Never Too Late To Start Exercising
Even after a heart attack, regular exercise is beneficial. Heart attack patients who exercised reduced their risk of a second attack by 80 percent, according to one recent study.

Most cardiac rehabilitation programs include a monitored exercise program. After completing such programs, patients should be screened to determine their capabilities.
[SOURCE: Lyn Steffen-Batey, Circulation, October 31, 2000, reported in “Protect Your Heart,” Prevention, June, 2001; Monica Preboth, “ACSM Statement on Exercise in Health Clubs,” American Family Physician, May 15, 2001]

Gardening Counts as Exercise
Moderate to heavy gardening was nearly as effective as more vigorous exercise in lowering the risk of death among male heart disease patients enrolled in the British Regional Heart Study.

Subjects who engaged regularly in light exercise such as a leisurely 40-minute walk or moderately intense gardening had a risk of death 58 percent lower than that of subjects who did not exercise at all. Light gardening did not confer significant benefits.
[SOURCE: “Heart Lines–Walking and Gardening Beneficial for Heart Disease Patients,” Harvard Heart Letter, April, 2001]

Heart Rate Recovery Important Clue
If your heart rate returns to normal fairly quickly after vigorous exercise, it’s a sign that you’re physically fit...and at relatively low risk of dying suddenly from a heart-related cause. In a study conducted at the Cleveland Clinic, subjects whose heart rate decreased by less than 12 beats per minute immediately after exercise had two and one-half times the risk of sudden cardiac death compared to those whose heart rate decreased by at least 12 beats per minute.
[SOURCE: Sally Koch Kubetin, “Postexercise Heart Rate Recovery Reflects Risk,” Internal Medicine News, October 1, 2001]

Viagra Doesn’t Affect Exercise Capacity
Although some heart disease patients cannot safely take Viagra (sildenafil citrate), a recent study concluded that the erectile dysfunction medication does not have a negative effect on blood flow to the heart. When subjects with stable heart disease were given a bicycle stress test, their response after taking Viagra was about the same as that after taking placebo.

Sexual intercourse typically requires a workload of 3.3 to 3.4 MET for less than 30 seconds. According to American Heart Association guidelines, patients who can exercise at 5 to 6 MET or greater have a low risk of suffering a heart attack as a result of sexual activity.
[SOURCE: Adelaid M. Arruda-Olson; Douglas W. Mahoney, Ajay Nehra, Marilyn Leckel and Patricia A. Pellikka, “Cardiovascular Effects of Sildenafil During Exercise in Men with Known or Probable Coronary Artery Disease: A Randomized Crossover Trial,” JAMA, February 13, 2002]

Boxing Is Hazardous to Eyes
The greatest incidence of eye injuries is in racquet sports and in popular sports such as baseball and basketball. The greatest danger to the eyes occurs, however, in boxing where the goal of the sport is to land damaging blows to the face and body.

The American Academy of Pediatrics opposes participation in boxing by children, adolescents and young adults because the sport “deliberately exposes...participants to potentially devastating neurologic and ocular injuries.”
[SOURCE: American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness, “Participation in Boxing by Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults,” Pediatrics, January, 1997]

Get Correct Fit for Sports Goggles
Sports goggles are designed to protect the wearer from eye and face injuries, but poor fitting goggles can cause more harm than good. The padding of the goggle should rest flush with the face, with the eyes centered vertically in the lens area.

Goggles that are too small may obstruct peripheral vision and put an athlete at risk of colliding with other players. When frames are too large and the sides of the goggles press against the soft flesh of the temple, a child may suffer a head injury as a result of impact to the goggles.

Goggles that are damaged or yellowed with age should be discarded since they may have become weakened.
[SOURCE: Liz DeFranco, A.B.O.C., N.C.L.C., “Protective Sports Eyewear,” AllAboutVision.com]

Protect Eyes from UV Rays
When participating in outdoor sports, it’s important to protect your eyes from the utraviolet rays of the sun.

Winter as well as summer athletes are at risk. UV radiation is nearly 17 times stronger during winter and spring than in summer, and snow reflects about 85 percent of rays compared to 5 percent for grass, 17 percent for sand and 20 percent for water. Skiers often suffer snow blindness, lasting up to two or three days, as a result of overexposure.

To protect the eyes from UV rays, wear goggles that wrap around the side of the head and are able to filter out 90 to 100 percent of UVA and UVB rays and 75 to 90 percent of visible light. This information should be stated on the tag.
[SOURCE: “Eye See,” Current Health 2,” January, 1997]

Get Your 5-a-Day and Stay Healthy
If you follow FDA guidelines and eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day, your blood pressure is undoubtedly lower than it would otherwise be, and you have a lower risk of heart disease. In a recent study conducted at Oxford University, 700 subjects aged 25 to 64 who ate at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day for six months had an average reduction of 4 points systolic and 1.5 points diastolic blood pressure.

The researchers estimated that if everyone followed this diet, the population would have a 17 percent reduction in the rate of hypertension, a 6 percent lower risk of coronary heart disease and a 17 percent reduction in strokes. The effect on blood pressure was attributed to the high levels of potassium and antioxidant vitamins found in most fruits and vegetables.
[SOURCE: “Fruits, Veggies Lower Blood Pressure: Study,” Reuters Health, May 28, 2002]

Loving Touch Makes Difference
Premature, low-birth-weight babies who were consistently given nurturing touches by their mothers had good social and emotional health at age two, according to a recent study conducted at the University of California, San Francisco. Similar babies given loving care but fewer nurturing touches and occasional pinches and light slaps showed signs of anxiety and social withdrawal.
[SOURCE: “Mom’s Touch Gives Kids Social Push,” Science News, November 3, 2001; Sandra J. Weiss, Infant and Child Development, September, 2001]

Low Birth Weight Effects Linger
Premature babies weighing less than 1.5 kilograms (about 3 pounds, five ounces) at birth tended to have lower scores on standard achievement tests and were less likely to go to college than were full-term babies weighing 3 kilograms or more at birth, according to a study of 242 babies born in the late 1970s in inner-city Cleveland. The low-birth-weight babies had fewer behavior problems, however, and were less likely to use illegal drugs.
[SOURCE: “Low Birth Weight Matters Later, Too,” Science News, February 16, 2002; Maureen Hack, NEJM, January 17, 2002]

Preventing Low Birth Weight
About 1 of 14 babies born in the United States weighs less than five pounds, eight ounces and, as a result of this low birth weight, is at risk of health and other problems, both immediately and later in life. Mothers can help prevent low birth weight deliveries by:

• having regular checkups during pregnancy,
• eating a balanced, nutritious diet with adequate calories but low in fat and high in fiber,
• gaining the recommended 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy,
• avoiding tobacco, alcohol and other drugs and
• refraining from use of herbal preparations, unless prescribed by a doctor.

AIDS Spreading in Mexico, California
AIDS is spreading rapidly in Mexico and California, and more than 30 percent of news AIDS cases in California occur among Latinos.

In a frequent scenario, according to experts, a migrant comes to California, becomes infected and then returns to his or her home community to spread the disease to others.
[SOURCE: “Every Third Case of California AIDS Occurs among Latinos,” Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA, December 30, 2001]

Quest for an AIDS Vaccine Continues
In the 20 years since the AIDS epidemic first surfaced, at least 50 different vaccines have been tested in humans for potential use against AIDS. Only two have ever made it beyond the first phase of testing, and these two have shown only mediocre success.

Even though treatments are generally more profitable than vaccines, several large pharmaceutical companies such as Merck, Aventis Pasteur, American Home Products and GlaxoSmithKine, have committed resources to the continuing search for an effective AIDS vaccine.
[SOURCE: Jon Cohen, “Merck’s Mission: An AIDS Vaccine” Technology Review, March, 2002]

Parents of Preemies Need Information
When their child is born extremely premature, parents are typically overwhelmed by the need for information about their child’s possible health care problems and needs. Yet faced by the stress of the moment, they frequently fail to recall information conveyed by health care professionals in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

A pilot project conducted in Townsville, Australia brought about improved communication by routinely recording on audio tape conversations between parents and health professionals in the NICU so that parents could listen at their leisure.
[SOURCE: “Providing Information to Parents of Extremely Premature Newborns,” JAMA, January 2, 2002]