Lasers lessen pain of removing hair
Improved laser technology is making hair removal more effective and less painful, according to the Baylor College of Medicine.Use of lasers for hair removal was approved by the Food and Drug Administration earlier this year. The laser pulses to destroy the hair bulb and has a cooling device that sprays coolant on the skin a microsecond before it flashes. It emits a single wavelength of light that is absorbed by the brown color found in melanin, the dark pigment causing brown hair and tanned skin. Since skin doesn't have much melanin, the laser beam passes through the skin and targets the brown-colored hair bulbs.
Permanet hair removal usually takes about three or four treatments. Treatments take about one minute for a mustache and an hour or more for a back. Prices range from $200 to $1,400, depending on the area being treated.
New drug approved for easing arthritis
Enbrel (otanercept) received approval from the Food and Drug Administration in November, according to the companies that market it, Immunex and Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories.
The first in a new class of rheumatoid arthritis drugs known as biologic response modifiers, Enbrel is a new approach to managing the disease. In clinical studies of patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, Enbrel reduces pain and duration of morning stiffness and lessens the number of swollen and tender joints.
Use of vitamins prompts cautions
Health-conscious people spent $5.7 billion last year on vitamin supplements. But according to Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource, the American Diabetes Association and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, vitamins won't give consumers everything they need.
People need to get the majority of their nutrients by eating a variety of foods, primarily from the grain, fruit and vegetable groups. Improving eating habits is the best way to improve health. Even so, some people benefit from a supplement, and there's growing evidence that there are a handful of supplements that just about anyone can take.
Among those who benefit from supplements are the elderly, dieters, smokers, people who drink alcohol to excess, pregnant or breast-feeding women and vegans. And many people can benefit from a little extra vitamin E, folic acid and vitamin C. But overdoing vitamins and minerals like zinc and vitamin A can be dangerous.
The latest information on neurology health and wellness is available online from the American Academy of Neurology http://www.ann.com/neurovista. The newsletter NeuroVista features articles on the latest advances in neurology and how they relate to maintaining a healthy brain.