committee+on+Government+Reform\" target=\"\">House Government Reform Committee</a>, estimated that the savings would range from $61 billion to $96 billion.</p><p>Even before the elections, Democrats began to acknowledge that they would not be able to eliminate the coverage gap right away. But in months of campaigning, party leaders and candidates fanned public anger over the doughnut hole and accused Republicans of selling out to the pharmaceutical industry.</p><p>At a senior center in Sunrise, <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=Florida\" target=\"\">Fla.</a>, on Oct. 3, Pelosi touted government drug-price negotiations as a solution and pledged to make them happen as part of the Democrats\' agenda for the first 100 hours of the new Congress.</p><p>&quot;We will use that money to fill the doughnut hole so that seniors will have affordability, they will have reliability, and will not be caught in this trap of the doughnut hole,&quot; Pelosi said. &quot; . . . You pay [premiums] in, they get the money, you get no benefits back. How could that be a good idea unless you\'re writing the bill for the HMOs and the pharmaceutical companies, and not for <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html?subject=United+States\" target=\"\">America</a>\'s seniors?&quot;</p><p>In July, Rep. Steven R. Rothman (D-N.J.) issued a statement calling the program &quot;broken&quot; and the doughnut hole one of its &quot;most glaring failures.&quot;</p><p>&quot;The Republican majority created a terrible mess with Medicare Part D,&quot; Rothman said. &quot;We can fix Medicare Part D by providing a prescription-drug benefit through Medicare, ending the subsidies for insurance companies, and allowing the government to negotiate lower drug prices. Doing so will eliminate the doughnut hole and provide a benefit worthy of our seniors.&quot;</p></div></div><br clear=\"all\">\n<div align=\"right\"><table width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td align=\"right\"><font face=\"arial,sans-serif\" color=\"#CC0000\" size=\"-1\"><b>CONTINUED</b></font>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <b><font face=\"arial,sans-serif\" size=\"3\" color=\"#CC0000\">1</font> &nbsp;&nbsp; <font face=\"arial,sans-serif\" size=\"3\"><script>document.write(\'<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/06/AR2007010601096_2.html\'+unescape(location.search)+\'\">2</a>\')</script><noscript><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/06/AR2007010601096_2.html\">2</a></noscript></font></b> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<font face=\"arial, ms sans serif, sans-serif\" size=\"3\"><b><script>document.write(\'<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/06/AR2007010601096_2.html\'+unescape(location.search)+\'\">Next</a>\')</script><noscript><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/06/AR2007010601096_2.html\">Next</a></noscript> ></b></font></td></tr></table></div><br>\n');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('151','1','	<p>A neurosurgeon at the renowned Cleveland Clinic used a dog with an induced brain aneurysm to demonstrate a medical device to salespeople, the Clinic said Thursday.<p/>\nThe surgeon, who was not immediately identified, was presenting the device Wednesday to a group of people who sell it, and the dog was anesthetized during the demonstration and euthanized afterward, the Clinic said.<p/>\nThe hospital, which confirmed the incident to The Associated Press, said it was unauthorized.<p/>\n\"As an academic medical center, Cleveland Clinic does not allow procedures with animals for the sole purpose of sales training. The situation that occurred yesterday was unauthorized and not in compliance with our policy,\" the Clinic said in a statement.<p/>\nThe (Cleveland) Plain Dealer first reported the story on its Web site.<p/>\nAn aneurysm is when arteries or blood vessels bulge and eventually burst, which can cause severe damage or death.<p/>\nThe Clinic said the surgeon did not have permission from the hospital\'s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee to host the demonstration. The doctor submitted an application to the committee, but its members never reviewed it, the hospital said, and, if they had, they would have rejected the request because of the Clinics\' policy.<p/>\nThe incident has been reported to the U.S. <span class=\"keyword\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/ap/ap_on_he_me/cleveland_clinic_dog/21548026/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&amp;p=%22Department%20of%20Agriculture%22&amp;c=&amp;n=20&amp;yn=c&amp;c=news&amp;cs=nw\">Department of Agriculture</a></span>, which regulates animal testing, the Clinic said.<p/>\nAfter-hours messages left with the USDA were not immediately returned.<p/>\nThe statement said the hospital is a national leader in researching brain aneurysms, which affect about 100,000 Americans each year, killing between 30,000 and 40,000 of them.<p/>\nAn internal investigation was being conducted and the Clinic plans to provide future training for doctors to prevent a similar incident in the future, the hospital\'s statement said.<p/>\n\"The Cleveland Clinic is committed to integrity in research and to the treatment of animals for research and medical education. It is our policy to carefully evaluate non-animal alternatives and the minimal use of animals,\" it said.<p/>\nThe Clinic boasts 1,500 physicians, the No. 1 heart center in U.S. News &amp; World Report\'s rankings and Top 10 national rankings by the magazine in 10 other specialties. World leaders, royalty and sports stars are often among its high-profile patients.<p/>\n___<p/>\nOn the Net:<p/>\n<a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_he_me/storytext/cleveland_clinic_dog/21548026/SIG=111teuuaq/*http://www.clevelandclinic.org/\">http://www.clevelandclinic.org/</a><p/>\n</p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('150','1','	<p>More than 1,500 toddlers and babies wound up in emergency rooms over a two-year period and three died because of bad reactions to cold or cough medicine, federal health officials reported Thursday.<p/>\nThe U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned parents not to give common over-the-counter cold remedies to children under 2 years old without consulting a doctor.<p/>\nThe deaths of three infants 6 months or younger in 2005 led to an investigation that showed the children all had high levels of the nasal decongestant pseudoephedrine, up to 14 times the amount recommended for children ages 2 to 12. The study found 1,519 ER cases from 2004 and 2005 involving young children and cold medicine.<p/>\nThe <span class=\"keyword\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/ap/ap_on_he_me/cold_medicine_infants/21548013/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&amp;p=%22CDC%22&amp;c=&amp;n=20&amp;yn=c&amp;c=news&amp;cs=nw\">CDC</a></span> said it\'s not known how much cold or cough medicine can cause illness or death in children under 2 years old, but there are no approved dosing recommendations by the U.S. <span class=\"keyword\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/ap/ap_on_he_me/cold_medicine_infants/21548013/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&amp;p=%22Food%20and%20Drug%20Administration%22&amp;c=&amp;n=20&amp;yn=c&amp;c=news&amp;cs=nw\">Food and Drug Administration</a></span> for that age group.<p/>\nThe American Academy of Pediatrics first advised parents in 1997 about the risks of complications and overdose potential with certain cough suppressants. Last year the American College of Chest Physicians advised doctors not to recommend cough suppressants and over-the-counter cough medications to young children because of the risks.<p/>\nDr. Michael Shannon, chief of emergency medicine at Children\'s Hospital Boston, said it\'s common, especially in the winter, to see emergency room cases of toddlers given cough or cold medicine.<p/>\n\"Pediatricians have for years, particularly for the last five years, been for the most part trying to dissuade parents from giving young children common cold preparations,\" Shannon said.<p/>\nDr. Michael Marcus, director of pediatric pulmonology, allergy and immunology at Maimonides Infants and Children\'s Hospital in New York, said, \"The best thing (parents) can do is support with fluids and lots of kisses and time, because lots of infections are viral and will pass in a few days. The medications have a greater potential for harm than the infections you are trying to treat.\"<p/>\n____<p/>\nOn the Net:<p/>\nCDC: <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_he_me/storytext/cold_medicine_infants/21548013/SIG=10kfb8sqr/*http://www.cdc.gov\">http://www.cdc.gov</a><p/>\n</p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('149','1','	<p>Syphilis, which was largely\neliminated in China between 1960 and 1980, has returned with a\nvengeance and urgent intervention is needed to curb the\nepidemic, according to researchers in China and the United\nStates.<p/>\nIn a study to be published in the January 13 issue of the\nLancet, they said the total incidence of syphilis in China\nincreased to 6.5 cases per 100,000 people in 1999 from less\nthan 0.2 cases per 100,000 in 1993.<p/>\n\"Syphilis has returned to China with a vengeance. The data\ndemonstrates a syphilis epidemic of such scope and magnitude\nthat it will require terrific effort to intervene,\" said lead\nresearcher Myron S. Cohen, director of the Center for\nInfectious Diseases at the University of North Carolina at\nChapel Hill School of Medicine.<p/>\nWhen the Communist Party took power in 1949, China was\nsuffering one of the biggest syphilis epidemics in human\nhistory and the government launched a prolonged campaign to\neliminate sexually transmitted diseases.<p/>\nThe study linked the re-emergence of syphilis to economic\nreforms and globalization in China.<p/>\n\"These changes have led to income gaps and a cultural\nclimate that favors re-emergence of prostitution due to a\nsubstantial majority of men and a large migrant population of\nmale workers,\" the report said.<p/>\n\"Changing social practices such as people experimenting\nwith sex at earlier ages and before marriage, as well as\nincreasing costs of individual health care, also contribute.\"<p/>\nOf the three categories of disease - primary, secondary and\ntertiary - the first two represented 5.7 cases per 100,000\npeople in 2005. This latter incidence is substantially higher\nthan in most developed countries, including the U.S., which\nreported 2.7 cases per 100,000 of primary and secondary\nsyphilis in 2004.<p/>\nThe researchers based their report on data collected from\nChina\'s national sexually transmitted disease (STD)\nsurveillance system and sentinel site network.<p/>\nAlso alarming is the rate of congenital syphilis, Cohen\nsaid, which increased to 19.68 cases per 100,000 live births in\n2005 from 0.01 cases in 1991 - an average yearly rise of 71.9\npercent.<p/>\nCongenital syphilis occurs when a pregnant woman with\nsyphilis passes the infection to her baby in the womb. Many\ncases result in miscarriage or stillbirth, and surviving babies\nmay have serious problems with the brain, liver, and other\norgans.<p/>\nBy 1964, syphilis had become rare and was virtually absent\nfor the next 20 years.<p/>\nHowever, that means the general population of young,\nsexually active individuals has no natural immunity to the\ndisease.<p/>\n\"Sexually active individuals would be completely\nsusceptible to this infection,\" the report said, noting that\nsyphilis increases the risk of both transmitting and getting\ninfected with <span class=\"keyword\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/nm/hl_nm/china_syphilis_dc/21547779/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&amp;p=%22HIV%22&amp;c=&amp;n=20&amp;yn=c&amp;c=news&amp;cs=nw\">HIV</a></span>, the virus that causes <span class=\"keyword\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/nm/hl_nm/china_syphilis_dc/21547779/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&amp;p=%22AIDS%22&amp;c=&amp;n=20&amp;yn=c&amp;c=news&amp;cs=nw\">AIDS</a></span>.<p/>\nSyphilis can be treated with antibiotics. Left untreated,\nit can cause serious damage to the nervous system, heart or\nbrain, and can be fatal.\n<p/>\n</p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('148','1','	<p>British scientists have discovered a\npotential new way to identify people who have a higher risk of\ndeveloping heart disease.<p/>\nTelomeres, tiny strands of DNA at the ends of chromosomes\nwhich seem to contain secrets about aging, may also hold clues\nabout who is more likely to suffer from coronary heart disease.<p/>\nThe researchers, who measured telomere length in\nleukocytes, or white blood cells, in 1,500 men aged 45-64 years\nold, found short telomeres indicate a higher likelihood of\ndeveloping heart disease.<p/>\n\"We have shown that leukocyte telomere length is associated\nwith future coronary heart disease events in middle-aged,\nhigh-risk men,\" Professor Nilesh Samani, of the University of\nLeicester in England, said in a report in The Lancet medical\njournal on Friday.<p/>\nTelomeres protect the ends of chromosomes from fraying.\nThey shorten each time a cell divides and the loss is\nassociated with aging. As telomeres get smaller, the\nchromosomes can become unstable and at greater risk of\nmutation.<p/>\nEarlier research had shown that people with heart disease\nhave shorter telomeres but it was not clear until now if\ntelomere length could be a predictive marker for the illness.<p/>\n\"They have shown that it is a predictor. It doesn\'t say it\nis functionally linked to heart disease but it is certainly\nassociated with it,\" Professor Jeremy Pearson, of the British\nHeart Foundation, said in an interview.<p/>\nHe said the findings are also important in understanding\nthe disease process and in finding ways to prevent heart\nattacks.<p/>\nThe researchers, who compared the length of telomeres of\n484 men who went on to develop heart disease and 1,058 healthy\nmen, found shorter telomere length was linked to disease risk.<p/>\nHeart disease is a leading killer in industrialized\ncountries. Smoking, being overweight or obese, lack of\nexercise, high blood pressure, diabetes and raised cholesterol\nlevels increase the odds of developing the illness.<p/>\nIn addition to pinpointing which men might develop heart\ndisease, Samani and his team said telomere length could be used\nto help identify men would benefit from taking\ncholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins to reduce their\nrisk of heart disease.<p/>\nThey showed statins lowered the odds of developing heart\ndisease in patients with short telomeres. But if patients with\nshort telomeres were given a placebo, or dummy pill, their odds\nof illness were almost double compared to people with long\ntelomeres.<p/>\nPfizer\'s <span class=\"keyword\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/nm/hl_nm/heart_telomere_dc/21547664/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&amp;p=%22Lipitor%22&amp;c=&amp;n=20&amp;yn=c&amp;c=news&amp;cs=nw\">Lipitor</a></span>, Merck\'s Zocor and AstraZeneca\'s Crestor\nare among the leading statins.\n<p/>\n</p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('147','1','	<p>When women and men have lung\ncancer of the same stage and are given the same treatment, the\nwomen are more likely to survive, according to the findings\npublished in the journal of Chest.<p/>\nLung cancer \"is the number one cause of cancer deaths in\nboth men and women worldwide,\" Dr. Robert James Cerfolio and\ncolleagues from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, write.<p/>\nSeveral studies using data from national cancer registries\nhave shown that men and women differ in lung cancer survival.\nThe present study was different in that it determined survival\nin men and women who were diagnosed with lung cancer, treated\nbased on the same algorithm, and then followed for up to 7\nyears.<p/>\nThe study focused on patients with non-small cell lung\ncancer, the most common type. Unlike the small cell variant,\nnon-small cell lung cancer is often amenable to surgical\nremoval and more responsive to chemotherapy.<p/>\nThe study included 1,085 patients -- 671 men and 414 women.\nThere were no significant differences between the sexes in\nterms of race, other diseases, smoking history, lung function\nand the treatment received.<p/>\nAt 5 years, 60 percent of women were still alive compared\nwith 50 percent of men. Moreover, women had consistently higher\nsurvival rates for all stages of disease.<p/>\nAs to why survival was better for women, it may relate to\nthem being more responsive to chemotherapy, Cerforlio and\ncolleagues report.<p/>\nThe researchers conclude that the findings might help\nimprove the \"dismal\" overall 5-year survival rate for patients\nwith non-small lung cancer \"by helping to target new\ntherapeutic options.\"<p/>\nSOURCE: Chest, December 2006.\n<p/>\n</p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('146','1','	<p>Packaged foods like sandwiches, egg\nrolls and pizza can qualify to be labeled \"lean\" under a ruling\nThursday by the U.S. <span class=\"keyword\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/nm/hl_nm/fda_lean_labels_dc/21546846/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&amp;p=%22Food%20and%20Drug%20Administration%22&amp;c=&amp;n=20&amp;yn=c&amp;c=news&amp;cs=nw\">Food and Drug Administration</a></span>.<p/>\nThe labeling change was proposed by Nestle, the world\'s\nlargest food company and maker of Lean Cuisine frozen foods.<p/>\nIn the past, such products were excluded from using the\nterm \"lean\" on their labels under guidelines that excluded\n\"mixed dishes not measurable with a cup\" that weighed less than\n6 ounces.<p/>\nThe new ruling lets the \"lean\" label be put on products\nthat contain less than 8 grams of total fat, up to 3.5\nmilligrams of saturated fat, and less than 80 milligrams of\nsalt in a serving.<p/>\nThe FDA said in its order that it is taking action to\n\"provide reliable information that would assist consumers in\nmaintaining healthy dietary practices.\"\n<p/>\n</p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('145','1','	<p>By genetically removing a\nparticular protein, scientists have developed cattle that seem\nto be resistant to mad cow disease, according to a report in\nthe journal Nature Biotechnology.<p/>\nDr. Juergen A. Richt with the United States <span class=\"keyword\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/nm/hl_nm/mad_cow_resistant_dc/21546754/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&amp;p=%22Department%20of%20%0AAgriculture%22&amp;c=&amp;n=20&amp;yn=c&amp;c=news&amp;cs=nw\">Department of\nAgriculture</a></span> in Ames, Iowa and colleagues generated cattle\nlacking the prion protein (PrP) and monitored them for growth\nand general health status from birth to 20 months of age.<p/>\nPrP in its normal formation does not cause disease in\ncattle, but when it takes on a configuration containing\nmisfolds, it results in mad cow disease, also known as bovine\nspongiform encephalopathy. Because the function of the normal\nPrP is not clear, it was not known if animals without this\nprotein would be healthy.<p/>\nTo investigate, Richt\'s group first developed mice lacking\nthe gene for PrP. No growth or developmental abnormalities were\nseen. Next, they moved on to cattle.<p/>\nThe animals also displayed normal growth and development\nand had no abnormal blood tests, the researchers note.\nMoreover, loss of PrP did not seem to harm the animals\' immune\nsystems or their reproductive ability.<p/>\nEarly tests suggested that these animals are resistant to\nthe development of mad cow disease. The authors note, however,\nthat full testing will take at least 3 years.<p/>\nSOURCE: Nature Biotechnology, December 31, 2006 (advance\nonline issue).\n<p/>\n</p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('144','1','	<p>EU animal health experts have\ntightened rules for the import of live captive birds as part of\nthe bloc\'s strategy to fight bird flu, the EU\'s executive\nCommission said in a statement on Thursday.<p/>\n\"Under the regulation agreed today, only specific countries\nor regions which have already been approved to export live\ncommercial poultry will be allowed to export captive birds to\nthe EU,\" it said.<p/>\nThe list of countries approved to export live captive birds\nto the EU would be limited to those already approved to export\nlive poultry to EU markets, it said. These were Australia,\nCanada, Chile, Croatia, <span class=\"keyword\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/nm/hl_nm/eu_bird_imports_dc/21546705/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&amp;p=%22Israel%22&amp;c=&amp;n=20&amp;yn=c&amp;c=news&amp;cs=nw\">Israel</a></span>, New Zealand and the United\nStates, along with certain states in Brazil.<p/>\nHowever, certain third countries that were geographically\nclose to the <span class=\"keyword\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/nm/hl_nm/eu_bird_imports_dc/21546705/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&amp;p=%22European%20Union%22&amp;c=&amp;n=20&amp;yn=c&amp;c=news&amp;cs=nw\">European Union</a></span> would be exempt from the new rules,\nit added -- Andorra, Lichtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino,\nSwitzerland and <span class=\"keyword\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/nm/hl_nm/eu_bird_imports_dc/21546705/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&amp;p=%22Vatican%22&amp;c=&amp;n=20&amp;yn=c&amp;c=news&amp;cs=nw\">Vatican</a></span> City.<p/>\n\"I am very glad that member states could agree to these\ntighter rules for captive bird imports,\" EU Commissioner for\nHealth and Consumer Protection Markos Kyprianou said.<p/>\n\"The devastation that the H5N1 avian influenza virus has\ncaused globally serves as a reminder that we can take no\nchances in this area,\" he said.<p/>\nThe H5N1 strain mostly affects birds, but it has infected\n263 people in 10 countries since 2003, killing 157 of them.<p/>\nScientists fear the virus could mutate and spread rapidly\nbetween people, triggering a pandemic that could sweep the\nglobe in weeks and possibly kill millions.<p/>\nThe EU\'s new rules will not apply to certain types of\nbirds, including commercial poultry and pet birds accompanying\ntheir owners, since these were already covered by separate EU\nlaws.<p/>\nExporter countries will have to prove the absence of bird\nflu as well as the highly contagious virus Newcastle disease.<p/>\nBirds destined for EU countries may not be vaccinated\nagainst avian flu and all imported birds will have to be\nindividually identifiable through a leg-ring or microchip.\n<p/>\n</p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('143','1','	<p><!--Spanish ID: 600930 --> <p>WEDNESDAY, Jan. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Former prison inmates face a much higher risk of death in the period right after their release, particularly from drug overdoses, a new study found.</p> <p>The risk is highest -- 12.7 times that of the general population -- during the first two weeks after release. Overall, the excess risk is 3.5 times that of the general population, and the risk for both women and men doesn\'t return to normal levels until several weeks after release. </p> <p>\"I was expecting an increased risk of death, but I was surprised at the extent of the increase and by how there is such a strong vulnerable time in the first two weeks,\" said the study\'s lead author, Dr. Ingrid Binswanger, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center. \"It suggests that there might be things we can do to help people transition back.\" </p> <p>The United States now has more people incarcerated than at any time in its history. At the end of 2005, more than 2 million people were being held in federal or state prisons or local jails, an increase of 2.7 percent from the end of 2004. On average, the number of prisoners has grown 3.3 percent annually since 1995, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.</p> <p>Studies conducted in Europe and Australia have suggested that after-release mortality rates were higher in certain populations of inmates, including people with a history of intravenous drug use. But little information had been available for the United States.</p> <p>\"To the extent that I know, this is the first study of its kind in the United States,\" Binswanger said. </p> <p>For her research, which is published in the Jan. 11 issue of the <i>New England Journal of Medicine</i>, Binswanger and colleagues looked at all inmates released from the Washington state Department of Corrections from July 1999 through December 2003. The prison records were then cross-referenced with the National Death Index, and resulting mortality rates were compared with Washington state residents matched for age, gender and race.</p> <p>During that time frame, 30,237 inmates were released; 443 died during a follow-up period of almost two years. The leading causes of death were drug overdoses, cardiovascular disease, homicide and suicide.</p> <p>\"We found a number of causes of death that were in excess of what would be expected in a similar population in terms of age, race and gender,\" Binswanger said. </p> <p>Drug overdoses -- especially from cocaine -- were particularly pronounced during the first two weeks, as were, to a lesser extent, homicide and suicide. Deaths from cardiovascular disease, along with cancer -- particularly lung cancer -- were also high but weren\'t concentrated as strongly in the first two weeks. </p> <p>\"Some of the findings make sense from a physiologic perspective,\" Binswanger said. \"If you have an addiction and you\'ve been relatively abstinent during the time you were incarcerated, then you return to a high level of drug use, you\'re more likely to have an overdose.\" </p> <p>\"The results point to the fact that drug-treatment programs are perhaps one of the most potentially beneficial kinds of interventions,\" she added.</p> <p>The findings sounded a bell for two female inmates in New Mexico.</p> <p>\"We fool ourselves into thinking we\'re going to do [drugs] one last time before we go straight,\" said Anita C., currently being held at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center (BCMDC) in Albuquerque. \"Because we\'ve been clean so long, we underestimate our tolerance.\"</p> <p>Beth, another inmate at BCMDC, added, \"We build our own reality in here and it\'s not what we expected when we get out. When we get out, our plans don\'t go how we wanted. We either start using [drugs] or end it all together.\"</p> <p>A second article in the journal noted that just being in prison added to the risk of contracting a potentially fatal illness, such as HIV or tuberculosis.</p> <p>In an accompanying perspective article, contributing editor Dr. Susan Okie pointed out that risky sexual activities are rife in U.S. prisons. Because sex is prohibited, condoms are not passed out (except on a limited basis in Vermont and Mississippi). One Rhode Island state prisoner said inmates use latex gloves, sandwich bags or nothing at all to protect themselves. </p> <p>In the United States in 2004, according to the article, 1.8 percent of prison inmates were HIV-positive, more than four times the estimated rate in the general population. And while the risk of transmission while incarcerated is low, it\'s \"not negligible,\" Okie said.</p> <p>\"Mr. M.\", a middle-aged, HIV-positive inmate interviewed for the perspective piece at a medium-security compound in Rhode Island, said, \"I\'ve seen it all. We have a lot of risky [sexual] activities... Almost every second or minute, somebody\'s sneaking and doing something.\" </p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>For more on HIV transmission among male inmates, visit the U.S. <a href=\"http://www.cdc.gov/MMWR/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5515a1.htm\" target=\"_new\">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('142','1','	<p><p>(HealthDay News) -- Testosterone is a male sex hormone that plays a part in sperm production, facial hair and muscle growth. Testosterone levels often drop as a man gets older, but low testosterone also can result from genetic, reproductive or endocrine abnormalities.</p> <p>If you think you may have low testosterone, see your doctor. Here are some common symptoms, courtesy of the Men\'s Health Foundation:</p> <ul> <li>Low libido.</li> <li>Erectile dysfunction.</li> <li>Moodiness, depression, fatigue or difficulty concentrating.</li> <li>Reduction in muscle, strength and bone density.</li> <li>Osteoporosis.</li> </ul> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('141','1','\n\n\n	 <p>Three healthy, athletic young men were climbing on Mount Hood in Oregon last month when a severe snowstorm hit. One died of hypothermia from exposure; the search was ultimately called off for the other two. </p> \n<div id=\"articleInline\">\n<div id=\"inlineBox\"><a href=\"#secondParagraph\" class=\"jumpLink\">Skip to next paragraph</a>\n  \n   \n<div class=\"image\">\n<div class=\"enlargeThis\"><a href=\"javascript:pop_me_up2(\'http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2007/01/08/science/09brody_ready.html\', \'09brody_ready\', \'width=385,height=600,scrollbars=yes,toolbars=no,resizable=yes\')\">Enlarge This Image</a></div>\n<a href=\"javascript:pop_me_up2(\'http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2007/01/08/science/09brody_ready.html\', \'09brody_ready\', \'width=385,height=600,scrollbars=yes,toolbars=no,resizable=yes\')\">\n<IMG src=\"http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/2007/01/08/science/brody.190.jpg\" width=\"190\" height=\"273\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\">\n</a>\n<div class=\"credit\">Stuart Bradford</div>\n<p class=\"caption\">\n</p>\n</div>\n  \n   \n</div>\n</div><a name=\"secondParagraph\"></a>\n <p>Also in Oregon last month, James Kim, a 35-year-old father of two young children, died of hypothermia during a fruitless search for help after he made a wrong turn onto an unsecured logging road and the family became  stranded in their car  in rain and snow. </p><p>These highly publicized cases are but two of what health officials believe are well over 1,000 deaths recorded annually in this country among people who become overexposed to cold air or water.</p><p>Hypothermia, a condition in which the body? core temperature drops below 95 degrees, is the No. 1 killer of outdoor recreationists. It is also an often unrecognized killer of infants and the elderly, although the most frequent victims are homeless people, alcoholics and drug addicts.</p><p>And while the weather has been unusually warm thus far in much of the country, temperatures need not be at freezing, or even very low, for hypothermia to occur. Most cases occur in air temperatures of 30 to 50 degrees. But people can succumb to overexposure even at 60 or 70 degrees. This is especially true when it is windy, because wind can carry away more heat than the body can generate, or when people get wet or land in water, because cold water accelerates heat loss 25-fold. </p><p>So it is crucial to know how to prevent a life-threatening loss of body heat and how to recognize the symptoms of hypothermia, preferably in its early stages, and safely reverse them.</p><p><span class=\"bold\">Detecting Symptoms</span></p><p>People are warm-blooded animals that must generate their own body heat and, unless something goes wrong, maintain a core temperature of about 98 degrees. But when the body begins to lose heat faster than it can be produced, the risk of hypothermia sets in. Even a drop in core temperature of two or three degrees can have devastating consequences.</p><p>There are two types of hypothermia: primary and secondary. In primary hypothermia, the body? heat-producing mechanisms are working well but can be overwhelmed by environmental exposure to cold air and wind or water. In secondary hypothermia, underlying conditions like strokes, <a href=\"http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/diabetes/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier\" title=\"Recent and archival health news about diabetes.\">diabetes</a>, malnutrition, bacterial infection, thyroid diseases, spinal cord injuries, alcohol or other drugs interfere with the body? heat-balancing abilities.</p><p>Babies are particularly vulnerable because they have a high ratio of body surface to mass and are unable to shiver to create more heat. The elderly, too, are vulnerable because people gradually lose some defenses against cold as they age, including the ability to move, shiver and contract blood vessels along the body? periphery. In addition, many older people are malnourished, are taking medications or have chronic illnesses that affect their ability to conserve body heat.</p><p>Skiers, hikers and fishermen are among those most at risk, even in relatively mild weather ?if their clothes get wet, if there? a brisk breeze, if they are tired and hungry or if they have been drinking alcohol. And hypothermia can occur in a few hours in water as warm as 60 or 70 degrees.</p><p>The first sign of hypothermia is usually violent shivering and cold, pale skin. As body temperature drops, coordination and mental activity are affected. The National Institute on Aging warns that older victims may not be aware of how cold they are or may not want to complain. The institute suggests watching for the ?mbles? stumbles, mumbles, fumbles and grumbles, which indicate that the person? nerves and muscles are working poorly.</p><p>Other common symptoms of hypothermia are confusion or sleepiness; slowed, slurred speech; shallow breathing; weak pulse; stiffness of the arms or legs; poor control of body movements; and slowed reactions.</p><p>As hypothermia progresses, the person becomes disoriented. Mr. Kim trekked through 10 miles of wilderness but ended up just a mile from his starting point.</p><p><span class=\"bold\">Aiding Recovery</span></p><p>A person suffering from hypothermia must be gradually rewarmed, essentially from the inside out. If possible, call immediately for emergency medical assistance. Meanwhile, remove the victim? wet or cold clothing and wrap the person in layers of dry, warm clothes or blankets. Apply warm (not hot) compresses to the neck, chest wall and groin area.</p><div id=\"pageLinks\"><ul id=\"pageNumbers\"><li> 1 </li><li> <a onClick=\"s_code_linktrack(\'Article-MultiPagePageNum2\');\" title=\"Page 2\" href=\"?pagewanted=2&_r=5\">2</a> </li></ul><a class=\"next\" onClick=\"s_code_linktrack(\'Article-MultiPage-Next\');\" \n             title=\"Next Page\"\n             href=\"?pagewanted=2&_r=5\">Next Page &#x00bb;</a></div><NYT_UPDATE_BOTTOM>\n</NYT_UPDATE_BOTTOM>\n');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('140','1','\n\n\n	 <p><span class=\"bold\">THE FACTS</span> What to do with leftovers? One common bromide is  that leftovers stored in the refrigerator must be allowed to cool first at room temperature.</p> \n<div id=\"articleInline\">\n<div id=\"inlineBox\"><a href=\"#secondParagraph\" class=\"jumpLink\">Skip to next paragraph</a>\n  \n   \n<div class=\"image\">\n<IMG src=\"http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/2007/01/08/science/really.190.jpg\" width=\"190\" height=\"195\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\">\n<div class=\"credit\">Leif Parsons</div>\n<p class=\"caption\">\n</p>\n</div>\n  \n   \n</div>\n</div><a name=\"secondParagraph\"></a>\n <p>The reasoning behind the claim varies. One theory is that allowing food to cool at a slower rate reduces the likelihood that it will spoil. Another suggests that hot food can somehow interfere with the circulation of cold air in the refrigerator. The notion may have originated back when food was stored in iceboxes, and thus could not be too hot when put away.</p><p>Whatever the rationale, the claim is wrong. According to the <a href=\"http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/f/food_and_drug_administration/index.html?inline=nyt-org\" title=\"More articles about the U.S. Food And Drug Administration.\">Food and Drug Administration</a>, leftover food (particularly meat) should be refrigerated immediately after serving, and certainly within two hours of cooking. </p><p>Food bacteria can double every 30 or 40 minutes, and several outbreaks of food poisoning have been linked to meat cooked and left to cool at room temperature for too long. </p><p>Generally, the bacteria that contaminate food thrive at temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, so leftovers should always be stored in a refrigerator set at 40 degrees or below.</p><p> When the quantity of food is large, it should be separated into small containers for quicker cooling, and reheated no more than once.</p><p><span class=\"bold\">THE BOTTOM LINE</span> It? a bad  idea to let food  sit at room temperature before refrigerating.</p><NYT_TAGLINE>\n<p><i><a href=\"mailto:scitimes@nytimes.com\">scitimes@nytimes.com</a></i></p>\n</NYT_TAGLINE><NYT_UPDATE_BOTTOM>\n</NYT_UPDATE_BOTTOM>\n');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('139','1','\n\n\n	 <p>As they examine their state health care budgets, 11 of the nation? governors have identified one big-ticket item they think should cost less: insulin. </p> \n<div id=\"articleInline\">\n<div id=\"inlineBox\"><a href=\"#secondParagraph\" class=\"jumpLink\">Skip to next paragraph</a>\n  \n   \n<div class=\"image\">\n<IMG src=\"http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/2007/01/11/business/190_insulin.jpg\" width=\"190\" height=\"213\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\">\n<div class=\"credit\">Kate Medley for The New York Times</div>\n<p class=\"caption\">\nRose McDaniels working at the Great Harvest Bread bakery in Jackson, Miss. She spends more than 10 percent of her income on insulin. \n</p>\n</div>\n  \n   \n</div>\n</div><a name=\"secondParagraph\"></a>\n <p>The drug cost state Medicaid programs $500 million in 2005. And in the face of an epidemic of <a href=\"http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/diabetes/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier\" title=\"Recent and archival health news about diabetes.\">diabetes</a>, the governors are asking why there is no cheaper generic version of a drug that, in one form or another, has been used since the 1920s. </p><p>Rose McDaniels is wondering, too. She is a bakery worker in Mississippi, the state with the highest incidence of the disease. The $115 a month she spends on insulin consumes more than 10 percent of her income. </p><p>She sometimes cuts back her dosage to make it from payday to payday, though she knows the risks. \"I? trying to make it until the next available dollar I can spare,?she said.</p><p>The issue involves questions of politics and profits, as well as science.</p><p> Insulin is caught in a commercial tug of war between brand-name drug companies that want to protect their franchises and generic drug makers that want to produce their own insulin products.  Recently, each side has stepped up efforts to advance its side of the argument, and there are signs that Congress is ready to make life easier for generic drug companies.</p><p> People with diabetes in this country, as well as government and private insurers, spend a combined $3.3 billion a year on insulin. Analysts say the price of insulin might drop by 25 percent if generic versions became available. </p><p>Now, as the nation? diabetes rate climbs, political pressure is mounting on the <a href=\"http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/f/food_and_drug_administration/index.html?inline=nyt-org\" title=\"More articles about the U.S. Food And Drug Administration.\">Food and Drug Administration</a> to open the door to generic versions. And Gov. <a href=\"http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/haley_barbour/index.html?inline=nyt-per\" title=\"More articles about Haley Barbour.\">Haley Barbour</a> of Mississippi, <a href=\"http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/r/republican_party/index.html?inline=nyt-org\" title=\"More articles about Republican Party\">a Republican</a>, and 10 other governors have asked the F.D.A. to ease the way for generic insulin. </p><p> ?o have a lower-cost solution for our very large diabetic population is in the interest of the state and the interest of these people,?Governor  Barbour said. </p><p>In Congress, some members see the generic-insulin issue as having implications for the nation? health care bill that go well beyond diabetes treatments. Insulin is one of the most widely used of a growing category of drugs known as biologics ?medicines, made from living organisms, that are the fastest-growing segment of pharmaceutical spending. </p><p>Many believe that if generic insulin is approved, that would open the door to development of generic versions of other, more complex biologics. Some include popular and expensive treatments for rheumatoid <a href=\"http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/arthritisandrheumatism/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier\" title=\"Recent and archival health news about arthritis and rheumatism.\">arthritis</a>, <a href=\"http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/cancer/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier\" title=\"Recent and archival health news about cancer.\">cancer</a> and other diseases that cost tens of thousands of dollars a year. The colorectal cancer drug Avastin, for example, costs $4,000 a month.</p><p> Some generic drug manufacturers say that a first step would be for the F.D.A. to adopt guidelines explaining the testing and documentation that would be required for the approval of insulin. The 11 governors from states with high Medicaid spending on insulin are pressing for such guidelines, and generic drug manufacturers say they need them to proceed with applications for insulin. </p><p>But the issue has been clouded by a series of regulatory delays by the F.D.A. The agency announced in 2001 that it was developing guidelines for approving generic insulin and human growth hormone, another widely used and long available biologic. Those guidelines have never been released, however, partly, critics say, because of pressure from the Biotechnology Industry Organization, which represents the brand-name makers of biologic drugs.</p><p>The association argues that the same shortcuts to approval that are granted  for conventional generic drugs are not applicable to biologics, even simple ones like insulin. Those shortcuts include an exemption from the long clinical testing required for approval of brand-name drugs. The trade group has been working to make sure generic drug companies cannot piggyback on the clinical studies done by drug innovators.  </p><p>The F.D.A. says that it is studying the issue, but believes that it is more appropriate to develop guidelines that would apply to all biologics rather than to issue guidelines for individual products like insulin and human growth hormone. The agency has said it will release a scientific background paper this spring that examines the issue.  </p><p>But Senator <a href=\"http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/h/orrin_g_hatch/index.html?inline=nyt-per\" title=\"More articles about Orrin G. Hatch.\">Orrin Hatch</a>, a Utah Republican, and Representative Henry Waxman, a California Democrat, asked last year why the guidelines for insulin and human growth hormone had not been released. ?here is simply no excuse ?scientific, legal or otherwise ?for the F.D.A. to delay the release of these guidelines,?the lawmakers said in a letter to the F.D.A.  </p><p>As Congress looks for ways to reduce health care spending and broaden access to drugs, Mr. Waxman, who heads the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has said that legislation encouraging the development of  generic biologics is one of his top priorities.</p><div id=\"pageLinks\"><ul id=\"pageNumbers\"><li> 1 </li><li> <a onClick=\"s_code_linktrack(\'Article-MultiPagePageNum2\');\" title=\"Page 2\" href=\"?pagewanted=2&_r=5\">2</a> </li></ul><a class=\"next\" onClick=\"s_code_linktrack(\'Article-MultiPage-Next\');\" \n             title=\"Next Page\"\n             href=\"?pagewanted=2&_r=5\">Next Page &#x00bb;</a></div><NYT_UPDATE_BOTTOM>\n</NYT_UPDATE_BOTTOM>\n');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('138','1','\n\n\n	 <p>Women can take the anti-<a href=\"http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/aids/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier\" title=\"Recent and archival health news about AIDS/HIV.\">AIDS</a> drug nevirapine to protect their unborn children without endangering their ability to undergo life-saving antiretroviral treatment later on, a new study has found.</p>      <p> The results are good news for poor women in Africa, Asia and Latin America who must take nevirapine, an inexpensive first-line drug that often prevents the transmission of H.I.V. from mother to child.</p><p>The drug lingers in the blood up to three weeks, and if the mother has the virus that causes AIDS, its presence encourages the growth of nevirapine-resistant strains. That has led to fears that any antiretroviral drug cocktail containing nevirapine would be useless.</p><p> But the new study, published today in The <a href=\"http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/n/new_england_journal_of_medicine/index.html?inline=nyt-org\" title=\"More articles about New England Journal of Medicine\">New England Journal of Medicine</a>, finds that such a cocktail is still effective if women simply delay it for six months after taking the protective dose of nevirapine.</p><p> The study was done by <a href=\"http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/h/harvard_university/index.html?inline=nyt-org\" title=\"More articles about Harvard University.\">Harvard</a> researchers working in <a href=\"http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/botswana/index.html?inline=nyt-geo\" title=\"More news and information about Botswana.\">Botswana</a> but has implications for poor women everywhere. Early reports of data gathered in the study, along with evidence from similar ones, influenced the <a href=\"http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/w/world_health_organization/index.html?inline=nyt-org\" title=\"More articles about World Health Organization\">World Health Organization</a>&#8217;s new AIDS treatment guidelines last year, helping to keep nevirapine in the arsenal of first-line AIDS drugs.</p><p> &#8220;This is a real glimmer of hope,&#8221; said Dr. Catherine Hankins, chief scientific adviser for Unaids, the <a href=\"http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/u/united_nations/index.html?inline=nyt-org\" title=\"More articles about the United Nations.\">United Nations</a> AIDS agency. &#8220;There was real concern that single-dose nevirapine was blowing the use of that whole class of drugs.&#8221;</p><p> Nevirapine has never been a perfect drug; in prolonged use, it can poison the liver and cause rashes, and the virus that causes AIDS only needs to make a single mutation to develop resistance to it. </p><p>In wealthy countries, women are usually given a short course of two or three antiretroviral drugs late in the <a href=\"http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/pregnancy/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier\" title=\"Recent and archival health news about pregnancy.\">pregnancy</a> to prevent passing the virus to their babies, and birth infections are now rare in the West. </p><p> But in poor countries, many women in rural villages give birth without ever seeing a doctor, or they make the trek to hospitals or clinics only when they are in labor, leaving medical workers with little choice but single-dose nevirapine. </p><p> The drug is so simple and effective that health workers in small clinics often leave pregnant women one pill to take when labor starts and a syringe full of liquid nevirapine to squirt into the newborn&#8217;s mouth, said Dr. Shahin Lockman, a researcher for the Harvard School of Public Health&#8217;s AIDS Initiative and one of the authors of the study. In some cases, she said, they must do this without even knowing whether the mother is infected. In Africa, many women still refuse AIDS tests for fear family or neighbors will shun them if they prove positive. </p><p> Under those circumstances, nevirapine is usually harmless and cuts in half the chance that the baby will get infected.</p><p> The drug is also a cornerstone of antiretroviral AIDS treatment in poor countries. It is commonly found in the three-in-one pills used in treatment programs supported by Western donors, and many start-up programs have few alternatives or none at all. In generic form, it costs one-eighth as much as efavirenz, the most closely related drug.</p><p> The Botswana study concludes that waiting six months after single-dose nevirapine allows the nevirapine-resistant strains to disappear from the body.</p><p>   </p><NYT_UPDATE_BOTTOM>\n</NYT_UPDATE_BOTTOM>\n');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('137','1','\n\n\n	 <p> <a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/mem/MWredirect.html?MW=http://custom.marketwatch.com/custom/nyt-com/html-companyprofile.asp&symb=WMT\" title=\"Wal-Mart Stores\">Wal-Mart Stores</a>, the nation? largest employer, is expected to announce today that the number of workers enrolled in the company? health plan rose 8 percent last fall, the result of its introduction of cheaper insurance policies.</p>      <p>But the company said that, even with the increase, less than half of its 1.3 million employees ? 47.4 percent ?receive health insurance through Wal-Mart. About 10 percent of its employees, or 130,000, have no coverage at all.</p><p>Wal-Mart? health benefits have come under sharp criticism for not being affordable to many low-income employees. The company responded in 2005 with the introduction of less-expensive policies that allow someone to buy a plan with a premium for as little as $11 a month. </p><p>Offering what it called an in-depth snapshot of its employees?health care, Wal-Mart said yesterday that most workers were insured, but many relied on coverage from a spouse, parent, previous employer or government program.</p><p>In a survey of 230,000 workers eligible for company heath insurance, Wal-Mart found that 90 percent have insurance.  Within that number, 22.2 percent were covered by a spouse? plan; 3.1 percent relied on Medicaid or a state-sponsored plan; and 2.3 percent received insurance through the military.</p><p>Over all, Wal-Mart said, 636,391 employees are enrolled in company insurance plans. But that number is lower than several previous estimates confirmed by Wal-Mart. </p><p>The percentage of workers covered by the plan, 47.4 percent, is also lower than the 48 percent figure quoted in an internal company memo sent by the former head of benefits to Wal-Mart? board in 2005. </p><p>Wal-Mart said yesterday that it was, in fact, insuring a higher percentage of its workers and contended that the numbers being released today were more accurate than previous numbers.   </p><p>After introducing the cheaper insurance plans, about 82,000 employees, or about 8 percent more, enrolled in a company plan in 2006, Wal-Mart said. The increase reflected workers who were previously eligible for its coverage but had declined it in the past. </p><p>About half of the workers who signed up for the Wal-Mart coverage for the first time said they had been uninsured, according to the company survey, and more than a quarter said that they had not enrolled before because they could not afford it.</p><p>?t? a step in the right direction,?the executive vice president of benefits at Wal-Mart, Linda M. Dillman, said in a telephone interview yesterday.</p><p>But, she said, ?e don? think we have it all figured out.?/p><p>Ms. Dillman said the company was frustrated with the number of uninsured workers. ?e have to get to the root of that. It? a struggle to understand why at $11 a month you could not afford that.?/p><p>The $11 a month benefit allows for three generic prescriptions and three doctor visits before a deductible kicks in, typically $1,000 for an individual employee and $3,000 for an employee? family, the company said. The average Wal-Mart employee makes less than $20,000 a year.</p><p>Wal-Mart is reaching out to its uninsured workers, but the company may not be able to persuade them that buying insurance is worth the money, because they believe they are healthy or can rely on a hospital emergency room for care, said Len Nichols, a health economist at the New America Foundation, a Washington policy group.</p><p>The company cannot offer a plan much less expensive, he said. ?leven dollars a month is about as good as it is going to get for low-wage workers.?/p><NYT_UPDATE_BOTTOM>\n</NYT_UPDATE_BOTTOM>\n');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('136','1','\n\n\n	 <p>JUST before the end of last year, a prominent orthopedic surgeon was stretching to lift a heavy box and twisted his back. The pain was agonizing. He could not sit, and when he lay down he could barely get up.</p> \n<div id=\"articleInline\">\n<div id=\"inlineBox\"><a href=\"#secondParagraph\" class=\"jumpLink\">Skip to next paragraph</a>\n  \n  \n<div id=\"sectionPromo\">\n<p><b>What You Can Do When You Are Injured</b></p>\r\n<p>?Evaluate yourself. Is there redness or swelling? Does one side look different from the others? If not, continue exercising.</p>\r\n<p>?Cross-train in a way that exercises around the area, like cycling instead of running for an injured Achilles tendon. </p>\r\n<p>?Ice the injured area for about 20 minutes after exercising. </p>\r\n<p>?See a doctor if you have severe pain and are having trouble with your daily activities. Otherwise, you can give it time ?up to a month or two ?to get better before rushing to see a doctor.</p>\r\n<p>?Exercise, and if the pain goes away and is not worse after that exercise, it probably is safe to do it.</p>\r\n<p>?Walk on it; if you can? do that, you should not run on it. </p>\n</div>\n<div id=\"sidebarArticles\">\n<h4>Related</h4>\n<h2>\n\n\n<a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/11/fashion/11FitnessSide_.html\" >Moving Down the Road to Recovery</a>\n\n(January 11, 2007)\n</h2>\n</div>\n   \n<div class=\"image\">\n<IMG src=\"http://graphics.nytimes.com/images/2007/01/10/style/11fitn.1.190.jpg\" width=\"190\" height=\"177\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\">\n<div class=\"credit\">Tim Bower</div>\n<p class=\"caption\">\n</p>\n</div>\n  \n</div>\n</div><a name=\"secondParagraph\"></a>\n <p>So the surgeon, Dr. James Weinstein of <a href=\"http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/d/dartmouth_college/index.html?inline=nyt-org\" title=\"More articles about Dartmouth College\">Dartmouth College</a>, decided to go out for a run. </p><p>? took an anti-inflammatory, iced up, and off I went,?Dr. Weinstein recalled. When he returned, he said, he felt ?retty good.?/p><p>It sounds almost like heresy. The usual advice in treating injuries is to rest until the pain goes away. But Dr. Weinstein and a number of leading sports medicine specialists say that is outdated and counterproductive. In fact, Dr. Weinstein says, when active people consult him, he usually tells them to keep exercising. </p><p>The idea, these orthopedists and exercise specialists say, is to use common sense. If you?e got tendinitis or sprained a muscle or tendon by doing too much, don? go right back to exercising at the same level. </p><p>The specific advice can differ from specialist to specialist. Some, like Dr. Weinstein, say most people can continue with the sport they love although they may need to cut back a bit, running shorter distances or going more slowly. Others say to cross-train at least some of the time and others say the safest thing to do is to cross-train all the time until the pain is gone. You might end up cycling instead of running, or swimming instead of playing tennis. But unless it? something as serious as a broken bone or a ripped ligament or muscle, stopping altogether may be the worst thing to do.</p><p>?e want to keep you moving,?said Dr. William Roberts, a sports medicine specialist at the <a href=\"http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/u/university_of_minnesota/index.html?inline=nyt-org\" title=\"More articles about University of Minnesota\">University of Minnesota</a> and a past president of the American College of Sports Medicine. ?njured tissue heals better if it? under some sort of stress.?/p><p>He and others acknowledge that the advice to keep moving may come as a surprise and that some doctors feel uncomfortable giving it, worried that their patients will do too much, make things worse and then blame their doctor.</p><p>?? not convinced this is part of every doctor? training or that everyone is ready to make it part of mainstream medicine,?Dr. Roberts said. ?ou have to work with athletes a while to figure out how to do it and how to do it well.?/p><p> ?he easy way out is to say, ?on? exercise,??said Dr. Richard Steadman, an orthopedic surgeon in Vail, Colo., and founder of the Steadman Hawkins Research Foundation, which studies the origins and treatment of sports injuries. That advice, he added, ?s safe and you probably will have healing over time.?But, he said, ?f the injury is not severe, resting it will probably prolong recovery.?/p><p>Medical researchers say that they only gradually realized the importance of exercising when injured. A few decades ago, Dr. Mininder Kocher, a sports medicine specialist and orthopedic surgeon at Children? Hospital Boston, said doctors were so intent on forcing hurt athletes to rest that they would put injured knees or elbows or limbs in a cast for two to three months. </p><p>When the cast finally came off, the patient? limb would be stiff, the muscles atrophied. ?t would take six months of therapy to get strength and motion back,?Dr. Kocher said. </p><p>At the same time, in a parallel path, researchers were learning that painful conditions that are essentially inflammation ?<a href=\"http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/arthritisandrheumatism/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier\" title=\"Recent and archival health news about arthritis and rheumatism.\">arthritis</a> and chronic lower back pain ?actually improve when patients keep moving. </p><p>Now some researchers, like Dr. Freddie Fu, a sports medicine expert and chairman of the orthopedic surgery department at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and a colleague, James H-C. Wang, are studying minor injuries at the molecular level. </p><p>Their focus is on tendinitis ?the inflamed tendons that are the bane of many exercisers and that affect 15 to 20 percent of all Americans at any given time. The symptoms are all too familiar ?pain, swelling and soreness. To study the injury process, Dr. Wang grows human tendons in the laboratory, stretching them repeatedly. In separate experiments, he has mice run on treadmills until their tendons begin to show the tiny microscopic tears that occur in the early stages of tendinitis. </p><p>So far, Dr. Wang reports, he and Dr. Fu learned some important lessons: First, forceful stretching of tendons elicits the production of molecules that are involved in inflammation. But small repeated stretching of tendons that are already inflamed leads to the production of molecules that heal inflammation. That suggests moderate exercise can actually speed healing. </p><div id=\"pageLinks\"><ul id=\"pageNumbers\"><li> 1 </li><li> <a onClick=\"s_code_linktrack(\'Article-MultiPagePageNum2\');\" title=\"Page 2\" href=\"?pagewanted=2&_r=5\">2</a> </li></ul><a class=\"next\" onClick=\"s_code_linktrack(\'Article-MultiPage-Next\');\" \n             title=\"Next Page\"\n             href=\"?pagewanted=2&_r=5\">Next Page &#x00bb;</a></div><NYT_UPDATE_BOTTOM>\n</NYT_UPDATE_BOTTOM>\n');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('135','1','<!--startclickprintinclude--><script language=\"JavaScript\" type=\"text/javascript\">var clickExpire = \"-1\";</script> <div id=\"cnnSCHighlightsBox\"><!----><h4><span>Story Highlights</span></h4>&#8226; 9-year-old disabled girl\'s growth was deliberately stunted<br> &#8226; Parents say action was taken to improve child\'s quality of life<br> &#8226; Case has triggered wide debate and a protest at the AMA </div><div id=\"cnnSCFontButtons\" ><div id=\"cnnSCByLine\">By  Elizabeth Cohen<br> (CNN)</div><!--startclickprintexclude--><div id=\"cnnSCFontLabel\">Adjust font size:</div>\n<div id=\"cnnSCFontMinusBtn\" onclick=\"setActiveStyleSheet(\'default\'); return false;\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.minus.dim.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Decrease font\" title=\"Decrease font\" class=\"cnnIncreaseFont\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.minus.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Decrease font\" title=\"Decrease font\" class=\"cnnDecreaseFont\"></div>\n<div id=\"cnnSCFontPlusBtn\" onclick=\"setActiveStyleSheet(\'LargeFont\'); return false;\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.plus.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Enlarge font\" title=\"Enlarge font\" class=\"cnnIncreaseFont\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.plus.dim.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Enlarge font\" title=\"Enlarge font\" class=\"cnnDecreaseFont\"></div><!--endclickprintexclude--></div><p>(CNN) -- David is a young man with severe cerebral palsy. He can\'t walk, he can\'t talk, he can\'t sit up by himself, but he can blog. This week, David blogged about Ashley. </p><p>&quot;Ashley\'s parents have committed the ultimate betrayal,&quot; he writes. &quot;They have treated their daughter as less than human, not worthy of dignity.... What strikes me about \'the Ashley treatment\' and has brought me to tears is that the very people in all of society whom this child should trust have betrayed her.&quot; </p><p>Everyone on the Internet, it seems, has an opinion about what Ashley\'s parents did to her. Ashley, 9, has a condition called static encephalopathy, which means an unchanging brain injury of unknown origin. She\'s in a permanent infant-like state -- can\'t hold her head up, speak or roll over on her own. (<a href=\"/2007/HEALTH/01/11/ashley.ethicist/index.html\">Read a Q&amp;A with the ethicist who helped decide on Ashley\'s treatment.</a> )</p><p>When Ashley was 6 years old, her parents and doctors agreed to have her uterus and breast buds removed so she\'ll never reach puberty. She was given estrogen treatments and will never be more than 4 feet 5 inches and 75 pounds.  Like the Terri Schaivo story before her, Ashley and her story have a lot to say about what it means to be disabled, what it means to be different and what it means to be human. </p><p>Feminist groups and disability activists protested Thursday in front of the American Medical Association headquarters in Chicago, demanding that the AMA officially condemn Ashley\'s doctors for performing the procedures.</p><p>Ashley\'s parents speak publicly only through <a href=\"http://ashleytreatment.spaces.live.com/blog/\" target=\"new\">their blog</a><img src=\"http://i.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.3/misc/icon.offsite.gif\" alt=\"external link\" width=\"12\" height=\"9\" vspace=\"1\" hspace=\"0\" border=\"0\" class=\"cnnOffsite\">. On it, they explain why they did what they did: Ashley will be more comfortable at a smaller size; large breasts would have made lying down difficult; it will be easier to include her in family gatherings if she is lighter and easier to carry around. </p><p>Some of the most vociferous critics of what Ashley\'s parents call &quot;the Ashley treatment&quot; have been other parents of disabled children. </p><p>&quot;My son is 11....doesn\'t walk, doesn\'t talk, etc., etc.&quot; writes <a href=\"http://disstud.blogspot.com/2007/01/sigh.html\" target=\"new\">one mom</a><img src=\"http://i.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.3/misc/icon.offsite.gif\" alt=\"external link\" width=\"12\" height=\"9\" vspace=\"1\" hspace=\"0\" border=\"0\" class=\"cnnOffsite\">. &quot;He\'s hard to carry. He\'s not going to get easier to carry.... And still, I don\'t understand. I don\'t understand removing healthy tissue and functioning organs.... Growing is not a sin or a disease -- it\'s what kids\' bodies do, even disabled bodies.&quot; </p><p>&quot;Don\'t get me wrong -- caring for a 5 feet something, 110-plus pound adult with physical disabilities is no walk in the park,&quot; blogs <a href=\"http://fedupandfrustrated.blogspot.com/2007/01/world-has-gone-completely-nuts.html\" target=\"new\">another mom</a><img src=\"http://i.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.3/misc/icon.offsite.gif\" alt=\"external link\" width=\"12\" height=\"9\" vspace=\"1\" hspace=\"0\" border=\"0\" class=\"cnnOffsite\">. &quot;I\'ve got the trashed lumbar discs to prove that. But I am truly just sick to my stomach to imagine that it\'s acceptable medical practice in any case to surgically stunt a child\'s growth.... Using their logic, why not just perform quadruple amputations? I mean, really, she\'s not going to use her arms and legs.&quot; </p><p>Many others have been supportive of Ashley\'s doctors and parents. On CNN.com, for example, one person wrote, &quot;No one objects to surgery to remove a cancer or hormone treatments to treat a variety of ailments. No one objects to pain medication for palliative care. Why would anyone object to surgery or hormones to improve the quality of life and care for a severely mentally disabled child?&quot; </p><p>In the end, as in the Schiavo case, it comes down to who speaks for Ashley, a girl who cannot speak for herself. A CNN.com reader who is supportive of Ashley\'s parents wrote: &quot;Nobody is stopping to think how a little girl with the mentality of an infant would treat bodily processes such as puberty and menstruation -- a process that scares even the most normal of our children.&quot; </p><p>But others think they\'re in a position to understand what Ashley wants. &quot;Ashley is human. I am human,&quot; writes David on his blog. &quot;Ashley is me. I am Ashley. And you are Ashley, too.&quot;</p><!--startclickprintexclude-->  ');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('134','1','<!--startclickprintinclude--><script language=\"JavaScript\" type=\"text/javascript\">var clickExpire = \"02/10/2007\";</script> <div id=\"cnnSCHighlightsBox\"><!----><h4><span>Story Highlights</span></h4>&#8226; 26 percent of Americans think of themselves as chronic procrastinators<br> &#8226; People who procrastinate tend to be less healthy, less wealthy and less happy<br> &#8226; Men are worse than women<br>  </div><div id=\"cnnSCFontButtons\" ><!--startclickprintexclude--><div id=\"cnnSCFontLabel\">Adjust font size:</div>\n<div id=\"cnnSCFontMinusBtn\" onclick=\"setActiveStyleSheet(\'default\'); return false;\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.minus.dim.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Decrease font\" title=\"Decrease font\" class=\"cnnIncreaseFont\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.minus.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Decrease font\" title=\"Decrease font\" class=\"cnnDecreaseFont\"></div>\n<div id=\"cnnSCFontPlusBtn\" onclick=\"setActiveStyleSheet(\'LargeFont\'); return false;\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.plus.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Enlarge font\" title=\"Enlarge font\" class=\"cnnIncreaseFont\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.plus.dim.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Enlarge font\" title=\"Enlarge font\" class=\"cnnDecreaseFont\"></div><!--endclickprintexclude--></div><p><b>WASHINGTON </b>(AP)  -- After 10 years of research on a project that was supposed to take only five years, a Canadian industrial psychologist found in a giant study that not only is procrastination on the rise, it makes people poorer, fatter and unhappier.</p><p>Something has to be done about it, sooner rather than later, University of Calgary professor Piers Steel concludes. His 30-page study is in this month\'s peer-reviewed Psychological Bulletin, published by the American Psychological Association.</p><p>In 1978, only about 5 percent of the American public thought of themselves as chronic procrastinators. Now it\'s 26 percent, Steel said.</p><p>And why not? There are so many fun ways to kill time -- TVs in every room, online video, Web-surfing, cell phones, video games, iPods and Blackberries.</p><p>At work, e-mail, the Internet and games are just a click away, making procrastination effortless, Steel said.</p><p>&quot;That stupid game Minesweeper -- that probably has cost billions of dollars for the whole society,&quot; he said.</p><p>The U.S. gross national product would probably rise by $50 billion if the icon and sound that notifies people of new e-mail suddenly disappear, he added.</p><p>And there\'s good reason to worry right now about the problem of procrastination.</p><p>&quot;People who procrastinate tend to be less healthy, less wealthy and less happy,&quot; Steel said Wednesday. &quot;You can reduce it, but I don\'t think you can eliminate it.&quot;</p><p>Psychologist William Knaus, who has written several self-help books on fighting procrastination since 1977\'s &quot;Overcoming Procrastination,&quot; said Steel is &quot;absolutely right.&quot;</p><a name=\"1\"></a><a name=\"rv1\"></a><h3>Tough habit to break</h3><p>He said he found it harder to wean chronic procrastinators from the habit of delaying than to wean alcoholics from booze. Knaus mentioned one businessman who spent 40 hours of delay time to avoid five minutes of work.</p><p>&quot;It\'s a huge problem,&quot; Knaus said. &quot;I think the majority of mental disabilities people have -- anxiety, panic -- they can be defined as a special case of procrastination.&quot;</p><p>There is personal financial fallout from procrastination, too. Delay in filing taxes on average costs a person $400 a year and last-minute Christmas shopping with credit cards was five times higher in 1999 than in 1991, Steel found in a review of more than 500 economic and psychological studies about putting off unpleasant chores.</p><p>Steel\'s study found that in the past quarter century, the average self-score for procrastination (using a 1-to-5 scale with 1 being no delaying) has increased by 39 percent.</p><p>Overall, more than a quarter of Americans say they procrastinate. Men are worse than women (about 54 out of 100 chronic procrastinators are men) and the young are more like to procrastinate than the old, Steel said. Three out of four college students consider themselves procrastinators.</p><p>Early studies looking at U.S. and Canadian cultures didn\'t find any differences in the two countries\' procrastination problem, but Steel said when he has more time he\'ll get around to more cross-cultural studies.</p><p>The causes of procrastination combine temptation, sense of immediacy, the value of doing the job, and whether you believe you can get the work done, Steel found. He even created a complicated mathematical formula, complete with Greek letters, to figure out when a person is likely to procrastinate.</p><p>Temptation is the biggest factor. And it\'s why procrastination is getting worse, Steel said, citing technology.</p><p>&quot;It\'s easier to procrastinate now than ever before. We have so many more temptations,&quot; he said. &quot;It\'s never been harder to be self-disciplined in all of history than it is now.&quot;</p><p>But procrastination goes back thousands of years, before technology. Ancient literature harps on the problem, Steel said. Knaus mentioned a book from 1852: &quot;Thoughtless Little Fanny: The Unhappy Results of Procrastination.&quot; The author is just called &quot;a friend of children.&quot;</p><p>While many self-help books say perfectionists procrastinate because they don\'t want to get things wrong, Steel found just the opposite. Perfectionists procrastinate less and do better because they avoid delaying. However they do worry more about putting stuff off, he said.</p><p>Studying procrastination as a field has a benefit, said the professor. The more he knows about the problem and the causes, the less he procrastinates -- even though he sheepishly acknowledges his study was completed five years late.</p><p>The good thing about studying procrastination, he said: &quot;If you take a day off from it, you can always say it\'s field research.&quot;</p><p class=\"cnnSCAttribution\">Copyright 2007 The <a href=\"/interactive_legal.html#AP\">Associated Press</a>. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.</p><!--startclickprintexclude-->  ');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('133','1','<!--startclickprintinclude--><script language=\"JavaScript\" type=\"text/javascript\">var clickExpire = \"02/10/2007\";</script> <div id=\"cnnSCFontButtons\" class=\"cnn0pxTMargin\"><!--startclickprintexclude--><div id=\"cnnSCFontLabel\">Adjust font size:</div>\n<div id=\"cnnSCFontMinusBtn\" onclick=\"setActiveStyleSheet(\'default\'); return false;\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.minus.dim.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Decrease font\" title=\"Decrease font\" class=\"cnnIncreaseFont\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.minus.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Decrease font\" title=\"Decrease font\" class=\"cnnDecreaseFont\"></div>\n<div id=\"cnnSCFontPlusBtn\" onclick=\"setActiveStyleSheet(\'LargeFont\'); return false;\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.plus.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Enlarge font\" title=\"Enlarge font\" class=\"cnnIncreaseFont\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.plus.dim.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Enlarge font\" title=\"Enlarge font\" class=\"cnnDecreaseFont\"></div><!--endclickprintexclude--></div><p><b>WASHINGTON</b> (AP)  -- The tiny parasite undulates under the microscope like some creature from a sci-fi movie, but this one is all too real, latching onto the sexually unwary with tentacle-like probes.</p><p>Now scientists have mapped the genes of the nasty little bug that causes one of the world\'s most common, and arguably least recognized, sexually transmitted infections, one with the tongue-twisting name of trichomoniasis.</p><p>Researchers hope the work will bring new attention to a parasite estimated to infect 170 million people a year worldwide, including 8 million in North America -- and one emerging as a player in the spread of the AIDS virus.</p><p>&quot;There are a huge number of people infected out there, but they don\'t know it so you don\'t know it,&quot; warned Dr. Jane Carlton, a parasite specialist who led the four-year effort by The Institute for Genomic Research to crack the bug\'s genome.</p><p>The work is published in Friday\'s edition of the journal Science.</p><p>Most sexually transmitted infections are caused by viruses or bacteria. A microscopic, single-celled protozoan named Trichomonas vaginalis causes this one.</p><p>The good news: &quot;Trich,&quot; as it\'s short-handed, is easily curable, with a drug called Flagyl. The bad news: Many cases go undiagnosed and thus continue spreading trich, plus the parasite is starting to develop resistance to the drug.</p><p>Both men and women can be infected, although trich is more common in women. But men usually suffer no symptoms, while about half of women do, reporting such problems as vaginal itching and a fishy-smelling frothy discharge.</p><p>During pregnancy, trich can cause premature birth or low-weight babies. It\'s linked to pelvic inflammatory disease.</p><p>But trich\'s real threat is that it quietly increases women\'s vulnerability to HIV, by altering the lining of the vagina so that it\'s easier for the AIDS virus to sneak in. Trich also seems to increase the chances that people who already have HIV spread it, enhancing that virus in different ways.</p><p>&quot;It is a bad actor,&quot; said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which funded the genome work.</p><p>The genetic mapping &quot;is a very strong step in the right direction with regard to a parasite we still have not fully appreciated,&quot; he added.</p><p>The genome -- which turned out to be 10-fold larger than researchers had predicted -- highlights this bug\'s predatory nature, says Carlton, now at New York University School of Medicine.</p><p>First, it shifts from the shape of a pear to flatten and cover as much of the vaginal surface as possible. Then it sends tendrils under that surface to latch on. And then it gobbles up the vagina\'s good, anti-infective bacteria even as it secretes proteins that can erode holes in cells in the vaginal lining.</p><p>&quot;We think it\'s a very voracious parasite,&quot; Carlton said.</p><p class=\"cnnSCAttribution\">Copyright 2007 The <a href=\"/interactive_legal.html#AP\">Associated Press</a>. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.</p><!--startclickprintexclude-->  ');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('132','1','<!--startclickprintinclude--><script language=\"JavaScript\" type=\"text/javascript\">var clickExpire = \"01/24/2007\";</script> <div id=\"cnnSCFontButtons\" class=\"cnn0pxTMargin\"><!--startclickprintexclude--><div id=\"cnnSCFontLabel\">Adjust font size:</div>\n<div id=\"cnnSCFontMinusBtn\" onclick=\"setActiveStyleSheet(\'default\'); return false;\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.minus.dim.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Decrease font\" title=\"Decrease font\" class=\"cnnIncreaseFont\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.minus.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Decrease font\" title=\"Decrease font\" class=\"cnnDecreaseFont\"></div>\n<div id=\"cnnSCFontPlusBtn\" onclick=\"setActiveStyleSheet(\'LargeFont\'); return false;\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.plus.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Enlarge font\" title=\"Enlarge font\" class=\"cnnIncreaseFont\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.plus.dim.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Enlarge font\" title=\"Enlarge font\" class=\"cnnDecreaseFont\"></div><!--endclickprintexclude--></div><p><b>WASHINGTON</b> (Reuters)  -- More than 120,000 obese Americans had some kind of surgery to help them lose weight in 2004, with the biggest increase among middle-aged people, according to a study released  Wednesday.</p><p>In 1998, 772 people aged 55 to 64 had gastric bypass, stapling or some similar procedure known as bariatric surgery to help weight loss. But that number ballooned to 15,086 in 2004, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.</p><p>&quot;Among the reasons for the extremely dramatic increases is that the mortality outcomes from obesity surgery have improved greatly,&quot; the agency said in a statement.</p><p>&quot;The national death rate for patients hospitalized for bariatric surgery declined 78 percent, from 0.9 percent in 1998 to 0.2 percent in 2004.&quot;</p><p>Agency director Dr. Carolyn Clancy said the report shows &quot;more Americans are turning to obesity surgery and that an increasing number of younger people are undergoing these procedures.&quot;</p><p>More than 103,000 of the 2004 operations were on patients aged 18 to 54, the study found, and 349 were performed on youngsters aged 12 to 17.</p><p>&quot;As the rate of obesity continues to climb, the health care system needs to be prepared for continued escalation in the rate of this surgery and its potential complications,&quot; she said.</p><p>The average hospital cost for an obesity surgery patient stay, excluding physician fees, was $10,395 in 2004 as compared with $10,970 in 1998, adjusted for inflation, according to the report.</p><p class=\"cnnSCAttribution\">Copyright 2007 <a href=\"/interactive_legal.html#Reuters\">Reuters</a>. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.</p><!--startclickprintexclude-->  ');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('131','1','<!--startclickprintinclude--><script language=\"JavaScript\" type=\"text/javascript\">var clickExpire = \"-1\";</script> <div id=\"cnnSCFontButtons\" class=\"cnn0pxTMargin\"><div id=\"cnnSCByLine\">By  Amy Burkholder<br> CNN</div><!--startclickprintexclude--><div id=\"cnnSCFontLabel\">Adjust font size:</div>\n<div id=\"cnnSCFontMinusBtn\" onclick=\"setActiveStyleSheet(\'default\'); return false;\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.minus.dim.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Decrease font\" title=\"Decrease font\" class=\"cnnIncreaseFont\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.minus.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Decrease font\" title=\"Decrease font\" class=\"cnnDecreaseFont\"></div>\n<div id=\"cnnSCFontPlusBtn\" onclick=\"setActiveStyleSheet(\'LargeFont\'); return false;\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.plus.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Enlarge font\" title=\"Enlarge font\" class=\"cnnIncreaseFont\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.plus.dim.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Enlarge font\" title=\"Enlarge font\" class=\"cnnDecreaseFont\"></div><!--endclickprintexclude--></div><p>(CNN) -- What shapes a woman\'s reality -- how she sees the world, how she relates to the people in her life, and how she feels about herself?</p><p>Ask neuropsychiatrist Louann Brizendine and she\'ll say it depends on her age and what hormones her brain is steeped in at the time.</p><p>And, contrary to what you may think, the rockiest time isn\'t age 12, with the flood of hormones associated with the beginning of menstruation, or age 51, the average age of menopause, according to Brizendine. It\'s those years before a woman enters menopause.</p><p>&quot;The biggest time for changes for women in terms of behavior and symptoms is in the perimenopause, when estrogen and progesterone fluctuate the most in the female brain,&quot; says Brizendine, founder of the Women\'s Mood and Hormone Clinic at the University of California, San Francisco. &quot;This is when the dialogue between the brain and ovaries begins to run out of fuel, and that may change our reality as we are going through our cycle.&quot;</p><p>It may surprise many women to learn that &quot;menopause&quot; actually lasts one day. It\'s defined as the single day 12 months after a woman\'s last menstrual period. The changes over time that are often described as &quot;menopause&quot; are really perimenopause.</p><a name=\"1\"></a><a name=\"rv2\"></a><h3>Years of ups and downs</h3><p>Perimenopause can begin as long as 10 years earlier, but women often fail to connect irksome symptoms to the beginning of &quot;the change.&quot; For example, an important first clue may be sleep difficulties, which affect about 30 percent of women. Other symptoms may be more familiar, such as intense irritability, decreased libido and mood fluctuations, often for women who\'ve never experienced moodiness before.</p><p>Pat Dodson of San Francisco was a politically connected working mom, when at age 47 she started feeling &quot;brittle as glass,&quot; yet had no idea she was in the throes of perimenopause. &quot;I was feeling angry. I was feeling like I should get a divorce. I can\'t ever remember feeling like that at any other time in my life,&quot; says Dodson.</p><p>Hormonal changes certainly lead to behavioral changes, Brizendine says, offering a fascinating statistic: Contrary to conventional wisdom that men often dump their menopausal wives, government statistics show that after age 50, 65 percent of divorces are initiated by women. It may be bold, even reckless to reason that seismic hormonal shifts are breaking up marriages, but Brizendine suggests that as a woman\'s brain chemistry changes, she may, too -- and some of that has to do with oxytocin, that feel-good hormone women get from sex or a massage, cuddling a baby or simply hugging someone for a good 20 seconds. When her estrogen levels naturally decrease over time, so does a woman\'s oxytocin, and she may become less &quot;we&quot; focused and more &quot;me&quot; focused as a result.</p><p>&quot;The estrogen and oxytocin that have been pumping through her brain for years have quieted down. Women just don\'t feel as much stimulation in their brain with their hormones to do the caretaking anymore.&quot;</p><p>So how do you know if you\'re just in a bad mood, or experiencing perimenopause?</p><p>For most women, perimenopause happens after age 40, and can last anywhere from two to 10 years. While a shorter menstrual cycle is a reliable tipoff, shortening from an average of 28 days to 24 days until eventually tampering off altogether, your doctor isn\'t likely to give you a blood test to tell you -- definitively -- you\'ve reached that point. Your cycle would probably be too erratic to provide an accurate result.</p><p>&quot;You could be perfectly fine one day and completely in the perimenopause zone the next day,&quot; Brizendine says. &quot;It\'s a rapidly changing target.&quot;</p><a name=\"2\"></a><a name=\"rv1\"></a><h3>Finding relief</h3><p>So what can a woman do to feel better as her body and brain are changing?</p><p>At the mood and hormone clinic, Brizendine routinely prescribes short courses of hormone therapy, sleep medications if warranted, and small doses of antidepressants. But before rushing off to fill a prescription, experts concede that medicating menopause is something women should consider carefully.</p><p>&quot;If it ain\'t broke, don\'t fix it,&quot; says Dr. Nanette Santoro, a reproductive endocrinologist who co-wrote the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists\' guidelines on hormone therapy. &quot;All treatments have benefits and risks, and the driver here should be a woman\'s symptoms. Only a woman can judge.&quot;</p><p>The national OB-GYN group stresses exercise, particularly weight-bearing exercise, and suggests that a good diet rich in calcium can provide natural relief.</p><p>Dodson, who\'s now 61 and many years through menopause, didn\'t lose her mind, or her marriage, during those tumultuous years, and credits seeking treatment, which included sleep medication and brief hormone therapy. She says she feels renewed contentment in her life, and counsels women that things really do get better after they\'re over the hormonal hump.</p><p>&quot;My post-menopausal period has been like starting all over again,&quot; says Dodson. &quot;It\'s an opportunity to find your interests and pursue them, and not something to fear.&quot;</p><p>Brizendine couldn\'t agree more. She believes hormonal changes in the brain can make the late perimenopausal and menopausal years a very liberating time indeed, giving women the zest to focus on their own projects.</p><p>&quot;I think our culture is so much of a youth culture we think, after age 50 it\'s all over. But if you actually talk with menopausal women, you find many are having the best time of their lives.&quot;</p><!--startclickprintexclude-->  ');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('130','1','<!--startclickprintinclude--><script language=\"JavaScript\" type=\"text/javascript\">var clickExpire = \"02/10/2007\";</script> <div id=\"cnnSCHighlightsBox\"><!----><h4><span>Story Highlights</span></h4>&#8226; <b>NEW: </b>House passes bill lifting ban on embryonic stem-cell research 253-174 <br> &#8226; Bush vows to veto legislation for second time<br> &#8226; Scientists say stem cells may be used to grow replacement tissue<br> &#8226; Destruction of embryos during research prompts opposition </div><div id=\"cnnSCFontButtons\" ><!--startclickprintexclude--><div id=\"cnnSCFontLabel\">Adjust font size:</div>\n<div id=\"cnnSCFontMinusBtn\" onclick=\"setActiveStyleSheet(\'default\'); return false;\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.minus.dim.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Decrease font\" title=\"Decrease font\" class=\"cnnIncreaseFont\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.minus.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Decrease font\" title=\"Decrease font\" class=\"cnnDecreaseFont\"></div>\n<div id=\"cnnSCFontPlusBtn\" onclick=\"setActiveStyleSheet(\'LargeFont\'); return false;\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.plus.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Enlarge font\" title=\"Enlarge font\" class=\"cnnIncreaseFont\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.plus.dim.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Enlarge font\" title=\"Enlarge font\" class=\"cnnDecreaseFont\"></div><!--endclickprintexclude--></div><p><b>WASHINGTON</b> (AP) -- The Democratic-controlled House Thursday passed a bill bolstering embryonic stem cell research that advocates say shows promise for numerous medical cures.</p><p>But the 253-174 vote fell short of the two-thirds margin required to overturn President Bush\'s promised veto, despite gains made by supporters in the November elections. Bush vetoed identical legislation last year and the White House on Thursday promised he would veto it again.</p><p>The White House said the bill -- the third bill of the Democrats\' first 100 hours agenda to pass the House -- &quot;would use federal taxpayer dollars to support and encourage the destruction of human life for research.&quot; (Interactive: <a href=\"javascript:CNN_openPopup(\'/interactive/us/0701/dem/frameset.exclude.html\',\'620x430\',\'toolbar=no,location=no,directories=no,status=no,menubar=no,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,width=620,height=430\');\">House Democrats\' \'100 hour\' agenda</a>)</p><p>At stake was whether research on cells taken from human embryos -- considered by scientists to be the most promising approach to developing potential treatments or cures for dozens of diseases -- should be underwritten with taxpayer funds.</p><a name=\"1\"></a><a name=\"rv2\"></a><h3>Bill sparks passions</h3><p>The debate raises passions because the research typically involves the destruction of frozen embryos created for in vitro fertilization. It draws fierce opposition from anti-abortion lawmakers and like-minded constituents who believe their taxes should not fund such research. Proponents of the research said it is done on embryos that would otherwise be discarded from fertility clinics anyway.</p><p>&quot;I support stem cell research with only one exception -- research that requires killing human life,&quot; said Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio. &quot;Taxpayer-funded stem cell research must be carried out in an ethical manner in a way that respects the sanctity of human life. Fortunately, ethical stem cell alternatives continue to flourish in the scientific community.&quot; (<a href=\"javascript:cnnVideo(\'play\',\'/video/health/2007/01/08/snow.stem.cell.debate.cnn\',\'2007/01/22\');\">Watch how new discoveries may change the stem-cell debate</a> <a href=\"javascript:cnnVideo(\'play\',\'javascript:cnnVideo(\'play\',\'/video/health/2007/01/08/snow.stem.cell.debate.cnn\',\'2007/01/22\');\',\'2007/01/11\');\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/main/icon_video.gif\" alt=\"Video\" width=\"19\" height=\"12\" vspace=\"1\" hspace=\"0\" border=\"0\" class=\"cnnVideoIcon\"></a>)</p><p>Democrats countered with Rep. James Langevin, D-Rhode Island, an anti-abortion lawmaker who is paralyzed from the chest down from a handgun accident that occurred when he was a teenager. The research, Langevin said, offers &quot;tremendous hope that not only stem cell research might lead one day to a cure for spinal cord injuries but one day a child with diabetes will no longer have to endure a lifetime of painful shots and tests.&quot;</p><p>Dr. Robert Lanza, a top stem cell researcher at Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., said that stem cell-based treatments could be just a few years away for eye and spinal cord injuries, but that a decade or more of research is needed before treatments might become available for diseases such as diabetes and Alzheimer\'s.</p><a name=\"2\"></a><a name=\"rv1\"></a><h3>Polls: Most support research</h3><p>Polls show most Americans support embryonic stem cell research, and Democrats say the issue played a big role in the Nov. 7 elections that returned their party to the majority in the House and Senate.</p><p>But in the House, Democratic gains of 30 seats don\'t translate into anywhere near that number of new votes for the embryonic stem cell research bill, sponsored by Reps. Diana DeGette, D-Colorado, and Mike Castle, R-Delaware.</p><p>For starters, many Democratic freshmen defeated more moderate Republicans who voted for the bill when it originally passed in 2005 and on an unsuccessful veto override attempt last year. And some Republicans who supported the bill have been replaced with opponents of the measure.</p><p>As a result, House embryonic stem cell research proponents have gained only 15 votes over the high-water mark of 238 in the prior GOP-controlled House.</p><p>If every House member votes, it takes 290 votes to override a veto, and both the House and Senate must override a veto for a bill to become law without a president\'s signature.</p><p>Scientists still say, however, that embryonic stem cells so far are backed by the most promising evidence that one day they might be used to grow replacements for damaged tissue, such as new insulin-producing cells for diabetics or new nerve connections to restore movement after spinal injury.</p><p>The legislation would lift Bush\'s 2001 ban on federal dollars spent on deriving new stem cells from fertilized embryos. Bush\'s veto of the bill last year was the first veto of his presidency.</p><p>Embryonic stem cells are able to morph into any of the more than 220 cell types that make up the human body. Bush on August 9, 2001, restricted government funding to research using only the embryonic stem cell lines then in existence, groups of stem cells kept alive and propagating in lab dishes.</p><p>But those 21 stem cell lines have many problems, and researchers say 300 newer lines, culled from fertility clinic leftovers otherwise destined to be thrown away, are considered better suited for implantation into sick Americans.</p><p>Scientists take those cells from a 5-day-old embryo, when it\'s bigger than the period at the end of this sentence.</p><p class=\"cnnSCAttribution\">Copyright 2007 The <a href=\"/interactive_legal.html#AP\">Associated Press</a>. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.</p><!--startclickprintexclude-->  ');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('129','1','<!--startclickprintinclude--><script language=\"JavaScript\" type=\"text/javascript\">var clickExpire = \"-1\";</script> <script language=\"JavaScript\" type=\"text/javascript\">if ( location.hostname.toLowerCase().indexOf( \"edition.\" ) == -1 ) {document.write(\"<div id=\\\"cnnProgrammingNote\\\"><p><b>More on CNN TV:</b> Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Lance Armstrong join forces in the cancer fight. Watch &quot;Saving Your Life&quot; Saturday and Sunday at 8 and 11 p.m ET.<\\/p><\\/div>\");}</script><div id=\"cnnSCFontButtons\" ><div id=\"cnnSCByLine\">By Lance Armstrong<br> Special to CNN<br> </div><!--startclickprintexclude--><div id=\"cnnSCFontLabel\">Adjust font size:</div>\n<div id=\"cnnSCFontMinusBtn\" onclick=\"setActiveStyleSheet(\'default\'); return false;\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.minus.dim.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Decrease font\" title=\"Decrease font\" class=\"cnnIncreaseFont\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.minus.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Decrease font\" title=\"Decrease font\" class=\"cnnDecreaseFont\"></div>\n<div id=\"cnnSCFontPlusBtn\" onclick=\"setActiveStyleSheet(\'LargeFont\'); return false;\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.plus.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Enlarge font\" title=\"Enlarge font\" class=\"cnnIncreaseFont\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.plus.dim.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Enlarge font\" title=\"Enlarge font\" class=\"cnnDecreaseFont\"></div><!--endclickprintexclude--></div><p class=\"cnnEditorNote\">Lance Armstrong, one of cycling\'s all-time greats and possibly the world\'s best known cancer survivor, founded the Lance Armstrong Foundation with the goal of inspiring and empowering people with cancer. He now campaigns for more government funds for cancer research and treatment.</p><p><b>AUSTIN, Texas</b> (CNN) -- I\'m not known for my patience. Patience is a polite quality and often appropriate, but it rarely gets things done. Impatience, however, is the hunger for results and intolerance for excuses and delays. Impatience got me over countless mountain passes, across the finish line in New York City and through four rounds of ruthless chemotherapy 10 years ago.</p><p>Yet this election season I patiently waited to hear a candidate for office explain to constituents what he or she planned to do about one of the leading threats to the health and well-being of all Americans -- cancer. My patience was greeted with silence.</p><p>Cancer will impact one in two men and one in three women in their lifetime. It is devastating and it is pervasive. In fact, every year 1.3 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer. (<a href=\"/CNN/Programs/presents/shows/savingyourlife/\">Visit a CNN special, &quot;Saving Your Life&quot;</a> )</p><p>Thankfully, our country has made tremendous progress in this fight and produced remarkable advances in the way we prevent, diagnose and treat cancer. Today, in many cases, we can humbly say that cancer is no longer a death sentence. The medical advances achieved by our nation\'s best doctors and researchers have given us reasons to hope.</p><p>But in spite of this vast body of knowledge, 1,500 people will die from cancer today and tomorrow and the day after that, often because the care they needed to prevent cancer or survive it was not available to them. (<a href=\"javascript:cnnVideo(\'play\',\'/video/health/2007/01/09/saving.your.life.cancer.livestrong.cnn\',\'2007/02/15\');\">Watch cancer survivors describe their ordeal</a> <a href=\"javascript:cnnVideo(\'play\',\'/video/health/2007/01/09/saving.your.life.cancer.livestrong.cnn\',\'2007/02/15\');\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/main/icon_video.gif\" alt=\"Video\" width=\"19\" height=\"12\" vspace=\"1\" hspace=\"0\" border=\"0\" class=\"cnnVideoIcon\"></a>)</p><p>However, our nation\'s second-leading killer did not make the list of issues that our candidates used to get people to the polls last November. Anyone with a television or access to a newspaper can list the ballot box issues that occupied our candidates\' attention -- they range from bickering to very real concerns and challenges. </p><p>The political ads didn\'t tell voters that earlier in the year funding for cancer research was cut for the first time in 30 years. Nor did they explain that a lack of funding slows the pace of scientific discovery and the development of treatments. Our candidates did not mention the decrease in funding for programs that provide information and screening to people who need these services. I think this is unwise, but it is what our government has done this past year. I waited patiently for an explanation, some clarification or justification. Ten million cancer survivors deserve an answer. We didn\'t get one.</p><p>It is true that state and federal budgets are constrained by many important responsibilities. But cancer doesn\'t care about that.</p><p>It is time to hold our leaders accountable. It remains to be seen if the change in power on Capitol Hill will affect the fight against cancer. In two years we will elect a new president. We cannot predict the actions of any of our elected officials, but we can say for sure that when it comes to cancer their silence is unacceptable.</p><p>Patient people may accept the status quo, but the status quo isn\'t working for us. Instead, we need to stubbornly hold our leaders accountable and we need the courage to ask tough questions of our elected officials. Few issues facing our government are more personal or more critical than the health of our citizens. What are we going to do to effectively fight cancer? Millions of Americans with cancer are asking.</p><p>I\'m not known for my patience. When it comes to cancer, I hope you aren\'t either.</p><p><i>What is your take on this commentary? Do you have a cancer story to tell? <a href=\"/exchange/ireports/topics/forms/2007/01/saving.your.life.html\">E-mail us</a> </i></p><p><i>The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the writer. This is part of an occasional series of commentaries on CNN.com that offers a broad range of perspectives, thoughts and points of view.</i></p><p><b>Your responses</b></p><p>CNN.com asked readers for their thoughts on this commentary. We received a lot of excellent responses. Below you will find a small selection of those e-mails, some of which have been edited for length and spelling.</p><p><b>Grant Campbell, Mesquite, Texas<br> </b>I would like to express my thanks to CNN bringing this issue to the forefront. Within the last 2 months, I have had my uncle, who did smoke during his life and who is in his mid 80s, diagnosed with lung cancer. Due to his age and how much it had advanced before he was diagnosed with it, there is nothing that can be done to save him. About two weeks after learning about him, I found out that a friend of over 29 years who did not smoke, drink or do drugs in his life, was diagnosed with lung cancer as well. He is 41 years old. ...These are just two examples of how this disease can strike without much warning. It can strike young and old, smokers and non smokers alike. ... My hope is that our elected officials can come together to get more financial support for cancer research.</p><p><b>Mary Renner, Springfield, Illinois<br> </b>Bravo, Lance!!</p><p><b>John Scott, Phoenix, Arizona</b><br> How many overpaid politicians will it take to die of cancer for them to make prevention and treatment of this disease a priority? As long as it does not affect them or drive their poll numbers, they will not care. Save your breath, Lance, they are not listening.</p><p><b>Pat Wright, Denmark, Iowa</b><br> I, too, am a cancer survivor. Only my cancer was discovered March 2006. I figure each day I\'m alive, I\'m a survivor! I know that if I had not had medical insurance through my work, I would not be alive today. I am a widow and could not have afforded the high cost of treatment on my own! I do believe the federal government has not taken enough action on cancer care -- or health care in general. </p><p><b>Linda, Cincinnati, Ohio</b><br> While I appreciate Mr. Armstrong\'s support in the fight against cancer, if he is that impatient, I suggest he and his rich friends finance the finding of a cure. </p><p><b>Robin Schotter, Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania<br> </b>Thank God a celebrity finally stood up and called attention to the horrendous cuts scientific research has endured under the Bush administration. We are wasting billions each week in Iraq while letting scientific standards depreciate here in the United States. ... Thank you, Mr. Armstrong, for shining some light on an important issue which has been placed on the back-burner for far too long. </p><p><b>Katy Allgeyer, Los Angeles, California<br> </b>Dear Lance, Until there is no longer big money to be made off of cancer ... there will not be incentive to find a cure. We live in a world where it pays to keep people sick. This is the real reason there hasn\'t been any real advancement in cures for disease -- only &quot;management&quot; of diseases such as cancer, AIDS, and others. </p><p><b>Robin Hall, Dillon, Colorado</b><br> Brilliant. Fight on, Lance! </p><br clear=\"all\"> <!--startclickprintexclude-->  ');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('128','1','<!--startclickprintinclude--><script language=\"JavaScript\" type=\"text/javascript\">var clickExpire = \"01/24/2007\";</script> <div id=\"cnnSCFontButtons\" class=\"cnn0pxTMargin\"><!--startclickprintexclude--><div id=\"cnnSCFontLabel\">Adjust font size:</div>\n<div id=\"cnnSCFontMinusBtn\" onclick=\"setActiveStyleSheet(\'default\'); return false;\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.minus.dim.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Decrease font\" title=\"Decrease font\" class=\"cnnIncreaseFont\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.minus.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Decrease font\" title=\"Decrease font\" class=\"cnnDecreaseFont\"></div>\n<div id=\"cnnSCFontPlusBtn\" onclick=\"setActiveStyleSheet(\'LargeFont\'); return false;\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.plus.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Enlarge font\" title=\"Enlarge font\" class=\"cnnIncreaseFont\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.plus.dim.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Enlarge font\" title=\"Enlarge font\" class=\"cnnDecreaseFont\"></div><!--endclickprintexclude--></div><p><b>BEIJING, China</b> (Reuters) -- Bird flu has infected a farmer in China\'s first human case in months, killed an Indonesian teenager and spread deeper in Vietnam in a flare-up of infections mirroring past winters.</p><p>A second Indonesian bird flu victim, a 37-year-old woman from Banten Province on Java island, was in hospital on Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.</p><p>Most human victims of bird flu have contracted the virus from infected birds, usually chickens, ducks or geese and there is usually a surge in cases during cooler months when the virus seems to thrive.</p><p>The 37-year-old Chinese man from the eastern province of Anhui kept backyard birds, but as in other human bird flu cases in China there was no reported poultry outbreak in the area, raising questions as to how he contracted the virus.</p><p>The man developed symptoms of fever and pneumonia early last month and was discharged from hospital on Saturday, the state-run Health News said.</p><p>&quot;In China, the challenge is now to identify where this virus is hiding and how it is circulating,&quot; Henk Bekedam, the WHO\'s China representative, told Reuters.</p><p>China has reported 22 human cases, including 14 deaths, since 2003 and, with the world\'s largest poultry population and millions of backyard birds roaming free, it is seen as a center in the fight against the virus.</p><p>Bekedam said that as vaccination rates for birds improve in China, detecting avian influenza becomes harder and harder, offering a possible explanation for why there was no reported outbreak where the farmer lived.</p><p>Indonesia has the highest human death toll from bird flu of any nation, and on Wednesday that number grew to 58 when a boy, from Tangerang near Jakarta, died, said the head of the Indonesian health ministry\'s bird flu center Runizar Ruesin.</p><p>The boy was admitted to hospital in the capital last week and deaths among poultry in his neighborhood had recently been reported, the WHO said in a statement posted on its Web site.</p><p>Muhammad Nadirin, another official at the country\'s bird flu center, said hospital staff had to take extra care washing the boy\'s corpse because of concerns the virus might infect them.</p><p>&quot;He was washed using special protection methods to prevent contagion,&quot; but added he didn\'t know if it could be transmitted from human-to-human this way.</p><p>The H5N1 virus mostly affects birds, but it has infected 263 people in 10 countries since 2003, killing 157 of them.</p><p>Scientists fear the virus could mutate and spread rapidly between people, triggering a pandemic that could sweep the globe in weeks and possibly kill millions.</p><p>An adviser to the White House said on Monday the number of people that could die in a flu pandemic that matches the 1918-19 outbreak will be &quot;very scary&quot; and far higher than the 62 million deaths forecast by a recent study by Harvard University.</p><p>The 1918-19 &quot;Spanish influenza&quot; pandemic killed anywhere from 20 million to 100 million people.</p><p>In Vietnam, bird flu has been confirmed in a fourth Vietnamese province after tests on 70 ducks showed they had died from the H5N1 virus, a government report said on Wednesday.</p><p>The results of tests on ducks found dead at the weekend prompted health workers to slaughter around 1,800 more ducks in two communes of Kien Giang province in the southern Mekong Delta, the Animal Health Department report said.</p><p>The virus that first struck the delta region in late 2003 re-emerged last month. Vietnam has had no human H5N1 cases since November 2005.</p><p class=\"cnnSCAttribution\">Copyright 2007 <a href=\"/interactive_legal.html#Reuters\">Reuters</a>. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.</p><!--startclickprintexclude-->  ');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('127','1','<!--startclickprintinclude--><script language=\"JavaScript\" type=\"text/javascript\">var clickExpire = \"01/23/2007\";</script> <div id=\"cnnSCFontButtons\" class=\"cnn0pxTMargin\"><!--startclickprintexclude--><div id=\"cnnSCFontLabel\">Adjust font size:</div>\n<div id=\"cnnSCFontMinusBtn\" onclick=\"setActiveStyleSheet(\'default\'); return false;\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.minus.dim.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Decrease font\" title=\"Decrease font\" class=\"cnnIncreaseFont\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.minus.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Decrease font\" title=\"Decrease font\" class=\"cnnDecreaseFont\"></div>\n<div id=\"cnnSCFontPlusBtn\" onclick=\"setActiveStyleSheet(\'LargeFont\'); return false;\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.plus.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Enlarge font\" title=\"Enlarge font\" class=\"cnnIncreaseFont\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.plus.dim.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Enlarge font\" title=\"Enlarge font\" class=\"cnnDecreaseFont\"></div><!--endclickprintexclude--></div><p><b>NEW YORK</b> (Reuters)  -- Praying online in a support group may help women with breast cancer cope with the disease more effectively, a new study shows.</p><p>Dr. Bret Shaw of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and colleagues found that breast cancer patients who used a higher percentage of religion-related words in their communications with an Internet support group had lower levels of negative emotions, better functional well-being, and more confidence in their ability to deal with their illness.</p><p>&quot;Breast cancer patients who want to pray can use online support groups as a place to cope with their illness with other people going through similar situations,&quot; Shaw told Reuters. &quot;Our data suggest that this might make you feel better.&quot;</p><p>Shaw decided to launch the study after observing how common it was for people to use prayer in online support groups. &quot;We noticed a lot of people were exchanging prayers on line, praying for themselves and other group participants,&quot; he said.</p><p>However, he added that &quot;some women were so kind of turned off by the overly religious tone of the groups that they did not want to participate.&quot;</p><p>To investigate the health, social and emotional effects of online prayer for women with breast cancer, Shaw and his team loaned a group of women computers linked to the Web. They also provided training on computer and Internet use. The women were surveyed at the study\'s outset and again after four months of support group participation.</p><p>Among the 97 women who posted more than twice to the group, those who used a higher percentage of religion-related words (such as bless, faith, heaven and pray) showed lower levels of negative emotions, better functional well-being, and greater health-related self-efficacy, meaning they had more confidence in their ability to cope with their illness.</p><p>But there was no association between the use of religion-related words and women\'s levels of breast cancer-related concerns, emotional well being, social support, or positive reframing, a coping strategy that involves looking at a challenge in a more positive light.</p><p>The women used a number of different religion-related coping mechanisms, Shaw noted, such as believing in an afterlife, not fearing death, believing that &quot;God gives you what you need to face your challenges,&quot; and focussing on the &quot;blessings&quot; in one\'s life rather than the problems.</p><p>Most women in the study were Christian, and Shaw said he is interested in investigating whether prayer has similar effects for people of other faiths.</p><p>He and his colleagues also suggest looking at whether an &quot;online chaplain or spiritual guidance counsellor&quot; could provide additional benefit by guiding patients towards religious coping methods most likely to bring them comfort and the strength to get through their breast cancer treatment.</p><p class=\"cnnSCAttribution\">Copyright 2007 <a href=\"/interactive_legal.html#Reuters\">Reuters</a>. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.</p><!--startclickprintexclude-->  ');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('126','1','<!--startclickprintinclude--><script language=\"JavaScript\" type=\"text/javascript\">var clickExpire = \"02/7/2007\";</script> <div id=\"cnnSCFontButtons\" class=\"cnn0pxTMargin\"><!--startclickprintexclude--><div id=\"cnnSCFontLabel\">Adjust font size:</div>\n<div id=\"cnnSCFontMinusBtn\" onclick=\"setActiveStyleSheet(\'default\'); return false;\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.minus.dim.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Decrease font\" title=\"Decrease font\" class=\"cnnIncreaseFont\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.minus.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Decrease font\" title=\"Decrease font\" class=\"cnnDecreaseFont\"></div>\n<div id=\"cnnSCFontPlusBtn\" onclick=\"setActiveStyleSheet(\'LargeFont\'); return false;\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.plus.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Enlarge font\" title=\"Enlarge font\" class=\"cnnIncreaseFont\"><img src=\"http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.5/story/misc/icon.plus.dim.gif\" border=\"0\" height=\"12\" width=\"18\" alt=\"Enlarge font\" title=\"Enlarge font\" class=\"cnnDecreaseFont\"></div><!--endclickprintexclude--></div><p><b>PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island</b> (AP)  -- More than 20,000 Rhode Island students who missed classes last week because of a health scare returned to school Monday to a basic lesson they\'ve heard before: Keep your hands clean.</p><p>Schools in Warwick, West Warwick and Coventry, Rhode Island, had been closed Thursday and Friday while health officials investigated several cases of encephalitis and meningitis.</p><p>To help prevent the spread of illness, the state doled out almost 10,000 gallons of hand sanitizer, said Elliot Kreiger, a Department of Education spokesman.</p><p>West Warwick Senior High Principal Wayne Talbot said workers at his school spent the better part of Sunday installing hand sanitizing stations in each classroom.</p><p>Students also received a quick review of proper hand-washing technique from their teachers Monday, Talbot said.</p><p>Three students in Warwick and West Warwick developed encephalitis in recent weeks, including a second-grader who died.</p><p>State officials allowed schools to reopen after test results showed a student from Coventry who contracted meningitis did not have the same virus implicated in the encephalitis cases.</p><p>Meningitis is an inflammation of membranes protecting the brain, and encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain itself.</p><p class=\"cnnSCAttribution\">Copyright 2007 The <a href=\"/interactive_legal.html#AP\">Associated Press</a>. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.</p><!--startclickprintexclude-->  ');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('289','1','<p>The House yesterday overwhelmingly approved a bill that would loosen the restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research imposed by President Bush in 2001, inaugurating the second such assault on the administration\'s stem cell policy in as many years.</p><p>Thirty-seven Republicans joined 216 Democrats to pass the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, which would allow federal funding of research on stem cells from embryos slated for destruction at fertility clinics.</p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" align=\"right\" width=\"238\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"228\">\n<div class=\"media_photo\"><!--link rel=\"image_src\" href=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2007/01/11/PH2007011100252.jpg\"/--><a href=\"javascript:void(popitup(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/postphotos/orb/asection/2007-01-12/index.html?imgId=PH2007011100254&imgUrl=/photo/2007/01/11/PH2007011100254.html\',650,850))\"><img src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/largerPhoto/images/enlarge_tab.gif\" width=\"103\" height=\"12\" border=\"0\" align=\"bottom\" alt=\"\"></a><br/><a href=\"javascript:void(popitup(\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/postphotos/orb/asection/2007-01-12/index.html?imgId=PH2007011100254&imgUrl=/photo/2007/01/11/PH2007011100254.html\',650,850))\"><img src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2007/01/11/PH2007011100252.jpg\" border=\"0\"  alt=\"Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, second from left, holds up a letter as he talks about the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2007. From left are, Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., Harkin, Rep. Mike Castle, R-Del., and Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa.. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)\"  height=\"166\" width=\"228\" align=\"top\"></a><div id=\"caption\">Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, second from left, holds up a letter as he talks about the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2007. From left are, Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., Harkin, Rep. Mike Castle, R-Del., and Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa.. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)<span id=\"credit\"> (Susan Walsh - AP) </span></div></div>\n<link href=\"http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/css/sidebars.css\" rel=\"stylesheet\" media=\"all\" />\n<div style=\"width:228px;\">\n<div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div>\n<div class=\"sidebar\">\n<h2>U.S. Congress</h2>\n<div class=\"sidebarcontent\" style=\"padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px;\">\n<div class=\"sidebarbox\" style=\"color: #333;\">\n<a href=\"http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/\" title=\"Roll call votes, member of Congress bios, and analysis of important legislation.\"><img src=\"http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/graphics/congressVotes_206x90.gif\" border=\"0\"></a>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0; padding-top: 0;\">\nBrowse every vote in the U.S. Congress since 1991.\n</p>\n<div style=\"padding-top:7px; font-weight:bold;\">\n\n                        &#149; <a href=\"http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/110/house/1/votes/23/\">Congress 110, House vote: Vote 23: H R 4</a>\n<br>\n                        &#149; <a href=\"http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/110/house/1/votes/22/\">Congress 110, House vote: Vote 22: H R 4</a>\n<br>\n                        &#149; <a href=\"http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/110/senate/1/votes/9/\">Congress 110, Senate vote: Vote 9: S 1</a>\n\n\n<p style=\"border-top:1px dotted #ccc; margin-top:7px; padding-top:5px;\">&raquo; <a href=\"http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/\" title=\"Roll call votes, member of Congress bios, and analysis of important legislation.\">EXPLORE THE DATABASE</a></p>\n</div>\n</div>\n</div>\n</div>\n<div class=\"clearboth\"></div>\n</div>\n\n<script src=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/technorati/Technorati.js\"></script><script>\nvar technorati = new Technorati() ;\ntechnorati.setProperty(\'url\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011100251_Technorati.html\') ;\ntechnorati.article = new item(\'House Passes Bill Relaxing Limits on Stem Cell Research\',\'http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011100251.html\',\'The House yesterday overwhelmingly approved a bill that would loosen the restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research imposed by President Bush in 2001, inaugurating the second such assault on the administration\\\'s stem cell policy in as many years.\',\'Rick Weiss\') ;\n</script><script src=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011100251_Technorati.js\"></script><script>document.write( technorati.getDisplaySidebar() );</script>\n<link href=\"http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/css/bookmarking.css\" rel=\"stylesheet\" media=\"all\"/><div class=\"sidebarhack\"><b></b></div><div class=\"sidebar\"><h2><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"right\" border=\"0\" width=\"222\"><tr><td class=\"sb-left\" align=\"left\">Save &amp; 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Bush vetoed the legislation after it passed last year.</p><p>But buoyant research proponents said they still have several options and promised to persevere until the legislation becomes law.</p><p>&quot;While it\'s not enough to override a veto, it\'s enough to show we have tremendous momentum,&quot; said <a href=\"http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/d000197/\" target=\"\">Rep. Diana DeGette</a> (D-Colo.), who led the House effort with <a href=\"http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/c000243/\" target=\"\">Rep. Michael N. Castle</a> (R-Del.).</p><p>With the Senate already within one vote of having the two-thirds majority it needs for an override, and with the Democrats now in a majority position that will allow them to use procedural rules in their favor, DeGette suggested that it is time for the president to begin negotiating with Congress over compromise language.</p><p>&quot;The vote today shows that productive discussions might be a very, very good idea for all concerned,&quot; she said.</p><p>Under the existing policy, federal funds may be used to study only those stem cells taken from embryos destroyed by Aug. 9, 2001 -- or about 21 of the nearly 400 stem cell colonies created since 1998.</p><p>The House-based bill would expand that pool of available cells to include those from any of the thousands of embryos that are discarded by fertility clinics each year, as long as those cells were freely donated for research by the parents. It would also impose some of the country\'s first ethics rules on embryo research.</p><p>The vote came after about three hours of impassioned speeches by lawmakers  on both sides of the issue.</p><p><a href=\"http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/w000437/\" target=\"\">Rep. Roger Wicker</a> (R-Miss.) warned that passage would lead to a &quot;slippery slope.&quot; Before long, he said, scientists would routinely be creating human embryos &quot;for the express purpose of killing that embryo&quot; for research.</p><p><a href=\"http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/b000208/\" target=\"\">Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett</a> (R-Md.), touting his credentials as a former research scientist who studied human embryology, spoke up for alternative methods of getting stem cells -- methods that virtually all leading stem cells scientists have discounted as having uncertain value.</p></div></div><br clear=\"all\">\n<div align=\"right\"><table width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td align=\"right\"><font face=\"arial,sans-serif\" color=\"#CC0000\" size=\"-1\"><b>CONTINUED</b></font>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <b><font face=\"arial,sans-serif\" size=\"3\" color=\"#CC0000\">1</font> &nbsp;&nbsp; <font face=\"arial,sans-serif\" size=\"3\"><script>document.write(\'<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011100251_2.html\'+unescape(location.search)+\'\">2</a>\')</script><noscript><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011100251_2.html\">2</a></noscript></font></b> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<font face=\"arial, ms sans serif, sans-serif\" size=\"3\"><b><script>document.write(\'<a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011100251_2.html\'+unescape(location.search)+\'\">Next</a>\')</script><noscript><a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011100251_2.html\">Next</a></noscript> ></b></font></td></tr></table></div><br>\n');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('290','1','	<p><p>THURSDAY, May 25 (HealthDay News) -- Short courses of hypnosis therapy or cognitive therapy can calm the distressing symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) for the estimated 15 percent of adult Americans who suffer from the disorder, a new study finds.</p> <p>IBS isn\'t a life-threatening condition, but it\'s an uncomfortable nuisance, with symptoms including abdominal pain, cramps, bloating, food intolerances, constipation or diarrhea.</p> <p>What\'s more, &quot;patients with the more severe form of IBS may have heightened sensitivity to the side effects of medications [prescribed for the condition],&quot; noted Dr. Emeran Mayer, a professor of medicine and physiology at the University of California Los Angeles. That means &quot;there\'s a very important role for these kinds of [mind-body] approaches,&quot; he said.</p> <p>Mayer moderated a &quot;Mind and Body Effects on GI Health&quot; panel on Wednesday, part of the Digestive Disease Week 2006 annual meeting in Los Angeles.</p> <p>In one study, just four sessions of cognitive therapy helped ease patient\'s IBS symptoms, according to researcher Dr. Jeffrey M. Lackner, director of the behavioral medicine clinic and assistant professor of medicine at the University at Buffalo School of Medicine, SUNY.</p> <p>In the study, Lackner\'s team assigned 59 patients to either a 10-week therapy course, a four-week course, or to a wait list. Both the short and long cognitive therapy sessions covered the same ground, but the short course included a self-study workbook developed just for the study.</p> <p>Included in the instruction was information meant to undo some of the stressful habits that experts say people with IBS tend to have, including negative thinking patterns which can make them anxious and exacerbate symptoms. IBS patients also tend to have poor coping skills, which causes them to react more stressfully to life\'s ups and downs. &quot;These people spend a lot of time in their head, engaging in worrisome thinking,&quot; Lackner said.</p> <p>Instruction in muscle-relaxation training was included, and participants were encouraged to be more flexible in their problem-solving skills and to learn skills that would help them take control of their symptoms, such as learning to relax.</p> <p>&quot;Whether the patients went to 10 sessions or four, they achieved clinically significant improvements in symptom relief and quality of life and were satisfied [with the program],&quot; Lackner said. Previous research by others has found the same benefits from cognitive therapy.</p> <p>Seventy-four percent of those who took the long course said their symptoms improved moderately to substantially, and 73 percent of the short-course patients reported the same improvements.</p> <p>Likewise, hypnotherapy -- which, among other things, involves techniques such as visualizing a fully functioning GI tract -- helped IBS sufferers reduce symptoms and improve quality of life, reported Dr. Magnus Simren, an associate professor and consultant at Goteborg University in Sweden.</p> <p>He led two studies testing the therapy. In one trial, 87 patients with IBS were cared for in a university hospital; in another, 48 received care in a county hospital.</p> <p>In each group, about half were assigned to receive &quot;gut-directed&quot; hypnotherapy for one hour a week for 12 weeks, in which the therapist concentrated on helping them with their IBS. The other half of patients were assigned to a control group that did not get hypnotherapy.</p> <p>Simren evaluated the patients at the start of the study, right after treatment and then again at six and 12 months later, asking them to complete questionnaires focused on their quality of life, anxiety, depression and GI symptoms.</p> <p>&quot;The hypnotherapy groups improved significantly regarding GI symptoms,&quot; he said. &quot;The control groups did not.&quot;</p> <p>While 52 percent of those getting hypnotherapy improved significantly, just 32 percent of the control group participants improved.</p> <p>Improvement was most marked for abdominal pain, bloating and distension; less so for bowel habits. Improvements lasted or even increased at the one-year mark. Anxiety and depression improved at one year in the smaller study of 48 patients, but not in the group of 87. The reason for that disparity in results is unclear, Simren said.</p> <p>What\'s also unclear is just how hypnotherapy works to fight IBS. Simren\'s results are in line with other studies that have also found improvements, however. According to Mayer, hypnotherapy may alter the way the brain reacts to stress, reducing levels of body arousal.</p> <p>According to Simren, patients eager for relief don\'t much care <i>how</i> hypnotherapy works, just that it does. &quot;I tell them, \'This is how you can get control of your symptoms,\'&quot; he said. And most are satisfied with that explanation. &quot;Patients are very open-minded,&quot; he said.</p> <p>The therapy doesn\'t necessarily have to be ongoing, the experts speculated, especially once patients learn the new skills.</p> <p>While patients don\'t have to find a therapist who has experience dealing with IBS, it helps, Simren and Lackner agreed. &quot;It\'s very important that the therapist does have an interest in bodily symptoms, not just the mind,&quot; Simren said.</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>To learn more about IBS, visit the <a href=\"http://www.gastro.org/wmspage.cfm?parm1=852\" target=\"_new\">American Gastroenterological Association</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('291','1','	<p><p>THURSDAY, May 25 (HealthDay News) -- Used together, conventional and complementary/alternative treatments help patients ease their low back pain better than using mainstream treatment alone, U.S. research shows.</p> <p>The small study included 13 patients who received &quot;integrated&quot; care and six patients who received usual care. The integrative care team at Brigham and Women\'s Hospital in Boston included experts in acupuncture, chiropractic, internal medicine, massage therapy, neurology, nursing, nutritional counseling, occupational therapy, orthopedics, psychiatry/mind-body, physical therapy and rheumatology.</p> <p>Over 12 weeks, the patients in the integrative care group had an average of 12.2 visits and gained significantly greater reduction in both their pain scores (0.37 per week vs. 0.14 per week) and functional status (1.11 per week vs. 0.49 per week) than the usual care group.</p> <p>These promising initial results suggest that this approach to treating low back pain warrants further evaluation, the study authors said.</p> <p>The findings were presented Thursday at the North American Research Conference on Complementary and Integrative Medicine in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.</p> <p>Another study presented at the conference found that a meditation program reduced psychological distress, decreased disease activity, and decreased nonspecific inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.</p> <p>The six-month study included 63 rheumatoid arthritis patients who received usual care or were asked to practice a meditation program at home six hours a week, in addition to remaining under the regular care of their rheumatologist and continuing to take their prescribed medications.</p> <p>After two months, psychological distress was reduced by 30 percent in the meditation group and 10 percent in the control group. After six months, psychological distress was reduced by 33 percent in the meditation group and 2 percent in the control group.</p> <p>Rheumatoid arthritis disease activity was not affected after two months. After six months, the meditation group had an 11 percent mean decrease in disease activity, compared with no change in the control group. Nonspecific inflammation decreased by 35 percent in the meditation group after six months, compared with an 11 percent increase in the control group.</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>The U.S. National Institutes of Health has more about <a href=\"http://nccam.nih.gov/health/whatiscam/\" target=\"_new\">complementary and alternative medicine</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('292','1','	<p><!--Spanish ID:532972--> <p>MONDAY, May 29 (HealthDay News) -- Mix and match may work well when buying clothes, but if the product is medicine, it\'s better to seek professional advice. </p> <p>According to a new study, older women who mix over-the-counter, herbal and prescribed medication regularly could be risking their health. And, the report in the March issue of <i>Geriatric Nursing</i> suggests, this danger often goes unnoticed, because many women neglect to tell their doctors about all the different medications they take. </p> <p>Additionally, their physicians fail to ask the right questions. &quot;Many of these older women do not consider over-the-counter and herbal medications real drugs, and therefore, do not report them,&quot; lead researcher Saunjoo Yoon, an assistant professor at the University of Florida College of Nursing, said in a prepared statement.</p> <p>Approximately half of Americans aged 65 and older take five or more medications, including prescription, herbal <i>and</i> over-the-counter drugs, on a regular basis. The study of a small group assessed the potential danger caused by such consumption.</p> <p>The researchers analyzed 58 older women, all from North Central Florida, each taking both an herbal medication and at least one over-the-counter or prescribed medication. Seventy-four percent of participants were declared to be in danger of a moderate or high risk drug interaction, according to Gold Standard Multimedia\'s Clinical Pharmacology Drug Interactions, a database program that analyzes thousands of drug interactions.</p> <p>Of the 136 drug interactions spotted, 41 percent were found to be high risk and 58 percent were of moderate risk, the team concluded.</p> <p>The most common and dangerous combinations involved two or more nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), or NSAIDS and the herb ginkgo. Other dangerous combinations included over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen and calcium supplements with prescribed medication.</p> <p>&quot;It\'s so important for health-care providers to take a careful medication history to evaluate all prescribed, over-the-counter and herbal drugs to monitor interactions in older women,&quot; Yoon said. &quot;Prevention of possible interaction is the safest practice.&quot;</p> <p><b>More information </b></p> <p>Find out more about drug interactions at the <a href=\"http://www.fda.gov/cder/consumerinfo/druginteractions.htm\" target=\"_new\">U.S. Food and Drug Administration</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('293','1','	<p><p>THURSDAY, June 1 (HealthDay News) -- Women taking black cohosh supplements to ease the hot flashes of menopause may not always be getting what they pay for, a new study reveals.</p> <p>Black cohosh, a plant native to North America that has traditionally been used to treat fatigue, kidney problems and menstrual irregularities, has been used by menopausal women in the United States and Europe for the past 40 years. Some studies have reported that black cohosh improves menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes, mood disturbances, palpitations and vaginal dryness, for up to six months.</p> <p>But the compounds in black cohosh thought to alleviate hot flashes vary widely from product to product, if they are even present at all, say researchers reporting in the May issue of the <i>Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry</i>.</p> <p>In this U.S. study, researchers analyzed 11 of the most popular black cohosh tablets and capsules available in New York City between 2002 and 2004. Using a process called high-performance liquid chromatography, they extracted, separated and identified the hundreds of different compounds within each black cohosh sample.</p> <p>&quot;We did anticipate some difference in the chemical profiles based on manufacturing and biological differences. But what was surprising was that three of the products that we evaluated didn\'t have black cohosh at all,&quot; said study author Edward Kennelly, of the City University of New York, in New York City.</p> <p>These three supplements claiming to contain black cohosh instead contained an Asian species of <i>Actaea</i>. The Chinese herb is closely related to black cohosh but has not been proven effective in easing menopausal symptoms. To keep up with the increased demand for black cohosh products, supplement manufacturers may substitute <i>Actaea</i> for black cohosh, because it is less expensive to produce, the researchers postulated.</p> <p>In their study, Kennelly and colleagues maintained that although <i>Actaea</i> is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine, it is not clear whether exchanging it or using it in combination with black cohosh is safe or effective.</p> <p>Another expert said that the discovery that some black cohosh products contain <i>Actaea</i> does not necessarily render these supplements ineffective.</p> <p>&quot;There is no evidence yet that black cohosh is better for decreasing menopause symptoms than Asian <i>Actaea</i>. Therefore, if some products have the Asian version or a mix [of both compounds], that does not mean they are not going to be effective,&quot; said Dr. Ray Sahelian, author of <i>Mind Boosters: A Guide to Natural Supplements That Enhance Your Mind, Memory and Mood</i>.</p> <p>Both Kennelly and Sahelian point out that no one is sure which compounds in black cohosh relieve the redness, sweating and pounding heartbeat commonly associated with hot flashes. Triterpene glycosides and phenolic constituents are two of the compounds in black cohosh that experts think may be responsible, but the amounts of these compounds varied widely in the study.</p> <p>The researchers also discovered that, compared to black cohosh tablets, capsules tended to contain higher amounts of triterpene glycosides.</p> <p>Because of the variability in product quality and the lack of government regulation when it comes to dietary supplements, consumers interested in using black cohosh to relieve menopausal symptoms may need to try more than one brand to find one that works for them.</p> <p>&quot;Since menopausal symptoms are not life-threatening and do not cause serious illness, a woman has time to experiment with different herbs or combinations to see what works for her best,&quot; Sahelian said.</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>The U.S. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements has more information about <a href=\"http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/factsheets/blackcohosh.asp\" target=\"_new\">black cohosh</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('294','1','	<p><!--Spanish ID:533116--> <p>SUNDAY, June 4 (HealthDay News) -- A drug used for narcolepsy improved the quality of life for patients with malignant brain tumors, a new study shows.</p> <p>&quot;This is excellent information,&quot; said Dr. Robert Morgan, a medical oncologist at City of Hope, in Duarte, Calif. &quot;Fatigue leading to poor quality of life is extremely common in patients with brain tumors, and we don\'t have that much to help right now.&quot; </p> <p>That finding was among survivorship data presented Sunday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting, in Atlanta.</p> <p>The 10 million cancer survivors in the United States right now are equivalent to the population of Los Angeles, or 3.5 percent of the total U.S. population, said Dr. Patricia Ganz, director for cancer prevention and control research at Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA. Ganz moderated a press conference on the survivorship findings.</p> <p>&quot;These people are really benefiting from the products of our new discoveries, but it\'s not without a cost,&quot; she said.</p> <p>In addition to its use for various sleep disorders, modafinil, known as Provigil, is also being used to help treat depression and to fight the fatigue associated with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson\'s disease, stroke and HIV infection. It has also shown promise as a treatment for cocaine addiction.</p> <p>The pilot study presented at ASCO looked at 30 patients with different types of brain tumors, most of whom had severe attention, memory and fatigue problems. All had undergone some combination of neurosurgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. All of the tumors were primary ones; there were no metastases of other cancers. </p> <p>All participants took modafinil at the dose considered optimal for them every day for eight weeks. </p> <p>Most of the participants showed &quot;clinically meaningful&quot; improvements in all the areas tested, including cognitive abilities (21 percent average improvement), mood (35 percent average improvement) and fatigue (average improvement of 47 percent).</p> <p>&quot;Modafinil was very effective in improving neurocognitive abilities, fatigue levels and depression symptoms in adult brain tumor patients,&quot; said study author Thomas A. Kaleita, an assistant professor of psychiatry at UCLA. &quot;The improvement in depressive symptoms was quite a surprise for us.&quot;</p> <p>Three patients had no response to the drug, possibly because of the site of the tumor or because of psychological factors. There were only mild to moderate side effects.</p> <p>Quality of life was also the focus of research involving breast cancer patients who participated in a yoga program while undergoing radiation.</p> <p>The Hatha yoga program of two sessions per week incorporated 60 minutes of yoga, breathing and loosening exercises, deep relaxation, alternate nostril breathing and specific meditation techniques, said study author Lorenzo Cohen, director of the Integrative Medicine Program at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas in Houston.</p> <p>Sixty-two women who had not practiced yoga before were randomized either to participate in the yoga program (which Cohen referred to as a &quot;body holiday&quot;) or to be on a waiting list.</p> <p>One week after radiation and yoga were completed, women who had been in the yoga group reported significantly and clinically improved physical functioning along with lower levels of fatigue and sleep-related daytime dysfunction. There were marginal gains in social functioning.</p> <p>&quot;This is one of the few pilot programs looking at yoga in a cancer population,&quot; Cohen said. &quot;It is feasible to do this kind of research, and we now have a grant from the National Cancer Institute to compare a yoga group with a general stretching group. Then we will be able to better gauge if it\'s something about yoga or something as simple as stretching.&quot;</p> <p>&quot;This is interesting data because it goes along with more and more research that suggests that physical activity is beneficial for at least quality of life,&quot; Morgan said. &quot;As a doctor, I have something to tell patients who ask that there\'s even more data to suggest physical activity is beneficial.&quot;</p> <p>A final study showed that gene variations that affect the metabolism of cancer drugs called anthracylines may explain why some patients who receive those drugs as children experience cardiac side effects later. These findings need to be replicated, said study author Dr. Richard Aplenc, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and an attending physician at Children\'s Hospital of Philadelphia.</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>For more on life after cancer, visit <a href=\" http://www.plwc.org/portal/site/PLWC\" target=\"_new\">People Living With Cancer</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('295','1','	<p><p>WEDNESDAY, June 7 (HealthDay News) -- Medical care often involves instruments that poke and prod. So it may come as a huge relief to patients when the instrument involved in their therapy -- perhaps something from the string or percussion family -- doesn\'t make them wince.</p> <p>Music therapy, a specialty that involves the use of music to achieve therapeutic benefits, is slowly making inroads across the country as more insurers recognize its benefits. </p> <p>&quot;I think the general trend is it\'s being accepted much more,&quot; said Al Bumanis, a spokesman for the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA).</p> <p>About 20 percent of music therapists report being reimbursed by a third-party payer for their services, he noted, and new jobs are being created all the time. </p> <p>As a therapeutic tool, music has been shown to impart numerous emotional and physical benefits. Treatments can be designed to relieve stress, reduce pain, ease depression, alleviate nausea and improve sleep, for example. </p> <p>Jayne M. Standley, a professor of music at Florida State University, pioneered the use of music in neonatal units. Her research shows that music increases the sucking rate of premature babies, enabling them to increase their weight. </p> <p>Debra S. Burns, an assistant professor of music therapy at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, does work with cancer patients, a growing arena for music therapists. </p> <p>&quot;It really is a creative way to help people cope and to deal with the stressors of having cancer,&quot; she said. </p> <p>Burns and her colleagues recently presented research at the American Society of Hematology meeting that examined the use of &quot;music imagery&quot; as a means of reducing anxiety among patients who were highly distressed. &quot;It\'s kind of like daydreaming to music,&quot; she explained. </p> <p>Music\'s healing influence has been on record since ancient times, according to the AMTA. As a discipline, music therapy emerged in the wake of World Wars I and II, when musicians began visiting hospitalized veterans recovering from physical and emotional trauma. </p> <p>&quot;That\'s when they discovered that the vets responded so well to music,&quot; said Barbara Reuer, a music therapist in private practice in California. </p> <p>Today, music therapy\'s applications are almost as broad as the number of conditions that people suffer from. The AMTA\'s nearly 5,000 music therapists work in a multitude of patient-care settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, mental-health facilities, assisted-living facilities and hospices. </p> <p>&quot;Every setting has a unique set of circumstances in terms of how therapists work,&quot; Reuer explained. </p> <p>Likewise, every music therapy session is unique. Typically, a nurse or social worker initiates the request for a music therapist. Reuer begins her sessions by doing a quick assessment of the patient\'s symptoms. Is he or she depressed or in pain? Does the patient simply need a diversion to break the pain cycle? </p> <p>As an ice-breaker, she will hand the patient a top-40 songbook with tunes spanning the decades. </p> <p>&quot;Usually there are one or two songs in the book that the patient connects with, and so it\'s a really good way for the therapist to connect with the patient and then go from there,&quot; she said. </p> <p>Sometimes, the therapist sings and invites the patient to sing along. Other times, the therapist engages the patient in music-making with the use of simple instruments. Reuer might use egg shakers, maracas, a slit drum or a marimba. </p> <p>She and her team of therapists have collected data for more than 20,000 patients using self-reported measures of anxiety, pain and nausea before and after music therapy sessions. Based on that data, no single group of patients appears to have benefited more than others. </p> <p>&quot;They all got benefit in terms of symptom reduction,&quot; she said. </p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>To learn more, visit the <a href=\"http://www.musictherapy.org/faqs.html\" target=\"_new\">American Music Therapy Association</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('296','1','	<p><p>(HealthDay News) -- The makers of herbal supplements say they can treat or prevent a host of conditions and symptoms, including arthritis, headaches and colds. But you should do your homework when selecting herbal supplements for what ails you, the American Academy of Family Physicians warns.</p> <p>Although herbal supplements may contain natural ingredients, the AAFP says some of these products also contain potential allergens and chemicals that can make you sick -- and they aren\'t necessarily listed on the product\'s label.</p> <p>Certain people should be especially careful about taking herbal supplements, including those with diabetes, high blood pressure, epilepsy, blood clotting problems, Parkinson\'s, heart disease, liver or thyroid problems. People with psychiatric conditions or conditions of the immune system also should be particularly cautious, the academy warns.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('297','1','	<p><p>SUNDAY, June 11 (HealthDay News) -- Can a compound derived from the Chinese club moss <i>Huperzia serrata</i> improve brain function in Alzheimer\'s patients?</p> <p>That\'s a question U.S. researchers hope to answer as they recruit participants for a new clinical trial on the compound, called huperzine A, from 28 sites across the country.</p> <p>The Phase II clinical trial to determine the safety and efficacy of huperzine A will enroll about 150 patients, age 55 and older, with mild to moderate Alzheimer\'s disease. Huperzine A is a naturally occurring cholinesterase inhibitor that\'s commonly used in China to treat Alzheimer\'s.</p> <p>Chinese studies have suggested it is well tolerated and effective. However, there have been no controlled clinical trials of huperzine A outside of China.</p> <p>&quot;Based on studies in China, huperzine A may be more effective and better tolerated than currently prescribed drugs for Alzheimer\'s disease. In addition, laboratory studies suggest that huperzine A may have unique effects that could slow down the progression of the disease,&quot; Dr. Paul Aisen, leader of the new study and professor of neurology at Georgetown University Medical Center\'s Memory Disorders Program, said in a prepared statement.</p> <p>&quot;This trial is essential to better understand the promise of huperzine A,&quot; Aisen said. &quot;Though it is a rigorous placebo-controlled trial, all participants do receive the active medication. The first portion of the trial, lasting 16 weeks, includes a placebo arm, but all participants have the opportunity to take active huperzine A for at least eight months.</p> <p>The study, directed by Georgetown University researchers, is funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and Neuro-Hitech Pharmaceuticals Inc.</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>The Alzheimer\'s Association has more about <a href=\"http://www.alz.org/AboutAD/Treatment/Alternative.asp\" target=\"_new\">huperzine A and other alternative treatments for Alzheimer\'s</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('298','1','	<p><p>TUESDAY, June 13 (HealthDay News) -- Meditation may do more than bring you inner peace; a new study claims it may improve your cardiovascular health by decreasing the risk of metabolic syndrome.</p> <p>In a study reported in the June 12 issue of the <i>Archives of Internal Medicine</i>, researchers report that the practice of transcendental meditation can significantly decrease insulin resistance, lower blood pressure and decrease heart rate variability.</p> <p>&quot;It\'s possible to use the mind-body connection to tap into the body\'s own inner intelligence to bring about changes in physiology to reverse the risk of diabetes and heart disease,&quot; said Dr. Robert Schneider, director of the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention at the Maharishi University of Management in Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa. Schneider is also a co-author of the book <i>Total Heart Health</i>.</p> <p>Of the reduction in insulin resistance, Schneider noted, &quot;a reduction like this would make a drug company a lot of money. The only other things that could bring about such a reduction are intensive exercise or a large weight loss.&quot;</p> <p>Insulin resistance is one of the key players in metabolic syndrome, a group of cardiovascular risk factors that occur simultaneously, thus increasing the risk of heart disease. When the body doesn\'t properly use insulin, excess glucose remains in the blood, which affects many of the body\'s functions. Excess glucose causes a rise in triglycerides and other blood fats. It also impairs kidney function, which can lead to high blood pressure.</p> <p>In collaboration with researchers from the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Schneider and his colleagues recruited 103 people who had already been diagnosed with heart disease to study the effects of transcendental meditation on heart disease risk factors. Eighty-four of these recruits completed the 16 weeks of the study.</p> <p>The average age of the study participants was about 67, and slightly more than 40 percent were male. The average body mass index was 28, which means the average study volunteer was overweight, but not obese. About one-third had a history of high blood pressure, and 9 percent had diabetes.</p> <p>The study participants were randomized into one of two groups for the study. One group received training in and practiced transcendental meditation twice a day for 20 minutes at a time for four months, while the other group received health education about heart disease.</p> <p>Schneider explained that transcendental meditation involves sitting quietly while your mind settles into a quieter and quieter state until you\'re not thinking at all, literally &quot;transcending the thinking process,&quot; he said.</p> <p>The researchers found that systolic blood pressure -- that\'s the top number -- dropped by more than 3 points in the meditation group and went up more than 2 points in the health education group during the study period.</p> <p>Meditation also had positive effects on heart rate variability, another measure of heart health. A decrease in heart rate variability is a negative sign, and those in the health education group had a decrease in heart rate variability during the study period, while those in the meditation group saw a slight increase in heart rate variability.</p> <p>The most significant change, according to Schneider, was seen in insulin resistance. In a measurement that compares fasting blood glucose and insulin levels, the health education group went up 0.52 while the meditation group went down by 0.75 -- a &quot;significant&quot; change, according to the authors. </p> <p>&quot;This is important. It\'s not earthshaking news, but [these researchers] have extended the information on transcendental meditation to include insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome,&quot; said Dr. Louis Teichholz, medical director of cardiology and complementary medicine at Hackensack University Medical Center.</p> <p>Teichholz said these benefits probably aren\'t limited to transcendental meditation, but likely include other forms of relaxation, such as yoga, tai chi, guided imagery, biofeedback and even exercise. Schneider, however, pointed out that right now, transcendental meditation is the only method that\'s been proven in randomized clinical trials.</p> <p>He said meditation and other forms of relaxation have beneficial effects because they activate the parasympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system, which helps calm down the body\'s fight-or-flight response, which is triggered by the body\'s sympathetic nervous system. When the sympathetic system is activated by stress, it causes the body to release hormones, and those hormones can help make the body resistant to insulin. However, when the parasympathetic system is activated, the body\'s cells become more responsive to insulin, Teichholz explained.</p> <p>&quot;You can\'t always change the stress,&quot; he said. &quot;But it\'s not the stress that matters, but how you respond to it. If you can respond in a different way, you can negate some of the negative effects of stress.&quot;</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>To learn more about meditation and its effects on health, visit the <a href=\"http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3X_Meditation.asp?sitearea=ETO\" target=\"_new\">American Cancer Society</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('299','1','	<p><p>SUNDAY, June 18 (HealthDay News) -- If you\'ve ever taken herbal products, seen a chiropractor or tried megavitamin therapy, you\'ve ventured outside the boundaries of conventional medicine.</p> <p>There\'s a term for those therapies -- &quot;complementary and alternative medicine,&quot; or CAM -- and it describes the wide range of health systems, practices and products that fall outside the mainstream. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) catalogues dozens of them -- from acupuncture to zinc supplementation.</p> <p>The list of CAM therapies continually changes, as the ones proven safe and effective become well integrated into conventional medicine and new therapies are introduced.</p> <p>There are also important distinctions between complementary and alternative medicine. Complementary medicine is something that is used in conjunction with conventional medicine, while alternative medicine is used in place of conventional treatment.</p> <p>&quot;You can have conventional cancer therapy along with, say, some music therapy or something that\'s soothing but relatively innocuous. It isn\'t going to affect your conventional treatment,&quot; explained Jackie Wootton, president of the Alternative Medicine Foundation in Potomac, Md.</p> <p>&quot;On the other hand,&quot; she added, &quot;alternative medicine, such as coffee enemas, can be used as an alternative to conventional treatment.&quot;</p> <p>In the United States, 36 percent of adults are using some form of complementary or alternative medicine, according to a 2004 study by NCCAM and the National Center for Health Statistics. The number rises to 62 percent when the definition of CAM includes megavitamin therapy and prayer specifically for health reasons.</p> <p>According to the survey, prayer is the most commonly used CAM therapy. It is considered a type of &quot;mind-body&quot; therapy.</p> <p>About one-fifth of people surveyed used natural products, such as Echinacea, ginseng, ginkgo biloba, garlic supplements and glucosamine.</p> <p>Recognizing CAM\'s possible potential to prevent disease and promote wellness, some health care providers practice what is known as &quot;integrative medicine,&quot; which combines conventional treatment with CAM therapies for which there is some evidence of safety and effectiveness.</p> <p>But if, like many Americans, you see a conventional physician and use complementary or alternative medicine on the side, play it safe and tell your doctor what you are doing.</p> <p>People shouldn\'t be afraid to broach the subject, Wootton urged. Physicians are much more accepting of CAM these days, and it\'s vital that they know what you are doing, she said, especially if you are ingesting something, such as herbal supplements.</p> <p>Experts say one reason to share this information is the pittance of scientific evidence demonstrating the results of various therapeutic combinations.</p> <p>&quot;We know very little about the herb-drug interactions or the herb-herb interactions or vitamin-drug interactions,&quot; said Fredi Kronenberg, director of the Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Center for Complementary &amp; Alternative Medicine at Columbia University in New York City.</p> <p>You want your doctor to be in the loop because a particular supplement you are taking may interact either positively or negatively with a drug you are taking.</p> <p>&quot;It could interact negatively if you\'re taking a blood thinner and now you\'re taking a supplement that\'s a blood thinner, and now you get too much of a good thing,&quot; Kronenberg explained.</p> <p>On the other hand, she added, &quot;You could have a supplement that synergizes the effect of a drug -- that makes a drug work better -- and therefore you might need less of that drug.&quot;</p> <p>Conventional doctors may not be CAM experts. But they are aware of some of the benefits and problems of CAM, Kronenberg pointed out. &quot;And they\'re aware mostly that their patients are using these things, and they need to know about it if only because their patients are using them,&quot; she said.</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has developed a tip sheet for people who are considering using <a href=\"http://nccam.nih.gov/health/decisions\" target=\"_new\"> CAM</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('300','1','	<p><!--Spanish ID:533594--> <p>FRIDAY, June 30 (HealthDay News) -- A study involving a chest-thumping gorilla comes with a serious message: People who think they can handle just one drink after work and still drive home safely may want to think again.</p> <p>A new study found that, despite blood readings suggesting participants had reached just half the legal intoxication limit, those participants still suffered significant visual impairment after only one drink.</p> <p>In the study, researchers from the University of Washington, Seattle, studied the theory of &quot;inattentional blindness,&quot; wherein an individual fails to notice an unanticipated yet prominent object -- in this case, a gorilla -- in their field of vision while concentrating on another task or object.</p> <p>To determine the effect of inattentional blindness on subjects who had been drinking, study participants were given 10 minutes to drink a beverage. The drink may or may not have been alcoholic, and the participants were not told whether or not their beverage contained alcohol.</p> <p>After finishing their drinks, participants watched a 25-second video clip featuring six people playing ball. They were asked to count the number of times the ball was passed between players.</p> <p>In the middle of the video, a person in a gorilla suit walked past the players on the screen, beat on its chest and then walked out of the image. The gorilla was in the scene for more than one-third of the entire video.</p> <p>Participants who tested as &quot;mildly intoxicated&quot; were twice as likely to say they didn\'t see the gorilla, compared to participants who were less drunk. The findings could have serious implications for driving while mildly intoxicated, the researchers said.</p> <p>&quot;We rely on our ability to perceive a multitude of information when we drive (speed limit, road signs, other cars, etc.). If even a mild dose of alcohol compromises our ability to take in some of this information -- in other words, limits our attention span -- then it seems likely that our driving ability may also be compromised,&quot; study author Dr. Seema Clifasefi said in a prepared statement.</p> <p>For example, she said, &quot;If you\'ve had one drink, you may be so focused on paying attention to your speed so as not to get pulled over, that you completely miss seeing the pedestrian that walks directly in front of your car.&quot;</p> <p>The study was published in the journal <i>Applied Cognitive Psychology</i>.</p> <p><b>More information</b> </p> <p>The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more information on <a href=\"http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/drving.htm&quot;target =\">drinking and driving</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('301','1','	<p><p>SUNDAY, July 2 (HealthDay News) -- Lightning may not strike twice, but just once is enough to kill or seriously injure. And summertime is peak time for lightning -- one of the top three causes of weather-related deaths.</p> <p>Lightning strikes are most common between the hours of 2 p.m. and 6 p.m, say experts at the Medical College of Georgia Sports Medicine Center, Augusta.</p> <p>They offer the following safety tips:</p><ul> <li>Check the weather forecast 24 hours before you attend an outdoor event.</li> <li>When you\'re outdoors, identify a safe location you can use if there\'s a storm. Safe places include buildings and fully enclosed vehicles with the windows completely closed.</li> <li>Avoid unsafe places such as golf carts, bleachers, high ground, open spaces, pools or other bodies of water, picnic shelters, and under or near trees.</li> <li>If you can hear or see lightning, seek shelter immediately and stay inside until there has been no thunder or lightning for at least 30 minutes. Don\'t wait until it rains to seek shelter because lightning can strike before there\'s any rain.</li> <li>If you\'re caught outside and unable to seek shelter, find the lowest point and crouch down with your feet together. Stay at least seven feet away from any tall structures such as trees or poles.</li> <li>If you\'re indoors during a storm, stay away from doors and windows, don\'t make telephone calls, and avoid using sinks and other water sources. Turn off, unplug and stay away from appliances. Remove headsets.</li> <li>If a person has been struck by lightning, it is safe to touch them. Lightning does not leave a residual charge. Call 911 immediately and attempt CPR.</li></ul> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency has more about <a href=\"http://www.fema.gov/hazard/thunderstorm/\" target=\"_new\">thunderstorms and lightning</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('302','1','	<p><p>SUNDAY, July 2 (HealthDay News) -- It\'s a childhood memory shared by many in America -- gathering with friends and family to shoot off store-bought fireworks in celebration of the nation\'s independence.</p> <p>But while the pungent scent of spent gunpowder and the shrieking sound of rockets may inspire nostalgia, this is one tradition that deserves to fizzle out, safety experts say.</p> <p>And with the long holiday weekend now underway, experts warn that you\'re safest when you aren\'t around fireworks.</p> <p>&quot;Let professionals handle them. That\'s the take-home message,&quot; said Dr. Joseph Miller, associate professor of ophthalmology at the University of Arizona in Tucson, and chairman of Prevent Blindness America\'s pediatric advisory committee. &quot;Go to a fireworks display. Don\'t handle them yourself,&quot; Miller suggested.</p> <p>Safety groups like the National Fire Prevention Association believe that message so strongly that they refuse to offer any safety advice for fireworks, because such advice could be interpreted as a tacit endorsement of them.</p> <p>&quot;We don\'t do any safety tips using fireworks, because we don\'t believe people should be using them,&quot; said Lorraine Carli, spokeswoman for the fire prevention association.</p> <p>Fireworks caused an estimated 9,600 injuries treated in U.S. emergency rooms in 2004, according to data compiled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. That reflected an increase of 300 cases from the previous year.</p> <p>Two of every three of those injuries occurred in the one-month period surrounding the Fourth of July, according to the commission\'s report.</p> <p>Hands were the most commonly injured part of the body, occurring in 2,200 cases in 2004. The eyes and the head and face were the second-most commonly injured locations, occurring in 1,400 cases each.</p> <p>To make matters worse, the children who marvel at the brilliant glitter and percussive blasts are often the ones who make the trip to the emergency room.</p> <p>About 40 percent of fireworks injuries in 2004 were to children 15 and younger. Children 5 to 9 years old have the highest injury rate of all -- 30 percent.</p> <p>&quot;When you look at the numbers of injuries and burns, they\'re not safe,&quot; Carli said. &quot;If you played with them as a child and you didn\'t have an injury, you were lucky.&quot;</p> <p>Boys are three times more likely than girls to be injured by fireworks. &quot;It\'s more of a natural curiosity for boys than girls to be playing with fireworks,&quot; Carli explained.</p> <p>Experts also warn that requiring children to watch from the sidelines while adults set off the fireworks doesn\'t guarantee their safety. The data shows that bystanders are more often injured by fireworks than the people setting them off.</p> <p>&quot;It\'s not just you that gets hurt,&quot; Miller said. &quot;It\'s someone who wasn\'t playing with the fireworks but was in the area.&quot;</p> <p>Rockets are the most dangerous type of firework, causing about a quarter of all injuries, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.</p> <p>&quot;Bottle rockets are the worst, in my experience,&quot; Miller said. &quot;They seem to be cute and little, but they really pack a wallop. They tend to be played with by children who aim at each other and then let them fly.&quot;</p> <p>Firecrackers are next, causing about one in five injuries. Illegal firecrackers -- ones so powerful they are banned by federal law -- cause another 14 percent of total injuries.</p> <p>Even seemingly safe fireworks devices like sparklers, fountains, snakes, party poppers and ground spinners also cause damage and destruction. Sparklers, fountains, and related novelties together account for one-fourth of emergency-room fireworks injuries -- the same percentage as bottle rockets.</p> <p>Sparklers are particularly seductive because they seem harmless, but they can heat up to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. That\'s three times the heat needed to set wood on fire and can cause horrible burns. Sparklers cause as many injuries as illegal fireworks, around 14 percent.</p> <p>&quot;They\'re beautiful, but they\'re hot,&quot; Miller said. &quot;A lot of burns happen with sparklers.&quot;</p> <p>Property also is endangered by fireworks, according to the National Fire Prevention Association. In 2002, there were 3,000 reported structure or vehicle fires started by fireworks, the latest in a four-year growth in such fires. The fires resulted in 60 people injured and $29 million in property damage.</p> <p>If you need any more convincing, consider this: Most of the physical damage caused by fireworks is permanent, leaving lasting scars on victims.</p> <p>&quot;I remember meeting a medical school applicant who lost his hand playing with fireworks as a child,&quot; Miller said. &quot;They can have consequences you\'ll have to deal with the rest of your life.&quot;</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>To learn more, visit the U.S. <a href=\"http://www.cdc.gov/NCIPC/factsheets/fworks.htm\" target=\"_new\">National Center for Injury Prevention and Control</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('303','1','	<p><!--Spanish ID:533617--> <p>MONDAY, July 3 (HealthDay News) -- Children are at risk of getting seriously hurt by fireworks even if they aren\'t the ones setting them off, according to new research released on the eve of the Independence Day holiday.</p> <p>And parental supervision is no guarantee against injury, the researchers added.</p> <p>Between 1990 and 2003, approximately 85,800 cases of fireworks-related injuries in children were reported, and in 54 percent of the cases, the parents were right there, according to the study done by the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Columbus Children\'s Hospital in Ohio.</p> <p> The average age of the injured children was 11, and the majority -- 80 percent -- were male. Burns were the most common injury in 60 percent of the cases, and the most commonly injured body sites were the eyeball, face and hands.</p> <p> Firecrackers caused almost 30 percent of accidents, sparklers about 20 percent, and aerial fireworks around 17 percent.</p> <p>&quot;Children who were injured while playing with fireworks themselves accounted for approximately half of the injuries,&quot; said study co-author Rachel Witsaman, a CIRP staff member, in a prepared statement. &quot;Even more concerning was that one-fourth of injuries occurred to bystanders. This means that a child is at risk of injury simply by being near where fireworks are being used.&quot; </p> <p>The study, based on data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission\'s National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, showed that approximately 92 percent of all injured children were treated and released from hospital emergency departments, 5.3 percent were admitted, and 2.3 percent were transferred to another institution.</p> <p>&quot;Parents should be advised to take their children to safer public fireworks displays, rather than allowing consumer fireworks to be used by or near their children,&quot; said study author Dr. Gary Smith, director of CIRP.</p> <p>&quot;Every type of legally available consumer firework has been associated with serious injury or death,&quot; he added. &quot;A national ban of the sale and use of consumer fireworks, in accordance with the policy recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics, should be implemented in order to reduce the burden of fireworks-related injuries among children.&quot;</p> <p>Another study author and CIRP staff member, Dawn Comstock, noted that the research &quot;was limited to fireworks injuries treated in hospital emergency departments. The actual number is certainly higher when considering those who did not seek medical treatment or were cared for by other health-care providers.&quot;</p> <p>The study findings are published in the July issue of the journal <i>Pediatrics</i>.</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>For more information on the hazards of fireworks, visit the <a href=\"http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/summertips-p2.htm\" target=\"_new\">American Academy of Pediatrics</a>. </p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('304','1','	<p><p>(HealthDay News) -- Although fireworks are a traditional way to celebrate the July 4th holiday, they can also lead to serious injuries if proper precautions aren\'t followed. If you decide to set off your own fireworks this holiday, here are a few safety tips, courtesy of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission:</p> <ul> <li>Pay attention to the instructions and warnings.</li> <li>Be prepared with a bucket of water nearby in case of a malfunctioning firework.</li> <li>Be sure to set off the fireworks in an area clear of people.</li> <li>Fireworks should only be lit away from homes and other buildings, trees and cars. Never light fireworks in the grass, but always on a smooth, flat surface like concrete or pavement.</li> <li>If a firework does not ignite, do not attempt to re-light it.</li> <li>Never allow children to touch, handle or light fireworks.</li> </ul> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('305','1','	<p><p>WEDNESDAY, July 5 (HealthDay News) -- Air pollution, including tiny carbon particles from motor exhaust, works its way into children\'s airways and diminishes their lung function, British researchers say.</p> <p>Reporting in the July 6 issue of the <i>New England Journal of Medicine</i>, the researchers found a 13 percent reduction in children\'s &quot;forced vital capacity&quot; -- a measure of lung function -- for every one micrometer-squared increase of carbon content in their lungs. </p> <p>&quot;Higher levels of exposure [to carbon particles] are associated with lower levels of lung function,&quot; concluded one of the study\'s authors, Dr. Jonathan Grigg, who was a senior lecturer in pediatrics at the University of Leicester in England at the time of the study. </p> <p>Black carbon particles are a major component of air pollution, according to background information in the study. This type of pollution comes largely from motor vehicle emissions. Past research has suggested that carbon pollution might harm children\'s lung function. </p> <p>To confirm the association, the researchers recruited 114 healthy children from Leicester -- a medium-sized city with air quality that falls within the United Kingdom\'s acceptable range.</p> <p>All of the children were between 8 and 15 years old, had normal levels of physical activity and had been living in their current homes for at least one year. </p> <p>The researchers collected sputum (mucous) samples from the children and tested their lung function using a method called spirometry. They were able to get sufficiently sized samples from 64 of the children. </p> <p>They tested the sputum samples to measure the carbon content.</p> <p>Grigg and his colleagues found that the more carbon present in the sputum, the greater the reduction in lung function. </p> <p>For each one micrometer-squared increase in carbon content, there was a 17 percent reduction in forced expiratory volume in one second, and a 13 percent reduction in forced vital capacity. Forced vital capacity measures how fast and how hard you can exhale.</p> <p>According to Grigg, the most likely explanation for this decrease in function is that these particles restricted the growth of the children\'s lungs. </p> <p>The association held true even after the researchers controlled for other factors such as exposure to second-hand smoke, body mass index and gender. </p> <p>To ensure that reduced lung function wasn\'t causing an increase in carbon deposits, the researchers also measured the carbon content found in the lungs of nine children with asthma, who have naturally lower lung function than healthy children. </p> <p>Surprisingly, the researchers found less carbon in the lungs of children with asthma. Grigg said the researchers suspect this may be because people with asthma may process inhaled particles differently than people with healthy lungs do, and that in people with asthma, carbon may deposit itself in different cells. </p> <p>Dr. Jonathan Field, director of the pediatric allergy and asthma clinic at New York University Medical Center/Bellevue in New York City, said that because people with asthma take medications that relax the airways, they may be able to better expel these particles. Or, he said, &quot;if there\'s already airway constriction, there may be less particles coming in.&quot; </p> <p>The damage to children\'s lungs is cumulative, Grigg stressed. &quot;Particle pollution exerts a small negative effect on lung function growth, but since the effect is continuous, it may have a large negative effect when acting over several years,&quot; he said. &quot;This study is another piece in the jigsaw showing that air pollution from traffic has adverse consequences,&quot; he said. </p> <p>However, that doesn\'t mean that people living near busy traffic need to move, Grigg said. On an individual basis, the pollution-linked lung function changes are quite small, he said. </p> <p>&quot;We can\'t avoid inhaled particulate pollution. These data are important when doing the cost/benefit analysis for different, less-polluting fuels. This study reminds us that there is a health cost of burning fossil fuels, even though at present these fuels bring many benefits,&quot; he said. </p> <p>People can take simple steps to minimize their exposures, however. Field said people who live in a high-pollution area and have respiratory symptoms should minimize their outside exposure on high-ozone or high-pollution days. People with respiratory symptoms who are already mulling a move may want to consider living in a less-trafficked, less-polluted area, away from busy streets. </p> <p>The study also highlights the need for a move away from gas-dependent vehicles and toward less-polluting &quot;hybrid&quot; models, Field said. </p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>To learn more about air pollution and its effects on your health, visit the <a href=\" http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&amp;b=50324\" target=\"_new\">American Lung Association</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('306','1','	<p><p>WEDNESDAY, July 5 (HealthDay News) -- Standard hospital quality assessments don\'t always reflect the outcomes of patients treated at particular centers, according to a U.S. study that looked at death rates for heart attack patients.</p> <p>Researchers at Yale University School of Medicine analyzed 2002-2003 data from 962 hospitals on heart attack patients who were age 66 or older. They also looked at publicly reported hospital performance data from the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services.</p> <p>There was significant correlation between some hospital measures and risk-standardized, 30-day death rates, the researchers found. However, these measures accounted for only 6 percent of hospital-level variation in 30-day death rates for heart attack patients.</p> <p>The study identified moderately strong correlations between use of heart drugs such as beta-blockers at both hospital admission and discharge, aspirin use at admission and discharge, and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor use.</p> <p> It also found weaker, but statistically significant, correlations between these medication measures and smoking cessation counseling and time to reperfusion therapy measures.</p> <p>&quot;This finding suggests that a hospital\'s short-term mortality rates after [heart attack] cannot be reliably inferred from performance on the publicly reported process measures,&quot; the Yale team concluded in a prepared statement. </p> <p>Their report was published in the July 5 issue of the <i>Journal of the American Medical Association</i>.</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>The American Heart Association has more about <a href=\"http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4601\" target=\"_new\">heart attack treatments</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('307','1','	<p><!--Spanish ID:533636--> <p>WEDNESDAY, July 5 (HealthDay News) -- New research out of California suggests that DDT causes developmental delays in infants whose mothers were exposed to the pesticide.</p> <p>DDT is currently banned in the United States, but officials in Africa are considering expanding its use to combat mosquitoes that spread malaria.</p> <p>The new findings -- along with the potential benefits of DDT use to reduce malaria -- &quot;need to be considered by the policymakers,&quot; said study author Brenda Eskenazi, a professor of epidemiology and maternal and child health at the University of California, Berkeley.</p> <p>Environmentalists have long expressed concern that DDT is toxic to humans, and its use has been limited or banned across the world. In the United States, it\'s been banned since 1972.</p> <p>While it does appears to be hazardous to some animals, DDT\'s health effects on humans are still being studied, said Dr. Walter Rogan, senior investigator in the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences\' epidemiology branch. It\'s not clear, he said, that DDT has ever killed anyone.</p> <p>Rogan\'s agency helped pay for the study, but he did not participate in it.</p> <p>The study is the first to look at the direct effects of DDT on infant development rather than the effects of DDT\'s byproducts.</p> <p> The researchers examined blood levels of DDT and one of the breakdown products -- known as DDE -- in 360 pregnant women from California\'s Central Valley who are participating in a long-term UC Berkeley project called the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS).</p> <p> The project is designed to examine the effects of pesticides and other environmental factors on the health of pregnant Latina women and their children living in what the researchers call &quot;one of the most intensely farmed regions in the world.&quot;</p> <p>Ninety percent of the women in the study were born in Mexico, where DDT was widely used in agriculture during the 1970s, then used to control mosquitoes until 1995. In 2000, a complete ban went into effect. </p> <p>The researchers tested the mental and physical skills of the women\'s infants at 6, 12 and 24 months of age. The researchers adjusted their findings to account for a variety of outside factors, such as education level and income.</p> <p>The babies of mothers with the highest DDT exposure showed signs of delayed mental development at 12 months and 24 months.</p> <p> For each tenfold increase in DDT levels measured in the mother, the researchers found a corresponding two- to three-point decrease in the child\'s mental development scores at 12 and 24 months. In physical skills exams, there were two-point decreases in children\'s scores at 6 months and 12 months for each tenfold increase in DDT levels in the mothers. No decrease was found at 24 months.</p> <p>The researchers said changes in individual children due to DDT exposure might not be readily noticeable. However, &quot;if this association is uniform across the population, you would see more children with problems in the population,&quot; Eskenazi said.</p> <p>The findings are published in the July issue of <i>Pediatrics</i>.</p> <p>The researchers also found that breast-feeding seemed to help the infants of mothers who were heavily exposed to DDT. They developed more normally, even though DDT is transmitted through breast milk.</p> <p>People are typically exposed to DDT by coming into contact with the pesticide spray or by eating food that has been sprayed, Rogan said.</p> <p>It\'s not clear what DDT physically does to the brains of infants whose mothers are exposed to it, he said. It\'s also not known if the developmental effects in infants will be permanent.</p> <p>As for countries considering the use of DDT to fight malaria, Rogan said, &quot;They have to entertain the idea that DDT is not an entirely innocuous compound. If you think about it, it\'s implausible that it would be,&quot; he said, adding that, after all, DDT is a poison designed to kill living things.</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>Learn more about DDT from <a href=\"http://www.chem.duke.edu/~jds/cruise_chem/pest/pest1.html\" target=\"_new\">Duke University</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('308','1','	<p><!--Spanish ID:533637--> <p>TUESDAY, July 4 (HealthDay News) -- In a new study, people who repeatedly took the maximum recommended daily dose of acetaminophen developed abnormalities in blood tests that can be a signal for liver damage.</p> <p>The study researchers said they first noted the potential for liver toxicity in patients treated for pain with a combination of the opioid hydrocodone plus acetaminophen. But, before this study, the scientists had assumed the threat came from the hydrocodone.</p> <p>So, the new findings came as a somewhat of a shock, the researchers said.</p> <p>&quot;This clearly showed, much to our jaw-dropping surprise, that it had nothing to do with the opiate,&quot; said Dr. Paul Watkins, lead author of the study and professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. &quot;It was a previously unrecognized but pretty remarkable effect of acetaminophen alone when taken as directed for four days.&quot; </p> <p>Still, acetaminophen, which is most commonly marketed as Tylenol, has been on the market for 20 years and has a clear safety record, Watkins said, and consumers should not stop taking the drug if they really need it. </p> <p>&quot;No one should ever take a drug they don\'t need,&quot; he said. &quot;But this study is not a reason to stop taking acetaminophen if you need it.&quot; </p> <p>&quot;There is concern, but this is not black or white,&quot; added Dr. Eugene Schiff, M.D., chief of the division of hepatology and professor of medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He pointed out that acetaminophen has been known to elevate liver enzymes in people who are regular drinkers or who have been fasting.</p> <p>However, Schiff said, &quot;This paper is important, because they\'re showing that what we thought was the upper limit of safety in people who are not regular drinkers or fasting -- that it\'s too high. To me, the critical factor is, \'What is the upper limit that\'s safe?\' &quot; </p> <p>Millions of people take acetaminophen for pain relief. Some of these people can\'t take aspirin because of its gastrointestinal effects, or can\'t take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as naproxen (Aleve). Use of Celebrex, one of a newer class of NSAIDs called cox-2 inhibitors, is also controversial because of cardiovascular problems linked to two recalled cox-2s, Vioxx and Bextra. </p> <p>The current findings came about by accident. In the process of conducting a trial on a combination acetaminophen/narcotic drug, Purdue Pharma discovered that a number of healthy volunteers had a high incidence of abnormalities in blood aminotransferase (ALT and AST) tests used to measure levels of specific liver enzymes. Those results &quot;would normally be considered very alarming,&quot; Watkins said.</p> <p>The initial concern was that it was the narcotic, hydrocodone, that was responsible for the increase. </p> <p>That trial was halted, and the company called in Watkins and another expert to design the current study, published in the July 5 issue of the <i>Journal of the American Medical Association</i>.</p> <p>Watkins and two other authors reported having served as paid consultants to Purdue during the planning and execution of the study but not during preparation of the article. </p> <p>For this study, 145 healthy adults each received either a placebo, one of three acetaminophen/opioid combinations, or acetaminophen alone for 14 days. Each active treatment included 4 grams of acetaminophen daily, the maximum recommended daily dosage. </p> <p>None of the patients in the placebo group had a maximum ALT measurement of more than 3 times the upper limit of normal. </p> <p>However, in the four treatment groups, 31 percent to 44 percent of patients had a maximum ALT of more than three times the upper limits of normal. Those in the acetaminophen-alone group had a similar elevation, suggesting that the opioid had nothing to do with the effect. </p> <p>&quot;It was so unbelievable that I am conducting an ongoing study with 50 people,&quot; Watkins added. &quot;That\'s not in the <i>JAMA</i> paper, but we\'re finding that it verifies the findings.&quot; </p> <p>The authors suspect, however, that ALT elevations should go down, even after continued use of acetaminophen. &quot;I\'m quite convinced that if we continue to treat people, they would come back to normal, so that about after a month, I believe liver chemistries would be normal, even continuing,&quot; Watkins said. </p> <p>One question raised by the paper is whether aminotransferase elevations are even accurate in predicting the potential for liver damage. </p> <p>&quot;In the past, when we\'ve seen liver enzyme abnormalities to this extent, it has indicated to us physicians that there is significant liver injury or damage occurring,&quot; Watkins said. &quot;Since we have decades of experience and know the safety of acetaminophen, are the tests as good as we thought they were? Maybe they\'re not good predictors as to which drugs are going to have liver problems,&quot; he added.</p> <p>It\'s also possible that a number of past tests have been misread, incorrectly attributing elevations to a drug other than acetaminophen. </p> <p>&quot;Because recommended doses of acetaminophen have not been previously recognized to cause liver enzyme elevations, physicians may have embarked on costly liver evaluations unnecessarily,&quot; Watkins said. &quot;Also, treatment with other drugs suspected to cause liver problems, such as lipid-lowering medicines, may have been stopped unnecessarily.&quot; </p> <p>The message to consumers is to pay attention to dosing and duration of use when taking acetaminophen (and other drugs). In particular, pay attention to &quot;hidden&quot; acetaminophen in other drug products. </p> <p>&quot;There are a lot of combination drugs that include acetaminophen that people aren\'t aware,&quot; Schiff said. &quot;That\'s been a problem.&quot; </p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>For more on acetaminophen, head to the <a href=\"http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/medmaster/a681004.html\" target=\"_new\">National Library of Medicine</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('309','1','	<p><!--Spanish ID:533677--> <p>THURSDAY, July 6 (HealthDay News) -- Childhood exposure to radiation from the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster may raise risks for thyroid cancer, a new report finds.</p> <p>The Chernobyl incident exposed large numbers of people in the Ukraine, Belarus and the Russian Federation to radioactive material high in isotopes of iodine and cesium.</p> <p>For this study, researchers at Columbia University in New York City provided thyroid cancer screening for more than 13,000 people who were younger than 18 years of age at the time of the Chernobyl disaster and lived in highly contaminated areas of the Ukraine.</p> <p>Each person\'s individual radiation dose was estimated by using thyroid radioactivity measurements made shortly after the disaster and through interview data collected during screening for the study.</p> <p>The study identified 45 cases of thyroid cancer among the participants, compared to an expected 11.2 cases in the same number of people not exposed to this kind of radiation. The older the study participants were at the time of the incident, the lower their risk of thyroid cancer as adults.</p> <p>&quot;We estimate that 75 percent of the thyroid cancer cases would have been avoided in the absence of radiation,&quot; the team wrote. &quot;With appropriate adjustment for dose, this estimate demonstrates a substantial contribution of radioactive iodines to the excess of thyroid cancer that followed the (Chernobyl) accident.&quot;</p> <p>The findings were published in the July 4 <i>Journal of the National Cancer Institute</i>.</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about <a href=\"http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/wyntk/thyroid\" target=\"_new\">thyroid cancer</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('310','1','	<p><p>TUESDAY, May 9 (HealthDay News) -- A new study challenges claims by the American Medical Association (AMA) and others that doctors are being driven out of business by rising malpractice insurance premiums.</p> <p>The analysis of AMA survey data collected from 1970 to 2000 found that self-employed physicians actually paid lower malpractice premiums in 2000 than they did in 1986.</p> <p>Based on year 2000 dollars, mean malpractice premiums increased from $5,934 in 1970 to $20,106 in 1986, and then declined to $15,478 in 1996. Premiums rose from 1996 until the AMA discontinued the surveys in 2000, when mean premiums were $18,400, still lower than 1986, the study said.</p> <p>But while malpractice premiums were falling from 1986 to 2000, all other physicians\' practice expenses were rapidly increasing, the study authors noted.</p> <p>Premiums accounted for six percent of total practice expenses in 1970, 11 percent in 1986, six percent in 1996, and seven percent in 2000.</p> <p>The findings appear in the May/June issue of the journal <i>Health Affairs</i>.</p> <p>&quot;The reported recent demise of medical practice as a result of rising malpractice premiums has been greatly exaggerated,&quot; Suffolk University law professor Marc Rodwin and his co-authors wrote. They said the AMA surveys &quot;indicate that premiums have consistently been a small percentage of total practice expenses.&quot;</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>For more on medical malpractice insurance, check out a report from the <a href=\"http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d03702.pdf\" target=\"_new\">U.S. General Accounting Office</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('311','1','	<p><!--Spanish ID:532613--> <p>TUESDAY, May 9 (HealthDay News) -- The hospital care of alcohol abuse-related problems in the United States involved nearly 210,000 patients in 2003 at a total cost of about $2 billion, concludes a report by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.</p> <p>Other findings in the report:</p><ul> <li>34 percent of hospital stays that were primarily for alcohol abuse disorders involved privately insured patients; 25 percent involved Medicaid patients; 21 percent involved uninsured patients; and 13 percent involved Medicare patients.</li> <li>More than 1 million patients admitted to hospitals for other reasons also had a diagnosis of alcohol abuse. About 3 percent of all hospital stays had some mention of alcohol abuse.</li> <li>Among uninsured patients, 25.3 out of every 1,000 hospital stays were for alcohol abuse disorders, which represented the fourth most common reason for hospitalization of uninsured patients.</li> <li>Alcohol abuse was among the top 25 most common reasons for hospitalization among men of all ages and the fourth most common reason among men ages 35 to 44.</li> <li>65 percent of all hospital admissions primarily for alcohol abuse disorders also involved a substance abuse disorder; 34 percent involved depression, bipolar disease or other mood disorders; 11.5 percent had alcohol-related liver disease; and 8.7 percent had anxiety disorders.</li></ul> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>The U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has more about <a href=\"http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/FAQs/General-English/\" target=\"_new\">alcohol abuse and alcoholism</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('312','1','	<p><p>WEDNESDAY, May 10 (HealthDay News) -- New research shows that most malpractice litigation results from legitimate claims, and that eliminating &quot;frivolous&quot; lawsuits won\'t improve things.</p> <p>&quot;Some people have suggested that the system is overrun with frivolous litigation. Our findings don\'t support that,&quot; said study author David M. Studdert, an associate professor of health policy and management at Harvard School of Public Health, in Boston. &quot;The system is doing a reasonable job of channeling compensation to the right sorts of claims.&quot;</p> <p>&quot;These findings are absolutely no surprise to any of us in the policy community. They are consistent with everything we suspected and learned from research over last 20 years, which is that the major problem out there is medical errors that are not compensated, rather than frivolous claims that are compensated,&quot; added Dr. William Sage, a professor of law at Columbia University in New York City.</p> <p>At the same time, however, the overhead costs of this litigation remain exorbitant, suggesting that reducing that expense might be a better idea.</p> <p>In the long-simmering debate over medical malpractice litigation, critics claim that frivolous litigation is both widespread and costly. Such advocates of tort reform charge that malpractice lawsuits are driving up the cost of health care.</p> <p>The issue has long been a political hot button, and the Senate is expected to vote soon on whether or not to impose a federal cap on non-economic damages in malpractice suits.</p> <p>Previous research has indicated that most patients who sustain a medical injury do not sue. But there is little evidence on the validity of lawsuits that do occur.</p> <p>For this study, which appears in the May 11 <i>New England Journal of Medicine</i>, a panel of trained physicians reviewed 1,452 closed malpractice claims from five liability insurers to determine if a medical injury really had occurred and, if so, whether or not it was due to medical error. The physicians focused on the areas of surgery, obstetrics, medication and missed or delayed diagnosis which, together, account for about 80 percent of all malpractice claims filed in the United States.</p> <p>There were no verifiable medical injuries for 3 percent of the claims, and 37 percent did not involve errors.</p> <p>But the majority of claims not associated with errors (72 percent) or injuries (84 percent) did not result in compensation, either. On the other hand, most of the claims that involved injuries due to error (73 percent) did result in compensation.</p> <p>When claims not involving error did receive compensation, it was generally lower than claims that did involve an error ($313,205 vs. $521,560).</p> <p>Almost three-quarters of claims involving error received compensation. &quot;We were a little bit surprised about the system\'s accuracy in the sense that it got things right about three-quarters of the time,&quot; Studdert said. &quot;That was a little higher than we expected.&quot;</p> <p>But even when working three-quarters of the time, there were still significant problems.</p> <p>&quot;There are a couple of pretty troubling aspects of the system that come through these findings,&quot; Studdert said.</p> <p>One is the amount of time -- an average of five years -- from the time of injury to the time a claim is resolved. &quot;That\'s a long time for people to be sitting around living in uncertainty,&quot; Studdert said.</p> <p>Another problem were the costs of litigating, which averaged $52,521 per claim, or 54 percent of the compensation paid to plaintiffs.</p> <p>&quot;The overhead costs even for legitimate claims were really expensive,&quot; Studdert said. &quot;By the standards of compensation systems, that\'s really, really high.&quot;</p> <p>&quot;The rise in defense costs also tends to squeeze out smaller claims,&quot; Sage added.</p> <p>And the lion\'s share of both direct compensation costs (money paid to plaintiffs) and administrative costs were connected to cases involving errors, leaving only 13 percent to 16 percent of costs linked to claims that don\'t involve errors.</p> <p>&quot;Ridding the system of frivolous claims is likely to save money, but not a great deal,&quot; Studdert said. &quot;Major savings are going to depend on reforms that make resolving an average claim faster and cheaper. That\'s going to be very difficult given the adversarial nature of the current system, with its reliance on lawyers and so forth. We think that simpler, more streamlined systems like mediation or arbitration, which will take the average claim and get it resolved for less money would be a substantial improvement.&quot;</p> <p>&quot;The fix is doing a better job compensating the meritorious claims,&quot; added Sage. &quot;That, of course, can only be done incrementally. You can\'t just snap your fingers. We can do a whole lot better job than we\'re doing.&quot;</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>The <a href=\"http://medliabilitypa.org/\" target=\" _new\">Project on Medical Liability in Pennsylvania</a> has more on medical liability.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('313','1','	<p><p>WEDNESDAY, May 10 (HealthDay News) -- Medicare officials announced Wednesday that they are getting close to enrolling 90 percent of those eligible for their new prescription drug plan, with 37 million Americans now on board as the enrollment deadline looms.</p> <p>After Monday, most new sign-ups will be charged a higher premium for enrollment in Medicare Part D, as the plan is called, although Medicare officials have just said they will waive that penalty for low-income beneficiaries who sign up later.</p> <p>&quot;There are likely 3 million people who are [still] eligible for the low-income subsidy and for who we are going to continue to do outreach efforts before or after May 15,&quot; Dr. Mark McClellan, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said in a press conference Wednesday.</p> <p>He said the agency estimates that close to another 3 million Americans with higher incomes are also eligible but have not yet enrolled.</p> <p>Experts estimate that about 43 million Americans are eligible for Medicare Part D.</p> <p>McClellan said inquiries and sign-ups have accelerated over the past few weeks and days, with the agency\'s toll-free sign-up line, 1-800-Medicare, taking a record 300,000 calls this past Monday alone. More than 1,000 Medicare-sponsored events are scheduled over the next few days across the United States, aimed at reaching eligible beneficiaries.</p> <p>Despite calls to extend the May 15 deadline, President Bush has confirmed that his administration will not do so. As reported by the <i>Associated Press</i>, Bush told a Florida crowd on Tuesday that, &quot;Deadlines are important. Deadlines help people understand there\'s finality and people need to get after it.&quot;</p> <p>Not everyone was enthused with the new numbers cited by Medicare, however.</p> <p> Judith Stein, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Center for Medicare Advocacy, called the 37 million enrollment figure nothing more than &quot;cheerleading&quot; that is &quot;not helpful.&quot;</p> <p>According to Stein, that\'s because the figure includes about 28 million people who didn\'t &quot;affirmatively&quot; sign up on their own, but were automatically enrolled because they were already receiving some form of drug coverage from Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, an employer, or the Veterans\' Administration, among others.</p> <p>Medicare officials acknowledge that just 9 million of the 37 million people enrolled in Part D had no drug plan prior to their active enrollment and have now signed on for &quot;stand-alone&quot; plans.</p> <p>Statistics from by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation estimate that a total of 17.5 million Americans without any identifiable source of drug coverage were eligible for Part D this year.</p> <p>According to Stein, that means there are still 8.5 million eligible Americans without drug coverage who have yet to sign up for the cost-saving plan.</p> <p>&quot;So, it looks to me that what we are going to find out is that somewhat less than two-thirds of the people who are eligible who had no other coverage and had to make an affirmative decision to enroll, actually enrolled,&quot; she said.</p> <p>Stein agreed that the government has done much to advertise the plan and get people to enroll over the past few months. &quot;Unfortunately, there hasn\'t been a lot of recognition that [signing up] needs a lot of time and resources -- it\'s not as easy as 1-2-3,&quot; she said.</p> <p> In many states, consumers must choose between dozens of competing private insurance plans, each with different drug-coverage options.</p> <p>The bottom line, according to Stein: Medicare\'s Part D roll-out &quot;has been a very good PR campaign, but it\'s not been a very effective campaign if the goal was to get people to understand and enroll and to know how to use Part D.&quot;</p> <p>But McLellan said the effort to round up more enrollees will continue &quot;feverishly&quot; all this week and through the weekend.</p> <p>&quot;Many of the state health assistance programs and many of our other partners will be open over the weekend and will be holding late office hours -- some are even staying open till midnight on Monday,&quot; he said.</p> <p>His boss, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, spoke to reporters from a bus outside Detroit as he was shuttled to a Part D event in Lansing, Mich. </p> <p>He said there are &quot;three simple steps that people need to follow in getting their decisions made: first is to get their prescription drugs together; second is to find their Medicare card; and the third is to dial 1-800-Medicare or go online at www.medicare.gov&quot; to sign up.</p> <p>McClellan believes many Part D late-comers may have not felt the urgency of getting themselves into the drug plan, or they may have simply procrastinated.</p> <p>&quot;There are folks who aren\'t taking many drugs now but who are focusing in [now] because they want to get protection for the future at the lowest cost,&quot; he said. &quot;Signing up for health insurance may not be the most fun thing they\'ll do today, but they know it\'s very important.&quot;</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>For help on understanding Medicare Part D, head to the <a href=\"http://www.kff.org/medicare/rxdrugbenefit.cfm\" target=\"_new\">Kaiser Family Foundation</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('314','1','	<p><!--Spanish ID:532730--> <p>MONDAY, May 15 (HealthDay News) -- Is it a roaring success or a dismal failure?</p> <p>As the Monday midnight sign-up deadline nears, both critics and supporters of the U.S. government\'s roll-out of the Medicare Part D drug subsidy program say the latest numbers tell the tale.</p> <p>&quot;Right now, 37 million people with Medicare have prescription drug coverage,&quot; Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator Dr. Mark McClellan told reporters last week as the deadline approached.</p> <p>And with an estimated 43 million Americans eligible for Part D, McClellan was right in affirming that government outreach over the past few months has helped recruit nearly 90 percent of new enrollees to the plan.</p> <p>But he also went on to mention that the 37 million figure &quot;includes about 9 million individual enrollees in stand-alone prescription drug plans.&quot;</p> <p>Critics of the Part D roll-out say that figure -- which represents people who weren\'t already covered by existing plans -- is the best number to focus on.</p> <p>&quot;The bundled number of 37 million isn\'t useful to us,&quot; said Judith Stein, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Center for Medicare Advocacy Inc., in Washington, D.C.</p> <p>That\'s because 28 million of those 37 million new members had already been automatically switched to Part D from existing coverage such as Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, VA benefits or employer-based plans.</p> <p>Unfortunately, experts estimate that another 17.5 million Americans who are eligible for Part D are not so lucky -- they have no other way of covering their drug costs.</p> <p>So far, by McClellan\'s own reckoning, just 9 million of these uninsured Americans -- the people Part D was created to protect -- have signed up for the new subsidy, Stein said.</p> <p>&quot;So, it looks to me that we\'re still under two-thirds of people who don\'t have other coverage that have actually signed up,&quot; Stein said. That\'s <i>not</i> a success story, she noted.</p> <p>Other problems have emerged since the enrollment period began Nov. 15. Signing up to Part D, which relies on private insurers, has been confusing for seniors suddenly faced with dozens of competing plans vying for their attention -- each with its own list of covered drugs. Responding to the confusion, CMS set up a special Web site aimed at helping consumers calculate the relative pros and cons of each choice.</p> <p>Another problem: Many &quot;dual-eligibles&quot; -- poorer or disabled people already covered by Medicaid who were eligible for Part D -- fell into a temporary &quot;drug-coverage gap&quot; when they lost Medicaid coverage but weren\'t yet placed within the Part D system. Snags like these had pharmacists across the nation scrambling to get cash-strapped seniors the drugs they needed.</p> <p>Then there\'s the &quot;donut hole.&quot; According to plan rules, Part D will cover annual drug costs up to $2,249. The next $3,600 of yearly prescription expenses must be picked by the patient. The subsidy doesn\'t kick in again until annual costs surpass $5,850. Experts estimate that nearly 7 million Medicare beneficiaries will fall into the &quot;hole&quot; this year, causing them to shell out thousands in drug costs.</p> <p>Despite these challenges, millions of seniors and disabled have successfully signed up to Part D, which experts say can and does save them money. McClellan said Medicare-staffed buses &quot;have logged hundreds of thousands of miles since last July,&quot; as staffers and volunteers got the word out in thousands of local events held across the country.</p> <p>&quot;I think the roll-out has gone really well, considering that this is the first entitlement program in a very long time,&quot; said Thomas Johnson, executive director of the Medicaid Health Plans of America (MHPA), an industry group. &quot;Looking back on it, one could argue that maybe it could have been done in a simpler fashion, but when laws are written, sometimes that\'s not the case, and so we are where we are,&quot; he said.</p> <p>Johnson added that &quot;there has been a tremendous amount of outreach from many different industries to try and help get people used to this new program, and I think you\'ll see that continue, even after Monday.&quot;</p> <p>Already, some kinks in the system have been worked out. One worry was that, under Part D rules, there was no way to stop a private insurer from removing a drug from its &quot;formulary&quot; (a list of approved, covered prescriptions) midway through the year -- even though a senior might be locked into the plan for months to come.</p> <p>Responding to those concerns, the Bush administration in April issued a new rule that allowed beneficiaries in a given plan to continue receiving coverage for a drug, even if it was dropped from the plan\'s formulary.</p> <p>The government has been less flexible in other ways, however. Speaking last week to seniors in Florida, President Bush refused to move the May 15 midnight deadline for penalty-free enrollment. As reported by <i>The Associated Press</i>, Bush said &quot;Deadlines are important. Deadlines help people understand there\'s finality, and people need to get after it.&quot;</p> <p>However, officials at CMS have said that low-income beneficiaries who do sign up after Monday\'s deadline will not have to pay higher premiums. Higher-income seniors will still face this penalty, however.</p> <p>According to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, signing up is relatively simple and involves three steps: &quot;First, is to get their prescription drugs together; second, is to find their Medicare card; and third, is to dial 1-800-Medicare or go online at www.medicare.gov.&quot;</p> <p>Stein said she only wishes it was that simple.</p> <p>Because of the myriad plans seniors can pick from, signing up &quot;requires an enormous amount of one-on-one attention for each enrollee,&quot; she said.</p> <p>According to Stein, the biggest problem with the Part D roll-out was the fact that the government expected Americans of varying abilities to actively seek out information and sign up. Instead, she said, people should have been automatically enrolled via Medicare and then been given the option of dropping out.</p> <p>&quot;Study after study shows that when people have to opt <i>into</i> something as opposed to having to opt out, there\'s much less uptake,&quot; Stein said.</p> <p>But Johnson said Americans should always be as proactive as possible when it comes to their health care.</p> <p>&quot;It\'s incumbent on people to take the personal responsibility to go ahead and investigate who they should sign up with,&quot; he said. &quot;And they shouldn\'t wait until the last minute. I\'d really urge them to get involved with this new program, because it\'s in their best interest to do so.&quot;</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>For help on understanding Medicare Part D, head to the <a href=\"http://www.kff.org/medicare/rxdrugbenefit.cfm\" target=\"_new\">Kaiser Family Foundation</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('315','1','	<p><p>FRIDAY, May 19 (HealthDay News) -- Unnecessary medical tests ordered during routine physical exams are costing the U.S. health-care system millions, if not billions, of dollars each year, a new study contends.</p> <p>And with those tests comes the gratuitous stress that such exams can cause patients, the researchers said.</p> <p>&quot;Tests are ordered that aren\'t recommended,&quot; said study lead author Dr. Dan Merenstein, assistant professor of family medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine.</p> <p>The findings weren\'t a surprise to experts in the field. </p> <p>&quot;Until the system provides financial incentives to reward the use of highly valued services and penalizes for those unproven interventions, the use of these unwarranted interventions will continue,&quot; said Dr. Mark Fendrick, professor of internal medicine and of health management and policy at the University of Michigan School of Medicine.</p> <p>&quot;These types of massive screening activities are not very cost-effective generally,&quot; added Greg Scandlen, founder of Consumers for Health Care Choices. &quot;If a patient is in an at-risk group, then this kind of screening is appropriate, but the cost of doing it to large numbers of people just to find a tiny fraction of people with a problem is not justified,&quot; he added. </p> <p>Routine preventive health exams, or regular physical exams, are designed to identify diseases in their early stages and prevent other diseases from occurring. While tests can be part of these doctor\'s visits, it\'s not often clear which ones are beneficial to generally healthy people coming for a check-up. </p> <p>The authors of the new study, which appears in the June issue of the <i>American Journal of Preventive Medicine</i>, based their study on recommendations of the United States Preventive Services Task Force, a panel of experts that ranks different preventive screening measures. </p> <p>Measures are graded &quot;A,&quot; &quot;B,&quot; &quot;C&quot; or &quot;D.&quot; Tests in the &quot;C&quot; category are those for which the panel has made no recommendation for use. Tests in the &quot;D&quot; category are those which the panel has recommended against, because risks outweigh benefits. </p> <p>The study focused on three tests in the &quot;D&quot; category: EKG or electrocardiogram, urinalysis and chest X-ray. The researchers analyzed data on 4,617 routine physicals involving adults aged 21 and over from a national survey conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</p> <p>At least one of the three &quot;D&quot; interventions was ordered 43 percent to 46 percent of the time, the researchers said.</p> <p>Using extrapolation techniques, Merenstein and his colleagues determined that direct medical costs for the three &quot;D&quot; tests ranged from $47 million to $194 million. Adding in two other tests from the &quot;C&quot; category pushed the costs up by another $12 million to $63 million. </p> <p>Those numbers are, in all likelihood, an underestimate, Merenstein said. The authors estimated that if 20 percent of EKG results were false, the follow-up tests would cost yet another $683 million. </p> <p>And these numbers don\'t take into account various indirect costs, including missed work days. Nor do they reflect the psychological effects on a patient, especially the stress of getting a false-positive result, the researchers said.</p> <p>&quot;It\'s not just economic,&quot; Merenstein said. &quot;There can be unintended health risks, for example, radiation from a chest X-ray. And there\'s a lot of stress involved if you\'re told you have an abnormal EKG.&quot; </p> <p>The study authors didn\'t look specifically at why these tests were overused, but Merenstein has some theories. &quot;Doctors could do it to appease patients or because the physicians themselves think they\'re supposed to do them. And, if they owned a lab, some doctors did it for financial reasons,&quot; he said.</p> <p>Experts said the answer to the problem lies in an overhaul of the nation\'s insurance system. </p> <p>&quot;The answer to this is value-based insurance design, which gives patients and clinicians financial incentives to do those highly valued services, and financial disincentives to minimize the use of those unwarranted services,&quot; said Fendrick, who\'s also co-editor-in-chief of the <i>American Journal of Managed Care</i>. Such programs are being tried out at the University of Michigan, he said.</p> <p>Scandlen added: &quot;This is precisely the thing that consumer-driven health care can address and that third-party payment never will. It\'s easy enough when you go to a doctor\'s office, and you can say, \'I don\'t care what it costs, let\'s do it.\' At that point of transaction, both patient and physician have very little in the way of reason not to perform the tests. In a consumer-driven world, the patient has every reason to question where the test is necessary.&quot;</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>For more on prevention and good health, visit the <a href=\"http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/ppipix.htm\" target=\"_new\">Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('316','1','	<p><!--Spanish ID:532854--> <p>FRIDAY, May 19 (HealthDay News) -- Five U.S. states -- Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Mississippi and Wisconsin -- failed the first-ever prostate cancer report cards issued by the National Prostate Cancer Coalition (NPCC). California, Connecticut, Kansas and New York received the best grades.</p> <p>On the report cards, the states are rated based on current prostate cancer screening rates, death rates, and whether they have laws guaranteeing insurance coverage for prostate cancer testing.</p> <p>&quot;Many states are not doing even the simplest things when it comes to fighting prostate cancer. Early detection saves lives, and far too many states don\'t encourage men to know the risks and to get tested,&quot; Dr. Richard Atkins, CEO of the prostate cancer coalition, said in a prepared statement.</p> <p>Currently, 28 states have laws that force insurance companies to pay for prostate exams, compared to 49 states that require coverage for breast cancer screening.</p> <p>Two of the states with failing grades -- Mississippi and Alabama -- rank second and fourth, respectively, in terms of having the highest prostate cancer death rates. Two other failing states -- Idaho and Wisconsin -- rank fifth and ninth, respectively, in the lowest screening rates.</p> <p>Connecticut, which had a perfect score, was the only state to rank in the top 10 in highest screening rates and lowest death rates.</p> <p>&quot;There are several states that could\'ve scored A\'s, if only they had screening mandates,&quot; Atkins noted. &quot;Screening rates are already starting to improve among the states that have recently adopted screening mandates, like Oregon and Washington.&quot;</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about <a href=\"http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/pdq/screening/prostate/patient/\" target=\"_new\">prostate cancer screening</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('317','1','	<p><p>SUNDAY, May 28 (HealthDay News) -- When it comes to health care, it\'s not the uncomfortable needle pricks that Americans mind so much. It\'s the cost of medical care.</p> <p>Lately, consumers have been feeling pinched when they visit the doctor or receive care at the hospital, new government statistics reveal. In 2004, spending for these services grew at levels not seen since the early 1990s.</p> <p>And workers\' share of health-care premiums is mounting, too. People who get health insurance benefits through their employer can expect to pay out 10 percent more, on average, in 2006, according to benefit-consulting firm Towers Perrin. </p> <p>To make your health-care budget stretch farther and avoid piling up medical debt, you\'ve got to plan ahead, advised Jessica Cecere, president of Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Palm Beach County/Treasure Coast in Florida. </p> <p>&quot;Nobody plans to have huge medical expenses,&quot; she said, &quot;and that\'s why they\'re so huge.&quot; </p> <p>For starters, consumers need to know exactly what their health insurance will and won\'t cover. Cecere recommends that people read and understand their policy before there\'s an emergency. </p> <p>Using facilities that are not part of your insurer\'s provider network, for example, could cost you more than you anticipated. To keep your out-of-pocket costs at a minimum, stay in-network, she said. </p> <p>Plus, if you don\'t use what you\'re entitled to, you could end up leaving money on the table, cautioned Alwyn Cassil, a spokeswoman for the Center for Studying Health System Change in Washington, D.C. </p> <p>For example, some employers allow workers to set aside pre-tax dollars in a flexible spending account each year to pay for qualified medical expenses, including doctor fees and preventive care. But if you don\'t spend the money by the annual deadline your employer has established, you forfeit those funds. </p> <p>In 2005, the U.S. Treasury Department modified an existing rule that required any leftover funds to be spent by the end of the plan year. Now, employers are allowed to give workers a grace period of two-and-a-half months. Check with your employer to find out what the deadline is. </p> <p>&quot;If you have a flexible spending account, use it,&quot; Cassil said. &quot;You can use it for over-the-counter medications now, so there\'s no reason to lose it. Go buy ibuprofen for the next two years.&quot; </p> <p>To save money on prescription drugs, consumer advocates suggest switching from brand-name products to less expensive generic alternatives. Shopping around for best prices also can help. </p> <p>Consumers Union, publisher of <i>Consumer Reports</i> magazine, has produced a series of reports comparing prescription drugs by category. Each report sizes up medicines by price, effectiveness and safety. The information is intended to help consumers have a conversation with their doctors about the best drug for their condition, while also taking price into account. (To learn more click <a href=\"http://www.bestbuydrugs.org\" target=\"_new\">here</a>.)</p> <p>If you find yourself between jobs and you think health insurance is too expensive, think again. Going without coverage for a period of time, as people often do, is a huge risk, Cecere said. </p> <p>&quot;If you do fall off a ladder and have to go into the hospital for a week, that is devastating,&quot; she said. And that\'s why people should plan ahead. &quot;The way you plan for it is you have some sort of coverage for that,&quot; even if it\'s a bare-bones policy that covers only &quot;catastrophic&quot; medical costs, she added. </p> <p>Here\'s another tip: If you don\'t require emergency care, make an appointment with your doctor. Using the emergency room for routine medical care is a good way to start sinking into debt. </p> <p>&quot;You might get charged $1,000 for walking in the door,&quot; Cecere cautioned. </p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>To learn more, visit <a href=\"http://www.familiesusa.org\" target=\"_new\">FamiliesUSA</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('318','1','	<p><p>TUESDAY, May 30 (HealthDay News) -- Canadians are healthier than Americans, have better access to health care and have fewer unmet health needs, a new study of both countries reveals.</p> <p>The findings come in spite of the fact that the United States spends almost twice as much per capita on health care as Canada, the researchers noted.</p> <p>&quot;This shows that you can spend much less than we [Americans] do, and deliver much more and better care then we do,&quot; said study co-author Dr. David U. Himmelstein, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, Mass.</p> <p>The new study appears to reinforce the findings of a Rand Corporation report issued earlier this month that showed a similar health care gap between the U.S. system and that of Great Britain, which, like Canada, has a universal health care system -- subsidized by tax dollars.</p> <p>In the current study, Himmelstein and his colleagues reviewed responses from more than 3,500 Canadians and almost 5,200 Americans over the age of 18 who participated in the Joint Canada/U.S. Survey of Health -- a one-time phone survey conducted between 2002 and 2003.</p> <p>In addition to documenting race, class and immigrant status, the survey sought to assess each individual\'s current health status, access to health care, use of health care, history of illness, and ongoing behaviors -- such as smoking -- considered to be health risks.</p> <p>Reporting in the July issue of the <i>American Journal of Public Health</i>, the researchers found that although Canadians smoke more than Americans, Americans are more likely to be inactive and obese, and have higher rates of diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis and lung disease.</p> <p>Specifically, Americans are one-third less likely to have a regular doctor, two times less likely to take needed medications, and one-fourth more likely to have unmet health care needs than Canadians.</p> <p>While Americans were more likely to identify cost as the impediment to care, Canadians were more likely to cite waiting times as their main obstacle to good care. However, just 3.5 percent of Canadians were impacted by treatment delays, the survey found.</p> <p>Despite generally better health and access to care, however, Canadians do not appear to be any happier with their health care system than Americans.</p> <p>In fact, Americans said they were more satisfied than Canadians with the quality of care they received at either a hospital or a community-based facility. Canadians were happier with their physicians, however.</p> <p>As well, American health care did excel in some areas compared to the Canadian system. For example, American women were more likely to have had a Pap smear and a mammogram than their Canadian counterparts.</p> <p>Nevertheless, the American health system appears weakest in relation to the Canadian approach when it comes to caring for the uninsured.</p> <p>Americans lacking insurance were found to have a much worse health care experience than both insured Americans, and (universally insured) Canadians. The survey found that nearly one in every three (30.4 percent) uninsured Americans had gone without some kind of needed care because of cost.</p> <p>Overall, 7 percent of all U.S. residents cited cost as a barrier preventing them from getting needed care. That number was just 0.8 percent for Canadians.</p> <p>The influence of wealth on access was also less acute in Canada, where poorer patients have better access to health care than low-income Americans.</p> <p>In terms of race and health, non-whites in both countries were less satisfied with their health care than whites. However, racial differences in accessing care appear to be less drastic in Canada.</p> <p>Based on the results, the researchers conclude that universal health care coverage should be implemented in the United States. But they also called for the health care community to improve services to the poor, and particularly the immigrant populations. They also urged reforms to prevent waiting-period issues that have impeded Canada\'s system.</p> <p>Although this research indicts the American health care system, Himmelstein said he wanted to accent the positive.</p> <p>&quot;Actually it\'s a very hopeful message,&quot; he said. &quot;We (Americans) have the best doctors, best hospitals, and best nurses in the world. But the way we finance healthcare just doesn\'t let us do the job. Given what we are now spending on our healthcare system, we can do better -- <i>if</i> we just had national health insurance and were allowed to do it right.&quot;</p> <p>Jon Gabel, vice president of the Washington, D.C.-based non-partisan research organization Center for Studying Health System Change, agreed. He said the absence of a national health insurance system in the U.S. means patients don\'t get full access to care or a better bang for their health-care buck.</p> <p>However, Gabel noted that any between-country comparison depends in large part on whether the focus is on each system\'s &quot;haves&quot; or &quot;have-nots&quot;.</p> <p>&quot;For example, once you\'re <i>in</i> the U.S. health care system, patient satisfaction is higher than in Canada,&quot; he noted. </p> <p>Greg Scandlen, the founder of the non-profit Consumers for Health Care Choices based in Hagerstown, Md., disputed the findings.</p> <p>&quot;In terms of overall satisfaction with the health care system, Americans score better,&quot; noted Scandlen. &quot;So, the headline coming out of this ought to be that \'Americans are more satisfied with their healthcare system than Canadians are.\'&quot;</p> <p>Scandlen also criticized the way the study was conducted, noting that there was too much focus on routine health issues, to the relative exclusion of crisis situations that can demand more costly and dramatic interventions.</p> <p>&quot;Canada clearly emphasizes primary care pretty strongly, and I give them credit for that,&quot; he said. But he added, &quot;This survey doesn\'t look at the more serious stuff, like surgery and cardiac care -- serious, expensive things that apply to a minority of the population.&quot;</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>For more on the U.S. healthcare system, head to the <a href=\"http://www.kff.org/uninsured/index.cfm\" target=\"_new\">Kaiser Family Foundation</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('319','1','	<p><p>WEDNESDAY, May 31 (HealthDay News) -- Medicare drug plans that offer limited coverage to beneficiaries could end up harming members\' health while not providing any real savings in terms of health care expenditure, a new study shows.</p> <p>That\'s because poorer beneficiaries often choose to go without the care they need after they reach their benefits &quot;cap,&quot; causing their condition to deteriorate and forcing them into more expensive care, the researchers speculated.</p> <p>&quot;We found very substantial, unintended consequences -- specifically, that an annual drug benefit cap of $1,000 worsened patients\' health without saving [society] money,&quot; said study lead author Dr. John Hsu, a physician scientist and internist in the Division of Research at Kaiser Permanente Northern California, in Oakland.</p> <p>The study, which is just one of a number of health insurance-themed articles in the June 2 issue of the <i>New England Journal of Medicine</i>, is based on 2003 data, collected before this year\'s launch of the new Medicare Part D drug benefits program.</p> <p>But one expert said the findings have implications for that plan, as well.</p> <p>Part D\'s architects &quot;need to take heed from this article and recognize that it\'s not a philosophical, partisan or political matter, but rather a matter of cost-effectively taking care of people,&quot; said Judith Stein, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Center for Medicare Advocacy Inc., in Washington, D.C.</p> <p>She pointed out that caps and coverage gaps do exist under Part D -- most notably caps on some expensive outpatient procedures for patients with chronic illnesses such as Parkinson\'s disease. There\'s also the much talked-about &quot;doughnut hole,&quot; where beneficiaries must pick up the tab for annual drug expenses between $2,249 and $5,100, when Part D benefits kick in again.</p> <p>&quot;And it\'s not just the dollars,&quot; Stein said. &quot;The drugs you need might also not be on your [plan] formulary, or you may not be able to afford the co-pays. So Part D isn\'t the program that would have solved people\'s problems in the way that Medicare has traditionally and cost-effectively solved the health-care needs of older or disabled people.&quot;</p> <p>In the study, Hsu\'s team compared the health outcomes of two groups of Medicare + Choice participants. One group of more than 157,000 seniors was enrolled in a plan with a $1,000 a year drug-benefits cap, after which point they were expected to pay for their prescriptions out-of-pocket. Another group of nearly 42,000 people had no cap on their drug expenses because of supplemental employer benefits.</p> <p>&quot;We found that imposing this $1,000 drug benefit cap had a consistent, negative impact on their overall health, and it failed to save money,&quot; Hsu said. &quot;Capped&quot; participants had higher rates of emergency room visits, non-elective hospitalizations, and death compared to people with fully covered access to medications. They were also much less likely to stick to their prescriptions as ordered by their doctor, and tended to have higher blood pressure, blood cholesterol and other risk factors, compared to people in the non-capped plan, he said.</p> <p>&quot;The bottom line is that those who consumed the most [medications] were affected the most,&quot; Hsu added. This included many patients with chronic illnesses, as well as patients who might require new, very expensive drugs.</p> <p>He said it\'s tough to make direct comparisons between this 2003 study and Part D, however. With Part D, &quot;many more patients now have coverage, and that\'s a good thing,&quot; Hsu said. &quot;But with Part D, benefits can still vary considerably in terms of the number and amount of cost-sharing that\'s involved.&quot;</p> <p>Co-authoring a separate &quot;perspective&quot; article in the journal, Dr. Mark McClellan, the administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said competition among private plans has already eased the financial burden for many Part D members.</p> <p>In the standard Part D plan, members face a $250 deductible before coverage kicks in. But, &quot;78 percent of all beneficiaries who enrolled chose plans with no [standard $250] deductible, and 18 percent elected a plan that offered some coverage in the doughnut hole,&quot; McClellan wrote.</p> <p>Stein noted that those plans come with higher premiums, however. She pointed to one insurer, whose premiums ranged from $7.20 a month (for the standard Part D plan) to $60 per month, for a plan that avoids the deductible and offers some &quot;doughnut hole&quot; coverage.</p> <p>Not everyone can afford $60 a month, however. &quot;So, for a lot of people in the middle- or upper-income bracket, that\'s good,&quot; she said, but not for the poor. &quot;That\'s really regrettable, because Medicare was never an income-based program, and now it is, with regard to prescription drug coverage.&quot;</p> <p>McClellan also countered critics who believe Medicare should negotiate with the pharmaceutical industry to bring members\' drug costs down. He pointed to two U.S. government reports that &quot;both concluded that Medicare itself could not obtain the same level of discounts unless it imposed severe formulary restrictions that would limit therapeutic options for beneficiaries.&quot;</p> <p>Stein disagreed. &quot;Wal-Mart does not negotiate from each of its stores for its drugs -- they negotiate on behalf of the zillions of people who go to Wal-Mart nationally,&quot; she said. &quot;It seems to me that that is the purchasing model that we should use if we really want to drive down the point price.&quot;</p> <p>For his part, Hsu said the problem of getting drugs to everyone who needs them will continue to be a thorny one.</p> <p>&quot;That\'s the Holy Grail of health care,&quot; he said, &quot;to find the right balance between getting people the care they need, making sure its high-quality care, and still do it in a way that we can afford, both as individuals and as a society.&quot;</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>For more on the Medicare drug benefit, head to the <a href=\"http://www.kff.org/medicare/rxdrugbenefit.cfm \" target=\"_new\">Kaiser Family Foundation</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('320','1','	<p><!--Spanish ID:534963--> <p>THURSDAY, Sept. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Racial discrimination can spur depression and behavior problems in adolescents, but it can also be counterbalanced by support from homes, friends and school, a new study finds.</p> <p>The study, published in the September/October issue of <i>Child Development</i>, set out to evaluate the psychological adjustment of 714 black children. Researchers from the University of Georgia in Athens, the University of California-Davis and Iowa State University in Ames interviewed the children and their primary caregivers three times over five years, beginning when they were 10 to 12 years old.</p> <p>Children whose experience with racially based insults, name calling and distrust increased as they got older were more likely to report symptoms of depression, the researchers found. Boys subjected to discrimination were more likely to become involved in antisocial behaviors such as fighting and shoplifting.</p> <p>&quot;The outlook was brighter, though, for children whose homes, friends, and schools protected them from discrimination\'s negative influences,&quot; said lead researcher Gene Brody, Regents\' Professor and Director of the Center for Family Research at the University of Georgia, in a prepared statement.</p> <p>&quot;Children whose parents stayed involved in their lives, kept track of their whereabouts, treated them with warm affection and communicated clearly with them were less likely to develop problems due to their experiences with discrimination,&quot; Brody said.</p> <p>The adolescents whose friends encouraged them to take part in positive pursuits (e.g., helping out at home), and those who performed well at school and had good relationships with teachers, were also protected from the negative effects of discrimination.</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>The American Academy of Pediatrics has more about <a href=\"http://www.medem.com/MedLB/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZGWWPM79C&sub_cat=21\" target=\"_new\">helping your child with social problems</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('321','1','	<p><p>FRIDAY, Sept. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Many U.S. nurses are having a tough time balancing work and family life, a new study finds.</p> <p>These struggles could impact on patient care, researchers warn.</p> <p>&quot;Work-family conflict has significant implications for nurses in terms of personal health, their ability to provide quality care and for the nursing profession itself,&quot; study author Joseph Grzywacz, an associate professor of family and community medicine at Wake Forest University, said in a prepared statement.</p> <p>His team surveyed 1,906 registered nurses to find out how common work-family conflict is in the nursing community.</p> <p>Work-family conflict occurs when work interferes with responsibilities at home or the time spent with family. It can also happen when home life gets in the way of a person\'s career.</p> <p>The results of the survey, published in the September issue of <i>Research in Nursing & Health</i>, suggested that work-life conflict is common among nurses.</p> <p>Half of the nurses reported that work interfered with their family life at least one day a week. Only 11 percent reported that family interfered with work this often.</p> <p>The problem could exacerbate the current nursing shortage by discouraging people from entering the nursing profession or driving current nurses to leave their jobs. In previous studies, work-family conflict has been associated with lower job satisfaction, fatigue, burnout, and emotional distress or depressive symptoms.</p> <p>The researchers concluded that future studies should investigate whether flexible work arrangements, such as job sharing, can reduce the frequency of work-family conflict.</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>The American Psychological Association has more about <a href=\"http://www.apahelpcenter.org/articles/article.php?id=19\" target=\"_new\">stress in the workplace</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('322','1','	<p><p>SATURDAY, Sept. 16 (HealthDay News) -- American teens are getting slightly better at using sunscreen but have failed to adopt other sun-protection habits and continue to get too many sunburns, according to research from the American Cancer Society.</p> <p>Most teens still think a tan reflects good looks and good health, the survey found. The findings were published in the September issue of <i>Pediatrics</i>.</p> <p>Researchers compared nationally representative polls of U.S. youngsters, aged 11 to 18, conducted in 1998 and 2004.</p> <p>In 2004, 69 percent of the respondents reported having been sunburned during the summer, compared with 72 percent in 1998. There was a significant decrease between 1998 and 2004 in the percentage of younger teens (aged 11 to 15) who reported sunburns and a non-significant increase among those aged 16 to 18.</p> <p>Between 1998 and 2004, the percentage of teens who reported regular sunscreen use increased from 31 percent to 39 percent, but there was little change in the use of other methods of sun protection.</p> <p>In 2004, 21.7 percent of teens reported seeking shade when out in the sun; 22.8 percent said they wore protective clothing; 32 percent used sunglasses; and 5 percent reported wearing wide-brimmed hats.</p> <p>The study also found a significant increase in the number of days teens spent at the beach -- from 6.7 days in 1998 to 10.3 days in 2004.</p> <p>&quot;Our study showed that despite widespread sun protection campaigns, there has been only a small reduction in sunburn frequency and modest increases in sun protection practices among youth between 1998 and 2004,&quot; study leader Vilma Cokkinides, an American Cancer Society epidemiologist, said in a prepared statement.</p> <p>&quot;Nevertheless, the decrease in sunburns among younger teens may be cause for optimism regarding future trends,&quot; she said. &quot;Skin cancer prevention programs in the U.S. need to be strengthened in order to impact these trends.&quot;</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offers <a href=\"http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/actionsteps.html\" target=\"_new\">sun safety tips</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('323','1','	<p><p>SUNDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Whenever a loved one suffers a health crisis, well-wishers often pass on the heartfelt promise that they\'ll &quot;pray for you.&quot;</p> <p>In fact, so many people believe in the power of prayer that it\'s now caught the attention of scientific researchers. </p> <p>&quot;Praying for your health is one of the most common complementary treatments people do on their own,&quot; said Dr. Harold G. Koenig, co-director of the Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health at Duke University Medical Center. &quot;About 90 percent of Americans pray at some point in their lives, and when they\'re under stress, such as when they\'re sick, they\'re even more likely to pray.&quot; </p> <p>More than one-third of people surveyed in a recent study published in the <i>Archives of Internal Medicine</i> said they often turned to prayer when faced with health concerns. In the poll involving more than 2,000 Americans, 75 percent of those who prayed said they prayed for wellness, while 22 percent said they prayed for specific medical conditions.</p> <p>Numerous randomized trials have been done to assess the effect of intercessory prayer on heart patients\' health. </p> <p>In one such study, neither patients nor the health-care providers had any idea who was being prayed for. The coronary-care unit patients didn\'t even know there was a study being conducted. And, those praying for the patients had never even met them.</p> <p>The result: While those in the prayer group had about the same length of hospital stay, their overall health was slightly better than the group that didn\'t receive special prayers. </p> <p>&quot;Prayer may be an effective adjunct to standard medical care,&quot; wrote the authors of this 1999 study, also published in the <i>Archives of Internal Medicine</i>.</p> <p>However, a more recent trial from the April 2006 issue of the <i>American Heart Journal</i> seemed to contradict these findings, suggesting that it\'s even possible for some <i>harm</i> to come from prayer.</p> <p>In this study, which included 1,800 people scheduled for heart surgery, the group who knew they were receiving prayers developed more complications from the procedure, compared to those who had not been a focus of prayer. Additionally, this study found no benefit in the group that received prayers, but didn\'t know it. </p> <p>But Koenig said there\'s a simple explanation why people might fare worse if they knew they were being prayed for in a study. </p> <p>&quot;These people got the news just before they went into surgery. They were given pieces of paper that said they\'d be getting prayer, which may have made them think, \'Oh my God, what\'s wrong with me?\' &quot; Koenig explained. &quot;That\'s a totally artificial situation. Normally, you have loved ones and friends praying for you and there\'s nothing negative in that situation.&quot; </p> <p>This new study also points out the difficulty of trying to quantify the effects of prayer, said Koenig. </p> <p>&quot;Studies cannot prove that prayer does not work. We don\'t know any more about the efficacy of prayer after reading these studies and they shouldn\'t affect anyone\'s belief in prayer,&quot; he said. </p> <p>With scant evidence to support prayer for healing, should doctors encourage the practice? </p> <p>Clearly, many patients are reluctant to bring up the subject with their physicians. In one study, only 11 percent of people surveyed have mentioned prayer to their physicians. But, physicians may be more open to the subject than patients realize, particularly in serious medical situations.</p> <p>In a study of doctors\' attitudes toward prayer and spiritual behavior, almost 85 percent of physicians thought they should be aware of their patients\' spiritual beliefs. Most doctors said they wouldn\'t pray with their patients even if they were dying, unless the patient specifically asked the doctor to pray with them. In that case, 77 percent of physicians were willing to pray for their patient. </p> <p>The bottom line on prayer and health: If it\'s something you want to do and you feel it might be helpful, there\'s no reason you shouldn\'t do it. </p> <p>&quot;I think many people are convinced that prayer helps, otherwise I don\'t think they would do it. Some people are \'foxhole religious\' types and prayer\'s almost a reaction or cry to the universe for help. But, many people do it because they\'ve experienced benefit from it in the past,&quot; Koenig explained. </p> <p>&quot;So, if you have any inclination that prayer might work, do it,&quot; he said.</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>For more research on spirituality and health, head to the <a href=\"http://nccam.nih.gov/news/newsletter/2005_winter/prayer.htm\" target=\"_new\">U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('324','1','	<p><!--Spanish ID:535055--> <p>WEDNESDAY, Sept. 20 (HealthDay News) -- A new study may reveal how people function amidst distracting emotions.</p> <p>Published in the Sept. 21 issue of <i>Neuron</i>, the findings suggest the human brain is able to prevent emotions from interfering with mental functioning.</p> <p>Researchers from Columbia University Medical Center in New York City asked volunteer participants to indicate by pressing a button whether a face image was happy or fearful, while ignoring &quot;fear&quot; and &quot;happy&quot; labels written across each face.</p> <p>The labels were either &quot;congruent&quot; (e.g., happy face, &quot;happy&quot; label) or &quot;incongruent&quot; (e.g., happy face, &quot;fear&quot; label). The incongruent labels were designed to represent a conflict between emotional and cognitive stimuli.</p> <p>During the tests, the researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging to determine what parts of the brain were active.</p> <p>They found that when the participants were exposed to the incongruent labels, activity of the amygdala -- the brain\'s center for processing emotional events -- was inhibited by the anterior cingulated cortex -- the brain\'s center for neural processing.</p> <p>The researchers speculated that their findings may help explain why people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression may be unable to control emotional intrusion into their thoughts. They pointed out that the brains of people with PTSD and depression may be less able to inhibit the amygdala during emotional processing.</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>The National Institute of Mental Health has more about <a href=\"http://www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/ptsdmenu.cfm\" target=\"_new\">PTSD</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('325','1','	<p><!--Spanish ID:535058--> <p>WEDNESDAY, Sept. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Madonna, Mozart or Eminem? Your preference in music could predict the patterns of your life, including your sexual activity, drug use, and even your political outlook, a new British survey contends.</p> <p>And it\'s not as predictable as you\'d think. The survey of 2,500 people found, for example, that opera fans were as likely as other music lovers to try hallucinogenic drugs, and that many hip-hop fans had somewhat conservative views on a wide range of issues.</p> <p>While other studies of musical taste have focused on broad demographics, &quot;this research, as far as I am aware, is the first time that people have looked at these really specific aspects of people\'s day-to-day lives,&quot; said study author Adrian North, a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Leicester.</p> <p>The findings are scheduled for publication in an upcoming issue of the journal <i>Psychology of Music</i>.</p> <p>Recent changes in technology, such as the iPod and other devices using downloaded music, have made personal musical selection even easier.</p> <p>&quot;People are selecting their own music to a much greater extent than they have been able to do in the past,&quot; said Terry Pettijohn, an expert on music and human behavior and an associate professor of psychology at Mercyhurst College, in Erie, Pa.</p> <p>But what can your music of choice tell about the rest of the choices you make in life?</p> <p>In his study, North had 2,500 Britons state their favorite musical genre and then fill out a detailed questionnaire on topics such as income, education, job status, living arrangements, sexual activity, political/moral outlook, leisure pursuits and media preferences.</p> <p>Fans of hip-hop and dance music were perhaps the &quot;wildest&quot; group surveyed, North said. More than 37 percent of hip-hop aficionados and nearly 29 percent of dance music fans had had more than one sexual partner over the past five years, compared to just 1.5 percent of country music lovers. More than half of hip-hop and dance-music fans said they had committed a criminal act at least once in their lifetime, and they were also much more likely to have tried illicit drugs than fans of other musical genres.</p> <p>But there was one surprise.</p> <p>&quot;We have the idea that fans of hip-hop, rap and dance music are liberal types,&quot; North said. &quot;But in many respects we found they had beliefs that were relatively right-wing.&quot;</p> <p> For example, compared to people favoring other musical styles, fans of hip-hop and dance were <i>least</i> likely to support recycling or alternative sources of energy, and least likely to support the use of taxation to expand public services.</p> <p>Pettijohn said this finding may suggest a cultural difference between the United Kingdom and the United States, since an earlier U.S.-based study of music and psychology found that most American hip-hop fans were, in fact, social liberals. </p> <p>And he wondered if the relative youth of those who love hip-hop and/or dance music is the major reason behind their risk-taking behaviors.</p> <p>&quot;I\'d like to see something that would show that people who like rap, hip-hop and dance music continue to like it in their 40s, 50s and 60s,&quot; he said.</p> <p>Not all &quot;risk takers&quot; did so to the rhymes of 50 Cent, however. A large number were listening to Pavarotti or Bach, the survey showed.</p> <p>&quot;For example, looking at drug usage, a full 12.3 percent of opera fans said they had tried \'magic mushrooms,\'&quot; North said. &quot;That number wasn\'t too different for fans of other types of music.&quot;</p> <p>One out of every four classical and opera lovers also said they had at least tried marijuana. They were also pretty terrible drivers: Almost half (45 percent) had recently incurred some sort of traffic penalty, compared to 23 percent of people who listed &quot;musicals&quot; as their favorite music category.</p> <p>Still, in other ways, classical music fans fit the stereotype -- compared to pop-music fans, they tended to be better-educated and make more money, were more likely to pay off their credit card bills each month, avoided tabloid newspapers, and more often preferred drinking wine to other types of alcohol.</p> <p>North agreed with Pettijohn that responses to the survey might vary between the United Kingdom and the United States. That\'s why he has launched an online survey aimed at collecting data on music and lifestyle from people around the world (www.musicaltastetest.com). </p> <p> &quot;I hope to amass at least 10,000 responses, to get a better grasp of trends between countries,&quot; he said.</p> <p>It\'s North\'s belief that music does not cause lifestyle changes, per se.</p> <p>&quot;Music answers a particular need,&quot; he said, &quot;and certain lifestyle choices make it more likely that people will find themselves in social situations that then link them to musical preferences.&quot; For example, young people with money may spend it dancing in nightclubs, which can cause them to prefer dance music -- and experiment with the illicit drugs that are so often available at these venues.</p> <p>None of that means that dance music actually <i>encourages</i> people to take drugs, North said. &quot;It\'s not a case of factor A causing factor B,&quot; he added.</p> <p>And while the research shows that most people form their lifetime musical preferences between the ages of 16 and 24, none of that is carved in stone, North added.</p> <p>&quot;Your taste can become more sophisticated as you get older,&quot; he said, &quot;mainly because your brain has heard more music and you are able to process more complicated stuff.&quot;</p> <p>&quot;Still, you\'re not likely to shift from liking Britney Spears to Beethoven,&quot; he added.</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>For more on the psychology of musical taste, head to the <a href=\"http://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug03/listen.html\" target=\"_new\">American Psychological Association</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('326','1','	<p><p>THURSDAY, Sept. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Nicotine may help improve symptoms of depression, say U.S. researchers, but they add that that\'s no reason to smoke.</p> <p>In their study, researchers at Duke University Medical Center randomly assigned 11 people who did not smoke but who were experiencing symptoms of depression to wear either a nicotine patch or a placebo patch that did not contain nicotine.</p> <p>The participants completed questionnaires to measure their depression symptoms.</p> <p>Those who wore the nicotine patch for at least eight days experienced significant declines in depression scores, the researchers reported Sept. 11 in the online edition of <i>Psychopharmacology</i>.</p> <p>But, the researchers cautioned, this does <i>not</i> mean that people with depression should smoke or use a nicotine patch. Smoking is the number one cause of death in the United States, and the addictive hazards of nicotine far outweigh its potential benefits in depression, they said.</p> <p>&quot;The hope is that our research on nicotine will spur the development of new treatments for depression, which is a huge public health problem,&quot; lead study investigator Joseph McClernon, assistant research professor of medical psychiatry and researcher at the Duke Center for Nicotine and Smoking Cessation research, said in a prepared statement.</p> <p>Pharmaceutical companies are already developing nicotine-like drugs that mimic the beneficial properties of nicotine while avoiding its addictive nature. These drugs are designed to target brain chemical imbalances, which have been associated with depression as well as other conditions, including schizophrenia, Alzheimer\'s disease, and Parkinson\'s disease.</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health has more about <a href=\"http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/depression.cfm\" target=\"_new\">depression</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('327','1','	<p><p>THURSDAY, Sept. 21 (HealthDay News) -- A new device may be able to predict epileptic seizures before they become debilitating, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology report.</p> <p>The device uses an existing epilepsy treatment known as a vagus nerve stimulator (VNS), which is used in epileptic patients who do not respond to anticonvulsant medications. The VNS works by implanting a defibrillator under the patient\'s collar bone to stimulate the left vagus nerve about every five minutes, which has been shown to help reduce the frequency and severity of seizures.</p> <p>The new technology combines the VNS with a detector that measures brain activity to predict when a seizure is about to occur. When the device senses an upcoming seizure, it activates the VNS in hopes of halting the seizure before it starts.</p> <p>The device was designed so it could be programmed to measure each individual\'s brain activity patterns to determine what the signals of an impending seizure look like for each patient.</p> <p>&quot;It\'s quite tricky to try to detect very early signs of seizures because there are abnormal electrical signals that don\'t evolve into seizures,&quot; John Guttag, MIT\'s Dugald C. Jackson Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, said in a prepared statement. &quot;If we can learn what the right profile is for an individual, we can build a seizure onset detector that works really well for that person.&quot;</p> <p>The new device was described in the August issue of <i>Epilepsy &amp; Behavior</i>. </p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p> The Epilepsy Foundation has more facts about <a href=\"http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/answerplace/About-Epilepsy.cfm\" target=\"_new\">epilepsy</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('328','1','	<p><p>FRIDAY, Sept. 22 (HealthDay News) -- More than half of repeat DUI offenders suffer from at least one mental illness, say researchers from the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE).</p> <p>A new study published in the September issue of the <i>Journal of Studies on Alcohol</i> looked at people who had been convicted of at least two DUI (driving under the influence) offenses in the past 10 years.</p> <p>The researchers found that almost 60 percent of the participants reported experiencing major depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder over their lifetime, in addition to a drug or alcohol-use disorder.</p> <p>&quot;People who deal with drug and alcohol abusers need to understand there are often other disorders that need to be dealt with as well,&quot; Sandra Lapham, principal investigator of the study, said in a prepared statement. &quot;That\'s why we need to screen repeat offenders for multiple disorders.&quot;</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has more about <a href=\"http://www.samhsa.gov/Matrix/matrix_treatment.aspx\" target=\"_new\">substance abuse treatment services</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('329','1','	<p><p>FRIDAY, Sept. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Weight-gain worries may help drive women who quit smoking during their pregnancy to start up again after delivery, new research shows.</p> <p>U.S. researchers interviewed 119 pregnant women in their third trimester who had smoked at least eight cigarettes a day but quit when they became pregnant.</p> <p>Of those women, 65 percent said they were highly motivated to avoid cigarettes after delivery, and 74 percent of expressed confidence that they\'d be able to do so.</p> <p>&quot;Motivated women were more likely to say they could control their weight without smoking and less likely to say they used smoking to control their weight,&quot; study author Michele Levine, of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, said in a prepared statement.</p> <p>The study also found that women who were motivated to remain cigarette-free after delivery were also more likely to say they planned to breast-feed their babies.</p> <p>The findings dealt only with what the women said they intended to do after delivery, not what they actually did, noted Boston psychologist Elyse Park, who was not involved in the study.</p> <p>&quot;Most women who are smoking want to quit during pregnancy, but the reality is that very few of them are able to do so. Even in women who are successful, very few are able to maintain quitting,&quot; Park said in a prepared statement.</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>The American Lung Association has more about <a href=\"http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&amp;b=33573\" target=\"_new\">smoking and pregnancy</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('330','1','	<p><p>THURSDAY, Sept. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Having blood lead levels that are generally considered &quot;safe&quot; may increase your risk of dying, according to a new report.</p> <p>Since the mid-1970s, when lead was no longer used in gasoline, household paint, or food cans, the average blood lead levels in American adults have decreased from 13.1 micrograms per deciliter (g/dL) to 1.6 g/dL.</p> <p>Currently, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OHSA) defines high blood lead in adults as higher than 40 g/dL. And the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that women of child-bearing age have blood levels below 10 g/dL. </p> <p>But a new study published online Sept. 18 in the journal <i>Circulation</i> questions whether these guidelines are stringent enough.</p> <p>Researchers from Tulane University in New Orleans and colleagues collected blood lead levels in 13,946 adults between 1988 and 1994. Then, they followed the participants and tracked who had died by Dec. 31, 2000.</p> <p>They found that, compared with participants whose blood lead levels were below 1.9 g/dL, those with levels between 3.6 g/dL and 10 g/dL were 25 percent more likely to die from any cause, 55 percent more likely to die from cardiovascular disease, 89 percent more likely to die from a heart attack, and 2.5 times more likely to die from a stroke.</p> <p>&quot;Although markedly reduced, the current blood lead levels may not be low enough, and we believe that practical and cost-effective methods for reducing lead exposure in the general U.S. population are needed,&quot; study author Paul Muntner, associate professor of epidemiology and medicine at Tulane University\'s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, said in a prepared statement.</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has more about <a href=\"http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts13.html\" target=\"_new\">lead</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('331','1','	<p><!--Spanish ID:535112--> <p>FRIDAY, Sept. 22 (HealthDay News) -- The number of victims in the nationwide <i>E. coli</i> outbreak continued to rise Thursday as health officials scoured California spinach farms to pinpoint the cause.</p> <p>As of Thursday evening, 157 people in 23 states had been infected with the strain of <i>E. coli</i> O157:H7; 83 had been hospitalized, 27 had developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic-uremia, and one had died, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</p> <p> The CDC also reported that Idaho officials were investigating the death of a 2-year-old who died Wednesday, reportedly after she had eaten spinach. And officials are investigating the death of an 86-year-old Maryland woman who died Sept. 13 after becoming infected with <i>E coli</i>. Her family said she\'d eaten fresh spinach before getting sick, the <i>Herald-Mail</i> of Hagerstown, Md., reported.</p> <p>Following a breakthrough New Mexico lab test Wednesday that confirmed the <i>E. coli</i> strain in a partly eaten fresh spinach package from one victim, health authorities have narrowed their search to the greater Salinas Valley in California, where more than half the country\'s spinach crop is grown. </p> <p>Investigators are looking at nine farms and several processing plants in Monterey, San Benito and Santa Clara counties. </p> <p>&quot;All the affected spinach appears to come from that area. We are getting a better handle on where it\'s grown,&quot; Dr. David Acheson, chief medical officer of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration\'s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said Wednesday night.</p> <p>Thursday night, the FDA said that other produce grown in the region was not implicated in the outbreak. It also said processed spinach, either frozen or canned, was not suspect.</p> <p>And health officials began talking about what it would take to lift the nationwide embargo and get fresh spinach back to consumers.</p> <p>In the short run, more explicit labeling, which would identify where a bag of spinach came from, is one possible way to do that, Acheson told a news conference Thursday night. </p> <p>&quot;Clearly, we do not want to deny consumers access to spinach,&quot; Acheson said, according to the <i>Associated Press</i>. &quot;Wherever it\'s grown, our responsibility is to make sure whatever does end up on the shelf is safe.&quot;</p> <p>Tighter regulation of the growing and processing of spinach is also being considered, the <i>AP</i> reported.</p> <p>The comments followed criticism earlier in the day from consumer groups and agriculture experts, who cited what they called lax oversight of the industry itself.</p> <p>&quot;It\'s a very serious problem,&quot; Jean Halloran, director of the food policy initiative for Consumers Union, told the <i>San Jose Mercury News</i>. &quot;Things fall through the cracks, and they can\'t make a coordinated attack on a problem or share information or allocate resources properly.&quot;</p> <p>In the Salinas Valley, 97 percent of irrigation water comes from private wells, but there is no mandatory inspection of them and no requirement that they ever be tested, the <i>Mercury News</i> reported. In addition, the newspaper said, Cal-OSHA is responsible for checking field sanitation, but with thousands of farms in the state, it conducts fewer than 1,200 inspections yearly.</p> <p>And state and federal inspectors generally don\'t visit farms unless there\'s a problem, the newspaper added. The industry follows voluntary rules known as &quot;good agricultural practices,&quot; which range from watering and fertilizing practices to field-hand sanitation and pest control.</p> <p>What Acheson on Wednesday called the &quot;confirmed positive sample&quot; definitely linking the contamination to fresh spinach came from a bag of Dole baby spinach with a &quot;best if used by Aug. 30&quot; date. The source of the spinach was Natural Selection Foods, the California food producer that has been the focus of the investigation.</p> <p>It became the first solid evidence to emerge after almost a week of public-health warnings on fresh spinach products, massive recalls by major spinach producers, and state-by-state reports of growing numbers of sickened people.</p> <p>Acheson said that in November 2005 there had been a small outbreak of <i>E. coli</i> in spinach from the Salinas Valley. &quot;More should have been done,&quot; he added. &quot;We are learning from this outbreak.&quot;</p> <p>In 18 other outbreaks of <i>E. coli</i> since 1995, the FDA has not been able to trace the outbreak to a specific farm, Acheson said.</p> <p>&quot;In this case, the likelihood that we will get it back to a specific farm is good because of the number of cases and because of the UPC codes on the packages,&quot; he noted. However, trying to identify a specific cause on that farm is unlikely, he added.</p> <p>Among those reporting the illness, 92 percent were sickened between Aug. 19 and Sept. 5. The earliest onset of illness known to be linked to spinach consumption was on Aug. 19. All told, 113 of the victims were females, and 11 were children under 5.</p> <p>On Wednesday, Arizona and Colorado became the latest states to report their first confirmed cases of <i>E. coli</i>. Also reporting cases have been California, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.</p> <p>Wisconsin has the largest number of reported cases, 40, and the one death. The next largest number of cases are in Utah, which has 17, followed by Ohio with 20, according to the CDC.</p> <p>The affected products were also distributed to Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Iceland, but no illnesses have been reported from any of those countries, the FDA said.</p> <p>Natural Selection Foods, in San Juan Batista, began recalling all of its prepackaged spinach and its salad mix products that contain spinach on Saturday.</p> <p>River Ranch Fresh Foods, which operates in Salinas and El Centro, recalled its brands of mixed salads containing spinach Sunday, after FDA inspectors found that the company had bought spinach from Natural Selection. </p> <p>And on Tuesday, RLB Food Distributors, based in West Caldwell, N.J., said it was recalling salad mixes that may contain spinach supplied by Natural Selection, which were distributed on the East Coast with the &quot;Enjoy Thru date of 9/20/06.&quot; </p> <p>Meanwhile, farm growers and processors planned to unveil an industry blueprint to protect their products from future <i>E. coli</i> outbreaks, the <i>AP</i> reported.</p> <p>A spokesman for Western Growers, an industry group representing about 3,000 fruit and vegetable farmers in California and other states, said the blueprint was developed after 75 farmers and trade association representatives met with Monterey County\'s agricultural commissioner Wednesday on the production and distribution processes.</p> <p>According to the CDC, <i>E. coli</i> lives in the intestines of cattle and other animals and can be found in undercooked meats; vegetables like spinach, sprouts and lettuce, and unpasteurized milk and juice. </p> <p>The primary symptom of <i>E. coli</i> contamination in humans is diarrhea, often with bloody stools. There are an estimated 73,000 cases of infection, including 61 deaths, each year in the United States, according to CDC statistics.</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>Visit the CDC for more <a href=\"http://www.cdc.gov/foodborne/ecolispinach/current.htm\" target=\"_new\"> <i>E. coli</i> outbreak updates</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('332','1','	<p><p>FRIDAY, Sept. 22 (HealthDay News) -- The number of victims in the nationwide <i>E. coli</i> outbreak continued to rise Friday as health officials scoured California spinach farms to pinpoint the cause.</p> <p>As of Friday afternoon, 166 people in 25 states had been infected with the strain of <i>E. coli</i> O157:H7; 88 had been hospitalized; 27 had developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic-uremia, and one had died, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</p> <p> The CDC also reported that Idaho officials were investigating the death of a 2-year-old who died Wednesday, reportedly after she had eaten spinach. And officials are investigating the death of an 86-year-old Maryland woman who died Sept. 13 after becoming infected with <i>E coli</i>. Her family said she\'d eaten fresh spinach before getting sick, the <i>Herald-Mail</i> of Hagerstown, Md., reported.</p> <p>Following a breakthrough New Mexico lab test Wednesday that confirmed the <i>E. coli</i> strain in a partly eaten fresh spinach package from one victim, health authorities have narrowed their search to the greater Salinas Valley in California, where more than half the country\'s spinach crop is grown. </p> <p>Investigators are looking at nine farms and several processing plants in Monterey, San Benito and Santa Clara counties. </p> <p>&quot;All the affected spinach appears to come from that area. We are getting a better handle on where it\'s grown,&quot; Dr. David Acheson, chief medical officer of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration\'s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said Wednesday night.</p> <p>Thursday night, the FDA said that other produce grown in the region was not implicated in the outbreak. It also said processed spinach, either frozen or canned, was not suspect.</p> <p>And health officials began talking about what it would take to lift the nationwide embargo and get fresh spinach back to consumers.</p> <p>In the short run, more explicit labeling, which would identify where a bag of spinach came from, is one possible way to do that, Acheson told a news conference Thursday night. </p> <p>&quot;Clearly, we do not want to deny consumers access to spinach,&quot; Acheson said, according to the <i>Associated Press</i>. &quot;Wherever it\'s grown, our responsibility is to make sure whatever does end up on the shelf is safe.&quot;</p> <p>Tighter regulation of the growing and processing of spinach is also being considered, the <i>AP</i> reported.</p> <p>The comments followed criticism earlier in the day from consumer groups and agriculture experts, who cited what they called lax oversight of the industry itself.</p> <p>&quot;It\'s a very serious problem,&quot; Jean Halloran, director of the food policy initiative for Consumers Union, told the <i>San Jose Mercury News</i>. &quot;Things fall through the cracks, and they can\'t make a coordinated attack on a problem or share information or allocate resources properly.&quot;</p> <p>In the Salinas Valley, 97 percent of irrigation water comes from private wells, but there is no mandatory inspection of them and no requirement that they ever be tested, the <i>Mercury News</i> reported. In addition, the newspaper said, Cal-OSHA is responsible for checking field sanitation, but with thousands of farms in the state, it conducts fewer than 1,200 inspections yearly.</p> <p>And state and federal inspectors generally don\'t visit farms unless there\'s a problem, the newspaper added. The industry follows voluntary rules known as &quot;good agricultural practices,&quot; which range from watering and fertilizing practices to field-hand sanitation and pest control.</p> <p>What Acheson on Wednesday called the &quot;confirmed positive sample&quot; definitely linking the contamination to fresh spinach came from a bag of Dole baby spinach with a &quot;best if used by Aug. 30&quot; date. The source of the spinach was Natural Selection Foods, the California food producer that has been the focus of the investigation.</p> <p>It became the first solid evidence to emerge after almost a week of public-health warnings on fresh spinach products, massive recalls by major spinach producers, and state-by-state reports of growing numbers of sickened people.</p> <p>Acheson said that in November 2005 there had been a small outbreak of <i>E. coli</i> in spinach from the Salinas Valley. &quot;More should have been done,&quot; he added. &quot;We are learning from this outbreak.&quot;</p> <p>In 18 other outbreaks of <i>E. coli</i> since 1995, the FDA has not been able to trace the outbreak to a specific farm, Acheson said.</p> <p>&quot;In this case, the likelihood that we will get it back to a specific farm is good because of the number of cases and because of the UPC codes on the packages,&quot; he noted. However, trying to identify a specific cause on that farm is unlikely, he added.</p> <p>Among those reporting the illness, 92 percent were sickened between Aug. 19 and Sept. 5. The earliest onset of illness known to be linked to spinach consumption was on Aug. 19. All told, 113 of the victims were females, and 11 were children under 5.</p> <p>On Thursday, Maryland and Tennesse became the latest states to report their first confirmed cases of <i>E. coli</i>. Also reporting cases have been Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.</p> <p>Wisconsin has the largest number of reported cases, 40, and the one death. The next largest number of cases are in Utah, which has 17, followed by Ohio with 20, according to the CDC.</p> <p>The affected products were also distributed to Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Iceland, but no illnesses have been reported from any of those countries, the FDA said.</p> <p>Natural Selection Foods, in San Juan Batista, began recalling all of its prepackaged spinach and its salad mix products that contain spinach on Saturday.</p> <p>River Ranch Fresh Foods, which operates in Salinas and El Centro, recalled its brands of mixed salads containing spinach Sunday, after FDA inspectors found that the company had bought spinach from Natural Selection. </p> <p>And on Tuesday, RLB Food Distributors, based in West Caldwell, N.J., said it was recalling salad mixes that may contain spinach supplied by Natural Selection, which were distributed on the East Coast with the &quot;Enjoy Thru date of 9/20/06.&quot; </p> <p>Meanwhile, farm growers and processors planned to unveil an industry blueprint to protect their products from future <i>E. coli</i> outbreaks, the <i>AP</i> reported.</p> <p>A spokesman for Western Growers, an industry group representing about 3,000 fruit and vegetable farmers in California and other states, said the blueprint was developed after 75 farmers and trade association representatives met with Monterey County\'s agricultural commissioner Wednesday on the production and distribution processes.</p> <p>According to the CDC, <i>E. coli</i> lives in the intestines of cattle and other animals and can be found in undercooked meats; vegetables like spinach, sprouts and lettuce, and unpasteurized milk and juice. </p> <p>The primary symptom of <i>E. coli</i> contamination in humans is diarrhea, often with bloody stools. There are an estimated 73,000 cases of infection, including 61 deaths, each year in the United States, according to CDC statistics.</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>Visit the CDC for more <a href=\"http://www.cdc.gov/foodborne/ecolispinach/current.htm\" target=\"_new\"> <i>E. coli</i> outbreak updates</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('333','1','	<p><p>FRIDAY, Sept. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Is your deodorant boosting your breast cancer risk? And how much chemical preservative in hand and body lotions is <i>too</i> much? </p> <p>News reports over the past few years have heightened consumer awareness of the myriad chemicals found in everyday beauty and hygiene products, but two expert dermatologists say it pays to investigate before tossing any product into the bathroom wastebasket.</p> <p>The debate over deodorants and antiperspirants is one good example. Small studies have suggested that daily use of these products might raise a woman\'s risk for breast cancer over time, especially given the armpit\'s proximity to sensitive breast tissue.</p> <p>But Dr. Lisa Donofrio, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine, said that &quot;there have also been a couple of studies that have been pretty good at showing that [these products] -- at least the aluminum in them -- are not really related to breast cancer.&quot; While future studies might turn up additional data, &quot;this debate right now is probably closer to \'case closed,\' &quot; she said.</p> <p>One issue that remains an ongoing source of concern for Donofrio is that of preservatives called &quot;parabins&quot; found in a wide range of beauty products meant to have a very long shelf life. One reason manufacturers tend to use parabins is that a small minority of consumers develop allergies to a competing class of preservatives, formaldehyde releasers.</p> <p>&quot;So, parabins are now found across the board in beauty items -- makeup, and most commonly in lotions,&quot; Donofrio said. But the problem with parabins is that they &quot;are estrogenic, meaning they will bind to estrogen receptors [on cells], and in test tube studies, they actually stimulate breast cancer cells,&quot; she said. Higher levels of circulating estrogens has long been a prime risk factor for breast cancer.</p> <p>Industry experts note that parabins are used in extremely small amounts in health and beauty products. &quot;For that reason, they say they\'re just in too small amounts to cause any problems,&quot; Donofrio said. &quot;But over a lifetime, with daily use of these creams, we don\'t actually know what the cumulative dose really is.&quot;</p> <p>For that reason, Donofrio advises that anyone not allergic to formaldehyde releasers shy away from products containing parabins, which are usually noted on label ingredient lists as either methyl parabin or propyl parabin. For those people who are allergic to formaldehyde releasers, she suggests using products containing a third class of preservative, sodium benzoate. Compared to parabins, &quot;it\'s the lesser of two evils,&quot; the Yale expert said.</p> <p>Another long-debated issue -- the connection between hair dyes and certain malignancies -- may have already been solved by industry, said Dr. Steven Feldman, a professor of dermatology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. &quot;First of all, the link has been talked about, but the studies don\'t really support it,&quot; he said. In any case, he said, hair dyes used today no longer contain the suspected carcinogen that gave rise to these fears in the first place.</p> <p>Of course, consumers can develop lesser ailments, such as rashes and other signs of allergy, from skin and hair products. While manufacturers can help minimize the risk, Feldman said there\'s not much they can do to ensure that no one ever develops a reaction to their product.</p> <p>&quot;A person can be allergic to practically anything,&quot; he said. &quot;Fragrances, especially, are one of the more common allergens -- people can expose themselves to them even through their fabric softener in the laundry.&quot;</p> <p>As with any allergy, individuals who notice a reaction should note what they were using at the time and consult their doctor, if necessary. Feldman did offer one piece of advice: &quot;Stick to well-recognized brands,&quot; he said. &quot;I know some people fear big business, but companies that have a lot at stake don\'t want to blow it, and with business, the more they have to lose, the safer I think the product will be.&quot;</p> <p>On the other hand, he said, &quot;if you go for some fly-by-night company that promises you some herbal remedy, then, if somebody sues them, they just close up shop.&quot; Buying from a nationally recognized brand may &quot;give you some assurance about quality that you might not otherwise get,&quot; Feldman said.</p> <p>Many consumers may not be aware that health and beauty products are <i>not</i> subject to the tough federal safety standards that guide drug development.</p> <p>&quot;Most of us expect that the products we find on store shelves have been tested for safety, but the [U.S.] government has no authority to require tests,&quot; Jane Houlihan, vice president for science at the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Environmental Working Group, said in a prepared statement. &quot;An average adult is exposed to over 100 unique chemicals in personal care products every day -- these exposures add up.&quot;</p> <p>Not everyone agrees that consumers need to worry about the products they apply to their bodies each day, however. In a prepared statement, scientists at the American Council on Science and Health -- which describes itself as a consumer-based advocacy group that receives some &quot;no strings attached&quot; funding from the cosmetics industry -- said organizations like the EWG &quot;have invested a great deal of work in publicizing supposed health risks from myriad chemicals that have long been in everyday use with no evidence of harm to humans.&quot;</p> <p>According to the New York City-based ACSH, much of the evidence for these &quot;scares&quot; relies on high-dose animal tests that &quot;are not good predictors of human cancer risk.&quot;</p> <p>Yale\'s Donofrio said that argument does have some merit. However, she said she\'s more concerned about the absorption of toxins through the skin and their slow build-up in the body over time.</p> <p>&quot;If you start thinking in terms of \'Well, this does this to cells in the test tube, and I\'m using X amount of this over this amount of years,\' then there\'s the potential that <i>I</i> could end up being those [affected] cells,&quot; she said.</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>Find out more about the science of beauty products at the <a href=\"http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2004/204_beauty.html\" target=\"_new\">U.S. Food and Drug Administration</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('334','1','	<p><p>SATURDAY, Sept. 23 (HealthDay News) -- As the number of victims in the nationwide <i>E. coli</i> outbreak continued to climb Friday, U.S. health officials began to relax their warnings against eating fresh spinach.</p> <p>Late Friday, the health officials said consumers could safely begin to eat fresh spinach again within the next few days, as long as agriculture industry officials could come up with a way to label the food, saying it did not come from California\'s Salinas Valley, the suspected center of the outbreak.</p> <p>&quot;The public can be confident that spinach grown in those non-implicated areas can be consumed and industry is working to get spinach from these areas back on the market,&quot; Dr. David Acheson, chief medical officer of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration\'s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said at a telephone press conference.</p> <p>&quot;I anticipate it will be fast,&quot; he later said of that process, the <i>Associated Press</i> reported. &quot;Whether it will be three days, four days -- I don\'t know. That will be an industry determination.&quot;</p> <p>As of Friday afternoon, 166 people in 25 states had been infected with the strain of <i>E. coli</i> O157:H7; 88 had been hospitalized; 27 had developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic-uremia, and one had died, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</p> <p>The CDC, which continued to scour California spinach farms in the Salinas Valley to pinpoint the cause of the bacterial outbreak, also said that Idaho officials were investigating the death of a 2-year-old who died Wednesday, reportedly after she had eaten spinach. And officials are investigating the death of an 86-year-old Maryland woman who died Sept. 13 after becoming infected with <i>E coli</i>. Her family said she\'d eaten fresh spinach before getting sick, the <i>Herald-Mail</i> of Hagerstown, Md., reported.</p> <p>Following a breakthrough New Mexico lab test Wednesday that confirmed the <i>E. coli</i> strain in a partly eaten fresh spinach package from one victim, health authorities had narrowed their search to the greater Salinas Valley, where more than half the country\'s spinach crop is grown. </p> <p>Investigators are looking at at least nine farms and several processing plants in Monterey, San Benito and Santa Clara counties. </p> <p>&quot;All the affected spinach appears to come from that area. We are getting a better handle on where it\'s grown,&quot; the FDA\'s Acheson said Wednesday night.</p> <p>Thursday night, the FDA said that other produce grown in the region was not implicated in the outbreak. It also said processed spinach, either frozen or canned, was not suspect.</p> <p>And health officials began talking about what it would take to lift the nationwide embargo and get fresh spinach back to consumers. In the short run, more explicit labeling, which would identify where a bag of spinach came from, was one possible way to do that, Acheson told a news conference Thursday night. </p> <p>Tighter regulation of the growing and processing of spinach was also being considered, federal officials said.</p> <p>The comments followed criticism earlier Thursday from consumer groups and agriculture experts, who cited what they called lax oversight of the industry itself.</p> <p>&quot;It\'s a very serious problem,&quot; Jean Halloran, director of the food policy initiative for Consumers Union, told the <i>San Jose Mercury News</i>. &quot;Things fall through the cracks, and they can\'t make a coordinated attack on a problem or share information or allocate resources properly.&quot;</p> <p>In the Salinas Valley, 97 percent of irrigation water comes from private wells, but there is no mandatory inspection of them and no requirement that they ever be tested, the <i>Mercury News</i> reported. In addition, the newspaper said, Cal-OSHA is responsible for checking field sanitation, but with thousands of farms in the state, it conducts fewer than 1,200 inspections yearly.</p> <p>And state and federal inspectors generally don\'t visit farms unless there\'s a problem, the newspaper added. The industry follows voluntary rules known as &quot;good agricultural practices,&quot; which range from watering and fertilizing practices to field-hand sanitation and pest control.</p> <p>What Acheson on Wednesday called the &quot;confirmed positive sample&quot; definitely linking the contamination to fresh spinach came from a bag of Dole baby spinach with a &quot;best if used by Aug. 30&quot; date. The source of the spinach was Natural Selection Foods, the California food producer that has been the focus of the investigation.</p> <p>It became the first solid evidence to emerge after almost a week of public-health warnings on fresh spinach products, massive recalls by major spinach producers, and state-by-state reports of growing numbers of sickened people.</p> <p>Acheson said that in November 2005 there had been a small outbreak of <i>E. coli</i> in spinach from the Salinas Valley. &quot;More should have been done,&quot; he added. &quot;We are learning from this outbreak.&quot;</p> <p>In 18 other outbreaks of <i>E. coli</i> since 1995, the FDA has not been able to trace the outbreak to a specific farm, Acheson said.</p> <p>&quot;In this case, the likelihood that we will get it back to a specific farm is good because of the number of cases and because of the UPC codes on the packages,&quot; he noted. However, trying to identify a specific cause on that farm is unlikely, he added.</p> <p>The earliest onset of illness known to be linked to spinach consumption was on Aug. 19.</p> <p>On Thursday, Maryland and Tennessee became the latest states to report their first confirmed cases of <i>E. coli</i>. Also reporting cases have been Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.</p> <p>Wisconsin has the largest number of reported cases, and the one death.</p> <p>The affected products were also distributed to Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Iceland, but no illnesses have been reported from any of those countries, the FDA said.</p> <p>Natural Selection Foods, in San Juan Batista, began recalling all of its prepackaged spinach and its salad mix products that contain spinach on Sept. 16.</p> <p>River Ranch Fresh Foods, which operates in Salinas and El Centro, recalled its brands of mixed salads containing spinach on Sept. 17, after FDA inspectors found that the company had bought spinach from Natural Selection. </p> <p>And on Tuesday, RLB Food Distributors, based in West Caldwell, N.J., said it was recalling salad mixes that may contain spinach supplied by Natural Selection, which were distributed on the East Coast with the &quot;Enjoy Thru date of 9/20/06.&quot; </p> <p>Meanwhile, farm growers and processors planned to unveil an industry blueprint to protect their products from future <i>E. coli</i> outbreaks, the <i>AP</i> reported.</p> <p>According to the CDC, <i>E. coli</i> lives in the intestines of cattle and other animals and can be found in undercooked meats; vegetables like spinach, sprouts and lettuce, and unpasteurized milk and juice. </p> <p>The primary symptom of <i>E. coli</i> contamination in humans is diarrhea, often with bloody stools. There are an estimated 73,000 cases of infection, including 61 deaths, each year in the United States, according to CDC statistics.</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>Visit the CDC for more <a href=\"http://www.cdc.gov/foodborne/ecolispinach/current.htm\" target=\"_new\"><i>E. coli</i> outbreak updates</a>.</p></p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('335','1','	<p><p>SUNDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- The number of victims in the nationwide <i>E. coli</i> outbreak continued to climb Saturday, even as U.S. health officials began to relax their warnings on fresh spinach.</p> <p>Late Friday, the health officials said consumers could safely resume eating some fresh spinach within the next few days, as long as agriculture industry officials come up with a way to label the products that don\'t come from California\'s Salinas Valley, the suspected center of the bacterial outbreak.</p> <p>&quot;The public can be confident that spinach grown in those non-implicated areas can be consumed, and industry is working to get spinach from these areas back on the market,&quot; Dr. David Acheson, chief medical officer of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration\'s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said at a telephone press conference.</p> <p>&quot;I anticipate it will be fast,&quot; he added later of that process, the <i>Associated Press</i> reported. &quot;Whether it will be three days, four days -- I don\'t know. That will be an industry determination.&quot;</p> <p>As of Saturday afternoon, 171 people in 25 states had been infected with the strain of <i>E. coli</i> O157:H7; 92 had been hospitalized; 27 had developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic-uremia, and one had died, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</p> <p>One hundred and twenty-three (72 percent) of the victims were female and 14 (8 percent) were children under 5 years old, the agency said.</p> <p>The CDC also said that Idaho officials were investigating the death of a 2-year-old who died Wednesday, reportedly after she had eaten spinach. And officials are investigating the death of an 86-year-old Maryland woman who died Sept. 13 after becoming infected with <i>E coli</i>. Her family said she\'d eaten fresh spinach before getting sick, the <i>Herald-Mail</i> of Hagerstown, Md., reported.</p> <p>Following a breakthrough New Mexico lab test Wednesday that confirmed the <i>E. coli</i> strain in a partly eaten fresh spinach package from one victim, health authorities had narrowed their search to the greater Salinas Valley, where more than half the country\'s spinach crop is grown. </p> <p>Investigators are looking at at least nine farms and several processing plants in Monterey, San Benito and Santa Clara counties. </p> <p>&quot;All the affected spinach appears to come from that area. We are getting a better handle on where it\'s grown,&quot; the FDA\'s Acheson said Wednesday night.</p> <p>Thursday night, the FDA said that other produce grown in the region was not implicated in the outbreak. It also said processed spinach, either frozen or canned, was not suspect.</p> <p>And health officials began talking about what it would take to lift the nationwide embargo and get fresh spinach back to consumers. </p> <p>Meanwhile, tighter regulation of the growing and processing of spinach was being considered, federal officials said.</p> <p>The comments followed criticism earlier Thursday from consumer groups and agriculture experts, who cited what they called lax oversight of the industry itself.</p> <p>&quot;It\'s a very serious problem,&quot; Jean Halloran, director of the food policy initiative for Consumers Union, told the <i>San Jose Mercury News</i>. &quot;Things fall through the cracks, and they can\'t make a coordinated attack on a problem or share information or allocate resources properly.&quot;</p> <p>In the Salinas Valley, 97 percent of irrigation water comes from private wells, but there is no mandatory inspection of them and no requirement that they ever be tested, the <i>Mercury News</i> reported. In addition, the newspaper said, Cal-OSHA is responsible for checking field sanitation, but with thousands of farms in the state, it conducts fewer than 1,200 inspections yearly.</p> <p>And state and federal inspectors generally don\'t visit farms unless there\'s a problem, the newspaper added. The industry follows voluntary rules known as &quot;good agricultural practices,&quot; which range from watering and fertilizing practices to field-hand sanitation and pest control.</p> <p>What Acheson on Wednesday called the &quot;confirmed positive sample&quot; definitely linking the contamination to fresh spinach came from a bag of Dole baby spinach with a &quot;best if used by Aug. 30&quot; date. The source of the spinach was Natural Selection Foods, the California food producer that has been the focus of the investigation.</p> <p>It became the first solid evidence to emerge after almost a week of public-health warnings on fresh spinach products, massive recalls by major spinach producers, and state-by-state reports of growing numbers of sickened people.</p> <p>Acheson said that in November 2005 there had been a small outbreak of <i>E. coli</i> in spinach from the Salinas Valley. &quot;More should have been done,&quot; he added. &quot;We are learning from this outbreak.&quot;</p> <p>In 18 other outbreaks of <i>E. coli</i> since 1995, the FDA has not been able to trace the outbreak to a specific farm, Acheson said.</p> <p>&quot;In this case, the likelihood that we will get it back to a specific farm is good because of the number of cases and because of the UPC codes on the packages,&quot; he noted. However, trying to identify a specific cause on that farm is unlikely, he added.</p> <p>The earliest onset of illness known to be linked to spinach consumption was on Aug. 19.</p> <p>On Thursday, Maryland and Tennessee became the latest states to report their first confirmed cases of <i>E. coli</i>. Also reporting cases have been Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.</p> <p>Wisconsin has the largest number of reported cases, and the one death.</p> <p>The affected products were also distributed to Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Iceland, but no illnesses have been reported from any of those countries, the FDA said.</p> <p>Natural Selection Foods, in San Juan Batista, began recalling all of its prepackaged spinach and its salad mix products that contain spinach on Sept. 16.</p> <p>River Ranch Fresh Foods, which operates in Salinas and El Centro, recalled its brands of mixed salads containing spinach on Sept. 17, after FDA inspectors found that the company had bought spinach from Natural Selection. </p> <p>And RLB Food Distributors, based in West Caldwell, N.J., said it was recalling salad mixes that may contain spinach supplied by Natural Selection, which were distributed on the East Coast with the &quot;Enjoy Thru date of 9/20/06.&quot; </p> <p>Meanwhile, farm growers and processors planned to unveil an industry blueprint to protect their products from future <i>E. coli</i> outbreaks, the <i>AP</i> reported.</p> <p>According to the CDC, <i>E. coli</i> lives in the intestines of cattle and other animals and can be found in undercooked meats; vegetables like spinach, sprouts and lettuce, and unpasteurized milk and juice. </p> <p>The primary symptom of <i>E. coli</i> contamination in humans is diarrhea, often with bloody stools. There are an estimated 73,000 cases of infection, including 61 deaths, each year in the United States, according to CDC statistics.</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>Visit the CDC for more <a href=\"http://www.cdc.gov/foodborne/ecolispinach/current.htm\" target=\"_new\"><i>E. coli</i> outbreak updates</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('336','1','	<p><p>SUNDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- The number of victims in the nationwide <i>E. coli</i> outbreak continued to climb Sunday, even as U.S. health officials began to relax their warnings on fresh spinach.</p> <p>Late Friday, the health officials said consumers could safely resume eating some fresh spinach within the next few days, as long as agriculture industry officials come up with a way to label the products that don\'t come from California\'s Salinas Valley, the suspected center of the bacterial outbreak.</p> <p>&quot;The public can be confident that spinach grown in those non-implicated areas can be consumed, and industry is working to get spinach from these areas back on the market,&quot; Dr. David Acheson, chief medical officer of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration\'s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said at a telephone press conference.</p> <p>&quot;I anticipate it will be fast,&quot; he added later of that process, the <i>Associated Press</i> reported. &quot;Whether it will be three days, four days -- I don\'t know. That will be an industry determination.&quot;</p> <p>As of Sunday evening, 173 people in 25 states had been infected with the strain of <i>E. coli</i> O157:H7; 92 had been hospitalized; 28 had developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic-uremia, and one had died, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</p> <p>One hundred twenty-five (72 percent) were female and 15 (9 percent) were children under 5 years old, the agency said.</p> <p>The CDC also said that Idaho officials were investigating the death of a 2-year-old who died Wednesday, reportedly after she had eaten spinach. And officials are investigating the death of an 86-year-old Maryland woman who died Sept. 13 after becoming infected with <i>E coli</i>. Her family said she\'d eaten fresh spinach before getting sick, the <i>Herald-Mail</i> of Hagerstown, Md., reported.</p> <p>Following a breakthrough New Mexico lab test Wednesday that confirmed the <i>E. coli</i> strain in a partly eaten fresh spinach package from one victim, health authorities had narrowed their search to the greater Salinas Valley, where more than half the country\'s spinach crop is grown. </p> <p>Investigators are looking at at least nine farms and several processing plants in Monterey, San Benito and Santa Clara counties. </p> <p>&quot;All the affected spinach appears to come from that area. We are getting a better handle on where it\'s grown,&quot; the FDA\'s Acheson said Wednesday night.</p> <p>Thursday night, the FDA said that other produce grown in the region was not implicated in the outbreak. It also said processed spinach, either frozen or canned, was not suspect.</p> <p>And health officials began talking about what it would take to lift the nationwide embargo and get fresh spinach back to consumers. </p> <p>Meanwhile, tighter regulation of the growing and processing of spinach was being considered, federal officials said.</p> <p>The comments followed criticism earlier Thursday from consumer groups and agriculture experts, who cited what they called lax oversight of the industry itself.</p> <p>&quot;It\'s a very serious problem,&quot; Jean Halloran, director of the food policy initiative for Consumers Union, told the <i>San Jose Mercury News</i>. &quot;Things fall through the cracks, and they can\'t make a coordinated attack on a problem or share information or allocate resources properly.&quot;</p> <p>In the Salinas Valley, 97 percent of irrigation water comes from private wells, but there is no mandatory inspection of them and no requirement that they ever be tested, the <i>Mercury News</i> reported. In addition, the newspaper said, Cal-OSHA is responsible for checking field sanitation, but with thousands of farms in the state, it conducts fewer than 1,200 inspections yearly.</p> <p>And state and federal inspectors generally don\'t visit farms unless there\'s a problem, the newspaper added. The industry follows voluntary rules known as &quot;good agricultural practices,&quot; which range from watering and fertilizing practices to field-hand sanitation and pest control.</p> <p>What Acheson on Wednesday called the &quot;confirmed positive sample&quot; definitely linking the contamination to fresh spinach came from a bag of Dole baby spinach with a &quot;best if used by Aug. 30&quot; date. The source of the spinach was Natural Selection Foods, the California food producer that has been the focus of the investigation.</p> <p>It became the first solid evidence to emerge after almost a week of public-health warnings on fresh spinach products, massive recalls by major spinach producers, and state-by-state reports of growing numbers of sickened people.</p> <p>Acheson said that in November 2005 there had been a small outbreak of <i>E. coli</i> in spinach from the Salinas Valley. &quot;More should have been done,&quot; he added. &quot;We are learning from this outbreak.&quot;</p> <p>In 18 other outbreaks of <i>E. coli</i> since 1995, the FDA has not been able to trace the outbreak to a specific farm, Acheson said.</p> <p>&quot;In this case, the likelihood that we will get it back to a specific farm is good because of the number of cases and because of the UPC codes on the packages,&quot; he noted. However, trying to identify a specific cause on that farm is unlikely, he added.</p> <p>The earliest onset of illness known to be linked to spinach consumption was on Aug. 19.</p> <p>On Thursday, Maryland and Tennessee became the latest states to report their first confirmed cases of <i>E. coli</i>. Also reporting cases have been Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.</p> <p>Wisconsin has the largest number of reported cases, and the one death.</p> <p>The affected products were also distributed to Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Iceland, but no illnesses have been reported from any of those countries, the FDA said.</p> <p>Natural Selection Foods, in San Juan Batista, began recalling all of its prepackaged spinach and its salad mix products that contain spinach on Sept. 16.</p> <p>River Ranch Fresh Foods, which operates in Salinas and El Centro, recalled its brands of mixed salads containing spinach on Sept. 17, after FDA inspectors found that the company had bought spinach from Natural Selection. </p> <p>And RLB Food Distributors, based in West Caldwell, N.J., said it was recalling salad mixes that may contain spinach supplied by Natural Selection, which were distributed on the East Coast with the &quot;Enjoy Thru date of 9/20/06.&quot; </p> <p>Meanwhile, farm growers and processors planned to unveil an industry blueprint to protect their products from future <i>E. coli</i> outbreaks, the <i>AP</i> reported.</p> <p>According to the CDC, <i>E. coli</i> lives in the intestines of cattle and other animals and can be found in undercooked meats; vegetables like spinach, sprouts and lettuce, and unpasteurized milk and juice. </p> <p>The primary symptom of <i>E. coli</i> contamination in humans is diarrhea, often with bloody stools. There are an estimated 73,000 cases of infection, including 61 deaths, each year in the United States, according to CDC statistics.</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>Visit the CDC for more <a href=\"http://www.cdc.gov/foodborne/ecolispinach/current.htm\" target=\"_new\"><i>E. coli</i> outbreak updates</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('337','1','	<p><!--Spanish ID:533201--> <p>FRIDAY, June 9 (HealthDay News) -- Many teenage girls feel they are being pressured into having sex, a new U.S. study suggests.</p> <p>&quot;Unwanted sex occurs often within the sexual relationships of teens,&quot; Dr. Margaret J. Blythe and her colleagues at the Indiana University Medical Center, Indianapolis, said in a prepared statement.</p> <p>In the study, 279 teenage girls between the ages of 14 and 17 were interviewed about their relationships and asked a series of questions -- including questions about whether or not girls felt their boyfriends would become angry or would break up with them if they did not have sex with them.</p> <p>Of all of the girls interviewed, almost 41 percent said that, on at least one occasion, they had sex when they didn\'t want to. Ten percent said that their boyfriends forced them to have sex.</p> <p>Almost 38 percent of those girls also admitted to having unwanted sex because they were afraid that their boyfriend would be angry if they said no. Girls were also more likely to be pressured into sex if they were in a long-term relationship, if they had had a baby with their partner, or if they felt they didn\'t have control with a partner when it came to sex. Infrequent use of condoms, and the use of marijuana or alcohol, also made a girl more likely to be pressured into sex.</p> <p>&quot;These unwanted sexual experiences result in risk for sexually transmitted infections and pregnancies. Sexual health counseling to reduce risk should focus on both the patient\'s and the partner\'s behaviors,&quot; Blythe said.</p> <p>The findings appear in the June issue of the <i>Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine</i>.</p> <p>Unwanted sex -- including rape and being pressured into sex -- has been related to depression and anxiety disorders in teenage girls, the researchers said. Girls in both long-term and short-term relationships have experienced these problems as a result of unwanted sex.</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy has more information on <a href=\"http://www.teenpregnancy.org/&quot;target =\">teen pregnancy</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('338','1','	<p><p>FRIDAY, June 16 (HealthDay News) -- Turns out men don\'t have to be living on Mars and women on Venus for communication problems to muck up dealings between the sexes.</p> <p>Even when they\'re seated across a table from each other in a first-time, five-minute conversation, a man tends to sexualize a woman and incorrectly assume sexual interest on her part, new research finds.</p> <p>&quot;We initially got started on this research thinking if we could identify men who tended to over-sexualize women, we could then interview them [to learn why] and stop sexual harassment on the job and date rape,&quot; said lead researcher Maurice J. Levesque, an associate professor of psychology at Elon University, in North Carolina.</p> <p>&quot;We wanted to see if basically the macho-type guy was the only one who did this,&quot; said Levesque, adding the study showed that wasn\'t the case. &quot;That variable -- the socialization to be \'macho\' -- doesn\'t make a difference,&quot; he said. </p> <p>Reporting in the new issue of <i>Psychology of Women Quarterly</i>, the researchers said that when a man meets a woman for the first time and they converse briefly, he\'s much likelier than she is to rate himself -- and her -- higher on sexual traits such as flirtatiousness. And he\'s more likely to think she\'s interested in him sexually, when she may not be.</p> <p>In the study, 43 college men and 43 college women, ages 18 to 22, were paired with a member of the opposite sex they\'d never met. They were told the study concerned &quot;conversational smoothness.&quot; First, the men and women completed questionnaires about demographic information, and took a standard sex-role inventory to assess their scores of masculinity and femininity.</p> <p>Next, each couple went to a room by themselves and sat in chairs facing each other across a small table. The researchers suggested they talk about college. Then, after the five minutes, each man and woman walked to a separate room to answer questions about their perceptions of their study partner, themselves and the conversation.</p> <p>The men and the women rated themselves and their partners on personality traits such as extroversion, agreeableness, physical attractiveness, sexual traits and interaction behaviors. They were also asked if they thought the person they\'d just talked to was sexy, flirtatious, seductive or promiscuous.</p> <p>Men rated their women partners higher in sexuality than the women rated the men, said Levesque, who did the research while at the University of Connecticut. &quot;It wasn\'t that men over-sexualized women only when there was chemistry,&quot; he explained. &quot;Their ratings in terms of sexiness did not have a lot to do with whether she was extroverted, agreeable, or whether she behaved in particularly friendly ways.&quot;</p> <p>&quot;If he found her to be physically attractive, he would tend to rate her as sexier,&quot; he said, adding that other studies have found the same over-sexualization effect and that men give physically attractive women higher marks for sexiness.</p> <p>Next, Levesque wants to focus on whether women are aware of how they are perceived by men. &quot;These misperceptions may be contributing to situations, for example, of sexual harassment,&quot; he said.</p> <p>Levesque doesn\'t know why all the men in the study seemed to over-sexualize women, but he speculated that &quot;it\'s got to be something about socialization, that men are being taught in some way to view women as sexual objects.&quot;</p> <p>The study findings are no surprise to Charles Hill, a professor of psychology at Whittier College, in California. He said the two chemical routes to sexual arousal help explain the study findings.</p> <p>Testosterone, a hormone that both men and women produce, helps arouse both genders sexually, Hill said. But so does the hormone oxytocin, also in both genders. &quot;Oxytocin promotes infant-mother bonding and women have a boost of it when ovulating, pregnant or lactating,&quot; he said. &quot;But it also promotes emotional bonding to people in general,&quot; he said. &quot;It may help explain why in the study that men rated women as sexy based on attractiveness, whereas women\'s rating of sexuality was correlated not only with attractiveness but also personality. There was an emotional component to how they rated&quot; the men.</p> <p>Based on his study and other research, Levesque offers advice for men and women who have brief encounters -- such as meeting on the job, meeting in college classes, or meeting at so-called &quot;rapid dating&quot; events, in which men and women have four or five minutes to talk, then decide if they\'d like to see each other again.</p> <p>For men, he said: &quot;Don\'t think every women you meet is attracted to you.&quot; This caveat especially holds true for men who think of themselves as sexy or sexual. &quot;Men [in the study] who thought of themselves as sexy also tended to think of their partners as sexy and as interested in them.&quot; That may not be the case, however.</p> <p>For women, Levesque said, the best advice &quot;may be understanding that more often than not he is going to be thinking in sexual terms. You may walk away thinking the conversation went well or not and he may still be thinking in those [sexual attraction] terms.&quot;</p> <p>Levesque offers additional advice for men: &quot;Slow down on those thoughts. To evaluate whether the conversation went well, whether she was giving any signals of interest of not, be a little more driven by the data than just whether she is attractive, sexy and flirtatious.&quot;</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>To learn more about relationships, visit <a href=\"http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/Cat8.html\" target=\"_new\">Columbia University</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('339','1','	<p><p>WEDNESDAY, June 21 (HealthDay News) -- Using condoms consistently and properly significantly reduces the risk of infection by the virus that causes cervical cancer among newly sexually active women.</p> <p>&quot;The message is that women can significantly reduce their risk of HPV infection by using condoms consistently with their male partners but it\'s not 100 percent effective,&quot; said Rachel Winer, lead author of a study appearing in the June 22 <i>New England Journal of Medicine</i> and a research scientist at the University of Washington, Seattle. &quot;Other preventive measures, including regular screenings, are still very important.&quot; </p> <p>&quot;People try to cast aspersions on the efficacy of condoms,&quot; added Dr. Jennifer Wu, an obstetrician/gynecologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. &quot;They try to use it as a platform that abstinence is only way to prevent viral transmission, and, yes, abstinence is only way to prevent it 100 percent. But condoms are effective in significantly reducing viral transmission, especially in regard to HPV.&quot; </p> <p>HPV stands for human papilloma virus, which is responsible for virtually all cases of cervical cancers. An estimated 20 million women and men in the United States are infected with HPV but, for most, the virus shows no symptoms and goes away on its own. </p> <p>Cervical cancer is the second most common malignant disease in women globally, causing an estimated 290,000 deaths worldwide each year. In the United States, some 10,400 new cases will be diagnosed this year, and 3,700 women will die from the disease. </p> <p>A milestone in the fight against the disease came June 8, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first vaccine that protects against HPV. The vaccine is called Gardasil and is made by Merck and Co.</p> <p>Although research has shown that condoms protect against transmission of HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia and herpes, data on the role of condoms against other sexually transmitted infections has been limited. In fact, several studies showed that condom use did not reduce the risk of HPV infection in men. </p> <p>&quot;It seems intuitive but it\'s not something that they were able to prove with studies previously,&quot; Wu said. </p> <p>For the new study, researchers followed 82 female university students who reported their first intercourse with a male partner during the study period or within two weeks before enrollment. The researchers took cervical and vulvovaginal samples for HPV DNA testing and Pap smears every four months. The women used electronic diaries to record information about their sexual activities. </p> <p>The result: &quot;The women who used condoms 100 percent of the time were 70 percent less likely to get HPV infected,&quot; Winer said. </p> <p>Even women whose partners used condoms more than half the time had a 50 percent risk reduction in HPV infection, compared with those who used condoms less than 5 percent of the time. </p> <p>&quot;Use condoms and use them properly,&quot; Wu said. &quot;It\'s the best form of protection against STDs [sexually transmitted diseases].&quot; </p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>For more on HPV, visit the U.S. <a href=\"http://www.cdc.gov/STD/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm\" target=\"_new\">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('340','1','	<p><p>WEDNESDAY, June 21 (HealthDay News) -- Men who undergo vasectomy reversal may be at significantly higher risk of producing abnormal sperm and possibly even causing birth defects in children, a new study suggests.</p> <p>Researchers at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, studied men who had undergone a procedure -- such as a vasectomy -- that caused sperm to be produced but kept separate from their semen.</p> <p>Studying their ejaculatory fluid, the researchers noted that these men had significantly higher rates of abnormal chromosomes than men who had not undergone such a procedure.</p> <p>Specifically, these patients showed higher rates of a condition called chromosomal aneuploidy, in which atypical numbers of chromosomes or sets of chromosomes appear within a cell\'s nucleus. They also showed higher rates of diploidy, meaning that two sets -- rather than the one that normally appears -- of chromosomes appear in the nuclei of sex cells.</p> <p>&quot;The rate of abnormality was about 10 times higher than the aneuploidy and diploidy rate in normal fertile men,&quot; researcher Nares Sukchareon, from the university\'s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, said in a prepared statement. &quot;This raised a lot of questions, so we decided to study the rates of these abnormalities in ejaculated sperm after vasectomy reversal. If these sperm continued to have a high rate of aneuploidy and diploidy, we would know that obstruction by vasectomy must affect spermatogenesis in the longer term.&quot; </p> <p>The researchers even noted a discrepancy in abnormalities in the sperm and the time lapsed since the vasectomy reversal was completed, and the amount of time the vasectomy was in place.</p> <p>&quot;This study raises a lot of questions. Is the abnormal spermatogenesis reversible, and if so, how long will it take before things get back to normal?&quot; Sukchareon asked. He also questioned whether or not children born to such fathers would have abnormalities themselves.</p> <p>Although Sukchereon concluded that the results from this study may not mean that babies born to men who have undergone vasectomy reversals will have birth defects, &quot;this is still uncertain, and until we know more, it would probably be safer to freeze ejaculated sperm before vasectomy. We need a lot more evidence and research on this issue before we can be certain of avoiding the dangers,&quot; Sukchareon added.</p> <p>As a follow-up to this study, which was expected to be presented at this week\'s European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, the team is also already preparing the next step of the research.</p> <p>&quot;We are collecting sperm during vasectomy reversal operations and will compare the aneuploidy rate of these and of the sperm we will collect each month in the future from the same men,&quot; Sukchareon continued. &quot;This will help us understand what the dangers are. But, in the meantime, I think that doctors need to be very aware of the possibility that babies born after vasectomy reversal may have problems.&quot;</p> <p><b>More information</b> </p> <p>Head to Planned Parenthood to find out more about <a href=\" http://www.plannedparenthood.org/pp2/portal/medicalinfo/birthcontrol/pub-contraception-vasectomy.xml&quot;target =\">vasectomies</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('341','1','	<p><p>THURSDAY, June 22 (HealthDay News) -- Not so long ago, a woman had to visit her doctor, leave a urine sample and wait by the phone -- sometimes days -- to find out whether she was pregnant.</p> <p>But over-the-counter home-pregnancy tests -- which first hit the market in the late 1970s -- make the process quick, convenient and private.</p> <p>In fact, those pregnancy kits, as well as glucose-monitoring tests for diabetics, were in the vanguard of a health care revolution that continues to gain momentum. New and better tests for detecting and managing a plethora of conditions have made their way to pharmacy shelves in recent years, the fruit of both scientific advancement and consumer demand.</p> <p>Diabetes is a good example of a disease for which self-testing has made enormous strides, said Dr. Barbara P. Yawn, an adjunct professor of family and community medicine at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, and a member of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.</p> <p>People with diabetes used to check the sugar in their urine at home to monitor their condition. It wasn\'t a very useful test, she said, because a person\'s blood sugar might have to be 250 or even 300 mg/dL -- well above optimal levels -- for sugar to spill into their urine.</p> <p>The introduction of blood-glucose meters and testing strips in the late 1960s vastly improved efforts by patients to monitor fluctuations in their blood sugar and make needed adjustments to their diet and medication. And painful finger pricks have gotten less so in recent years with the introduction of finer lancets and meters that require less blood. There\'s even a non-invasive watch-like device that automatically measures glucose levels up to six times an hour.</p> <p>&quot;Home monitoring (of diabetes) has been improved again and again and again,&quot; said Yawn, who credits manufacturers for heeding patients\' wants and needs. &quot;They\'ve paid attention to what makes people use it or not use it,&quot; she said. &quot;Pain was a big deterrent.&quot;</p> <p>If you include the bathroom scale or the thermometer, home testing has been around longer than people realize.</p> <p>But today, there are home-test kits that women can use to see whether they are ovulating or not. There are also kits for screening for urinary tract infections, colon cancer and even HIV.</p> <p>There are home cholesterol tests that can give you a total cholesterol count. The problem with these screens is they can\'t break down that number into its more useful components -- like HDL (the good cholesterol), and LDL (the bad type) -- so many doctors still recommend that a health professional check your cholesterol count.</p> <p>Home-health tests have to be fairly simple to perform, easy to interpret and used with some frequency to be useful to people, said Dr. Paul S. Frame, a clinical professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine in Rochester, N.Y.</p> <p>Home glucose monitoring meets that definition, in his view. So does home blood pressure monitoring.</p> <p>Having a blood pressure cuff handy may be a good idea for patients who have &quot;white coat&quot; hypertension, meaning their readings are always high when they come to the doctor\'s, but when they check their blood pressure at home, &quot;it\'s generally quite good,&quot; he said.</p> <p>Frame is also a &quot;fairly big fan&quot; of the fecal occult blood test, a screening test for colorectal cancer. Doctors often give patients a test kit to take home with them.</p> <p>The test, which involves taking a series of stool samples, may also be purchased at pharmacies, said Elissa Passiment, executive vice president of the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science in Bethesda, Maryland.</p> <p>But are Americans anxious to self-screen for this disease? &quot;I can promise you that they are not jumping off anybody\'s shelf,&quot; she said.</p> <p>On the other hand, &quot;Many patients would much rather do the fecal occult blood test than have a colonoscopy,&quot; Frame said. In fact, when patients repeatedly fail to perform the at-home test, he gives them a choice.</p> <p>&quot;I say, well, you know, if you don\'t want to do this, if this isn\'t working for you, if you can\'t so this, we can do a colonoscopy,&quot; he said, adding, that often spurs compliance.</p> <p>For a glimpse at the future of at-home testing, look to the baby boomers, Passiment said. That generation, whose oldest members are turning 60 this year, is anxious not to age the way their parents did and eager to avoid disease.</p> <p>&quot;I think you\'re going to see more over-the-counter tests for prevention,&quot; including sexually transmitted diseases, she predicted, &quot;rather than just management of the already diagnosed.&quot;</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>For more on home health testing, visit the <a href=\"http://www.ascls.org/labtesting/hometest.asp\" target=\"_new\"> American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('342','1','	<p><!--Spanish ID:534432--> <p>WEDNESDAY, Aug. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Pregnant women with breast cancer can be safely treated with a common chemotherapy combination during both the second and third trimesters, researchers report.</p> <p>The majority of babies will not experience significant short-term complications linked to maternal treatment, they added.</p> <p>&quot;Further follow-up of the children is required to determine the potential long-term effects of this exposure,&quot; wrote researchers at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston. &quot;However, our short-term data are reassuring.&quot;</p> <p>The study was published in the Aug. 7 online edition of <i>Cancer</i>.</p> <p>As women have babies later in life, experts have hypothesized that more women will be diagnosed with breast cancer while they are pregnant. However, there\'s little data on how chemotherapy might affect a child in utero.</p> <p>To help answer that question, the Texas team undertook a trial involving 57 pregnant breast cancer patients. All were treated with a common chemotherapy protocol (FAC or 5-fluorouracil, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide) either after surgery or before surgery. More than one-third (35.1 percent) of the women underwent surgery in their second trimester, while 33.3 percent had surgery after delivery. Most of the women were diagnosed with advanced-stage breast cancer.</p> <p>Of the original group of women, 40 are now alive and disease-free, three have had recurrences of breast cancer, 12 died of the disease, one died of other causes and one was lost to follow-up. </p> <p>All women who delivered had live births; there were no stillbirths or miscarriages. One child had Down syndrome, and two had congenital abnormalities including club foot. The researchers followed the children\'s health for more than three years and found that most of the children were healthy although two had special education needs. Some of the children had breathing difficulties requiring ventilation at the time of birth.</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>For more on breast cancer, head to the <a href=\"http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/CRI_2_1x.asp?dt=5\" target=\"_new\">American Cancer Society</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('343','1','	<p><!--Spanish ID:533475--> <p>MONDAY, June 26 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists believe they\'ve found a way to spot autism as early as birth by seeking out key biological abnormalities in the placenta.</p> <p>Early diagnosis of autism, a developmental disorder that affects a child\'s social learning and communication skills, can greatly improve the chances for successful treatment, experts say.</p> <p>Previous studies noted the presence of &quot;trophoblast inclusions&quot; -- an indicator of cellular abnormality -- in the placenta as a marker for Asperger Syndrome, an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Researchers at the Yale University School of Medicine studied the placentas of 13 children diagnosed with ASD to determine if there was a similar marker.</p> <p>Compared to the placentas of 61 healthy children, the 13 placentas of Asperger-affected children were three times more likely to have trophoblast inclusions, the Yale team found.</p> <p>&quot;We knew that trophoblast inclusions were increased in cases of chromosome abnormalities and genetic diseases, but we had no idea whether they would be significantly increased in cases of ASD,&quot; study author Dr. Harvey J. Kliman, research scientist in the department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at Yale, said in a prepared statement. &quot;These results are consistent with studies by others who have shown that ASD has a clear genetic basis,&quot; Kliman said.</p> <p>Results of the study are published in the June 26 online issue of <i>Biological Psychiatry</i>. The researchers said they expected to further examine the presence of trophoblast inclusions as an indicator of ASD in future studies, with a larger study base and more in-depth analysis.</p> <p>&quot;If the work is confirmed by the next series of studies, then the finding of trophoblast inclusions at the time of birth in the absence of any obvious genetic abnormalities would be an indication to have a child examined by a specialist to determine the presence of ASD,&quot; concluded researcher Fred R. Volkmar of the Yale Child Study Center.</p> <p><b>More information</b> </p> <p>The Center for the Study of Autism has more information on <a href=\" http://www.autism.org/&quot;target =\">autism</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('344','1','	<p><p>MONDAY, June 26 (HealthDay News) -- Adding to the theory that homosexuality may be hardwired and not the product of environmental factors, new research again confirms that the more older brothers a male has, the more likely he is to be gay.</p> <p>Researchers have known for years that a man\'s likelihood of being gay rises with the number of older biological brothers. But the new study found that the so-called &quot;fraternal birth order effect&quot; persists even if gay men were raised away from their biological families.</p> <p>Study author Anthony F. Bogaert said the findings add to a growing body of evidence that links homosexuality to nature, not nurture.</p> <p> &quot;The research suggests that the development of sexual orientation is influenced before birth,&quot; said Bogaert, a professor of community health sciences at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.</p> <p>Bogaert and a colleague first reported the older-brother effect a decade ago. According to Bogaert, men with no older brothers have about a 2 percent to 3 percent chance of being gay. If they have three or four older brothers, the rate goes up to about 5 percent. </p> <p>About 20 studies have reinforced the link between fraternal birth order and male homosexuality, Bogaert said. However, no similar link has been found in lesbians. </p> <p>Bogaert said he launched his new study to better understand the fraternal birth order effect. &quot;Is it a biological phenomenon? Or is it psychological or have to do with rearing?&quot; he said.</p> <p>To find the answer, Bogaert examined surveys of 944 Canadian men, both gay and straight, about their sexuality and their families. </p> <p>The older-brother effect was constant regardless of whether the men were raised with natural, adopted or stepbrothers. It also didn\'t matter if they weren\'t raised with their biological mothers. </p> <p>If gay younger brothers and older brothers don\'t have the same home environments, what do they have in common? &quot;They shared the same uterus, the same womb, the same mother,&quot; Bogaert said. </p> <p>His findings are published in this week\'s issue of the <i>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</i>.</p> <p>The next step is to figure out exactly how biology contributes to homosexuality, said Sven Bocklandt, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles, who applauded the new research.</p> <p>&quot;For me as a molecular geneticist, this study opens a new path of research into the biology of sexual orientation,&quot; Bocklandt said.</p> <p>According to Bocklandt, one avenue of study would be to test the blood of mothers with multiple male sons to see whether their immune systems might be more likely to target genes linked to homosexuality.</p> <p>Earlier this year, Bocklandt was co-author of a study that found that nearly one-quarter of women with multiple gay sons showed signs of genetic differences from other women. </p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>The Council for Responsible Genetics has more <a href=\"http://www.gene-watch.org/programs/privacy/gene-sexuality.html\" target=\"_new\">genes and sexual orientation</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('345','1','	<p><p>TUESDAY, June 27 (HealthDay News) -- Three new studies suggest that testosterone can be of real help, and potential harm, to women.</p> <p>Women do have natural, low levels of these &quot;male hormones,&quot; and improving deficiencies by using a testosterone patch can boost mood and sexual health, two studies found.</p> <p>But a third study found that high levels of testosterone can also triple heart risks for older women.</p> <p>Taken together, the findings underline the fact that &quot;we don\'t know what really is considered to be a normal or beneficial testosterone level at this point,&quot; said Dr. Anne R. Cappola, an assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania, and lead researcher on the heart-risk study.</p> <p>The studies were presented Monday at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, in Boston.</p> <p>Testosterone is usually thought of as a male hormone, but women have it, too. For women with androgen (male hormone) deficiency, supplemental testosterone can improve mood, sexual function and quality of life, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston reported.</p> <p>&quot;We thought of testosterone as being a male hormone and estrogen a female hormone,&quot; said lead researcher Dr. Karen Miller, an endocrinologist and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. &quot;But we are learning more and more that things are not as simple as that,&quot; she said.</p> <p>In their study, Miller\'s team randomly assigned 51 premenopausal women with below-normal or undetectable levels of testosterone to either a placebo or Proctor &amp; Gamble\'s testosterone patch, Intrinsa, which has not yet received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for use by American women.</p> <p>During the one-year trial, women on the testosterone patch showed improvements in mood, sexual function and quality of life. There was, however, no change in cognitive function, they reported.</p> <p>&quot;Bringing testosterone levels up to normal, when there are low levels due to a pituitary problem, improves mood and sexual function. There were also improvements in quality of life, including energy level,&quot; Miller said.</p> <p>She cautioned that the study did not deal with women with normal testosterone levels. &quot;Our concern is that supplemental testosterone in women with normal levels would have side effects, like unwanted facial and body hair,&quot; she said.</p> <p>The data are very preliminary, Miller added. &quot;There is no Food and Drug Administration testosterone patch approved for women,&quot; she said.</p> <p>In a second study -- this time by researchers at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia -- investigators gave either the 150 gram/day or 300 gram/day versions of the Intrinsa patch, or a placebo, twice a week to 771 postmenopausal women.</p> <p>Six months into the study, women on the 300 gram/day patch reported &quot;significantly improved&quot; levels of sexual activity, desire, and other markers of sexual function, as well as lowered anxiety, compared with women taking placebo. Women on the lower-dose (150 grams/day) patch saw only minimal improvements in sexual function, the Australian team reported.</p> <p>The researchers noted that women on higher-dose Intrinsa did experience &quot;an increase of the frequency of unwanted hair,&quot; although this side effect was rated as &quot;mild to moderate in severity.&quot; The study was funded by Proctor &amp; Gamble.</p> <p>Last December, the FDA voted against the approval of Intrinsa for women with low libido, citing insufficient long-term safety data. Thus far, the only such remedies available to women with low libido are off-label, including Estratest (estrogen and methyltestosterone), currently on the market for relief of menopausal symptoms, and some other products that are specifically made for men.</p> <p>One expert said Miller\'s study is important, but cause-and-effect remains unclear. &quot;This study adds to other studies that look at androgens in mood and sexual function,&quot; said Dr. Glenn D. Braunstein, the chairman of the department of medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles. &quot;But it is not clear whether this effect is a direct effect of testosterone or one that is mediated through estrogen,&quot; he said.</p> <p>&quot;Women who have an organic cause of low testosterone, and you give them back testosterone -- you get improvement in mood and sexual function. But I don\'t think you can extrapolate this beyond the type of women in the study. Studies have to be done in women who have low testosterone from other causes,&quot; said Braunstein, who has served as a consultant for Proctor &amp; Gamble and was principal investigator on the original Intrinsa trials.</p> <p>In the third presentation, Cappola\'s group reported that high testosterone levels in older women are a predictor of cardiovascular disease.</p> <p>&quot;Older women that have higher testosterone levels, for older women, are more likely to have cardiovascular disease than those who have lower levels,&quot; the Philadelphia researcher said.</p> <p>In this study, Cappola and colleagues measured testosterone levels in 344 women, aged 65 to 98 years. They found that women who had the highest testosterone levels were three times more likely to have heart disease compared with women who had lower testosterone levels.</p> <p>However, they also found that women with the lowest testosterone levels were also at a higher risk of heart disease compared with women who had testosterone levels in the midrange.</p> <p>Because another hormone, insulin, has long been tied to cardiovascular risk, the researchers adjusted their findings to take insulin resistance into account. This greatly reduced the association between high testosterone and heart disease, they said.</p> <p>Cappola believes that women who have high testosterone levels have had them throughout their lives. &quot;But we can\'t tell whether testosterone is a marker or actually causing the cardiovascular disease,&quot; she said. &quot;Insulin resistance may be a part of this, but it doesn\'t explain everything,&quot; she added.</p> <p>There is nothing to do about this right now, Cappola said. &quot;We don\'t have good ways, in postmenopausal women, of lowering testosterone levels anyway,&quot; she said.</p> <p>One expert agreed that the findings don\'t have any implications for treatment right now.</p> <p>&quot;This study shows the complexity of hormones in the aging population,&quot; said Dr. Robert Vigersky, from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. &quot;However, trying to change testosterone levels in older women is something that is not supported by any of this data,&quot; he said.</p> <p>Vigersky noted that risk of heart disease was seen with both high and low testosterone levels. &quot;What this means diagnostically and interventionally is not clear,&quot; he said. &quot;There isn\'t anything that anyone can take from this from a treatment standpoint,&quot; he added.</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>For more on women and testosterone, head to the <a href=\"http://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health_prof/hp_test_for_women.htm\" target=\"_new\">Jean Hailes Foundation</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('346','1','	<p><!--Spanish ID:533675--> <p>THURSDAY, July 6 (HealthDay News) -- Only 38 percent of teen and young adult sexual assault victims who were prescribed antiviral medications to prevent HIV infection returned for follow-up visits to medical centers, a new report finds.</p> <p>Only 15 percent of these young assault victims completed drug therapy that could help them ward off HIV infection, added the researchers, who reported the findings in the July issue of the journal <i>Archives of Pediatrics &amp; Adolescent Medicine</i>.</p> <p>In the study, Boston University School of Medicine researchers reviewed the charts of 145 females, ages 12 to 22, treated at two pediatric emergency departments in Boston within 72 hours of being sexually assaulted.</p> <p>Of those patients, 129 (89 percent) were offered medications to prevent HIV infection and 110 (76) agreed to take the drugs. Of the latter group, 86 were referred for follow-up treatment, but only 38 percent of them returned for at least one follow-up visit and 15 percent completed the full 28 days of preventive treatment, the study said.</p> <p>The researchers said their findings highlight the difficulty associated with prescribing HIV-prevention therapies to young sexual assault victims and determining which patients require preventive therapy.</p> <p>&quot;In many cases of adolescent sexual assault, the risks of HIV transmission cannot be determined,&quot; the authors wrote. &quot;Among patients in our study, 21 percent reported having blacked out during the assault, 54 percent were unsure whether ejaculation had occurred, and 27 percent were unsure whether a condom had been used.&quot;</p> <p>The researchers added that many teen sexual assault victims have psychiatric conditions that could decrease the likelihood that they\'ll adhere to HIV-prevention therapy.</p> <p>&quot;We agree with published recommendations that post-exposure prophylaxis be offered to adolescent sexual assault survivors for exposures that pose a risk of HIV transmission,&quot; the study authors concluded.</p> <p>&quot;Patient education and a comprehensive follow-up system with extensive outreach and case management are necessary to encourage post-exposure prophylaxis adherence and return for follow-up care among adolescent sexual assault survivors,&quot; the Boston team added.</p> <p><b>More information</b></p> <p>The American Academy of Pediatrics has more about <a href=\"http://www.medem.com/MedLB/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZXSAGA6NC&amp;sub_cat=609\" target=\"_new\">care of adolescent victims of sexual assault</a>.</p> </p>\n		');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('347','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Taste buds key to Thanksgiving - and health</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>How we taste involves complex interaction of nose, brain and more</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/061120/061120_thanksgiving_vmed_2p.vmedium.jpg\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font size=\"-2\">Getty Images stock</font><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"-1\">How intensely people sense different flavors seems to affect how healthy they are, researchers say.</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>WASHINGTON - Woe to those who have a cold on Thursday. If you can\'t smell the roasting turkey, it just won\'t taste as good.</p><p>And if you think the brussels sprouts are bitter, well, blame how many taste buds you were born with, not the chef.</p><p>But never fear: Even after you\'re pleasantly stuffed from second helpings, there\'s a little spot deep in your brain that still gives a \"Wow!\" for pumpkin pie.</p><p>How we taste is pretty complicated, an interaction of the tongue, the nose, psychological cues and exposure to different foods.</p><p>But ultimately, we taste with our brains.</p><p>\"Why do we learn to like foods? When they\'re paired with something our brains are programmed to see as good,\" says Dr. Linda Bartoshuk of the University of Florida, a specialist in the genetics of human taste.</p><p>Sorry, brains are programmed to want fat, probably an evolutionary hangover from times of scarcity. But what\'s necessary for survival isn\'t all the brain likes. University of Michigan researchers just uncovered that eating something tasty can spark brain cells that sense actual pleasure to start firing rapidly.</p><p><b><strong>Ability to taste affects health<br></strong></b>More provocative, how intensely people sense different flavors seems to affect how healthy they are.</p><p>Are you among the \"supertasters,\" people who shun vegetables because they find them more bitter than the average person does? Supertasters may be more at risk of developing colon cancer as a result, says a recent University of Connecticut study.</p><p>It\'s research that sheds light on more than how we eat at food-rich holidays like Thanksgiving. If scientists can prove those connections, it would be empowering information for people struggling to eat better year-round.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/14923843/\">Warning! Your diet is in danger</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/15579093/\">How the mind-stomach link affects what you eat</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>\"People pile a lot of guilt on themselves,\" says Connecticut\'s Dr. Valerie Duffy, who is leading research into the links between inborn \"preference palates\" and health.</p><p>\"We know oral sensation varies,\" she adds. \"Instead of making one dietary recommendation for all, can we individualize it for what people like to eat?\"</p><p><b><strong>Supertasters live in \'neon taste world\'</strong></b><br>One in four people is what scientists call a supertaster, born with extra taste buds. \"They live in a neon taste world,\" as Bartoshuk puts it.</p><p>They find some vegetables horribly bitter, and hate the texture. They get more burn from chili peppers, and perceive more sweetness than other people. Nor do they care for fat. They tend to be skinny because they\'re such picky eaters.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"1%\"><tr><td><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Art/HEALTH/061120/AP_TASTE.gif\" align=\"Right\" height=\"377\" width=\"181\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></td></tr></table>Scientists came up with the name because these people give an extreme \"Yuck!\" when given a certain bitter chemical widely used in taste research - a chemical that certain other people, dubbed nontasters, can\'t even detect.</p><p>Those nontasters make up another quarter of the population. They like veggies, but unfortunately prefer heart-clogging fat, too, along with sweets and alcohol.</p><p>Everybody else falls somewhere in-between.</p><p>The good news: You can train your taste buds. The variety of foods you ate as a child, and the emotional connections to certain foods, are more important than biology in determining food preferences, Bartoshuk says.</p><p><b><strong>Taste buds easily tricked</strong></b><br>You may trick taste buds, too.</p><p>Consider: Duffy thinks many supertasters generalize, thinking they don\'t like most vegetables just because broccoli made them pucker. She calls Thanksgiving a great day for supertasters to try to expand their horizons because the traditional menu is heavy on sweetened vegetables - and sugar trumps bitterness.</p><p>Pair a bite of sweet potatoes with the broccoli, and veggie-haters might find the greenery tastes OK after all, she suggests. Or try caramelizing the leeks.</p><p>And remember, taste dulls with age - so the Brussels sprouts you hated at 20, you may like at 50.</p><p>But taste starts before a food actually touches the tongue. Even more important than sniffing its aroma is chewing, which releases vapors up the back of the nose. You think you\'re tasting a flavor that really you\'re unconsciously smelling. It\'s called retronasal olfaction, and it sends flavor information along a different, more sensitive brain pathway than traditional sniffing does.</p><p>The brain, meanwhile, is busy trying to regulate competing signals from stomach hormones that say \"I\'m full\" with the yum factor.</p><p>Michigan researchers recently implanted electrodes into the brains of rats to track a pleasure-sensing region called the ventral pallidum. That region\'s cells fired in a frenzy when the rats ate a flavor, sweet or salt, that they craved, but slowly stopped as the rats got tired of eating the same old thing.</p><p>People have the same brain region, and Michigan psychologist Kent Berridge predicts it\'ll be in full swing at Thanksgiving dinner.</p><p>\"At the moment you sit down and start to eat, that\'s when the firing\'s most intense and everything tastes delicious, more delicious than it\'s going to taste at any moment thereafter,\" he explains. \"At the end, there are only a couple of things - like the dessert - that are going to make it fire again.\"</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('348','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Research shows health benefits of cranberries</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Full of antioxidants, can cut bad cholesterol and fight infections</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>Cranberries are among the top foods with proven health benefits, according to Amy Howell, a researcher at Rutgers University.</p><p>Cranberries are full of antioxidants, which protects cells from damage by unstable molecules called free radicals.</p><p>The National Institutes of Health is funding research on the cranberry\'s effects on heart disease, yeast infections and other conditions, and other researchers are investigating its potential against cancer, stroke and viral infections.</p><p>So far, research has found:</p><ul><li class=\"textBodyBlack\">Drinking cranberry juice can block urinary infections by binding to bacteria so they can\'t adhere to cell walls. While women often drink unsweetened cranberry juice to treat an infection, there\'s no hard evidence that works.</li><li class=\"textBodyBlack\">A compound Howell discovered in cranberries, proanthocyanidine, prevents plaque formation on teeth; mouthwashes containing it are being developed to prevent periodontal disease.</li><li class=\"textBodyBlack\">In some people, regular cranberry juice consumption for months can kill the H. pylori bacteria, which can cause stomach cancer and ulcers.</li></ul><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><p><a href=\"/id/15308227/\">How to pair foods to fight cancer</a></p></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>Preliminary research also shows:</p><ul><li class=\"textBodyBlack\">Drinking cranberry juice daily may increase levels of HDL, or good cholesterol and reduce levels of LDL, or bad cholesterol.</li><li class=\"textBodyBlack\">Cranberries may prevent tumors from growing rapidly or starting in the first place.</li><li class=\"textBodyBlack\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"20\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/ColorBoxes/Styles/ColorBoxImages_GlobalOnlyPlease/interactive_icon.gif\" height=\"14\" width=\"24\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></td><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#FFFFFF\">Interactive</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#a4abc1\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-right:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-bottom:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-left:solid 1px #a4abc1;background-color:#f3f3f6;\" bgcolor=\"#f3f3f6\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tr valign=\"top\"><td><a href=\"/id/3486289/\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Art/HEALTH/031107/TEASES/MealsThatHeal_TZ152.jpg\" height=\"110\" width=\"150\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></a></td><td style=\"padding:10px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table><tr><td rowspan=\"2\" width=\"15\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><b><a href=\"/id/3486289/\">Find out which foods contain compounds that help our bodies fight disease.</a></b></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></td></tr></table>Extracts of chemicals in cranberries prevent breast cancer cells from multiplying in a test tube; whether that would work in women is unknown.</li></ul><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('349','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Holiday gobbling leaves students waddling</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>College kids gain more than a pound during the short break, study finds</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>BOSTON - If there are college kids at your Thanksgiving table, don\'t encourage them to gobble so much. New research suggests that the typical student leaves the holiday weekend as stuffed as the turkey, gaining more than a pound during the short break.</p><p>Students who started out overweight or obese tended to waddle back to campus with even more weight - more than 2 additional pounds on average, the study found.</p><p>A pound may not seem like much, but \"when put in the context of such a short time frame ... is rather disturbing with potential long-term consequences,\" says a report on the research, which was presented at the recent annual meeting of the Obesity Society in Boston.</p><p>It\'s common lore that people gain weight over the holidays, when it is tempting to gorge on treats that aren\'t available year-round. But no one has specifically studied what happens to college students, who have the added baggage of pent-up demand for home cooking and pressure to please the doting relatives who dish it out.</p><p>Nutrition scientist Holly Hull and her colleagues at the University of Oklahoma in Norman set out to do such a study, weighing 94 students the week before Thanksgiving and within a week of their return to classes - a span of roughly 12 days.</p><p><b><strong>Extra 320 daily calories<br></strong></b>Students gained an average of 1.1 pounds. That translates to an extra 320 daily calories, \"which would be about a slice of pumpkin pie per day,\" she said.</p><p>No one is suggesting you skip the pie - \"It only comes around once a year, and the last thing a person wants to do is start a diet on the holidays,\" said Brian Wansink, director of Cornell University\'s Food and Brand Lab and author of the new book \"Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think.\"</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related stories</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/15754563/\">Got sexual hang-ups? Blame the pilgrims</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/14923843/\">Warning: Your diet is in danger</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/14719468/\">Exercises to snap out of that turkey coma</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>However, \"you want to go with a normal appetite\" to Thanksgiving dinner, without having filled up on snack mix or appetizers beforehand, he suggested. That way you will have room for reasonable portions of each relative\'s contribution to the meal without hurting someone\'s feelings.<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"1%\"><tr><td><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Art/HEALTH/061122/DietStudents.gif\" align=\"Right\" height=\"442\" width=\"210\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></td></tr><tr><td><div class=\"credit\" style=\"text-align:right;margin-bottom:5px;\">AP</div><div class=\"credit\"></div><hr noshade=\"true\" size=\"1\" color=\"#C0C0C0\"></td></tr></table></p><p>\"If it gets to dessert and you don\'t have a piece of pie, you\'re going to be the family stinker,\" warned Wansink, who is also an <a href=\"/id/15330076/\">MSNBC.com nutrition columnist</a>.</p><p>He also suggests \"banking\" calories by being especially virtuous the week or so before a holiday. It\'s too late to do this for Thanksgiving, but not for the winter holidays - another vulnerable time, as Hull\'s research showed.</p><p><b><strong>Heavy get heavier<br></strong></b>Of the 94 students in her study, 84 came back for a third weigh-in after the winter break in mid-January. Most of the extra \"Thanksgiving pound\" had disappeared for normal-weight students, but not for those who started out overweight.</p><p>The study also found a disturbing reason for some of the weight loss: Students had had replaced some muscle mass with lighter-weight fat, a finding documented by body composition X-rays.</p><p>\"If you\'re losing muscle mass, you\'re losing weight - it\'s just not a good way to lose weight,\" and means that students are not exercising over the holidays, Hull said. \"They\'re not even getting any activity such as walking between classes. They\'re probably just sitting at home.\"</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('350','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">A cup of confusion: Is coffee healthy or not?</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>New studies suggest java helps protect against major diseases</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><div class=\"textMedBlackBold\" style=\"padding-top:10px;\">Karen Collins, R.D.</div><div class=\"textMedBlack\">Special to MSNBC.com</div><p></p></font><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"102\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"20\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/i/msnbc/Test-Dev/donna/msnbc10/Launch%20images/byline_msnbc.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"100\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></td><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#000000\"></b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#666666\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #666666;border-bottom:solid 1px #666666;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tr><td><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Bylines/mugs/MSNBC%20Interactive/msnbc_collins_karen.thumb.jpg\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></td></tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><font color=\"black\"><b>Karen Collins, R.D.</b></font></td></tr></table></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>Considering all the past concern about possible health risks from drinking coffee, newer reports of coffee\'s possible protective effects may leave many people confused. </p><p>Overall, recent studies suggest that coffee (regular and decaffeinated) may offer a variety of health benefits against diseases such as cancer and diabetes. However, coffee may not deserve a place in the same category with other healthful foods like vegetables, fruits and whole grains.</p><p>Laboratory studies suggest that the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant compounds in coffee could help reduce risk of cancer. Coffee also has a tendency to speed the passage of waste through the digestive tract. Potentially, this may lessen the time that cancer-causing compounds spend in contact with the intestinal tract, which could reduce the risk of colon cancer. Population studies, however, tend to split between coffee intake having no effect on or reducing risk of breast and colon cancer.</p><p><b><strong>Diabetes prevention<br></strong></b>The case for coffee\'s ability to protect against diabetes is strengthened by several recent studies. In the Iowa Women\'s Health Study, more than 28,000 women were followed for 11 years. The women who drank four or more cups of coffee daily were about 20 percent less likely to develop diabetes. That became a 30 to 40 percent drop among those who drank decaf coffee. </p><p>A study in Finland linked consumption of three to six cups of coffee per day with a 25 percent lower risk of diabetes. In both studies, benefits were seen after adjusting for other diabetes risks, such as weight, diet, and activity level. Several studies now link moderate coffee consumption with lower risk of Type 2 diabetes. Researchers are working to understand the potential advantage of decaf versus regular coffee and how weight control is involved.</p><p>Potential increased risk of high blood pressure and heart disease has been one of the long-standing concerns about coffee. Recent studies confirm that caffeine can raise blood pressure, but this effect is observed with soft drinks, not coffee. Laboratory studies suggest that perhaps coffee\'s healthful compounds can counterbalance the blood-pressure raising effects of caffeine.</p><p>In the Iowa Women\'s Health Study noted above, four to five cups of coffee a day were linked with a 19 percent lower risk of heart-related death. Other studies have found no effect of coffee consumption on heart disease risk. But people should follow their doctor\'s advice.</p><p><b><strong>Before you drink a whole pot ...<br></strong></b>Coffee does warrant some cautions, however. Both regular and decaf coffee relax the muscle that keeps stomach acids from rising into the throat, so those with heartburn or reflux disease (GERD) are encouraged to avoid or strictly limit coffee. People with trouble sleeping should limit or avoid caffeinated coffee.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"http://boards.msn.com/MSNBCboards/thread.aspx?ThreadID=133706\">Discuss: Do you think coffee helps or hinders your health? What would you risk for your daily latte?</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/13561314/\">Coffee? even decaf? cuts risk of diabetes</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>Studies now suggest it is unnecessary for pregnant women to completely avoid caffeinated coffee. Until the impact of caffeine is more clearly understood, however, many experts suggest that pregnant women limit their daily caffeine from coffee, soft drinks and other sources to about 300 mg, the equivalent of three cups of regular coffee.</p><p>It\'s exciting that something as simple as drinking coffee might help lower our risk of cancer, diabetes and heart disease. However, while brewed coffee (not instant) is a concentrated source of antioxidants, it can\'t be a substitute for berries, legumes, nuts, and other fruits and vegetables that provide antioxidants along with a wide range of vitamins, protective compounds and dietary fiber.</p><p><em>Nutrition Notes is provided by the </em><a href=\"http://www.aicr.org/\"><em>American Institute for Cancer Research</em></a><em> in Washington, D.C</em>.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2007 MSNBC Interactive</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('351','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Obese can get healthier without dieting</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Study: Lifestyle changes lower risks even without significant weight loss</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceReuters.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></a></a><p></p></font><p>LONDON - Obese women can improve their health without dieting by changing their eating habits and exercising more, researchers said on Monday.</p><p>They showed that lifestyle changes including exercise programs such as tai chi, aqua aerobics and circuit training, coupled with behavior modification, can improve health risks in obese women even if they do not lose significant amounts of weight.</p><p>\"People of all sizes and shapes can reduce their risk of poor health by adopting a healthier lifestyle,\" Dr Erika Borkoles, of Leeds Metropolitan University in England, told a news conference.</p><p>Obesity is a growing public health problem worldwide and a leading preventable cause of death. An estimated 300 million people worldwide are obese.</p><p>Public health experts expect the figure to increase unless urgent action is taken. Being overweight or obese increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.</p><p>Borkoles and her colleagues, who are presenting their research at the UK Society of Behavioral Medicine meeting, tested the program that focuses on health benefits rather than weight loss on 62 obese women.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/15108829/\">For some, food is like a drug</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/15108829/\">5 common diet mistakes</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/14802091/\">Yes, you can really change your metabolism</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>Although the average weight loss was small, from 239 lbs. to 233.7 lbs., after a year on the program, the women showed improvements in their self image, were fitter and less stressed.</p><p>\"Psychological and physical health improved independent of substantial weight loss,\" said Borkoles, adding that weight is a poor predictor of health.</p><p>There were also improvements in blood pressure, cholesterol levels and heart rates in the participants in the study.</p><p>The women, who were aged between 24 and 55, were encouraged not to diet but were taught about healthy eating, how to read food labels and prepare nutritious meals. They also had to do four hours of exercise a week and were given social support.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('352','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Boys at greater risk of high blood pressure</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Health problem in adolescence sets the stage for later complications</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceReuters.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></a></a><p></p></font><p>DALLAS - Adolescent boys are far more likely to suffer high blood pressure than girls in the same age group, setting the stage for other health problems such as hypertension as they get older, researchers reported on Monday.</p><p>\"The reason remains a mystery but it could be hormonal. We think it may have something to do with the onset of puberty in boys,\" said Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta, lead author of the study and a physician at McGill University Health Center in Montreal.</p><p>Men are usually more prone to hypertension - chronically elevated blood pressure that can lead to heart disease - than women. But this is the first study to highlight gender differences in blood pressure among adolescents.</p><p>Researchers hope it could lead to more effective measures to prevent hypertension among young adult males.</p><p>The five-year study looked at 614 boys and 653 girls in Montreal secondary schools.</p><p>Over the course of the study it found that the risk of systolic blood pressure (SBP) - the larger of the two numbers that comprise a blood pressure reading - increased annually by 19 percent for boys but remained stable for girls.</p><p>It also pointed to a lack of exercise and a sedentary lifestyle as increasing the risk of higher SBP for both boys and girls.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/15936354/\">Christmas letters: Spreading cheer or showing off?</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16036328/\">Pediatricians blast inappropriate ads</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>\"Even after adjusting for differences in body weight, the more frequently a child engaged in active behavior, the lower the likelihood of developing higher systolic blood pressure levels,\" Dasgupta said. </p><p>\"The more hours that the kids spent in sedentary behaviors - sitting at a computer, playing video games, being on the Internet, watching television - the more risk of having higher systolic blood pressure,\" she added.</p><p>The results of the study are published this week in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.</p><p>The researchers are members of GENESIS, a Canadian group that explores gender differences in cardiovascular disease.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('353','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">New York City passes trans fat ban</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Restaurants must eliminate artery-clogging ingredient by July 2008</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/061205/061205_fat_hmed_330a.hmedium.jpg\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" alt=\"Doughnuts from Dunkin&quot; Donuts, French fr\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font size=\"-2\">Robert Sullivan / AFP - Getty Images file</font><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"-1\">Three years after New York City banned smoking in restaurants, health officials?ave voted to prohibit something they say is almost as bad, artery-clogging artificial trans fatty acids found in many fried foods.</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><div class=\"textMedBlack\">MSNBC News Services</div><p></p></font><p>NEW YORK - The Board of Health voted Tuesday to make New York the nation\'s first city to ban artery-clogging artificial trans fats at restaurants - from the corner pizzeria to high-end bakeries.</p><p>The board, which passed the ban unanimously, did give restaurants a slight break by relaxing what had been considered a tight deadline for compliance. Restaurants will be barred from using most frying oils containing artificial trans fats by July and will have to eliminate the artificial trans fats from all of their foods by July 2008.</p><p>But restaurant industry representatives called the ban burdensome and unnecessary.</p><p>\"We don\'t think that a municipal health agency has any business banning a product the Food and Drug Administration has already approved,\" said Dan Fleshler, a spokesman for the National Restaurant Association.</p><p>Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said recently that officials seriously weighed complaints from the restaurant industry, which argued that it was unrealistic to give them six months to replace cooking oils and shortening and 18 months to phase out the ingredients altogether.</p><p>The ban contains some exceptions; for instance, it would allow restaurants to serve foods that come in the manufacturer\'s original packaging.</p><p><b><strong>Chains must list calories</strong></b><br>Trans fats are believed to be harmful because they contribute to heart disease by raising bad cholesterol and lowering good cholesterol at the same time. Some experts say that makes trans fats worse than saturated fat.</p><p>The panel also passed another measure that has made restaurants unhappy: Some that chose to inform customers about calorie content will have to list the information right on the menu. The rule would generally apply to fast-food restaurants and other major chains.</p><p>Sheila Weiss, director of nutritional policy for the restaurant association, said the rule would be a disincentive for restaurants to provide any nutritional information.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#FFFFFF\">&nbsp;More trans fat news from MSN</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#a4abc1\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-right:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-bottom:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-left:solid 1px #a4abc1;background-color:#f3f3f6;\" bgcolor=\"#f3f3f6\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\"><tr><td style=\"padding:10px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"3\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" ID=\"Table1\"><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\">\n<a href=\"http://health.msn.com/dietfitness/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100146548\" target=\"_blank\">Trans fats: Who needs them?</a>\n</font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\">\n<a href=\"http://health.msn.com/dietfitness/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100124288\" target=\"_blank\">How to keep trans fats under control</a>\n</font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\">\n<a href=\"http://health.msn.com/dietfitness/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100098771\" target=\"_blank\">Talking trans fats with a nutrition expert</a>\n</font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>Trans fats are formed when liquid oils are made into solid fats by adding hydrogen in a process called hydrogenation. A common example of this is partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, which is used for frying and baking and turns up in processed foods like cookies, pizza dough and crackers. Trans fats, which are favored because of their long shelf life, are also found in pre-made blends like pancake and hot chocolate mix.</p><p>The FDA estimates the average American eats 4.7 pounds of trans fats each year.</p><p>Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who banned smoking in bars and restaurants during his first term, is somewhat health-obsessed, and even maintains a monthly weight-loss competition with one of his friends in order to stay slim.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/16055826/\">Vote: NYC ban: Big brother or doctor?</a></li><li><a href=\"http://boards.msn.com/MSNBCboards/thread.aspx?ThreadID=98483\">Message Board: Readers weigh in on the trans fat ban</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/15479858/\">Why trans fat are so bad for you</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/15732435/\">McDonald\'s trying to develop new oil</a></li></ul><p></p></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>He has dismissed cries that New York is crossing a line by trying to legislate diets.</p><p>\"Nobody wants to take away your french fries and hamburgers - I love those things, too,\" he said recently. \"But if you can make them with something that is less damaging to your health, we should do that.\"</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"1%\"><tr><td><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Art/HEALTH/061205/AP_transfat_061205.gif\" height=\"450\" width=\"460\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></td></tr></table></p><p>Many food makers have stopped using trans fats on their own, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration began requiring companies to list trans fat content on labels.</p><p><b><strong>Taste just as good?</strong></b><br>Fast-food restaurants and other major chains were particularly interested in the board\'s decision on Tuesday, because for these companies, a trans-fat ban wouldn\'t just involve substituting one ingredient for another. In addition to overhauling recipes, they have to disrupt nationwide supply operations and try to convince customers that the new french fries and doughnuts will taste just as good as the originals.</p><p>Already, McDonald\'s Corp. has been quietly experimenting with more than a dozen healthier oil blends but has not committed to a full switch. At an investor conference last month, CEO Jim Skinner said the company is making \"very good progress,\" at developing an alternative, and vowed to be ready for a New York City ban.</p><p>Wendy\'s International Inc. introduced a zero-trans fat oil in August and Yum Brands Inc.\'s KFC and Taco Bell said they also will cut the trans fats from their kitchens.</p><p>Taco Bell worked for more than two years to find a substitute, conducting blind consumer taste tests and extensive research, the company said.</p><p>Chicago is also considering its own trans fat law, which wouldn\'t ban them outright but would severely restrict the amount that kitchens can use. The measure would apply only to large restaurants, defined as those that make more than $20 million in sales per year.</p><p>New York\'s move to ban trans fats has mostly been applauded by health and medical groups, although the American Heart Association warns that if restaurants aren\'t given ample time to make the switch, they could end up reverting to ingredients high in saturated fat, like palm oil.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i>The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report</i></div><br><table width=\"100%\" style=\"background-color:#ffffee\" cellPadding=\"2\" cellSpacing=\"0\"><tr><td width=\"50%\"><font size=\"1\"><img src=\"/images/msnbc/print02.gif\" width=\"25\" height=\"20\" align=\"absmiddle\"> <a href=\"javascript:printThis(\'16051436\')\" class=\"linkBlack\">Print this</a></font></td><td><font size=\"1\"><img src=\"/images/msnbc/email02.gif\" width=\"25\" height=\"20\" align=\"absmiddle\"> <a href=\"javascript:emThis(\'16051436\')\" class=\"linkBlack\">Email this</a></font></td></tr></table></td><td width=\"10\"></td></tr></table><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#ffffff\">&nbsp;MORE FROM DIET &amp; NUTRITION</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"1\" style=\"border:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\"><tr valign=\"bottom\"><td style=\"padding:10px;\" width=\"15%\"><a onmouseover=\"swapImage(\'next_links\',\'/images/buttons/next/buttonNextOver.gif\')\" onmouseout=\"swapImage(\'next_links\',\'/images/buttons/next/buttonNext.gif\')\" onmousedown=\"swapImage(\'next_links\',\'/images/buttons/next/buttonNextDown.gif\')\" href=\"/id/16540633/\"><img src=\"/images/buttons/next/buttonNext.gif\" border=\"0\" width=\"53\" height=\"19\" id=\"next_links\"></a></td><td class=\"textMedBlackBold\" style=\"padding:10px;\" width=\"85%\">Tea\'s benefits ruined by milk</td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td style=\"padding:0px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/16472344/\">Why dieters are doomed on Tuesdays</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/16566559/\">Obesity operations soar in U.S.</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/16583647/\">Food pyramid to be erected in stores</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/16566208/\">For weight loss that counts, count calories</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/16565297/\">Own a pooch? 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NBC\'s Michelle Franzen reports. </font><p class=\"credit\">NBC News Channel</p></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table><script src=\"/js/std.js\"></script><div style=\"padding-bottom:20;\"><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#FFFFFF\">&nbsp;MESSAGE BOARDS</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#a4abc1\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-right:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-bottom:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-left:solid 1px #a4abc1;background-color:#f3f3f6;\" bgcolor=\"#f3f3f6\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tr><td><a href=\"http://boards.live.com/MSNBCboards/board.aspx?BoardID=490\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Art/HEALTH/PROJECTS/SummerShapeUpGuide/tz300_ShapeUpSpeakOut.gif\" height=\"50\" width=\"298\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" alt=\"Diet &amp; Fitness - Shape up &amp; Speak up\"></a></td></tr><tr><td style=\"padding:10px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table><tr><td rowspan=\"2\" width=\"15\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><b><a href=\"http://boards.live.com/MSNBCboards/board.aspx?BoardID=490\">Share your experiences - and best tips</a></b></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></div><div style=\"padding-bottom:20;\"><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" 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src=\"http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/ColorBoxes/Styles/ColorBoxImages_GlobalOnlyPlease/video_icon.gif\" height=\"14\" width=\"28\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></td><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#FFFFFF\">NBC video: DIET &amp; FITNESS</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#a4abc1\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-right:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-bottom:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-left:solid 1px #a4abc1;background-color:#f3f3f6;\" bgcolor=\"#f3f3f6\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table><tr><td><a href=\"javascript:msnvDwd(\'00\',\'9b3734aa-7163-47cd-8641-da2c54b2db17\',\'us\',\'hotvideo_m_edpicks\',\'\',\'msnbc\',\'\',\'16451415\',\'Healthy cooking with flavor\')\"><font color=\"33527A\">HEALTHY COOKING WITH FLAVOR</font></a></td></tr><tr><td>Jan. 3: James Boyce, executive chef of Studio at Montage Resort and Spa in Laguna Beach, California, talks with TODAY\'s Natalie Morales as he shares some of his healthy cooking secrets.</td></tr></table></td></tr></table><hr size=\"1\" width=\"95%\" align=\"center\" color=\"#cccccc\" noshade=\"1\" style=\"clear:all\"></td></tr><tr><td style=\"padding:5px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"javascript:msnvDwd(\'00\',\'b9a36d65-58f2-4633-abf4-bc920ae634bf\',\'us\',\'hotvideo_m_edpicks\',\'\',\'msnbc\',\'\',\'16439832\',\'Pill promises to flatten your tummy\')\"><font color=\"33527A\">Pill promises to flatten your tummy</font></a></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font 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INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('354','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Portion sizes growing with American waistlines</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Food servings are bigger than 20 years ago, but most unaware, study says</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>NEWARK, N.J. - Along with the American waistline, the American plate and portion size have grown too.</p><p>A study at Rutgers University supports earlier research that people today eat bigger servings than they did 20 years ago.</p><p>\"People aren\'t realizing how much they are eating,\" said Jaime Schwartz, a registered dietitian and one of the authors of the study. \"The larger portion size they\'re eating - even if it\'s a healthy food - is still more calories.\"</p><p>The research, done in 2003 and described in a recent issue of the American Dietetic Association, replicated a 1984 Penn State University study.</p><p>Both studies asked students to take food portions of various items. Diners were offered three sizes of plates, bowls and cups in a buffet-like setting. There were 177 students in the more recent study at Rutgers and 147 students in the 1984 Penn State study.</p><p>In a comparison of breakfast servings, the students in 2003 took 20 percent more cornflakes than students took in 1984, Schwartz said. Ditto for milk.</p><p>The glass of orange juice grew by more than 40 percent compared to 20 years ago. That translates into 50 additional calories, or a weight gain of five pounds over the course of a year, if consumed on a daily basis. Dinner and lunch servings grew, too - 50 percent more fruit salad wound up on the plates of the Rutgers students.</p><p>\"People are eating with their eyes and not their stomachs,\" Schwartz said. \"They\'re not listening to their bodies to tell them when to put the fork down.\"</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"http://boards.live.com/MSNBCboards/thread.aspx?BoardID=490&amp;ThreadID=146778&amp;BoardsParam=HIPDelay%3d1\">Discuss: How do you control portions when you eat out?</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/14923843/\">Are you a mindless muncher?</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/14802078/\">How to eat more and still lose weight</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/14802091/\">Ways to speed up your metabolism</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>Helen Guthrie did the original Penn State study when she couldn\'t get accurate self-reported data on how much food people ate because they wrongly estimated portions. That\'s when she set out to see if diners could visualize portion size.</p><p>Most people still lack that skill, but the portion size is getting larger, said Guthrie, a professor emeritus now living in Florida.</p><p>\"The frame of reference for the serving size is increasing,\" she said. \"They still don\'t have an ability to translate to amounts that are easily quantifiable if you ask people how much they\'ve eaten. That has not changed.\"</p><p><b><strong>Eating more at home</strong></b><br>Other studies have shown that people eat more when they are served more. Schwartz believes larger portions at restaurants and larger plate size and packaging all play a role.</p><p>Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, a professor of nutrition at Rutgers and a co-author of the study, said portion size is only one factor feeding the national problem of obesity.</p><p>However, people may not realize that they are eating more when they take larger plates and bowls.</p><p>\"Plate size, bowl size, cup size are very deceptive,\" she said. \"They can\'t estimate the amount of food in a dish and it makes it even more difficult when the dish is deeper or bigger.\"</p><p>A 1994 informal survey found that the standard plate size in the restaurant industry grew in the early 1990s, from 10 inches to 12.</p><p>\"That holds 25 percent more food,\" Schwartz said. \"That really makes a difference in how much our plates can hold and how much we eat from them.\"</p><p>Obesity expert Barry Popkin at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill said the idea of \"value pricing\" in fast food restaurants, which sells much larger portions for a minor cost increase, has also changed perceptions at home.</p><p>\"The most surprising result is the larger portion size increases for food consumed at home - a shift that indicates marked changes in eating behavior in general,\" he wrote in a study published in 2003.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('355','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Teen girls should scale back their weigh-ins</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Frequent scale-steppers gain more weight, become unhealthy dieters</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/061207/061207_scale_hmed_3p.hmedium.jpg\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" alt=\"Image: Scale\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font size=\"-2\">Getty Images file</font><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"-1\">The most scale-obsessed girls in the University of Minnesota research were more likely to skip meals, use diet pills or laxatives, smoke, and binge and vomit to lose weight.</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>ST. PAUL, Minn. - Teen girls who frequently weighed themselves were more likely than others to resort to unhealthy dieting measures, and some ended up gaining close to twice as much weight, a study of Minnesota students found.</p><p>The most scale-obsessed girls in the University of Minnesota research were more likely to skip meals, use diet pills or laxatives, smoke, and binge and vomit to lose weight.</p><p>\"The act of getting on the scale, weighing yourself every day, can lead to an unhealthy weight preoccupation,\" said lead researcher Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, a professor at the university\'s School of Public Health. \"And teenage girls who are concerned about their weight are at great risk for unhealthy weight control behaviors.\"</p><p>The study - published in this month\'s issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health - surveyed 2,516 Minnesota junior high and high school girls and boys in the 1998-1999 school year and followed up in 2003-2004.</p><p>Close to 10 percent of the girls said at the beginning of the study that they strongly agreed with the statement, \"I weigh myself often.\"</p><p>When questioned in the follow-up, 92 percent of those girls said they engaged in some kind of unhealthy weight-control behavior, compared to about 68 percent of girls who strongly disagreed that they weighed themselves frequently.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/16098341/\">Vote: How often do you step on a?cale?</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16076842/\">Portion sizes grow with waistlines</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16051436/\">New York City passes trans fat ban</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>Unhealthy weight-control behavior could be as minor as skipping an occasional meal. Thirty-eight percent of girls who frequently weighed themselves reported engaging in extreme weight-loss behavior, a higher percentage than for girls who did not weigh themselves often but not enough to be considered statistically significant.<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#FFFFFF\">&nbsp;CHEW ON THIS</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#a4abc1\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-right:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-bottom:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-left:solid 1px #a4abc1;background-color:#f3f3f6;\" bgcolor=\"#f3f3f6\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table><tr><td><a href=\"/id/16329150/\"><font color=\"33527A\">READY TO LOSE WEIGHT IN \'07? FOUR STEPS TO START</font></a></td></tr><tr><td>You have made a resolution to lose weight in the New Year. Now what? Are you like the reader who sent this plea? \"I can\'t lose weight. I just don\'t know where to start. Can you give me some advice?\"</td></tr></table></td></tr></table><hr size=\"1\" width=\"95%\" align=\"center\" color=\"#cccccc\" noshade=\"1\" style=\"clear:all\"></td></tr><tr><td style=\"padding:5px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"/id/15972061/\"><font color=\"33527A\">Boost your energy for the holidays</font></a></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"/id/14802078/\"><font color=\"33527A\">5 most common diet mistakes</font></a></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"/id/14923843/\"><font color=\"33527A\">Warning! Your diet\'s in danger</font></a></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"/id/14958715/\"><font color=\"33527A\">How to eat more, weigh less</font></a></td></tr><tr><td width=\"15\"></td><td width=\"405\"></td></tr></table></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>Neumark-Sztainer said the results probably reflect the girls\' underlying concern with weight, but even when they adjusted the results for body satisfaction, they still showed a link between frequent weighing and bad eating behavior.</p><p>The junior high girls who reported weighing themselves frequently gained an average of 33.3 pounds over five years, compared with just 18.6 pounds for girls their age who didn\'t weigh in frequently. There was no statistically significant weight difference among girls who were in high school when they were first surveyed.</p><p>The findings were adjusted for race, socio-economic status, weight, body mass index, age and poor body image.</p><p>For boys, frequent weigh-ins didn\'t lead to weight gain, the study found. Boys who weighed themselves often were more likely than other boys to take unhealthy measures to control their weight, but the difference was too small to be considered statistically significant.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i>Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</i></div><br><table width=\"100%\" style=\"background-color:#ffffee\" cellPadding=\"2\" cellSpacing=\"0\"><tr><td width=\"50%\"><font size=\"1\"><img src=\"/images/msnbc/print02.gif\" width=\"25\" height=\"20\" align=\"absmiddle\"> <a href=\"javascript:printThis(\'16097562\')\" class=\"linkBlack\">Print this</a></font></td><td><font size=\"1\"><img src=\"/images/msnbc/email02.gif\" width=\"25\" height=\"20\" align=\"absmiddle\"> <a href=\"javascript:emThis(\'16097562\')\" class=\"linkBlack\">Email this</a></font></td></tr></table></td><td width=\"10\"></td></tr></table><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#ffffff\">&nbsp;MORE FROM DIET &amp; NUTRITION</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"1\" style=\"border:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\"><tr valign=\"bottom\"><td style=\"padding:10px;\" width=\"15%\"><a onmouseover=\"swapImage(\'next_links\',\'/images/buttons/next/buttonNextOver.gif\')\" onmouseout=\"swapImage(\'next_links\',\'/images/buttons/next/buttonNext.gif\')\" onmousedown=\"swapImage(\'next_links\',\'/images/buttons/next/buttonNextDown.gif\')\" href=\"/id/16565297/\"><img src=\"/images/buttons/next/buttonNext.gif\" border=\"0\" width=\"53\" height=\"19\" id=\"next_links\"></a></td><td class=\"textMedBlackBold\" style=\"padding:10px;\" width=\"85%\">Own a pooch? You\'re likely to be pudgy</td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td style=\"padding:0px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/16472344/\">Why dieters are doomed on Tuesdays</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/16566559/\">Obesity operations soar in U.S.</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/16583647/\">Food pyramid to be erected in stores</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/16566208/\">For weight loss that counts, count calories</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/16565297/\">Own a pooch? You\'re likely to be pudgy</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/16564328/\">Latest dieting trend: Wishful thinking</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/16540633/\">Tea\'s benefits ruined by milk</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/16519567/\">Tween years can be risky for weight gain</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/16523298/\">Dieting is more than what you eat</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/16489628/\">Having a kid in the house makes you fatter</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/13594238/\">Diet &amp; Nutrition Section Front</a></font></td></tr></table><font class=\"textSmall\">?/font></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table><br><table width=\"98%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"20\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/msnbc/Test-Dev/donna/msnbc10/Launch%20images/top_msnbc.gif,standard.jpg\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></td><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#26386b\"></b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#FFF;\" bgcolor=\"#FFF\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\"><tr><td style=\"padding:5px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"/id/16607683/\"><font color=\"33527A\">Families revel in sons\' safe return</font></a></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"/id/16611409/\"><font color=\"33527A\">Bush to skeptics: What\'s your plan?</font></a></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"/id/16593084/\"><font color=\"33527A\">WP: Battling for Iraqi soldiers\' hearts</font></a></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"/id/16603277/\"><font color=\"33527A\">Tsunami fears ease in Japan</font></a></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"/id/16606866/\"><font color=\"33527A\">Rice: U.S. won\'t quit on Iraq</font></a></td></tr><tr><td width=\"15\"></td><td width=\"405\"></td></tr></table></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"20\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/j/msnbc/Test-Dev/donna/msnbc10/Launch%20images/tv_highlights.gif,standard.jpg\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></td><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#26386b\"></b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#FFF;\" bgcolor=\"#FFF\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\"><tr><td style=\"padding:5px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"/id/16583889/\"><font color=\"33527A\">Olbermann: The president who cried wolf</font></a></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"javascript:OCW(\'http://hardblogger.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/01/11/30328.aspx\', \'_blank\',\'resizable=yes,status=yes,scrollbars=yes,fullscreen=no,location=yes,menubar=yes,titlebar=yes,toolbar=yes,\');\"><font color=\"33527A\">Deconstructing Bush\'s speech</font></a></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"javascript:OCW(\'http://hardblogger.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/01/10/29301.aspx\', \'_blank\',\'resizable=yes,status=yes,scrollbars=yes,fullscreen=no,location=yes,menubar=yes,titlebar=yes,toolbar=yes,\');\"><font color=\"33527A\">Hardblogger; Back to you, al-Maliki</font></a></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"javascript:msnvDwd(\'00\',\'539c3715-b095-4309-92ec-aed1d0f0591b\',\'us\',\'Source_Scarborough_Country\',\'c1151\',\'msnbc\',\'\',\'16586937\',\'Justin, Cameron split?\')\"><font color=\"33527A\">Video: Cameron, Timberlake split?</font></a></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"/id/16596041/\"><font color=\"33527A\">Barry Bonds sells out teammate</font></a></td></tr><tr><td width=\"15\"></td><td width=\"405\"></td></tr></table></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></td></tr></table><script src=\"/js/std.js\"></script><div style=\"padding-bottom:20;\"><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#FFFFFF\">&nbsp;MESSAGE BOARDS</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#a4abc1\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-right:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-bottom:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-left:solid 1px #a4abc1;background-color:#f3f3f6;\" bgcolor=\"#f3f3f6\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tr><td><a href=\"http://boards.live.com/MSNBCboards/board.aspx?BoardID=490\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Art/HEALTH/PROJECTS/SummerShapeUpGuide/tz300_ShapeUpSpeakOut.gif\" height=\"50\" width=\"298\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" alt=\"Diet &amp; Fitness - Shape up &amp; Speak up\"></a></td></tr><tr><td style=\"padding:10px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table><tr><td rowspan=\"2\" width=\"15\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><b><a href=\"http://boards.live.com/MSNBCboards/board.aspx?BoardID=490\">Share your experiences - and best tips</a></b></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></div><div style=\"padding-bottom:20;\"><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#FFFFFF\">&nbsp;Most Popular</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#a4abc1\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-right:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-bottom:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-left:solid 1px #a4abc1;background-color:#f3f3f6;\" bgcolor=\"#f3f3f6\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr><td align=\"left\"><u>Most Viewed</u></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\"><tr><td style=\"padding:10px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"3\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" ID=\"Table1\"><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><a href=\"/id/16607683/\">Missouri families revel in safe return of sons</a></font></td></tr><tr 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MSNBC.com</a></b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></div><div style=\"padding-bottom:20;\"><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#FFFFFF\">&nbsp;SPECIAL REPORT</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#a4abc1\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-right:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-bottom:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-left:solid 1px #a4abc1;background-color:#f3f3f6;\" bgcolor=\"#f3f3f6\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" 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src=\"http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/ColorBoxes/Styles/ColorBoxImages_GlobalOnlyPlease/video_icon.gif\" height=\"14\" width=\"28\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></td><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#FFFFFF\">NBC video: DIET &amp; FITNESS</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#a4abc1\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-right:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-bottom:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-left:solid 1px #a4abc1;background-color:#f3f3f6;\" bgcolor=\"#f3f3f6\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table><tr><td><a 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style=\"padding:10px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table><tr><td><p class=\"textMed\">Add these headlines to your news reader</p><table cellspacing=\"3\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" ID=\"Table1\"><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><strong>Fitness</strong>?<a href=\"http://rss.msnbc.msn.com/id/3034510/device/rss/rss.xml\" target=\"_blank\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/i/msnbc/Sections/zNews%20Tools/Newstools/RSS/rss_icon.gif\" height=\"11\" width=\"29\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><a href=\"/id/5216556/\">Learn more about RSS</a></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></div><script src=\"/js/std.js\"></script><script src=\"/js/std.js\"></script><div 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INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('356','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Bottoms up can lead to bottom spread</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Don\'t let holiday cheer make you forget calorie content of cocktails </b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/061208/061208_pina_colada_vmed.vmedium.jpg\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" alt=\"Image: Pina Colada\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font size=\"-2\">Doug Wilson / ?Doug Wilson/CORBIS</font><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"-1\">Got a taste for pina coladas? Beware: At 644 calories, they\'re more fattening than a Big Mac.</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><div class=\"textMedBlackBold\" style=\"padding-top:10px;\">By By Forbes.com staff</div><a href=\"http://www.forbes.com/home/index.html?partner=msnbc\"><a href=\"http://www.forbes.com/home/index.html?partner=msnbc\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/Local/sourceForbes.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></a></a><p></p></font><p>After a night of drinking cocktails, most people will not only wake up the next morning with a screaming hangover, they\'ll wake up fatter too.</p><p>That\'s because the average serving of one ounce of 80-proof alcohol contains about 90 calories. And that\'s before mixers are added. While many people who spend hours on treadmills or yoga mats may smugly eschew dessert or ban butter from their diets, often they will happily consume a cocktail - or three - without giving it a second thought. But they do so at considerable peril to their waistlines. A Pina Colada, for example, has more calories than a Big Mac.</p><p>That could spoil happy hour on your next trip to Mexico.</p><p>Of all the evils of alcohol, weight gain is probably the least discussed. To be sure, there are many far worse results of alcohol abuse, but many people are still ignorant of the danger booze poses to their pant size.</p><p>We don\'t mean that the occasional cocktail will instantly result in a Brobdingnagian beer belly, but you shouldn\'t be fooled just because these drinks taste light and fruity. Not only do spirits, such as vodka, gin, rum and whiskey, contain a higher percentage of calories than beer and wine, but if you add fruit juice, syrups and sodas to the mix - for example, orange juice has 56 calories per serving and Coca-Cola has 105 calories per eight fluid ounces - the calorie count keeps growing. And don\'t think that drinking fewer cocktails with a bigger kick will solve that problem: The higher the proof, the greater the calories.<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#FFFFFF\">&nbsp;From fattening drinks to healthy gifts</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#a4abc1\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-right:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-bottom:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-left:solid 1px #a4abc1;background-color:#f3f3f6;\" bgcolor=\"#f3f3f6\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\"><tr><td style=\"padding:10px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table><tr><td><p class=\"textMed\"><a href=\"http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/2006/12/06/fattening-drinks-cocktails-forbeslife-cx_1207cocktails_slide_2.html?partner=msnbc\" target=\"_blank\">Slideshow: 10 most fattening cocktails</a></p><p class=\"textMed\"><strong><u>More from Forbes<br></u></strong><a href=\"http://www.forbes.com/home/2006/12/05/health_gift_guide-forbeslife-cx_avd_1206healthgiftguide_slide.html?partner=msnbc\" target=\"_blank\">10 healthy gifts</a><br><a href=\"http://www.forbestraveler.com/2006/09/27/06091819_slide.html?partner=msnbc\" target=\"_blank\">World\'s most pricey cocktails</a><br><a href=\"http://www.forbestraveler.com/2006/12/06120403_slide.html?partner=msnbc\" target=\"_blank\">10 can\'t miss parties in 2007</a><br><a href=\"http://www.forbes.com/2005/11/22/cx_sy_1123featslide.html?partner=msnbc\" target=\"_blank\">10 reasons to drink during the holidays</a></p></td></tr></table></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>While most alcohol doesn\'t contain actual fat, its calories tend to be stored in the abdomen. \"It\'s hard for the body to process and eliminate many alcohols at one time, and sugar makes us fat,\" says Michael George, a fitness expert and author of Body Express Makeover.</p><p>For people who exercise regularly and are in reasonably good physical shape, drinking a few Screwdrivers on Saturday night won\'t be a big deal. But for anyone trying to shed a few pounds, any decent nutritionist would argue that alcohol and weight loss mix like whiskey and grapefruit juice.</p><p><b><strong>Vodka most popular spirit<br></strong></b>Nevertheless, many people see cocktails as a glamorous and tasty alternative to beer and the typically mediocre wine sold in most bars. Over the past decade, consumption of spirits -particularly premium spirits - has been on the rise. In the U.S. alone, vodka is the best-selling spirit, with sales rising 7.1 percent to $3.6 billion in 2005, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. A distant second are cordials, which are up 10 percent to $2.34 billion.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/16099487/\">Survey: Pick your poison</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16097562/\">Teen girls should scale back their weigh-ins</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16093645/\">Risk takers follow in parents\' footsteps</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>But don\'t feel you have to be condemned to a life of white wine spritzers (a five ounce glass contains 100 calories). Roughly knowing how many calories are in what you\'re drinking will make you not only a smarter drinker, but a healthier and thinner one, too. Depending on the ingredients, that cocktail shouldn\'t necessarily give your personal trainer the vapors.</p><p>For example, in some New York City night clubs one of the most popular cocktails is the watermelon martini - a fruity, pink mixture of vodka, simple syrup and pureed watermelon -that has only 125 calories. That\'s not too bad for the calorie conscious--except for the sugar content. The real issues come with cocktails and drinks, like Long Island iced tea, that contain several types of liquors and additives. </p><p><b><strong>Low-cal cocktail options<br></strong></b>\"I usually recommend vodka with a splash of juice to my clients. What\'s even better is vodka on the rocks or with soda water,\" says Ashley Borden, a celebrity fitness and lifestyle consultant in Los Angeles, \"I also tell them to have a glass of water to sip, too.\" </p><p>Eugene Remm, director of promotions for Be Our Guest Restaurants and James Hotels, says any type of liquor on the rocks is a great alternative to the cocktail, and he\'s recently noticed more people drinking this way. \"Those who were once margarita drinkers ... are drinking Corazon Blanco, and instead of adding the sweet and fattening syrups, they\'re just putting it on the rocks.\"</p><p>It may be hard to remember this information as you become increasingly squiffy. If all else fails, you could always ask the bartender or waitress to help you make a selection. Another resolution would be to indulge in cocktails made from fresh-squeezed juices, like those served at New York City\'s Double Seven lounge.</p><p>Most cocktails contain refined sugar, but drinks like the Gold Rush are bourbon, honey and a splash of lemon juice. The drinks taste stronger without so many additives, but tickle your taste buds just the same. It\'s part of a drink list created by Sasha Petraske, owner of the fashionable cocktail-lounge Milk and Honey in Manhattan\'s Chinatown, and with each sip you\'ll find yourself forgetting about things like calories, which, after all, is the point of a cocktail in the first place.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2007 Forbes.com</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('357','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Women prone to stress-eating during holidays</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Many turn to food to cope with seasonal pressures, survey finds</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"20\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><img src=\"/images/icons/video.gif\" width=\"20\" height=\"14\"></td><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#ffffff\">FREE VIDEO</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"1\" style=\"border:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#eeeeee;background-image:url(\'/images/backgrounds/component_grey.gif\');\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#cccccc\" background=\"/images/backgrounds/component_dkgrey.gif\" width=\"100%\"><tr valign=\"top\"><td align=\"middle\"><a href=\"javascript:msnvDwd(\'00\',\'e8aa05b3-1485-4302-a4a4-2f5a5319f38c\',\'us\',\'hotvideo_m_edpicks\',\'\',\'msnbc\',\'\',\'15989228\',\'Stress No. 1 cause of binge eating\')\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/061201/n_stressbinge_061201.300w.jpg\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></a></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td align=\"middle\"><div class=\"scalAd\"><input type=\"button\" class=\"mbox w77\" value=\"Launch\" title=\"Launch\" onmouseover=\"swapbtn(this, 1)\" onmouseout=\"swapbtn(this, 0)\" onclick=\"javascript:msnvDwd(\'00\',\'e8aa05b3-1485-4302-a4a4-2f5a5319f38c\',\'us\',\'hotvideo_m_edpicks\',\'\',\'msnbc\',\'\',\'15989228\',\'Stress No. 1 cause of binge eating\')\"></div></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td style=\"padding:10px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font><font class=\"textMedBlackBold\"><a href=\"javascript:msnvDwd(\'00\',\'e8aa05b3-1485-4302-a4a4-2f5a5319f38c\',\'us\',\'hotvideo_m_edpicks\',\'\',\'msnbc\',\'\',\'15989228\',\'Stress No. 1 cause of binge eating\')\">Stress No. 1 cause of binge eating</a></font><br><font color=\"black\">There\'s nothing like a dose of stress to trigger a bout of binge eating! NBC\'s Helen Chickering reports.</font><p class=\"credit\">NBC News Channel</p></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font size=\"-2\"></font><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Emi Fujiwara\'s holidays can hardly be called that as she juggles a full-time job and evening studies and tries to find money and time to buy presents, organize parties and cook for family and friends.</p><p>The 26-year-old trainee nurse, who works at a children\'s hospital, says she indulges in comfort eating during what she describes as the most stressful time of the year. The seemingly endless invitations to parties and dinners make it easier to overeat, she said.</p><p>\"Well, I am a cracker-and-cheese and wine kind of girl. Once I see all that out there, it is trouble for me,\" she said after going to the gym for the first time in weeks, seeking to burn off excess calories.</p><p>Nearly half of all women in the United States suffer from increased stress during the holidays, a condition that contributes to rising levels of comfort eating, drinking and other coping mechanisms that can lead to weight gain, according to a survey conducted in October by the American Psychological Association.</p><p>A national stress survey the association conducted in January showed one in four people in the United States agrees that \"when I am feeling down or facing a problem, I turn to food to help me feel better.\" The October survey showed that the proportion increases to one in three people during the holidays.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/16267446/\">Vote: Are you a holiday stress eater?</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/15972061/\">Boost your energy for the holidays</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>Comfort eating and unhealthy drinking increases among men too, but is more common among women.</p><p>Forty-one percent of women in the survey agreed that they eat for comfort during the holidays, compared with 31 percent during the rest of the year. Among men, 25 percent report holiday-season comfort eating, compared with 19 percent during the year, according to the survey.</p><p>Others may not even notice gaining weight, said Russ Newman, the association\'s executive director for professional practice.</p><p>\"This time of year everyone is bundled up, so you don\'t really realize it until springtime when you have to pull out the T-shirts, the tank tops and that sort of thing,\" Fujiwara said.<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#FFFFFF\">&nbsp;MSNBC.COM SPECIAL REPORT</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#a4abc1\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-right:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-bottom:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-left:solid 1px #a4abc1;background-color:#f3f3f6;\" bgcolor=\"#f3f3f6\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tr><td><a href=\"/id/15772952/\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Art/HEALTH/PROJECTS/Stress/TZ300_StressedOut.gif\" height=\"60\" width=\"298\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></a></td></tr><tr><td style=\"padding:10px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"3\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" ID=\"Table1\"><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><a href=\"/id/15814840/\">Part 1: Desk rage: Workers gone wild</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><a href=\"/id/15808494/\">Part 2: Stress-offs: Do you <em>want</em> to win?</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><a href=\"/id/15818153/\">Part 3: Being stressed can have its perks</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><a href=\"/id/15818889/\">Part 4: Can you buy your way out of stress?</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><a href=\"/id/15940563/\">Part 5: Life coach answers reader questions</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><a href=\"/id/15772952/\">Full coverage</a></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>The holiday season is the most emotional time of the year for many Americans, particularly for women who often feel pressured to make it special to those they care about, said Sharon Gordetsky, a psychologist who specializes in children, families and issues of female development.</p><p><b><strong>\'I end up doing it all\'</strong></b><br>Even in families where fathers play a bigger role in parenting, child caring and household work, \"women tend to often still do more of the planning, do more of the nurturing, do more of the social and family organization\" for the holidays, said Gordetsky, an assistant professor at the Tufts-New England Medical Center\'s Comprehensive Family Evaluation Center.</p><p>Too true, said Sissy McPhearson, who teaches while working on a dissertation at Harvard University\'s Divinity School.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"1%\"><tr><td><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Art/HEALTH/061218/AP_holidayeating_061218.gif\" align=\"Right\" height=\"579\" width=\"205\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></td></tr></table>\"My husband and I both work and normally we divide household tasks equally. But during the holidays he doesn\'t care as much about decorating the house or wrapping presents or hosting dinners - so I end up doing it all even though I work full-time\" for about 70 hours a week, she said.</p><p>McPhearson says the stress of preparing for holidays, plus increased invitations to go out, makes it easier for many to reach out for that extra drink.</p><p>\"I go out a lot more now, maybe three or four nights a week ... and have a couple of drinks. Usually I just go out maybe once a week,\" she said.</p><p>Women have to take care of themselves if they are to be able to take care of others, Gordetsky said.</p><p>Among the healthier methods experts recommend to cope with the holiday stress are opting for less elaborate festivities and saying no to that serving of delicious roast beef, lasagna, chocolate or chilled glass of white wine.</p><p>\"Exercise helps. I work out ... and I am getting a massage Tuesday,\" McPhearson said.</p><p>The holiday stress survey was conducted Oct. 2-5 by the Washington-based Greenberg, Quinlan Rosner Research. The telephone poll, with a margin or error of plus or minus 3.5 percent, reached 369 men and 417 women and was weighted by gender, age, race and education.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('358','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Nasal spray designed to help you lose weight</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Product aims to fight obesity by blocking sense of smell and taste</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceReuters.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></a></a><p></p></font><p>BOSTON - Dieters may find some welcome assistance from a new nasal spray that could help resist the appetizing aromas of cinnamon bun stands, pizza parlors or tempting bakeries.</p><p>Compellis Pharmaceuticals of Cambridge, Massachusetts said it will begin human trials next year of a nasal spray designed to fight obesity by blocking the senses of smell and taste. It won a patent for the product this month.</p><p>\"The pleasurable effect of eating is all stimulated by smell and taste,\" Christopher Adams, the company\'s founder and chief executive, told Reuters Tuesday.</p><p>\"The premise is that olfactory activity that controls both smell and taste is a trigger and a feedback mechanism to eat. If you have some kind of reduced sense of smell or taste, you tend to eat less,\" he said.</p><p>The product, known as CP404, is among the latest devices and treatments under development in the multibillion-dollar fight against obesity.</p><p>An estimated 65 percent of adult Americans are overweight or obese, putting them at higher risk of heart disease, diabetes and other conditions that account for more than $100 billion of the country\'s $1.9 trillion annual healthcare bill.</p><p>French drug maker Sanofi-Aventis began marketing its obesity pill Acomplia in Britain in June and expects to receive U.S. government approval by April to sell the drug in the United States. The pill switches off the same brain circuits that make people hungry when they smoke cannabis.</p><p><b><strong>A pacemaker that makes you feel full<br></strong></b>Medtronic Inc., the world\'s biggest maker of medical devices, is developing a battery-powered gastric pacemaker that causes the stomach to contract, sending signals of satiety to the appetite center in the brain.</p><p>Enteromedics Inc. of Minneapolis is working with the Mayo Clinic on a device known as \"Maestro\" that uses electricity to paralyze the stomach, reducing or stopping contractions that churn food as part of the digestion process.</p><p>Those last two devices, like CP404, are still years away from reaching consumers.</p><p>Adams said he would seek Food and Drug Administration approval in about three years after human trials begin in 2007. He also expects to tap the stock market to raise $25 million to $50 million in an initial public offering if human trials are successful, with the spray expected to hit the market in 2010.</p><p>The nasal spray treatment would retail at $500 to $1,000 a year.</p><p><b><strong>Cautions about spray<br></strong></b>The Obesity Action Coalition, a Tampa, Florida-based nonprofit organization, cautioned that any such spray should be accompanied by other treatments and a change in lifestyle to be effective.</p><p>\"There are a lot of reasons why obesity exists, and it\'s not always a case of food addiction,\" said James Zervios, a spokesman for the coalition.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/16264164/\">Women prone to stress eating during the holidays</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16076842/\">Portion sizes growing with American waistlines</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>\"People still need to eat. Every time they get hungry I don\'t think they could just use the spray,\" he said. \"People need to be taught what are the better foods to eat - what\'s high on protein, what\'s low on fat.\"</p><p>Bariatric surgery, including gastric bands like the Lapband, is the only effective permanent solution, doctors say. Gastric bypass surgery makes the stomach smaller so patients can eat less and cuts out a long stretch of small intestine so fewer nutrients are absorbed.</p><p>But the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a unit of the federal government\'s Public Health Service, has warned that four of every 10 patients who undergo weight-loss surgery develop complications within six months.?</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('359','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Overweight? Blame the bacteria in your gut</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>\'Microbial component\' may contribute to obesity, research indicates</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>WASHINGTON - The size of your gut may be partly shaped by which microbes call it home, according to new research linking obesity to types of digestive bacteria.</p><p>Both obese mice - and people - had more of one type of bacteria and less of another kind, according to two studies published Thursday in the journal Nature.</p><p>A \"microbial component\" appears to contribute to obesity, said study lead author Jeffrey Gordon, director of Washington University\'s Center for Genome Sciences.</p><p>Obese humans and mice had a lower percentage of a family of bacteria called Bacteroidetes and more of a type of bacteria called Firmicutes, Gordon and his colleagues found.</p><p>The researchers aren\'t sure if more Firmicutes makes you fat or if people who are obese grow more of that type of bacteria.</p><p>But growing evidence of this link gives scientists a potentially new and still distant way of fighting obesity: Change the bacteria in the intestines and stomach. It also may lead to a way of fighting malnutrition in the developing world.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"http://boards.msn.com/MSNBCboards/thread.aspx?BoardID=490&amp;ThreadID=154564&amp;BoardsParam=HIPDelay%3d1\">Discuss: Obesity: Bacterial or laziness?</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16076842/\">Portion sizes growing with American waistlines</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16287766/\">Nasal spray designed to help you lose weight</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16264164/\">Stressed women prone to holiday overeating</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>Nikhil Dhurandhar, a professor of infection and obesity at Louisiana State University\'s Pennington Biomedical Research Center, wasn\'t part of the research, but said it may change the way obesity is treated eventually.</p><p>\"We are getting more and more evidence to show that obesity isn\'t what we thought it used to be,\" Dhurandhar said. \"It isn\'t just (that) you\'re eating too much and you\'re lazy.\"</p><p>He said the field of \"infectobesity\" looks at obesity with multiple causes, including viruses and microbes. In another decade or so, the different causes of obesity could have different treatments. The current regimen of diet and exercise \"is like treating all fevers with one aspirin,\" Dhurandhar said.</p><p>In one study, Gordon and colleagues looked at what happened in mice with changes in bacteria level. When lean mice with no germs in their guts had larger ratios of Firmicutes transplanted, they got \"twice as fat\" and took in more calories from the same amount of food than mice with the more normal bacteria ratio, said Washington University microbiology instructor Ruth Ley, a study co-author.</p><p>It was as if one group got far more calories from the same bowl of Cheerios than the other, Gordon said.</p><p>In a study of a dozen dieting people, the results also were dramatic.</p><p>Before dieting, about 3 percent of the gut bacteria in the obese participants was Bacteroidetes. But after dieting, the now normal-sized people had much higher levels of Bacteroidetes - close to 15 percent, Gordon said.</p><p>\"I think that gut bacteria affects body weight,\" said Virginia Commonwealth University pathology professor Richard Atkinson, who wasn\'t part of the research team and is president of Obetech Obesity Research Center in Richmond. \"I don\'t think there\'s any doubt about that and they showed that.\"</p><p><b><strong>Most microbes beneficial</strong></b><br>The growing field of research puts more importance in the trillions of microbes that live in our guts and elsewhere, crediting it with everything from generations of people getting taller to increases in diabetes and asthma.</p><p>People are born germ-free, but within days they have a gut blooming with microbes. The microbes come from first foods - either breast milk or formula - the exterior environment, and the way the babies are born, said Stanford University medicine and microbiology professor David Relman, who was not part of the study.</p><p>For decades, doctors have treated bacteria in a \"warlike\" manner, yet recent research shows that \"most encounters we have with microbes are very beneficial,\" Gordon said.</p><p>\"Much of who we are and what we can do and can\'t do as human beings is directly related to microbial inhabitants,\" Relman said.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('360','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Is that holiday cookie \'splurge worthy\'?</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Fruitcake equals an 84-minute walk, so spend the season\'s calories wisely</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/061221/061221_cookies_hmed_10a.hmedium.jpg\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" alt=\"Official White House holiday reception\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font size=\"-2\">Tim Sloan / AFP - Getty Images file</font><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"-1\">Are you sure you want that cookie? It only takes an extra?00 calories a day over the holiday season to gain a pound.</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>MIAMI - Oh, those holiday pitfalls: a martini and a handful of Chex mix at the office party, Grandma\'s fruitcake, the plate of gingerbread cookies from your neighbor.</p><p>Eating all those goodies will definitely cost you.</p><p>To burn off the calories in one gingerbread cookie, you will have to swim 18 minutes. The martini and party mix will take 47 minutes on the bike.</p><p>And the fruitcake? Take an 84-minute walk.</p><p>Those are the calculations in a new book that lists the calorie content of 7,500 foods and tells you just how long it will take to work it off.</p><p>\"Most of us have no idea what a calorie is worth,\" said Charles Stuart Platkin, author of \"The Diet Detective\'s Count Down\" and other books.</p><p>Platkin, a Miami-based public health advocate, spent nearly a year compiling the list, which includes fast-food dishes, popular restaurant menu fare and most grocery items. The exercise calculations are for a 155-pound person; add time if you\'re lighter, subtract time if you\'re heavier.</p><p>Some of the numbers are downright depressing.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/16315589/\">Vote: Yummy or yikes?</a></li><li><a href=\"http://boards.msn.com/MSNBCboards/thread.aspx?BoardID=490&amp;ThreadID=155346&amp;BoardsParam=HIPDelay%3d1\">Discuss: How do you work off holiday treats?</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16264164/\">Women prone to stress-eating over the holidays</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16296772/\">Overweight? Blame bacteria in your gut</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>A half-pound of prime rib will cost you 230 minutes of yoga. A Starbucks Caramel Macchiato is 38 minutes on the bike - add 81 minutes if you grab a piece of coffee cake. You\'ll have to walk 173 minutes to burn off a Whopper from Burger King.</p><p>Platkin, 44, said it is like money: Once diners know a food\'s caloric value, they can weigh in their mind whether it is \"splurge worthy.\"</p><p>Some of the biggest food rip-offs include crackers, at 12 to 20 calories apiece, and premium ice creams, Platkin said. It will take 72 minutes to walk off a half-cup of Ben and Jerry\'s Butter Pecan, versus 31 minutes for Edy\'s Slow Churned Light version of the same flavor. Predictably, fruits and veggies provided the best bargains.</p><p><b><strong>Nibbling adds up</strong></b><br>The holidays are one of the trickiest seasons for dieters. Research shows people tend to gain just under a pound during the holidays. It only takes an extra hundred calories a day (five Ritz crackers) over the holiday season to gain a pound. And they don\'t typically lose it by spring.</p><p>\"People tend to relax their guard and let themselves go during the holidays. And there\'s also more food around so we also consume more,\" said Platkin, who became his own diet detective after losing 50 pounds 14 years ago.</p><p>The book could come in especially handy for nibblers.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"1%\"><tr><td><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Art/HEALTH/061221/AP_COOKIE_COST.gif\" height=\"361\" width=\"371\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></td></tr></table></p><p>\"Nibblers tend to be worse estimators because they feel like they\'re not eating anything - a few fries, a bit of cookie. But they add up to be significant calories,\" said Platkin, a certified trainer who is finishing up his Ph.D. in public health.</p><p>Most Americans underestimate how much they\'re actually eating by as much as 40 percent, he said.</p><p>Experts said the book\'s premise could encourage or discourage dieters, depending on the reader.</p><p>\"For some people that\'s really a helpful thing. It really shows them it takes a fair amount of physical activity,\" said Jeanne Goldberg of the Friedman School of Nutrition at Tufts University.</p><p>On the flip side, she said, the numbers might seem so daunting that others skip exercising altogether.</p><p>Platkin said the book is not designed for people to look up every morsel they consume in a day. But it does provide a frame of reference.</p><p>Even if dieters don\'t end up doing the exercises, they will probably think twice before eating that slice of pumpkin pie. (An 81-minute walk).</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('361','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Hot broccoli: Thief swipes $50,000 worth</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Trailer disappears in Chicago suburb, but produce no black-market darling</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>VILLA PARK, Ill. - Someone got way more than the recommended daily serving of vegetables when a refrigerated trailer loaded with $50,000 worth of broccoli was stolen.</p><p>The 48-foot trailer disappeared from its rented parking space in the Chicago suburb of Villa Park sometime between Sunday and Tuesday morning, police said.</p><p>Detective Ed Zorich said the thief was probably after the trailer, not the vegetables.</p><p>\"What is someone going to do with that amount of produce?\" Zorich said. \"On the black market, I can\'t imagine that\'s something that\'s worth money to anybody.\"</p><p>Police entered the trailer into a stolen-vehicle database, but had no immediate leads.</p><p>\"We have homicides happening in town,\" Zorich said. \"We\'re not really looking for a truck of broccoli right now.\"</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Other nutrition stories</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/16370964/\" target=\"_blank\">Universal Studios bans trans fats at its parks</a>?/li><li><a href=\"/id/16314576/\" target=\"_blank\">What it takes to work off that holiday cookie</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('362','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Universal Studios\' new attraction: no trans fats</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Visitors like healthier fries, chicken at 3 theme parks since Christmas Eve</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/061227/061227_dietThemeParks_hmed_1p.hmedium.jpg\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" alt=\"Jack Xu, Michael Feng\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font size=\"-2\">Ric Francis / AP</font><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"-1\">Jack Xu, 12, left, and Michael Feng, 11, both from China, enjoy a non-trans fat lunch at Universal Studios Hollywood.</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - The early reviews are mostly positive at the Universal Studios theme park in Hollywood, where the menu changed on Christmas Eve to cut unhealthy trans fats from many junk food favorites.</p><p>Jack Xu, 12, noticed something different about his french fry. \"It tastes drier and not too salty,\" he said, then added: \"I still like it.\"</p><p>The self-described junk food addict, an exchange student from Beijing who has visited the park before, was on a field trip this week and enjoying a basket of chicken tenders and fries.</p><p>Universal Parks &amp; Resorts, home to movie-inspired thrill rides, is the latest theme park operation to ban artery-clogging trans fats and offer healthier menus at its three domestic attractions in California and Florida. The action follows entertainment giant Walt Disney Co., which announced in October it will serve more nutritious kids\' meals and phase out the artificial fats at its resorts.</p><p>Last week, more than 90 percent of foods at Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure in Florida and Universal Hollywood were cooked with trans fat-free oils. Others snacks such as the churro, a Spanish fried-dough pastry, will be trans fat-free by the end of next year, said Ric Florell, a senior vice president with Universal Orlando Resort.</p><p>Customers also have more healthy side options too, including salads and fruit bowls.</p><p>Florell said the goal is to give customers options and not dictate what to eat.</p><p>\"If guests come in, they\'re not forced to have fruit if their little hearts desire french fries,\" he said. But if they insist on fries, those will be trans fat-free.</p><p>Trans fats are made when manufacturers add hydrogen to vegetable oil in a process called hydrogenation. Although they\'re cheaper to produce and give food a longer shelf life, trans fats also increase the risk of heart disease by raising the level of bad cholesterol in the blood.</p><p>The average American eats almost 5 pounds of trans fats a year.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Related story</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><p><a href=\"/id/16314576/\" target=\"_blank\">What it takes to work off that holiday cookie</a></p></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>At Universal Studios Hollywood, Xu\'s teacher, Michael Fang, welcomed the healthier alternatives. Since his students want to hit as many heart-thumping rides as possible, Fang usually buys them fast food because it\'s cheap and convenient.</p><p>Now the food is healthier, and Fang says the taste is just as good.</p><p>\"I can\'t even tell the difference,\" he said, munching on a fried chicken leg.</p><p>The healthy options are also important to Todd Medwed, whose family often visits to ride the roller coasters and tour the backlot studio.</p><p>\"It\'s better for everybody. It\'s healthier,\" he said as he watched 6-year-old son Blake eat a salad.</p><p>Food scientists at Universal experimented for months to find trans fat alternatives, holding blind taste tests with customers and using their feedback to create menus with more variety, including fruit juices and skim milk.</p><p>Earlier this month, New York City became the first U.S. city to ban artificial trans fats in restaurant foods. Nationwide, trans fats must be listed on packaged foods.</p><p>Since Disney\'s venture into healthier eating at its global theme parks, it has received positive feedback from parents, with more than half choosing fruits and low-fat milk over french fries and soda, said Mary Niven, a vice president with the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim.</p><p>The ESPN Zone restaurant there and the ABC Commissary at Walt Disney World Resort currently fry chicken, fish and french fries without trans fats, and the ingredient will be cut from all eateries by next year.</p><p>As for Universal, it will monitor the progress of its trans fat ban in the United States before deciding whether to expand it to overseas theme parks. Universal\'s Florell declined to say how much the switch in oils would cost the company, but said it would be \"a little more expensive.\"</p><p>Besides Disney and Universal, SeaWorld Orlando also pledged earlier this year to limit fats and calories in some meals and created a whole-food restaurant where food is prepared without trans fats and preservatives.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><SCRIPT language=javascript src=\"http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/components/interactives/_prod/TransFat/data.js\"></SCRIPT><SCRIPT language=javascript src=http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/components/interactives/tools/interactive.js></SCRIPT><SCRIPT>if (window.TransFat) { displayApp(TransFat); }</SCRIPT></td></tr></table></p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('363','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">More than 1 in 3 low-income preschoolers obese</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Hispanic youngsters are at the highest risk, study finds</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>WASHINGTON - Far too many kids are fat by preschool, and Hispanic youngsters are most at risk, says new research that\'s among the first to focus on children growing up in poverty.</p><p>The study couldn\'t explain the disparity: White, black and Hispanic youngsters alike watched a lot of TV, and researchers spotted no other huge differences among the families.</p><p>But one important predictor of a pudgy preschooler was whether the child was still using a bottle at the stunning age of 3, concluded the study being published online Thursday by the American Journal of Public Health.</p><p>\"These children are already disadvantaged because their families are poor, and by age 3 they are on track for a lifetime of health problems related to obesity,\" said lead researcher Rachel Kimbro of the University of Wisconsin at Madison.</p><p>Some 17 percent of U.S. youngsters are obese, and millions more are overweight. Obesity can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol, sleep problems and other disorders - and the problem starts early. Overweight preschoolers have a five times higher risk of being fat at age 12 than do lean preschoolers, scientists reported last fall.</p><p>Kimbro focused on the poor, culling data on more than 2,000 3-year-olds from a study that tracks from birth children born to low-income families in 20 large U.S. cities.</p><p>Thirty-two percent of the white and black tots were either overweight or obese, vs. 44 percent of the Hispanics.</p><p>Why were the Hispanics at higher risk? Kimbro checked a long list of factors, from children\'s TV habits to whether mothers had easy access to grocery stores. Nothing could fully explain the difference. \"We were surprised,\" she said.</p><p>Children were particularly at risk if their mothers were obese. So were those who still took a bottle to bed at age 3, as did 14 percent of the Hispanic youngsters, 6 percent of the whites and 4 percent of the blacks.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Other nutrition stories</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"http://boards.msn.com/MSNBCboards/thread.aspx?ThreadID=158597\">Discuss: Parents, what are your tips on instilling healthy eating habits?</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16370964/\" target=\"_blank\">Universal Studios bans trans fats at its parks</a>?/li><li><a href=\"/id/16314576/\" target=\"_blank\">What it takes to work off that holiday cookie</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>That finding supports other research that \"one of the most common causes of overweight in children is overfeeding,\" said Dr. Philip Nader, a pediatrician and professor emeritus at the University of California at San Diego.</p><p>Pediatricians say even babies should never take a bottle to bed, and that children should start drinking from a cup at about age 1.</p><p>Kimbo now wonders what cultural differences - such as whether Hispanic mothers think chubby children are healthier - might also play a role, something the current study couldn\'t address.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('364','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">9 healthy foods that may surprise you</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Chocolate, potatoes, peanut butter and coffee can be good for you</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><div class=\"textMedBlackBold\" style=\"padding-top:10px;\">By By Allison Van Dusen</div><a href=\"http://www.forbes.com/home/index.html?partner=msnbc\"><a href=\"http://www.forbes.com/home/index.html?partner=msnbc\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/Local/sourceForbes.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></a></a><p></p></font><p>What you didn\'t know might help you. </p><p>Eating healthy may be virtuous, but it just doesn\'t seem like that much fun. </p><p>The feast-filled holidays were a great excuse for blowing off your strict diet and indulging. Why else bother with a healthy New Year\'s resolution? Most of us prefer the taste of french fries and peanut brittle over that of oat bran. A glass of burgundy sounds more tantalizing than a cup of wheat grass juice. And while a nice piece of fruit is no punishment, chocolate is exceedingly more tempting.</p><p>The good news: Not all of those seemingly unhealthy choices actually are. </p><p>Cheese fries may never be a part of your recommended diet, but Russet potatoes alone are nothing to fear. In fact, they\'re full of disease-fighting antioxidants. Eating the whole box of chocolates still isn\'t a good idea. A square a day, however, may help prevent cancer and stave off weight gain.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><p><a href=\"http://www.forbes.com/technology/2006/11/07/healthy-food-news-forbeslife-health-cx_avd_1108surprise_slide_2.html\" target=\"_blank\">Slideshow: 9 surprisingly healthy foods</a></p></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>If you\'re confused, we\'re not surprised. There\'s never been more information available on how to eat right. Books, food labels, Web sites - fast food restaurants even provide nutritional information for their meals. But it\'s hard to draw any simple conclusions from it all. Are carbs good or bad? How many calories are too many? What causes cancer now? </p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#FFFFFF\">&nbsp;More health news from Forbes</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#a4abc1\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-right:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-bottom:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-left:solid 1px #a4abc1;background-color:#f3f3f6;\" bgcolor=\"#f3f3f6\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\"><tr><td style=\"padding:10px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"3\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" ID=\"Table1\"><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><a href=\"http://www.forbes.com/2006/12/05/leadership-health-sex-lead-innovation-cx_tw_1205sex_slide2_2.html?partner=msnbc\" target=\"_blank\">A diet for better sex</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><a href=\"http://www.forbes.com/2006/06/29/cx_sy_0630featslide.html?partner=msnbc\" target=\"_blank\">Hottest fitness trends</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><a href=\"http://www.forbes.com/2006/12/05/leadership-health-sex-lead-innovation-cx_tw_1205aphrodisiacs_slide_2.html?partner=msnbc\" target=\"_blank\">10 aphrodisiacs that really work</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><a href=\"http://www.forbes.com/2006/10/24/life_health_cx_ad_1025featslide.html?partner=msnbc\" target=\"_blank\">How to ease up on your body</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><a href=\"http://www.forbes.com/2005/08/30/cx_sy_0831featslide.html?partner=msnbc\" target=\"_blank\">The worst things you can do to your body</a></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>No wonder dietitians say people tend to see healthy choices as too much trouble.</p><p>\"We are in such a hurry, we\'re so busy multitasking that eating is no longer a solo event,\" says David Grotto of the Chicago-based American Dietetic Association. \"It\'s an inconvenience. We have hunger, and we need to squash it. We need to wolf down some food. You\'re lucky if you remember what you ate the day before.\"</p><p>A recent ACNielsen study of how habits of eating and drinking outside the home develop offers a glimpse into the predicament. About 82 percent of consumers acknowledged that individuals are the most responsible for weight gain in the U.S. population. Only 6 percent place the biggest blame on fast food joints and 2 percent on food companies. Of those surveyed, 18 percent said the main factor leading to weight gain is that modern life is too easy for people to make an effort to be healthy. </p><p>Elisa Zied, author of \"So What Can I Eat?!\" and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, says people are frustrated by the conflicting research studies and news reports about what can harm or benefit them. Typically, they just want practical advice on what to eat. </p><p>They\'re also unknowingly making bad choices. Most people know that soda and candy contain a lot of sugar. But they don\'t always realize that low-fat flavored yogurt, salad dressing and Chinese food (think chicken with broccoli) can too. Because of the new obsession with lowering our intake of trans fats, which food labels must now list, some people are consuming more saturated fats, she says.</p><p>Deepak Varma, senior vice president of customized research for ACNielsen, says consumers fall into \"autopilot\" mode, not really thinking about what they\'re buying or eating until they have a moment of truth in the form of a medical checkup or want to get in shape. </p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Related stories</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/16370964/\" target=\"_blank\">Universal Studios bans trans fats at its parks</a>?/li><li><a href=\"/id/16314576/\" target=\"_blank\">What it takes to work off that holiday cookie</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table>People also get in the habit of having larger portions because they want to get good value for their money, he says.</p><p>Unfortunately, there is no cure-all when it comes to waking up and taking control of your health. Grotto, who is writing a book about making friends with food, suggests viewing meals as both sources of sustenance and enjoyable experiences.</p><p>To make that process a little easier, we asked dietitians to recommend a number of foods with surprising health benefits. Chocolate and bruschetta, anyone?</p><p>Once you incorporate these tips into your eating habits, try tackling more challenging ones. Jennifer Nelson, director of clinical dietetics at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., says another way we can start to change is by asking restaurants for more healthy options and smaller portion sizes. Define value by the quality of your food, not its \"supersize.\"</p><p>\"Small indiscretions can create bigger health issues,\" Nelson says. \"The good news is that small attempts, the more we chip away at it - we can get big results too.\"</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2007 Forbes.com</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('365','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Fainting dieters delay New York City subways</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Passengers ill from not eating are a top reason for disruptions, study finds</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"20\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><img src=\"/images/icons/video.gif\" width=\"20\" height=\"14\"></td><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#ffffff\">FREE VIDEO</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"1\" style=\"border:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#eeeeee;background-image:url(\'/images/backgrounds/component_grey.gif\');\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#cccccc\" background=\"/images/backgrounds/component_dkgrey.gif\" width=\"100%\"><tr valign=\"top\"><td align=\"middle\"><a href=\"javascript:msnvDwd(\'00\',\'c9d8b555-9e1f-476b-b8a7-745be5a4ac15\',\'us\',\'hotvideo_m_edpicks\',\'\',\'msnbc\',\'\',\'16452514\',\'Crash diets cause subway delays\')\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/070103/a_brown_subways_071003.300w.jpg\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></a></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td align=\"middle\"><div class=\"scalAd\"><input type=\"button\" class=\"mbox w77\" value=\"Launch\" title=\"Launch\" onmouseover=\"swapbtn(this, 1)\" onmouseout=\"swapbtn(this, 0)\" onclick=\"javascript:msnvDwd(\'00\',\'c9d8b555-9e1f-476b-b8a7-745be5a4ac15\',\'us\',\'hotvideo_m_edpicks\',\'\',\'msnbc\',\'\',\'16452514\',\'Crash diets cause subway delays\')\"></div></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td style=\"padding:10px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font><font class=\"textMedBlackBold\"><a href=\"javascript:msnvDwd(\'00\',\'c9d8b555-9e1f-476b-b8a7-745be5a4ac15\',\'us\',\'hotvideo_m_edpicks\',\'\',\'msnbc\',\'\',\'16452514\',\'Crash diets cause subway delays\')\">Crash diets cause subway delays</a></font><br><font color=\"black\">Jan. 3: New York\'s Metropolitan Transit Authority says dieting passengers who faint from dizziness are among the top causes of train delays. MSNBC.com\'s Dara Brown reports. </font><p class=\"credit\">MSNBC.com</p></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font size=\"-2\"></font><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>NEW YORK - Sick subway passengers, most of them dieters who faint from dizziness, are among the top causes of train delays, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.</p><p>After track work and signal problems, ill passengers rated among the main reasons for subway disruptions between October 2005 and October 2006, according to an analysis of MTA statistics, AM New York reported Tuesday.</p><p>Asim Nelson, a transit emergency medical technician, told the paper that fainting dieters topped the \"sick customer\" list.</p><p>\"Not eating for three or four days, you are going to go down,\" Nelson said. \"If you don\'t eat for 12 hours, you are going to get weak.\"</p><p>Although the agency doesn\'t keep an official record of the nature of each rider\'s illness, the paper said that an average 395 delays each month are caused by sick customers.</p><p>The notion that fainting dieters are causing transit delays was previously reported by the newspaper Metro in a 2005 article.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/16444249/\">Hero saves teen after fall on tracks</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16429930/\">Diet?rticles can be bad for girls</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>Fainting spells caused by missed meals topped other \"sick customer\" causes, including flu symptoms, anxiety attacks, hangovers and heat exhaustion, according to Nelson.</p><p>Nelson is part of the MTA\'s \"sick Customer Response Program,\" which consists of emergency medical technicians and registered nurses. When a rider becomes sick, the train conductor must stay with the passenger until emergency responders arrive.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('366','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Reading diet articles linked to eating disorders</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Teen girls susceptible to messages about weight-loss, study finds</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>CHICAGO - Magazine headlines entice teenage girls with promises like, \"Get the body you want!\" or \"Hit your dream weight now!\"</p><p>But a new study suggests reading articles about diet and weight loss could have unhealthy consequences later.</p><p>Teenage girls who frequently read magazine articles about dieting were more likely five years later to practice extreme weight-loss measures such as vomiting than girls who never read such articles, the University of Minnesota study found.</p><p>It didn\'t seem to matter whether the girls were overweight when they started reading about weight loss, nor whether they considered their weight important. After taking those factors into account, researchers still found reading articles about dieting predicted later unhealthy weight loss behavior.</p><p>Girls in middle school who read dieting articles were twice as likely five years later to try to lose weight by fasting or smoking cigarettes, compared to girls who never read such articles. They were three times more likely to use measures such as vomiting or taking laxatives, the study found.</p><p>\"The articles may be offering advice such as cutting out trans fats and soda, and those are good ideas for everybody,\" said Alison Field of Harvard Medical School, who has done similar research but wasn\'t involved in the new study. \"But the underlying messages these articles send are \'You should be concerned about your weight and you should be doing something.\"\'</p><p>The study appeared in January\'s issue of the journal Pediatrics.</p><p>Its findings were based on surveys and weight-height measurements of 2,516 middle school students in 1999 and again in 2004. About 45 percent of the students were boys.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"http://boards.msn.com/MSNBCboards/thread.aspx?BoardID=490&amp;ThreadID=160671&amp;BoardsParam=HIPDelay%3d1\">Discuss: Are diet articles to blame for?irls\' weight issues?</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/15750402/\">Brazilian model dies from anorexia</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/15905527/\">10 is the new 15 as kids grow faster</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>Only 14 percent of boys reported reading diet articles frequently, compared to 44 percent of girls. For those boys who did read about weight loss, there was no similar lasting effect on behavior.</p><p>In the new study, it was unclear whether it was the diet articles themselves or accompanying photographs of thin models that made a difference. The study didn\'t ask teenagers which magazines they read, only how frequently they read magazine articles \"in which dieting or weight loss are discussed.\"</p><p>The study was based on students\' self-reports about their behavior and, like all surveys, could be skewed by teenagers telling researchers what they think they want to hear, said study co-author Patricia van den Berg.</p><p>She said parents should carefully consider whether they want their daughters reading about weight loss.</p><p>\"It possibly would be helpful to teen girls if their mothers didn\'t have those types of magazines around,\" van den Berg said. Parents also should discuss magazines\' messages with their daughters, she said.</p><p>\"Talk to your kids about where these messages are coming from,\" she said.</p><p>Doctors\' waiting rooms are no place for magazines promoting diet and weight loss, she said, \"in the same way you don\'t have materials promoting smoking in waiting rooms.\"</p><p>Nathan Christopher, a spokesman for Seventeen magazine, said health is important to the magazine\'s readers. He wouldn\'t comment specifically on the study because it was unclear which magazines the teenagers read.</p><p>\"We have always featured information to help them lead healthy lives, including fitness tips, first-person health stories, and nutrition facts. Promoting a healthy body image is a priority, so each issue of Seventeen features teens with realistic body types,\" he said.</p><p>In January, Seventeen magazine and its Web site will kick off a yearlong program called \"New Body, New You,\" which will feature expert advice on nutrition, health and fitness topics, he said.</p><p>The study adds to evidence that girls\' attitudes toward their bodies are shaped by popular culture.</p><p>Previous studies have found that images of thin fashion models give girls immediate negative feelings about their bodies. Public awareness of the issue increased in September when Madrid\'s Fashion Week banned underweight models and again with the Nov. 14 death of anorexic Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('367','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Diet pill makers fined millions for false claims</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Marketers of popular weight-loss drugs misled consumers, FTC says</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"20\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><img src=\"/images/icons/video.gif\" width=\"20\" height=\"14\"></td><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#ffffff\">NBC VIDEO</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"1\" style=\"border:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#eeeeee;background-image:url(\'/images/backgrounds/component_grey.gif\');\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#cccccc\" background=\"/images/backgrounds/component_dkgrey.gif\" width=\"100%\"><tr valign=\"top\"><td align=\"middle\"><a href=\"javascript:msnvDwd(\'00\',\'ed58184a-fa5b-438d-b50a-519827d66f9f\',\'us\',\'hotvideo_m_edpicks\',\'\',\'msnbc\',\'\',\'16463879\',\'Diet pill makers fined millions\')\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/070104/tdy_lieberman_dietpills_070.300w.jpg\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></a></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td align=\"middle\"><div class=\"scalAd\"><input type=\"button\" class=\"mbox w77\" value=\"Launch\" title=\"Launch\" onmouseover=\"swapbtn(this, 1)\" onmouseout=\"swapbtn(this, 0)\" onclick=\"javascript:msnvDwd(\'00\',\'ed58184a-fa5b-438d-b50a-519827d66f9f\',\'us\',\'hotvideo_m_edpicks\',\'\',\'msnbc\',\'\',\'16463879\',\'Diet pill makers fined millions\')\"></div></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td style=\"padding:10px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font><font class=\"textMedBlackBold\"><a href=\"javascript:msnvDwd(\'00\',\'ed58184a-fa5b-438d-b50a-519827d66f9f\',\'us\',\'hotvideo_m_edpicks\',\'\',\'msnbc\',\'\',\'16463879\',\'Diet pill makers fined millions\')\">Diet pill makers fined millions</a></font><br><font color=\"black\">Jan. 4: TODAY consumer correspondent, Janice Lieberman, reports on the Federal Trade Commission\'s settlement with diet pill manufacturers about false claims. TODAY host Matt Lauer talks with Deborah Platt Majores, the FTC\'s chairman.</font><p class=\"credit\">Today Show Health</p></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font size=\"-2\"></font><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>WASHINGTON - The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday fined the marketers of four weight loss pills $25 million for making false advertising claims ranging from rapid weight loss to reducing the risk of cancer.</p><p>FTC Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras said the products would remain on store shelves, but that the companies would have to stop making the false claims.</p><p>\"What we challenge is the marketing of the claims,\" she said. \"The marketers are required to back up the claims with the science and if they can\'t do that they can\'t make the claim. But we don\'t ban the products from the shelves.\"</p><p>The FTC investigated a variety of claims made - including rapid weight loss and reduction in the risk of osteoporosis, Alzheimer\'s and even cancer, Majoras noted.</p><p>Fines were levied against marketers of Xenadrine EFX, One A Day Weight Smart, CortiSlim and TrimSpa.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"http://boards.msn.com/MSNBCboards/thread.aspx?BoardID=490&amp;ThreadID=162290&amp;BoardsParam=HIPDelay%3d1\">Discuss: Ever taken diet pills?</a></li><li>?a href=\"/id/15446366/\">Calculate your metabolic rate</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16329150/\">4 steps to losing weight in \'07</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16382518/\">9 healthy foods that may surprise you</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>Telephone calls to the marketers seeking comment were not immediately returned Thursday.</p><p>Majoras said that some of the money paid as civil fines would be returned to consumers. \"We always try to get money back when consumers have been deceived,\" she said. \"In this instance I\'m pleased to say that I believe we\'re going to get millions back from some of these products to be able to return it to consumers.\"</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#FFFFFF\">&nbsp;More news from MSN Health</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#a4abc1\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-right:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-bottom:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-left:solid 1px #a4abc1;background-color:#f3f3f6;\" bgcolor=\"#f3f3f6\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\"><tr><td style=\"padding:10px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"3\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" ID=\"Table1\"><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><a href=\"http://health.msn.com/dietfitness/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100148215\" target=\"_blank\">Diet Pills: A Dubious History</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><a href=\"http://health.msn.com/dietfitness/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100148559\" target=\"_blank\">Ask the Experts: Does Clenbuterol Work?</a></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></td></tr></table>The largest fine was levied against two marketers of Xenadrine EFX, made by New Jersey-based Nutraquest, Inc., formerly known as Cytodyne Technologies. The marketers will pay at least $8 million and as much as $12.8 million. A federal lawsuit has been filed in Newark, N.J. The marketer was identified as RTC Research &amp; Development, LLC, based in Manasquan, N.J.</p><p>A $12 million fine was assessed against seven marketers of CortiSlim and CortiStress. The marketers were identified as Window Rock Health Laboratories, based in Brea, Calif.</p><p>The Bayer Corp., based in Morristown, N.J., will pay a $3.2 million civil penalty to settle the claims and agreed to stop ads that say the multivitamins can increase metabolism. TrimSpa, based in Whippany, N.J., will pay $1.5 million.</p><p><b><strong>Placebo more effective<br></strong></b>Majoras cautioned the estimated 70 million Americans trying to lose weight not to turn to pills.</p><p>\"You\'re not going to find weight loss in a bottle of pills,\" she said.<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"1%\"><tr><td><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Art/HEALTH/070104/AP_WEIGHTLOSS_PILLS.gif\" align=\"Right\" height=\"312\" width=\"182\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></td></tr></table></p><p>She said the FTC investigation found that the marketers of Xenadrine had a study that said those who took a placebo actually lost more weight than those taking the pill.</p><p>\"They not only didn\'t have studies to support the claim, they actually had a study that went the other way,\" she said.</p><p>Some of the products marketed their claims through infomercials or celebrity endorsements. Anna Nicole Smith, for example, has endorsed TrimSpa.</p><p>\"Testimonials from individuals are not a substitute for science,\" Majoras said. \"And that\'s what Americans need to understand.\"</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('368','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Having a kid in the house makes you fatter</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Adults living with young children eat equivalent of an extra pizza a week</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceReuters.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></a></a><p></p></font><p>Adults living with young children eat significantly more fat than grown-ups with no kids at home, a new study shows.</p><p>Adults with kids consumed nearly 5 more grams of fat and 1.7 more grams of saturated fat every day, the equivalent of an individual pepperoni pizza a week, Dr. Helena Laroche of the University of Iowa in Iowa City and her colleagues found. Adults living with children younger than 17 also ate more salty snacks, cheese, beef, ice cream, cakes and cookies, pizza, and processed meats like bacon.</p><p>Busy schedules and time constraints may be forcing parents to choose more high-fat convenience foods, Laroche and her team suggest in their article in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. Adults with children may also be more likely to keep these foods around the house because they think kids like them.</p><p>\"We need to approach nutrition as good for the whole family,\" Laroche told Reuters Health. \"Everybody should be eating the same nutritious food.\"</p><p>She and her colleagues analyzed data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a nationally representative sample that included 6,660 men and women aged 17 to 65.</p><p>Households with children younger than 17 didn\'t consume more calories, but they did eat more fat, Laroche and her colleagues found.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/16331336/\">January Jumpstart: Get your daily tip</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16326136/\">What\'s the real measure of a good mom?</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>\"These findings suggest that food advertising aimed at children may influence not only the child\'s diet but also indirectly affect parents\' diets,\" they note in their report. </p><p>The authors suggest switching kids to lower-fat milk after age 2, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association, as well as limiting snack food, cheese products, and pizza.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('369','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Dieting is more than what you eat</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Liquids make up 22 percent of daily calories, study shows</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceReuters.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></a></a><p></p></font><p>CHICAGO - Americans who have made a New Year\'s resolution to lose weight should start thinking about more than what they eat, a beverage industry survey said on Monday.</p><p>The study, commissioned by the Milk Processor Education Program, found that liquids make up 22 percent of calories in the average American\'s diet.</p><p>But most Americans only count the calories they get from solid foods.</p><p>People just may not be aware how these calories are sneaking into their diet .. and (they are) not understanding what an impact it has on body weight,\" said Carolyn O\'Neil, a dietitian, who is serving as a spokeswoman for the What America Drinks report.</p><p>Americans drink a daily average of 38 ounces (0.67 liters) of water, which contains no calories. Sugar-sweetened beverages such as soft drinks and teas were next on the list, at 17.5 ounces a day. Americans consumed an average of 7.5 ounces of milk and 8.9 ounces of coffee on a daily basis.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/15103053/\">Hungry? Scientists find appetite molecule</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16489628/\">Kids make you more likely to gain weight</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>Soft drinks make up 6.4 percent of Americans\' total caloric intake but the percentage is even higher for teenagers. Soft drinks account for 10 percent of the calories in a male teenager\'s diet and nearly 9 percent of a female teenager\'s calories.</p><p>American soft drink makers such as PepsiCo Inc. and Coca-Cola Co. have been releasing healthier products in recent years to try and capitalize on health and wellness trends. Some school districts have removed machines that sell full calorie soft drinks from schools.</p><p>One-third of Americans are obese by U.S. health standards, which measure a person\'s body fat.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('370','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Tween years can be risky for weight gain</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Girls more likely to get fat between age 9 and 12, study says</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>WASHINGTON - As if being a tween is not hard enough, scientists now call the years between 9 and 12 a time when girls are especially at risk of getting fat.</p><p>Girls are more likely to become overweight in those preteen years than when they are teenagers, researchers report Monday in The Journal of Pediatrics.</p><p>The study did not say why that was and did not examine boys to know whether they face a similar risk.</p><p>But it did highlight consequences of that adolescent weight gain. Chubby tweens already were seeing their blood pressure and cholesterol levels inch up, backing up earlier research that fat\'s toll on the arteries begins early. Also, being overweight in childhood brought more than a tenfold risk of a youngster\'s growing into a fat adult.</p><p>Parents should pay attention to creeping waistlines and poor dietary habits, particularly in this age group, said Dr. Denise Simons-Morton of the National Institutes of Health, which funded the research.</p><p>\"It seems to be a particularly vulnerable period,\" said Simons-Morton, who heads obesity-prevention efforts at the NIH\'s National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.</p><p>Some 17 percent of U.S. youngsters are obese and millions more are overweight, a problem affecting all ages. Overweight children are at risk of developing diabetes and they grow into overweight adults who, in turn, develop heart disease and other ailments.</p><p>The study tracked more than 2,300 white and black girls starting at age 9. Researchers measured height, weight, blood pressure and cholesterol every year through 18. Participants were called in their early 20s to check their weight.</p><p>Some 7.4 percent of the white girls and 17.4 percent of the blacks already were overweight by 9. Each year through age 12, between 2 percent and 5 percent of the remaining girls became overweight, reported Douglas Thompson of the Maryland Medical Research Institute, the paper\'s lead author.</p><p>After the girls reached 12, new cases leveled off to between 1 percent and 2 percent a year.</p><p>Other research has shown that the preteen years are when youngsters switch from heeding parents\' dietary advice to eating like their friends do, Simons-Morton said. Less physical activity plays a role, too. She recalls from her own daughters\' tween years long sedentary hours on the phone and worries about getting sweaty.</p><p>\"It should be cool to be physically active, and attractive,\" she said.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('371','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Tea is good for you, but skip the milk</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Adding it to your brew blocks beneficial effects, scientists say</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceReuters.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></a></a><p></p></font><p>LONDON - Drinking tea can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke but only if milk is not added to the brew, German scientists said on Tuesday.</p><p>Research has shown that tea improves blood flow and the ability of the arteries to relax but researchers at the Charite Hospital at the University of Berlin in Mitte found milk eliminates the protective effect against cardiovascular disease.</p><p>\"The beneficial effects of drinking black tea are completely prevented by the addition of milk, said Dr Verena Stangl, a cardiologist at the hospital.</p><p>\"If you want to drink tea to have the beneficial health effects you have to drink it without milk. That is clearly shown by our experiments,\" she told Reuters.</p><p>Tea is second only to water in worldwide consumption so any benefits could have important public health implications. But until now it was not known whether adding milk had an impact.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/16498082/site/newsweek/\">Newsweek: Tea: Red alert on aisle six</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/15611129/\">What are real benefits of green tea?</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/14802411/\">Green tea?ay stop?trokes, but not cancer?/a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>Stangl and her team discovered that proteins called caseins in milk decrease the amount of compounds in tea known as catechins which increase its protection against heart disease.</p><p>They believe their findings, which are reported in the European Heart Journal, could explain why countries such as Britain, where tea is regularly consumed with milk, have not shown a decreased risk of heart disease and stroke from drinking tea.</p><p><b><strong>Protective against cancer</strong></b><br>The researchers compared the health effects of drinking boiled water and tea with and without milk on 16 healthy women. Using ultrasound, they measured the function of an artery in the forearm before and two hours after drinking tea.</p><p>Black tea significantly improved blood flow compared to drinking water but adding milk blunted the effect of the tea.</p><p>\"We found that, whereas drinking tea significantly increased the ability of the artery to relax and expand to accommodate increased blood flow compared with drinking water, the addition of milk completely prevents the biological effect,\" said Dr Mario Lorenz, a molecular biologist and co-author of the study.</p><p>Tests on rats produced similar results. When rodents were exposed to black tea they produced more nitric oxide which promotes dilation of blood vessels. But adding milk blocked the effect.</p><p>Tea has also been shown to have a protective effect against cancer so the findings could have further implications.</p><p>\"Since milk appears to modify the biological activities of tea ingredients, it is likely that the anti-tumor effects of tea could be affected as well,\" said Stangl.</p><p>\"I think it is essential that we re-examine the association between tea consumption and cancer protection, to see if that is the case,\" she added.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('372','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">If you have a dog, you\'re more likely to be pudgy</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Most pet owners are middle-aged and more sedentary, Finnish study finds</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070110/070110_petOwnerHealth_hLarge_2p.hlarge.jpg\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" alt=\"Dog\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font size=\"-2\">Guang Niu / Getty Images file</font><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"-1\">The dog owners in the Finnish study typically got little exercise.</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceReuters.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></a></a><p></p></font><p>NEW YORK  - While research has suggested that pets can offer people health benefits, a new study from Finland finds that pet owners tend to be heavier, less active and in poorer health than those without a pet.</p><p>However, that doesn\'t mean pets are bad for us, the researchers note. Rather, people most likely to have a pet, such as the middle-aged and homeowners, also tend to be more sedentary and thicker around the middle.</p><p>Researchers at the University of Turku in Finland report the findings in PLoS ONE, an online journal published by the Public Library of Science.</p><p>A number of studies have suggested that certain people benefit from living with a dog or cat - a pet may help lower blood pressure and heart rate, for example, or ease stress, loneliness and even dementia-related agitation in the elderly.</p><p>But whether pet owners as a group are a healthier lot has been unclear. The new findings suggest they\'re not.</p><p>Using survey data from more than 21,000 young to middle-aged Finnish adults, researchers found that pet owners were generally more likely to be overweight and to view their own health as poor.</p><p>This was largely because pet owners tended to be middle-aged, have less education and more health-risk factors, explained Dr. Leena Koivusilta, the study\'s lead author.</p><p>And despite having Fido to take for walks, even dog owners typically got little exercise.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;CLICK FOR RELATED CONTENT</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/16486821/\">Obesity drug approved for dogs - not humans</a>?/li><li><a href=\"/id/16564328/\">Latest dieting trend: Wishful thinking</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>This is likely because they were often homeowners who could simply put the dog in the yard, Koivusilta noted.</p><p>That pet owners were in poorer health does not mean that furry companions aren\'t a health boon in some cases, she told Reuters Health.</p><p>\"In my opinion,\" Koivusilta said, \"pets provide us all with a vast potential for health promotion, and this has indeed been shown when some special groups have been studied.\"</p><p>Pet owners, according to the researchers, may just need to make more of an effort - such as walking and playing with the dog instead of showing him the way to the yard.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>Copyright 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('373','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Obesity operations soar in U.S.</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Study says 15,086 middle-aged Americans had surgery in \'04; 772 in \'98</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceReuters.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></a></a><p></p></font><p>WASHINGTON - The number of middle-aged Americans undergoing surgery for obesity skyrocketed between 1998 and 2004, according to a study released Wednesday.</p><p>In 1998, 772 people aged 55 to 64 had gastric bypass, stapling or some similar procedure known as bariatric surgery to help weight loss. But that number ballooned to 15,086 six years later, says the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.</p><p>More than 120,000 obese Americans had some kind of surgery to help them lose weight in 2004, with the biggest increase among middle-aged people.</p><p>\"Among the reasons for the extremely dramatic increases is that the mortality outcomes from obesity surgery have improved greatly,\" the agency said in a statement.</p><p>\"The national death rate for patients hospitalized for bariatric surgery declined 78 percent, from 0.9 percent in 1998 to 0.2 percent in 2004.\"</p><p>Agency director Dr. Carolyn Clancy said the report shows \"more Americans are turning to obesity surgery and that an increasing number of younger people are undergoing these procedures.\"</p><p>More than 103,000 of the 2004 operations were on patients aged 18 to 54, the study found, and 349 were performed on youngsters aged 12 to 17.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;CLICK FOR RELATED CONTENT</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><p><a href=\"/id/16564328/\">Latest dieting trend: Wishful thinking</a></p></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>\"As the rate of obesity continues to climb, the health care system needs to be prepared for continued escalation in the rate of this surgery and its potential complications,\" she said.</p><p>The average hospital cost for an obesity surgery patient stay, excluding physician fees, was $10,395 in 2004 as compared with $10,970 in 1998, adjusted for inflation, according to the report.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>Copyright 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('374','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Why dieters are doomed on Tuesdays</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Monday doesn\'t have to mean deprivation to kick off weeks of weight loss</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><div class=\"textMedBlackBold\" style=\"padding-top:10px;\">Brian Wansink, Ph.D.</div><div class=\"textMedBlack\">MSNBC contributor</div><p></p></font><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"102\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"20\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/i/msnbc/Test-Dev/donna/msnbc10/Launch%20images/byline_msnbc.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"100\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></td><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#000000\"></b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#666666\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #666666;border-bottom:solid 1px #666666;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tr><td><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Bylines/mugs/Health/mug_Wansink_Brian_hlth_ChewonThis.thumb.jpg\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></td></tr><tr><td style=\"padding:4px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><font color=\"black\"><b>Brian Wansink, Ph.D.</b></font></td></tr><tr><td><hr size=\"1\" width=\"85%\" color=\"#cccccc\" noshade=\"1\" align=\"center\"></td></tr><tr><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font><font color=\"black\"><a href=\"/id/15330076/\">Profile</a></font></td></tr><tr><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font><font color=\"black\"><script language=\"javascript\">document.write(\'<a href=\"mailto:\'+\'health\'+\'@\'+\'msnbc.com\">\')</script>E-mail<script language=\"javascript\">document.write(\'</a>\');</script></font></td></tr></table></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table>What day of the week did you start your most recent diet? Chances are it was a Monday. </p><p>Forty-six percent of people in our recent study said their last attempt launch a weight-loss plan started on a Monday morning. </p><p>Now, do you remember when you called it quits on that dieting attempt? </p><p>For 31 percent of people, the miserable experience is over by Tuesday evening.</p><p>Like most New Year\'s resolutions, Monday morning diets are doomed despite our very best intentions. That\'s because both are based on deprivation. </p><p>No matter what you\'re denying yourself - carbohydrates, fat, red meat, snacks, pizza, breakfast, chocolate -?you are setting yourself up for failure. \nIt doesn\'t make much difference whether we are deprived of affection, vacation, television or our favorite foods. Being deprived of what we enjoy most is no way to live. It puts our nerves and our willpower on a hair trigger.</p><p>Instead, go back to where it all started. </p><p><b><strong>Beware creeping calories</strong></b><br>No one goes to bed skinny and wakes up fat. Most people gain (or lose) weight so gradually they cannot really figure out how it happened. They do not remember changing their eating or exercise patterns. All they remember is once being able to fit into their favorite pants without having to hold their breath to get the zipper to budge.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/16563688/\">Vote: What day do you usually?tart dieting?</a></li><li><a href=\"http://boards.msn.com/MSNBCboards/thread.aspx?BoardID=490&amp;ThreadID=168142&amp;BoardsParam=HIPDelay%3d1\">Discuss: Share your diet tips</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16440939/\">Foolproof your fitness resolution</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/16329150/\">Ready to lose weight? 4 steps to getting started</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>This is the danger of creeping calories. Just 25 extra calories a day - 1 Hershey\'s Kiss or 5 M&amp;Ms - will pack on 2 extra pounds of paunch one year from today. Only 5 M&amp;Ms a day.</p><p>Fortunately, the same thing happens in the opposite direction.?</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#FFFFFF\">&nbsp;Small changes, big difference</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#a4abc1\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-right:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-bottom:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-left:solid 1px #a4abc1;background-color:#f3f3f6;\" bgcolor=\"#f3f3f6\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\"><tr><td style=\"padding:10px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table><tr><td><p class=\"textMed\">If an extra 25 calories day can make you add pounds in a year, luckily, cutting just a little from your daily diet can help you lose them.</p><p class=\"textMed\">Some things that contain 25 calories:</p><table cellspacing=\"3\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" ID=\"Table1\"><tr><td><font color=\"black\">-</font></td><td><font color=\"black\">1 Hershey\'s Kiss</font></td></tr><tr><td><font color=\"black\">-</font></td><td><font color=\"black\">1/2 cup of cooked carrots or broccoli</font></td></tr><tr><td><font color=\"black\">-</font></td><td><font color=\"black\">1 cup of raw vegetables or salad</font></td></tr><tr><td><font color=\"black\">-</font></td><td><font color=\"black\">6 Jelly Belly\'s</font></td></tr><tr><td><font color=\"black\">-</font></td><td><font color=\"black\">1/2 cup of vegetable juice</font></td></tr><tr><td><font color=\"black\">-</font></td><td><font color=\"black\">6 Tic Tacs</font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></td></tr></table>One colleague of mine lost about 25 pounds during her first two years at a new job. When I asked how she lost the weight, she could not really answer. After some persistent questioning, it seemed that the only deliberate change she had made two years earlier was to give up caffeine. She switched from coffee to herbal tea. That did not seem to explain anything.</p><p>\"Oh, yeah,\" she said, \"and because I gave up caffeine, I also stopped drinking Coke.\" </p><p>She had been drinking about six cans a week - far from a serious habit - but the 139 calories in each Coke translated into about \n12 pounds a year. When she quit, she was not even aware of why she had lost weight. In her mind all she had done was cut out caffeine.</p><p>Small changes to your routine or to your environment can make a big difference. Nevertheless, making even three changes can have a gradual - but eventually giant - impact on our weight. They can be the difference between being 20 pounds heavier next New Year\'s Day or 20 pounds lighter. </p><p>What three changes should you make? There are hundreds to choose from, but the best ones fit your goals, your lifestyle, and they will probably change each month.</p><p><b><strong>The best diet</strong></b><br>\n<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#FFFFFF\">&nbsp;The Mindless Eating Challenge</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#a4abc1\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-right:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-bottom:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-left:solid 1px #a4abc1;background-color:#f3f3f6;\" bgcolor=\"#f3f3f6\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\"><tr><td style=\"padding:10px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table><tr><td><p class=\"textMed\">The Cornell Food and Brand Lab is offering a <a href=\"http://www.mindlesseating.org/challenge.htm,\" target=\"_blank\">free program</a> which will suggest small changes you can make to lose weight, improve your diet or help your family eat better. Based on a short questionnaire, the program will provide a daily checklist to help keep track of progress.</p><p class=\"textMed\"><a href=\"http://www.mindlesseating.org/challenge.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Click here for more information.</a></p></td></tr></table></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></td></tr></table>Cornell University\'s Food and Brand Lab, where I do my research, has just begun a study into which small changes result in the biggest, easiest, most mindless weight loss for a particular person. For example, for a mother who wants to lose 15 pounds and also improve what her two teenagers eat at mealtime, our research suggests she try these three changes for a month: </p><ul><li class=\"textBodyBlack\">Pre-plate the high-calorie foods in the kitchen and leave the leftovers in the bowls in the kitchen. Do not serve what some call, \"fat-family\" style, unless it\'s the veggies and salad.</li><li class=\"textBodyBlack\">Allow yourself an afternoon snack only if you\'ve first eaten a piece of fruit.</li><li class=\"textBodyBlack\">Use the half-plate rule: At dinner, load up the right side of your plate with salad, fruit, or vegetables.?The other side can be starches and meat.</li></ul><p>When you no longer obsess over what you\'re <em>not </em>eating, you\'ll find it easier to improve your diet and lose weight. The best diet is the one you don\'t know you\'re on.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><SCRIPT language=\"javascript\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/components/interactives/tools/mailbag.js\"></SCRIPT><SCRIPT language=\"javascript\"> oMailbag = new Array(); oMailbag.appWidth = 460; oMailbag.BoxStyle = 3053755; oMailbag.appHeader = \"Chew on This\"; oMailbag.appDeck = \"Tell us about the small diet changes you\'ve made which have added up to big results. Selected emails may be published or used for future articles.\"; oMailbag.sSubject = \"Chew on This\"; oMailbag.aRetLink = new Array(\"http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032076/\",\"\"); oMailbag.sMailTo = \"health@msnbc.com\"; oMailbag.bTown = 1;  oMailbag.navsectionID = 3088327; if (window.MailbagWB3) { MailbagWB3(oMailbag); } </SCRIPT></td></tr></table></p><p><em>Brian Wansink, Ph.D., author of \"<a href=\"http://www.mindlesseating.org/\">Mindless Eating- Why We Eat More Than We Think</a>,\" is director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab</em></p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2007 MSNBC Interactive</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('375','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Lifting weights raises risk of glaucoma</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Holding your breath while straining can increase eye pressure, study finds</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><a href=\"http://www.reuters.com/\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceReuters.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></a></a><p></p></font><p>CHICAGO - Holding your breath while weightlifting causes temporary increases in eye pressure that could raise the risk of developing one form of glaucoma, according to a study published on Monday.</p><p>Researchers at the Catholic University of Brasilia in Brazil said they reached the conclusion with a test of 30 men aged 18 to 40 whose intraocular (eye) pressure was measured while they were bench pressing.</p><p>None had glaucoma; but the study, published in the September issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, found that eye pressure increased during the breath-holding done as part of the training.</p><p>It said normal-tension glaucoma is more common in individuals who are subjected to frequent changes in eye pressure. That variety of glaucoma is one where the eye disease develops even though eye pressure when measured in routine checks appears to be normal.</p><p>It is also more common among people who play high-resistance wind instruments or those with asthma or intestinal or urinary tract obstructions that cause them to strain in a way that increases eye pressure.</p><p>\"Prolonged weightlifting could be a potential risk factor for the development or progression of glaucoma. Intermittent intraocular pressure increases during weightlifting should be suspected in patients with normal-tension glaucoma who perform such exercises,\" the authors concluded.</p><p>The increased eye pressure that marks glaucoma damages the optic nerve leading to sight loss and possible blindness. </p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/13956966/\">More women are pumping iron</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/13890826/\">Soldiers learn to loosen up with yoga</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i>(c) Reuters 2006. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.</i></div><br><table width=\"100%\" style=\"background-color:#ffffee\" cellPadding=\"2\" cellSpacing=\"0\"><tr><td width=\"50%\"><font size=\"1\"><img src=\"/images/msnbc/print02.gif\" width=\"25\" height=\"20\" align=\"absmiddle\"> <a href=\"javascript:printThis(\'14788990\')\" class=\"linkBlack\">Print this</a></font></td><td><font size=\"1\"><img src=\"/images/msnbc/email02.gif\" width=\"25\" height=\"20\" align=\"absmiddle\"> <a href=\"javascript:emThis(\'14788990\')\" class=\"linkBlack\">Email this</a></font></td></tr></table></td><td width=\"10\"></td></tr></table><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#ffffff\">&nbsp;MORE FROM FITNESS</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"1\" style=\"border:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\"><tr valign=\"bottom\"><td style=\"padding:10px;\" width=\"15%\"><a onmouseover=\"swapImage(\'next_links\',\'/images/buttons/next/buttonNextOver.gif\')\" onmouseout=\"swapImage(\'next_links\',\'/images/buttons/next/buttonNext.gif\')\" onmousedown=\"swapImage(\'next_links\',\'/images/buttons/next/buttonNextDown.gif\')\" href=\"/id/15918232/\"><img src=\"/images/buttons/next/buttonNext.gif\" border=\"0\" width=\"53\" height=\"19\" id=\"next_links\"></a></td><td class=\"textMedBlackBold\" style=\"padding:10px;\" width=\"85%\">Pilates may help Parkinson\'s patients</td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td style=\"padding:0px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/16581853/\">How iPods, TV can affect your workout</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/16304554/\">How to get healthy in 4 hours a week</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/16209081/\">Maxed out! 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cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"20\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/j/msnbc/Test-Dev/donna/msnbc10/Launch%20images/tv_highlights.gif,standard.jpg\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></td><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#26386b\"></b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#FFF;\" bgcolor=\"#FFF\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\"><tr><td style=\"padding:5px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"/id/16583889/\"><font color=\"33527A\">Olbermann: The president who cried wolf</font></a></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"javascript:OCW(\'http://hardblogger.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/01/11/30328.aspx\', \'_blank\',\'resizable=yes,status=yes,scrollbars=yes,fullscreen=no,location=yes,menubar=yes,titlebar=yes,toolbar=yes,\');\"><font color=\"33527A\">Deconstructing Bush\'s speech</font></a></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"javascript:OCW(\'http://hardblogger.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/01/10/29301.aspx\', \'_blank\',\'resizable=yes,status=yes,scrollbars=yes,fullscreen=no,location=yes,menubar=yes,titlebar=yes,toolbar=yes,\');\"><font color=\"33527A\">Hardblogger; Back to you, al-Maliki</font></a></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"javascript:msnvDwd(\'00\',\'539c3715-b095-4309-92ec-aed1d0f0591b\',\'us\',\'Source_Scarborough_Country\',\'c1151\',\'msnbc\',\'\',\'16586937\',\'Justin, Cameron split?\')\"><font color=\"33527A\">Video: Cameron, Timberlake split?</font></a></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"/id/16596041/\"><font color=\"33527A\">Barry Bonds sells out teammate</font></a></td></tr><tr><td width=\"15\"></td><td width=\"405\"></td></tr></table></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></td></tr></table><script src=\"/js/std.js\"></script><div style=\"padding-bottom:20;\"><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#FFFFFF\">&nbsp;MESSAGE BOARDS</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#a4abc1\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-right:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-bottom:solid 1px 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href=\"/id/16584662/\">Terri and Bindi Irwin open up about their loss</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><a href=\"/id/16607683/\">Missouri families revel in safe return of sons</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><a href=\"/id/16563771/\">Did the Army block Israeli anti-RPG system?</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><a href=\"/id/16547339/\">Barbaro rallies strong after recent setback</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><b><a href=\"/id/7468311/\">Most viewed on MSNBC.com</a></b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr><td align=\"left\"><u>Most 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INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('376','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Female athletes who cut calories risk leg injury</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Too little fuel can drop estrogen and cause stress fractures</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>ST. LOUIS - Women athletes watching their waistlines could be more susceptible to leg pain and stress fractures, according to a small study.</p><p>A Saint Louis University study looked at 76 women college athletes playing NCAA Division I sports and found that abnormal and low-calorie eating habits could put them at greater risk for injury.</p><p>\"It causes people to miss practices and competitions, and I wanted to understand if two people were undergoing the same exercise regime, why only one of them would have leg pain,\" said Dr. Mark Reinking, a physical therapy expert who led the study.</p><p>\"We don\'t really know a lot about this in college and high school athletes,\" he said. The research was published in this month\'s American Journal of Sports Medicine.</p><p>The old-school prescription for sore legs - running less or wearing different shoes - doesn\'t really help alleviate the pain, Reinking said. Diet appears to be the single most important factor, he said.</p><p>The study found that women with \"disordered eating,\" including bulimia and anorexia, or those who take in too few calories because of dieting, experienced decreased estrogen production, a key factor in bone development, Reinking said.</p><p><b><strong>Drop in estrogen<br></strong></b>When people burn more calories than they consume, he explained, they release fewer hormones, which slows down menstrual cycles and decreases estrogen in the body.</p><p>\"This research is well understood in the medical community,\" said John O\'Kane, a sports medicine physician and associate professor at the University of Washington in Seattle. \"I think that there\'s been a lot of work by the NCAA and others to make people more aware of this, it used to be coaches would tell their female athletes, \'You know you are training hard enough when you stop having your period.\' Today, we understand that (no menstrual cycle) means a calorie deficiency and it can be dangerous.\"</p><p>Reinking collected survey data on eating behaviors from female soccer, field hockey and volleyball players, as well as cross-country runners. The data included years in school sports, menstrual history, bone mineral density, body-mass index, incidence of prior leg pain and flat feet.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/14719468/\">The Fit List: Tips from top trainers</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/3035466/\">Smart Fitness: Get savvy advice</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>Three-quarters of those athletes in the study had leg pain in the past, especially the cross-country runners, according to the research. Twenty-six percent experienced leg pain during the season, and all of them had had leg pain previously.</p><p>The women who developed stress fractures also had more abnormal eating habits.</p><p><b><strong>Female Athlete Triad<br></strong></b>Reinking said the so-called \"Female Athlete Triad\" is what led him to do the research. Well-known in sports medicine, the triad is three interrelated health problems seen in female athletes that include low energy, menstrual disorders and weak bones. At its worst, it involves eating disorders, absence of periods and osteoporosis.</p><p>His study comes after the American College of Sports Medicine this summer urged coaches and women athletes to better understand the health challenges they face, especially the Female Athlete Triad.</p><p>Reinking called the study one of only a few of its kind to quantify the condition and the risk factors in college students. He said a similar study in 1994 tracked stress fractures in college athletes and found they were more common in women than men.</p><p>\"From my experiences, this makes perfect sense. All the talk used to be (only) about eating disorders,\" said Amy Tush, coach for Northwestern University\'s women\'s cross-country team in Evanston, Ill.</p><p>Tush said many athletes get bad advice on the Internet or elsewhere about how many calories to consume and what to eat.</p><p>\"It\'s really common in our sport,\" she said. \"Our kids just don\'t always know the best way to fuel their bodies.\"</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i>Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</i></div><br><table width=\"100%\" style=\"background-color:#ffffee\" cellPadding=\"2\" cellSpacing=\"0\"><tr><td width=\"50%\"><font size=\"1\"><img src=\"/images/msnbc/print02.gif\" width=\"25\" height=\"20\" align=\"absmiddle\"> <a href=\"javascript:printThis(\'15001556\')\" class=\"linkBlack\">Print this</a></font></td><td><font size=\"1\"><img src=\"/images/msnbc/email02.gif\" width=\"25\" height=\"20\" align=\"absmiddle\"> <a href=\"javascript:emThis(\'15001556\')\" class=\"linkBlack\">Email this</a></font></td></tr></table></td><td width=\"10\"></td></tr></table><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#ffffff\">&nbsp;MORE FROM FITNESS</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"1\" style=\"border:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\"><tr valign=\"bottom\"><td style=\"padding:10px;\" width=\"15%\"><a onmouseover=\"swapImage(\'next_links\',\'/images/buttons/next/buttonNextOver.gif\')\" onmouseout=\"swapImage(\'next_links\',\'/images/buttons/next/buttonNext.gif\')\" onmousedown=\"swapImage(\'next_links\',\'/images/buttons/next/buttonNextDown.gif\')\" href=\"/id/16158399/\"><img src=\"/images/buttons/next/buttonNext.gif\" border=\"0\" width=\"53\" height=\"19\" id=\"next_links\"></a></td><td class=\"textMedBlackBold\" style=\"padding:10px;\" width=\"85%\">Hormones?ut of whack for obese people</td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td style=\"padding:0px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/16581853/\">How iPods, TV can affect your workout</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/16304554/\">How to get healthy in 4 hours a week</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td width=\"20\"></td><td><font class=\"bulletRedSmall\">. </font><font class=\"headlineList2\"><a class=\"linkBlack\" href=\"/id/16209081/\">Maxed out! 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INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('377','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Review of four great, but fussy running gadgets</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Reporter tests devices that track distance, pace and heart rate</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/060927/060927_running_gadgets_vmed7p.vmedium.jpg\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" alt=\"IMAGE: Times Bodylink\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font size=\"-2\">Mark Lennihan / AP</font><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"-1\">The Timex Bodylink Trail Runner System comes with a GPS transceiver worn on the upper arm?nd a watch that receives data.</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><div class=\"textMedBlackBold\" style=\"padding-top:10px;\">By By ANICK JESDANUN </div><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>BURLINGTON, Vt. - Thirty minutes until the start of the Vermont City Marathon, and I still couldn\'t activate one of my gadgets for tracking speed and distance. Fifteen minutes. Five. And the starting horn went off. I gave up fiddling to focus on my race.</p><p>It usually works great for tracking my progress, but that May morning, the Bones in Motion fitness service running on a Sprint phone wouldn\'t synch with the Global Positioning System satellites. Other devices from Timex Corp. and Garmin Ltd. worked fine that day, but they proved to be just as fussy during other races or training.</p><p>Because I often train in New York, where buildings can distort GPS signals and one gadget even placed me floating on the East River, I got excited when Nike Inc. and Apple Computer Inc. later unveiled a GPS-less system. Alas, their Nike/iPod Sport Kit gave me grief as well, but more on that later.</p><p>I tried to compare three GPS running gadgets that marathon morning in Vermont. Each picks up a GPS signal, which the device uses to calculate pace and distance. You can transfer data to a computer or Web site later to analyze your workouts and even overlay some on Google Inc. maps.</p><p><b><strong>Timex Bodylink<br></strong></b>The Timex Bodylink system comes with a GPS transceiver worn around the upper arm and a special watch that receives the data wirelessly and makes sense of them. All models display your choice of current or average pace and the distance, in miles or kilometers. Unlike one I tested in late 2003, recent models show altitude, too, although they\'re far from accurate.</p><p>The basic Timex system costs $275 and includes a heart rate monitor. For $25 more you get altitude. Timex\'s $350 Trail Runner package also has navigation - not street directions, but an icon pointing toward the start or another \"waypoint\" you preset. A separate $75 unit can record the data for analysis on your computer.</p><p>The Bodylink helped me through Vermont. By keeping tabs on average pace, I could gauge whether I was speeding up or slowing down more than I should.</p><p>As the race progressed, though, the system gradually overestimated my mileage, no doubt partly from weaving to grab water. It had me running 26.82 miles, six-tenths of a mile off.</p><p><b><strong>Garmin\'s Forerunner<br></strong></b>Garmin\'s Forerunner 305 gadget came closer: 26.47.</p><p>The 305 is smaller than the 201 model I tested in early 2004. It\'s supposed to be better than the 201 at picking up GPS signals, though it was generally slowest of the three tested. Garmin now has a heart rate monitor - the 205 model without it sells for $100 less, at $250.</p><p>Worn like an enlarged watch, Garmin\'s all-in-one device comes with free software to analyze data and works with Garmin\'s MotionBased online service, which costs $12 a month to view more than your most recent 10 runs.</p><p>Forerunner matches Bodylink in basic features and accuracy, and it bests the Timex system as a training buddy. Try to keep up with a Virtual Partner at a specified pace; add speed training by alternating between periods of intensity and rest.</p><p>Navigation is also better. The Forerunner automatically remembers your starting point and can give you the path back - not the shortest point across a pond, as Bodylink sometimes does.</p><p>That said, the input buttons are clunky, and more importantly, the Forerunner tends to have the most GPS troubles, especially in New York.</p><p><b><strong>Bones in Motion<br></strong></b>The Bones in Motion service on Sprint usually is the first to get a signal, even indoors, but it also tends to overestimate distances and is less convenient - you can\'t wear a phone around your wrist. It offers no manual split feature for recording separate laps and displays average pace only, not current pace when you vary your speed.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/14719468/\">Convert your home into an indoor gym</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/15001556/\">Females athletes who cut calories risk leg injuries</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/14483512/\">Bye BMI? Tape measure better indicator for fitness</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>Despite a lower startup cost - $10 a month on certain Sprint, Nextel and Verizon phones, plus data plans for Sprint and Nextel - the charges add up. I\'d rather pay up front, particularly for a gadget that offers more.</p><p>The Timex and Garmin systems are both light and comfortable, and both have options for automatically stopping the clock at intersections or water fountains. It\'s a close call, but Timex gets my vote for city running, even though Garmin can do much more - it can even display sunset time based on your GPS position. 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cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"20\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/j/msnbc/Test-Dev/donna/msnbc10/Launch%20images/tv_highlights.gif,standard.jpg\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></td><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#26386b\"></b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#FFF;\" bgcolor=\"#FFF\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\"><tr><td style=\"padding:5px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><table><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"/id/16583889/\"><font color=\"33527A\">Olbermann: The president who cried wolf</font></a></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"javascript:OCW(\'http://hardblogger.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/01/11/30328.aspx\', \'_blank\',\'resizable=yes,status=yes,scrollbars=yes,fullscreen=no,location=yes,menubar=yes,titlebar=yes,toolbar=yes,\');\"><font color=\"33527A\">Deconstructing Bush\'s speech</font></a></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"javascript:OCW(\'http://hardblogger.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/01/10/29301.aspx\', \'_blank\',\'resizable=yes,status=yes,scrollbars=yes,fullscreen=no,location=yes,menubar=yes,titlebar=yes,toolbar=yes,\');\"><font color=\"33527A\">Hardblogger; Back to you, al-Maliki</font></a></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"javascript:msnvDwd(\'00\',\'539c3715-b095-4309-92ec-aed1d0f0591b\',\'us\',\'Source_Scarborough_Country\',\'c1151\',\'msnbc\',\'\',\'16586937\',\'Justin, Cameron split?\')\"><font color=\"33527A\">Video: Cameron, Timberlake split?</font></a></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><a href=\"/id/16596041/\"><font color=\"33527A\">Barry Bonds sells out teammate</font></a></td></tr><tr><td width=\"15\"></td><td width=\"405\"></td></tr></table></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></td></tr></table><script src=\"/js/std.js\"></script><div style=\"padding-bottom:20;\"><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#FFFFFF\">&nbsp;MESSAGE BOARDS</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#a4abc1\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-right:solid 1px #a4abc1;border-bottom:solid 1px 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href=\"/id/16584662/\">Terri and Bindi Irwin open up about their loss</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><a href=\"/id/16607683/\">Missouri families revel in safe return of sons</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><a href=\"/id/16563771/\">Did the Army block Israeli anti-RPG system?</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><a href=\"/id/16547339/\">Barbaro rallies strong after recent setback</a></font></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font></td><td><font color=\"black\"><b><a href=\"/id/7468311/\">Most viewed on MSNBC.com</a></b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr><td align=\"left\"><u>Most 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INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('378','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Safer gear slashes high-school sports injuries</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Rates have been cut in half over the past decade, study finds</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>ATLANTA - High school sports injury rates in the United States have dropped by more than half in the past decade, probably because of better equipment and other advances, researchers reported Thursday.</p><p>In all nine major sports examined except volleyball, injury rates were at least two times higher in the mid-1990s than they were during the 2005-06 school year, said Dawn Comstock, a researcher at Columbus Children\'s Hospital in Ohio and lead author of the study.</p><p>\"Too often it\'s believed sports injuries are unavoidable. We know that\'s not true,\" she said.</p><p>The study was released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</p><p>The previous study to compare national high school injury rates for different sports was published in 1999. It looked at 1995-97 injury rates for 10 sports at more than 200 high schools.</p><p>Comstock\'s group looked at injury rates for nine sports at 100 high schools in 2005-06 academic year. The sports studied were football; wrestling, boys\' and girls\' soccer; boys\' and girls\' basketball; girls\' volleyball; boys\' baseball; and girls\' softball.</p><p>Nationally, about 4.2 million high school students participated in those sports during the academic year studied, and an estimated 1.4 million injuries occurred among them.</p><p>Football easily had the highest injury rate, according to both the 1999 study and the one by Comstock.</p><p>In the Comstock study, the overall football injury rate was 4.36 per 1,000, meaning a high school football player who participates in 1,000 games and practices can expect 4.36 injuries. A girls\' softball player, in contrast, can expect 1.13.</p><p>In the 1999 study, the football injury rate was 8.1 and the girls\' softball rate 3.5.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"1%\"><tr><td><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Art/HEALTH/060928/AP_SPORTS_INJURIES.gif\" align=\"Right\" height=\"307\" width=\"333\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></td></tr></table></p><p>Comstock\'s group defined an injury as a problem that required medical attention and restricted an athlete\'s participation in sports at least one day beyond the day the player got hurt. In the 1999 study, injuries that did not keep an athlete off the field were not included.</p><p>Comstock said that might explain some of the reported drop-off in injuries. But she said she believes the rates still would have dropped by half if injuries had been defined the same way in the two studies.</p><p>Much of the decline probably stems from rule changes, better safety gear and improvements in injury diagnosis and treatment, Comstock and others said.</p><p>The diagnosis of concussion, for example, has improved, thanks to scientific advances. Rule changes increasing water breaks have decreased heat-related illness. Eye protection in stick sports, like lacrosse, have reduced eyes serious injuries.</p><p>Both studies gathered data only from schools with certified athletic trainers, who have medical training. An estimated 42 percent of U.S. high schools have certified trainers, and they are more common in schools with more money to spend.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for more health news</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/15038135/\">Finger length points to athletic ability</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/15051947/\">Most uninsured kids have at least one working parent</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>Poorer schools may also have worse field conditions and equipment, and they probably have higher injury rates, said Steve Marshall, a sports injury epidemiologist at the University of North Carolina.</p><p>Marshall praised the Comstock study and said it will probably become a new standard reference for high school sports injury rates.</p><p>For all sports, injury rates were significantly higher in games than in practices, presumably because of the speed and intensity in games.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('379','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Adding a few pounds between pregnancies risky</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Just 7 extra pounds increases hazards for mom and baby, large study finds</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>LONDON - Women who gain as little as 7 pounds between pregnancies can put themselves and their babies at medical risk, even if they don\'t become overweight, suggests a provocative study of thousands of women.</p><p>Researchers found that gaining weight during that interval - not during the pregnancy itself - raised the risk of such complications as diabetes and high blood pressure during the second pregnancy, and even stillbirth.</p><p>Pregnant women with diabetes or high blood pressure are at risk of convulsions or organ damage, which in severe cases, can be fatal.</p><p>The results provide new evidence that overweight or obese women who plan to become pregnant should lose weight, and that women with healthy weights should avoid packing on pounds before pregnancy, the researchers said.</p><p>The work was reported Thursday in the British medical journal, The Lancet, by Drs. Eduardo Villamor of the Harvard School of Public Health and Sven Cnattingius of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. They examined records of more than 150,000 Swedish women who delivered two children between 1992 and 2001.</p><p>The researchers focused on body-mass index, or BMI, a calculation from a person\'s height and weight. They examined the difference between the women\'s BMI at the beginning of two consecutive pregnancies. And they examined the likelihood of complications such as high blood pressure, diabetes, the probability of a Caesarean delivery, and stillbirth in the second pregnancy.</p><p><b><strong>Even applies to healthy BMIs<br></strong></b>One striking finding was that the risk of complications rose even in women who did not end up overweight, Villamor said Thursday.</p><p>For instance, the authors offered the example of a 5-foot-5 woman who weighs 139 pounds before her first pregnancy. That would give her a healthy BMI of 23.</p><p>If she gained just 7 pounds before her second pregnancy, she\'d move her BMI up a notch to 24, still considered healthy. But the new study suggests she would also raise her risk of becoming diabetic during the second pregnancy by about 30 percent.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"120\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"20\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><img src=\"/images/icons/interactive.gif\" width=\"20\" height=\"14\"></td><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#7788aa\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#ffffff\">INTERACTIVE</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"1\" style=\"border:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#eeeeee;background-image:url(\'/images/backgrounds/component_grey.gif\');\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#cccccc\" background=\"/images/backgrounds/component_dkgrey.gif\" width=\"100%\"><tr valign=\"top\"><td align=\"middle\"><a href=\"/id/8487269/\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Art/HEALTH/040112/TZ152_CalculateDueDate.jpg\" height=\"110\" width=\"150\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" alt=\"Calculating your due date\"></a></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td align=\"middle\"><div class=\"scalAd\"><input type=\"button\" class=\"mbox w77\" value=\"Launch\" title=\"Launch\" onmouseover=\"swapbtn(this, 1)\" onmouseout=\"swapbtn(this, 0)\" onclick=\"javascript:window.location.replace(\'/id/8487269/\');\"></div></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td style=\"padding:10px;\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font color=\"551E1B\">?/font><font class=\"textMedBlackBold\"><a href=\"/id/8487269/\">Calculate your due date</a></font><br></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></table></td></tr></table>If she gained 13 pounds, raising her BMI by 2 units and making her overweight, her diabetes risk would double.</p><p>\"Those are staggering numbers,\" said Dr. Daniel Herron, associate professor of surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, who was not connected to the study.</p><p>\"There\'s long been a perception that being morbidly obese is associated with diabetes, but we may now be seeing this with relatively small weight increases too,\" he said. \"That\'s news.\"</p><p>Overall, the new study says gaining 1 or 2 BMI units increases the risk of diabetes and high blood pressure during pregnancy by up to 40 percent. Gaining 3 or more units raised the risk of a stillbirth by 63 percent.</p><p><b><strong>Provocative results<br></strong></b>\"The results from this study are definitely provocative,\" said Dr. Mario Merialdi, a reproductive health specialist at the World Health Organization, who had no ties to the study.</p><p>\"It is the first study to lend support to a causal relationship between obesity and adverse outcomes,\" he said, adding that while previous studies have been suggestive, none has provided the necessary evidence to show a link.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><p><a href=\"http://boards.msn.com/MSNBCboards/board.aspx?BoardID=759\">Pregnancy Message Board: Are you concerned about between-pregnancy weight gain?</a></p></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>Villamor said he believed the Swedish study would apply to other, more diverse populations, although he said it\'s important to confirm that.</p><p>Herron agreed: \"I think that it does hold a lot of importance for American women as well.\"</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"1%\"><tr><td><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Art/HEALTH/060928/AP_PREGNANT_WEIGHT.gif\" align=\"Right\" height=\"600\" width=\"332\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"></td></tr></table></p><p>In an accompanying commentary in The Lancet, Aaron Caughey of the University of California in San Francisco, writes that \"as with any groundbreaking study, these findings raise several questions that cannot be answered by the data alone.\" One of the study\'s limitations is that it could not address the reasons for weight gain, which may in turn be associated with some of the identified health problems.</p><p>Breastfeeding practices, Caughey suggests, might explain why some women gained weight between pregnancies and others didn\'t. Women who breastfeed typically lose more weight than those who don\'t.</p><p>Addressing this issue could allow doctors to spot women at risk of becoming obese between pregnancies. Further studies, including those with weight-loss interventions, experts say, are necessary to confirm a definitive link between obesity and pregnancy complications.</p><p>But Herron said women should not wait for later research before changing their behavior between pregnancies.</p><p>\"For anyone who\'s ever thought that gaining or losing 7 pounds didn\'t make a difference, this should make them think twice,\" he said.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('380','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Magazine names top 25 \'fittest\' colleges</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Pennsylvania liberal arts school cited for physical education requirements</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>CARLISLE, Pa. - As a member of Dickinson College\'s volleyball team, Cara Scaduto gets plenty of exercise, but she still has to take physical education courses in order to graduate.</p><p>\"It\'s a very important thing for everyone to have their heart healthy and your body in shape,\" said Scaduto, 21, as she sat on an exercise machine Monday in the campus fitness center.</p><p>Dickinson\'s commitment to health has given the 2,300-student liberal arts college in south-central Pennsylvania a new distinction: fittest college campus.</p><p>Citing the school\'s physical education requirement, its recreation center amenities, and range of healthy choices in its dining halls, Men\'s Fitness magazine put Dickinson on top in a ranking of the nation\'s \"fittest colleges.\"</p><p>The second annual survey of nearly 12,500 students at 115 colleges and universities will be published in the magazine\'s October issue, which hits newsstands this week.</p><p>Men\'s Fitness put the top 25 schools - which also include Colgate University, Boston College and the University of Vermont - on its \"fit list.\" Last year\'s fittest was Brigham Young University.</p><p>The rankings are based on student responses to questions about their diet and exercise habits and about the availability of fast food, nutritionists and fitness trainers on campus, editor-in-chief Neal Boulton said.</p><p>\"It\'s a commonsense study,\" Boulton said. \"We take a look at the kinds of foods offered in college cafeterias ... is there information available to students to encourage good eating and nutrition, and perhaps fitness advice?\"</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><ul><li><a href=\"/id/15113599/\">The top 25 \'fittest\' colleges</a></li><li><a href=\"/id/14483512/\">BMI not the best way to measure fitness</a></li></ul></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>At the same time, the top schools offer a range of nutrition and exercise choices, rather than forcing students to adhere to a strict regimen, Boulton said.</p><p>\"They provide a very balanced lifestyle within which anyone could exist, whether they\'re kind of cheating a little or in a fitness mode,\" Boulton said.</p><p>The magazine also placed eight other schools deemed underachievers on \"academic probation\": California State University-Long Beach, Carnegie Mellon University, Eastern Michigan University, Flagler College, Seton Hall University, University of Michigan-Flint, University of Missouri-Rolla, and University of New Orleans.</p><p>April Vari, Dickinson\'s dean of students, said promoting physical fitness and wellness for both students and employees is just as important to the college as providing a well-rounded liberal arts education.</p><p>\"One of the things that makes Dickinson distinctive is how broadly we interpret fitness and wellness throughout the campus,\" Vari said. \"I think there\'s something for everybody.\"</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</em></i></div><br>');
INSERT INTO `dede_addonarticle` VALUES('381','2','<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\"><tr><td width=\"10\"></td><td width=\"98%\"><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"98%\" valign=\"top\"><tr><td><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><font size=\"+2\" color=\"551E1B\">Should young athletes get heart tests?</font><br><spacer type=\"block\" height=\"10\" width=\"1\"></spacer><br><b>Screening program saves lives, Italian study finds</b><br></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"></td></tr></table><font size=\"-2\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif\" height=\"20\" width=\"140\" vspace=\"0\" hspace=\"0\"><p></p></font><p>CHICAGO - Testing athletes\' hearts dramatically lowered the rate of sports-related sudden cardiac deaths in Italy, a study suggests, but experts said it was not clear such an effort would have as big a payoff in the United States.</p><p>There are roughly two dozen sports-related deaths of high school and college students from sudden cardiac arrest in the United States each year. Only a handful of schools require electrocardiogram, or EKG, screening.</p><p>Since 1982, Italy has required all athletes to get EKGs for hidden heart problems before playing competitive sports, and about 2 percent are disqualified because of heart problems.</p><p>Researchers from the University of Padua Medical School analyzed trends in sudden deaths from heart problems before and after the program began. They looked at both athletes and non-athletes, ages 12 to 35, in the Veneto region of northeastern Italy between 1979 and 2004.</p><p>They found that, among athletes, the rate of sudden deaths fell by 89 percent over the 25 year-period. The rate among non-athletes did not change.</p><p>Dr. Barry Maron, an expert on heart problems in athletes at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, praised the research, which appears in Wednesday\'s Journal of the American Medical Association.</p><p>\"This is an important paper,\" Maron said. \"The findings show for the first time that pre-participation screening of young athletes is effective, not only in recognizing otherwise unsuspected heart disease, but also because that recognition actually reduces the risk of sudden cardiac death during sports.\"</p><p>Maron said it would be difficult and unlikely for the United States to gear up for a similar program to screen what he estimated would be 10 million people a year.</p><p>Each year in the United States, there are 20 to 25 sudden cardiac deaths among high school and college athletes, according to data collected by the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research.</p><p>A few U.S. universities now run screening programs that include EKGs, said Ron Courson, director of sports medicine at the University of Georgia, which has done the tests on would-be athletes for the past 12 years.</p><p><table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"460\"><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\" border=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr height=\"20\"><td width=\"98%\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><font size=\"-1\"><b color=\"#666666\">&nbsp;Click for related content</b></font></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#cccccc\" border=\"0\" style=\"border-top:solid 1px #cccccc;border-bottom:solid 1px #cccccc;background-color:#ffffff;\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><tr><td><table cellspacing=\"0\" border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"headlineList2\"><tr></tr></table></td></tr><tr valign=\"top\"><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\"><tr><td style=\"padding:8px;\"><font class=\"bigRedLink\"><p><a href=\"/id/14402439/\">Bad youth coaches who should hit the bench</a></p></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><table width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"\" bordercolor=\"\" border=\"0\" style=\"background-color:#eeeeee;\" bgcolor=\"#eeeeee\"><tr><td style=\"\"><font class=\"textSmall\" color=\"#000000\"></font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></p><p>During that time, only one athlete has been disqualified because of detected heart problems, although about 10 to 12 students are found to have minor problems. They are treated and allowed to play, Courson said. The testing costs about $20,000 a year, he said.</p><p>\"In the U.S., the leading cause of death in athletic systems is cardiac arrests,\" he said, applauding the Italian study. \"The more data we have on this, the better equipped we are to make a decision.\"</p><p>An accompanying editorial raised questions about the study, noting that the sudden cardiac death rate before Italy\'s screening program was high compared to rates found in other studies. And the lowest annual death rate achieved after screening was similar to the U.S. rate for high school and college athletes from 1983-93.</p><p>The editorial also noted that different heart conditions are the most frequent cause of exercise-related sudden death in the two countries.</p><p>\"I think we have to be very cautious,\" said editorial co-author Dr. Paul Thompson of the University of Connecticut. \"You can actually cause problems by screening. There are a lot of abnormalities out there that, if left alone, won\'t actually do harm, and screening could lead to people getting procedures done that aren\'t necessary.\"</p><p>He added: \"There\'s a large medical-industrial complex willing to embrace screening, and they just happen to sell the tools used for screening.\"</p><p>Drs. Gaetano Thiene and Domenico Corrado, co-authors of the Italian study, said their country\'s higher mortality rates can be explained by the older age and higher proportion of men compared to the U.S. athletes.</p><div class=\"textBodyBlack\" style=\"clear:both;\"><i><em>?2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</em></i></div><br>');
