Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.health From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: health Wed, Mar 4 1992 Date: Wed, 4 Mar 92 05:50:52 EST Message-ID: 03-04 0000 DECISIONLINE: Health USA TODAY Update March 4, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network SUPPLEMENTS NOT EFFECTIVE: A nationwide study, called Phase I of the Trials of Hypertension Prevention, found that stress management and nutritional supplements are not reliable ways to lower blood pressure. The study found the best way to lower pressure is to lose weight and cut back on the use of salt. Lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of having a stroke or getting heart disease. (For more, see special Heart package below.) DENTISTS ADDING FEES: Dentists are adding a new and separate fee to their bills - up to $16 or more per office visit - to cover infection-control procedures mandated by the government to prevent the spread of diseases such as AIDS. Dentists say the new fees cover the cost of latex gloves, masks, protective gowns and sterilization procedures that now must be used to protect health-care workers. NEW FEES CALLED EXCESSIVE: Patient advocates say the infection-control charges by dentists appear to be excessive and they urge patients to challenge their dentists or even refuse to pay that portion of the bill. "It's a gouge," said Charles Inlander, president of the People's Medical Society. "The dentist is not spending $15 for infection control for every patient who comes through the door." NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION OFFERED: March is National Nutrition Month. People with questions about nutrition can call the National Center for Nutrition and Dietetics' hot line to receive answers from a registered dietitian or to receive a copy of the free booklet "Start Eating Lean Today." Call 800-366-1655. CANCER RATES ARE UP: A study in Wednesday's Journal of the National Cancer Institute says cancer deaths have increased for people ages 45-84 in many industrialized countries. Trends from 1969 to 1986 show deaths continue to rise in most age groups for cancers of the breast, prostate and lung. Researchers suggest environmental factors such as exposure to toxins should be studied. AIDS SHOULD BE TALKED ABOUT: Child development expert David Elkind says a pre-pubescent child should be told about AIDS. "Disease is a complex concept," he says. "Present it in a balanced way ... to avoid frightening the child. Accentuate the positive, (explain) `There are ways to prevent it. It's not inevitable ... Most people will not get the disease.' " BLOOD CENTER BEING SUED: It is not possible to assure that the blood supply is 100% safe from the AIDS virus, says the lawyer for a blood center being sued by a woman who acquired the virus. Kandra Kae Crosby Sicuranza, 21, received a transfusion of blood from the Northwest Florida Blood Center in Pensacola while giving birth. On Monday, an Okaloosa Circuit Court jury began hearing her lawsuit against the center. AIDS QUARANTINE CALLED FOR: Hamilton County, Ohio, Coroner Dr. Frank Cleveland's suggestion that people with AIDS be quarantined has outraged gay-rights groups. Cleveland, a Republican, has been coroner since 1965 and is up for re-election in November. In Cincinnati Medicine, Cleveland wrote: "AIDS needs to be diagnosed, quarantined and contained until a cure is perfected." MELANOMA IS CURABLE: Melanoma, the most fatal form of skin cancer, is "extremely curable" when found and treated early, says a National Institutes of Health panel. Early cases also can be cured with less extensive surgery than thought, the panel said. About 32,000 new cases of melanoma are diagnosed in the USA each year, and 6,700 deaths are logged each year as well. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON HEART: STUDY IS FEDERALLY FUNDED: A federally funded nationwide study found that calcium, magnesium, potassium and fish oil do little to lower blood pressure. The Phase I of the Trials of Hypertension Prevention study was designed to find out which approaches to lowering blood pressure work best. People in the study were given monthly classes on smarter shopping, lighter cooking and avoiding salty foods. SAVINGS WOULD BE ENORMOUS: The study's findings suggest millions with blood pressure on the high end of the normal range can avoid hypertension by losing a little weight and using less salt. "The savings in lives, human suffering and health care dollars would be enormous if Americans could be convinced to abide by certain standards for weight and sodium levels," says Dr. Paul Whelton of Johns Hopkins. 2,182 PATIENTS ARE STUDIED: Whelton says lowering the nation's average blood pressure by just 2 points would cut stroke rates by 6% and coronary heart disease by 4%. The 11-center study, in Wednesday's "Journal of the American Medical Association," involved 2,182 men and women ages 30-54. Average weight at the start was about 200 pounds and all had blood pressure in the high normal range. SALT, WEIGHT LINK IS CLEAR: The study found that losing an average of 12.5 pounds in six months resulted in a 2.3-point drop in diastolic pressure (lower number); a 2.9-point drop in systolic pressure (upper number.) Cutting salt intake from 9.5 grams to 2-3 grams a day resulted in a 1-point drop in diastolic pressure and a 1.7-point drop in systolic pressure. (End of package.) Health Editor: Ed Kelleher. (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