Healthy Body Herald #4 – FDA has approved ColoSense™, Free Video Chats for Seniors, Kids & Peanut Allergies
Healthy Body Herald…knowledge is power #4
Karen Mercereau, RN, RN Patient Advocate
karen@patientadvocates.com
Table of Contents
- List of fruits and vegetables that you don’t have to buy organic! They have very few pesticides on/in them.
- Video chats – free of charge – can improve brain function for socially isolated older adults. Social isolation is a risk factor for dementia.
- The most common signs of bone cancer and questions to ask your doctor.
- Your cardiologist may prescribe Ozempic or Wegovy for you! They are commonly used to lose weight but can help your heart.
- Now you can easily test for colon cancer – the FDA has approved a test called ColoSense™.
- A sweetener commonly used in cakes, soft drinks and chewing gum can damage your gut. It is called Neotame.
- There are some exercises that are very helpful with depression.
- Medications used for heartburn – like Nexium, Prevacid and Prilosec – can lead to migraines.
- Lab test to check if children born with peanut allergy may outgrow that by age 6.
- The use of Singulair for asthma for children under the age of 9 may present some serious neurological problems. Good question to ask your doctor.
1. The Environmental Working Group tests for harmful pesticides in fruits and vegetables. Here is a list of them that are safe to eat without having to buy organic! Save money!
2. 
Video chats can significantly improve cognitive function among socially isolated older adults. Social isolation is a risk factor for cognitive decline and dementia.
Connections made on video chatting can promote brain health and provide social connections. There is an organization that can be very helpful to isolated/lonely seniors. It is called the I-Connect Foundation: https://www.iconnectfoundation.org/
3. The Most Common Signs of Bone Cancer – learn what questions might be helpful to ask your doctor.
Bone cancer is a rare type of cancer that begins in the bone cells. The bones are made up of a hard, outer layer called the compact or cortical bone and a spongy inner layer called the trabecular bone. New bone cells are always forming to keep your bones strong. However, when cancer cells start to form in bone cells and create a tumor, symptoms like pain, swelling, and fractures can occur.
https://apple.news/Awz_UUX_6QlqWYSqALgvtEQ
4) Why your cardiologist may prescribe Wegovy or Ozempic.
Can a popular anti-obesity medication lower your chances of a heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular death? In March, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved semaglutide (brand name: Wegovy®) for just that purpose after a study published last November showed that the medication lowers certain people’s risk for those events by as much as 20%. People can now take this medication if they have obesity or overweight and have cardiovascular disease. A separate study by Yale researchers showed that as many as 6.6 million Americans fit these criteria.
https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/why-your-cardiologist-may-prescribe-semaglutide-wegovy
5) The FDA has approved ColoSense™, a noninvasive, multi-target stool RNA screening test, for use in adults at least 45 years of age who are at average risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC).
https://www.onclive.com/view/fda-approves-noninvasive-stool-rna-screening-test-for-crc
***If you wonder if you are at risk, here is a helpful tool to see if you are: https://ccrisktool.cancer.gov/calculator.html
6) A new reason for us to read labels! A sweetener used in cakes, soft drinks and chewing gum can seriously damage people’s health by weakening the gut, a new study has found. The artificial sweetener neotame damages healthy cells in the human intestinal tract, leading to serious health problems such as irritable bowel syndrome
Consumption of even a small amount of the sweetener neotame can lead to someone starting to suffer irritable bowel syndrome, insulin resistance, and even sepsis, a body-wide infection.
7) What Are the Best Exercises to Ease Depression? New Study Suggests Answer
A new study found that exercise is an effective treatment for depression either when used alone or when used alongside therapy and medication. Walking, jogging, yoga, and strength training may reduce depressive symptoms more than other exercises. Higher intensity exercises appeared to produce better results regardless of how long a person exercises.
https://apple.news/AXkLMJS8vSaeflPyNU7t0rw
8) Use of heartburn medications like Nexium, Prevacid or Prilosec carry a 70% risk of developing migraines. The National Institute of Health reports that migraines can occur and increase with these commonly prescribed medications for heartburn. If you are taking one of these drugs, it would be a good idea to let your doctor know and see about using another medication.
https://www.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/news/20240425/acid-reflux-drugs-increased-risk-migraines https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9694889/
9) About a third of kids born with a peanut allergy will see that allergy fade away by about age 6. If your child has a peanut allergy, here is a good question to ask your pediatrician.
- A blood test that tracks two antibodies over time could predict which kids will shed a peanut allergy
- Test results could help parents and doctors plan allergy treatment
Fluctuations in two immune system antibodies in the blood (part of your immune system), called sIgG4 and sIgE, could point to a probable end to peanut allergy by about age 6.
10) The use of Singulair for asthma for children under the age of 9 may present some serious neurological (and behavior) problems. Good question to ask your doctor. More than 500 adverse neuropsychiatric (brain and behavior) reactions have been reported in children under the age of nine involving an asthma drug which is to get new warnings over its risks.
In March 2020, FDA issued a black box warning (meaning could be very dangerous) for Singulair, citing the documented mental and behavioral health risks associated with the use of the drug. Despite this, reports of tragic adverse mental health events for pediatric patients, including aggression, depression, and suicide, remain prevalent. Feb. 22, 2024
Read more in Scientific American
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