Cell Phone Radiation Cause Osteoporosis
Cellphone and Bone Loss
Research suggests that wearing a cell phone on your hip may weaken an area of your pelvis. Using an X-ray technique used in the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with osteoporosis, researchers measured pelvic bone density in 150 men who regularly carried their cell phones attached to their belts. The men carried their phones for an average of 15 hours each day; they had used cell phones for an average of six years. The researchers found that bone mineral density was lowered on the side of the pelvis where the mobile phones were carried. The findings raise the possibility that bone density could be adversely affected by electromagnetic fields emitted by cell phones.
Using an X-ray technique used in the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with osteoporosis, researchers from Turkey’s Suleyman Demireli University measured pelvic bone density in 150 men who regularly carried their cell phones attached to their belts.
The men carried their phones for an average of 15 hours each day; they had used cell phones for an average of six years.
The researchers found that bone mineral density was slightly less on the side of the pelvis where the mobile phones were carried than on the side that was not in contact with the phones.
The difference was not statistically significant and fell far short of approaching bone density reductions seen in people with osteoporosis.
But the findings raise the possibility that bone density could be adversely affected by electromagnetic fields emitted by cell phones, researcher Tolga Atay, MD, and colleagues note in a news release.
The men in the study were relatively young — their average age was 32 — and the researchers hypothesize that bone loss may be more significant in older people with a greater risk for osteoporosis.
The study appears in the September issue of the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery.
It is among the first to suggest that close-proximity, long-term exposure to mobile phones may weaken bones, and the researchers stress that their findings are preliminary.
Source: WebMD
Scoliosis Braces: A Waste of Money?
Scoliosis Braces in Singapore
Scoliosis screenings in middle schools find thousands of teenagers with curved spines each year. What happens next isn’t as well planned.
Treatment for scoliosis hasn’t changed in five decades — if the spine is curved to a certain degree, the teenager gets a back brace. But research has not conclusively proved the benefits of the braces.
Some young people who don’t wear a brace never have any problems and their curves never worsen. Others wear the braces for years and still end up needing back surgery
A long-term study at Washington University and more than 20 other research centers hopes to figure out why.
“If we can say that bracing doesn’t change (the progression of a spinal curve) then it’s a treatment regimen that we shouldn’t offer,” said Dr. Matthew Dobbs, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon and lead investigator at Washington University. “Why do school screenings? Why identify a child with a small curve and put them through years of bracing if it’s not going to alter natural curve?”
Half of the participants in the study will receive back braces to wear at least 18 hours a day, and the other half won’t wear braces. Both groups will receive regular X-rays to check their spinal curves.
Braces aren’t thought to correct the curves but to prevent progression.
“But again we have no data to support that, despite all of us doing this for years and years and years,” Dobbs said. “We don’t know what the best treatment is; we don’t know who’s going to progress.”
Curves that progress to 50 degrees — about 10 percent of cases — are generally thought to require spinal fusion surgery.
Dobbs predicts the research will show that certain patients benefit from bracing and others don’t, depending on the type of spinal curve.
Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis occurs in about one in 1,000 teenagers, and is 10 times more common in girls. It can cause back pain, and in severe cases can affect heart and lung function.
The cause is unknown, although Dobbs and other researchers are studying the disorder’s genetic factors.
Most states conduct scoliosis screenings by checking students’ backs, typically in sixth and eighth grades. The Missouri health department estimates that 84 percent of schools voluntarily perform the checks. A bill working through the Illinois legislature would require the checks.
Smaller spinal curves are typically monitored by a doctor, but patients whose curves reach between 20 and 40 degrees are usually recommended for back braces.
If it’s found that fewer teens need braces, the research could save money on treatments plus spare some teenagers the psychological stress of wearing a brace.
Braces are “mostly put on young teenage girls who are very concerned about appearance in general and don’t want anything that makes them look different,” Dobbs said. That’s why patients in the study are also monitored psychologically to see how they’re handling the brace. “If we see a child in the study who dips on their mood and mental health during the study, we need to figure out what’s going on,” Dobbs said.
Kelli Sargent of Belleview, Mo., has worn a brace for 20 hours every day since January, after doctors measured a 27-degree curve in her spine.
The seventh-grader hasn’t let scoliosis keep her from activities including volleyball and basketball, which she plays without the brace.
But starting middle school this fall was sometimes tough when new kids asked Kelli about the brace. She also had to start changing for gym class, making it obvious that she wears it. But “if you just act like it’s no big deal,” then other kids will too, she said.
Kelli does have a difficult time picking up books from the bottom of her locker and tying her shoes, because the brace can dig into her upper thighs when she bends. And now she has to buy jeans and tops a little bit bigger to fit over the brace. Otherwise, she’s gotten used to it and even nicknamed the brace “Shelly” since it feels like she’s wearing a shell.
Source: ST. LOUIS POST
Osteoporosis Risk for Singapore Men and Women
Osteoporosis in Singapore
SALES executive Sherilyn Ong’s grandmother suffered from osteoporosis and she is worried that, with her current lifestyle, she might be at risk of contracting the disease as well. The 25-year-old smokes occasionally,
goes clubbing every weekend and does not exercise – all things that could raise her chances of getting the disease, a condition where bones become fragile and are likely to break.
Since osteoporosis usually strikes women after menopause, a common myth is that it’s an older woman’s disease. But a study conducted in Britain by the University of Surrey and the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro last year showed that 20 per cent of women aged 20 to 29 had low bone mass, which could lead to early onset of osteoporosis. “I know I stand a high chance of getting osteoporosis because of my unhealthy
lifestyle, and also because of my grandmother’s medical history,” said Ms Ong, who is thinking of quitting smoking and going running every week.
It would be a good idea for her, as bone-mass loss begins at around age 30, potentially leading to the disease and causing painful fragility fractures. Dr Lau Tang Ching, president of the Osteoporosis Society (Singapore), said that a person’s bone mass usually starts declining by about 1 per cent a year after that age, and that a sedentary lifestyle and poor dietary habits – the result of living in a busy, modern world – can compound the risk of osteoporosis. Bone-mass deterioration can occur at a rate of 2 or 3 per cent a year, he added.
That, combined with bad lifestyle choices, means young people are at greater risk of developing this disease
in the future. Dr Bernard Thong, head and senior consultant of the Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology Department at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, stressed that prevention is easier than cure when it comes to osteoporosis. And that specifically means reducing alcohol intake and smoking, increasing aerobic exercise and improving dietary calcium and vitamin D intake,said Dr Thong.
According to Ministry of Health clinical-practice guidelines released in January, the incidence of hip fracture
in Singapore has increased 1.5 times in men and five times in women since the 1960s. One in five die within a year after sustaining a hip fracture. About 800 to 900 hip fractures occur every year in Singapore because of osteoporosis. “Fragility fractures of the hip and spine can lead to significant pain and immobility, and affect daily activities, especially among able-bodied working adults,” said Dr Thong.
Practise a healthy lifestyle to promote bone health. Do weight-bearing (impact) exercises like aerobics, brisk
walking, dancing, running or skipping for about 30 minutes, three to four times a week. Adopt a diet that is adequate in calcium (1,000mg a day) and vitamin D (400 international units a day). To do this, eat calcium-rich
foods like ikan billis (small fish), lowfat yogurt, cheese and cooked soya beans, and supplement your diet with
calcium tablets. Drink low-fat milk every day. Do not smoke cigarettes because they are toxic to bone cells
and have other harmful effects on the body. Avoid consuming excessive alcoholic beverages because they
are toxic to bone cells and have other harmful effects on the body. Information from Osteoporosis
Society (Singapore)
Ankylosing Spondylitis in Singapore
PAIN is what a 25-year-old arthritis sufferer has been living with for nine years. The university student, who wants to be known as Bai, was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis – a form of arthritis – when he was 16.
More young Singaporeans like him are being diagnosed with arthritis, a chronic condition that causes painful inflammation of the joints. In 2007, 4.9 per cent of people here aged 18 to 29 had arthritis, a survey by the Health Ministry showed. In 2001, just 0.3 per cent of people aged 18 to 24 had arthritis. While the cause of arthritis remains unknown, two Singapore doctors have attributed the rising number of young sufferers to increased awareness, as well as the growing obesity rate (being overweight increases stress on joints). They revealed this at a press conference yesterday, during which the findings of a study on arthritis were announced.
The study of 508 Dutch patients found that early treatment with methotrexate, an anti-rheumatic drug, and infliximab, a genetically engineered drug derived from human genes, helped reduce disease activity and joint damage. Dr Leong Keng Hong, a rheumatologist in private practice, said that youths make up more than half of the around 20 cases he sees daily – and the number is rising. Many of those he has seen delayed treatment until their condition worsened, as they were “under the myth that only old people get arthritis”. Doctors estimate that 60,000 people here suffer from arthritis.
While osteoarthritis affects mainly the elderly, young people are vulnerable to several forms of arthritis – particularly rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which first develops between the ages of 25 and 50. RA is an auto-immune condition which causes inflammation of the joint membranes. Dr Leong estimates that around 60 per cent of young patients with arthritis suffer from RA. Worldwide, up to 60 per cent of RA patients leave their jobs or retire early because of the illness, said Professor Feng Pao Hsii, a consultant at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Early diagnosis and treatment are vital. Those with severe pain and swelling in their joints that last formore than a couple of weeks are advised to consult a physician. However, treatment can be costly. Prof Feng estimates that the use of biologics– genetically engineered drugs – can cost patients over $2,000 a month. It was partly the high cost of medication that deterred Bai from using anything other than painkillers until three years ago. He now spends around $9,000 in two months on treatment, and is partly helped by various subsidies. (Source: My Paper Oct 2009)
Fructose Can Cause Weight Gain Without Warning
fructose weight gain
Leptin is a hormone that plays a role in helping the body to balance food intake with energy expenditure. Previous studies have shown that being leptin resistant can lead to rapid weight gain on a high-fat, high-calorie diet. But a new study is the first to show that leptin resistance can develop as a result of high fructose consumption. The study also showed for the first time that leptin resistance can develop silently, with little indication that it is happening.
Fructose is the sugar found in fruit, but it’s not the normal consumption of fruit that is the problem. Table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup are about 50 percent fructose, and these ingredients have become increasingly common in many foods and beverages. With sugar and high-fructose corn syrup being added to many foods, people now eat much more fructose than ever before.