Beware of Botox - Health Scare

The anti-wrinkle drug Botox, derived from a deadly botulism toxin, is often portrayed as entirely safe - but it isn't, says a new FDA report. Botox smoothes facial wrinkles by paralyzing muscles under the skin. The toxin has medical uses as well: Injections of Botox in the legs or neck can be helpful for cerebral palsy patients suffering from sever muscle spasms. But in rare cases, the FDA warns, the toxin can spread from the site of the injection and cause paralysis in other parts of the body. Dozens of negative reactions have been reported, including several children with cerebral palsy who died when the toxin spread from their injected muscles and prevented them from breathing. At least one woman who received Botox for cosmetic reasons was hospitalized after the toxin affected other muscles. "People should be aware there's a potential for this to happen," says FDA neurology chief Dr. Russell Katz. Botox users, he says, should be on alert for symptoms such as difficulty swallowing or breathing, slurred speech, muscle weakness, or difficulty holding up the head.

The Addictive Power of Cigarettes

Teenagers can become addicted to nicotine by smoking a single cigarette, a tobacco researcher has found. By studying adolescents who smoke only occasionally, Dr. Josephe DeFranza examined how nicotine produces dependency. He concluded that for many teens, even one exposure to cigarettes sets up a powerful reward system in the brain. Teenagers in the study who smoked as few as three cigarettes per week could not do without these occasional smokes without feeling strong cravings and irritability. As a result, they kept smoking, if even only occasionally. "Most of these self-described 'social smokers' were addicted to tobacco," he says. For those who smoked more often, of course, the cravings were more urgent. "It's a huge mistake to start smoking," DiFranza says. "If (teens) never start, they'll never have to worry about quitting."

How Artificial Sweeteners Make You Fat

Rats fed a steady diet of sugar substitutes were hungrier and gained more weight than rats that ate sugary food, a new study has found. The study may explain why people who drink a lot of diet soda have higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and other metabolic problems. Purdue University researchers fed sugar-filled and sugar-free yogurt to groups of rats, and found that rats that got accustomed to artificially sweetened meals were still hungry afterward and went back for more food. Why? It appears that artificial sweeteners confuse the body, which is programmed to associate sweet tastes with calories consumed; when we repeatedly eat something sweet that provides little or no calories, researchers say, we break that connection, and our confused bodies keep seeking more food. Also, the rats that frequently ate sugar substitutes also didn't have the metabolic increase that usually follows eating a meal, so they burned fewer calories, researcher Susan Swithers tells HealthDay. Combine a larger appetitie with a slower metabolism and you have a formula for severe weight gain. "The take-home message," Swithers says, "is that consumption of artificially sweetened products may interfere with an automatic process."