Rural newspapers have power to influence people's health, but few health articles are being published in Kentucky, study finds

By Tara Kaprowy

Kentucky Health News

Though studies suggest that newspapers can influence people's decisions about their health and can even lead to public-policy changes, for the most part Kentucky's rural newspaper editors are publishing very few health-related stories, a report compiled at the University of Kentucky concluded.

The six-month study found more than 1,200 articles  primarily about health were published in 131 rural Kentucky newspapers, including opinion pieces, reprints, press releases, briefs and letters to the editor. That averaged to nine stories per newspaper in six months, though daily papers tended to run far more articles than non-dailies (52 percent of dailies ran health articles 1 to 2 times per week while 68 percent of non-dailies ran health articles less than once a month).

Speaking at the third-annual Kentucky Health Literacy Summit, study co-author Al Cross said he wasn't surprised by the findings, sensing "there wasn't a great deal of coverage out there to help people live healthier lives." But Cross said his goal as director of UK's Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues "is to help rural newspapers help define the public agenda."

"In Kentucky," he said, "that needs to be about health."

The topic of health-care funding and policy accounted for 35 percent of the articles published, though co-author Sarah Vos said that number is likely skewed because the time period analyzed included a legislative session during which there was extensive discussion about Medicaid.

Stories on drugs and alcohol accounted for 12 percent of the total, followed by tobacco/smoking (9.5 percent) and exercise, food, diet or obesity (8.6 percent). Vos also found stories that did run were often incomplete, with 40 percent failing to contextualize the problem for the reader. Only 20 percent mentioned health disparities, the differences in health between geographic areas and demographic sectors.

While there is a dearth of health reporting in rural newspapers — all newspapers but those that serve the Lexington, Louisville and Cincinnati areas were included in the study — they could have considerable pull in the health decisions people make. Vos cited one study showing media coverage can influence individual health decisions and preventive behaviors, and one that showed coverage of health issues can lead to both changes in public policy and public perception.

Rural newspapers are well read by their readership, with the average reader spending about 39 minutes reading their local paper. Sixty percent of adults say their rural paper is their main source of news, Vos said. "Rural newspapers have a special relationship with readers," she said. "It's intimate. One researcher even called them an extended member of the family."

For a copy of the paper, click here.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3310305

Book about Appalachian health reveals region and culture-specific issues for researchers, region's residents

Editors of a new book hope it will shed light on the health problems facing Appalachia while debunking myths about the culture. Robert Ludke and Phillip Obermiller, both of the University of Cincinnati, compiled work for Appalachian Health and Well-Being from researchers "who present data addressing health disparities affecting urban and rural Appalachians and offers possible solutions," the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Obermiller said most of the book's 40 contributors are from the region. The book will be officially debuted at the Appalachian Studies Association Conference this weekend in Indiana, Pa.

Ludke said the book is intended to be a resource to Appalachians or people studying public health. He said politicians and the general public need the information to better address Appalachians' health issues. The editors said they also wanted to draw attention to "urban Appalachians," or people of Appalachian heritage living in metropolitan areas. Ludke said the Appalachian population living in Cincinnati has assimilated less than in other metro areas. (Read more)

Gluten attacks the brain and damages the nervous system

By Sarka-Jonae Miller

Some people are literally stumbling through life thinking they are a klutz when really gluten is to blame. Before gastrointestinal symptoms like upset stomach appear, neurological damage may already be done, according to the Center for Peripheral Neuropathy. The Gluten Free Society calls gluten a "potential neurotoxin." Gluten damage may cause everything from unexplained dizziness to numbness in the hands and feet.

Gluten ataxia

Approximately 10 percent of people with Celiac disease develop neurologic symptoms, according to the Center for Peripheral Neuropathy. Ataxia describes a neurologic condition characterized by jerky movements and an awkward gait. Gluten ataxia specifically describes a neurologic condition caused by a gluten sensitivity that leads to a wide range of symptoms, including:

• Difficultly concentrating
• Loss of balance
• Frequent falls
• Visual disturbances
• Trouble walking
• Tremors
• Trouble judging distances

In people with a gluten sensitivity, eating foods with the gluten protein triggers an autoimmune reaction. The body attacks the gluten with antibodies in the same way that antibodies attack viruses. This damages the intestines. Intestinal damage inhibits absorption of nutrients, often leading to nutrient deficiencies.

Vitamin deficiencies could be to blame for gluten ataxia, according to an article in the Feb/Mar 2011 issue of Living Without magazine. Another explanation is that something in the brain is similar enough to gluten that the antibodies released to attack gluten also attack the brain.

The exact cause for gluten ataxia is unknown, but what is clear is that eating gluten makes it worse. A study published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry in September 2003 found that participants with ataxia who followed a gluten-free diet demonstrated improvement in ataxia symptoms compared to the control group, and had significantly fewer antigliadin antibodies, or "anti-gluten" antibodies, after one year.

Gluten neuropathy

Neuropathy, or peripheral neuropathy, describes a range of disorders characterized by nerve damage to one or more nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord. Often the cause of the neuropathy is unknown, though autoimmune diseases and vitamin deficiencies are some of the potential causes, according to the Mayo Clinic. Gluten neuropathy is when the autoimmune response is the root cause of the nerve damage.

A study published inMuscle & Nervejournal in December 2006 found that participants with neuropathy who followed a gluten-free diet showed significant improvement in symptoms after one year. The control group reported worsening of symptoms.

Treatment

People who have a gluten intolerance do not respond to simple allergy tests like someone with a milk or nut allergy might. The gentlest way to figure out if someone is sensitive to gluten is dietary therapy. Avoid gluten for several weeks, then reintroduce it and observe any reactions.

Once it is known that a person has a problem with gluten there is only one form of treatment: abstinence. People with any degree of gluten sensitivity or intolerance must completely give it up. This means not only avoiding obvious foods like bread and pasta, but also foods like soy sauce and licorice that contain small amounts of wheat.

Fortunately, there are many alternatives. Pastas made with rice flour or quinoa are gluten-free. Rice bread can replace bread made from grains containing gluten. Buckwheat flour is gluten-free and works well for pancakes. Some companies even make wheat-free soy sauce. It is simply a matter of reading labels and shopping around.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17013890

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12933922

http://www.glutenfreesociety.org

http://peripheralneuropathycenter.uchicago.edu

http://www.livingwithout.com/issues/4_12/ataxia-2366-1.html?pg=1

http://www.livingwithout.com/issues/4_12/ataxia-2366-1.html?pg=2

http://www.medicinenet.com/celiac_disease_gluten_free_diet/page3.htm

http://americanceliac.org/celiac-disease/diagnosis/

http://www.mayoclinic.com

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/147963.php

http://www.naturalnews.com

About the author:

Sarka-Jonae Miller is a health writer and novelist. She was certified as a personal fitness trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine and the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America. She also worked as a massage therapist, group exercise instructor and assistant martial arts instructor.
Miller's premiere novel, "Between Boyfriends," was recently published

Source: www.naturalnews.com