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Treat or monitor? It's a difficult decision prostate cancer patients and doctors must make based on how aggressive they think a tumor might be. But new genetic tests could lessen the guessing game and spare some men the side effects of treatment.

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(Reuters Health)For years doctors have assumed African Americans are less likely to develop multiple sclerosis (MS) than other races, but a new study suggests the opposite may be true.

Researchers found black women were more likely than white women to be diagnosed with MS, in which the protective coating around nerve fibers breaks down, slowing signals traveling between the brain and body. Among men, there was no difference.

Studies were conducted that analyzed three years' worth of medical records for the 3.5 million patients in the Kaiser Permanente health system. During that time, 496 were diagnosed with MS.

The researchers found that over an average year, 10 out of every 100,000 blacks developed the disease, compared to 7 white patients, 3 Hispanics and just over 1 Asian per 100,000.

More than two-thirds of all MS diagnoses were in women, and that gender gap was particularly strong among blacks.

The new study "very strongly implies that the rate has really gone up in blacks," said Dr. George Ebers, a neurologist who studies MS at John Radcliffe Hospital at theUniversity of Oxford in the UK but wasn't involved in the new research.

MS symptoms typically start with numbness and tingling from the waist down or weakness on one side of the body - such as after a stroke. Because of the notion that they're at lower risk, many black patients are initially misdiagnosed,” said Dr. Annette Langer-Gould, who led the new study at Kaiser Permanente Southern California in Los Angeles.

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(HealthDay News)People who grocery shop when hungry tend to load up their carts with higher-calorie foods and more of them, a new study suggests.

Not only does that affect the meal they will be eating at home that night, but their meals throughout the week, according to researchers Brian Wansink and Aner Tal, with the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University.

"It's known that hungry people buy more food in the grocery store, but what happens more is that people shift their shopping patterns to contain more high-calorie foods," Tal said. "When you are hungry, you think high-calorie food can provide you with more energy."

Dieting by skipping meals might not be a good idea, Tal added. If you shop while hungry you might wind up compensating for it with the high-calorie foods that will make up meals for the next several days, he said.

Another expert explained what might be driving the urge to shop for calorie-rich foods.

"Your body does not know the difference between purposely depriving yourself of food, as in fasting or dieting, or a lack of food or a famine," said Samantha Heller, a senior clinical nutritionist at the NYU Langone Medical Center, in New York City. "Your body does not know there are grocery stores and that you can have pizza delivered 24/7. The human body has not evolved as quickly as our agriculture or technology. It thinks we still have to go out and catch breakfast."

“Therefore,” she said, “when the body is deprived of food it goes into survival mode because it does not know when there will be another meal.”

Tal is now investigating whether having a snack before food shopping will tip the scale toward choosing lower-calorie foods.

The report was published as a research letter in the May 6 online edition of JAMA Internal Medicine.

Samantha Heller, a senior clinical nutritionist at the NYU Langone Medical Center, in New York City said this very small study indicates that skipping meals, fasting and restrictive dieting, even for short periods of time, is likely to backfire if weight loss is the goal.

It is important to eat at relatively regular intervals, she added. "This signals the body that fuel is readily available. Metabolism can run at optimal levels. Energy is available for biological functions and daily activities," Heller explained. "The immune system has the wherewithal to keep the body healthy. Mood improves," she said.

"Choosing healthy foods, eating regularly, monitoring portions and getting in daily exercise is the best way for your body and mind get happier and healthier," Heller advised.

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(image credit: movie poster/cc/wikipedia)

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Whenever a new movie releases with a seemingly familiar plot, I become very skeptical to see it in theater. I am not one for spending my money in hopes of being entertained only to be able to easily predict what’s coming next. There has to be something more that makes it worth my time. And I am happy to say that “something more” is exactly what I found with the movie Peeples.

"Peeples," directed by newcomer Tina Gordon Chism and presented by Tyler Perry is a film that is definitely more than meets the eye.

The synopsis simply states: “Sparks fly when Wade Walker crashes the Peeples annual reunion in the Hamptons to ask for their precious daughter Grace's hand in marriage,” and as you will find in the trailer below, that appears to be all there is to it. But film actually goes much deeper than it seems. I found "Peeples" to be about an awareness of self and others, as well as the key components of successful family/friend relationships.

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To read the full review of the movie, click Here.

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Produced and directed by NAACP Image Award winner Lyah Beth LeFlore, the poignant, humorous, and powerful play “Rivers Of Women” explores family, love, woman-to-woman experiences, race, and religion, driven by soul-stirring gospel, jazz, and blues. It is based on the works of poet and performing artist Shirley Bradley LeFlore.

The play will run at the Missouri History Museum from Thursday, May 16 through Sunday, May 19. Ticket prices range from $18 to $20 and can be purchased at the museum or online at: http://www.mohistory.org.

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Blogger 'The Curvy Fashionista,' Marie Denee, joins Nordstrom's plus-size buyer Breanne to talk the best in this year's Spring fashion trends.

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Women across the globe love First Lady Michelle Obama when it comes to fashion. Now there is an app that will help enthusiasts track her every garment.

Launched last week, the “Michelle's Style List” app will not only break down Mrs. O's ensembles, but it will also provide direct links to purchase the pieces themselves. Everything from designer gowns to casual wear is listed.

The app was developed in Britain by 28 year old Helen Barclay in hopes to give people better access to the influential First Lady’s style.

"Michelle Obama has a huge following in the US," she told the Daily Mail. "It is mainly aimed at the American market, but I hope it will work here, too."

You can find out more about the app at: michellesstylelist.com.

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