Health

13 - 12:02am

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Do your kids love chocolate milk? It may have more calories on average than you thought. Same goes for soda. Until now, the only way to find out what people in the United States eat and how many calories they consume has been government data, which can lag behind the rapidly expanding and changing food marketplace. Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are trying to change that by creating a gargantuan map of what foods Americans are buying and eating.

Dr. Roach: Life quality should balance medicine use 05/21/13 - 12:01am

Dear Dr. Roach: Several years ago my husband received a stent for a 99 percent blockage. What had kept him alive was a network of collateral arteries, thanks to a lifelong high level of exercise. His cardiologist put him on Crestor, and he became an old man before his time — muscle cramps, muscle weakness to the point that he was unable to exercise and our sex life became nonexistent. Also, his mental functioning dropped off noticeably.

UMC, PNS to break ground on new facility 05/18/13 - 12:22am

UMC, PNS to break ground at 4105 I-27 Monday, May 20, at 4:30 p.m.

UMC, PNS to break ground on facility University Medical Center and UMC Physician Network Services will host a groundbreaking ceremony for a new medical facility on Monday, May 20, at 4:30 p.m. The new facility will be located at 4105 I-27 on the east service road at 42nd Street. The medical center will be 9,006 square feet and will offer medicine, urgent care, occupational medicine and physical rehab services. Appointments and walk-in patients will be accepted, according to the press release from UMC.

Dr. Roach: Calcium supplements are not necessary for all women 05/18/13 - 12:19am

Dear Dr. Roach: I have been taking 1,000-1,200 mg of calcium daily for a long time now — more than 12 years. I am 46. I don’t get much, if any, dairy in my diet, but I am a good vegetable eater. Should I be concerned about calcium supplements and kidney stones or other places calcium supplements might deposit? Should I continue with my 1,000 mg? I am still premenopausal. — M.T. Several new studies have been released that call into question the advice that all women should be taking supplemental calcium.

Shrinks, critics square off over psychiatric manual 05/16/13 - 12:09am

CHICAGO — In the new psychiatric manual of mental disorders, grief soon after a loved one’s death can be considered major depression. Extreme childhood temper tantrums get a fancy name. And certain “senior moments” are called “mild neurocognitive disorder.” Those changes are just some of the reasons prominent critics say the American Psychiatric Association is out of control, turning common human problems into mental illnesses in a trend they say will just make the “pop-a-pill” culture worse.

Dr. Roach: Delusions are real for the sufferer 05/16/13 - 12:07am

Dear Dr. Roach: I am writing on behalf of my mother. For the past 17 months she has been experiencing what she feels are parasites coming out of her skin. She has seen multiple doctors, including skin doctors. They have done blood tests, X-rays and endoscopies, and she has been given several medications, such as permethrin, melechion, stromectal, etc.

Cancer survivors support group to meet 05/15/13 - 12:34am

SUPPORT GROUP Covenant Health will host a support group for cancer survivors from 7-8 p.m. Thursday, May 16, at the Joe Arrington Cancer Center chapel. For more information, call 725-8002.

Study questions how much U.S. should cut salt 05/15/13 - 12:19am

WASHINGTON — A surprising new report questions public health efforts to get Americans to sharply cut back on salt, saying it’s not clear whether eating super-low levels is worth the struggle. Make no mistake: Most Americans eat way too much salt, not just from salt shakers but because of sodium hidden inside processed foods and restaurant meals. Tuesday’s report stresses that, overall, the nation needs to ease back on the sodium for better heart health.

Angelina Jolie says she had double mastectomy 05/15/13 - 12:18am

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Angelina Jolie says she has had a preventive double mastectomy after learning she carried a gene that made it extremely likely she would get breast cancer. The Oscar-winning actress and partner to Brad Pitt made the announcement in the form of an op-ed she authored for Tuesday’s New York Times under the headline, “My Medical Choice.” She writes that between early February and late April she completed three months of surgical procedures to remove both breasts.

Women have more options for breast cancer surgery 05/15/13 - 12:17am

Immediate reconstruction

CHICAGO — One of the world’s most glamorous women had an operation that once was terribly disfiguring — removal of both breasts. But new approaches are dramatically changing breast surgeries, whether to treat cancer or to prevent it as Angelina Jolie just chose to do. As Jolie said, “the results can be beautiful.” Jolie revealed Tuesday she had a double mastectomy and reconstruction with implants because she carries a gene mutation that puts her at high risk of developing breast cancer.