Health :: Best Health Articles in July 2005
Following are the best health articles in July 2005, arranged as per viewed frequency:
Following are the best health articles in July 2005, arranged as per viewed frequency:
The addition of testosterone to hormone therapy in women after menopause en hances their se ual function. However, it may also reduce HDL cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol) in women.
Deciding whether to use hormone therapy (HT) after menopause is a difficult decision many women face as they age. Research has shown that HT is very effective for relieving menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness. It can also reduce the risk of osteoporosis. However, there are also known health risks and uncertainties about long-term use. Recent research has demonstrated that long-term use of estrogen–either alone or in combination with progestin–results in more risks than benefits.
Over half of women who began menopausal hormone therapy because of symptoms such as hot flashes or night sweats experience those symptoms when they discontinue hormone therapy, according to a study in the July 13 issue of JAMA.
Some women who use a combination of estrogen and progestin to control the symptoms of menopause might find symptoms return when they stop the hormones, according to the latest findings from the Women?s Health Initiative (WHI), a major clinical trial of the risks and benefits of menopausal hormone therapy supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Women who develop thick waists and high cholesterol at menopause may be at higher risk of heart disease because they also have more damage to their arteries, U.S. researchers reported.
The Food and Drug Administration approved the ExAblate 2000 System, a new medical device that uses magnetic resonance image guided focused ultrasound to target and destroy uterine fibroids, non-cancerous masses located in the uterus. The device is intended to treat women who have completed child bearing or do not intend to become pregnant.
Idiopathic aplastic anemia is a failure of the bone marrow to properly form all types of blood cells. Idiopathic aplastic anemia is a condition that results from injury to the stem cell, a cell that gives rise to other cell types after it divides. Consequently, there is a reduction in all cell types – red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets – with this type of anemia, which is called pancytopenia.
People who are overweight or obese may be up to six times more likely to have Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) / Gastro Oesophageal Reflux Disease (GORD) than people who are of normal body weight.
Confounding a widely held impression, a large US government study has found that hormone therapy for menopause does not affect quality of life. Women taking the drugs did not feel more energetic, or have more sexual pleasure or even more restful sleep. They were not less depressed, their minds were no clearer and their memories did not appear to have improved.