The Cleveland Daily Banner | Page 34

34—Cleveland Daily Banner—Sunday, January 3, 2016 www.clevelandbanner.com HealtH SUNDAY Gwen Swiger Associate Editor Phone [phone] or fax [phone] [email protected] Center outlines top poisons, provides safety information Special to the Banner The leading cause of injury death in Tennessee is not motor vehicle crashes, gunshot wounds or drowning — it is poisoning. And the main source of that poisoning is not the furniture polish or drain cleaner stored under the kitchen sink (dangerous as those are) — the main source of poisoning is analgesic drugs, according to Donna Seger, M.D., Tennessee Poison Center medical director. “In the past year, more than 33,000 poison cases reported to the Tennessee Poison Center were for pharmaceutical substances — 59 percent of our total cases,” she said. “Opioid analgesic pain relievers are involved in a substantial proportion of drug poisoning deaths,” Seger said. Opioid analgesics include natural and semisynthetic opioid analgesics such as hydrocodone, morphine and oxycodone, as well as other opioid analgesics such as fentanyl and methadone. In order, the top five substances for poison exposure in Tennessee are: 1. Analgesics 2. Cosmetic/personal care products 3. Household cleaning products 4. Sedative/hypnotics/antipsychotics 5. Antihistamines Using information from the National Vital Statistics System, which compiles deaths due to drug poisoning nationwide, Seger notes in the past 15 years, the age-adjusted drug poisoning death rate has more than doubled, and that 81 percent of those deaths from drug poisoning were unintentional. The Tennessee Poison Center offers these guidelines for avoiding poisoning by storing and using poisons safely: Store Poisons Safely Store all medicines away from household products and food. Never put any medicine or chemical in a cup or soft drink bottle. Keep medicine and household products in their original containers. Use child-resistant packaging. But remember — nothing is childproof. If you have a young child who is able to walk or crawl, keep household plants and products stored above floor level, not beneath the sink. NUANCED TRENDS Childhood asthma rates doubled from 1980 to 1995, partly because of more awareness and diagnosis. The new study shows slower increases after that, rising to 9.3 by 2010. Declines in the most recent years were in children younger than 5, Mexican kids, those in the Midwest and those from families that weren’t poor. Rates plateaued among whites and those living in the Northeast and West, but increased in those aged 10 to 17, kids from poor families and those living in the South. Rates increased but then plateaued among blacks. The study is based on annual in-person government health surveys in which parents of more than 150,000 kids were asked if their children had been diagnosed with asthma. Data not included in the study show 2014 rates climbed slightly to 8.6 percent but it’s not clear if that change was real, said lead author Dr. Lara Akinbami, a medical officer at the government’s National Center for Health Statistics. COMPETING FORCES Asthma’s causes are uncertain but authorities believe several factors play a role or trigger attacks, including air pollution, obesity, tobacco smoke, premature birth and respiratory infections in infancy. Competing changes in some of these factors complicate efforts to understand asthma trends, Akinbami said. For example, while U.S. air quality has generally improved from decades ago, children whose schools are built near congested expressways may not be benefiting. And while U.S. smoking rates have fallen, a warming climate may prolong growing seasons and kids’ exposure to pollen. Special to the Banner AP Photo MAssAchusetts InstItute of Technology researchers Fadel Adib, left, and Emad Farag sit in chairs as a screen displays how RF-Capture is tracking them through the wall behind them on the MIT campus in Cambridge, Mass. RF-Capture is a technology being developed at MIT that uses WiFi signals to see and sense through walls. X-ray vision? New technology making it a reality for $300 CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — X-ray vision, a comic book fantasy for decades, is becoming a reality in a lab at MIT. A group of researchers led by Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Dina Katabi has developed software that uses variations in radio signals to recognize human silhouettes through walls and track their movements. Researchers say the technology will be able to help health care providers and families keep closer tabs on toddlers and the elderly, and it could be a new strategic tool for law enforcement and the military. "Think of it just like cameras, except that it's not a camera," said Fadel Adib, a researcher on the MIT team developing the device. "It's a sensor that can monitor people and allow you to control devices just by pointing at them," he said. Work began in 2012 to determine how wireless signals could be used to "see" what's happening in another room, said Katabi, who directs the MIT Wireless Center. "At first we were just interested ... can you at all use wireless signals to detect what's happening in occluded spaces, behind a wall, couch, something like that," Katabi said. "It turned out that we were able to detect that. And when we figured out we could detect that, we started asking more advanced questions: Could we use it to detect exactly how people are moving in a space if they are behind a wall?" The device displays the signal on a screen, where the person's movements can be tracked in real time. It depicts the target as a red dot moving around the room, occupying a chair and speeding up or slowing down. The wireless signals used to track a person's motions also can measure the individual's breathing and heart rate — and potentially identify the person based on the shape of his or her skeleton, said researcher Zach Kabelac. "The person won't be wearing anything on them, and the person it's tracking doesn't even need to know the device is there," Kabelac said. "If something unfortunate happens to them, like a fall, the device will contact the caregiver that they chose to alert" by generating a text message or an email, he added. That makes health care applications especially interesting, Katabi said. But she also sees military and law enforcement possibilities — particularly in hostage situa- tions. "You don't want to send the police inside without knowing where the people are standing or where the hostages are," she said. "If there is someone with a gun, where they are standing?" A company set up to market the technology, now dubbed Emerald, will spin out of the MIT lab next year, with a goal of marketing the device early in 2017, and it's expected to sell for $250$300, Adib said. The team is working to make the device smaller and to develop an interface that will let users configure it through a smartphone app, Katabi added. The technology raises questions about privacy rights and intrusion, and Adib said the team gave serious thought to those implications. "The user interface will be friendly for setting it up and using it at home, but it will be very hard to use it to track someone just by pointing it at their wall," he said. "Think of it this way: Your cellphone already has wireless signals that can traverse walls, but how many people can use these signals to actually see through walls? The reason people can't do that is that the user interface does not expose this information." ISU professor’s book discusses mindful eating By MARK BENNETT Tribune-Star TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — A half a cookie becomes a whole experience through “mindful eating.” Jean Kristeller explains how people can transform their approach to food, lose weight and feel healthier in her new book, “The Joy of Half a Cookie.” The professor emerita of psychology at Indiana State University poured 35 years of research into the power of mindfulness and meditation, resulting in the book If you suspect a poisoning, call Tennessee Poison Center for treatment advice about any kind of poison. The Poison Help toll-free number is 1-800-2221222. Save this number in your cell phone so you will be sure and have it if there is an emergency. Tennessee Poison Center, housed at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, is a member of the Tennessee State Department of Health Commissioner’s Council on Injury Prevention, a group of organizations throughout the state who collaborate to reduce injury deaths in Tennessee. Get a good night’s sleep – reset your biological clock Kids’ asthma rates quiet down — study CHICAGO (AP) — Asthma rates in U.S. children have quieted down after a decades-long increase, a government study found, and researchers are trying to pinpoint reasons that would explain the trend. A possible plateau in childhood obesity rates and declines in air pollution are among factors that may have help ed lower cases in kids, the 2001-13 study suggests. Overall, average asthma rates among kids aged 17 and younger increased slightly, then leveled off and declined by the study’s end, when 8.3 percent of kids were affected. Rates varied among some regions, races and ages. The study was published online Monday in the journal Pediatrics. Use Poisons Safely Read the label on all medicines and household products and heed warnings and cautions. Are children in the home? Take the product or medicine with you to answer the door or the phone. Lock up products and medicines after using them. If it’s medicine, call it medicine, not candy. Children learn by imitation. Take your medicines where children can’t watch. Always turn on the light when giving medicines. Never take medicines in the dark. published by Perigee, a division of Penguin Random House. People can learn when to stop eating that cookie, or any other food that appeals to them. That moment could come after a few bites of their favorite pizza or a warm chocolate chip cookie straight out of the oven. Through mindful eating, a person learns to enjoy the tastes felt in the initial bites and then wrap up the cookie or pizza slice once the initial sensation of flavor fades. Instead of willpower and selfdeprivation, a person can savor dishes they crave, but in smaller amounts as they learn to sense the moment when their taste buds “habituate,” or become tired of the flavor. In a nutshell, when the thrill is gone, you stop eating. In a pair of studies in Terre Haute and North Carolina, participants discovered “they really didn’t want that fourth bite,” Kristeller said. Yet, they still get to experience delicious foods. “I emphasize cultivating your inner gourmet,” said Kristeller. “And if you’re going to eat it, you might as well enjoy it. And enjoy it, rather than gobbling it down.” Mindful eating involves smaller amounts of food “and savoring the experience.” She’s been “working on this area, really, from the beginning of my career,” she added. Kristeller, who has earned degrees at the University of Wisconsin and a doctorate at Yale, researched eating disorders in her post-doctoral training, and she came to ISU in 1991 after serving on the staff and faculty in behavioral medical services of Cambridge Hospital at Harvard See EATING, Page 36 Some people are blessed with the ability to sleep anywhere at any time. Others find falling asleep a challenge that worsens with the passing of years. Left unattended, insomnia can become chronic, disabling and eventually even a medical condition. Ronald M. Bazar, author of the new book “Sleep Secrets: How to Fall Asleep Fast, Beat Fatigue and Insomnia, and Get a Great Night’s Sleep,” said lack of sleep not only affects your ability to work effectively but can have serious effects on your relationships and your enjoyment of life. Lack of sleep also can wreak havoc with your hormones, your immune system and your body's ability to fight off disease. “You need 6 1/2 to eight hours of good, relaxed sleep per night in order to maintain and regenerate your body’s natural systems,” he said. “You don’t need to resort to taking drugs and narcotics every night, either. There are other natural and alternative ways that work even better." Bazar’s comprehensive and easy-to-read book includes, yet goes beyond, the sleep tips you've heard about and gets into both science-based research and complementary medicine tips for help resolving insomnia and other problems caused by sleep deprivation. “One of the most important things to do is to reboot your body naturally, and then control every factor that prevents you from falling and staying asleep. Here are some of his top recommendations about how to reset your body’s biological clock and create solid, reliable sleep habits: n Detach from your electronic devices well before bed. They are insomnia creators. n Stretch before bedtime. Get on the floor and do some stretching exercises half an hour before bedtime. Do some yoga poses to relax your back and neck, and stretch your legs and especially your calves to help reduce cramping. n If you are hungry before bed, have a light snack like fruit, but don’t have heavy foods or a full meal or a very late dinner. n Set your sleep time intentionally. Tell yourself that 10 p.m. is bedtime and 6 a.m. is wake-up time. Mentally establish and commit yourself to sleep on a regular schedule. Stick to it. Go to sleep the same time every night and get up the same time every morning. Make it a habit. n Listen to soothing music or read for 15 minutes or more before you turn off the lights. Just make sure you choose something that won’t stimulate your thinking, make you tense up or worry right when you want to go to sleep. n Don't have any electronic devices in the room where you sleep. Turn off all lights, TV and radios, cellphones, laptops, computers, and all those power supplies that have a glowing LED or light. Move them into another room and away from your bedroom so they can’t make sounds that wake you up and interrupt your sleep. Use foam ear plugs to reduce noise levels that can prevent you from sleeping. n Go dark, totally dark. If necessary, cover the windows with blackout shades to prevent light from entering the room where you sleep. Wear an eye mask for total blackness. You may even need to replace your alarm clock with something that doesn’t have glowing numbers, or is backlit. n Get up early! Set the alarm and get up just when it is getting light, before the sun rises. Better yet, learn how to awaken without an alarm. Don’t touch that snooze button. n Get outside and spend 20 minutes or more in the bright early morning sun and fresh air. Take a walk, walk the dog, go for a bike ride, or do some work in the garden. n Eliminate stimulants such as coffee, tea, soda or anything with caffeine, and sweet drinks with sugar. If you drink coffee, only have it in the morning and never have it after lunch or within four to six hours of bedtime. Don’t drink energy drinks or caffeine drinks in the afternoon or e vening. n Take a short nap during the day only if you are sleepy. But if you have problems falling asleep at night, then do not nap until you reestablish a new rhythm. It’s OK to take a 20-minute nap if you get tired, but don’t go over 30 minutes. Also, take the nap at least six hours before your normal bedtime, so that you are not over-rested to the point where it interferes with your normal sleep time. n Get a comfortable bed and coverings. Turn the temperature down at night so it’s cool in the air and warm in the bed. Go hypoallergenic or organic. Here are some other things about getting good sleep covered in the book: n Mind techniques to quiet the mind and help you relax; n Simple breathing techniques that will help you sleep easier and deeper; n Eat the foods that will help you sleep, and avoid the foods that won't; n How to fall back asleep quickly if you wake up in the middle of the night; n The best pillow to use for sleeping; n Inclining your bed can help you sleep; n Walking outside barefoot can actually help you sleep better at night; n Supplements and remedies to target your sleep needs — or eliminate fears; n Solutions to snoring and sleep apnea; n Jet lag prevention tips; and n Cannabis for sleep? How to find the right strain. “Be consistent,” Bazar says. “You can train your body and achieve the cyclic rhythms you need to go to sleep when you want to and get a good night’s rest. "