CHRONIC PAIN
• Foods That May Ease Rheumatoid Arthritis: Blueberries and a cup of green tea
are among the foods
that could ease the pain, swelling and stiffness in your joints and even slow
progression of the disease, researchers say. Dried plums, pomegranates, whole
grains, the spices ginger and turmeric, and olive oil may also help. These
foods appear to reduce inflammation, as well as joint stiffness and pain,
according to the authors of a paper published Nov. 8 in the journal Frontiers
in Nutrition.
• Options to Opioids in the ER: As the opioid epidemic continues to
sweep across the United States, a new study suggests that a combination of
Motrin and Tylenol may work as well as narcotic painkillers for ER patients who
suffer sprains or fractures. JAMA
• Stem Cell Injection better than Placebo for Back Pain: A SINGLE
injection of six million stem cells into a degenerative spinal disc can reduce
back pain, opioid reliance and the need for invasive spinal surgery for at
least two years, early trial results show. The Melbourne-developed treatment,
an off-the-shelf stem cell product that can treat 20,000 patients from cells
grown from one healthy young person, is being tested as part of an
international trial. The 100-patient, double-blinded phase II trial found a
greater proportion of those treated halved their pain level compared to a
placebo a year after treatment. It also reduced the need for pain relief and
other surgical interventions.
• Why head and face pain causes more
suffering: Sensory neurons
in the head and face tap directly into the brain's emotional pathways. Nature
Neuroscience
• Cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain By teaching patients
better strategies for coping with chronic pain, cognitive behavioral therapy
(CBT) is a valuable treatment alternative for the millions of Americans taking
opioids for noncancer pain. Journal of Psychiatric Practice
• Noninvasive procedure is superior to steroid injection for painful knee osteoarthritis: For patients with osteoarthritis of the
knee, a minimally invasive procedure called cooled radiofrequency ablation
(CRFA) provides better pain reduction and functional improvement compared to
steroid injection of the knee, concludes a study. Regional
Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
• White matter damage linked to chronic musculoskeletal pain in Gulf War veterans: A new study has linked structural damage in the white matter of the
brain to chronic musculoskeletal pain in Gulf War veterans. PAIN
COMPLEMENTARY & ALTERNATIVE
MEDICINE
• Clinical study shows positive results for two yoga poses to decrease scoliosis curves: In a 74-person peer-reviewed study, patients averaged 25% -35%
reduction in scoliosis curves over 10 months (adults) and 6 months
(adolescents).The curves of younger patients were more responsive to the
treatment.
• Yoga May Boost Lung Cancer Patients, Caregivers: For advanced lung cancer patients, yoga
appears to help improve their overall physical function, stamina and mental health. And it
appears to give their caregivers a boost, as well. The findings stem from a
small study of 26 patients and caregivers. The study participants, most of whom
were in their 60s, took part in an average of 12 yoga
sessions. The focus was on breathing
exercises, physical postures and meditation. Palliative
and Supportive Care Oncology Symposium
FDA ACTION
• Issued
an advisory about harms tied to kratom -- an imported herbal supplement with
opioid-like effects that is increasing in popularity.
• Approved new treatment to prevent bleeding in certain
patients with hemophilia A
• Announced comprehensive regenerative medicine policy
framework to spur innovation, efficient access to potentially transformative
products, while ensuring safety & efficacy
• Approves treatment for rare genetic enzyme disorder
• Permits marketing of the first device for use in helping
to reduce the symptoms of opioid withdrawal. The NSS-2 Bridge device is a small
electrical nerve stimulator placed behind the patient’s ear.
• Warns about illegal use of injectable silicone for
body countouring and associated health risks
• Approves pill with sensor that digitally tracks if
patients have ingested their medication.
• Clears common blood cell count test that offers faster
results
• Approves first treatment for certain patients with
Erdheim-Chester Disease, a rare blood cancer
• Warns companies marketing unproven products, derived
from marijuana, that claim to treat or cure cancer
• Approves new treatment for adults with mantle cell
lymphoma
• Issued statement on the proposal to revoke health claim
that soy protein reduces risk of heart disease.
• Seeks to speed development of “regenerated” organs
for medical use.
PREVENTION
• Older Women Can “Walk Away”from the grim reaper: In
a new study, women who logged an average of nearly 70 minutes walking daily had
up to a 70 percent lower risk of death compared to the least active women, who
moved just eight minutes a day. The study also found that the benefits were
significant mainly for women who participated in moderate to vigorous exercise.
The study included data from nearly 17,000 women. Their average age was 72, and
most were white. Circulation
Cross off that 'to do' list, study shows all daily activity can prolong life: For women over age 65, adding 30 minutes per day of light physical
activity may lower mortality risk. The 6,000 women in the study, ages
65 to 99, were followed for up to four and a half years. They wore a measuring
device called an accelerometer on their hip around-the-clock for seven days
while going about their daily activities. The study found that 30 minutes of
light physical activity per day lowered mortality risk by 12 percent while an
additional 30 minutes of moderate activity, such as bicycling at a leisurely
pace or brisk walking, exhibited a 39 percent lower risk.Journal of the
American Geriatrics Society
• Group exercise improves quality of life, reduces stress far more than individual work outs: Group exercise participants showed
significant improvements in all three quality of life measures: mental (12.6
percent), physical (24.8 percent) and emotional (26 percent). They also
reported a 26.2 percent reduction in perceived stress levels. By comparison,
individual fitness participants on average worked out twice as long, and saw no
significant changes in any measure, except in mental quality of life (11
percent increase). The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association
• Commitment Is Key for Online Quit-Smoking Groups: An online social
network designed to help you quit smoking can do just that, a new study finds. But
the odds of quitting rise along with the level of active involvement, the
researchers said. Plos One
• Definition of High Blood Pressure Drops: Nearly half of all adult Americans will be
considered to have high blood pressure under new guidelines issued Monday by
the nation's top heart health organizations. The new guidelines lower the
diagnostic threshold for stage 1 high blood pressure to 130/80, down from the
previous level of 140/90, according to a joint statement from the American
Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology.
• Does Sex Really Trigger Cardiac Arrest: It's a common
Hollywood trope -- an older guy is having enthusiastic sex with a gal half his
age when he suddenly flops over dead.
But in real life,
sexual activity very rarely causes cardiac arrest, a new study reassuringly
reports. Sex was linked to only 34 out of more than 4,500 cardiac arrests that
occurred in the Portland, Ore., metropolitan area between 2002 and 2015. That's
a rate of just 0.7 percent, the researchers noted. Journal of the American
College of Cardiology
• Friends Key to a Health Aging Brain: Getting along well with others may do more
than just make life less stressful for seniors. A new study suggests that warm,
supportive relationships might give a big memory boost to the aging brain. Researchers found that so-called SuperAgers
-- people 80 or older with the memory powers of those 50 to 65 -- were more
likely than those with average memory to report positive relationships in their
lives. Plos One
• IUD May Lower Cervical Cancer Risk: IUD contraceptive devices may reduce a
woman's risk of cervical cancer by about a third, a new review concludes. Researchers
think IUDs might promote an immune response that kills off human papillomavirus
(HPV), the virus that causes virtually all cases of cervical cancer. "The
data say the presence of the IUD in the uterus stimulates an immune response,
and that immune response very, very substantially destroys sperm and keeps
sperm from reaching the egg," explained lead researcher Victoria
Cortessis. "It stands to reason the IUD might influence other immune
phenomenon." Obstetrics & Gynecology
NUTRITION/SUPPLEMENTS/VITAMINS
• Eat Well Age Well: The scientists followed close to 1,000 men
and women in England, who were born in March 1946, throughout their adulthood.
Those who ate more fruits, vegetables and whole-grain cereals -- and fewer
highly processed foods -- throughout adulthood did better on three tests of
physical function in their early 60s than those with less healthy eating
habits. The study also found that those whose eating habits improved during
adulthood did better on two of the tests, chair rise speed and standing balance
time. The third test was timed up-and-go speeds. The
Journals of Gerontology: Series A
•
Healthier Diet, Less Salt: The Recipe to Beat High Blood Pressure: Cutting back on salt, along with following
the highly recommended "DASH" diet, can beat back high blood pressure
in adults, new research shows. After just a month, the results for people
adopting this strategy were "striking and reinforce the importance of
dietary changes" for those with problematic blood pressure. American
Heart Association's annual meeting
• Nuts Prevent Heart Disease: Avoiding heart disease may be a nutty idea.
That's the conclusion of a new study of more than 210,000 U.S. adults tracked
for 32 years. Researchers found that those who regularly ate peanuts, walnuts,
cashews and other nuts had a lower risk of heart disease. The research was
funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. It found that -- compared to people
who never ate nuts -- people who ate walnuts one or more times a week had about
a 20 percent lower risk of heart disease. Those who ate peanuts two or more
times per week had about 14 percent lower risk, and those who ate tree nuts --
such as almonds, cashews, pistachios or macadamia nuts -- had a 15 to 23
percent lower risk.The investigators found no link between total nut
consumption and stroke risk, but they did find that people who ate peanuts and
walnuts, in particular, had a lower risk of stroke. Journal of the American
College of Cardiology
TREATMENT
• Proton Pump Inhibitors Linked to Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease: A
total of 5 studies with 536,902 participants met the eligibility criteria and
were included in the meta-analysis that showed a link between proton pump
inhibitors and the development of kidney disease. Annual Meeting of the
American Society of Nephrology (ASN)
• Two Years of Teriparatide Significantly
Decreases Risk of New Fractures in Women With Severe Osteoporosis: Two years of teriparatide significantly
decreases the risk of a new clinical vertebral fracture in postmenopausal women
with severe osteoporosis, compared with risedronate, according to a study
presented here at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the American College of
Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ACR/ARHP).
• Romosozumab Followed by Alendronate Bests Alendronate Alone for Fracture Prevention: In postmenopausal women with osteoporosis
who are a high risk for fracture, romosozumab treatment for 12 months followed
by alendronate resulted in a significantly lower fracture risk than alendronate
alone, according to a study presented here at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the
American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health
Professionals (ACR/ARHP).
• Aspirin can prevent heart attacks after noncardiac surgery in patients with prior PCI: The results of the largest randomized trial
of patients with PCI will inform clinical practice. A new study has found that
perioperative aspirin can prevent heart-related complications after major
noncardiac surgery in patients with previous percutaneous coronary intervention
(PCI) such as an angioplasty or stent. The study found that for every 1,000
patients with PCI, giving them aspirin at the time of noncardiac surgery would
prevent 59 heart attacks and cause eight major bleeding events. Annals of
Internal Medicine
• Depressed with a chronic disease? Many find antidepressants are not working: Scientists are finding more evidence that commonly prescribed
antidepressants aren't effective in people battling both depression and a
chronic medical disease, raising a critical question of whether doctors should
enact widespread changes in how they treat millions of depressed Americans. JAMA
• Peanut
Patch Found Safe, Effective for treating allergies: A
250-μg peanut patch produces a significant treatment response in
peanut-allergic patients treated for a year, according to a study published
online Nov. 14 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
•
Statins Cut Risk: For patients who have experienced an atherosclerotic
cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) event, receipt of statins, especially
high-intensity statins, is associated with reduced risk of major adverse
cardiac events (MACE), according to a study presented at the American Heart
Association's Scientific Sessions.
• Older people with bowel disease receiveolder medicines:
Inflammatory bowel disease is common amongst older people and there are big
differences in the choice of treatment for different age groups. Patients over
the age of 60 often receive cortisone drugs instead of more modern medicines
that target the immune system. Gastroenterology
OTHER
• Doctor Burnout: A Big Threat to Health Care: Complaining of burnout
and job dissatisfaction, many U.S. doctors plan to reduce their work hours or
leave medicine altogether, a new study reveals. The study found that about one
in five doctors intends to reduce work hours in the next year. And about one in
50 intends to leave medicine for a different career within the next two years. The
demands of electronic health records were among the challenges leading to job
dissatisfaction. Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
• Psoriasis severity linked to increased risk of type 2 diabetes People
with psoriasis are at a higher risk to develop type 2 diabetes than those
without psoriasis, and the risk increases dramatically based on the severity of
the disease. Researchers found people with psoriasis that covers 10 percent of
their body or more are 64 percent more likely to develop diabetes than those
without psoriasis, independent of traditional risk factors such as body weight.
Journal of the American College of Dermatology
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