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 Tue, May 5 1992 Date: Tue, 5 May 92 05:31:47 EDT Message-ID: 05-05 0000 DECISIONLINE: Health USA TODAY Update May 5, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network SALINE IMPLANTS RARELY LEAK: Saline breast implants only rarely leak or create hardening of breast tissue, key concerns about silicone gel models, suggest new long-term studies from Dr. William Jervis of the University of California Medical School, Davis and Dr. Edward S. Truppman of North Miami Beach, Fla. They spoke Monday at an American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery meeting in Los Angeles. (For more, see special Saline package below.) BINGE BUYING A REAL SYNDROME: Compulsive shopping is a real, "definable syndrome," says a University of Minnesota study presented Monday at a meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in Washington, D.C. The typical binge buyer is female, 38, from a household earning $65,000. She spends $110 a binge, mainly on clothing, jewelry and cosmetics. She feels good when shopping, depressed afterward. STUDY CAUSES CONTROVERSY: Routine mammograms don't benefit women under age 50, say Canadian researchers who spearheaded a large, as-yet-unpublished study. But the researchers won't confirm reports that their study suggests women getting the X-rays in their 40s are actually more likely to die of breast cancer within 10 years, the Associated Press says. Other researchers already are questioning the report. WATER WORKOUTS TAKE OFF: Long a fixture of rehabilitation therapy, water workouts have exploded in recent years with classes pitched toward arthritic seniors and the development of buoyancy devices to allow deep-water running. Five million people perform vertical water aerobics, according to the Colorado-based American Fitness Association. The exercise burns about 460 calories per hour. IT'S A `GREAT ADVANCE': Water exercise is "one of the greatest advances in running equipment since nylon shoes," said Joe Henderson, who has written 12 running and fitness books. Many world-class runners and pro athletes are working out in the water now, especially injured members of several National Football League teams. "Virtually everyone knows how to walk," says one expert. AIDS CHANGES PRACTICES: Nearly a third of unmarried, sexually experienced women turned to monogamy, celibacy or other measures to reduce AIDS risks in the late 1980s. The study was done by the National Center for Health Statistics. A similar men's study hasn't been done. Changes made by the women included 16% becoming monogamous; 9.3% having sex less often; and 5.5% stopping having sex altogether. MEDITERRANEAN GETS NOTICE: This so-called "Mediterranean diet" is grabbing the attention of U.S. nutrition experts and getting the stamp of approval of the medical community. A recent editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine touted its benefits and pointed out that Mediterranean areas have a lower incidence of heart disease than the USA. The cuisine of the Mediterranean is largely vegetable-based. HEPATITIS B VACCINATION PUSHED: Admitting failure in fighting hepatitis B, the USA is joining the growing ranks of nations that vaccinate all children against the disease. The federal Centers for Disease Control is also pushing an ambitious plan to immunize adolescents. The CDC recommends that most children should begin the three-shot series of vaccinations before reaching 2 months of age. ONE IN THREE ARE SEDENTARY: U.S. residents are smoking less but have made little or no progress in curbing obesity and inactivity, according to a study by the National Center for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. It found that more than 1 out of 5 adults was overweight and 6 out of 10 said they engaged in fewer than three 20-minute sessions of physical activity each week, the minimum recommended. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON SALINE: IMPLANTS LOOK ABOUT THE SAME: Improved saline breast implant models and surgical techniques make saline "a viable alternative to silicone. ... Aesthetically, they don't look significantly different," says Dr. William Jervi. Use of saline models is expected to skyrocket after the Food and Drug Administration last month restricted silicone gel cosmetic implants to women in controlled studies. LEAKAGE OCCURS 3% OF TIME: Jervis and Dr. Edward S. Truppman presented two follow-up studies Monday on 2,575 women whose saline implants were inserted up to 23 years ago. They found that leakage occurs in 1% to 3% of implants now on the market. Up to 46% of models used a decade ago leaked. But the salt water isn't believed to pose any health danger. HARDENING A RARE PROBLEM: Breast tissue hardens around 1% to 2% of saline implants, the studies said. The best aesthetic effect was produced when implants are inserted behind the pectoral muscle, not in front, and are heavily rather than scantily filled with saline. A poll three years ago showed that about 60% of surgeons use the "behind muscle" technique, but many more are starting to use it, Jervis says. (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. 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