Health News - ABC News Radio

Common Painkillers May Protect Against Skin Cancer

Carmen Cox — Wed, 30 May 2012 03:56:42 +0000

Brand X Pictures/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Drugs that are famous for fighting pain may also protect against skin cancer, a new study found.

The Danish study of nearly 200,000 men and women found that those who took non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers such as aspirin and ibuprofen were less likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma or malignant melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

"Given the high skin cancer incidence and the widespread and frequent use of NSAIDs, a preventive effect of these agents may have important public health implications," the authors wrote in their study, which was published Tuesday in the journal Cancer.

The researchers used medical records from Denmark's government-funded health care system to probe NSAID use among 18,500 people with skin cancer and 178,655 without. They found those who used NSAIDs were 15 percent less likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma, and 13 percent less likely to develop malignant melanoma than non-users.

"The risk reduction was greatest among long-term and high-intensity users, suggesting a cumulative and dose-dependent, protective effect," the authors wrote.

The risk of basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer linked to sun exposure, was no different among NSAID users and non-users.

The findings add to mounting evidence that common painkillers may help thwart cancer. A March 2012 study found people who took daily aspirin for at least three years were 36 percent less likely to develop metastatic cancer and 15 percent less likely to die from cancer.

"The mechanism of action is not totally clear, but it's thought to be due to their anti-inflammatory effects," said Dr. Josh Zeichner, assistant professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, adding that inflammatory enzymes help feed tumor growth.

An NSAID cream is already approved for pre-cancers of the skin caused by sun exposure. But Zeichner said it's too soon to recommend drugs like Aspirin, Advil and Aleve for skin cancer prevention.

"This study is exciting, but we need more studies to continue to evaluate this as a possible treatment," said Zeichner, adding that chronic NSAID use can cause ulcers. "Right now the best way to prevent skin cancer is to use sunscreen, wear protective clothing and avoid of the sun between peak hours."

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Wounded Warriors Helping Dogs Help Vets

Carmen Cox — Wed, 30 May 2012 02:53:38 +0000

Wounded warriors train service dogs to help other injured servicemen and women. (ABC News)(WASHINGTON) -- A group of disabled Iraq and Afghanistan military veterans has taken on an important mission -- training service dogs to aid other wounded vets on their road to recovery and beyond as part of a program just begun by the Pentagon.

Dogs like four-month-old puppy Cadence are part of a three-year training course that will eventually match them up to help wounded troops coming home who've suffered debilitating injuries such as loss of limbs.

Training man's best friends to assist those with physical disabilities has been done in the past -- but what's different about this program is that injured military vets do the training. And that training has had a positive impact on the trainers themselves -- giving them their own kind of canine therapy, as well as giving the dogs more specified training.

Sgt. Brian Bradley, who is training six dogs, lost his right arm in Afghanistan in 2010. He credits the program with helping him readjust to everyday life. And in return, he uses his prosthetic limb to better train the dogs to better understand the disabled soliders they'll be assigned once their training is finished.

"When I first got to the program last year, some of the puppies -- they were like, 'What is that?' They see the hook moving around and stuff," Bradley said. "I got other prosthetics, but they see the hook and we introduce that to them because they know they are going to be seeing it later. Also, we introduced the wheelchairs to them too and the power chairs."

Bradley believes that with disabled vets doing the training, the dogs will better serve wounded soldiers when they are done.

"When a service member gets a service dog from another company, most of those people are able bodied, have no issues, so they aren't really working around anybody who is disabled," Bradley said. "So we train them completely how every disabled service member would be."

The dogs in the program are trained to help out with everyday tasks like picking up wallets, money and credit cards to turning on lights and pushing automatic door buttons.

"I can open the door for myself -- but if I have a lot of stuff, he can push the buttons for me," Bradley said. "He can flip lights as well. I'll say 'light' and he'll jump up on the wall and he'll flip it. Sometimes he uses his paw, sometimes he uses his nose."

But they are also trained to help heal another kind of injury that plagues so many soldiers when they return home from war -- post-traumatic stress disorder.

"Mine kicks in every time I put on a new prosthetic that looks identical to my other arm," Bradley said. "It's like an instant memory of me actually losing my arm that day. So PTSD is there."

Specialist Cory Doane, who lost a leg in Afghanistan in 2011 when his vehicle was hit by an IED, says the program helps him even more than it helps the dogs he's training.

"It helped me a lot more than it's helped the dog for sure," Doane said. "It's nice just to get out and about again. Because, you know, after I was wounded I was kind of stationary for a bit. So it's nice to get out and actually do something productive, instead of just healing. It's nice to contribute back."

Those contributions -- from the trainers and the dogs -- are being recognized by the military community.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta praised the program and those who make it happen.

"To be able to have someone who can be close to you and be a part of you as you go through some very tough times, as you rehabilitate, as you come back and try to come back into society and have the company of a dog -- that is really a true friend because they don't question what you are doing, they're just your friend through thick and thin," Panetta told ABC News' Jake Tapper. "Having that kind of relationship I think is just great for the veterans who serve this country."

Panetta has his own canine friend, a golden retriever named Bravo, who has shown him the kind of difference a furry friend can make.

"We could not do our job of protecting this country without people like you who are willing to put their lives on the line," Panetta said to the wounded warrior trainers. "And I really appreciate your service and your sacrifice. I appreciate the effort to, you know, be able to have a dog help someone be able to lead a fuller life. In many ways that's what Bravo does for me in some very tough jobs that I've been in -- having the company of Bravo around and having him provide emotional support.

"Thanks for everything you're doing to help our veterans. We owe them an awful lot," he said. "I guess one of the ways we can repay it is to have them have the company of a dog."

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

'Sensory Integration Therapies' Lack Evidence, AAP Says

Carmen Cox — Tue, 29 May 2012 22:49:18 +0000

File photo. Michael Blann/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Woody Sims was a gifted boy. His mother said he began reading at a very early age, and he was a bright student in preschool.

To those around him, his development in his early years seemed normal. But in his college essay, Woody, now 18 years old, described a childhood experience marked by "deep fears of loud noises, cooked carrots and handwriting."

"I was over-stimulated, which meant I couldn't handle certain textures, and freaked out at loud noises," Woody wrote in his essay. "I also had problems managing tasks with multi-sensory inputs, like handwriting and catching a ball. These sensory problems meant that sports, driving, and concerts would all be things I couldn't ever do or see without a great deal of difficulty."

For Woody, the diagnosis of sensory processing disorder, or SPD for short, came very early, at age 4. His mother, Pam Sims, now 52, of Denver, Colo., had arranged for him to be tested for his school's gifted program. It was the tester who informed her that he believed her son fit the bill for the disorder.

In a coincidence that Pam Sims calls a "luck of the draw," a center devoted to the research and treatment of this disorder happened to be located in Denver, where they live. It was here, at the STAR Center, that Woody engaged in sensory-based therapies aimed at improving his coordination and social and interactive therapies to help him deal with stimuli in his environment that he found harsh and jarring.

"It is amazing what it did for him," Pam Sims said. "As time went on, we had more treatments. We stopped when he was about 7 or 8 years old, as he had learned to regulate himself."

Stories like Woody's appear to support the existence of SPD -- and there are many such stories. Nevertheless, solid research confirming the existence of SPD is in far shorter supply, many in the medical community say. And on Monday, it would seem that new recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics have dealt another blow to the legitimacy of SPD. Specifically, the AAP recommends, "At this time, pediatricians should not use sensory processing disorder as a diagnosis."

The recommendations also suggest to pediatricians that they inform families that the evidence for sensory-based therapies is limited and that outcomes from these therapies should be monitored closely.

"I think the academy statement reinforces the decision that there is not enough information at this time to conclude that this is a distinct disorder," said Dr. Michelle Zimmer, a professor in the UC Department of Pediatrics and a lead author of the recommendations. "Moving forward, there needs to be a lot more research in this field."

Dr. Larry Desch, director of developmental pediatrics at Advocate Health Care and also a lead author on the recommendations, said that he did not anticipate that the recommendation would be well-received among parents and doctors who believe sensory processing disorder should have its own place as an official condition.

"I think they'll be unhappy, some of them," he said. "But I'm hoping it will lead to more research studies being done."

Dr. Lucy Miller, founder and executive director of the STAR Center Foundation, where Woody received treatment, said she, too, hopes the recommendations will lead to more research. But she said that there is no doubt in her mind that SPD is a distinct condition.

"There is an unbelievable amount of evidence not cited in [the recommendations]," Miller said, adding that much of the most recent research "just has not hit the mainstream pediatrics literature yet."

Miller agreed that more research is needed to further define the condition and those who suffer from it. But based on two studies that have looked at its prevalence, she estimated that 1 in 10 children may experience it to some degree -- maybe more.

But in light of the current research, SPD seems a tough sell.

"There is more that is anecdotal than anything else," Desch said. "There were a lot of problems with studies."

It probably doesn't help that the signs of SPD are a mixed bag. For some, it takes the form of an aversion to loud noises, rough textures in clothing and the taste and textures of certain foods. It is also said to manifest itself in what are known as "vestibular" effects -- poor balance, clumsiness and a delay in milestones such as learning to walk and talk. Some appear overstimulated by the world around them. Others are understimulated.

And then there is the treatment, part of which involves what is known as sensory integration therapy. This therapy is aimed at improving a child's ability to correctly process the stimulation he or she receives from surroundings. This usually means modifying the stimuli to which these children are exposed using swings, unstable platforms, weighted vests and a vast array of other equipment.

It is this therapy that the AAP recommendations singled out, encouraging pediatricians to "communicate with families about the limited data" on its use.

Critics of sensory integration therapy point out that the sensory issues targeted are signs of an underlying condition -- and that focusing on these symptoms ignores the larger problem, be it autism, ADHD or something else.

But, Miller argued, the therapy has evolved drastically from its origins in the 1970s. She also said the AAP recommendation ignores the other, newer therapies for sensory processing disorder -- approaches that emphasize social participation and require that relationships and engagement be a priority of the treatment.

Still, the generally lukewarm assessment of the studies published to date suggests the broader medical community has not yet recognized the existence of this disorder as a standalone condition, and it is even less convinced of the legitimacy of its treatment. As a result, few insurance companies cover the therapies. This can make this therapy an expensive proposition for parents. Pam Sims says Woody's treatment cost about $100 per hour and was not covered by the family's health insurance.

"I think that the cost prevents some people getting treatment they need," she said.

The insurance situation is just one of the things that proponents of sensory processing disorder hope to change. They have pushed for the inclusion of sensory processing disorder in the upcoming fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM-5, expected to be released next year. The DSM is considered to be the authoritative compendium of psychiatric disorders, and a place in its pages would mean that sensory processing disorder would become an official diagnosis. By extension, sensory-integration therapies would get a much-needed boost in credibility.

Whether or not the AAP's policy statement will undermine those efforts remains to be seen. Miller said she has already been told that the DSM-5 will not list SPD as a new diagnosis. She believes that it will get a mention as a sub-criterion for autism spectrum disorder. But what she is holding out hope for now is that it will be included at the end of the manual, as a novel diagnosis in need of research.

Even the authors of the new AAP recommendations appear to agree that more solid research on SPD would be a welcome development. And Zimmer said that despite the fact that one of the new recommendations explicitly urges caution with sensory integration therapy, she does not feel that this means the approach has no place in treatment.

"Certainly I think sensory-based therapies can be helpful," she said. "But these treatments have to be done on an individualized basis. It should be one component of a more global treatment program."

She said parents should consult their pediatricians if they are considering sensory-based therapies, and they should set out a specific period of time with a specific goal in mind -- a measurable reduction in episodes involving behaviors associated with oversensitivity, for example. She said that parents should then monitor their child's progress to see if these goals are being met. If not, she said, treatment should be discontinued.

Dr. Richard Besser, ABC News' chief health and medical editor and a pediatrician himself, agreed.

"It is so important that parents talk with their child's doctor openly about treatment options," he said. "Sometimes, there are treatments that lack scientific evidence because they are new and innovative. As long as they are safe, it may be worth undertaking in particular situations. However, as studies are done, doctors need to be open with their patients to let them know the findings."

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Kids' Close Friends Influence How Active They Are

Joshua Cohan — Tue, 29 May 2012 19:12:30 +0000

JupiterImages/Brand X Pictures(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) -- Kids can pass a lot of things around to each other -- germs, colds, a bad case of the giggles. Now, new research suggests that their activity levels, too, may be contagious.

A study from Vanderbilt University found that when children have friends that are more active, they themselves are also likely to be more active.

Moreover, when children have close friends that regularly engage in vigorous activity they will try to keep up.

Eighty-one children between the ages of 5 and 12 were enrolled in two afterschool programs and followed over 12 weeks. During that time children were asked with whom they were friends, and their level of activity was measured using a device called an accelerometer.

The findings showed that when kids were playing with others who had higher level of activity, they were more likely to increase their own levels of physical activity.

"They have conducted hundreds of trials across the nation that has not changed kids eating behavior," said Sabina Gesell, professor of pediatrics at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tenn. and lead study author.

"We needed a new novel approach... In order to move our intervention against obesity to a new level," Gesell said. "Now we have the evidence to move forward."

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Fukushima Radiation in Your Sushi?

Joshua Cohan — Tue, 29 May 2012 19:10:09 +0000

iStockPhoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Those looking for evidence of the March 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan may need search no further than their next plate of sushi, Stanford University researchers report.

The researchers tested 15 Pacific bluefin tuna that had migrated from Japan to the California coast and found that the levels of radioactive cesium in these fish were 10 times higher than those found in bluefin tuna from the years before the disaster.

Before you swear off your maguro nigiri, it’s important to realize that the levels of radiation the researchers found from the cesium in the tuna were exceedingly low — about 30 times less than the amount of radiation given off by other common, naturally occurring elements in the tuna we eat.

The findings appeared Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“The finding should be reassuring to the public,” said Timothy J. Jorgensen, associate professor of radiation medicine at Georgetown University, who was not involved with the study. “As anticipated, the tuna contained only trace levels of radioactivity that originated from Japan. These levels amounted to only a small fraction of the naturally occurring radioactivity in the tuna, and were much too small to have any impact on public health."

“Thus, there is no human health threat posed by consuming migratory tuna caught off the west coast of the United States,” he added.

Still, the fact that the researchers could trace this radioactive material back to its source in Japan could have implications for seafood monitoring methods in the future. Dr. Michael Harbut, director of the Environmental Cancer Program at Wayne State University’s Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, agreed that the findings are no cause for panic. But he said that the finding that tuna and migratory food animals could carry this radioactive material so far across the ocean deserves consideration.

“In general, when you hear the word ‘radiation’ at all, it’s cause for some alarm, and I agree always a cause for significant attention.”

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Georgia Flesh-Eating Disease Victim Speaks

Jeanette Torres — Tue, 29 May 2012 14:22:48 +0000

ABC News(AUGUSTA, Ga.) -- Aimee Copeland, 24, has spoken her first words since she was hospitalized in an Augusta, Ga., hospital on May 4 after contracting a flesh-eating disease, according to her father’s Facebook page.

Andy Copeland, who did not reveal the exact words Aimee Copeland said, on Sunday updated his page with the message: “Our baby can talk. Details will follow later today.”

On Monday, Andy Copeland further described the conversations he had with his daughter Sunday evening on a blog he set up to chronicle his daughter’s recovery.

“Aimee was expressive and she clearly elucidated her thoughts,” he wrote. “Her long term memory was intact. … We discussed ideas of how to utilize wilderness therapy/eco-psychology for amputees. We talked about her current physical condition. We smiled and at times we said nothing.”

Andy Copeland wrote in the blog that later in the evening his daughter began to get tired and simply mouthed words, but he said that she remained in good spirits.

By Monday afternoon, more than 200 well-wishers had posted comments on Andy Copeland’s Sunday update in which he proclaimed it to be “Aimee Day,” in honor of his daughter recovering her ability to speak. A more recent update had garnered more than 130 messages of encouragement.

Aimee Copeland’s struggle with the flesh-eating disease, known broadly as necrotizing fasciitis, began on May 1, when an accident on a homemade zip line slashed open her calf and a common waterborne bacterium infected the wound. She lost the injured leg and doctors removed her other limbs to prevent the spread of infection to her blood, her father has said.

Smokers Lungs Offer Survival Advantage

Jeanette Torres — Tue, 29 May 2012 13:39:13 +0000

Stockbyte/Thinkstock(LONDON) -- Patients who underwent lung transplants lived an additional three years compared with patients who never received donor organs, even if the lungs they received came from people who had previously smoked, according to a new British study published in the Lancet.

Researchers led by Dr. Robert Bonser of University Hospital Birmingham analyzed how donor smoking history affected three-year survival rates using patients on the U.K. Transplant Registry between 1999 and 2010.

About 39 percent of the 1,295 lung transplants used lungs from donors who had previously smoked. While the three-year survival rate for these transplant recipients was lower than for people who received lungs from nonsmokers and had more complications, survival was still better than for people who had never had transplants at all.

Their findings, the authors wrote, support a policy of accepting lungs from people with smoking histories.

“Donors with positive smoking histories provide nearly 40 percent of the lungs available for transplantation,” they wrote. “Rejection of this donor-organ resource would increase waiting-list mortality and is ill advised.

In an accompanying editorial, Drs. Marcelo Cypel and Shaf Keshavjee of the Toronto Lung Transplant Program explained that the risks and benefits of lungs from donors who smoked varied by country and transplant center.

In the U.S., the United Network for Organ Sharing, which manages the country’s organ transplant system, instituted a lung allocation system designed to make better use of the few donated organs available and to reduce the number of people who die while waiting for a transplant.

Each person on the waiting list is given a score indicating how severely ill the person is and how likely it is for a transplant to succeed. The scores are used to determine priority once an organ becomes available.

This program, Cypel and Keshavjee wrote, “reduced mortality of patients on the waiting list without a substantial increase in lung donors.”

And while Bonser and his co-authors believe that lungs from donors who smoked shouldn’t necessarily be rejected, they recommend that patients “be informed that the use of such lungs could reduce their lifetime.”

Common Painkillers May Protect Against Skin Cancer

Jeanette Torres — Tue, 29 May 2012 13:31:00 +0000

Brand X Pictures/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Drugs that are famous for fighting pain may also protect against skin cancer, a new study found.

The Danish study of nearly 200,000 men and women found that those who took nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers such as aspirin and ibuprofen were less likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma or malignant melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

"Given the high skin cancer incidence and the widespread and frequent use of NSAIDs, a preventive effect of these agents may have important public health implications," the authors wrote in their study, which was published Tuesday in the journal Cancer.

The researchers used medical records from Denmark's government-funded health care system to probe NSAID use among 18,500 people with skin cancer and 178,655 without. They found those who used NSAIDs were 15 percent less likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma, and 13 percent less likely to develop malignant melanoma than nonusers.

"The risk reduction was greatest among long-term and high-intensity users, suggesting a cumulative and dose-dependent, protective effect," the authors wrote.

The risk of basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer linked to sun exposure, was no different among NSAID users and nonusers.

The findings add to mounting evidence that common painkillers may help thwart cancer. A March 2012 study found people who took daily aspirin for at least three years were 36 percent less likely to develop metastatic cancer and 15 percent less likely to die from cancer.

"The mechanism of action is not totally clear, but it's thought to be due to their anti-inflammatory effects," said Dr. Josh Zeichner, assistant professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, adding that inflammatory enzymes help feed tumor growth.

An NSAID cream is already approved for precancers of the skin caused by sun exposure. But Zeichner said it's too soon to recommend drugs like Aspirin, Advil and Aleve for skin cancer prevention.

"This study is exciting, but we need more studies to continue to evaluate this as a possible treatment," said Zeichner, adding that chronic NSAID use can cause ulcers. "Right now the best way to prevent skin cancer is to use sunscreen, wear protective clothing and avoid of the sun between peak hours."

Menopause Hormone Therapy Benefits Hit in Government Report

Jeanette Torres — Tue, 29 May 2012 13:30:00 +0000

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- Hormone replacement therapy may provide relief from the hot flashes, night sweats and other oppressive symptoms of menopause, but when it comes to preventing chronic health problems, a panel of experts for the federal government said HRT isn’t helpful and may be harmful.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force on Tuesday recommended against the use of HRT for the prevention of chronic conditions, such as coronary heart disease, breast cancer and fractures, for postmenopausal women. The panel classified the recommendation as “grade D,” meaning there is “moderate to high certainty” that the risks of HRT outweigh any long-term health benefits that women might gain.

The panel noted that the recommendations don’t apply to women taking HRT to relieve hot flashes, vaginal dryness and other postmenopausal symptoms. Women’s health specialists say increasing evidence indicates that reasonable use of the therapy to fight those symptoms can have big benefits for women’s quality of life.

“For newly menopausal women who have these symptoms and are in generally good health, the benefits of treatment are likely to outweigh the risks,” said Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

The USPSTF’s recommendations are the latest chapter in the often-confusing story of hormone replacement therapy, which was once considered a possible tool for preventing chronic maladies such as coronary heart disease and fractures. But the Women’s Health Initiative, a 10-year study of nearly 70,000 women, found that women who took both estrogen and progestin actually had an increased risk of blood clots, heart attacks and strokes, as well as a higher risk of developing breast cancer. The trial was halted three years early in 2002.

The USPSTF cited evidence gleaned from the Women’s Health Initiative in its latest recommendations, saying that the use of estrogen-only HRT or a combination of estrogen and progestin was linked with an increased risk of stroke, gallbladder disease, urinary incontinence and blood clots.

For women taking estrogen-only HRT, the panel found modest benefits in the way of reducing bone fractures and smaller reductions in the risk of developing or dying from invasive breast cancer. But the panel said those small positives were outweighed by the more major risks of the therapy.

Study: Spend Less Time on the Couch and You'll Eat Less Junk Food

Jeanette Torres — Tue, 29 May 2012 13:29:34 +0000

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(CHICAGO) -- Getting off of the couch will mean less time eating junk food, according to a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Researchers from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine randomly assigned 204 adults one of four different lifestyle treatments. The treatments included increasing fruit and vegetable intake and exercise; decreasing fat and sedentary leisure; decreasing fat and increasing exercise as well as increasing fruit and vegetable intake; and decreasing sedentary behavior.

When patients were asked to change one lifestyle behavior, it was easier for them to change others, as well, creating a snowball effect, according to the findings.

“The key take-away is that people can change their unhealthy eating and activity behaviors, contrary to what many health professionals believe. By focusing on just two targets (increasing fruits/vegetables and cutting down leisure screen time) people were able to make large changes in those behaviors rapidly and they also reduced saturated fat intake without even trying,” Bonnie Spring, a professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and lead author of the study, told ABC News.

It is important to note that this was not a weight loss study. Only about 60 percent of participants were overweight or obese. However, 100 percent had all of four unhealthy diet and activity behaviors that characterize most Americans: not eating enough fruits/vegetables, eating too much saturated fat, not getting enough moderate physical activity, and watching too much TV.

Spring said these unhealthy lifestyle behaviors are very important behavior change targets in and of themselves, because they all have long-term adverse effects on health, independent of any effects on weight.

For the first three weeks, study participants were paid $175 to stick to the lifestyle changes and report their progress. When that phase was completed, patients no longer had to maintain the lifestyle changes in order to be paid, but the researchers found that 86 percent of people reported trying to keep with the changes once they were made.

3 Tips to Lose Weight, and Keep it Off

Kelly Knaub — Mon, 28 May 2012 18:32:32 +0000

TongRo Image Stock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- If most personal trainers spend hours in the gym to achieve a tone-perfect body that their clients will idolize, then Paul “PJ” James is not your typical personal trainer.

Instead, the Australian-born, former swimsuit model went the complete opposite direction, spending hours outside the gym and inside the kitchen to pack on 90 pounds in six months.

James had not fallen off the bandwagon, however, but gained the weight with a very clear purpose.

“The reason for doing it was to better understand and empathize with my personal training clients,” said James, of Melbourne, Australia. “There’s a lot of people who can’t come into the gym for the first time because they feel embarrassed and they really appreciate someone … to walk a mile in their shoes.”

The 6-foot-2-inch James spent two months at his max weight of 264 pounds, and then spent six months whittling his waistline back down to a more swimsuit-model-friendly weight of 176 pounds.

“I think what I totally underestimated was the actual emotional side of things,” James said. “Initially, it was fun to break from the routine, but then when you start to get a look at the way you feel and the way your body looks, things turned south very quickly.”

James reclaimed his chiseled abs by following an eating and fitness plan explained in his new book, “Take it Off, Keep it Off.”

James appeared on “Good Morning America” on Monday to share the book’s “KO-90″ plan and his three key tips for losing weight and keeping it off.

1) Cardio Before Breakfast, Every Day - “It’s called fasting cardio because your 15 minutes of cardio is actually burning stored fat,” James explained on “GMA.” “It’s tapping into your stored fats and starting your day off positive.”

2) Three Meals, Two Snacks, Lots of Water - “It [water] obviously hydrates you but works for skin elasticity too and your overall look,” James said. “And, fueling your body, there’s no shortcuts … protein, carbohydrates are important as well and minimizing your fats. That’s the secret.”

3) Lift Weights Four Days Per Week - “It’s really important for skin tone and also for muscle tone,” James said of his recommendation to lift weights for 50 minutes four times per week. “Women tend to shy away from weights but it really does work. You’re targeting things with a three-pronged approach of cardio, weights and healthy eating. They all work together as a matrix to help you get in shape quickly.”

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

‘Ridiculously Photogenic Surgery Girl’ Goes Viral

Kelly Knaub — Mon, 28 May 2012 17:13:33 +0000

Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Thinkstock(CLEVELAND, Ohio) -- A 28-year-old woman who had 60 percent of her lung removed is giving Zeddie Little, better known as “ridiculously photogenic guy,” a run for his money.

The woman, known only as Rachel, was nicknamed “ridiculously photogenic surgery girl” after posting photos from her hospital bed on Reddit.

“I’m currently in the ICU of the Cleveland Clinic,” she wrote. “My pain is being reasonably managed, but I cannot fall asleep. Anyone care to entertain me?”

Judging by the response, the answer was yes. The post amassed 612 comments in 11 days, many about her beauty, and spurred the Internet meme, “Lose 60% of her lung … wins 100% of my heart.”

Rachel, an Army wife and mother from Dayton, Ohio, said she has congenital emphysema, a lung disease she’s had since birth that became problematic after she contracted pneumonia.

“I’ve had it my entire life and didn’t know,” she wrote.

The genetic form of emphysema is caused by a deficiency in alpha-1 antitrypsin, a protein that helps give lungs their elasticity. Rachel said 60 percent of her right lung was damaged.

“I begged my surgeon to let me see it when he got it out,” she wrote. “He took pics, though, and I will get to see them today. Anyone want to check them out after I get them??”

Rachel said even she was surprised by how great she felt – and looked – just hours after major surgery.

“I am just as surprised as everyone else that I managed to look like that,” she wrote. “I know exactly what it is, too. It was taken when I was still on so many pain meds that I couldn’t feel anything but happiness!”

When the painkillers wore off, it was a different picture, she said.

“My incisions and tubes and lungs were on fire. I wanted to scream but moving and making noise made it worse,” she wrote. “I can assure you that happy glow isn’t there today!”

But the flood of comments like, “Damn, I wish I had looked this good after my surgeries,” and “You are beautiful! Good luck with the recovery,” may give Rachel the boost she needs to power through the pain.

“WOW!!!! I can’t believe how many people responded to my little post!!! I was thinking 25-50. My mind has been blown!” she wrote. “It is going to take awhile to respond to all of this, but I’m really touched that so many people cared enough to say anything at all.”

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Etan Patz Mystery: 99 Percent of Abductors Never Kill Victims

Carmen Cox — Sun, 27 May 2012 20:05:50 +0000

Sketch Courtesy of Andrea Shepard(NEW YORK) -- Thirty-three years after the disappearance of Etan Patz, the only suspect ever arrested is as much an enigma as the missing child case that has baffled investigators for decades.

Unlike psychopaths, who show no remorse, Pedro Hernandez, a 51-year-old New Jersey builder, reportedly broke down emotionally during his confession. And unlike many molesters, Hernandez appeared to have no criminal record.

In addition, police offered no possible motive for the crime, saying only that Hernandez, then a teenaged stock clerk at a Manhattan bodega, confessed to luring the 6-year-old into the bodega for a soda and choking him to death in the basement.

Hernandez has told police he then stuffed Etan's body into a plastic bag that was thrown into trash elsewhere in the neighborhood. The body was never found.

He admitted to family members and friends as early as 1981 that he had "done a bad thing and killed a child in New York," according to NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly. When confronted, Kelly added, the suspect confessed, expressing "remorse" and "relief."

Police said they had no reason to believe there were signs of sexual abuse, but homicide experts say authorities may be holding back.

"Hernandez certainly doesn't present as an organized killer," said Jack Levin, a professor of criminology from Northeastern University.

"It looks like his crime was spontaneous rather than methodically planned," he said. "Based on statistics concerning abductions by strangers and acquaintances, I would speculate that his motivation involved a sexual assault."

Despite stereotypes to the contrary, the recidivism rate among sexual predators is among the lowest, according to Levin.

"It is conceivable that Hernandez never again molested a youngster," he said. "This is particularly likely in light of his confession."

Feelings of remorse and empathy -- not typical in a sociopath -- might have kept Hernandez from repeating his behavior as he matured, he said.

The cold case was reopened in 2010 and, in April, investigators excavated a basement apartment steps away from Patz's home and the bodega where Hernandez said he killed the boy. The new focus on the case led one of Hernandez's family members or a friend to alert police that they suspected Hernandez's involvement.

His neighbors in Maple Shade, N.J., said he led a quiet life and belonged to a Pentacostal Church, according to The New York Times. Though Hernandez doesn't seem to fit the typical profile of a child killer, pegging a suspect into a psychological box can be misleading, according to according to Ken Lanning, a former special agent in the Behavioral Science Unit at the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime.

"It's complex, and no two cases are alike," said Lanning, who said he, too, doesn't know all the facts in the case. "But [police] must have a reason to believe his story."

Both Levin and Lanning warned about "false confessions."

"People come forward to confess because of publicity and notoriety," said Lanning. "Over the years, there have been two or three in-depth scenarios where someone claimed to be involved in the Etan Patz case."

For a decade, the prime suspect in the case was Jose A. Ramos, a former mental patient now imprisoned for molesting a boy in Pennsylvania. But he told police that he never killed the boy and put him on a subway.

"The police don't just believe people," said Lanning. "They must have some kind of standard to give this guy credibility. Most significant in a case like this is when a guy says, 'I can take you to the body.'"

But in Etan's case, police say it's "unlikely, very unlikely," that he would ever be found. Hernandez reportedly told police he put the body in the trash, where it would have ended up in a city landfill.

"That can be a mess -- even a week later -- depending on the garbage and how it's compacted," said Lanning. "Especially 33 years later."

"When you look at these cases, 99 percent are released relatively unharmed," Lanning said. "Most people fall off their chairs when they hear that."

"Typically, they stop a child and lure them into a car, or the woods or backyard, or a basement and do something to the child -- sexual perhaps," he said. "Then, they let them go and the child is home before they knew they were missing."

But in cases of so-called "long-term" abductions such as that of Patz and Adam Walsh, who disappeared in a Florida shopping mall in 1981, "the outcome is not so good," Lanning said.

He added that investigators can't make assumptions based on other similar crimes.

"We don't have a huge number of these cases, and many are unknown," he said. "They have to consider all possibilities and they can't put all their eggs in one basket."

"The key here is consistency," said Lanning. "Is what he says he did consistent with what we know about him? If he says nothing went on sexually and then they find out this guy had been grooming and seducing 6-, 7-, 8-year-old boys, there's an inconsistency."

Police may holding back some of the details of the confession -- even hints of sexual molestation -- to spare Etan's parents, Stan and Julie Patz.

"They might not go into it, especially in a case this old," said Lanning. "Imagine the poor mother and father go through this 33 years later. He could have told them he did something with the boy and the police aren't saying it."

But investigators cannot rule out the possibility that Hernandez molested the boy, according to Lanning.

"It's easier for most of these guys to rationalize killing a child than having sex with a child," he said.

An FBI study of 500 children who were abducted and murdered found that about 75 percent of them had been killed within three hours of abduction. Some abductors kill for sadistic reasons, others for sexual gratification, but there are also those who kill because they "screwed up," according to Lanning.

"One of the least likely things a sexual predator will do is kidnap and murder his victims," he said. "A smart sexual predator doesn't kidnap anyone."

But sometimes things go wrong and the child "starts screaming and yelling and kicking and biting," said Lanning. "Now, he's got to stop the kid."

A certain number worry afterwards that if they release the child, they will tell, and so they go on to suffocate the child. But all this is speculation, according to Lanning.

"What you think happened," he said, "is not so important as what you can prove happened."

On Friday, Hernandez was on a suicide watch at a New York City hospital just hours before he was arraigned on second-degree murder charges.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Over-the-Counter Lice Treatment No Longer Effective?

Tara Parsell — Sun, 27 May 2012 15:30:51 +0000

Stockbyte/Thinkstock(KUNA, Idaho) -- Last week, a Kuna, Idaho, elementary school closed for two days after 60 students and nine staff members were diagnosed with head lice.

An estimated 12 million cases of head lice are diagnosed in the United States each year, and medical experts say that while they don't kill, they can be an irritating nuisance for parents and a public relations embarrassment for schools.

Officials at Kuna's Indian Creek Elementary School did not return calls from ABC News, but sent a letter to parents urging them to check their children and get treatment while the school was cleaned.

In the past, over-the-counter products like Nix and RID have been effective, but now many cases are becoming drug resistant, so head lice outbreaks like the one in Idaho are on the rise.

"People get really freaked out when their kids get it," said Dr. Ari Brown, an Austin, Texas, pediatrician and author of "Baby 411."

"They think, 'Oh, my gosh, my kids are dirty.' But lice don't care what economic class you are in," she said. "Parents also worry that they are going to get it, too. They are disgusted by the whole concept."

Head lice are small, wingless insects about the size of a sesame seed that only live in the human scalp and feed by sucking blood, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The crawling lice or their eggs, known as nits, can be found attached to the hair.

"Lice have this social stigma and all kinds of stuff wrapped up in it and it's certainly no fun to deal with -- but it's not such a big deal," said Brown.

To the dismay of health-conscious parents, when standard treatments don't work, they must turn to expensive prescription drugs that contain pesticides, like malathion.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

The Truth About Sunscreen: Are Labels Lying?

Carmen Cox — Sat, 26 May 2012 17:30:57 +0000

Comstock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- As summer approaches and Americans head to the beaches for Memorial Day Weekend, people are stocking up on sunscreen to protect their skin. But finding a good sunscreen can be difficult. Walk down the aisle looking to buy sunscreen and you're bombarded with claims such as waterproof, sweat-proof, and protects against skin cancer. The problem, many of those claims are false.

For example, some sunscreen advertises themselves as being waterproof and offering all-day protection. The FDA has labeled both these claims "misleading and false." According to David Andrews of the Environmental Working Group, there's no such thing as waterproof sunscreen at all. No matter what the sunscreen, he told us, "at some point it will rub off and dissolve in to the water."

Some sunscreens also offer broad spectrum protection, a term which seems to indicate that they protect against skin cancer, sunburn and aging. This isn't always the case. Products with SPF 15 or lower may protect against sunburn, but they do not help against wrinkles and skin cancer. In addition, some sunscreens protect against UVB rays, but not UVA. Both types work together to damage the skin.

In 2011 the FDA took action against the sunscreen makers, demanding that they update their labels to reflect these realities. Among other things, the FDA now requires a "test method to demonstrate that a sunscreen product provides "broad spectrum" protection, which is protection against both UVB and UVA radiation." Sunscreen manufacturers were given until this summer to update their labels accordingly.

However, not all companies have been able to comply. The companies argued that they couldn't meet the new regulations in time for this summer, appealing to the FDA for more time. The agency has granted them an extension until December to get their labels into compliance. The FDA defended the decision, telling ABC News, "we think that the data they have submitted does adequately support delaying compliance date," adding, "You are already starting to see some of these new testing and labeling requirements being implemented."

In the meantime, stores are stocked with a mixture of old and new labels, making it difficult to tell what really works.

The FDA says without the delay, there may have been a sunscreen shortage. So consumers can now count on plenty of sunscreen--but just a shade of truth.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio