Health News Update

by Paulette Avery, RN, MSN

Amidst the abundance of health information I have read recently, I've chosen three topics to share with you in this month's column. The first is a new study that has found a clue as to why acupuncture is effective, particularly in fighting pain. Second is a recent study on the effectiveness of a vaccine called Prevnar that provides protection from pneumococcal diseases. And lastly new research on yet another benefit of breast feeding.

According to a March 5 article in USA Today, "Acupuncture on pain relief points cuts blood flow to key areas of the brain within seconds, providing the clearest explanation to date for how the ancient technique might relieve pain and treat addiction."

Researchers at Harvard Medical School applied acupuncture needles to the hands of 20 volunteers on the points used for pain relief in traditional Chinese medicine. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans allowed researchers to visualize blood flow to the brain. Flow to the areas of the brain involved in pain, cravings, and mood decreased within seconds. Decreased blood flow allows the brain to work with less effort. Additionally, researchers speculate that as these same areas of the brain are high in the so-called "reward" chemical dopamine, the acupuncture may stimulate release of endorphins, resulting in comfort and natural pain relief. More research is needed to confirm these initial findings.

Next comes the results of a study conducted by Kaiser Permanente on the effects of a vaccine called Prevnar used against pneumococcal bacteria. Pneumococcus can cause pneumonia, meningitis, and blood infection with a fatality rate as high as 50 percent in adults. People at higher risk to contract pneumococcus include smokers and immunocompromised adults.

The Kaiser study covered four years from 2000, before children began receiving the vaccine, to 2004. The results indicate a high effectiveness in preventing pneumococcal disease, not only in the children who are vaccinated, but also for people in all age groups. Additionally, the occurrence of penicillin-resistant pneumococcal disease dropped from 15 percent in 2000 to only five percent in 2003.

The third study I'll share with you looked at the benefits of breast feeding in relation to the likelihood that a baby will die in the first year of life. Results of the study, reported in the May issue of Pediatrics, found a 20 percent reduction in infant mortality during the first year of life for babies who are breast-fed.

The precise reason for the protection offered by breast feeding in this study has not been identified. However, it is known that breast-fed babies have a reduced rate of sudden infant death syndrome and that breast feeding improves a baby's immune response.

Walter Rogan, coauthor of the study and an epidemiologist at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in North Carolina, says, "It may be something as simple as physical proximity. Breast-fed kids are closer to mom." Whatever the reason, it is another important consideration when choosing whether or not to breast feed your baby.

As a side note to the breast-feeding study, I'd like to comment to all of you mothers who have not been successful at breast feeding or were unable to do so. Both from personal experience and in my role as a lactation consultant, I am very aware of the obstacles that can interfere with breast feeding. I also know the guilt that most mothers feel when, for whatever reason, breast feeding does not work out for them. As I tell my clients, you have to look at the big picture and do what is best for you and your baby. In some cases, that meansformula feeding.

If you are having problems with breast feeding, by all means seek help from a lactation consultant. But if you decide that it just won't work for you, congratulate yourself for your efforts, let go of the guilt, and continue to be the best mother you know how to be.

Paulette Avery is a registered nurse and a freelance writer who specializes in health issues.