Health Newsletters at the Patient Health Library, May 2013

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!

UC Berkeley Wellness Letter

March 2013
-Probiotics: pros and cons, pp.1-2
-Energy drinks, p.3
-Overeating and the "food environment," p.4
-Age spots, p.5
-Decongestants, p.6

April 2013
-Whole grains: the 10-to-1 rule, p.3
-Vitamin B12, p.4

Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter

May 2013
-Healthy diet fights infection by boosting immune system, pp.1-3
-Understanding food and medication interactions, pp.4-5

Nutrition Action Newsletter

April 2013
-Fooled by food: how to trick yourself to eat less, pp.1,3-7
-Calcium confusion, p.8

Mayo Clinic Health Letter

April 2013
-Smoothing facial wrinkles: procedures and creams, pp.1-3
-Gut microflora: the secret life of bacteria, pp.4-5
-Pain drugs and heart attack, p.6

Harvard Men's Health Watch

April 2013
-Insomnia: Learning how to sleep again, pp.1,7
-AMD: a preventable form of vision loss, p.4

DukeMedicine HealthNews

April 2013
-Advances in prostate cancer, pp.3-4
-Obesity facts and fiction, pp.4-5

Consumer Reports on Health

May 2013
-Which drugstore services are worth it and which ones you should skip, pp.6-7
-Don't let fear sabotage your health, p.11

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Resources on Nutrition and Cancer

Overview of Nutrition in Cancer Care
(from the National Cancer Institute)

Eating Hints: Before, During, and After Cancer Treatment
(from the National Cancer Institute)

Diet for Cancer Treatment Side Effects
(from UCSF Medical Center's online Health Library)

Nutrition & Cancer: The Whole Diet

(Podcast from the UCSF Ida & Joseph Friend Cancer Resource Center)

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Nutrition Counseling & Workshops at UCSF
with registered dietician, Greta Macaire

Nutrition counseling services are open to UCSF cancer patients at no charge, although donations are appreciated. A dietitian is available Monday through Friday between 9 am and 5 pm. Appointments can be scheduled through any of the oncology practices.

See the Ida & Joseph Friend Cancer Resource Center quarterly calendar for upcoming classes and events.

More information is available by calling the Ida & Joseph Friend Cancer Resource Center at 415.885.3693 or going online to http://cancer.ucsf.edu/crc/nutrition-counseling-and-workshops.

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Facts about Smoking and Help for Quitting

• Cigarette smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals and compounds. Hundreds are toxic and at least 69 are known to cause cancer.
• Damage from tobacco smoke is immediate; the chemicals in tobacco smoke reach your lungs quickly every time you inhale.
• Low levels of smoke exposure, including exposures to secondhand tobacco smoke, lead to a rapid and sharp increase in dysfunction and inflammation of the lining of the blood vessels, which are implicated in heart attacks and stroke.
• About 60 percent of American children ages 4-11 are exposed to secondhand smoke at home.
• The list of diseases caused by smoking includes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema), coronary heart disease, stroke, abdominal aortic aneurysm, acute myeloid leukemia, cataract, pneumonia, periodontitis, and bladder, esophageal, laryngeal, lung, oral, throat, cervical, kidney, stomach, and pancreatic cancers. Smoking is also a major factor in a variety of other conditions and disorders, including slowed healing of wounds, infertility, and peptic ulcer disease.
• Smoking has been linked to at least one-third of all cancer-related deaths in the U.S.
• Smoking causes more than one in five deaths in America.
• Smokers die significantly earlier than nonsmokers: 13.2 years for men and 14.5 years for women.
• Since 1965, more than 45 percent of adults who have ever smoked have quit.
• Quitting at any age and at any time is beneficial. It's never too late to quit.

[Compiled from the resources below]

Smoking Facts
[Source: American Lung Association]

Smoking - The Facts
[Source: MedlinePlus]

Smoking & Tobacco Use: Fast Facts
[Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]

U.S. Surgeon General's Report on How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease
Executive Summary (PDF)
[Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Smoking: Do you really know the risks?
[Source: American Heart Association]

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Guide to Quitting Smoking
[Source: American Cancer Society]

Smoking Cessation Products
[Source: U.S. FDA]

How To Handle Withdrawal Symptoms and Triggers When You Decide To Quit Smoking
[Source: National Cancer Institute]

The UCSF Medical Center's Fontana Tobacco Treatment Center offers classes as well as individual consultations with doctors trained in treating tobacco addiction. They help smokers maximize the likelihood of success in their efforts to quit. Services include:

•     Smoking Cessation Classes
•     Relapse Prevention Program
•     Doctor Consultation

For more information, to schedule an appointment or to enroll in a class, please contact the Fontana Tobacco Treatment Center at:

UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion
2330 Post St., Suite 420
San Francisco, CA 94115
(415) 885-7895

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Health Newsletters at the Patient Health Library, April 2013

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!

DukeMedicine HealthNews

March 2013
-Rethinking cholesterol management, p.3
-Mammography: to screen or not?, pp.4-5
-Aerobic exercise beats resistence training for weight and fat loss, p.7

Harvard Health Letter

April 2013
-Considering a gluten-free diet, pp.1,7
-Venous leg ulcers, p.6
-What you should know about magnesium, p.7

Harvard Men's Health Watch

March 2013
-Fighting back against allergy season, p1,7
-Weight loss for better sleep, p.4
-Lift weights for diabetes protection, p.5
-Boost your hearing aid success, p.6
-The latest blood thinners, p.7

Harvard Women's Health Watch

April 2013
-7 simple ways for women to get active, pp.1,7
-Why breast density matters, p.3
-High blood pressure, a silent danger, pp.4-5

Johns Hopkins Medical Letter: Health After 50

April 2013
-Protect aging skin, pp.4-5
-Recognizing the subtle signs of ovarian cancer, p.6

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Stress

Stressed out by tax season? Health issues?  Family problems? Work? School? Whatever the causes, check out the tips and resources in the following links.  Starting to feel better may be just a few clicks away!

Stress reduction self care
[Source: UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine]
The Osher Center for Integrative Medicine offers a variety of groundbreaking lectures, classes, workshops, and therapeutic programs for the public, including in areas such as meditation and mindfulness, yoga, and tai chi. 

Taking Charge of Your Health
[Source: UCSF Ida & Joseph Friend Cancer Resource Center]
The Cancer Resource Center supports wellness and the healing process by providing patients and their loved ones with information, emotional support, and community resources.

How to Handle Stress
[Source: UCSF Medical Center]

Stress: How to Cope Better With Life's Challenges
[Source: American Academy of Family Physicians]

Fight Stress with 10 Healthy Habits
[Source: American Health Association stress management page]

Taking Action to Control Stress
[Source: American Health Association stress management page]

Further online resources for stress
[Source: MedlinePlus]

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