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A new federal report: Vaccines and serious side effects

August 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

It’s a debate that has raged for decades – whether vaccines lead to serious side effects – and specifically whether the combination vaccine to prevent measles, mumps and rubella causes autism in children.

The federal government has investigated the risk of vaccines a dozen times in the past 25 years to determine what the evidence says on the issue. Their latest report, written by a committee at the Institute of Medicine and released last week, found no evidence that the MMR vaccine causes autism.

The report reviewed eight vaccines in total that are recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. For each vaccine, a committee of medical experts reviewed adverse events associated with vaccines to evaluate the scientific evidence about whether the event was related to the vaccine.

The committee did find evidence for some adverse events related to vaccines. For example, people who have had the chickenpox vaccine can develop pneumonia, meningitis or hepatitis late in life if they suffer an unrelated illness, such as cancer, that compromises their immune systems. And the HPV vaccine rarely causes a life-threatening allergic reaction.

The committee also found the evidence rejected five adverse relationships related to vaccines, including the link between the MMR vaccine and autism.

But for the majority of adverse events, the committee could not find enough evidence to determine whether vaccines contributed to the problems or not.  Often times, this was because the event was extremely rare, making it difficult to study.

You can read a summary of the report, with information about all of the vaccines studied, by clicking here.  The bottom line is, it’s important to understand the vaccines that you and your children are receiving, and be prepared for potential side effects that could occur based on the evidence.

Filed Under: Evidence-Based Living, Health and Wellness, In The Media Tagged With: , , , ,

What does the evidence say about risk communication?

August 22, 2011 By 1 Comment

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has published a new report that’s right up our alley. It’s called Communicating Risks and Benefits: An Evidence-Based User’s Guide.

The introduction offers an explanation of evidence-based health communications that we believe should be the standard for all organizations, from corporations to government agencies to universities.

“…Sound communications must be evidence-based in two related ways. One is that communications should be consistent with the science — and not do things known not to work nor ignore known problems. The second is communications should be evaluated — because even the best science cannot guarantee results. Rather, the best science produces the best-informed best guesses about how well communications will work. However, even these best guesses can miss the mark, meaning that they must be evaluated to determine how good they are and how they can be improved.”

The report goes onto address the concept of communicating risks and benefits across a wide range of fields – in health provider settings, news coverage and corporate communications to name a few – and offer practical tips about using evidence in all sorts of communications.

Cornell’s own Valerie Reyna, whom we’ve written about before, authored Chapter 12 about communicating risks and benefits to people of all ages, and her work is extensively quoted in other chapters of the report.

The report is chock-full of useful recommendations.  Among them are:

  • Health professionals should receive specific training on how to communicate the risks and benefits of medical procedures and medicines.
  • Provide information along with explaining meaning to help consumers make good decisions.
  • Test the readability of health care messages to ensure they use plain language.

If you work in the field of health care, this report is a must-read!

Filed Under: Evidence-Based Living, Health and Wellness, policy, The Learning Center

Bed bugs: A bigger problem than you think

August 15, 2011 By 2 Comments

The news reports were horrifying. Major retailers like Nike, Abercrombie & Fitch and Victoria’s Secret had to close their flagship stores in Manhattan last summer due to bed bugs infestations. While a lot of the hype has died down, bed bugs are still a growing problem in the U.S., according to Cornell bug experts.

Earlier this summer, Cornell entomologist Judy Gangloff-Kaufmann briefed legislators in Washington D.C. on the latest research into this troublesome insect, which is spreading discomfort at alarming rates.

The resurgence of bedbugs in the last decade occurred after the pests virtually disappeared in the United States from 1960 to about 2000. This is likely due to home-use bans on such insecticides as lindane, chlordane, diazinon and dursban and an increase in global travel in the last decade, Gangloff-Kaufmann said.

Gangloff-Kaufmann works with Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Integrated Pest Management Program. They’ve put together guidelines for preventing and eliminating bed bug infestations.  The publication is aimed at addressing the problem in group living facilities, but its advice can apply to problems in individual homes as well.

Among the tips are:

  • Wash donated clothing before wearing.
  • Do not take furniture or items from the street,
  • There are currently no insect repellents that are labeled for bed bugs.  If you inspect an infestation, contact your local Cooperative Extension office for a referral to a professional exterminator.

The best way to address the bed bug problem is to share the facts about how to cope with them, Gangloff-Kaufmann says. So spread the word about the evidence on bed bugs.

Filed Under: Evidence-Based Living

Wash your hands! And other ways to ward off food poisoning

August 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Following last week’s recall of 36 million pounds of ground turkey, we thought it’d be a good time to review the evidence on Salmonella poisoning.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the bacteria Salmonella live in the intestinal tracts of humans and other animals, including birds. People usually contract the bacteria by eating foods contaminated with animal feces, which typically look and smell normal even though they are carrying the bacteria. Salmonella is also be found in the feces of pets, especially, reptiles and young birds.

An estimated 1.4 million people contract Samonella poisoning every year in the U.S.  A total of 107 cases in 31 states have been identified in the most recent outbreak spread by the ground turkey meat. Infection typically results in diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours contact with the bacteria. The illness usually runs its course in 4 to 7 days, and most people don’t require treatment.  But severe cases require hospitalization for dehydration.

So what’s the best way to prevent the spread of Samonella?  The evidence shows there are some simple steps you can take to reduce your risk of Samonella poisoning.

  • Cook poultry, ground beef, and eggs thoroughly.
  • Wash hands, kitchen work surfaces, and utensils with soap and water immediately after they have been in contact with raw meat or poultry.
  • Wash hands with soap after handling reptiles, birds, or baby chicks, and after contact with pet feces.
  • Avoid direct or even indirect contact between reptiles and infants or immunocompromised persons.

Beyond these common-sense measures, researchers at Cornell are trying to do more. Two Cornell faculty members recently received a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study how tomato plants interact with the Samonella bacteria, with the hopes of eventually breeding new varieties of produce that suppress Samonella. 

Until then, keep up the hand-washing!

Filed Under: Evidence-Based Living, Health and Wellness, In The Media Tagged With: , , , , ,

New insights into the teenage brain

August 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

We have all heard the frightening statistics before.  Teens ages 15 to 19 are age group most likely to die due to injury – about six times more likely than 10- to 14-year-olds. Crime rates are highest among young males. Teens are also more likely to abuse alcohol and engage in risky sexual behavior compared with people of other ages.

Now a new paper published by the National Institute of Mental Health sums up the body of research on the vulnerability of teenagers. Much of the problem, it turns out, has to do with their brain development.

The paper explains that brain scans have revealed that the brain doesn’t resemble that of an adult until most people are in their early 20s. And the parts of the brain responsible for behaviors such as controlling impulses and planning ahead are among the last to mature.

Research also shows that the parts of the brain involved in emotional responses are more active in teenagers compared with adults, which may help explain teenagers tendencies to act impulsively and take on more risks.

So what’s a parent to do?  Cornell Professor Valerie Reyna studies risky behavior among teenagers. (In fact, we’ve written about her research before.)   She’s created a web page of resources on Risky Decision-Making in Adolescence to help teachers and parents guide kids.   She offers a long list of strategies to keep young people safe, such as using positive role models and role playing to simulate risky situations.

If there are teenagers in your life, it’s worth understanding how their brains and developing and what you can do to help them make good decisions.

Filed Under: Evidence-Based Living, Health and Wellness, Youth Development Tagged With: , , ,

The evidence on U.S. debt

August 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

As the federal government struggles this week to raise the federal debt limit, we thought it’d be a good time to review the evidence on household debt over here at EBL. 

A business columnist at the Detroit News made the point this week that American families actually hold more debt than the federal government, with households owing more than $2.4 trillion of credit card debt alone. (That compares to approximately $1.4 trillion in the total debt for the U.S. government in 2011.)

What else do we know about Americans and debt?   Family Economics and Resource Management, a project by Cornell Cooperative Extension to people achieve more  secure financial situations, compiled an interesting list of facts about Americans and debt management.  Among them:

  • 40 percent of U.S. households live beyond their means.
  • the net worth of the average middle-class American household after accounting for debt is less than $10,000.
  • and 48 percent of American credit card holders only pay the minimum payment amount each month.

Essentially, the evidence shows that Americans are no more responsible with their borrowing habits than the federal government.

But there is a way out.  Rutgers Cooperative Extension has compiled 20 tips for smart borrowing, such as:

  • Borrow as little as possible by making the largest down payment you can afford.  This will help you to avoid becoming “upside down” or owing more than your purchase is worth.
  • Shop for credit, just like other purchases. Compare at least three different banks for the lowest interest rates and fees.
  • Always pay more than the minimum monthly payment. For example, send 6 percent of a $5,000 outstanding balance on an 18 percent APR credit card, instead of 3 percent, and you’ll save 9 years of payments and $2,975 in interest.

Be sure to understand the facts about any money you borrow or credit cards you hold.  Smart borrowing will help you achieve financial success over the long run.

Filed Under: Cornell Cooperative Extension, Evidence-Based Living, In The Media Tagged With: , , ,
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