Treating appendicitis with antibiotics instead of surgery

In the 1994 film “Dumb and Dumber,” after Lloyd (Jim Carrey) gets robbed by an old lady on a motorized cart, he says to Harry (Jeff Daniels), “I didn’t even see it coming.”

Well, folks who get appendicitis rarely see it coming, even though we can safely assume that they’re a lot smarter than Lloyd or Harry. But if you’re fortunate enough to have acute yet uncomplicated appendicitis diagnosed (as opposed to being surprised with a ruptured appendix), it’s good to know that recent research shows that antibiotic treatment has outcomes equal to surgery, which makes it a good option, because you avoid surgery!

Abdominal pain, fever and nausea are symptoms of an infected appendix, the small fingerlike tube located near the juncture of the large and small intestines. It can be diagnosed using ultrasound, a rectal exam, and urine and blood tests. When an infected appendix ruptures, it can cause abdominal peritonitis with scarring and runaway infection.

Although antibiotics sometimes are used in mild cases of appendicitis, many doctors have been concerned that they were just a temporary fix and that if surgery were needed later they could worsen surgical outcomes. But a fiveyear study published in JAMA has delivered good news on both fronts.

First, two-thirds of the patients with uncomplicated cases who were treated with antibiotics ended up not needing surgery, and the one third who did were no worse for wear for the surgical delay. So if you think you may have symptoms of appendicitis, quick action may prevent surgery altogether!

Small improvements, big rewards

“Kaizen” is a Japanese word that means “improvement” or “good change” and it’s also the name of a philosophy that’s focused on making small changes that boost performance from top to bottom in business (Toyota follows it) and in your personal well-being.

But can kaizen apply to brain health, too?

Well, researchers at the University of California and the University of Tsukuba in Japan wanted to see if they could measure immediate improvements in the brain from small, positive steps. In their study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, they had 36 young, healthy adults do 10 minutes of yoga or tai chi. Afterward, the participants had a brain MRI scan.

That small amount of physical activity created measurable changes in that part of the brain involved in laying down memories (the hippocampus) and in another that handles detailed memory processing. A memory recall test also found that participants had improved memory performance.

That’s good news if you’re one of the 77 per cent of American adults who don’t meet minimum guidelines for aerobic and strength-building activities. It shows that you can build up your activity level by making one good — small — change at a time and still reap immediate improvements in your brain health, as well as upping your chances of getting a good night’s sleep and managing stress.

Start with 10 minutes of yoga or walking daily. You’ll become sharper, smarter and a whole lot less stiff! Then set your sights on increasing the time to 30 to 60 minutes a day, one step at a time.

Sexual assault, harassment and lasting health repercussions

When Yellowstone Park’s Ear Spring geyser started erupting in September 2018, for the first time since 1957, it spewed hundreds of pieces of detritus, including old beer cans, a pacifier from the 1930s and dozens of coins, into the air. Goes to show you, once again, that even when you don’t see pollution in the environment, it can be lurking below the surface, waiting to spread its damage far and wide. The same can be said for the long-term repercussions of sexual assault, according to a new study in JAMA Internal Medicine. Researchers looked at the history and health of 300 middle-aged women who had (sometimes decades earlier) been sexually assaulted. They found that it was clearly associated with present-day anxiety, depression and poor sleep. Those who had suffered sexual harassment at work had an increased risk of high blood pressure and poor sleep.

Many women carry the burden of their assault in silence. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 63 per cent of sexual assaults are not reported to the police. And many women may not be aware that there’s a connection between their past experience and their current health.

So if you have been assaulted, tell someone — a therapist, a loved one, a friend, someone in a support group. You deserve to have your physical health protected from assault, too! For help and support, go to

or call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE.

Processed meats substantially up breast cancer risk

We refer to processed meats in all kinds of negative sayings: You’re ham-fisted (bumbling and awkward); you’re full of baloney (you don’t know what you’re talking about); and our favourite, from Shakespeare’s “Henry IV,” bacon-fed knaves (referring to “those slovenly, bacon-fed men who feed their faces till near bursting ...”). But many women don’t seem to understand how negative it is to eat those nitrite- and nitrate-laden, sat-fat pumped, artificially preserved concoctions. In 2015, Americans spent at least $3.35 billion on luncheon/processed meats, including hotdogs, ham, sausages, corned beef, jerky and meat-based sauces transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking or other processes to preserve or enhance flavour.

Manufacturers are really bringing home the bacon, and it’s at your expense!

The latest study confirms that we’ve been talking turkey (and other lean, whole proteins) about the dangers of processed meats. The International Journal of Cancer published an analysis of 15 studies and found that women eating processed meat up their risk of breast cancer by nine per cent.

That’s on top of a 2015 study in the European Journal of Cancer that found that eating nine grams (around three ounces) or more a day of processed meats, or the equivalent of about two sausages a week, boosts your risk of breast cancer significantly. In fact, it was found to also increase the risk nine per cent for those who consumed the most processed meats compared with those eating the least. So, no belly-achin’ about not eating bacon; ditch processed meats and go for lean proteins, like fish and skinless poultry.

Beware exploding e-cigarettes

In the 2007-13 series “Burn Notice,” Michael Westen ( Jeffrey Donovan) was a freelance spy who took assignments that U.S. government agencies couldn’t openly sanction. The plot centred around a lot of explosive action, when Michael found himself the target of a “burn notice,” but had to keep working smokin’ hot cases while dodging attempts to take him out.

Well, there’s another kind of burn notice that’s the result of explosive actions, and it’s been pretty covert until recently — ecigarette explosions.

Turns out that between 2015 and 2017, an estimated 2,035 cases of injuries (loss of eyes and teeth), burns and even one death, caused by e-cigarette battery explosions, showed up in U.S. hospitals. That’s 40 times more incidences of e-cigaretterelated injuries than were reported by the Food and Drug Administration and 15 times more than reported by the U.S. Fire Administration.

The researchers at George Mason University who sleuthed out the new info compared cross-sectional data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. They want people to know that the FDA has had the authority to regulate e-cigarettes, including e-cigarette batteries, since 2016, but the agency’s Center for Tobacco Products hasn’t acted on it.

So here’s your burn notice, ecigarette smokers: Since the FDA doesn’t seem likely to regulate the safety of your e-cigarettes and the CPSC can do it only through an act of Congress (not likely either), it’s up to you to protect yourself. Give up vaping before you’re the recipient of a real-life burn notice — or worse.