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Health and Fitness - The Huffington Post
Los Angeles' Meningitis Deaths Rattle Gay Community
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (AP) — In the heart of this close-knit gay community, Luke Martel reflects the feelings of many when it comes to a strain of meningitis that has killed three gay men this year in Los Angeles County: He's concerned but not overly so.
Martel, a gay bartender who moved to West Hollywood from New York City several months ago, called the deaths from the rare bacterial infection that can be passed by kissing, sharing utensils or coughing "a little scary" but said he doesn't plan to heed calls to get vaccinated. "I might not take a drag off someone's cigarette now. And I'll run from people who don't cover their mouths when they cough," he said. But otherwise, he believes, "I'm safe."
Health officials this week announced a cluster of cases of invasive meningococcal disease that sickened eight people in the LA area. Among those who fell ill, half were gay or bisexual, including the three who died. Two of the victims were HIV-positive.
Meningitis infections occasionally pop up in places where people interact closely. The risk of infection is considered low among any population, but those with compromised immune systems are more susceptible, health experts say.
"It is concerning," said Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which is offering free meningitis vaccinations.
The disease attacks the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. It can only be spread through close contact. Symptoms including fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea and vomiting that can develop within days of being exposed.
College campuses, high school locker rooms and prisons can be breeding grounds for the disease. In recent years, gay communities in New York, Chicago and Toronto have seen outbreaks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since 2010, New York has recorded 22 meningitis infections among gay men and seven deaths.
The latest cases in Los Angeles, which aren't considered an outbreak, come a year after a 33-year-old lawyer from West Hollywood was stricken with meningitis after attending a party in Palm Springs. He fell into a coma and died.
Several of the recent cases involved people who lived or socialized in North Hollywood and West Hollywood, an enclave for gays and lesbians where crosswalks are painted rainbow colors. Residents and visitors flock to bars and clubs lining Sunset Boulevard and displaying gay pride signs and flags.
Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, Los Angeles, said people shouldn't be fearful of visiting the city. "It's not unexpected that where people socially congregate, there may be a small increase in communicable infections," he said.
The California Department of Public Health has received reports of 25 meningitis cases so far this year. Last year, there were 111 reported cases. Health officials don't yet know what strain is involved.
Advocates have criticized the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health's response, noting the agency on Wednesday initially reported the cluster of cases and asked gay men to seek vaccinations, but the agency didn't mention the deaths.
Dr. Jonathan Fielding, public health director, defended the department, saying a separate letter went out to doctors notifying them of the deaths. "There was no effort to hold anything back," he said.
In light of the meningitis deaths, a clinic affiliated with the AIDS Project Los Angeles vaccinated four people, said UCLA's Klausner, who's the medical director there.
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation vaccinated nine people. Those who were immunized during last year's scare don't need another shot, said spokesman Ged Kenslea.
Many people asked about the disease Friday knew little or nothing about it. Frank Leigh, a 44-year-old online ad salesman, said he and his partner discussed it in passing but don't plan on getting vaccinated because they have been in a monogamous relationship for years.
"If I was still going out and doing the club thing I might be more concerned," he said.
He has never known anyone with meningitis, "but I know it's a serious thing. It's no joke. I hope guys will be careful out there. We don't want this thing blowing up."
___
AP Science Writer Alicia Chang contributed to this report from Los Angeles.
Martel, a gay bartender who moved to West Hollywood from New York City several months ago, called the deaths from the rare bacterial infection that can be passed by kissing, sharing utensils or coughing "a little scary" but said he doesn't plan to heed calls to get vaccinated. "I might not take a drag off someone's cigarette now. And I'll run from people who don't cover their mouths when they cough," he said. But otherwise, he believes, "I'm safe."
Health officials this week announced a cluster of cases of invasive meningococcal disease that sickened eight people in the LA area. Among those who fell ill, half were gay or bisexual, including the three who died. Two of the victims were HIV-positive.
Meningitis infections occasionally pop up in places where people interact closely. The risk of infection is considered low among any population, but those with compromised immune systems are more susceptible, health experts say.
"It is concerning," said Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which is offering free meningitis vaccinations.
The disease attacks the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. It can only be spread through close contact. Symptoms including fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea and vomiting that can develop within days of being exposed.
College campuses, high school locker rooms and prisons can be breeding grounds for the disease. In recent years, gay communities in New York, Chicago and Toronto have seen outbreaks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since 2010, New York has recorded 22 meningitis infections among gay men and seven deaths.
The latest cases in Los Angeles, which aren't considered an outbreak, come a year after a 33-year-old lawyer from West Hollywood was stricken with meningitis after attending a party in Palm Springs. He fell into a coma and died.
Several of the recent cases involved people who lived or socialized in North Hollywood and West Hollywood, an enclave for gays and lesbians where crosswalks are painted rainbow colors. Residents and visitors flock to bars and clubs lining Sunset Boulevard and displaying gay pride signs and flags.
Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, Los Angeles, said people shouldn't be fearful of visiting the city. "It's not unexpected that where people socially congregate, there may be a small increase in communicable infections," he said.
The California Department of Public Health has received reports of 25 meningitis cases so far this year. Last year, there were 111 reported cases. Health officials don't yet know what strain is involved.
Advocates have criticized the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health's response, noting the agency on Wednesday initially reported the cluster of cases and asked gay men to seek vaccinations, but the agency didn't mention the deaths.
Dr. Jonathan Fielding, public health director, defended the department, saying a separate letter went out to doctors notifying them of the deaths. "There was no effort to hold anything back," he said.
In light of the meningitis deaths, a clinic affiliated with the AIDS Project Los Angeles vaccinated four people, said UCLA's Klausner, who's the medical director there.
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation vaccinated nine people. Those who were immunized during last year's scare don't need another shot, said spokesman Ged Kenslea.
Many people asked about the disease Friday knew little or nothing about it. Frank Leigh, a 44-year-old online ad salesman, said he and his partner discussed it in passing but don't plan on getting vaccinated because they have been in a monogamous relationship for years.
"If I was still going out and doing the club thing I might be more concerned," he said.
He has never known anyone with meningitis, "but I know it's a serious thing. It's no joke. I hope guys will be careful out there. We don't want this thing blowing up."
___
AP Science Writer Alicia Chang contributed to this report from Los Angeles.
We Tried It: Towerrunning
What We Tried: Towerrunning, the sport of climbing up the stairs of skyscrapers, because, why not?
Where: 4 World Trade Center, in New York City, for the first-ever Runyon Up stair climb for cancer research, benefitting the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation.
What We Did: I climbed to the top of 4 World Trade Center -- that's 72 floors, thank you very much.
For How Long: It took me 15 minutes and 30 seconds, good enough for 112th place out of 640. The winner crossed the finish line in 8:56, and the first woman to finish did so in 11:17, according to the official results.
How'd It Feel: Utterly exhausting and so fulfilling. But let me back up. I've never been so nervous before a race, and I've raced a handful. But all those other races have been almost entirely known. Whether I was toeing the line at a mile, 5K, 10K or half marathon, I had always previously run that distance or just slightly less in a training run. There's not exactly an easy way to training running up 1,632 steps. I did a really tough stair workout a couple of weeks before the race and kept up with my general workout routine, but I felt completely lost going into this adventure: What should my pace be? How much was this going to hurt?
I got my hands on some answers from Michael Karlin, an experienced towerrunner who was also planning to compete at RunyonUp Karlin, a U.S. delegate to the Towerrunning World Council (yes, such a thing exists!), has been ranked as high as 40th in the world among male towerrunners. He assured me that no one has unlimited access to practice in skyscrapers, and that with a general base of plyometrics, cardio and strength training, I'd be just fine.
Still, I knew I could easily fall prey to what he called a towerrunner's biggest mistake: going out too fast. "They get really excited, really revved up, the buzzer goes off and they start running up that building," he told me of people who make this blunder. "You have to pace it. After half of it, if you feel okay, you can push it a little faster."
With his words ringing in my ears, I crossed the start line at a slow jog that took me to the 26th floor in what felt like no time. Two thoughts immediately came to mind when I saw that 26 on the wall. The first was, "Wow, I can't believe I'm already more than a third of the way!" That was followed immediately by, "Holy cow, I'm only a third of the way!" My slow start hadn't been quite slow enough. After the 26th floor, I probably ran about every third floor and sort of marched the others. I took water whenever it was offered -- aid stations were about every 10 floors -- and I climbed at a slower pace while I sipped. As if climbing 72 floors wasn't taxing enough, the dry, dusty indoor air caused a scratchy dryness in my throat that made me remember (fondly and less so) my high school indoor track meets.
My calves and quads started to burn around floor 30 and then melt around floor 50. A couple of times my feet didn't find the next step as cleanly as they had in the beginning. I got into a nice rhythm, using the railing to my advantage (another pro tip from Karlin!), and found myself passing people as I neared the top. A friendly competitor called out, "Keep jogging, girl, almost there!" as we rounded a corner in the high 60s. I crossed the finish line smiling.
What It Helps With: You don't have to climb to the top of a skyscraper to reap the benefits of a workout on the stairs. Even just walking up more steps every day can bring noticeable improvements in physical fitness. Stair workouts also challenge all the leg muscles (surprise, surprise), while being easier on the joints than pounding the pavement, according to Greatist.
What Fitness Level Is Required: Despite the name towerrunning, the majority of competitors I saw at RunyonUp were walking, and people of all shapes, sizes and fitness levels participated. All you need is the will to keep putting one foot in front of the other. That said, to be competitive in towerrunning is a whole different ballgame. It goes without saying you'll likely need to be extremely fit to finish at the front of the pack. It may even require a slightly different set of athletic skills: Karlin says he's not the frontrunner in normal road races, but he seems to naturally excel on the stairs.
What It Costs: Entry fees vary by race. Running stairs in your office or apartment building or at a local stadium, however, is totally free!
Would We Do It Again: Going into this, I figured I'd be able to say I did it, and I'd want nothing more to do with stairs. Call me crazy, but I really enjoyed this race. Maybe it was seeing the number of floors tick by so quickly -- there was always measurable progress -- or maybe it was just the spectacular rush seeing this view from the top, but I just might try another.
Check out some more photos from RunyonUp below:
Where: 4 World Trade Center, in New York City, for the first-ever Runyon Up stair climb for cancer research, benefitting the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation.
What We Did: I climbed to the top of 4 World Trade Center -- that's 72 floors, thank you very much.
For How Long: It took me 15 minutes and 30 seconds, good enough for 112th place out of 640. The winner crossed the finish line in 8:56, and the first woman to finish did so in 11:17, according to the official results.
How'd It Feel: Utterly exhausting and so fulfilling. But let me back up. I've never been so nervous before a race, and I've raced a handful. But all those other races have been almost entirely known. Whether I was toeing the line at a mile, 5K, 10K or half marathon, I had always previously run that distance or just slightly less in a training run. There's not exactly an easy way to training running up 1,632 steps. I did a really tough stair workout a couple of weeks before the race and kept up with my general workout routine, but I felt completely lost going into this adventure: What should my pace be? How much was this going to hurt?
I got my hands on some answers from Michael Karlin, an experienced towerrunner who was also planning to compete at RunyonUp Karlin, a U.S. delegate to the Towerrunning World Council (yes, such a thing exists!), has been ranked as high as 40th in the world among male towerrunners. He assured me that no one has unlimited access to practice in skyscrapers, and that with a general base of plyometrics, cardio and strength training, I'd be just fine.
Still, I knew I could easily fall prey to what he called a towerrunner's biggest mistake: going out too fast. "They get really excited, really revved up, the buzzer goes off and they start running up that building," he told me of people who make this blunder. "You have to pace it. After half of it, if you feel okay, you can push it a little faster."
With his words ringing in my ears, I crossed the start line at a slow jog that took me to the 26th floor in what felt like no time. Two thoughts immediately came to mind when I saw that 26 on the wall. The first was, "Wow, I can't believe I'm already more than a third of the way!" That was followed immediately by, "Holy cow, I'm only a third of the way!" My slow start hadn't been quite slow enough. After the 26th floor, I probably ran about every third floor and sort of marched the others. I took water whenever it was offered -- aid stations were about every 10 floors -- and I climbed at a slower pace while I sipped. As if climbing 72 floors wasn't taxing enough, the dry, dusty indoor air caused a scratchy dryness in my throat that made me remember (fondly and less so) my high school indoor track meets.
My calves and quads started to burn around floor 30 and then melt around floor 50. A couple of times my feet didn't find the next step as cleanly as they had in the beginning. I got into a nice rhythm, using the railing to my advantage (another pro tip from Karlin!), and found myself passing people as I neared the top. A friendly competitor called out, "Keep jogging, girl, almost there!" as we rounded a corner in the high 60s. I crossed the finish line smiling.
What It Helps With: You don't have to climb to the top of a skyscraper to reap the benefits of a workout on the stairs. Even just walking up more steps every day can bring noticeable improvements in physical fitness. Stair workouts also challenge all the leg muscles (surprise, surprise), while being easier on the joints than pounding the pavement, according to Greatist.
What Fitness Level Is Required: Despite the name towerrunning, the majority of competitors I saw at RunyonUp were walking, and people of all shapes, sizes and fitness levels participated. All you need is the will to keep putting one foot in front of the other. That said, to be competitive in towerrunning is a whole different ballgame. It goes without saying you'll likely need to be extremely fit to finish at the front of the pack. It may even require a slightly different set of athletic skills: Karlin says he's not the frontrunner in normal road races, but he seems to naturally excel on the stairs.
What It Costs: Entry fees vary by race. Running stairs in your office or apartment building or at a local stadium, however, is totally free!
Would We Do It Again: Going into this, I figured I'd be able to say I did it, and I'd want nothing more to do with stairs. Call me crazy, but I really enjoyed this race. Maybe it was seeing the number of floors tick by so quickly -- there was always measurable progress -- or maybe it was just the spectacular rush seeing this view from the top, but I just might try another.
Check out some more photos from RunyonUp below:
Ask Healthy Living: Why Do I Look So Terrible After A Night Of Bad Sleep?
Welcome to Ask Healthy Living -- in which you submit your most burning health questions and we do our best to ask the experts and get back to you. Have a question? Get in touch here and you could appear on Healthy Living!
"Ask Healthy Living" is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult a qualified health care professional for personalized medical advice.
Why does my face look so terrible when I don't sleep enough?
There's a million reasons to get a good night's rest, but one of them is the simple fact that people tend to look terrible when they're exhausted.
In fact, a recently published study in the journal Sleep showed that eyes get more swollen and red, eyelids get droopier and skin gets more wrinkled when people skimp on shuteye. Meanwhile, another study showed that getting eight hours of sleep makes faces appear more attractive and healthier, compared with the faces of people who stay up all night.
But why do the eyes and skin on our face seem so affected by sleep (or lack thereof)?
Dr. Sherrif F. Ibrahim, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, says that it has to do water retention, and the fact that the skin of the upper and lower eyelids is the the thinnest skin on our bodies.
"Any changes in hydration, whether you’re dehydrated or you have salt retention because you have a big meal the night before, are going to reflect in that thin skin so easily compared to any other skin in the body," Ibrahim tells HuffPost. Specifically, being dehydrated will produce a more sunken look, while having too much salt (like if you consumed a really salty meal the night before) will lead to water retention and a puffy look.
How sleep in particular affects this water retention is still not completely known, Ibrahim says. However, he speculates that it could have something to do with the reason for why a person stayed up late the night before.
"Usually when people are up late, if they're doing something, they're usually drinking or partying or crying, and that is more of a contributor to why their eyes might be puffier," he says.
As for those dark under-eye circles, a number of factors could be at play. Ibrahim notes that it's the blood vessels under the skin that are actually responsible for the darkish hue, so when you're dehydrated, you can better see the color of the blood vessels (which appear blue under the skin). In addition, as people get older and begin to enter middle age, they will begin to lose volume around the eyes, producing what is called a "tear trough." This "tear trough" casts a shadow where the cheek and eyelid meet, which also contributes to the appearance of darkening. While these are general factors responsible for contributing to darkening around the eyes, Ibrahim notes that lack of sleep will only exacerbate these effects. So get your beauty sleep!
Have a question? Ask Healthy Living!
"Ask Healthy Living" is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult a qualified health care professional for personalized medical advice.
Why does my face look so terrible when I don't sleep enough?
There's a million reasons to get a good night's rest, but one of them is the simple fact that people tend to look terrible when they're exhausted.
In fact, a recently published study in the journal Sleep showed that eyes get more swollen and red, eyelids get droopier and skin gets more wrinkled when people skimp on shuteye. Meanwhile, another study showed that getting eight hours of sleep makes faces appear more attractive and healthier, compared with the faces of people who stay up all night.
But why do the eyes and skin on our face seem so affected by sleep (or lack thereof)?
Dr. Sherrif F. Ibrahim, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, says that it has to do water retention, and the fact that the skin of the upper and lower eyelids is the the thinnest skin on our bodies.
"Any changes in hydration, whether you’re dehydrated or you have salt retention because you have a big meal the night before, are going to reflect in that thin skin so easily compared to any other skin in the body," Ibrahim tells HuffPost. Specifically, being dehydrated will produce a more sunken look, while having too much salt (like if you consumed a really salty meal the night before) will lead to water retention and a puffy look.
How sleep in particular affects this water retention is still not completely known, Ibrahim says. However, he speculates that it could have something to do with the reason for why a person stayed up late the night before.
"Usually when people are up late, if they're doing something, they're usually drinking or partying or crying, and that is more of a contributor to why their eyes might be puffier," he says.
As for those dark under-eye circles, a number of factors could be at play. Ibrahim notes that it's the blood vessels under the skin that are actually responsible for the darkish hue, so when you're dehydrated, you can better see the color of the blood vessels (which appear blue under the skin). In addition, as people get older and begin to enter middle age, they will begin to lose volume around the eyes, producing what is called a "tear trough." This "tear trough" casts a shadow where the cheek and eyelid meet, which also contributes to the appearance of darkening. While these are general factors responsible for contributing to darkening around the eyes, Ibrahim notes that lack of sleep will only exacerbate these effects. So get your beauty sleep!
Have a question? Ask Healthy Living!
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from Anxiety Agoraphobia Bipolar Disorder Evaluations and Treatment in Boise, Treasure Valley, Idaho http://ift.tt/1e2G4aa