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9 Amazing Facts About Dreams
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Pre-Viking tunic found by glacier as warming aids archaeology
A pre-Viking woolen tunic found beside a thawing glacier in south Norway shows how global warming is proving something of a boon for archaeology, scientists said on Thursday.
The greenish-brown, loose-fitting outer clothing - suitable for a person up to about 176 cms (5 ft 9 inches) tall - was found 2,000 meters (6,560 ft) above sea level on what may have been a Roman-era trade route in south Norway.Carbon dating showed it was made around 300 AD.
"It's worrying that glaciers are melting but it's exciting for us archaeologists," Lars Piloe, a Danish archaeologist who works on Norway's glaciers, said at the first public showing of the tunic, which has been studied since it was found in 2011.
A Viking mitten dating from 800 AD and an ornate walking stick, a Bronze age leather shoe, ancient bows, and arrow heads used to hunt reindeer are also among 1,600 finds in Norway's southern mountains since thaws accelerated in 2006.
"This is only the start," Piloe said, predicting many more finds.One ancient wooden arrow had a tiny shard from a seashell as a sharp tip in an intricate bit of craftsmanship.
RECEDING GLACIERS
The 1991 discovery of Otzi, a prehistoric man who roamed the Alps 5,300 years ago between Austria and Italy, is the best known glacier find. In recent years, other finds have been made from Alaska to the Andes, many because glaciers are receding.
The shrinkage is blamed on climate change, stoked by man-made emissions of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels.
The archaeologists said the tunic showed that Norway's Lendbreen glacier, where it was found, had not been so small since 300 AD. When exposed to air, untreated ancient fabrics can disintegrate in weeks because of insect and bacteria attacks.
"The tunic was well used - it was repaired several times," said Marianne Vedeler, a conservation expert at Norway's Museum of Cultural History.
The tunic is made of lamb's wool with a diamond pattern that had darkened with time. Only a handful of similar tunics have survived so long in Europe.
The warming climate is have an impact elsewhere.
Patrick Hunt, a Stanford University expert who is trying to find the forgotten route that Hannibal took over the Alps with elephants in a failed invasion of Italy in 218 BC, said the Alps were unusually clear of snow at 2,500 meters last summer.
Receding snows are making searching easier.
"I favor the Clapier-Savine Coche route (over the Alps) after having been on foot over at least 25 passes including all the other major candidates," he told Reuters by e-mail.
The experts in Oslo said one puzzle was why anyone would take off a warm tunic by a glacier.
One possibility was that the owner was suffering from cold in a snowstorm and grew confused with hypothermia, which sometimes makes suffers take off clothing because they wrongly feel hot.
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US-Hating Frenchman Accused of Impersonating Pilot
Police in Philadelphia have arrested a French national after he allegedly impersonated a pilot on a US Airways flight bound for Florida.
After having his request to be upgraded to business class denied, he angrily remarked, "I hate Americans," but boarded the flight in coach class, police say.
Shortly thereafter, Jernnard was allegedly discovered by a flight attendant and the co-pilot in the cockpit sitting in the jump seat located directly behind the pilot's seat. He apparently was able to gain access to the cockpit by dressing as an Air France pilot.
"He was wearing a white button-down shirt, which had and Air France logo about the chest area," Walker said.
But flight staff was suspicious, and when Jernnard was unable to present acceptable identification, the flight attendant and co-pilot asked him to return to the cabin. The police were called and arrested Jernnard upon arrival, finding fake crew credentials and some Air France decals in his bags.
"The flight was never in danger of taking off," Walker said. "The FBI is looking into the case with the U.S. Attorney. We are trying to make a determination as to the motivation of the gentleman," he said.
For its part, Air France said the impersonator's ID badge was a shoddy forgery.
"This person was not wearing an Air France uniform or badge (Crew Member Certificate)," according to a statement from Air France." "Regarding the badge, it was a very bad fake badge, which in no way resembled the Air France Crew Member Certificate (CMC)."
Jernnard is charged with forgery, criminal trespassing, making false identification to law enforcement, false impression. He has been arraigned and is being held on $1 million bail.
It's unclear whether he has entered a plea.
Jernnard's next scheduled court appearance is April 5 in Philadelphia. If the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office decide to bring federal charges against him, he could appear in federal court today.
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In pictures: President Barack Obama's final day in Israel and the West Bank (14pics)
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Emails should be protected like regular mail, California senator says
If law enforcement wanted to read your letters or other paper correspondence, they have to get a warrant. But in this age of technology, you don't have the same protections. If your email has already been opened or is more than 6 months old, law enforcement and other government agencies can read them.
"The courts have said that the laws are very confusing and have permitted the government to search your emails held by providers without a warrant," said Francisco Loboco with the American Civil Liberties Union.
While government investigators generally look at email for evidence of criminal activity, that's not always the case. Email privacy became a national debate after CIA Director David Petraeus resigned over an extramarital affair. Privacy groups asked if the CIA can't keep the FBI from reading Petraeus' private email, what protections do ordinary people have?
State Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) wants to clearly define the line in California. Electronic communications should be no different than paper communications: They're all private.
"All we're saying is you need to go to court, make the case that there is a reasonable cause to believe that some illegal activity is ongoing," said Leno.
Drafted with the help of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Leno proposal would require state and local government agents to get a warrant before asking email service providers, such as Google and Yahoo, to hand over your emails.
The companies would then have to tell you they did. Some providers already require a warrant, but not all. This wouldn't apply to the federal government. No formal opposition yet, but in the past, law enforcement had concerns the warrant process could slow down investigations.
Leno last year tried to stop police from being able to read emails and text messages from your cellphone or smartphone upon your arrest. But Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed that bill. It's unclear what he would do with this proposal.
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More people have access to cellphones than toilets
A new United Nations study has found that more people around the world have access to a cellphone than to a working toilet.
The study’s numbers claim that of the world’s estimated 7 billion people, 6 billion have access to mobile phones. However, only 4.5 billion have access to a toilet.
At a press conference announcing the report, U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson announced the organization is launching an effort to halve the number of those without access by the end of 2015.
“Let’s face it—this is a problem that people do not like to talk about. But it goes to the heart of ensuring good health, a clean environment and fundamental human dignity for billions of people,” Eliasson said at the press conference.
In August 2012, the Bill Gates Foundation began its own effort to “reinvent the toilet” as a way to help curb the number of people around the world without access to sanitary waste disposal.
Interestingly, the report states that India alone is responsible for 60 percent of the world’s population that does not use a toilet, an estimated 626 million individuals. Yet, at the same time, there are an estimated 1 billion cellphones in India.
Conversely, in the world’s most highly populated country, China, only 14 million people do not have access to a toilet. However, there are also fewer cellphones in China, 986 million.
Driving the point home, more than 750,000 people die each year from diarrhea and one of its primary causes is from unsanitary conditions created in communities without access to toilets.
And there are other benefits of installing more modern sanitation options that don’t immediately come to mind.
“This can also improve the safety of women and girls, who are often targeted when they are alone outdoors,” said Martin Mogwanja, deputy executive director of the U.N. Children’s Fund. “And providing safe and private toilets may also help girls to stay in school, which we know can increase their future earnings and help break the cycle of poverty.”
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A soldier in Afghanistan saves a wounded cat from the battlefield and nurses him back to health.The soldier soon realizes that the bit of compassion and love that cat showed him is what it took to stay strong
Sgt. Jesse Knott met the stray cat while in one of the roughest, most dangerous places on earth. He was stationed at an Army base in southern Afghanistan when he noticed the feline roaming around the rugged base.
He was a handsome cat, but had open wounds – deep cuts and blood.
“I remember he came limping out from one of the barriers. We had these giant concrete barriers to protect us from mortar attacks,” Knott said. “I saw a blood trail behind him as he was limping.”
Knott suspected the cat was abused by people in the area so one day he snuck the animal into his office on the base and locked the door.
He managed to lure the animal with a piece of steak. Knott also gave the cat a name – Koshka, which is Russian for cat.
For seven months Knott cared for Koshka, fed him and nursed him back to health.
Knott is currently stationed at Joint Base Lewis McChord near Seattle, but spoke to KATU today via FaceTime.
“(Koshka) gave a lot of love back to me. He was the thing that got me through some of my darkest times on that deployment,” Knott said. “When two of my friends were killed in a suicide attack I lost all hope. It was my darkest time and he’s what got me through it. Just the bit of compassion and love that cat showed me is what it took to remind me to stay strong.”
When Knott’s deployment ended and he left Afghanistan, he knew he couldn’t leave Koshka behind. He worked with a non-profit in Kabul to help get the necessary permission to bring a cat back to the states.
His parents then ponied up $3,000 for a flight to bring the cat to Oregon City. Koshka lives with Knott’s parents until he is discharged from Fort Lewis.
“I miss him so much. I think about him all the time,” Knott said.
Technically cats aren’t allowed on Army bases, but in Afghanistan Knott’s commanders made an exception when they saw how both the cat and soldier helped each other.
“It means more than I could tell you,” Knott said. “That cat saved my life.”
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New York City Cop Testifies That He Was Told To Target Young Black Men
As hearings are under way to investigate New York City’s stop and frisk policy, one police officer is testifying that he was told by superiors to target young black men between the ages of 14 and 21.
Stop and frisk is a method of searching people in which a cop is able to stop someone he or she suspects of a crime, and is able to frisk that individual if they feel that there is some justification. New York City policy made 685,724 stops as part of the policy in 2011 alone. In total, they have made over 5 million stops, and 85 percent of those stopped were black or Latino.
Officer Pedro Serrano, in court to testify yesterday, played a covert recording he’d obtained of an interraction with his superior where he was told the race of people to target, though not that he should stop everyone of that race:
Stop “the right people, the right time, the right location,” Deputy Inspector Christopher McCormack is heard saying on the recording.“He meant blacks and Hispanics,” Officer Pedro Serrano, who made the secret recording, testified Thursday in Manhattan federal court.“So what am I supposed to do: Stop every black and Hispanic?” Serrano was heard saying on the tape, which was recorded last month at the 40th Precinct in the Bronx.[...]“I have no problem telling you this,” the inspector said on the tape. “Male blacks. And I told you at roll call, and I have no problem [to] tell you this, male blacks 14 to 21.”During cross examination, City lawyer Brenda Cooke got Serrano to admit that McCormack never said he wanted Serrano to stop all blacks and Hispanics.“Those specific words, no,” he told her.
The news about targeting black men tracks with yesterday’s revelations that the NYPD set quotas for arrests. It also explains the fact that, in 2011, NYPD made more stops of young black men than there actually are young black men in the city.
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IRS apologizes for $60,000 spoof Star Trek video for training conference
Nobody's going to win an Emmy for a parody of the TV show "Star Trek" filmed by Internal Revenue Service employees at an agency studio in Maryland.
Instead, the IRS got a rebuke from Congress for wasting taxpayer dollars.
The agency says the video, along with a training video that parodied the TV show "Gilligan's Island," cost about $60,000. The "Star Trek" video accounted for most of the money, the agency said.
The IRS said Friday it was a mistake for employees to make the six-minute video. It was shown at the opening of a 2010 training and leadership conference but does not appear to have any training value.
The video features an elaborate set depicting the control room, or bridge, of the spaceship featured in the hit TV show. IRS workers portray the characters, including one who plays Mr. Spock, complete with fake hair and pointed ears.
The production value is high even though the acting is what one might expect from a bunch of tax collectors. In the video, the spaceship is approaching the planet "Notax," where alien identity theft appears to be a problem.
"The IRS recognizes and takes seriously our obligation to be good stewards of government resources and taxpayer dollars," the agency said in a statement. "There is no mistaking that this video did not reflect the best stewardship of resources."
The agency said it has tightened controls over the use of its production equipment to "ensure that all IRS videos are handled in a judicious manner that makes wise use of taxpayer funds while ensuring a tone and theme appropriate for the nation's tax system."![]()
The agency also said, "A video of this type would not be made today."
The video was released late in the day Friday after investigators from the House Ways and Means Committee requested it.
"There is nothing more infuriating to a taxpayer than to find out the government is using their hard-earned dollars in a way that is frivolous," said Rep. Charles Boustany, R-La., chairman of the Ways and Means oversight subcommittee. "The IRS admitted as much when it disclosed that it no longer produces such videos."
The film was made at an IRS studio in New Carrollton, Md., a suburb of Washington. The agency said it uses the studio to make training films and informational videos for taxpayers.
"The use of video training and video outreach through the in-house studio has become increasingly important to the IRS to reach both taxpayers and employees," the agency said. "In the current budget environment, using video for training purposes helps us save millions of dollars and is an important part of successful IRS cost-efficiency efforts."![]()
IRS YouTube videos have been viewed more than 5 million times, the agency said. A video on the IRS website called "When Will I Get My Refund?" has been seen 950,000 times this filing season.
The disclosure of the "Star Trek" video comes as agencies throughout the federal government face automatic spending cuts, including employee furloughs at many of them.
Acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller has told employees they could be furloughed five to seven days this summer. The furloughs, however, will be delayed until after tax filing season so refunds should not be affected.![]()
The agency said the "Star Trek" video "was a well-intentioned, light-hearted introduction to an important conference during a difficult period for the IRS."
Congressional investigators initially sought both the "Star Trek" video and the "Gilligan's Island" video but after viewing them determined that the "Gilligan's Island" video was a legitimate training video. The IRS did not release the "Gilligan's Island" video.
"The video series with an island theme provided filing season training for 1,900 employees in our Taxpayer Assistance Centers in 400 locations," the IRS said. "This example of video training alone saved the IRS about $1.5 million each year compared to the costs of training the employees in person."
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Mussolini’s ‘most secret’ bunker discovered beneath historic Roman structure
Workers in Rome have stumbled across a top-secret bunker once belonging to former Fascist leader Benito Mussolini, hidden underneath the historic Palazzo Venezia.
The discovery is the 12th such bunker as is said to have been the “most secret” of the former strongman’s hideouts, according to the Italian publication La Stampa.
And in what has become a tradition of sorts, the bunker will soon go on display for the public to tour and document, as has been done with other recently discovered Mussolini bunkers. City officials plan to install lighting, a touchscreen system and an air siren, meant to simulate the sounds of an impending air raid.
The nine room hidden compound was reportedly unearthed by city superintendent Anna Imponente and architect Carlo Serafini, who were busy inspecting a restoration project on the 15th century building that sits atop the bunker. The Palazzo Venezia currently houses a national museum and has been a historically significant structure for centuries, having been used by high ranking members of the Roman Catholic Church and other important figures over the years.
During their inspection, Serafini and Imponente noticed a tiny wooden hatch, which led down to the bunker nearly 50 feet beneath the earth.
“When we saw the concrete, it was all clear,” Serafini told the paper. "It’s the twelfth bunker of Rome -- Benito Mussolini’s last bunker."
Although the bunker was never finished, there are holes in the wall meant for indoor plumbing and electricity, Serafini says the structure is so solid it would have likely held up under an assault from Allied forces.
"The walls rest on the foundations of an old tower, and are almost two meters thick in some places," Serafini told the paper. "It would have probably only been designed for Mussolini himself and one other person; more than likely his mistress, Claretta Petacci.”
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7 Common Pharmaceuticals You Didn’t Know Were Derived From Animals
It’s surprising the amount of pharmaceutical drugs that use animal products and for some vegans it’s serious business.
"Medicine is one of the more difficult products for vegans to avoid, especially if something is life-threatening," Proctor tells Shots. "How far are you prepared to go for your own convictions?"
Next time you're reaching for your medicine, take into account the animal products that could be used in their production. Here are some of the more popular examples:
1. Gelatin
Used in various pharmaceuticals and vitamins as a stabilizer that adds bulk. It’s made from the skin and bones of cattle and pigs.
2. Carmine
If your medicine has a red tint, there’s a good chance it has carmine. It's made from the red pigment of crushed female cochineal insect. Reportedly, 70,000 beetles are used to produce one pound of this red dye.
3. Catgut
Tough string made from the intestines of sheep and horses. It's used for surgical sutures.
4. Cortisone
Cortisone is a hormone made from adrenal glands.
5. Estradiol
It's a drug used in birth control pills and Premarin. It's made from the female hormones of pregnant mares.
6. Fish Liver Oil
Source of omega 3 fatty acids as well as milk fortified with vitamin D.
7. Insulin
It's made from hog pancreas and used by millions of diabetics.
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5 Surprising Holiday Health Myths
Many supposed holiday hazards are as innocuous as a tepid mug of apple cider. A review article in the current issue of the British Medical Journal cites five fears that can officially be crossed off the holiday worry list.
Myth 1: Sugar makes kids hyperactive.
"There have been more studies on this than on many drugs," said article author Dr. Aaron Carroll of the Indiana University School of Medicine, "all of which show there is no link between sugar and hyperactivity." Even if the kids are "sugar sensitive" or have attention-deficit disorder, he continued, sweets do not change their behavior.
Parents may think their kids become more chaotic after candy and other treats but "it is in their heads," said primary author Dr. Rachel Vreeman, also of the Indiana University School of Medicine. She pointed to a study that told parents their kid was slurping a sugar-loaded beverage, when the drink instead was essentially water. The parents reported the child going bonkers when objective observers thought otherwise, she said.
Myth 2: Suicides increase over the holidays.
The weather is woeful, the relatives are rude and melancholy moods abound. "But contrary to what many of us think, suicides are actually more common, around the world, during times of year that are warmer and sunnier," Vreeman said. The article also cites a 35-year study conducted in the United States showing that holidays – including Christmas, the Fourth of July and birthdays – are not preferred times to take one’s life.
Myth 3: Poinsettias are toxic.
Shooing the dog or child away from the perilous plant of holiday cheer? Let the hollering subside. The American Association of Poison Control Centers has a record of 22,793 cases of human poinsettia ingestion and zero resulted in significant poisoning. Ninety-six percent of the poinsettia-eaters didn’t even need to see a doctor, Vreeman said. And rats that gobbled several hundred grams of the pureed flower, the equivalent of a human eating 500-600 poinsettia leaves, did just fine. Still, it’s best to call the poison control center when any non-food plant is eaten, she said.
Myth 4: You lose most of your body heat through your head.
Your mother said it. Every hat salesman touts it. Even the U.S. Army Field Manual claims "40 to 45 percent of body heat" is lost through the head, the researchers write in this week's article, but it is simply not true. Body heat leaves from any skin surface in proportion to the area exposed, said Vreeman. As for people who claim a hat renders shorts acceptable in cold weather? "Those people are being very, very foolish," Carroll said. "There is nothing special about the head."
Myth 5: Eating at night makes you fat.
While eating late at night has been associated with obesity, midnight munching does not cause obesity. "You shouldn’t be afraid to have that midnight snack anymore than a mid-day or mid-morning snack," Carroll said. The article, citing several studies, suggests that Santa’s jolly belly is the result of too many calories overall, not just the holiday treats laid out for him in the evening.
Carroll and Vreeman’s book "Don't Swallow Your Gum: Myths, Half-truths, and Outright Lies About Your Body and Health" will be published in 2009 by St. Martin Press.
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7 Medical Myths Even Doctors Believe
Popular culture is loaded with myths and half-truths. Most are harmless. But when doctors start believing medical myths, perhaps it's time to worry.
In the British Medical Journal this week, researchers looked into several common misconceptions, from the belief that a person should drink eight glasses of water per day to the notion that reading in low light ruins your eyesight.
"We got fired up about this because we knew that physicians accepted these beliefs and were passing this information along to their patients," said Dr. Aaron Carroll, assistant professor of pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine. "And these beliefs are frequently cited in the popular media."
And so here they are, so that you can inform your doctor:
Myth: We use only 10 percent of our brains.
Fact: Physicians and comedians alike, including Jerry Seinfeld, love to cite this one. It's sometimes erroneously credited to Albert Einstein. But MRI scans, PET scans and other imaging studies show no dormant areas of the brain, and even viewing individual neurons or cells reveals no inactive areas, the new paper points out. Metabolic studies of how brain cells process chemicals show no nonfunctioning areas. The myth probably originated with self-improvement hucksters in the early 1900s who wanted to convince people that they had yet not reached their full potential, Carroll figures. It also doesn't jibe with the fact that our other organs run at full tilt.
Myth: You should drink at least eight glasses of water a day.
Fact: "There is no medical evidence to suggest that you need that much water," said Dr. Rachel Vreeman, a pediatrics research fellow at the university and co-author of the journal article. Vreeman thinks this myth can be traced back to a 1945 recommendation from the Nutrition Council that a person consume the equivalent of 8 glasses (64 ounces) of fluid a day. Over the years, "fluid" turned to water. But fruits and vegetables, plus coffee and other liquids, count.
Myth: Fingernails and hair grow after death.
Fact: Most physicians queried on this one initially thought it was true. Upon further reflection, they realized it's impossible. Here's what happens: "As the body’s skin is drying out, soft tissue, especially skin, is retracting," Vreeman said. "The nails appear much more prominent as the skin dries out. The same is true, but less obvious, with hair. As the skin is shrinking back, the hair looks more prominent or sticks up a bit."
Myth: Shaved hair grows back faster, coarser and darker.
Fact: A 1928 clinical trial compared hair growth in shaved patches to growth in non-shaved patches. The hair which replaced the shaved hair was no darker or thicker, and did not grow in faster. More recent studies have confirmed that one. Here's the deal: When hair first comes in after being shaved, it grows with a blunt edge on top, Carroll and Vreeman explain. Over time, the blunt edge gets worn so it may seem thicker than it actually is. Hair that's just emerging can be darker too, because it hasn't been bleached by the sun.
Myth: Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight.
Fact: The researchers found no evidence that reading in dim light causes permanent eye damage. It can cause eye strain and temporarily decreased acuity, which subsides after rest.
Myth: Eating turkey makes you drowsy.
Fact: Even Carroll and Vreeman believed this one until they researched it. The thing is, a chemical in turkey called tryptophan is known to cause drowsiness. But turkey doesn't contain any more of it than does chicken or beef. This myth is fueled by the fact that turkey is often eaten with a colossal holiday meal, often accompanied by alcohol — both things that will make you sleepy.
Myth: Mobile phones are dangerous in hospitals.
Fact: There are no known cases of death related to this one. Cases of less-serious interference with hospital devices seem to be largely anecdotal, the researchers found. In one real study, mobile phones were found to interfere with 4 percent of devices, but only when the phone was within 3 feet of the device. A more recent study, this year, found no interference in 300 tests in 75 treatment rooms. To the contrary, when doctors use mobile phones, the improved communication means they make fewer mistakes.
"Whenever we talk about this work, doctors at first express disbelief that these things are not true," said Vreeman said. "But after we carefully lay out medical evidence, they are very willing to accept that these beliefs are actually false."
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Heart repair breakthroughs replace surgeon's knife
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| Atlanta cardiologist Dr. Spencer King demonstrates how a catheter is used to repair a diseased heart valve, at |
Have a heart problem? If it's fixable, there's a good chance it can be done without surgery, using tiny tools and devices that are pushed through tubes into blood vessels.
Heart care is in the midst of a transformation. Many problems that once required sawing through the breastbone and opening up the chest for open heart surgery now can be treated with a nip, twist or patch through a tube.
These minimal procedures used to be done just to unclog arteries and correct less common heart rhythm problems. Now some patients are getting such repairs for valves, irregular heartbeats, holes in the heart and other defects — without major surgery. Doctors even are testing ways to treat high blood pressure with some of these new approaches.
All rely on catheters — hollow tubes that let doctors burn away and reshape heart tissue or correct defects through small holes into blood vessels."This is the replacement for the surgeon's knife. Instead of opening the chest, we're able to put catheters in through the leg, sometimes through the arm," said Dr. Spencer King of St. Joseph's Heart and Vascular Institute in Atlanta. He is former president of the American College of Cardiology. Its conference earlier this month featured research on these novel devices.
"Many patients after having this kind of procedure in a day or two can go home" rather than staying in the hospital while a big wound heals, he said. It may lead to cheaper treatment, although the initial cost of the novel devices often offsets the savings from shorter hospital stays. Not everyone can have catheter treatment, and some promising devices have hit snags in testing. Others on the market now are so new that it will take several years to see if their results last as long as the benefits from surgery do.
"You can do these on 90-year-old patients," King said.
These methods also offer an option for people who cannot tolerate long-term use of blood thinners or other drugs to manage their conditions, or who don't get enough help from these medicines and are getting worse.
"It's opened up a whole new field," said Dr. Hadley Wilson, cardiology chief at Carolinas HealthCare System in Charlotte. "We can hopefully treat more patients more definitively, with better results."
For patients, this is crucial: Make sure you are evaluated by a "heart team" that includes a surgeon as well as other specialists who do less invasive treatments. Many patients now get whatever treatment is offered by whatever specialist they are sent to, and those specialists sometimes are rivals.
"We want to get away from that" and do whatever is best for the patient, said Dr. Timothy Gardner, a surgeon at Christiana Care Health System in Newark, Del., and an American Heart Association spokesman. "There shouldn't be a rivalry in the field."
Here are some common problems and newer treatments for them:HEART VALVES
Millions of people have leaky heart valves. Each year, more than 100,000 people in the United States alone have surgery for them. A common one is the aortic valve, the heart's main gate. It can stiffen and narrow, making the heart strain to push blood through it. Without a valve replacement operation, half of these patients die within two years, yet many are too weak to have one.
"Essentially, this was a death sentence," said Dr. John Harold, a Los Angeles heart specialist who is president of the College of Cardiology. That changed just over a year ago, when Edwards Lifesciences Corp. won approval to sell an artificial aortic valve flexible and small enough to fit into a catheter and wedged inside the bad one. At first it was just for inoperable patients. Last fall, use was expanded to include people able to have surgery but at high risk of complications.
Gary Verwer, 76, of Napa, Calif., had a bypass operation in 1988 that made surgery too risky when he later developed trouble with his aortic valve.
"It was getting worse every day. I couldn't walk from my bed to my bathroom without having to sit down and rest," he said. After getting a new valve through a catheter last April at Stanford University, "everything changed; it was almost immediate," he said. "Now I can walk almost three miles a day and enjoy it. I'm not tired at all."
"The chest cracking part is not the most fun," he said of his earlier bypass surgery. "It was a great relief not to have to go through that recovery again."
Catheter-based treatments for other valves also are in testing. One for the mitral valve — Abbott Laboratories' MitraClip — had a mixed review by federal Food and Drug Administration advisers this week; whether it will win FDA approval is unclear. It is already sold in Europe.
HEART RHYTHM PROBLEMS
Catheters can contain tools to vaporize or "ablate" bits of heart tissue that cause abnormal signals that control the heartbeat. This used to be done only for some serious or relatively rare problems, or surgically if a patient was having an operation for another heart issue.
Now catheter ablation is being used for the most common rhythm problem — atrial fibrillation, which plagues about 3 million Americans and 15 million people worldwide. The upper chambers of the heart quiver or beat too fast or too slow. That lets blood pool in a small pouch off one of these chambers. Clots can form in the pouch and travel to the brain, causing a stroke.
Ablation addresses the underlying rhythm problem. To address the stroke risk from pooled blood, several novel devices aim to plug or seal off the pouch. Only one has approval in the U.S. now — SentreHeart Inc.'s Lariat, a tiny lasso to cinch the pouch shut. It uses two catheters that act like chopsticks. One goes through a blood vessel and into the pouch to help guide placement of the device, which is contained in a second catheter poked under the ribs to the outside of the heart. A loop is released to circle the top of the pouch where it meets the heart, sealing off the pouch. A different kind of device — Boston Scientific Corp.'s Watchman — is sold in Europe and parts of Asia, but is pending before the FDA in the U.S. It's like a tiny umbrella pushed through a vein and then opened inside the heart to plug the troublesome pouch. Early results from a pivotal study released by the company suggested it would miss a key goal, making its future in the U.S. uncertain.
HEART DEFECTS
Some people have a hole in a heart wall called an atrial septal defect that causes abnormal blood flow. St. Jude Medical Inc.'s Amplatzer is a fabric-mesh patch threaded through catheters to plug the hole.
The patch is also being tested for a more common defect — PFO, a hole that results when the heart wall doesn't seal the way it should after birth. This can raise the risk of stroke. In two new studies, the device did not meet the main goal of lowering the risk of repeat strokes in people who had already suffered one, but some doctors were encouraged by other results.
CLOGGED ARTERIES
The original catheter-based treatment — balloon angioplasty — is still used hundreds of thousands of times each year in the U.S. alone. A Japanese company, Terumo Corp., is one of the leaders of a new way to do it that is easier on patients — through a catheter in the arm rather than the groin.
Newer stents that prop arteries open and then dissolve over time, aimed at reducing the risk of blood clots, also are in late-stage testing.
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
About 75 million Americans and 1 billion people worldwide have high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart attacks. Researchers are testing a possible long-term fix for dangerously high pressure that can't be controlled with multiple medications.
It uses a catheter and radio waves to zap nerves, located near the kidneys, which fuel high blood pressure. At least one device is approved in Europe and several companies are testing devices in the United States. "We're very excited about this," said Harold, the cardiology college's president. It offers hope to "essentially cure high blood pressure."
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New pope revives question: What is a 'Latino?'
But for some Latinos in the United States, there's a catch: Pope Francis' parents were born in Italy.
Such recent European heritage is reviving debate in the United States about what makes someone a Latino. Those questioning whether their idea of Latino identity applies to Pope Francis acknowledge that he is Latin American, and that he is a special inspiration to Spanish-speaking Catholics around the world. Yet that, in their eyes, does not mean the pope is "Latino."
These views seem to be in the minority. But they have become a distinct part of the conversation in the United States as the Latino world contemplates this unique man and moment.
"Are Italians Latino? No," says Eric Cortes, who has been debating the issue with his friends.
"The most European alternative and the closest thing to an Italian," is how Baylor University professor Philip Jenkins described Pope Francis in the Chronicle of Higher Education.
"Does a Latino have to have indigenous blood?" asked the LA Weekly newspaper of Los Angeles beneath the headline, "Is The New Pope Latino?"
"Latinos come in all colors and shades and features," Ivette Baez said in an emotional debate on the "Being Latino" Facebook page.
The swirling discussion indicates just how much the man formerly known as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, whatever his ethnicity, means to Catholic Latinos.
"The Latino community tends to pride itself on the accomplishments of our own," says Baez, a Puerto Rican who lives in New Jersey. "And a lot of people are hoping that a Latino pope would bring more of a focus on the problems in Latin America." "After the president of the United States, he's probably the most influential person in the world," she says.
The conversation about Pope Francis' ethnicity is rooted in history and geography. Latin America is a complex region of deep racial and class narratives. The elites tend to be whites of European ancestry; the poor are often dark-skinned descendants of indigenous or African people.
Latinos also can be of any race; many identify themselves as both Latino and white, or Latino and black. So debates were bound to happen with the elevation of a fair-skinned son of Italians born in South America's most European city, a place that has always identified more with Rome and Madrid than Caracas or Mexico City.
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Indian bitter melon `Karela` may hold cure for cancer
Ratna Ray, Ph.D., professor of pathology at Saint Louis University, is studying the effect of the extract from the vegetable, which is often used in Indian and Chinese cooking, on head and neck cancer cells.
"The goal of our study is to see if a complementary alternative medicine treatment based upon bitter melon can stop the spread of head and neck cancer," she said.
Ray studies using bitter melon extract to prevent or treat cancer by thwarting the spread of cancer cells. In a controlled lab setting, she previously found that bitter melon extract activated a pathway that triggered the death of breast cancer cells, stopping them from growing and spreading. The effectiveness of using bitter melon extract to treat breast cancer in people has not been tested.
Then, with funding from the National Institutes of Health, she expanded her research on bitter melon extract to include prostate cancer prevention.
With that research underway, Ray discussed her bitter melon research with Dr. Mark Varvares, a SLUCare head and neck cancer specialist and director of the Saint Louis University Cancer Center, who thought her findings could have implications for treating head and neck cancer and warranted more study.
"We have pretty good indications that bitter melon extract works in cancer cell lines to halt the growth. I think it might be effective to treat solid tumors, and our grant will help us to get pre-clinical data to show whether something that looks promising in fighting breast cancer could work in other cancers," Ray said.
For her research, she will feed bitter melon extract to mice that have head and neck cancer to see if the substance sparks anti-tumor activity.
If bitter melon extract stops the growth of cancer cells in animals, the findings could lay the groundwork for studying the treatment in a phase I clinical trial of human patients who have head and neck cancer, Ray said.
Head and neck cancers, which account for 6 percent of all cancer cases, start in the mouth, nose, sinuses, voicebox and throat. They frequently are aggressive, and often spread from one part of the head or neck to another.
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11 Reasons to Ditch Processed Foods
Hidden Kidney Killers
The Facts: Flavored noodle mixes, processed meats, packaged mac and cheese, soda, frozen dinners, other processed foods, and fast food are notorious for containing questionable levels of phosphate-laden ingredients that could promote kidney deterioration and weaker bones.
Healthy Tip: If you're in a pinch and do reach for processed foods, avoid ones with ingredients like "sodium phosphate," "calcium phosphate," and "phosphoric acid," or anything with "phos-" in the word.
Cereal Crimes?
The Facts: Breakfast bombshell: Residues of more than 70 pesticides have been found in individual boxes of cereal. Why? Many pesticides today, particularly the go-to chemical applied to genetically engineered crops, are systemic. That means the chemicals wind up inside of the food you're eating.
Healthy Tip: Beware of "natural" cereals. Testing by the Cornucopia Institute found that "natural" cereals are often contaminated with crop pesticides, warehouse fumigation chemicals, and genetically modified ingredients (GMOs). Choose organic if you truly want to avoid toxic chemicals in your food.
Shorter Lifespan
The Facts: Letting your kitchen go dormant in favor of relying on processed foods could shave years off of your life. A 2012 study published in the journal Public Health Nutrition found that people who cooked at home at least five times a week were 47 more likely to be alive after 10 years than the people who relied more on processed foods.
Healthy Tip: To get your feet wet cooking fresh, seasonal ingredients, consider joining a vegetable community-supported agriculture program. Farmers often share recipes, cooking tips, and sometimes even hold cooking demonstrations to teach you the healthiest ways to prep the food they grow. Try a half share if you're afraid you won't have enough time to cook a larger share of the bounty.
Accelerated Aging
The Facts: Your face could start resembling crinkle-cut chips if you turn to munching processed foods on a regular basis. Research shows both the phosphates and the genetically engineered ingredients often added to processed foods promote aging.
Healthy Tip: Instead of processed foods, choose fare that actually promotes younger-looking skin, including alkaline-forming foods like kale, parsley, almonds, pears, and lemons. Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as pastured eggs, wild-caught Alaskan salmon, and walnuts, also help hydrate your skin, reducing wrinkles. Tomatoes help fight damaging sunburns, reduce skin roughness, and boost collagen.
Your Wallet
The Facts: Processed foods may seem like a deal in terms of convenience, but when you break down the cost, it's generally cheaper--and way healthier--to make those same foods from scratch. For instance, a popular brand's microwave bowl of chili costs $3.39 and includes harmful bisphenol A, fake food dye, and industrial meat raised using antibiotics, as well as other questionable additives.
Healthy Tip: You can whip up a batch of gourmet, 100-percent-organic chili from scratch using fresh ingredients, including omega-3-rich, heart-healthy grass-fed beef, for about $2.86 per serving. Cheaper, tastier, organic, and healthier!
Relentless Hunger
The Facts: Added sugars, specifically fructose from table sugar and the high-fructose corn syrup found in most processed foods, block the hormonal signal that tells your brain it's time to stop eating, according to obesity research by Robert Lustig, MD, a pediatric neuroendocrinologist at the University of California - San Francisco. The result? Never-ending hunger that leaves you fatter yet feeling unsatisfied.
Healthy Tip: According to the American Heart Association, we down about 22 teaspoons of sugar a day; that's about 25 pounds more than people consumed annually just a few decades ago. Watch out for surprising hidden sources of added sugars, such as bread, crackers, bottled tea, frozen dinners, and sauces and marinades.
Low-Fat Fraud
The Facts: Since the low-fat fad began, Americans have become fatter and sicker. One reason? Low-fat dairy products are stripped of conjugated linoleic acid, a healthy fat shown to fight weight gain and cancer. Added sugar often takes the place of fat, making you feel hungry and unsatisfied.
Healthy Tip: Know your fats. Industrial fats like partially hydrogenated oils are dangerous, but fat from organic, grass-fed animal products like yogurt actually benefit your heart and brain.
Colorful Lies
The Facts: Processed foods--even pickles, cake mixes, and "healthy" juices--often contain food dyes that make food appear fresher than it really is, in essence, tricking you, the consumer. Some berry juices contain 0 percent fruit juice, relying solely on artificial coloring. The problem? Some food dyes are tied to serious health problems like ADHD, asthma, allergies, and cancer.
Healthy Tip: Stick with organic foods, since organic standards ban the use of artificial food dyes, so organics are colored with food sources like turmeric and beets. Better yet, try your hand at making your own homemade pickles and other kitchen staples to avoid harmful additives.
Junky Tendencies
The Facts: Added sugar is the not-so-sweet trick the makers of processed foods use to get you hooked. In 2005, Princeton researchers found that eating sugar triggers the release of opioids, neurotransmitters that light up your brain's pleasure center. Addictive drugs like morphine and heroin stimulate those same pleasure pathways. Scary fact? After 21 days on a high-sugar diet, you could start showing signs of withdrawal--chattering teeth, anxiety, and depression--when sugar is taken away.
Healthy Tip: Don't replace a healthy breakfast like low-sugar organic oatmeal with a sugary coffee drink.
Airway Assault
The Facts: Kids who eat fast food two to three times a week face a significantly higher risk of developing asthma, possibly due to the processed foods' ability to create inflammation in the body. The trans fats and sugar common in fast-food menu items trigger inflammation, an unhealthy condition tied to asthma.
Healthy Tip: Skip the drive-thru and eat fruits and vegetables at least three times a week, a move that research found was associated with lower rates of asthma.
Lab Rats
The Facts: Eat processed foods? If so, you're an unknowing participant in a huge experiment. To date, more than 80,000 chemicals have been approved for use in the U.S., many of them used in processed foods. Unfortunately, only about 15 percent have been tested for long-term impacts on human health.
Healthy Tip: Cook like your great-grandmother. If an ingredient looks like it belongs in a science lab, avoid the product. Make a vow to visit your local farmer's market regularly to experiment with fresh ingredients. Form a neighborhood cooking club, and hold get-togethers at which members whip up a different bulk meal from whole ingredients. Break the results down into smaller servings, swap, and share for a fridge full of healthy options all week long--without investing tons of time in the kitchen!
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The Surprising Truth About 8 Common Diet Strategies
Who has the time to keep up with weight-loss research? It's so technical...and confusing...and often contradictory! And yet if you don't know what's going on in the world of calorie counting, you may not be seeing the pounds drop off as fast as you think they should. In one European diet-and-exercise study, for example, participants who were given detailed explanations of the research itself were more likely to improve (exercise more or eat better or both) than a less clued-in group. Fortunately, we have dug into the latest research. And as we did, we noted that a surprising number of dieting tactics accepted as gospel have recently been shown to be dead wrong. Knowing which still hold up and which are big (fat) lies can mean the difference between winning and losing at weight loss. Here's the lowdown.
1. To lose a pound, you must cut 3,500 calories
FALSE: This much-quoted equation doesn't account for the slowdown that happens to your metabolism as you drop pounds, explain researchers at the National Institutes of Health. "As a result, it drastically overestimates how quickly people will lose weight," says senior investigator Kevin D. Hall, Ph.D. That's why his team has created a new, computerized model that accurately predicts just how long you'll have to say non to french fries. It takes into consideration not only the drop in calorie burn as you get slimmer, but also your current weight, your age, how much you're eating now, and other variables.
Let's say you're a 46-year-old woman who weighs 170 pounds. According to the traditional formula, if you cut 500 calories a day, you would drop a pound a week (500 ≈ 7 days = 3,500 calories, or 1 pound) - and lose 26 pounds in six months. But the new math shows that the weight loss is more likely to be 19.5 pounds.
Make this work for you: The weight-loss gods may be cruel, but knowing what to expect can keep you from getting discouraged - and from backsliding - when the scale seems stuck. To try the new Body Weight Simulator, go to bwsimulator.niddk.nih.gov. Especially cool: You can vary predictions of how much you might lose and how long it will take by changing what you plug in for your calorie intake and exercise level.
2. Three squares a day works as well as a "many mini meals" plan
TRUE: Dieters who stick to breakfast, lunch, and dinner are often no hungrier than those who opt to have frequent small meals and snacks throughout the day, a new University of Missouri study found. Actually, if you're a dieter who doesn't want to have to be extra careful about portion control, eating three squares might be a better strategy. "Often people misinterpret the size of a 'mini meal' and end up taking in far more calories than they realize," says lead author Heather J. Leidy, Ph.D. "Also, more meals means more exposure to food, which creates more opportunities for overeating."
Make this work for you: Whether you want to be a traditionalist or a conscientious "mini meal" strategist, the most important thing is not to go too low: Dieters who dine only once or twice a day tend to get ravenous - and we all know where that leads.
3. A history of yo-yo dieting wrecks your chances of future weight-loss success
FALSE: This idea gained traction back in the 1980s, when studies on rats found that those forced to yo-yo with their diets actually became more efficient at gaining weight. Humans, however, are luckier: In new research from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, a history of losing, then gaining, then losing wasn't linked to any negative effects on metabolism. Even severe yo-yo dieters - women who reported losing 20 or more pounds on three or more occasions - were able to follow a new diet and exercise program just as successfully as non-swingers.
Make this work for you: Yo-yoers are often women who try one crash diet after another. So take encouragement from this study and look for a plan that focuses on healthy lifestyle changes that lead to slow and steady weight loss.
4. Exercise does not burn off pounds
TRUE: It's hard to believe, but in a study of 411 women, those who worked out for over one, two, or three hours a week for six months didn't lose significantly more weight than those who'd devoted themselves to Sudoku or other sedentary pursuits. You'd think this finding was a fluke, but a recent review of 15 studies came to the same conclusion: Moderate workouts don't lead to weight loss, possibly because they make us hungrier. But there's also a biological explanation: As with weight loss, one of the ways your body adapts to an increase in exercise is to lower your resting metabolic rate about 7%, so you actually end up burning fewer calories - anywhere from 50 to 75 fewer per day, the review found.
Make this work for you: While exercise doesn't burn off the bulge, "it does boost your PFF: Pants Fit Factor," says Diana M. Thomas, Ph.D., of Montclair State University in New Jersey. "It helps reduce your waist and gives you a firmer, leaner-looking shape overall." What's more, a dwindling waistline is a key indicator that you're losing belly fat - the dangerous fat type that's linked to health problems like heart disease and diabetes.
5. It's best to set challenging weight-loss goals
TRUE: Weight-loss experts have long counseled that if dieters set high - that is, unrealistic - targets, they'll quickly get discouraged and give up. Better, the pros have advised, to think small. But in a recent study of 447 overweight adults, Dutch researchers found that the more weight loss the participants strived for, the more effort they made - and the more weight they reported losing after two months. One theory as to why being ambitious might help you shed more pounds: It has a psychologically energizing effect, pumping up your commitment and drive.
Make this work for you: When mapping out a pounds-off plan, go for the gold - or strive to lose 14% of your current weight. That's the target (on average) that motivated the higher-reaching dieters in the Dutch study. For a 165-pound woman, that works out to about a 23-pound loss.
6. Milk drinkers lose more weight
FALSE: Wipe that mustache off your face: When Harvard researchers analyzed 29 studies on the topic, they found that while dairy may help dieters in the short term, ultimately it's not a winning (i.e, losing) strategy. In fact, in most of the studies that had lasted a year or longer and that didn't restrict calories, adults who chugged extra glasses of the white stuff (or ate more dairy) actually gained more weight than participants who didn't.
Make this work for you: To satisfy your dairy cravings, sub in yogurt: The Harvard team noted that a recent large study did find yogurt intake helped with weight in the long term.
7. Tracking carbs is the best way to keep pounds off
FALSE: A balanced plan topped the usual technique of counting carbohydrates or fat grams in a study of adults who had recently lost a significant amount of weight. The least successful of the plans was the one that counted fat grams: It caused the biggest slowdown in metabolism, leading dieters to burn an average of 423 fewer calories a day. The carb-counting plan was problematic because it caused an increase in cortisol and C-reactive protein levels - factors that may elevate your risk of cardiovascular disease. In contrast, the balanced plan caused a less extreme drop in metabolism (under 300 calories a day) and didn't trigger any heart-harming consequences.
Make this work for you: The study's balanced plan included lots of whole grains, fresh vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, healthy fats like olive oil, and lean fish and meats; it excluded heavily processed foods like white bread and instant rice. Known as "low-glycemic," this type of diet is based on regulating the body's blood sugar and hormone levels. It may also be the easiest diet to stick to in the long term because it doesn't restrict entire classes of food, notes lead study author Cara B. Ebbeling, Ph.D., of Boston Children's Hospital. For info, go to childrenshospital.org (search "low-glycemic diet" for shopping lists and other tips).
8. You have to watch what you eat - forever
TRUE: Previously, experts believed if you restrained eating for too long, it would backfire and lead to bingeing, notes weight-loss researcher Fiona Johnson, Ph.D., of University College London. "But the constant bombardment of food temptations has led to a situation where self-control is essential."
Make this work for you: Psychologists specializing in dieting issues don't advocate outlawing a long list of favorite foods. Instead, they suggest "flexible restraint" - passing on sundaes or fries on most days, but occasionally allowing yourself those treats. To monitor how well you're balancing restraint with indulgence, step on your scale at least once a week. Regular weigh-ins will alert you to the need to rein in before a big, hard-to-shake weight gain settles in.
1. To lose a pound, you must cut 3,500 calories
FALSE: This much-quoted equation doesn't account for the slowdown that happens to your metabolism as you drop pounds, explain researchers at the National Institutes of Health. "As a result, it drastically overestimates how quickly people will lose weight," says senior investigator Kevin D. Hall, Ph.D. That's why his team has created a new, computerized model that accurately predicts just how long you'll have to say non to french fries. It takes into consideration not only the drop in calorie burn as you get slimmer, but also your current weight, your age, how much you're eating now, and other variables.
Let's say you're a 46-year-old woman who weighs 170 pounds. According to the traditional formula, if you cut 500 calories a day, you would drop a pound a week (500 ≈ 7 days = 3,500 calories, or 1 pound) - and lose 26 pounds in six months. But the new math shows that the weight loss is more likely to be 19.5 pounds.
Make this work for you: The weight-loss gods may be cruel, but knowing what to expect can keep you from getting discouraged - and from backsliding - when the scale seems stuck. To try the new Body Weight Simulator, go to bwsimulator.niddk.nih.gov. Especially cool: You can vary predictions of how much you might lose and how long it will take by changing what you plug in for your calorie intake and exercise level.
2. Three squares a day works as well as a "many mini meals" plan
TRUE: Dieters who stick to breakfast, lunch, and dinner are often no hungrier than those who opt to have frequent small meals and snacks throughout the day, a new University of Missouri study found. Actually, if you're a dieter who doesn't want to have to be extra careful about portion control, eating three squares might be a better strategy. "Often people misinterpret the size of a 'mini meal' and end up taking in far more calories than they realize," says lead author Heather J. Leidy, Ph.D. "Also, more meals means more exposure to food, which creates more opportunities for overeating."
Make this work for you: Whether you want to be a traditionalist or a conscientious "mini meal" strategist, the most important thing is not to go too low: Dieters who dine only once or twice a day tend to get ravenous - and we all know where that leads.
3. A history of yo-yo dieting wrecks your chances of future weight-loss success
FALSE: This idea gained traction back in the 1980s, when studies on rats found that those forced to yo-yo with their diets actually became more efficient at gaining weight. Humans, however, are luckier: In new research from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, a history of losing, then gaining, then losing wasn't linked to any negative effects on metabolism. Even severe yo-yo dieters - women who reported losing 20 or more pounds on three or more occasions - were able to follow a new diet and exercise program just as successfully as non-swingers.
Make this work for you: Yo-yoers are often women who try one crash diet after another. So take encouragement from this study and look for a plan that focuses on healthy lifestyle changes that lead to slow and steady weight loss.
4. Exercise does not burn off pounds
TRUE: It's hard to believe, but in a study of 411 women, those who worked out for over one, two, or three hours a week for six months didn't lose significantly more weight than those who'd devoted themselves to Sudoku or other sedentary pursuits. You'd think this finding was a fluke, but a recent review of 15 studies came to the same conclusion: Moderate workouts don't lead to weight loss, possibly because they make us hungrier. But there's also a biological explanation: As with weight loss, one of the ways your body adapts to an increase in exercise is to lower your resting metabolic rate about 7%, so you actually end up burning fewer calories - anywhere from 50 to 75 fewer per day, the review found.
Make this work for you: While exercise doesn't burn off the bulge, "it does boost your PFF: Pants Fit Factor," says Diana M. Thomas, Ph.D., of Montclair State University in New Jersey. "It helps reduce your waist and gives you a firmer, leaner-looking shape overall." What's more, a dwindling waistline is a key indicator that you're losing belly fat - the dangerous fat type that's linked to health problems like heart disease and diabetes.
5. It's best to set challenging weight-loss goals
TRUE: Weight-loss experts have long counseled that if dieters set high - that is, unrealistic - targets, they'll quickly get discouraged and give up. Better, the pros have advised, to think small. But in a recent study of 447 overweight adults, Dutch researchers found that the more weight loss the participants strived for, the more effort they made - and the more weight they reported losing after two months. One theory as to why being ambitious might help you shed more pounds: It has a psychologically energizing effect, pumping up your commitment and drive.
Make this work for you: When mapping out a pounds-off plan, go for the gold - or strive to lose 14% of your current weight. That's the target (on average) that motivated the higher-reaching dieters in the Dutch study. For a 165-pound woman, that works out to about a 23-pound loss.
6. Milk drinkers lose more weight
FALSE: Wipe that mustache off your face: When Harvard researchers analyzed 29 studies on the topic, they found that while dairy may help dieters in the short term, ultimately it's not a winning (i.e, losing) strategy. In fact, in most of the studies that had lasted a year or longer and that didn't restrict calories, adults who chugged extra glasses of the white stuff (or ate more dairy) actually gained more weight than participants who didn't.
Make this work for you: To satisfy your dairy cravings, sub in yogurt: The Harvard team noted that a recent large study did find yogurt intake helped with weight in the long term.
7. Tracking carbs is the best way to keep pounds off
FALSE: A balanced plan topped the usual technique of counting carbohydrates or fat grams in a study of adults who had recently lost a significant amount of weight. The least successful of the plans was the one that counted fat grams: It caused the biggest slowdown in metabolism, leading dieters to burn an average of 423 fewer calories a day. The carb-counting plan was problematic because it caused an increase in cortisol and C-reactive protein levels - factors that may elevate your risk of cardiovascular disease. In contrast, the balanced plan caused a less extreme drop in metabolism (under 300 calories a day) and didn't trigger any heart-harming consequences.
Make this work for you: The study's balanced plan included lots of whole grains, fresh vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, healthy fats like olive oil, and lean fish and meats; it excluded heavily processed foods like white bread and instant rice. Known as "low-glycemic," this type of diet is based on regulating the body's blood sugar and hormone levels. It may also be the easiest diet to stick to in the long term because it doesn't restrict entire classes of food, notes lead study author Cara B. Ebbeling, Ph.D., of Boston Children's Hospital. For info, go to childrenshospital.org (search "low-glycemic diet" for shopping lists and other tips).
8. You have to watch what you eat - forever
TRUE: Previously, experts believed if you restrained eating for too long, it would backfire and lead to bingeing, notes weight-loss researcher Fiona Johnson, Ph.D., of University College London. "But the constant bombardment of food temptations has led to a situation where self-control is essential."
Make this work for you: Psychologists specializing in dieting issues don't advocate outlawing a long list of favorite foods. Instead, they suggest "flexible restraint" - passing on sundaes or fries on most days, but occasionally allowing yourself those treats. To monitor how well you're balancing restraint with indulgence, step on your scale at least once a week. Regular weigh-ins will alert you to the need to rein in before a big, hard-to-shake weight gain settles in.
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America's 33 Years Of Failure In Iraq
The year was 1980. America had just lost a key Middle Eastern ally in the Iranian Revolution. Read more: ![]()
US officials and media began publicly to consider Iraq as a new top ally in the Persian Gulf.
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Meanwhile Iranian calls for a Shia-coup in Iraq led to rising tensions and border skirmishes.
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With Iran weakened and growing international support, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein invaded his hated neighbor.
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Despite widespread reports of Iraqi chemical weapons use, Reagan pulled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein off the list of known terrorists in 1982.
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The U.S. began openly to support Iraq, through massive loans, military equipment, dual use chemical technology and training, and satellite intelligence on Iranian troop movements.
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Iraq's use of chemical weapons "was not a matter of deep strategic concern" compared to U.S. fears that the Iranian revolution could spill into Kuwait or Saudi Arabia.
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Nevertheless it became clear by 1986 that the two countries were stuck in a costly stalemate.
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By the end of the war in 1988, Iraq owed at least $60 billion to Britain, America, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Kuwait.
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In 1989, President George H.W. Bush signed National Security Directive 26 calling both Persian Gulf oil and a "stable" relationship with Iraq matters of national security.
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America's ally, however, could not be controlled. In 1990, with reconstruction costs rising, Saddam invaded Kuwait, citing billions in stolen oil.
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"This aggression will not stand," George H.W. Bush said. Soon, military operations were under way to push Saddam out of Kuwait.
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America dubbed it "The Persian Gulf War" — the same name they gave to the Iran-Iraq War just ten years earlier.
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U.S. troops successfully ousted Saddam from Kuwait, but pulled up short of invading Baghdad.
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Bill Clinton took office in 1992 and in '94 extended crippling economic sanctions on Iraq, which led to death by starvation of up to 5,000 Iraqi children each month.
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In 1995, the U.N. introduced the "Food for Oil" program, allowing Iraq to sell oil in the world market in exchange for food.
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Two consecutive U.N. peace envoys, Hans Von Spok and Denis Halliday, resigned over the effect sanctions had on citizens.
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In 1998, Bush wrote about not taking Baghdad: "We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq. The coalition would instantly have collapsed ... Had we gone the invasion route, the U.S. could conceivably still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land."
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After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney and Paul Wolfowitz committed to finding the "Iraq connection."
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On March 2003, America and its "coalition of the willing" invaded Iraq.
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Three weeks later, George Bush claimed "Mission Accomplished."
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Iraq "Viceroy" Paul Bremer pushed for the Iraqi debt to be forgiven, wiping out the $6 billion owed to tax payers. He also asked for immunity for Iraq's other debt, which had reached a total of $100 billion.
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On July 24, 2004 the US Army Special Forces pulled Saddam out of a "spider hole." He would be executed in 30 months later.
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But fighting was far from over. 2006 brought the height of the Iraqi insurgency, with 100 explosive devices detonated per day. By mid-2007, however, Sunni milities calling themselves the Sons of Iraq had turned the tide of the war.
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When In 2011 Barack Obama failed to get a status of forces agreement passed, America was effectively kicked out Iraq.
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Roughly 8 years of war had caused 190,000 direct war deaths, including more than 4,500 American service members.
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In total, this war cost America $2.2 trillion, and possibly $6 trillion in future interest payments.
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Two years later, on the day of the tenth anniversary, a car bomb killed 25. Sectarian violence is still a major issue.
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But some Americans are doing well in Iraq. Exxon nailed down one of Iraq's largest oil fields in Qurna, while Halliburton and other U.S. companies dominated development subcontracts valued at $150 billion.
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US officials and media began publicly to consider Iraq as a new top ally in the Persian Gulf.
Meanwhile Iranian calls for a Shia-coup in Iraq led to rising tensions and border skirmishes.
With Iran weakened and growing international support, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein invaded his hated neighbor.
Despite widespread reports of Iraqi chemical weapons use, Reagan pulled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein off the list of known terrorists in 1982.
The U.S. began openly to support Iraq, through massive loans, military equipment, dual use chemical technology and training, and satellite intelligence on Iranian troop movements.
Iraq's use of chemical weapons "was not a matter of deep strategic concern" compared to U.S. fears that the Iranian revolution could spill into Kuwait or Saudi Arabia.
Nevertheless it became clear by 1986 that the two countries were stuck in a costly stalemate.
By the end of the war in 1988, Iraq owed at least $60 billion to Britain, America, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Kuwait.
In 1989, President George H.W. Bush signed National Security Directive 26 calling both Persian Gulf oil and a "stable" relationship with Iraq matters of national security.
America's ally, however, could not be controlled. In 1990, with reconstruction costs rising, Saddam invaded Kuwait, citing billions in stolen oil.
"This aggression will not stand," George H.W. Bush said. Soon, military operations were under way to push Saddam out of Kuwait.
America dubbed it "The Persian Gulf War" — the same name they gave to the Iran-Iraq War just ten years earlier.
U.S. troops successfully ousted Saddam from Kuwait, but pulled up short of invading Baghdad.
Bill Clinton took office in 1992 and in '94 extended crippling economic sanctions on Iraq, which led to death by starvation of up to 5,000 Iraqi children each month.
In 1995, the U.N. introduced the "Food for Oil" program, allowing Iraq to sell oil in the world market in exchange for food.
Two consecutive U.N. peace envoys, Hans Von Spok and Denis Halliday, resigned over the effect sanctions had on citizens.
In 1998, Bush wrote about not taking Baghdad: "We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq. The coalition would instantly have collapsed ... Had we gone the invasion route, the U.S. could conceivably still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land."
After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney and Paul Wolfowitz committed to finding the "Iraq connection."
Three weeks later, George Bush claimed "Mission Accomplished."
Iraq "Viceroy" Paul Bremer pushed for the Iraqi debt to be forgiven, wiping out the $6 billion owed to tax payers. He also asked for immunity for Iraq's other debt, which had reached a total of $100 billion.
On July 24, 2004 the US Army Special Forces pulled Saddam out of a "spider hole." He would be executed in 30 months later.
But fighting was far from over. 2006 brought the height of the Iraqi insurgency, with 100 explosive devices detonated per day. By mid-2007, however, Sunni milities calling themselves the Sons of Iraq had turned the tide of the war.
When In 2011 Barack Obama failed to get a status of forces agreement passed, America was effectively kicked out Iraq.
Roughly 8 years of war had caused 190,000 direct war deaths, including more than 4,500 American service members.
In total, this war cost America $2.2 trillion, and possibly $6 trillion in future interest payments.
Two years later, on the day of the tenth anniversary, a car bomb killed 25. Sectarian violence is still a major issue.
But some Americans are doing well in Iraq. Exxon nailed down one of Iraq's largest oil fields in Qurna, while Halliburton and other U.S. companies dominated development subcontracts valued at $150 billion.
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Wounded Iraq Vet Prepares to Die, Saying He's 'Ready to Go'
Tomas Young is "ready to go" as he puts it. After nine years of suffering and with his body quickly deteriorating he has decided to end his struggle.
Young, 33, was paralyzed from the chest down by a sniper's bullet in a battle in Sadr City, Iraq on April 4, 2004, less than a week after he got to the country. He had joined the Army just two days after September 11, 2001 and assumed he would be sent to Afghanistan. Now nine years after that battle he is choosing to end his suffering. He is in hospice care and getting ready to die.
"I just decided that I was tired of seeing my body deteriorate and I want to go before it's too late," Young said in phone interview with ABC News from his home in Kansas City, Mo. "I've been doing this for the past nine years now…and I finally felt helpless every day and a burden to the people who take care of me and that's why I want to go."
Young and his wife Claudia Cuellar are receiving guests for a few more weeks. During that time, Young will say goodbye to friends and family and then will stop receiving medications, nourishment and water. They don't know how long it could be after that time he will die, but they believe it will be one to three weeks, but it could be as long as six weeks.
They don't consider it suicide, just an end to his suffering.
"I'm not the boy who would always think suicide if maybe something goes wrong," Young said. "I put lots of time into this. I considered the facts that people I know who love me and would prefer that I stick around, and my only hope is that they realize that they're being selfish in wanting me to just stick around and endure the pain."
Young and Cuellar have decided to go public with their story. First, in an article in the Kansas City Star because they want to change the perception on death and dying in this country as well as continue to shine a light on the anti-Iraq war activism Young has been focused on since becoming paralyzed. He was the subject of a 2007 documentary "Body of War" produced by Phil Donahue. It showed Young dealing with the excruciating physical effects of his injury including post-traumatic stress, as well as his work against the Iraq war.
Cuellar says since the first story was written about his choice to die last week they have received mixed reactions of people supporting Young's decision as well as people urging him to "hang on" or "fight a little more." She says it's because people can't fathom his daily pain.
In 2008, he suffered a pulmonary embolism and anoxic brain injury which he believes was because he was taken off of blood thinners. It affected his speech as well as impaired the use of his arms. Cuellar and Young met when she saw the documentary and she began visiting him when he was in rehabilitation in Chicago after the embolism. They married last April.
"He was a para[plegic] and he was independent and functioning independently so he rolled the ball up the mountain to learn how to be a paraplegic and then four years later...he has the embolism he gets rolled back all the way down the mountain and he now has to live like a partial quadriplegic," Cuellar said.
Since then, they estimate, he takes between 35 to 45 pills a day. He has mucus, but because of his paralysis cannot cough it up so Cuellar presses it out of him ten to fifteen times a day. He takes more pills for waves of nausea that hit him throughout the day, antibiotics for infections, his vision is fading, and he's had increased nightmares they linked to the increase in pain medications. His colon was removed in November and he now can't eat solid food. Young's speech is also quite blurred so his wife jumps in when needed.
"We've had to increase the pain medication over time quite consistently and incrementally so the increase in pain meds will decrease his faculties somewhat so he is becoming forgetful a little bit. He was always very clear before," Cuellar said.
She also must clean "pressure sores" on his buttocks where Cuellar says she can see the "living bone."
"I hope people understand that we are not just deciding to stop feeding because things are kind of difficult," Cuellar said. "It is an insurmountable challenge every day and I don't know how we get through. We get through with each other."
So, how exactly does this happen in the age of modern medicine and to a man who served his country bravely?
Young says it's been a "long process" since he began experiencing "severe abdominal pain in July of 2009" and he hasn't just been struggling with his deteriorating body, but with the health care system, calling the Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospital a "factory." He left in October against medical advice.
"At the VA the doctors seem to think they are so much better than all of their patients and if you try to say, 'Oh what if it's like this?' or 'What if we go down this road?' and they say, 'No, no that won't work,'" Young said. "I said (the VA) was more zoo-like, it's actually more like a factory. Like patients are on an assembly line."
They said the treatment at a private hospital he went to was better, but Cuellar said "there is still this drive towards procedures, surgeries, drugs, procedures, surgeries, drugs."
"When we felt like we had enough of procedures, surgeries, and drugs there isn't a space allowed to begin to talk about transition into hospice or feelings about suffering or death and dying. Even with medical professionals they don't want to talk about it," Cuellar said.
They said when they first approached Young's doctors with his wish to go into hospice they said due to his young age he wasn't the "typical hospice patient."
"This is what happens when a country sends their sons and daughters to war," Cuellar said. "Broken bodies come back and broken bodies deteriorate over time just like a diseased body and just like an aging body and this is the reality. I'm sorry if it doesn't fit your profile of somebody who is 90 years old and about to die going to hospice."
In order to be accepted in a hospice, Young must be "terminally" ill, which he technically is not. They were able to be accepted when he was ruled to have an "inability to thrive." He now has in-home hospice care from Crossroads Hospice.
"All we want to do is go home," Cuellar said, referring to the time before the ruling was made. "We don't want to be in a hospital, we don't want to be in an ER, we don't want to go into a nursing home…we felt like we were like Frankenstein. They just wanted to keep cutting open, stitching up, going in, another pill and this is a dehumanizing process."
Although Young has been involved in protesting the Iraq war for years, his final piece of political activism is an open letter he wrote to former President George W. Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney accusing them of war crimes.
"You may evade justice, but in our eyes you are each guilty of egregious war crimes, of plunder and, finally, of murder, including the murder of thousands of young Americans--my fellow veterans--whose future you stole," it reads in part.
ABC News' Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz has covered the war in Iraqextensively, writing a book, "The Long Road Home" about the battle in Sadr City in which Young was injured.
She sat down with the man who saved Young and others, Robert Miltenberger several times since the battle. He served as a staff sergeant in Sadr City in 2004.
Miltenberger, who was awarded the silver star for his bravery, told Raddatz in 2005 that he thought about Young and others often, telling her the memories were "haunting." In November 2011, she interviewed him again and he said he had told Young that he apologized to him for what happened right after he was paralyzed.
"I was telling him that I was sorry that I lied to him, that he wasn't paralyzed, that people were lying on his legs and he was just numb from all the weight and stuff," Miltenberger recalled. "He said it was okay. He didn't blame me."
Young's reaction to hearing those words was that "I've never had any hard feelings and I never considered it lying. I was just trying to keep my head above water."
Young said he would like to talk to Miltenberger before his life ends.
Young says he wants the country to learn from his struggle that "war is the last resort" and in future conflicts the American government should try diplomacy and "if they are still not cooperating they should send in a small group of elite trained forces not 125,000 19-year-old kids whose first cultural experience is eating at the Olive Garden or Taco Bell. "
"I want our government to try every possible outlet with the country before invading it, before going to war," Young said.
Young added that if the United States does go to war then "all boxes must be checked."
"Make sure that the soldiers, marines, and sailors have the best body armor, the best armor around their vehicles," Young said before Cuellar added, "And having a healthcare system that will take of you when they get back. I mean, they just can't be abandoned when they sacrifice for their country."
Young's mother Cathy Smith, whom he says has worked as a "pit bull" on his behalf, is also almost always by his side.
He said "she's come around to the conclusion that it would be far more selfish for her to want me to stay alive and be in pain the rest of my life than just let me go."
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