Health Tip: Shop Healthy

(HealthDay News) -- While your grocery list may be chock full of only healthy items, it's difficult for many of us to avoid filling our carts with cakes, cookies and other junk foods.

Here are suggestions on how to resist the temptation, courtesy of Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry:

• Try to spend most of your shopping time in the produce section. Load up on fresh fruits and vegetables -- you can also get frozen or canned fruits and veggies to save on preparation time.
• Buy only whole-grain or multi-grain breads.
• Allow yourself to buy one dessert a week. Denying yourself junk food altogether could lead to binging.
• Choose only low-fat dairy products.
  Buy enough fish and lean meats (like chicken) for at least three meals per week.
• Read the labels on everything you buy. Limit saturated fats in foods to no more than 15 percent of each item's total calories.

Cosmetic Procedures on the Rise Again

(HealthDay News) -- What price vanity? Try $12.2 billion.

That's the amount Americans spent last year improving their appearances with the help of cosmetic surgery, wrinkle fillers, facelifts, fat suctioning and other beautifying options.

About 11.5 million cosmetic procedures were performed overall in the United States in 2006, according to the latest survey released by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

The number of procedures increased by 1 percent over the previous year, with most of the rise due to a surge in nonsurgical procedures, such as Botox injections and facial "fillers," said Dr. James Stuzin, a plastic surgeon in Miami and president of the society.

"The total is up by 1 percent," Stuzin said, even though surgical procedures actually declined by 9 percent.

For the latest survey, the society worked with an independent research firm and mailed out 14,000 questionnaires nationwide -- not only to plastic surgeons but to facial plastic surgeons and dermatologists, specialists who also often perform cosmetic procedures. "The survey is more comprehensive than in past years," Stuzin said.

So, what's the latest? "Botox is becoming fairly common in men," Stuzin said. Interest in the injectable treatment used to smooth out facial wrinkles such as crow's feet and that between-eyebrow furrow really began to boom in 2002, Stuzin said, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved it for wrinkle relief.

Previously, Botox had been used "off-label," meaning many doctors used it for wrinkle relief, although it was not officially approved for that purpose but is common and legal practice.

In 2006, the top surgical procedures for both men and women were (in order of popularity) liposuction, breast augmentation, eyelid surgery, abdominoplasty ("tummy tucks"), and female breast reduction. For women, breast augmentation was the most popular surgical procedure, with almost 384,000 procedures done in the United States in 2006.

For men, liposuction was the most popular surgical procedures, with more than 53,000 such procedures done on men last year.

Botox was the most popular non-surgical procedure for both men and women, although the number of procedures on women -- 2.8 million -- was far greater than the number of procedures on men, 300,472.

Other popular non-surgical procedures included the use of hyaluronic acid (brand named Restylane and Juvederm); fillers used to plump up the face and reduce wrinkles; laser hair removal and skin resurfacing.

"The non-surgical procedures have opened up cosmetic enhancement either to people who were afraid or financially couldn't afford the surgery," Stuzin said.

He pointed to other patterns, as well. People are going in for cosmetic procedures at an earlier age, he said, picking non-surgical options such as skin peels and injectables first and delaying more major work (such as face-lifts) until they are older.

Not everyone thinks the rise in cosmetic surgery is a good thing.

"These numbers make me sad," said Joan Chrisler, a professor of psychology at Connecticut College in New London who has researched the topic of self-image. "It suggests people are so dissatisfied with themselves, they are willing to take risks and subject their bodies to all kinds of damage."

Chrisler points to a statistic in the survey that the number of cosmetic procedures has jumped 446 percent since 1997. "That's a big jump in 10 years," she said.

Those who decide to have a cosmetic procedure, she added, should "check into the side effects of what could go wrong and make sure it is worth the risk."

In agreement with that advice are officials from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, another professional organization of physicians who perform cosmetic procedures. In a survey by the group released this month, pollsters found that nearly 40 percent of cosmetic surgery patients said they should have been more proactive in learning about side effects and potential complications before the surgery.

The survey, conducted by a market research firm and funded by a grant from pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co., polled 301 patients who had cosmetic surgery and 316 who had surgery that was medically necessary.

While 80 percent of the cosmetic surgery patients were pleased with the experience, about a third encountered "difficult to manage" side effects or complications after surgery, and 40 percent said they wished they had researched the surgery more extensively.

Among the suggested questions to ask a doctor, according to the Society: What are your credentials and training? How many of these procedures have you performed? What are the risks? Where will you do the procedure? What type of anesthesia will you use? What are the potential complications and side effects? How long is the recovery period? What can I, and can't I, do during the recovery time?

Chrisler suggested people also have realistic expectations should they decide to have cosmetic surgery.

"People often think they are going to be happier," she said. "And they are often not." To boost happiness, she tells them, "You have to work on the inside as well as the outside."

More information
To learn more about pre-surgery consultation, visit the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

Health Tip: Are Sleep Aids For You?

(HealthDay News) -- Prescription sleep aids may not always be the best method of alleviating insomnia. In some people, behavioral modification -- like changes in diet, exercise and sleep environment -- may do the trick and could be less risky.

Here's how to know if you may be a candidate for a prescription sleep aid, courtesy of the National Sleep Foundation:

• Insomnia is causing problems during everyday activities, such as work or driving.
• Lifestyle and behavior changes have not worked.
• You have insomnia-related distress.
• Insomnia is predictable due to a temporary health or biological condition, such as premenstrual syndrome or jet lag.

High Rate of Psychiatric Woes in Children Bereaved by 9/11

(HealthDay News) -- In the years after the 2001 World Trade Center terrorist attack, the rate of psychiatric illness among children who lost a parent in that event more than doubled -- from about 32 percent before the attacks to almost 73 percent after, a new study finds.

More than half of the 45 bereaved children, average age 9, in the study suffered from some form of anxiety disorder, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), said researchers at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City.

About 30 percent of the bereaved children developed PTSD, a rate that is 10 times higher than that seen in a control group of 34 non-bereaved children.

The study found that 27.3 percent of bereaved children had separation anxiety, and 25 percent had generalized anxiety, double the rate of non-bereaved children. The rate of simple phobias among the bereaved children was pegged at 13.6 percent compared with 5.9 percent of non-bereaved children.

The rate of major depressive disorder among bereaved children was 13.6 percent, compared to 5.9 percent among non-bereaved children.

The researchers also found that many children who lost a parent in the WTC terrorist attack had chronic, heightened activity of the brain's "stress-response system."

"Continued activation of this system can lead to long-term hypersensitivity to stress as adults and even impact on bone health, since the stress hormone cortisol can harm bone," lead researcher Dr. Cynthia Pfeffer, professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College and attending psychiatrist at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College, said in a prepared statement.

The children in the study, conducted at five sites across the greater New York metropolitan area, were recruited from four months to three years after 9/11. After they were enrolled in the study, they were assessed once every six months for two years.

The findings are published in the April issue of the journal Biological Psychiatry.

More information
The Nemours Foundation offers advice on helping children deal with death.