Health Tip: Helpful Hints for Flossing

(HealthDay News) -- Flossing is an important part of good dental hygiene to help prevent gum disease and tooth decay.

Here are suggestions on how to floss properly, courtesy of the American Dental Hygienists' Association:

• Using about 18" of dental floss, wrap each end around your fingers until about 2" remains between your thumb and index finger.
• Gently slide the dental floss around each tooth, pulling the floss tight.
• Use a back and forth motion, and be sure to guide the floss around each tooth. Never force the floss between two teeth as you may damage gums -- gently ease the floss between teeth.
• Unwrap and rewrap the floss so that there is clean floss used on each tooth.

Unwrapping the Science of Santa's Mystical Journey

(HealthDay News) -- It's a question that has puzzled kids and grown-ups for centuries: How does Santa Claus get all those gifts to millions of homes worldwide in just one night?

In St. Louis, four-year-old Kaelyn this week suggested Santa "wraps presents ahead of time," which certainly must help.

Standing near her at a recent performance of The Nutcracker, six-year-old Liam proposed a high-tech solution. "He has a gadget on his sleigh that makes it go turbo. He can go down the chimney in one second!" he said.

Over in Hillsdale, N.J., however, five-year-old Amelia offered a simpler solution: "Maybe he has a secret shortcut."

Each of these kids may be onto something, according to Santa expert Larry Silverberg, a noted U.S. engineer and self-described "rocket scientist."

Silverberg is a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. He believes that Santa -- whom experts say moved to his underground complex at the North Pole more than 500 years ago -- has spent the last five centuries researching better ways to deliver presents at light-speed to kids everywhere.

In doing so, he and the elves have made scientific breakthroughs that the rest of humanity can only dream of, Silverberg said.

First up: Santa's uncanny ability to understand children's wishes in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

Letters to Santa are a big help, of course.

"But up at the North Pole, you also have a lot of space to construct an underground antenna that can span miles," Silverberg said. "You collect incoming electromagnetic waves and filter them, finding out which thought-waves are coming from which kids."

Sounds impossible, you say?

"Remember, we have EEG technology now to measure brain waves," Silverberg said. "And when you're talking on your wireless cell phone, there's a very complicated process whereby signals coming from around the world get to you. All that seems like magic, too. Santa's just a bit more advanced."

Of course, further filtering is done to divide children into the required naughty/nice categories, but technologies such as the polygraph lie-detector suggest that that's "probably one of the easier things to do," Silverberg said.

Once wishes are collected in his huge Arctic database, Santa checks them twice and then waits for what people call "Christmas Eve."

To most children, Christmas Eve seems like a few very long hours.

Not so for Santa, though.

"It's tough to explain, but in his 'theory of relativity,' Albert Einstein discovered that space and time are bendable," Silverberg said. While the theory is almost a century old, modern society has yet to harness relativity.

Santa did so long ago, however, and uses it each Christmas.

"What we know about physics is that, in one reference frame, distance and time look different than in another," Silverberg explained. "Time can dilate -- get much longer -- and space can contract. That's exactly what you'd need to deliver millions of gifts around the globe on one night."

Silverberg's hypothesis -- as yet unproven -- is that Santa uses his advanced knowledge to wrap his sleigh and eight reindeer in a "relativity cloud."

"So, inside the cloud a month might go by, but it would only feel like a split-second outside the cloud -- for example, in a child's bedroom," the expert said. "Santa probably also shrinks and expands the cloud, so he can enter houses through tiny openings. A chimney is one such entryway, but he might also enter through keyholes, doggy-doors, etc."

Silverberg's team at NCSU performed detailed calculations using this relativity model. "We found that in six months, a fleet of 750 sleighs could get to all of the homes on Earth, traveling an average of 84 mph in the relativity cloud," he said. "Of course, outside the cloud, all that happens on Christmas Eve."

Highly advanced onboard computers with built in GPS-like systems also plot optimal routes from Santa's central SleighPort at the North Pole out to the seven continents. "Federal Express and UPS already have similar, but more primitive, systems," Silverberg noted.

The lightning speed at which Santa arrives at, and then leaves, houses means that children will be hard-pressed to actually spot him, of course. "Sure, sometimes you hear of kids seeing him on the roof or at the Christmas tree, but that's incredibly rare," Silverberg said.

Of course, those reindeer help, too. "'St. Nick fell in love with reindeer when he first moved North, and he's been using genetic bioengineering to perfect their flying, their roof-walking and their night-vision abilities ever since," Silverberg said.

He also wanted to clear up one misconception. "I believe that Santa does not bring toys from the Pole to each home -- that's just far too bulky and inefficient," the scientist said.

Instead, the jolly gent uses sophisticated nanotechnology to build toys and other presents in a flash, right there on the family living-room floor. "It's a process of bringing atomic physics to engineering, something we're only now exploring ourselves," Silverberg said.

The end result of all this high-tech yuletide wizardry: millions of absolutely thrilled kids -- and grown-ups -- on the morning of Dec. 25.

Other experts agreed, more or less, with Silverberg's theories.

Five-year-old Ellie, of Alexandria, Va., figured that Santa is "very fast, works very hard, and has lots of elves to help him."

Back in St. Louis, three-year-old Elle didn't seem interested in all that complicated science. Her answer to the Christmas Eve riddle: "Because he's Santa."

More information
There's more on the "science of Santa" here.

Iceberg Lettuce Seen as Taco Bell E. coli Source

(HealthDay News) -- U.S. health officials late Thursday declared the E. coli outbreak linked to Taco Bell restaurants in the Northeast to be over, even as the investigation into suspect lettuce continued.

In their declaration, officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said, "Based on a number of factors, iceberg lettuce is considered overall to be the single most likely source of the outbreak at this time."

Tests on green onions, initially thought to be the cause of the bacterial outbreak that sickened at least 71 people in five states, had proven negative, health officials said earlier.

"We have identified several ingredients that may be associated with the outbreak. These include lettuce, ground beef and cheddar cheese," Dr. Christopher Braden, a medical epidemiologist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said during a teleconference late Wednesday. "The most likely food vehicle is lettuce. But we are still looking at other food items."

Dr. David Acheson, chief medical officer at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said it was too early to speculate where the lettuce -- if it is proven to be the source of the contamination -- was grown.

"To date, no food samples have come up with E. coli that matches the outbreak," Acheson said. "The primary focus is on lettuce, but we are also looking at cheese."

The FDA hopes to trace the lettuce to its source, but officials conceded that could be tough because the lettuce was shredded and processed in bulk.

Taco Bell said after the news conference that a CDC analysis showed a "statistical probability" that lettuce was the source of contamination, after the agency conducted interviews with those who have become ill. Lettuce is served in approximately 70 percent of all Taco Bell menu items.

The lettuce supplied to Taco Bell restaurants in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware was grown by various farmers and shipped to the company's former produce supplier, the company said in a prepared statement.

The outbreak also appears to be winding down, the FDA officials added, although there are people who still may be confirmed with the illness in coming days.

"These numbers may increase in the next few days. However, we are seeing a decline in cases," Braden said.

Acheson added that there was "no indication that the Taco Bell outbreak has anything to do with the Taco John E. coli outbreak in Minnesota and Iowa."

Almost three dozen people have fallen ill in recent days with symptoms consistent with E. coli infection after eating at a Taco John's restaurant in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Authorities are also investigating reports that at least 14 other people became ill after eating at Taco John restaurants in Albert Lea and Austin, both in Minnesota. Both Taco Bell and Taco John are separate companies, with no affiliation.

Last week, officials from the CDC and the FDA were concentrating on green onions, also called scallions, as the likely source of the Taco Bell outbreak, but laboratory tests failed to prove such a link.

But the company didn't take any chances. Taco Bell on Saturday announced it had removed all green onions from its 5,800 restaurants nationwide.

"We're focused on working with the authorities to find the root cause," Rob Poetsch, a spokesman for Yum! Foods, which owns Taco Bell, said at the time.

Acheson said earlier this week that testing of a sample of white onions from a Taco Bell on New York's Long Island by county health officials found the produce was contaminated with E. coli, but that the strain was not the same as the one identified in the wider outbreak.

"It doesn't match the outbreak strain or any strain associated with the illnesses," Acheson said.
As of Wednesday evening, the CDC was reporting 71 confirmed cases of E. coli infection in five states. New Jersey had 33 confirmed cases; New York had 22; Pennsylvania had 13, Delaware had two, and South Carolina had one. The South Carolina patient ate at a Taco Bell in Pennsylvania, according to the CDC.

Of the confirmed cases on the CDC list, 76 percent of the victims required hospitalization and 12 percent developed a form of kidney failure called hemolytic-uremic syndrome, the agency said.
In a statement released this week, Taco Bell said independent laboratory test results of more than 300 samples of all the ingredients served in Taco Bell restaurants concluded that no ingredient contained the E. coli bacteria 0157:H7.

"Out of an abundance of caution, we switched our produce supplier for all of our produce, including white onions, for New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. Since the independent scientific laboratory tests on all of our ingredients have concluded negative for E. coli, we have no information regarding any Taco Bell ingredient linked to this outbreak," said Greg Creed, president of Taco Bell Corp.

The E. coli outbreak was the third food-borne illness to plague U.S. consumers in recent months. In September, an outbreak of E. coli-contaminated spinach sickened 199 people in 26 states and Canada and left three dead.

Also in September, an outbreak of salmonella was traced to tomatoes served in restaurants. The outbreak sickened 183 people in 21 states, as well as two people in Canada.

According to the CDC, E. coli O157:H7 is one of hundreds of strains of the bacterium Escherichia coli. Although most strains are harmless, this one produces a powerful toxin that can cause severe illness.

The germ is found on most cattle farms, and meat can become contaminated during the slaughter process. Other possible sources of food-borne infection are lettuce, sprouts, spinach, salami, unpasteurized milk and juice.

Infection with E. coli O157:H7 often causes severe bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Sometimes, it causes non-bloody diarrhea or no symptoms. The illness typically clears up within five to 10 days, according to the CDC.

More information
For more on the latest E. coli outbreak, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Health Tip: Pyelonephritis of the Kidneys

(HealthDay News) -- Pyelonephritis is a bacterial infection of the kidneys that can occur at any age. It's more common in women than men.

Symptoms of the infection include fever, a burning sensation when you urinate, a frequent urge to urinate, cloudy or bloody urine, abdominal pain and fatigue.

While St. John's Mercy Medical Center offers no specific preventive measures for men, it says women should:

• Wipe from front to back after bowel movements.
• Avoid prolonged moisture around the urethra by not wearing nylon underpants and by changing out of wet swimsuits.
• Avoid sexual positions that irritate or hurt the urethra or bladder.
• Urinate within 15 minutes of intercourse.
• Urinate when you have the urge.

Community Doctors Can Perform Carotid Stenting

(HealthDay News) -- Carotid stenting -- inserting a tube to keep the main artery to the brain open to prevent a stroke -- can be done by community physicians as well as specialists, a study shows.

The study was done "to see whether the technology can be transferred, and that involves appropriate operator selection and training," said study lead author Dr. William A. Gray, director of endovascular services at Columbia University.

The answer was "yes," Gray said. The study included 3,500 patients treated by 353 doctors at 144 hospitals across the United States. The incidence of death, stroke or heart attack was virtually the same for community physicians as for specialists, the report found.

The combined rates of death, heart attack and stroke were 5.3 percent among the most experienced physicians, 6.0 percent for those with a moderate amount of experience, and 7.4 percent for those with little previous experience, differences that were not statistically significant.

The study findings are published in the January issue of the journal Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions.

Carotid stenting is relatively rare, compared to the implantation of stents in coronary arteries, Gray noted. Some 25,000 carotid artery stents were implanted in the United States last year, compared to hundreds of thousands of coronary stents. The carotid procedure is reserved for people at high risk of stroke because of plaque buildup in the carotid artery but who can't undergo surgery because of their medical complications.

The device used in the study was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2004. The study was done to assess the effectiveness of a training program tailored to the experience level of physicians interested in performing the procedure.

Previously inexperienced physicians were given a rigorous two-day course, covering such issues as the anatomy of the carotid artery and selection of patients for whom carotid stenting was appropriate, Gray said.

"One way of assessing this trial is measuring the outcome of the trial and comparing it to that of other trials," he said. "The results are very comparable, at least as good or better."

Dr. Christopher J. White, editor in chief of the journal and chief of cardiology at the Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans, said in a statement: "Because independent observers measured the outcomes of the procedure, we can have confidence that the data are robust, meaningful and applicable in community practices."

For patients told that a carotid artery procedure is needed to reduce the risk of stroke and who want to consider stenting, White's advice is simple: "You should ask your physician."

It won't be necessary to ask about drug-coated vs. bare-metal stents, White added. Drug-coated stents are used to reduce the risk that the artery might close up again, and, for some unknown reason, the rate of such restenosis for carotid arteries is very low, he said.

More information
For more about carotid artery stenosis, visit the American Heart Association.

New Drug Fights Type of Aggressive Breast Cancer

(HealthDay News) -- An experimental drug called lapatinib shows promise as a treatment for inflammatory breast cancer, according to a study presented Thursday at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare (1 percent to 2 percent of all breast cancer cases), aggressive and often deadly form of breast cancer. Most breast cancers present as a lump, but symptoms of IBC include: redness; swelling; warmth in the breast; reddish, purple or bruised skin; or skin that has ridges and/or appears pitted like an orange.

Women with IBC may also have burning, aching or tenderness, increased breast size, and/or an inverted nipple. In many cases, IBC is diagnosed after the disease has spread to other areas of the body. Only 40 percent of IBC patients survive five years, according to background information in the article.

This multi-center phase 2 clinical trial began with 49 newly-diagnosed IBC patients. All were HER2 and/or EGFR-positive and had never been treated for their disease. About 25 percent of the patients had metastatic cancer.

For two weeks, the women received daily doses of lapatinib alone. That was followed by three months of daily lapatinib and weekly paclitaxel chemotherapy. Thirty-five of the women completed the drug trial and had surgery.

The study found that 27 of the 35 patients (80 percent) had a clinical response (defined as a 50 percent reduction in tumor size) to the lapatinib-chemotherapy treatment. One patient had disease progression during treatment.

The researchers also found that 25 percent to 30 percent of the patients responded in the first two weeks of the study when they were receiving only lapatinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor and HER2neu tyrosine kinase inhibitor. The drug blocks the activity of the HER2 protein and EGFR by binding to the part of the protein found inside breast cancer cells.

"For IBC patients, these results should be very encouraging because there's now more of a dedicated research effort for a type of breast cancer that has long been ignored and misunderstood," principal investigator Dr. Massimo Cristofanilli, associate professor, department of breast medical oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, said in a prepared statement.

"With lapatinib, we finally have a drug on which to build effective therapy -- we just have to refine the most effective way to use it," Cristofanilli said.
More information
The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about inflammatory breast cancer.

Health Tip: Understanding End-Stage Renal Disease

(HealthDay News) -- End-stage renal disease (ESRD), sometimes called kidney failure, occurs when kidney damage becomes so severe that the organs function at less than 10 percent of normal capacity. When this happens, the kidneys are almost completely unable to help the body excrete waste and regulate bodily fluids.

Long bouts of chronic kidney disease, most often brought on by diabetes, is the most common cause of ESRD, the U.S. National Library of Medicine says.

People with ESRD must undergo lifesaving dialysis, in which a machine performs many of the normal functions of the kidneys.

Huntington's Disease Linked to High Brain Cholesterol

(HealthDay News) -- U.S. researchers have spotted a link between Huntington's disease and abnormal levels of cholesterol in the brain.

Huntington's disease is a progressive brain condition in which the brain's nerve cells waste away. Symptoms include uncontrolled movements, emotional problems, and mental deterioration.

In tests with cultured neuron cells in the laboratory and in the brains of animals, a team at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., found that the mutated Huntington's protein interacts with another protein to disrupt the normal cholesterol-delivery system, resulting in the accumulation of large amounts of cholesterol in the brain.

The findings are published in the current issue of the journal Human Molecular Genetics.

"Cholesterol is essential for promoting the connection network among brain cells and in maintaining their membrane integrity. But the level of cholesterol and its delivery to the proper locations in the cell are essential for the survival of neurons," molecular biologist Cynthia McMurray explained in a prepared statement.

"Our discovery that the mutant Huntington's disease protein derails the cholesterol delivery and causes cholesterol accumulation in neurons provides us with key results and solid clues to the mechanism of this disease. Fully understanding the mechanism of toxicity is the key to developing treatments," she said.

About 30,000 Americans have Huntington's disease, and another 150,000 carry the Huntington's gene and have a 50 percent risk of passing it on to their children.

More information
We Move has more about Huntington's disease.

Some Women Prone to Repeat Placental Infections

(HealthDay News) -- Women who've had an infection of the placenta or nearby membranes, known as chorioamnionitis, during their first pregnancy are twice as likely to have it in their second pregnancy, U.S. researchers report.

Five percent of women who had the infection in their first pregnancy had it again in their second pregnancy, compared to 2 percent of women who did not have it in their first pregnancy, according to a study from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

This condition, which occurs in 0.5 percent to 10 percent of births, can cause bleeding and widespread infection in the mother. It can also infect the fetus and possibly cause cerebral palsy, according to background information in the article.

The longer the time between the breaking of the amniotic sac and birth, the greater the risk of chorioamnionitis, which can be treated with antibiotics.

In this study, researchers reviewed the medical records of more than 28,000 women, and concluded that one or more factors may predispose women to chorioamnionitis.

"We do believe that there probably is a genetic component that predisposes women to intrauterine infection," study author Dr. Vanessa Laibl, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, said in a prepared statement.

"We also believe that certain women could be colonized with bacteria that are more virulent and more likely to cause infection," she said.

The study is published in the December issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

More information
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has more about chorioamnionitis.

Don't Blame Racket for Tennis Elbow

(HealthDay News) -- Your swing, not your racket, may be the culprit when it comes to developing tennis elbow (tendonitis), experts report.

An improperly-sized -- either too small or too large -- tennis racket grip does not cause the common malady, according to a study in the December issue of the American Journal of Sports Medicine.

"An optimal grip size may influence the force with which a player hits the ball, but variations in grip size are unlikely to be contributing factors in overuse injuries such as tennis elbow," researcher Dr. George F. Hatch III, of the department of orthopedic surgery at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles, said in a prepared statement.

The finding goes against traditional advice from doctors, he added.

"Clinicians who treat patients with tennis elbow often tell them to try a different size grip in order to alleviate muscle fatigue. Our study demonstrates that those recommendations have no scientific basis. Therefore, it is reasonable to recommend whatever grip size feels most comfortable for them," Hatch said.

He and his colleagues studied 16 NCAA Division I and II tennis players (10 men, 6 women) with no prior history of elbow problems. The players were told to do single-handed backhand strokes using identical tennis rackets with three different grip sizes. While the players used the rackets, the researchers measured the firing patterns of muscles in the players' forearms.

The different grip sizes did not affect the firing patterns of the muscles.

"Based on our data, we recommend recreational tennis players use the currently accepted grip size measurement technique as a starting point when picking a grip size. However, the player should feel free to increase or decrease the size of the grip based upon what feels most comfortable," Hatch said.

Instead, players should look to changing their technique to help ease tennis elbow, he said, since "previous studies have shown that improper form is one of the biggest risk factors for the development of tendonitis."

More information
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons has more about tennis elbow.

Exercise to Survive Breast Cancer?

Q: Exercise to Survive Breast Cancer?I've heard that exercise can protect against breast cancer, but recently someone told me that it also promotes survival. True?

A: True. An accumulating body of evidence suggests that exercise has a positive impact on the course of breast cancer and cancer survival.

The most recent study on this subject found that overweight women who were physically active in the year before developing breast cancer had better five-year survival rates than women who did not exercise. This study, conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, also found that exercise did not appear to have the same benefit for women of normal weight and that physical activity during adolescence or early adulthood didn't seem to affect survival.

The study was published in the October 15, 2006 issue of Cancer.

The North Carolina findings weren't the first to suggest that physical activity improves the odds of breast cancer survival. A study published in the May 25, 2005 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association found that women who walked as little as an hour a week at a pace of two to 2.9 miles per hour improved their survival by 20 percent compared to women who got less exercise or none at all.

Women who walked three to five hours a week had a risk of death 50 percent lower than those who performed little or no exercise. Those who got even more exercise also reduced their risk of death but, unaccountably, by somewhat less than 50 percent. The researchers noted that the benefit of physical activity was particularly apparent among women whose breast tumors were fed by estrogen.

Remember that the more fat you have on your body, the more estrogen you produce, because fat cells contain enzymes that increase estrogen production. This may explain results from the North Carolina study showing exercise to be more beneficial in women who were overweight near the time of diagnosis.

These findings also make sense when you consider that physical activity affects circulating hormones and may lower estrogen levels enough to explain improved survival in more active women.

We've known for some time that exercise can protect against developing breast cancer in the first place, but until recently, we thought that those who benefited were women who did strenuous physical activities when they were young. However, in September of 2003 the Journal of the American Medical Association published results of a study involving more than 74,000 women followed for nearly five years.

It showed that even women who don't begin exercising until later in life can lower their risk by 20 percent, and that a brisk, half-hour walk five days a week will do the trick. In this study, the exercise effect was seen among women at all levels of risk, even those with a strong family history of breast cancer, those who hadn't had children (a long-recognized risk factor), and those who had taken hormone replacement therapy.

The most important risk factors for development of breast cancer - being female, frequent occurrence in family history, and getting older - are beyond your control.

The amount of physical activity you get is definitely something you can control. Starting now has a clear benefit, even if you didn't exercise when you were young. If the recent evidence on exercise and breast cancer holds up, a brisk daily walk may save your life. Get moving!

Andrew Weil, M.D.

Medicate Migraines While Breastfeeding?

Q: Medicate Migraines While Breastfeeding?I am a breastfeeding mom who suffers from migraines. Are there supplements that can prevent migraines but are still safe to use when breastfeeding? What about treatments when I have a migraine - are any of them safe to use?

A:
Fortunately for about 70 percent of women who suffer from migraines, pregnancy improves matters, at least temporarily. If you??????re very lucky, the migraines might not return now that your baby is born. But if they do, dealing with them can be tricky, especially if you??????re breastfeeding.

You don??????t want your baby ingesting potentially harmful drugs that might be excreted in your breast milk.

You can safely take several supplements to prevent migraines while you??????re breastfeeding. Not all of them work for everyone, but they??????re certainly safe and worth a try.

Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) can be helpful, as can magnesium and the herb feverfew, which is available at health food stores. The recommended dose of riboflavin is 400 mg daily ?????? a pretty high dose, which needs to be prescribed by a physician.

Recommended dosage for magnesium is anywhere between 400-600 mg daily, sometimes higher. Dosage of feverfew is 100-250 mg of an extract standardized to .7 percent parthenolides.

Another herb, butterbur, which recently has proved to be as effective and safe as some prescription drugs for migraine prevention isn??????t recommended for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding because the appropriate safety studies haven??????t been done.

In addition to supplements, you might also consider biofeedback as a non-drug approach to reducing the frequency and intensity of your migraines. Certain medications used to prevent migraines are safe to use while breastfeeding. They include some of the beta blockers (drugs used to treat high blood pressure that can also effectively prevent migraines).

While you have to be careful about medications used to treat headaches that do develop, some are safe for use by nursing mothers. You can get a complete list of which ones are safe to take and which ones should be avoided at www.achenet.org/women/preg - the Web site of the American Council for Headache Education (ACHE).

ACHE is the patient education arm of the American Headache Society, a professional organization of health professionals who specialize in headache treatment. You??????ll see that some widely used medications for pain are okay to use while nursing.

Unfortunately, the ??????triptans,?????? drugs especially designed for migraine treatment, must be used with caution since the medication can be excreted in breast milk.

If you have a prescription for one of these drugs, I suggest that you consult your physician before using them while nursing.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

Drink Milk and Lose Weight?

Q: Drink Milk and Lose Weight?
I have been seeing more and more advertisements claiming that drinking milk promotes weight loss. What do you make of this? Are these claims based on studies? Are these studies valid?

A: Some evidence suggests that high calcium consumption in the form of dairy foods can promote weight loss, but that doesn't mean that all you have to do is drink lots of milk. Here's the story:

Researchers at the University of Tennessee found that calcium stored in the fat cells of mice can help determine their metabolism.

In one study, the researchers fed obese mice a high-fat, high-sugar diet for six weeks.

The animals' body fat increased by 27 percent. Then the researchers put the mice on different low-calorie diets. They also gave one group calcium supplements, another group dairy foods, and the third group just the low-calorie diet.

The mice in the third group lost only 8 percent of their new body fat; the mice that received calcium supplements lost 42 percent, and the mice that got dairy products lost 69 percent of the fat they had put on.

When the same researchers tried similar tactics on obese people, the ones who lost the most weight were the ones whose diets included dairy products. This study was sponsored by the National Dairy Council and published in the April 2004 issue of Obesity Research.

Meanwhile, a study at Creighton University in Nebraska showed that over a 20- year period, women whose intake of dairy foods was highest had an average weight gain of zero while those whose dairy intake was lowest gained a pound per year.

The latest word on this subject comes from Purdue University where a recent study showed that calcium intake in the form of dairy foods didn't make a difference to weight one way or the other. Researchers followed 155 women between the ages of 18 and 30 for one year, tracking their calcium intake and weight. They found that none of the women gained or lost weight, no matter how much calcium (in the form of dairy products) they consumed.

The study was published in the April 2005 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

I think the jury is still out on this one. But I can tell you that you won't lose weight by adding yogurt or some other type of dairy product to what you're eating now.

However, if you replace some of the calories in your diet with yogurt or other types of dairy products, over time you may see a difference.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

Are Liver Spots Dangerous?

Q: Are Liver Spots Dangerous?I have recently noticed " liver spots" on my face. They're not very pretty, but I didn't worry until I read that these spots are a sign of a brown slime called lipofuscin that coats the neurons of the brain and causes dementia/Alzheimer's Disease. Is this true? Can I prevent this?

A: First of all "liver spots" have nothing to do with the liver. They're simply age spots known medically as lentigines. While it is true that liver spots are localized concentrations of the brown pigment called lipofuscin and that lipofuscin accumulates throughout the body, there's simply no evidence to support the notion that the proliferation of this pigment causes age-related dementia, Alzheimer's disease, or any other disorder.

Unfortunately, liver spots are among the inevitable changes skin undergoes as it ages. They're caused by years of sun exposure and usually show up on the parts of the body that sunlight is most likely to hit: the face, hands, back and feet. Although liver spots are generally harmless, there is a danger that they can give rise to melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer.

Be sure to have a dermatologist check any spots that are large and irregular.

If you don't want to live with your liver spots, you can treat them with Retin-A (available with a prescription) or have them lasered away. Don't bother with commercial "fade creams" -- they won't help.

The best thing you can do for the health and appearance of your skin is to shield it from the sun -- starting when you're young. Wear protective clothing and/or sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher that blocks both UVA and UVB rays.

It's also a good idea to avoid perfumes and aftershave lotions before sun exposure because they can increase the skin's sensitivity to sunlight. And of course take your antioxidant vitamins daily -- 250 mgs of vitamin C once a day, 400-800 IUs of vitamin E, and 25,000 IUs of mixed carotenes as well as 200-300 micrograms of selenium.