Monday, November 10, 2014

Holiday Food: Nutrition and Safety

- How can I limit calories and still enjoy the holidays?

- How long do I need to cook a 20-pound turkey?

- What should I know to safely cook for a large group?

- How long will my leftovers still be good?

- My mom is undergoing chemotherapy. Do I need to pay special attention to my food preparation habits?

- What can I make for people on special diets? 

If you are asking questions like these, take a look at the following sites to help keep everyone safe, healthy and happy this holiday season:

Enjoy Guilt-Free Holiday Celebrations
Food Safety Tips for Holiday Road Trips
[Source: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics]

Inspiration for Your Holiday Parties
Holiday Recipes
Cooking for the Family… Gluten-free, Vegan and All
[Source: American Institute for Cancer Research]

Food Safety Tips for Healthy Holidays
[Source: US Department of Agriculture]

Are You Storing Food Safely?
[Source: US Food and Drug Administration]

Food Safety During Cancer Therapy
[Source: UCSF Ida & Joseph Friend Cancer Resource Center]

Monday, October 27, 2014

Portion Size and Portion Control

Serving Size Versus Portion Size
 [Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)]

Portion Control and Diet: 10 Easy Tips for Smaller Servings
[Source: EverydayHealth.com]

How to Avoid Portion Size Pitfalls to Help Manage Your Weight
[Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)]

Portion Distortion Quiz
[Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)]

Harvard's New Guide to Healthy Eating
[Source: The Nutrition Source, Harvard School of Public Health]

Portion Distortion for Teens
[Source: KidsHealth.org]

Monday, October 13, 2014

Health Newsletters at the Patient Health Library, October 2014

The  UCSF Patient Health Library subscribes to over a dozen health and wellness newsletters that are not available for free online. We also have access to all of the online journals the UCSF subscribes to.

Here are highlights from newsletters. To read the articles, look at the online journals or ask a health or medical question, visit the Patient Health Library.

Duke Medicine Health News

September 2014
-With diet and exercise, it's quality, not quantity, that counts, pp.4-5

Johns Hopkins Medical Letter: Health After 50

October 2014
-Are you taking your reflux meds correctly? p.3
-Do you still need a screening mammogram? pp.4-5

Mayo Clinic Health Letter

September 2014
-Controlling diabetes, pp.1-3

Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter

September 2014
-Sugar substitutes, pp.4-5
-Reality check on health benefits of resveratrol found in red wine, p.7

Special supplement, September 2014: Best food choices to reduce your cancer risk

UC Berkeley Wellness Letter

October 2014
-DHEA: anti-aging in a bottle? p.4
-Yoga: is hotter better? p.6

Harvard Men's Health Watch

September 2014
-"Joint support" supplements for arthritis, p.3

Harvard Women's Health Watch

September 2014
-Get on your feet: 8 ways to avoid too much sitting, p.3

Nutrition Action Newsletter

September 2014
-What you may not know about breast cancer, pp.1,3-7
-What you need to know about soy, pp.9-11

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Understanding and Finding Clinical Trials

Clinical trials are research studies that test how well new medical approaches work in people. Each study answers scientific questions and tries to find better ways to prevent, screen for, diagnose or treat a disease. Clinical trials may also compare a new treatment to a treatment that is already available.

Participants in clinical trials can play a more active role in their own health care, gain access to new research treatments before they are widely available, and help others by contributing to medical research.

Every clinical trial has a protocol, or action plan, for conducting the trial. The plan describes what will be done in the study, how it will be conducted, and why each part of the study is necessary. Each study has its own rules about who can participate. Some studies need volunteers with a certain disease. Some need healthy people. Others want just men or just women.

In the United States, an independent committee of physicians, statisticians and members of the community must approve and monitor the protocol. They make sure that the risks are small and are worth the potential benefits.

[Excerpted from the links below]



About Clinical Trials

Understanding Clinical Trials
[From ClinicalTrials.gov]

Clinical Research Trials and You
[From the National Institutes of Health]

Clinical Trials
[From MedlinePlus]



Finding Clinical Trials

Clinical Trials at UCSF Medical Center

ClinicalTrials.gov
ClinicalTrials.gov offers up-to-date information for locating federally and privately supported clinical trials for a wide range of diseases and conditions.

Finding Cancer Clinical Trials

Searching the hundreds of research studies on cancer treatments can be overwhelming.  Using the tools from the following resources can make it easier to find clinical trials that may be right for you.

BreastCancerTrials.org


National Cancer Institute - Clinical Trials Search



If you need more help, contact the librarian at the Patient Health Library for an individual consultation.

Friday, August 22, 2014

Health Newsletters at the Patient Health Library, August 2014

Here are highlights from recent health and wellness newsletters at the UCSF Patient Health Library.  To see the entire articles, visit the Patient Health Library.

Not all information is free and not all of it is online!

Consumer Reports on Health

September 2014
-Food-label claims that can fool you, p.10

Duke Medicine Health News

August 2014
-DASH Diet for hypertension, p.3

Harvard Health Letter

July 2014
-5 simple tricks to sharpen thinking and memory skills, pp.1,7

August 2014
-Start a walking program in 3 easy steps, p.3
-Pill-free ways to improve your sex life, p.4
-Key minerals to help control blood pressure, p.5

Harvard Heart Letter

July 2014
-For a heart-healthy diet, don't fixate on fat, pp.1,7
-Learning hands-only CPR could help save a loved one's life, p.3

August 2014
-Dietary supplements: sorting out the science, pp.1,7
-The lesser-known fat in your blood, p.3
-New guidelines for the prevention of recurrent stroke, p.6

Harvard Men's Health Watch

July 2014
-Online Alzheimer's tests: unscientific and inaccurate, p.3

Harvard Women's Health Watch

July 2014
-Foods that fight inflammation, pp.1,7
-Breast cancer screening: options beyond the mammogram, p.3
-Osteoporosis drugs: which is right for you? pp.4-5

August 2014
-Summer skin safety, pp.4-5
-What meditation can do for your mind, mood, and health, p.6

Johns Hopkins Medical Letter: Health After 50

July 2014
-The internet for the older set, pp.4-5

Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter

July 2014
-How much water do you really need? pp.1,4-5

August 2014
-Aerobic activity helps build bigger brains, pp.1,3

UC Berkeley Wellness Letter

July 2014
-Coconut palm sugar: a better sugar? p.3

August 2014
-Is the Pap test passe? pp.1-2