18 May 2009

Mental Health: Understanding One Self

I believe part of overall health is how you take care of your own mental health. That includes trying to understand yourself and with that understanding, striving to be maybe be better and happier.

A friend of mine introduced this to me recently. This school of thought divides people into 9 personality types. You could possibly have spikes across several different traits. It does give some structure to your thought process and believe systems.

1 Reformer I do everything the right way. "produces order"

2 Helper I must help others. "humble goodness"

3 Motivator I need to succeed. "Succ-esssss"

4 Romantic I am unique. "tragedy queen"

5 Thinker I need to understand the world. "full of disclaimers"

6 Skeptic I am affectionate and skeptical. "fortress mentality"

7 Enthusiast I am happy and open to new things. "dizzy flirt"

8 Leader I must be strong. "I'm Stalin!"

9 Peacemaker I am at peace. "diversions"


What matters to us changes as the years pass and its interesting to take the test over time to see how these shifts are reflected in personality types.

To take the abbreviated test: http://www.9types.com/

To understand the personality types: http://www.enneagraminstitute.com/

14 May 2009

FDA takes issue with Cheerios health claims

The claims on the box are rather drug-like. I wonder if it does get classified as a drug, its gonna be Over The Counter or prescribed?

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Box labels suggest cereal can lower cholesterol and treat heart disease

Federal regulators are scolding the maker of Cheerios, saying it made inappropriate claims about the popular cereal's ability to lower cholesterol and treat heart disease.

The Food and Drug Administration says in a warning letter to General Mills that language on the Cheerios box suggests the cereal is designed to prevent or treat heart disease. Regulators say that only FDA-approved drugs are allowed to make such claims.
Among other claims, the labeling states: "you can lower your cholesterol 4 percent in six weeks."
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General Mills said the health claims on Cheerios have been approved for 12 years and the FDA's complaints deal with how the language appears on the box. The company said in a statement that the science was not in question.


Associated Press

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Read another guy's perspective on this: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/272571

13 May 2009

Rx Scripts Spike in Wake of Swine Flu

This writer categorises the H1N1 flu as milder than originally perceived. Article is also about 45% increase in prescriptions of Tamiflu and Relenza.

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May 6th, 2009 by George Koroneos

The milder than originally perceived H1N1 “swine flu” might have government officials and physicians pondering the depth of its impact, but one thing that is hard to ignore is the impact the illness has had on the pharmaceutical industry’s new prescription figures.

According data issued on Monday by healthcare analytical firm SDI, new antiviral prescriptions jumped 19 times in the week after the H1N1 outbreak started getting mainstream media attention.

In the week ending May 1, more than 277,000 prescriptions of Tamiflu, Relenza, and other antivirals were dispensed at retail pharmacies. During the highest point in the 2009 flu season (week ending 2/27/2009), only 154,673 antiviral prescriptions were written.

12 May 2009

Cervarix Get Better Immuno Response Than Gardasil

12 May 09

The results of the first head-to-head trial of the two cervical cancer vaccines has shown Cervarix, used in the national vaccination campaign, elicits a better immune response in women than Gardasil.

The trial of 1,110 US women aged 18-45 found Cervarix induced the production of 2.7 times more memory B cells – a key measure of immune response – than Gardasil for HPV types 16 and 18. Tolerability and safety results were similar for the two vaccines.


Dr Anne Szarewski, clinical consultant at the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine said: ‘This study offers evidence for the first time that the two HPV vaccines do not generate the same level of response against the two most common cancer causing virus types.’

The results were presented at the International Papillomavirus Conference in Malmö, Sweden.

Glaxo is set to present other data supporting Cervarix, including potential evidence that it offers some protection against additional HPV types, and that its immune-response levels last for at least 7.3 years after vaccination. Merck previously had data suggesting Gardasil could protect against additional HPV types but the FDA declined to incorporate this into the prescribing label.

Separately, Merck is presenting data showing an experimental precursor to Gardasil, a vaccine targeting just one HPV type, had sustained efficacy for an average of 8.5 years after vaccination. In another study, Gardasil reduced the number of abnormal Pap tests and subsequent procedures designed to ward off cervical cancer. Pap tests screen for cervical cancer.

More details here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124178398935000581.html

http://www.ippf.org/en/News/Intl+news/Glaxo+Study+Cervarix+Immune+Response+Tops+Gardasils.htm
http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=23&storycode=4122666&c=2

11 May 2009

Great Write-Up On A Positive Perspective

Really like this post a lot. It reminds me to constantly look on the positive side of things and to be grateful for all that happens.

When we are in that positive state, not just our mental health but our emotional and physical health benefit as well.

How we perceive things and the world around us in a large part determines whether or not we are going to be happy. Our perceptions, most often, are clouded by a set of assumptions which most often are not true at all.

Suffering Lies in Your Perception of the Fact and Not the Fact Itself
by HARRISON BARNES on MAY 11, 2009
http://www.aharrisonbarnes.com/2009/05/suffering-lies-in-your-perception-of-the-fact-and-not-the-fact-itself/

WHO H1N1 Update: 11 May 2009

11 May 2009 -- As of 06:00 GMT, 11 May 2009, 30 countries have officially reported 4694 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection.

Mexico has reported 1626 laboratory confirmed human cases of infection, including 48 deaths. The United States has reported 2532 laboratory confirmed human cases, including three deaths. Canada has reported 284 laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death. Costa Rica has reported eight laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death.

The following countries have reported laboratory confirmed cases with no deaths - Argentina (1), Australia (1), Austria (1), Brazil (8), China (2, comprising 1 in China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and 1 in mainland China), Colombia (3), Denmark (1), El Salvador (4), France (13), Germany (11), Guatemala (1), Ireland (1), Israel (7), Italy (9), Japan (4), Netherlands (3), New Zealand (7), Norway (2), Panama (15), Poland (1), Portugal (1), Republic of Korea (3), Spain (95), Sweden (2), Switzerland (1) and the United Kingdom (47).

WHO is not recommending travel restrictions related to the outbreak of the influenza A(H1N1) virus.

Individuals who are ill should delay travel plans and returning travelers who fall ill should seek appropriate medical care. These recommendations are prudent measures which can limit the spread of many communicable diseases, including influenza.

Further information on the situation will be available on the WHO web site on a regular basis.

WHO H1N! Website: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html

05 May 2009

H1N1 Headlines: H1N1 Flu tops 1,000 mark

Swine Flu H1N1 Dashboard - a good resource of information:
http://www.netvibes.com/cabialerts#CDC_and_WHO_Info

UNITED NATIONS - THE number of H1N1 flu victims topped the 1,000 mark on Monday as the United Nations' most senior health official warned a second wave of the virus could be far worse.

As Mexico, the epicentre of the outbreak, prepared for the reopening on Wednesday of restaurants and businesses shuttered by the virus, the number of affected countries climbed once again.
Mexico raised its confirmed swine flu toll to 26 deaths on Monday, but said the epidemic appeared to be slowing. The previous toll, given late Sunday, was 22 people dead and 568 infected.

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/World/Story/STIStory_372502.html

REUTERS - VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - An Alberta girl has been hospitalized in Canada's first serious case of the H1N1 flu, as the country's confirmed cases climbed to 140, health officials said on Monday.

Officials had expected to discover people suffering more serious effects from the virus as the disease progresses, even though all other cases in Canada have involved only mild symptoms.

http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCATRE5436DK20090504

03 May 2009

SwineFlu H1N1 Update: First time WHO has declared a 1st Phase Five Outbreak

This is the first time, that WHO has declared a first Phase Five outbreak. This can be referred as the second highest level in the threat scale. According to Margaret Chan, the Director General of WHO, if the pandemic breaks out then it can be a threat to the entire humanity, but they are still not equipped with the answer that how severe the pandemic can be but they have taken it as a great opportunity to take all the necessary actions and combat it.

The virus, which is liable for spreading the disease has already been recognized and it is been found that, it happens to be a mix of the pig, bird and human genes. Human beings don’t have natural immunity to these breed of virus. The virus has already spread to about nine countries and is still spreading at a rapid scale.

The records of World Health Organization reveal that the first pandemic of Swine Flu occurred in the year 1968 and spread to eight nations and 11 states in USA.

WHO along with other health authorities are on their way to develop a Swine Flu vaccination. For, Swine Flu, although, there is a vaccine for the pigs, but no vaccination has been generated for human beings. It had also been specified by WHO, that they are well prepared to cope up with the situation, if the pandemic will hit Phase 6.

Map of latest outbreaks: http://flutracker.rhizalabs.com/

01 May 2009

WHO Alert Raised to Phase 5 for Swine Flu (H1N1)

Latest from WHO:
30 April 2009 -- From today, WHO will refer to the new influenza virus as influenza A(H1N1).

From the CDC:
In response to an intensifying outbreak in the United States and internationally caused by a new influenza virus of swine origin, the World Health Organization raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 5 on April 29, 2009.

A Phase 5 alert is a “strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short.”

The United States Government has declared a public health emergency in the United States.

The swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is susceptible to the prescription antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir.

From Reuters:
Mexico began shutting down all non-essential work and services on Thursday to slow the spread of a new flu strain as officials urged increased worldwide precautions against an imminent pandemic.

The World Health Organization said it would remain for now at its current alert level -- one step below full pandemic -- and that it would no longer refer to the H1N1 virus as "swine flu" to appease beleaguered meat producers.

New confirmed flu cases were reported in the United States, Canada and Europe.

Almost all infections outside of Mexico have been mild, only a handful of patients have required hospital treatment, and most global markets have shrugged off concerns.