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, May 6 1992 Date: Wed, 6 May 92 05:32:34 EDT Message-ID: 05-06 0000 DECISIONLINE: Health USA TODAY Update May 6, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network MILK LOWERS KIDS' PRESSURE: Kids who get lots of dairy products have lower systolic blood pressure, says a study in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers studied 89 boys and girls, ages 3 to 6, from the Framingham Heart Study. Kids who got the most calcium, 900 milligrams a day, had systolic blood pressure that was 6 points lower than kids with intakes averaging about 660 mg. (For more, see special Calcium package below.) DOCTORS TAKE DRUGS MORE OFTEN: Doctors appear to drink alcohol and take addictive prescription drugs more often than their patients, says a survey reported in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association. It does not mean doctors are abusing the drugs, says Dr. Patrick Hughes, University of South Florida. They just have easier access to prescription drugs and take them for periodic ailments and stress. KIDS WITH ASTHMA NEED EXERCISE: People with asthma who get out of breath when they exercise may do so because they are out of shape, not because of the disease says a study by Dr. Richard Schwarztstein of the Harvard Medical School."If you allow kids with asthma to become sedentary, you're impairing not only their health but their ability to socialize," he says. KIDS HAVE FEWER CAVITIES: Experts say the use of fluoride and better oral hygiene have led to less tooth decay. According to the National Institute of Dental Research, the average number of cavities in children 5-17 has dropped from 11 in the 1940s to just three in 1986-87. HEALTH CLUB TIPS OFFERED: The American College of Sports Medicine is offering a free pamphlet filled with tips about how to select the right health club. To get a copy, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: P.O. Box 1440, Indianapolis, Ind., 46206-1440. RIOTS SEEN AS HEALTH PROBLEM: Violence is a public health problem and must be treated as such, says psychiatrists at a national conference this week. The nation must realize riots are "a byproduct of social disorders," including "institutional violence" against minorities, says Dr. Robert T.M. Phillips, Yale, chairman of the Committee of Black Psychiatrists of the American Psychiatric Association. NUMBER OF INTERNISTS DOWN: The USA isn't training enough internists, a new report suggests. The Society for General Internal Medicine reported the number of doctors becoming internists has dropped 31% in the past five years. Also, primary-care specialties are less attractive to grads with average debts of $50,000 than are higher-paying areas, says Dr. Robert N. Butler, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York. MORE GERIATRICIANS NEEDED: The Alliance for Aging Research says the USA has 4,084 geriatricians. That is almost 16,000 short of the 20,000 needed to care for 30 million elderly., says the group By 2030, when baby boomers push the number to 65 million, 36,000 will be needed. Only 13 of 126 medical schools require geriatrics classes. CITRIC ACID HELPS STOP SMOKING: Puffing fake cigarettes of citric acid may help smokers quit by giving them some of the pleasure without the risk, according to Jed Rose of Duke University. The citric acid, burning in a refillable plastic cylinder, creates a scratchy throat, just as nicotine does. In smokers, it apparently tricks the brain to release the same calming chemicals that nicotine does. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON CALCIUM: DAIRY IS MAIN CALCIUM SOURCE: Researchers don't know exactly why calcium affects blood pressure, but they say exposure early in life may be beneficial later. A study in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association showed that kids who get a high amount dairy products have lower systolic blood pressure. Kids in the study got most of their calcium from dairy products. KIDS NEED 800 MG. PER DAY: The recommended dietary allowance of calcium for ages 1 to 10 is 800 mg. a day, says Dr. Matthew W. Gillman, Boston University School of Medicine. To get that amount, a child would have to consume the equivalent of a cup of milk, a cup of yogurt and 1 ounce of cheese. TODDLERS NEED FATTY DIETS: Kids in the study with the highest calcium also had more fat in their diets. Gillman says parents should "remember low-fat and non-fat dairy products have about the same amount of calcium as higher-fat ones." Low-fat products are not recommended for kids 2 or younger. They need the fat and cholesterol for growth and development. (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