HHAL MEDICAL NEWS OF THE MONTH OF FEBUARY2008

Eating too much fast food can cause abnormal liver function test similar to drinking too much alcohol.

Odds of reaching age 90 are good for those who avoid five key risk factors for premature death

Wanting to live to be 100? It is not too late. Just change your life style such as quit smoking, weight reduction to normal, control blood pressure and regular exercise.

Folate Deficiency Is Associated With A Three-Fold Increased Risk Of Dementia

Artificial Sweeteners Could Make You Gain Weight

Don’t fool your brain with artificial sweeteners such as diet soda, low calorie yogurt. If you want to eat or drink, eat or drink a real thing once in awhile in moderation.

Prostate Cancer Watch And Wait Suggested For Older Men

If you aged 70 and over with low to moderate grade prostate cancer tumours, only 3 to 7 per cent died within 10 years of diagnosis.

Vigorous Exercise Can Really Roll Back the Years

Eat less and move more still a good idea to live longer.

Keeping Your Brain Fit

There's plenty you can do to slow the effects of aging. Keep using your brain ,keep learning anything

Your patients may be asking about an article from earlier this week. According to the Wall Street Journal, there are several anecdotal reports of memory loss "in a small portion of patients" on statins.

The article quotes the vice chairman of medicine at New York-Presbyterian Hospital who says she's observed the effect "in maybe two dozen patients," who did better after changing to other statins.

Pfizer, the manufacturer of Lipitor (mentioned repeatedly in the article), says its research finds no causal link between its drug and memory loss. The UCSD Statin Study (from the University of California-San Diego) is currently looking at the effect of statins on mood and cognition.

We've provided links for both the Wall Street Journal story and the ongoing trial.

What's Good For The Heart May Be Good For The Prostate

Eating the right kind of foods for the heart also good for preventing the prostate enlargement.

Could lead to non-invasive way to detect prostate cancer with more specificity than prostate-specific antigen

Best Strategies in Urinary and Fecal Incontinence

The best approaches to treating and preventing adult incontinence are the subject of two articles released early by Annals of Internal Medicine.

One article, an examination of published evidence concerning nonsurgical treatment of urinary incontinence in women, reaches the following conclusions:

·                                 Pelvic floor muscle training would resolve 490 cases of stress incontinence per 1000 cases treated.

·                                 Oral hormonal therapy increased rates of incontinence, and estrogens administered transdermally or vaginally produced inconsistent improvements.

·                                 Oxybutynin and tolterodine increased continence rates, but duloxetine was not better than placebo.

·                                 Adrenergic drugs (clenbuterol, norepinephrine, and phenylpropanolamine) were not effective.

The other article, a "state-of-the-science" statement on adult incontinence from an NIH-sponsored conference, concludes:

·                                 "Routine episiotomy is the most easily preventable risk factor for fecal incontinence."

·                                 Pelvic floor muscle training may "prevent or reduce urinary incontinence in older women and in men undergoing prostate surgery," while lifestyle changes, such as weight loss and exercise, may prevent both urinary and fecal incontinence.

Annals of Internal Medicine review of urinary incontinence in women (Free)

NIH statement on adult incontinence from Annals (Free)