The Immortalist

Everyone is likely to stay in a hospital someday or have a loved one there. When that time comes, go where the experience is, Years of research show that for a range of medical procedures, including angioplasty and many cancer operations, patients find the best results at hospitals perform them often. The National Quality Forum urges doctors to refer high-risk surgery patients to centres with "intensivists" on staff. Johns Hopkins University researchers found that patients undergoing complicated abdominal surgery were up to three times as likely to survive if the ICU employed one of these doctors--who are specifically trained in intensive care--as patients in hospitals without this benefit. Only one in 10 hospitals has these specialists, though the proportion is likely to grow.

Accreditation is also a crucial indicator of hospital safety. Quality Check, the consumer Web site of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare organizations, is simple to use. Go to www.jcaho.org/qualitycheck/directry/directry.asp; type in the hospital's name to see whether it comes up.

Teaching hospitals have the greatest expertise in surgery and intensive care. But they also have doctors in training, fresh out of medical school. If you have reservations about anything a resident does, ask to talk to the attending physician. Each new class of residents starts July 1. if you have a choice, schedule your surgery from January through June.

Finally, having a friend or relative stay by your side tremendously lowers the risk of a mistake, says internist Marie Savard, M.D., author of a book on avoiding medical errors. Many people have trouble asking someone to sit with them when they're sick. But those same people likely wouldn't think twice about dropping everything to be with some one they care about. So don't be afraid to ask if you're facing a hospital stay yourself--or to organize shifts of friends and family to visit the person you love. Adapted from HEALTH
________________________________
THE BUZZ ON HONEY

The general public is showing renewed interest in honey. In days gone by, honey was used as a wound healer, laxative, and a salve for sore eyes, among other things. Most people think of honey as something to pour on pancakes or drop into hot tea.

Recently, The Royal Society of Chemistry in London conducted a survey of newlyweds, asking them to sip honey mead every night for 30 days, and to document its effects. No word yet on the results, if any.

The Journal Supportive Care in Cancer recently published the results of a study at the University of Malaysia, showing honey may benefit patients who suffer swelling, sores and inflammation in the mouth after radiation therapy.

Researchers at The University of Illinois have found that honey, when mixed with ground turkey, slows the oxidation process that gives it that leftover taste after a few days. They have also found that honey has the same level of anti-oxidants as some fruits and vegetables.

In honey, there's little water available to promote the growth of bacteria and yeast. Also honey's natural acidity inhibits some pathogens, and it has tiny amounts of hydrogen peroxide, as well as other substances that seem to contribute to it's antibacterial effect, according to the National Honey Board.

Granville Griffith, a beekeeper in Northern Kentucky has been using honey as a cure-all since childhood. Recently, after cutting his finger with a knife, he washed it and applied honey in the same way Neosporin is used.

In less than two weeks, with a couple more applications of honey, it was completely healed with no scab and the scar is minimal. Adapted from FLORIDA TODAY
________________________________
HEART HEALTHY PEANUTS

Two new varieties of peanuts are expected to reach grocery shelves early next year. Developed by the Agriculture Department, and University researchers, the peanuts contain high levels of oleic acid, a healthful monounsaturated fat.

Oleic acid appears in most peanuts. A handful, 10 grams of conventional roasted peanuts can contain 5 grams of fat---55 percent of which is oleic acid. Conventional peanuts also contain as much as 20 percent saturated fat---an artery clogger that can raise a person's risk of heart disease.