Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.health,americast.usa-today.health From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: health Tue, Oct 6 1992 Date: Tue, 6 Oct 92 05:45:32 EDT Message-ID: 10-06 0000 DECISIONLINE: Health USA TODAY Update Oct. 6, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network DOCTORS PUT FAT INTO BREASTS: A breast enlargement surgery rapidly gaining popularity may pose long-term health threats to U.S. women, some experts warn. The technique: Removing fat from heavy areas of the body and injecting it into breasts. A few doctors have been doing the surgery for about 10 years. Interest has skyrocketed since the Food and Drug Administration banned widespread cosmetic use of silicone implants. (For more, see special Breasts package below.) EYE LASER PROCEDURE IS RISKY: A laser procedure used on millions in the USA to improve vision after cataract surgery is under fire. A study shows the procedure actually raises the risk of vision loss in some cases. Cataract surgery involves removing a cloudy lens and replacing it with an artificial lens. An added procedure to restore vision caused two of 100 patients studied to suffer a detached retina. RISK IS HIGHER FOR WHITE MALES: A study in October's Ophthalmology of 57,103 Medicare patients who had cataract surgery found: Two of every 100 patients who had the laser procedure suffered a retinal detachment, which can cause partial or total vision loss. It also found the risk of retinal detachment is 3.9 times higher for laser procedure patients; risk is higher for the young, for males and whites. HINTS FOR A HEALTHY HEART: High blood cholesterol is one of the conditions that can increase the risk of heart disease. The American Heart Association gives the following hints to help you make some changes that can help: Don't smoke; get regular exercise; lose weight if overweight; and limit fat intake. FDA ACCEPTS COMMENTS ON LABELS: The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington, D.C., consumer nutrition group, urges people to tell the Food and Drug Administration what they want on food labels and why. Write to FDA, Hearing Clerk, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Md., 20857. Include the words "Comments on Food Label Format, Docket No. 91N-0612" in the letter. DICTIONARY MAY IMPROVE CARE: Researchers at the University of Iowa nursing college have developed a "dictionary" that standardizes definitions and descriptions of patient treatments in hope of better patient care. "Nursing Interventions Classification" gives names and definitions to 336 types of treatments used by nurses. DEPRESSION DIFFERS BY TYPE: Some people can get irrational and upset when it comes to dealing with emotions and personal feelings, says Dr. Hani Khouzam, a psychiatrist at the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Khouzam says "garden variety" depression usually involves a feeling of sadness because of a specific event, he says. Clinical depression, however, might be due to a biological imbalance requiring medical treatment. MANY STUDENTS GO UNPROTECTED: A sample study of heterosexual undergraduate students at a large Midwestern state university found that only 14% of males and 21% of females had not experienced intercourse. The report in the journal, "Family Planning Perspectives," found many of the sexually active students used little or no protection. And 1 in 5 respondents reported having had a sexually transmitted disease. HELPFUL HINTS ON CHOOSING CARE: The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations can help you decide which health-care provider is right for you. Send two self-addressed stamped envelopes to "Helping You Choose: Quality Care" Brochures, Customer Service Center, Joint Commission, 1 Renaissance Blvd., Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. 60181. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON BREASTS: PROCEDURE `COMES ALIVE': The procedure of removing fat from the body and putting it into breasts is "coming alive now. There must be over 100 doctors doing it," says Dr. Mel Bircoll, a Beverly Hills surgeon who calls the technique safe. But other doctors say the injected fat may calcify, forming a scarred mass that can either mimic or mask breast cancer. CANCER COULD BE HIDDEN: Calcified spots on mammograms can be a sign of cancer, so women may face unnecessary surgical biopsies to rule it out, cautions Dr. William Graham, president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Scars also may conceal tissue and delay cancer detection. "We've got a surgery that could mushroom from a profit standpoint," says Graham, who says it maynot be safe. NO PROBLEMS IN JAPAN: Bircoll, though, reports calcifications in only 3 or 4 of his estimated 350 fat transplant patients. Dr. Gerald Johnson of Houston says 5 of the 120 women he's done have calcium spots. Both doctors claim the spots look distinctly different from those signaling cancer. Johnson says the surgery has been done widely in Japan for six years, "and they don't have any problems." (End of package.) Health Editor: Michele Coleman. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM