Mowing emergencies
The unkindest cut of summer could result from your lawn mower, notes a report from the Annals of Emergency Medicine. On average, some 74,000 people go to the emergency room annually with injuries from lawn mowers, mostly caused by flying debris. Toes and fingers also are routinely nipped off by the blades, says Richard O’Brien, spokesman for the American College of Emergency Physicians, in the June 15 issue of Bottom Line Personal.
To prevent injury, he suggests removing sticks, rocks and the like from the area before mowing. Also, wear closed-toe shoes, long pants and safety goggles. Sturdy gloves, shoes and long pants also are a good idea when wielding an electric hedge trimmer. “I see at least one patient a month who has been hurt by a hedge trimmer. It can cut off a finger instantly or cause a nasty injury–crushing tissue and bone–that is very difficult to repair,” he said.
Also while out in the yard, watch out for poison ivy, oak and sumac as well, which cause an itchy rash. Don’t know what they look like? Go to poisonivy.aesir.com to view the plants.
Eat away at cancer
Lung cancer kills 62 percent more women annually than breast cancer. But in either case, you can cut your risk up to 34 percent by eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily, says a story in the June issue of Health. The secret is phytoestrogens, says researcher Matthew Schabath, co-author of a recent study at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Phytoestrogens are powerful antioxidants that serve as roadblocks to the growth and spread of cancer cells in the lung, breast and prostate. Eat lots of different types of fruits and vegetables because each has different types and amounts of phytoestrogens. They also can be found in beans, soy products, coffee, tea and chocolate.
A bad gut feeling
Besides looking bad, belly fat is bad for your health. It has been linked to heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, gallstones and shortness of breath, notes a report in the June issue of the Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter. But you can keep it under control by lifting weights twice a week for an hour, found a study at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics.
The study compared two groups of overweight and obese women. One group was given a brochure recommending that they exercise 30 minutes to an hour most days, and the other group participated in a two-year weight-training program. The weight-training group decreased their overall body fat percentage by almost 4 percent and had just a 7 percent increase in intra-abdominal fat. By comparison, the advice-only group had no decrease in body fat and a 21 percent increase in intra-abdominal fat.
