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Cats owners are 40% less likely to die from a heart attack than
people who don't own cats, according to news reports about
research presented at an American Stroke Association meeting in
New Orleans in February 2008.
The kitty-kat protection extended to other cardiovascular woes as
well, including stroke.
But dogs and other kinds of pets were not associated with lower
cardiovascular risk, according to the researchers at the
Minneapolis Stroke Institute, whose findings were based on data
culled from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study.
Brucellosis affects mainly farm animals but dogs may harbor the
bacteria that cause the disease and spread it to other animals
and people. Dog-to-human transmission is rare; the risk is higher
for people who work around animals and pets — for veterinarians,
for example — that it is for pet owners. Only a couple of hundred
cases occur in the United States each year. The most common way
of contracting the disease is eating or drinking contaminated
milk products. Americans sometimes get brucellosis from eating
unpasteurized milk or cheese while traveling in certain parts of
Europe, Asia, and Africa.
The disease is caused by bacteria in the genus Brucella. The
species that infects dogs is called Brucella canis.
The symptoms are similar to those produced by influenza: fever,
headaches, back pain, and physical weakness. In severe cases, the
infection gets into the central nervous system or lining of the
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review of evidence and issues," BMJ (2005), Vol. 331, pp.
Messier SP, et al. "Exercise and dietary weight loss in
overweight and obese older adults with knee osteoarthritis: the
Arthritis, Diet, and Activity Promotion Trial," Arthritis and
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Miller GD, et al. "Intensive weight loss program improves
physical functions in older obese adults with knee
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This is a test web extra.
It is often easier to treat a condition with medication rather
than making lifestyle changes, and some people cannot or do not
want to take drugs. But there are ways to manage certain
conditions without drugs.
Temporary loss of smell, which affects the ability to taste, can
be caused by a cold, allergies, head injury, or viral respiratory
infection. A short course of an anti-inflammatory corticosteroid
medication can sometimes resolve the problem.
Household pets can carry bacteria on their fur or in their waste
that can transfer to humans, but the overall risk of infection is
small, and can be further mitigated by getting in the habit of
washing your hands after touching your pet or its waste.
My doctor gave me a prescription for 50,000 units of vitamin D to
be taken every two weeks. But I've read that the recommended dose
is more like 1,000 IU a day, and that more than 2,000 IU a day is
unsafe. I don't want to do more harm than good!
I had cardiac bypass surgery three years ago. I didn't have a
heart attack none of my heart muscle was killed. But two months
ago, a stress test showed that the mitral valve in my heart is
leaking. What could have caused it, and what can I do about it?