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 Thu, Apr 9 1992 Date: Thu, 9 Apr 92 05:44:24 EDT Message-ID: 04-09 0000 DECISIONLINE: Health USA TODAY Update April 9, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network COLD REMEDIES DOUBTED: Americans spend more than a billion dollars a year on cold remedies that are ineffective and possibly dangerous, a congressional panel charged Wednesday. And even though the Food and Drug Administration knows antihistamines, a major ingredient in many over-the-counter medicines, are ineffective, the agency approved them for public use anyway, says Rep. Ted Weiss, D-N.Y. FDA APPROVAL QUESTIONED: The Food and Drug Administration approved 10 antihistamines in 1980 for effectiveness based on a study showing one might work, a congressional panel said Wednesday. The panel did not dispute the drug's effectiveness for relief of allergies caused by histamine release. Colds are viruses and don't cause histamine release, says Leslie Hendeles, University of Florida pharmacy professor. SACCHARIN'S SAFETY DEFENDED: Despite safety concerns, the artificial sweetener saccharin does not cause bladder cancer in humans, suggest studies out Wednesday. At high doses, saccharin does cause cancer in rats, because of qualities of the animal's bladder that do not apply to people, Dr. Samuel Cohen, University of Nebraska, told the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology in Anaheim, Calif. OSHA POLICY DEFENDED: A recent Labor Department review defends the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's policy of negotiating settlements with employers who flagrantly violate health and safety laws. The review concluded that the policy results in more settlements, collected penalties and workplace improvements. Critics have charged OSHA with making too many concessions by lowering the penalties. BULIMIA CLUE FOUND: Bulimia and anorexia may be linked to vasopressin, a hormone that regulates blood pressure and fluid retention, reports the April issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. A study found high levels of the hormone in the spinal fluid of 24 bulimia patients. In lab animals, the hormone strengthens learning that occurs under stress. CALIF. WATER SAFETY PROBED: Millions of Californians are at risk of developing cancer from arsenic in their drinking water, new research suggests. The research has prompted state officials to propose tougher limits of two parts per trillion, which exceeds current testing methods. The findings were reported Tuesday at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society. KIDS STILL EATING TOO MUCH FAT: Although today's kids eat less fat and more carbohydrates than those of 15 years ago, more than 80% in a recent study had high fat intakes. The study, which called for more education, also said that kids are not eating nutritious breakfasts. The findings were reported to a meeting of the Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology in Anaheim, Calif. BEER BELLIES EXPLAINED: When people drink alcohol, their bodies don't burn fat as quickly as usual. That's why consuming too much alcohol can lead to a beer belly, says a report in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine. Experts aren't sure why alcohol suppresses the body's disposal of fat, but say social drinkers who don't want to put on weight should try to avoid fatty foods. PREVENTION, TREATMENT DEBATED: Changing the focus of social program from treatment to prevention may increase effectiveness and save money, many social workers are concluding. The House Select Committee on Children, Youth and Families reports that the annual cost of family preservation services range from $2,500 to $5,000 per child compared to institutional cost of $10,000 to $50,000 per child. CARE MAY BE PHONE CALL AWAY: Replacing visits to the doctor with phone calls may reduce hospitalization and costs, reports a recent Journal of the American Medical Association. During a two-year study, Dartmouth researchers substituted three calls for each scheduled visit by half of the 497 patients at an outpatient clinic. The calls resulted in fewer visits, less hospitalization and a 28% reduction in cost. CRACK-RELATED SYPHILIS REPORTED: St. Louis reported 180 new syphilis cases through March, nearly matching its 1991 total of 187 new cases, health officials say. Crack cocaine has been cited as a possible catalyst, because of addicts who exchange sex to pay for their drug habits. Syphilis can cause brain and heart damage. THIGH-THINNING HAS DANGERS: Pain and swelling can result from over-using some thigh-exercising devices advertised on TV, say two New York doctors in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine. A 30-year-old woman who used the device for 15 minutes a day was treated for "thigh-thinner's thecitis," marked by worsening pain and swelling in her right thigh. The doctors didn't name the device the woman used. Health Editor: Christopher Goldthwaite. (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. 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