Community Magazine August 2012

To • • Health CLOTHING REGULATIONS SAVE LIVES Since 1997, when clothing manufacturers adopted design restrictions on children’s clothing, the rate of children being fatally injured as a result of clothing caught on vehicles or playground equipment has dropped dramatically. The voluntary regulations limited the use of drawstrings on jackets and sweatshirts, advised the use of buttons, Velcro and other materials near a child’s neck, and limited drawstrings near the waist to less than three inches. Areport in theArchives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found that 29 deaths were blamed on drawstrings between 1985 and 1997, 21 of which related to drawstrings near the neck, and almost all the victims were children younger than eight. Most of these deaths were the result of strings getting caught by a bus. Between 1997 and 2009, however, there were only six drawstring deaths, a 91 percent decrease since the restrictions were implemented. The decline has been further abetted by regulations put into place in 1995 regarding new bus designs and driver training to prevent accidents. A SAFER FORM OF PAIN RELIEF An Israeli company is growing a type of medical cannabis that offers effective pain relief without the “high.” Tikun Olam, founded in 2004, is the first and main licensed grower of medicinal marijuana in Israel. More than 10,000 Israeli patients have government licenses to use the drug for relief of cancer symptoms, Parkinson’s disease and other chronic pain conditions. A new strain of cannabis contains minimal traces of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient that gets people “high,” and would thus allow patients to experience relief while maintaining ordinary mental functioning needed for everyday activities. Tikun Olam is based near the city of Zfat in northern Israel, and provides drugs to 1,500 patients, offering medication free of charge to patients who cannot afford to pay. CAFFEINE HELPS THE ELDERLY Caffeine intake may slow age-related muscle deterioration and thus help lower the risk of falls and injuries among the elderly. The new study, presented at the Society for Experimental Biology meeting in Salzburg, Austria, looked at how rats of different ages were affected by caffeine, and found that young adult and middle-aged mice benefitted the most. Elderly mice had less benefit, and very young had the least. Muscles on caffeine work harder, and are strengthened as a result. Experts advise using caffeine as part of a rehabilitation or exercise program. AMERICANS NEEDMORE D At least 800 international units (IU) of vitamin D are needed daily in older adults to prevent broken bones, according to a recent review of nearly a dozen studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine. This dosage reduces the risk of hip fractures by 30 percent, and other breaks by 14 percent, but lower doses had little effect. In light of statistics showing that half of elderly hip fracture patients do not regain their mobility, reducing the risk of fracture among the aged is vital. The most significant benefits of vitamin D were seen in nursing home patients, who were given the highest doses of D and whose vitamin use was monitored by nurses. The Institute of Medicine recommends that most adults get 1,000-1,200 mg of calcium daily and 600-800 IU of vitamin D. Researchers have found that excessive calcium intake can reduce the benefit of vitamin D, and thus as many supplements contain 1,000 mg of calcium, the additional calcium from food may send people over the benefit limit. KIDS NOT GETTING THE RIGHT VITAMINS Children may not be receiving the right nutrients from their vitamins, and the kids who take vitamins may not be the ones who need them most. Researchers examined the vitamin use of over 7,000 children and found that many kids between age nine and 18 had low levels of certain vitamins and minerals, and few took supplements, whereas younger kids had good levels of most nutrients with some possible overdoses. Most children under eight receive adequate nutrition from their diets, but even when they take vitamins, over a third do not get enough calcium and vitamin D. Some kids are overloaded on iron, vitamin A, zinc and folate. The study, published in The Journal of Pediatrics, suggests that manufacturers should change the composition of vitamins to ensure that kids receive what they need. Even without taking vitamins, most kids get enough of 15 different vitamins and minerals from food sources. The study also found that kids who take vitamins are more likely to have better balanced diets even without the supplements. 80 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE