Alcohol may fight rheumatoid arthritis – healthy news. A study published in the journal Rheumatology asked 873 people with RA and 1,000 people without it to estimate how many days in the past month they’d had at least 1 drink. Those who drank on more than 10 days were less likely to have RA or to have less severe symptoms than those who didn’t drink. Researchers attribute this to alcohol reducing immune activity. Although 1.3 million adult Americans experience their immune system attacking their joints, those for whom alcohol isn’t contraindicated might not have to have “joint possession” of the disease.

Calcium can increase heart attack risk – unhealthy news. In a study published in the journal BMJ nearly 12,000 people – mostly women, average age 72 – were followed for about prescription cialis generic 4 years. Approximately 2.7% of those taking calcium had heart attacks compared with 2.2% of those taking placebos. Translated that means older people who take at least 500 mg of calcium daily are 30% likelier to have a heart attack than those who don’t take calcium. Supposedly, the modest benefit in building bone density and reducing bone fractures may not be worth the risk. One’s doctor should be consulted – no bones about it.

A new version of CPR – healthy news. The American Heart Association and the American Red Cross approve cardiopulmonary resuscitation using only rapid chest compressions – no rescue breathing. Chest compressions are thought to be more important because they circulate blood containing residual oxygen. In 2 studies 3,200 victims of cardiac arrest were randomly assigned conventional CPR or the hands-on version. In both studies the new version was as effective: 11%-12.5% in one study and 7%-8.1% in the other. Considering 60% of cardiac arrests are witnessed, it’s important to know “lip service” no longer has to be paid to CPR.

Food poisoning can be catered – unhealthy news. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 76 million Americans get food poisoning yearly and 5,000 of those people die from it. The report also showed that food borne illnesses traced to caterers outnumber those traced to restaurants or home cooking. A breakdown of the numbers showed 36 illnesses per catering outbreak compared with 13 illnesses per restaurant or home cooking outbreak. Although the increased number of people affected by 1 catering event increases the likelihood of it being reported, it can still leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Author Bio: Knight Pierce Hirst takes a second look at what makes life interesting and it takes only second at http://knightwatch.typepad.com

Category: Health/Diseases and Conditions
Keywords: alcohol, rheumatoid arthritis, calcium, heart attack, CPR, catering, food poisoning