By Val Willingham
CNN Medical Producer

As the year 2010 begins to sneak up on us, I am already making a list of my New Year's resolutions. There are the usual promises: eat less, exercise more. But I am also determined to adopt a more positive attitude next year and look at the glass as half full. That’s not always easy, especially during a time when friends are without work and the guy down the street can't make his mortgage payments. For some of us this year, the only thing in the glass has been sludge.

But it's time to change the way we look at things and start to appreciate the good in our everyday lives. And we need to spread that joy by taking care of one another, by being there when times get tough, even when the misfortunes are not ours. We need to think that the housing market will do better, employment rates will go up and peace will make its way into the hearts of our world leaders. We must think positively. Research has shown that if we approach the day with an optimistic view, positive things will happen, not only for the good of the world, but for our own heath.

In a recent study published in the journal "Circulation," researchers found that women who were more positive and had a better attitude had a 16 percent lower risk of having a heart attack. Other studies have proved that people who are happier and look at things with a good attitude have lower blood pressure, sleep better and are more active. Doctors also say being more upbeat helps our immune systems, keeps depression at bay and even gives us the ability to cope when things do get rough.

I am a blessed person. I try never to take my fortune for granted. And I try to live by the Golden Rule. But from time to time, when a driver cuts me off, or a clerk messes up an order, I can get irritated – and at times, rather nasty. So next year, instead of slinging terse words at the motorist next to me, or being snippy when checking out at a store, I will try to take a step back, take a deep breath and let it go. I will try to be better to my fellow men and women and lift them up instead of dressing them down. Yes, it's been tough recently, but as we enter into a time of giving thanks, consider all the wonderful things we have in our lives. They may add up to more than we realized. And that’s the most positive thing of all.

Do you are agree?

By Caleb Hellerman
CNN Medical News senior producer

The space shuttle Atlantis lifts off this afternoon, on a mission to deliver spare parts to the International Space Station. I feel an extra connection, because in the past few weeks I’ve been talking to and emailing with Dr. Robert Satcher, an astronaut and orthopedic surgeon who specializes in treating cancer cases. He’s going into space for the first time, and as a preview, he and two of the NASA trainers showed off versions of his spacesuit and the treadmill that astronauts can use to stay fit while spending long months on the space station. (Watch Video)

One twist you don’t see at the gym: Astronauts have to strap themselves to the treadmill with a heavy cable, to keep from floating away when they try to run.

The thrust of the Atlantis mission is maintenance, not medical, but crew members spent a chunk of their pre-mission training, practicing what to do in case of a medical emergency. Satcher also points out that he’s part of “this ongoing tradition of experimentation, human experimentation, what happens to the body when you go into outer space.”

One thing I thought was interesting: On a space mission, you get taller - anywhere from half an inch to an inch and a half. Satcher explains that in zero gravity, fluid is redistributed in the body and the spine gets longer. You also lose bone and muscle mass as the body adapts to the lesser demands of zero gravity. It’s sort of the opposite of what happens when you lift weights at the gym, where your body responds by growing muscle. Astronauts are also prone to sleep disturbances; many crew members take the hormone melatonin as a sleep aid, to try to keep their body clocks adjusted.

In between maintenance work, the Atlantis crew will take measurements to help track musculoskeletal changes, and samples of blood and saliva to try to identify possible changes to the immune system.

Satcher, who likes to be called Bobby, says he’s thrilled to be flying into space for the first time. I hope he can find time to tell us about it, while he’s in orbit.

What would you like to hear about, from a doctor in outer space?

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Ashley J. WennersHerron
CNN NY Medical News Intern

It was the last day of winter break. I was driving to a friend’s house to say goodbye before returning to New York for the spring semester. I was stopped at an intersection when the light turned green. I pushed down the gas and saw a flash of white. Next thing I knew, I was facing the wrong way, toward oncoming traffic and I could feel the January wind rushing in through the driver’s side window I had shattered with my head. My steering wheel was stuck and hitting the brakes did nothing. I hit another car head on and side-scrapped a third. I barreled up a hill, finally stopping just feet away from a row of gas pumps.
My airbags had deployed, filling the air with a foul smell and bits of grit. Disoriented and terrified, I thought the burning odor meant my car was on fire. I tore my seat belt open, which was no easy feat. In the impact, I slammed against the armrest, breaking it, which jammed the seat belt buckle. I got myself free, dove through the broken window (my door wouldn’t open), somersaulted to a standing position and ran away from the car I thought was going to blow up. When I reached what I perceived as safety, I collapsed. It felt as if I couldn’t move at all. During my escape, I couldn’t feel the pain, but as soon as I relaxed, I became aware of the extent of my injuries. My head felt as if it were leaking (a result of a concussion and a hairline skull fracture), my ribs were bruised, my leg was banged up and I had shards of glass and airbag dust in my eyes. I could barely answer the paramedic’s questions; how had I managed to perform acrobatic tricks just minutes earlier?

The answer lies in the functions of the autonomic nervous system, a branch of the central nervous system, which is what operates involuntary body functions, including breathing and blinking. The autonomic nervous system operates the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The first perks up in a fight-or-flight situation, where danger is perceived. It releases adrenaline, a hormone also known as epinephrine, in response to fear or anxiety. It dilated my eyes and heightened my other senses, allowing for a higher intake of information. It also increased my blood pressure, which let oxygen travel quickly to my muscles and brain, explaining my circus-stunt escape route. Adrenaline powered my body in preparation for an attack or to flee. I wasn’t about to fight my Chevrolet Blazer, so I did everything I could to put distance between it and myself.

As soon as I was safe, my parasympathetic nervous system took over. The norepinephrine (the opposite of adrenaline) slowed my breathing, lowered my blood pressure and relaxed my muscles. My body had entered a long-term state, beginning the process of assessment and healing.

I’m glad to say that despite the severity of the accident, everyone involved was able to walk away. Now, I’m still in physical therapy and I will forever have scars of the accident, but my body took care of me in the moment.

Have you ever experienced unusual focus or strength in the face of danger?

By Stephanie Smith
CNN Medical Producer

The national conversation about medical marijuana - in particular smoked marijuana - is complex and often polarizing.

I liken it to having a conversation with my father-in-law about politics/race/religion/poverty/health care – you name it. We start off meaning to have dignified conversation, but we inevitably spiral into growling matches peppered with words like, “those liberals…” and “c’mon, you’re smarter than that…” or “that’s crazy! That’s insane.” In reality, we are not so far apart on the issues, but somehow we can muddy the conversation so that it seems like we are.

The medical marijuana debate has been historically cast in equally polarizing terms: Groups are either for or against legalizing it.

That is what makes a subtle, nuanced move by the American Medical Association at a board meeting on Tuesday such a remarkable twist in the dialogue. The AMA shifted a 72-year-old policy about smoked marijuana, acknowledging that there could be some medical benefits, and urging reconsideration of the drug’s Schedule I status (Schedule I is a drug of abuse with “no accepted medical use.” Heroin and ecstasy are also Schedule I).

The AMA’s new policy language suggests that “marijuana’s status as a federal Schedule I controlled substance be reviewed with the goal of facilitating the conduct of clinical research and development of cannabinoid-based medicines.”

What that means is that marijuana should be reconsidered as a Schedule I drug so that wider studies can be conducted that may establish that it is worthy of prescription drug status.

The organization is quick to add that it is by no means endorsing state-based cannabis programs or legalization. It also does not go as far as to say there is evidence that cannabis meets the rigorous standards met by prescription drugs on the market now – yet.

But that “yet” is key. What the new policy - and a forthcoming study - concede is that several short-term trials have shown that smoked cannabis is effective to treat neuropathy (nerve pain) in patients with HIV and hepatitic C. It is also effective, again, in a small number of trials, for stimulating appetite for people on chemotherapy; it may also be useful for patients with multiple sclerosis, to ameliorate pain and spasms.

The idea behind this policy shift is to widen the berth of studies about smoked marijuana, and to conduct them in a controlled manner, just as is done with prescription drugs, so that the debate can quiet down and give way to scientific evidence.

Now if only I could quiet down those debates with my father-in-law.

What do you think about the AMA’s new position on medical marijuana? Do you agree that it should be taken off of Schedule I status to make way for more studies in this area?

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Caleb Hellerman
CNN Medical Senior Producer

Yesterday I gave a short talk at a meeting for psychologists and others who work with people suffering from psychological trauma. Our panel was about how the media handles stories about mental illness. It’s a topic that felt especially poignant a few hours later, when a gunman shot and killed at least a dozen soldiers at Ft. Hood, a U.S. Army post in Texas. The alleged gunman: a military psychiatrist. At this point we don’t know what led to the shooting – was it a premeditated terrorist attack? A case of workplace rage? Was the gunman unhinged by fear of his upcoming deployment? Did he suffer some kind of a breakdown after hearing too many stories from traumatized soldiers?

Those are mysteries we’ll have to unravel in the coming days. What’s clear is that many people at Ft. Hood – a virtual city of more than 30,000 people – have just been through a terrifying experience. That doesn’t mean they'll develop a pathological condition – like post-traumatic stress disorder – but especially if they witnessed the shootings or lost loved ones, they are at risk for lasting problems.

Beyond that, news coverage of a violent event can itself be deeply painful for readers and viewers, especially if they’re trying to recover from an unrelated trauma of their own. At our panel yesterday, people raised some issues that I hadn’t much thought about. Reader comments, for instance. Two clinicians pointed out that people sometimes post hurtful comments online, which can re-traumatize the people being written about – for example, a rape victim in a crime story.  A handful of news organizations, including CNN, moderate message boards and eliminate comments that are overtly offensive or full of profanity. But one very animated audience member – he described himself as a former reporter – said that’s not nearly enough. He thinks it’s a disgrace that any news organization would publish anonymous reader comments – that it only encourages damaging words.

What do you think? How should news outlets like CNN strike a balance between telling the story, getting feedback from you and not making life worse for the people we cover?

By Rebecca Leibowitz
CNN Medical Intern

I had H1N1. It started with a cough, which quickly progressed to a headache, body aches and a 102-degree fever. A rapid flu test came back positive, confirming my diagnosis. Although this nasal swab test for H1N1 is not very reliable, so much so that it is no longer being used, I had all of the symptoms of the flu. H1N1 was pretty much the only strain circulating in late August, so chances are very high that I did indeed have it. I spent the next three days isolated in my apartment, pumping my body with vitamin C and chicken soup. Then I was fine. I felt great and I was no longer contagious; I could go to class, to the grocery store and to the gym without fear of infecting others. To my friends, I was finally “swine-free.”

My decision whether to be vaccinated against H1N1 has been made for me. Since I most likely already had H1N1, and therefore have built up immunity to the virus, I will not be getting a vaccination. However, millions of Americans are facing the decision of whether to vaccinate themselves and their children against the novel influenza A virus.

The Centers for Disease Control recommends the following high-priority groups get vaccinated: pregnant women; people who live with or provide care for infants younger than six months; health workers; people aged six months to 24 years old; and people 25-64 years old with certain pre-existing conditions.

So, when my mom told me that her doctor recommended she not get the H1N1 vaccine, I was confused. As a chronic Lyme disease sufferer (who is well under 64) and a social worker who works with very young children, my mom fits into one of the high-risk groups. Why, then, did her doctor advise her against getting it?

As I later discovered, there are several reasons why people are apprehensive about getting the H1N1 vaccination. My mom’s doctor told her that he did not see the evidence that the H1N1 inoculation protects one from getting the virus, a concern he also raised regarding the seasonal flu vaccine. This contradicts what the CDC has been saying for weeks. CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden recently told reporters that the vaccine should work very well because “it is an excellent match with the strains of the virus that are circulating.”

There is also widespread concern about the safety of the vaccine. During the 1976 swine flu epidemic in the United States, those who received the vaccine for that strand of swine flu were proven to have an elevated risk of contracting Guillain-Barré syndrome. Guillain-Barré syndrome is a disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks part of its nervous system. The most common complications from Guillain-Barré syndrome are breathing-related, and patients are often placed on respirators. The majority of people who contract the disorder recover, but it can be fatal.

The CDC says that it expects the H1N1 inoculation to follow a similar safety profile as the seasonal influenza vaccine, which has not been associated with increased risk of Guillain-Barré. Officials also say that this new pandemic vaccine is much “purer” than the 1976 inoculation. The expected side effects from the 2009 H1N1 vaccine are similar to those from the regular flu shot, including soreness or swelling at the point of injection, low-grade fever and body aches. The CDC and the Food and Drug Administration will be closely monitoring the safety of the immunization. The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System exists so that health care providers can report vaccine concerns directly.

And then there are those who think natural immunity is better and safer than any vaccine and are suggesting “swine flu parties” are the way to go – get yourself infected with H1N1 and your body will build up immunity. Most doctors and the CDC strongly advise against this method of protection.

What factors have influenced your decision whether or not to get the H1N1 vaccine? What advice has your doctor given you? Have you come to a decision whether to vaccinate you or your children?

By Ashley J. WennersHerron
CNN Medical News Intern

Breast cancer runs in my family; even my dad had it. I routinely do self-checks, always terrified that I'll find some indication of my worst nightmare.

Two weeks ago, I did. I found a lump the size of a pea buried in the skin between my right breast and my armpit. I paled, I cried, I panicked about the future, and then I did the sensible thing. I searched the Internet. Typing "Right Breast Lump and 20-Year-Old Woman" into Google didn't reveal anything. Neither did "Breast Cancer in 20-Year-Old Girl." I fruitlessly searched every site I could think of, turning up contradictory results.

An hour into my self-diagnosis, it occurred to me to call a doctor.

Living away from home and my usual doctors, I called my insurance provider. After 45 minutes on hold, an operator listed four doctors in Manhattan that would accept my insurance. The first three were booked through November. The fourth could see me the week before Thanksgiving.

The thought of not knowing for nearly a month was unbearable. Tears welled up in my eyes and fear was obvious in my voice when I confirmed a time with the receptionist. She must’ve heard how scared I was, she told me that they could squeeze me in early the next day.

The next morning, after arriving an hour early, I was told that the doctor’s office was out of network for my insurance. They’d take me, but I’d have to cough up almost $200 just to be seen, and I’d have to pay out of pocket for testing –up to $3,000.

I was shocked. Something was wrong with me and I was getting it checked. I was being responsible. I had called my insurance company, thinking they would send me somewhere I could afford. Not only was I worried about a potentially serious health problem, I was also concerned that I wouldn’t be able to have it looked at because it was too expensive. It turned out that the doctor’s office was willing to work with me. Maybe they just wanted to get me, crying and hyperventilating, away from their other patients out of their waiting room. But they took me; they didn’t turn me away.

The doctor examined the lump and sent me for a battery of tests.  After being poked and prodded and monogrammed and sonogrammed, I waited.

Eventually, I was told the good news—a benign cyst and an inflamed lymph node. Two completely harmless conditions that I could have agonized over for weeks and weeks, if I hadn’t known what it could have been.

If you are truly concerned that you might be sick, get it checked out.  A lot more doctors’ offices than you might think are willing to work out payment plans. It’s worth knowing what you are facing.

Hopefully, it’ll end up being nothing, but if it is something worse, catch it as early as possible.

Have you ever ignored a health problem, because you thought you couldn’t afford to get it looked at? Are you putting off going to see a doctor because you don’t want to know if you are sick?

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

As a  feature of CNNhealth.com, our team of expert doctors will answer readers' questions. Here's a question for Dr. Gupta.

From Shannon:

"I have a 4-month-old infant and I recently had myself and my 6-year-old son vaccinated for H1N1. My question is, will my infant also gain my immunity to H1N1 through my breast milk? I hope so." 

Answer:

This is a great question and a huge concern for many parents whose children are less than 6 months old and therefore too young to get the H1N1 vaccine. Unfortunately, there is no clear answer to your question, Shannon, so the best we can do is spell out what we do know.

We know that any time you breastfeed your 4-month-old, you pass on potent antibodies (proteins that your immune system produces to fend off disease in the body) that protect him or her against a whole range of infections.

We also know a bit about other vaccines and breast milk, for example, the pneumococcal vaccine that protects against things like pneumonia and meningitis. According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, mothers who received that vaccine produced antibodies that were detectable in their breast milk, and passed them on to their babies. What is not as clear is whether those antibodies actually conferred immunity to their newborns.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance about breast milk and the flu vaccine is a tinge more hopeful, albeit far from conclusive: "By breastfeeding, mothers can pass on to the infant the antibodies that their bodies make in response to the flu shots, which can reduce the infant's chances of getting sick with the flu."

While experts wrestle with this question, you have already taken a positive step – and significantly reduced your baby’s chances of getting the H1N1 virus – by getting yourself vaccinated. The next step is to create a "cocoon of protection" around your baby by making sure that other caregivers in the family also get vaccinated.

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Miriam Falco
CNN Medical Managing Editor

For all the (legitimate) talk about the new H1N1 influenza virus, it's worth a reminder that this new flu strain is not all we have to worry about as fall turns into winter (except for Colorado, which evidently has winter now).

There's also something called "RSV." As a medical reporter, I've come across this term a few times. As a new mom of a 6-month-old, I've paid a little more attention and did some research. RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, can cause upper- and lower-respiratory infections.
The symptoms include runny nose, dry cough, low-grade fever, sore throat, mild headache and general discomfort. But in severe cases, it can cause bronchiolitis (infection of the tiny airways in the lungs) and pneumonia. According to the Mayo Clinic, severe symptoms include "high fever, severe cough, wheezing - a high-pitched noise that's usually heard on breathing out (exhaling), difficulty breathing, and bluish color of the skin due to lack of oxygen. "

RSV is so common that virtually every child will be infected before his or her second birthday. Fortunately, only a small percentage of infants develop severe illness. Luckily for my little guy, he's apparently no longer in the highest risk group, since most children hospitalized for RSV infection are younger than 6 months of age, according to the CDC. However, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in February suggests that among children 5 and younger, RSV infection is responsible for approximately 1of every 334 hospitalizations, 1 of every 38 visits to an emergency department, and 1 of every 13 visits to a primary care office each year in the United States.

Older people and adults with underlying illness can also be affected, but young children are at highest risk. One way to limit the risk to your child is to require folks to wash their hands before picking up your baby. Kissing can also spread RSV.

On August 30, the CDC stopped counting only H1N1 hospitalizations and deaths and started counting all hospitalizations for H1N1 and pneumonia; the new numbers will probably include cases of RSV too.

Consider this your reminder that in addition to H1N1 or swine flu, there are other viruses that lurk around. So if you or your children or parents get sick, it's not automatically always swine flu.

Have you had an experience with RSV that you can share with others?

By Val Willingham
CNN Medical producer

As a medical producer I am often asked where I get my story ideas. Most of them come from contacts I know. Other times I read about certain events or people I think would make interesting TV stories. I've even pulled a couple of ideas off my gym's bulletin board. Who knew that women's rugby was becoming popular? If you keep your eyes and ears open, "good" story ideas always seem to materialize.

That's how I met Ronn Wade. A few years ago, when I was suffering from insomnia, I flipped on the National Geographic channel, only to catch a special on mummies. Most of it was shot in Cairo, some in Peru and other exotic locales. Then the story switched to Baltimore. The director of the anatomical services division of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Ronn Wade, along with Bob Brier, a professor of philosophy and Egyptology at Long Island University took a donor cadaver and decided to mummify it using the same techniques as the Egyptians. Removing the organs one by one and placing them in canopic jars, extracting the brain with a hooked instrument, wrapping the body in bandages treated with special oils, Wade and Brier took weeks to preserve the body. I was fascinated. I knew I had to interview Ronn Wade.

Since that time I have worked with Ronn twice. Although he deplores the title, most people refer to him as the “Mummy Man”. He not only was the co-creator of the modern mummy, now on display at the San Diego Museum of Man, he also oversees a collection of 200, 18th century medical mummies called the Burns Collection. His department is also responsible for providing donor cadavers for local hospitals and medical schools. But what's most intriguing about Ronn's research is his ongoing effort to find a better way to preserve bodies with a treatment called plastination. By immersing donor cadavers in a plastic-like substance, made up of polymers, Ronn can actually take the organs, skin, anything found in the human anatomy and cut it into sections, much like slices from an MRI, but you can hold them in your hands. By looking at these slices, doctors and medical students are able to learn how diseases develop, why they develop, and in many cases, how they can be treated.

With today's fascination with the Twilight saga, displays like "Body: The Exhibition”, and television shows such as True Blood, Ronn Wade could probably do his own reality show. But death is more than gore and corpses to him. To him it's a teaching tool and a way to learn more about life.

Why do you think we are fascinated with death? We'd like to hear your thoughts.

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.