New York state Commissioner of Health Dr. Richard F. Daines turns to “YouTube”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARMgjdbY93o to garner support for a controversial plan to tax sugary sodas and fruit drinks. In the five-minute long video, Sugar vs Milk, Daines talks about the nutritional value—or lack of—of soda and sweet juice compared to other drinks, like water and milk.
The clip features Daines standing in a kitchen in a plaid work shirt. Pretty boring stuff. It’s a good thing Daines has a day job.

The first new treatment in years for prostate cancer has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Degarelix is intended to treat patients with advanced prostate cancer. It belongs to a class of agents called gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) receptor inhibitors. These agents slow the growth and progression of prostate cancer by suppressing testosterone, which plays an important role in the continued growth of prostate cancer.

Hormonal treatments for prostate cancer may cause an initial surge in testosterone production before lowering testosterone levels. This initial stimulation of the hormone receptors may temporarily prompt tumor growth rather than inhibiting it. Degarelix doesn’t have the same effect, says the “FDA”:http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01935.html.

Degarelix is manufactured for Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc., Parsippany, N.J., by Rentschler Biotechnologie Gmbh, Laupheim, Germany.

With all the holiday goodies around, it might be tempting to try to take off a couple of pounds with the help of over-the-counter weight loss pills. But before you go running to the drug store, you might want to check with the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA is warning that numerous weight loss products contain potentially harmful ingredients that are not listed on the product label. 

The health risks posed by these products can be serious, the agency says. Sibutramine, which was found in many of the products, can cause high blood pressure, seizures, tachycardia, palpitations, heart attack or stroke. This drug can also interact with other medications that patients may be taking and increase their risk of adverse reactions. The safety of sibutramine has also not been established in pregnant women, or in children younger than 16 years of age.

To see the list of suspect pills, check with the “FDA”:http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01933.html

Nursing students at Rockland Community College last week protested what they said was an unfair final exam. The test, given a day before their pinning ceremony marking their graduation, left many wondering if they would graduate or not. (see article in “The Journal News”:http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081216/NEWS03/812160375.)

The college decided to throw out three questions that officials agreed were unfair. The change allowed five students who would not have passed the test to graduate.

Here is a list of the new nursing graduates from “Rockland Community College”:http://www.sunyrockland.edu/about/news/nursing-graduates-awarded-at-suny-rockland-community-college.

Smokers beware.

Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco has adopted a campus-wide, tobacco-free policy that will go into effect on January 1, 2009. Smoking will now be prohibited on the grounds of the hospital, including all buildings, common areas, parking lots, and inside vehicles parked on campus.

“We are setting an example. This is a place of health and ask all visitors and patients to observe the smoke-free campus,” said Dr. Nicholas Rummo, NWH’s chief of pulmonary medicine.  “Everyone knows that smoking causes harm to the body. It is wonderful that the Hospital administration and staff have chosen to adopt a smoke-free policy.”

The hospital will be offering nicotine replacement therapy including nicotine gum daily to help patients, visitors, and staff control their cravings while on-site at NWH. Additionally, NWH in conjunction with Mount Kisco Medical Group offers a unique smoking cessation program providing educational and emotional support to people of all ages interested in quitting smoking.

The free program is customized to meet the needs of each individual participant through a combination of nicotine replacement therapy and innovative methods including social support, hypnotherapy, aromatherapy, and nutritional counseling. Participants of all ages who are at various stages of quitting meet once a week for four weeks while the program is in session.

For more information on the program, call (914) 666-1182.

The Rockland Department of Health is looking for volunteers to teach Matter of Balance classes,  a fall prevention program for senior citizens that teaches strategies to reduce the fear of falling and increase activity levels. 

It is offered free to the public at various sites throughout Rockland, and is taught by volunteers who are trained to become peer educators. 

The next coach training will be held on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. starting January 21 at the RCC-Spring Valley campus in Spring Valley. Classes meet two hours a week for eight sessions. 

For more information about Matter of Balance or to register for the coach training, call Barbara Plasker in the Department of Health at 845-364-3839.

Parents of autistic children who tend to wander may now gain some peace of mind. Westchester County, in its partnership with the Westchester Jewish Community Services, is offering tracking bracelets for these children.

“I can’t think of anything worse as a parent than to find your child is missing,” said County Executive Andy Spano. “Families with children on the autism spectrum have unimaginable stresses — financial and mental. If we can ease some of this, we should do it.”

The new program, Project Lifesaver, is the same program that is currently being offered to Alzheimer’s patients. For austic children, it will begin in January. To start, the county has 100 bracelets available, but will order more as needed, Spano said.

The total cost for the first year is $300 per child, including bracelets and all batteries. After that, the bracelets cost about $85 annually.

The bracelets use radio-frequency to detect a person’s location. The technology cuts down on the time it takes to find a child and thus minimizes the risks associated with being missing for long periods of time.

To register for the bracelets go to the WJCS Autism Family Center, 845 N. Broadway in White Plains on Jan. 13 from 4 to 8 p.m and on Jan. 25th from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Families may download the application at www.westchestergov.com/autism. For more information, call 761-0600, ext. 228.

Influenza has now been reported in many counties throughout New York, including Rockland and Westchester, according to the state “Department of Health”:http://www.health.state.ny.us/diseases/communicable/influenza/surveillance/map/2008-2009/current/.

Rockland has scheduled one more flu shot clinic for residents who want to get immunized. The final clinic will be held from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m.  Dec. 19 at the Dr. Robert L. Yeager Health Center in Ramapo.

The flu shot is free for anyone over the age of 60. There is a charge of $25 for anyone between the ages of 9 and 59 who want the shot.

The flu season generally starts in late November and lasts until March. For more information, call the county Health Department at 845-364-2512.

Car crashes and falls are the leading cause of teen injuries and deaths nationwide, according to a new study released by the “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention”:http://www.cdc.gov/safechild/Child_Injury_Data.htm. 

The agency found that between 2000 and 2005, unintentional injuries resulted in 73,052 deaths among children and teens. 

Falls caused most non-fatal injuries, about 2.8 million each year, while most deaths were transportation-related, about 8,000 deaths yearly.

According to the report, every year, an estimated 9.2 million children visited emergency departments for unintentional injuries. Falls were associated with over half of the nonfatal injuries involving children less than one year, while transportation-related injuries and deaths were highest among children 15 to 19 years of age. 

Boys were almost twice as likely to die as a result of unintentional injuries than girls.

It takes at least 150 minutes of moderate activity each week to stay in shape, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. But only 64.5 percent of adults did that much exercise, according to a new report by the “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention”:http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5748a1.htm.

The report showed that whites were more likely to be physically fit than blacks or Hispanics. People with a college education were more likely to be fit than those with only a high school education.

People in the western part of the nation were most likely to be fit, while those in the South were least likely.