Sub-Topics 2006 2009 Also Try AIDS and HIV Resources Biotechnology Health Current Events Archives Health News Health Research Medical Swine Flu Lists Hospital-Acquired Infections (Awesome Library) Provides articles on reducing hospital-acquired infections. Hospital-acquired infections are infections gained while staying at a hospital. Multimedia -07-09-09 Bottled Water May Not Be What It Seems to Be (MSNBC News) Provides an update on bottled water, revealing that the companies supplying the water do not have to reveal what is in the water or where it came from. The reporter claims that 25% of bottled water comes from...the tap. 07-09 -08-15-09 Factcheck About Health Care (ABC News) "Each day this week we've run a "Fact Check" report about health care -- trying to cut through the many rumors about health care reform to give you the facts." 08-09 Can Kids Recover from Autism? (MSNBC News) "Scientists study the small group of kids who seem to improve." 04-09 News -001 Debate Focuses on Public Insurance Option (CNN News) "After weeks of battles over aspects of President Obama's proposed health care reforms, the debate focused Monday on one central issue: whether the U.S. government will offer a public insurance option." "Former Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean, a doctor and one-time presidential candidate, told NBC's 'Today Show' on Monday that he believes a public option 'is the entirety of health care reform; it's not the entirety of insurance reform.' " 08-09 -001 Debate Focuses on Public Insurance Option (Time.com) "So what happens if Obama takes the next step and explicitly abandons the public option? The left will be disappointed and its enthusiasm for the whole exercise may wane, though Obama probably won't lose many votes among liberal Democrats on Capitol Hill. At the same time, he probably won't pick up many from Republicans, who are looking less and less like they are in the mood to find a compromise. But it could help keep some shakier centrists aboard. And it would lower the intensity of the heat around the entire debate, by removing an issue that the White House has increasingly come to view as a distraction from the larger goals of its health-care reform." 08-09 -001 Health Care Insurance Guide (Time.com) Explains the key provisions under consideration in short, easy-to-read paragraphs. 11-09 -001 Seven Falsehoods About Health Care (Newsweek.com) "Does the House bill call for mandatory counseling on how to end seniors' lives sooner? Absolutely not. Will the government be dictating to doctors how to treat their patients? No. Do the bills propose cutting Medicare benefit levels? No on that one, too." "But on the other hand, has Congress figured out how to pay for this overhaul? Not yet. Or will it really save families $2,500 a year as the president keeps claiming? Good luck on that one, too." 08-09 -011-01-09 U.N. Needs $39 Billion to Combat Top Killer of Children (Time.com) "To fight pneumonia, the world's top killer of children, United Nations officials say they need $39 billion over the next six years." 10-09 -011-02-09 Scientists Decode Pig DNA (Time.com) "An international group of scientists has decoded the DNA of the domestic pig, research that may one day prove useful in finding new treatments for both pigs and people, and perhaps aid in efforts for a new swine flu vaccine for pigs." "Pigs and humans are similar in size and makeup, and swine are often used in human research. Scientists say they rely on pigs to study everything from obesity and heart disease to skin disorders." 11-09 -05-04-09 Early Signs of Autism (Time.com) "Among the telltale signs of trouble at 12 months: not responding to one's name; not sharing interests through pointing and eye gaze; lack of joyful expression; an absence of babbling; difficulty establishing eye contact; and staring too long at inanimate objects (see FirstSigns.org for more early-warning signs)." 05-09 -05-05-09 Flu Shots Locator and Flu Trends in the U.S. (Google.org) "We've found that certain search terms are good indicators of flu activity. Google Flu Trends uses aggregated Google search data to estimate flu activity in your state up to two weeks faster than traditional systems." 04-09 -05-05-09 The Gluten-Free Lifestyle (ABC News) "In her new book, "The G-Free Diet: A Gluten Survival Guide," Hasselbeck tells her personal story and tells you how you can start living a gluten-free life." "I learned about gluten the hard way. I wrote this book so you don't have to. Most people with celiac disease, like me, have a story to tell. My hope is that in reading mine, and the pages that follow, you will be able to begin your journey to a better body and a better self—without all the heartache (and bellyache!) that I endured for far too long." 05-09 -05-06-09 Tips on Losing Pounds (U.S. News) "A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine emphasizes that principle; the mix of carbohydrates, fat, and protein in the four diets to which people were assigned didn't make a difference in whether they lost weight. One hopes this means an end to the interminable battles over whether the Atkins diet trumps a low-fat diet, for example, or whether either of those trumps the Zone diet. As the authors said about this and previous research:" "These findings together point to behavioral factors rather than macronutrient metabolism as the main influences on weight loss . . . any type of diet, when taught for the purpose of weight loss with enthusiasm and persistence, can be effective." "The bad news: Those pesky "behavioral factors," i.e., our penchant for eating too much and exercising too little, seem to win out over the enthusiastic and persistent teaching." 05-09 -05-14-09 New Test to Predict Alzheimer's Disease (Time.com) "Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and the University of Pittsburgh have developed the first screening tool that can help predict whether elderly patients are at low, moderate or high risk of developing dementia. The new test takes into account characteristic risk factors for dementia, including advanced age and the presence of genes associated with Alzheimer's, but also relies on lesser-known contributors such as patients' body weight and alcohol-drinking habits." 05-09 -05-14-09 Signs You Are At Risk of Stroke (U.S. News) "You can prevent stroke, the third-leading cause of death and top cause of adult disability in the U.S." 05-09 -05-14-09 Signs of a Stroke (U.S. News) "Minimizing the time between the onset of a stroke and the start of stroke treatment is critical for surviving the brain attack and minimizing the resulting brain injury. The key is to immediately get to the emergency room for a brain scan to detect which type of stroke has hit. If it's ischemic—caused by a blood clot—the best treatment is a clot-dissolving drug called tissue plasminogen activator, or TPA, and the quicker the treatment, the less the disabling damage. Most hospitals will treat stroke patients with TPA only if the medicine can be injected within three hours of the appearance of symptoms, which is why getting to the hospital is such an urgent matter. A recent study found, however, that TPA can be safe and effective up to 4½ hours after a stroke. Treatment for hemorrhagic stroke, caused by a bleeding vessel in the brain, involves lowering blood pressure and reducing swelling in the brain." 05-09 -05-14-09 Study: Ginger Helps Chemo Nausea (CBS News) "Ginger, long used as a folk remedy for soothing tummyaches, helped tame one of the most dreaded side effects of cancer treatment - nausea from chemotherapy, the first large study to test the herb for this has found. " "People who started taking ginger capsules several days before a chemo infusion had fewer and less severe bouts of nausea afterward than others who were given dummy capsules, the federally funded study found." 05-09 -05-19-09 Stems Cells Target Tumors (U.S. News) "In mice, genetically engineered cells killed cancer but spared healthy cells." 05-09 -05-23-09 Skip the Burgers, Eat the Veggies (U.S. News) "Eating meat that's charred or well-done raises the risk of pancreatic cancer, according to a recent study. Grilled veggies don't carry the same risk." 05-09 -05-30-09 New Vaccine for Melanoma Cancer (MSNBC News) "For the first time, a novel treatment that trains the immune system to fight cancer has shown modest benefit in late-stage testing against the deadly skin cancer melanoma." "The approach is called a cancer vaccine, even though it treats disease rather than prevents it. In a study of about 180 patients already getting standard therapy, the vaccine doubled the number of patients whose tumors shrank, and extended the time until their cancer worsened by about six weeks." 05-09 -06-08-09 Healthy Habits to Live to 100 (U.S. News) "The biggest factor that determines how well you age is not your genes but how well you live. Not convinced? A new study published in the British Medical Journal of 20,000 British folks shows that you can cut your risk of having a stroke in half by doing the following four things: being active for 30 minutes a day, eating five daily servings of fruit and vegetables, and avoiding cigarettes and excess alcohol." 06-09 -07-01-09 Boosting Your Fitness as You Age (U.S. News) "In the past couple of years, Bernardes has fine-tuned her diet, figuring out which nutrients she wasn't getting enough of. 'I added twice as much protein as I was eating before,' she says. Breakfast used to be a bowl of oatmeal; now she has protein shakes with fruit. And at lunch and dinner, she focuses on getting in her protein first. That helps her feel better day to day but also helped her avoid weight gain during the winter off-season." 07-09 -07-01-09 FDA Panel Votes to Curtail Acetaminophen-Related Deaths (MSNBC News) "The FDA has assembled a group of experts to vote on ways to reduce liver damage associated with acetaminophen, one of the most widely used drugs in the U.S." "Despite years of educational campaigns and other federal actions, acetaminophen remains the leading cause of liver failure in the U.S., according to the FDA." "Panelists cited FDA data indicating 60 percent of acetaminophen-related deaths are related to prescription products. Acetaminophen is also found in popular over-the-counter medications like Tylenol and Excedrin." 076-09 -07-01-09 Obesity Rates Rise in the U.S. (MSNBC News) "Obesity rates among adults rose in 23 states over the past year and didn't decline anywhere, says a new report from the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation." Recent research suggests that obese persons, compared to non-obese persons, "live nearly as long but are much sicker for longer, requiring such costly interventions as knee replacements and diabetes care and dialysis. Studies show Medicare spends anywhere from $1,400 to $6,000 more annually on health care for an obese senior than for the non-obese." 07-09 -07-09-09 Longevity Quest Moves From the Lab to Life (MSNBC News) "Known as caloric restriction, or CR, the practice of reducing food intake by at least 30 percent and as much as 70 percent has been regarded for decades as the gold standard for boosting longevity." "The mTOR is a protein involved in the signaling responses of cells and its activity may account for the lifespan extension found in CR. “By tinkering with those pathways, it’s possible we can alter the cells’ aging processes,” Kennedy says." "Research on mTOR by Kennedy and Kaeberlein was recently boosted by the discovery of 25 shared genes that regulate aging in yeast and worms, organisms separated by 1.5 billion years of evolution. Equally remarkable, researchers found that 15 of those genes are present in humans." Also try Longevity. 07-09 -07-09-09 Low-Calorie Diet Slows Aging in Monkeys (MSNBC News) "So far, 37 percent of the monkeys who kept their regular diet have died of age-related diseases — compared with just 13 percent of the calorie-cut monkeys, a nearly three-fold difference, the researchers reported. A handful of other monkeys died of unrelated conditions, such as injury, not deemed affected by nutrition." "Death was not the only change. The calorie-cut monkeys had less than half the incidence of cancerous tumors or heart disease as the monkeys who ate normally. Brain scans showed less age-related shrinkage in the dieting monkeys. They also retained more muscle, something else that tends to waste with age." 07-09 -07-10-09 Treating Heart Failure (U.S. News) "About 5 million people in the United States have heart failure, and 300,000 die from it every year. (Compare that with the 570,000 annual deaths caused by every kind of cancer.) Indeed, heart failure—the heart can't pump enough blood through the body—is the most common reason older folks wind up in the hospital, and more than 1 in 4 heart-failure patients must be hospitalized again within a month of being discharged, according to a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine. That's despite the fact, the American Heart Association contends, that most of these rehospitalizations are preventable." " 'I'd estimate that only about one third of patients who need CRT are actually getting it,' says study author Adrian Hernandez, an assistant professor of medicine at Duke University School of Medicine. The procedure, which costs $25,000 to $40,000, has been shown to lower a patient's risk of dying from heart failure by one third over several years and to reduce the likelihood of rehospitalization by about half." Also try Heart Attacks07-09 -07-19-09 The BRCA Gene and Cancer (CNN News) "Women with the BRCA gene mutations have a 60 to 80 percent chance of developing breast cancer -- at least five times higher than the general population -- according to the American Cancer Society. Additionally, these women have up to a 60 percent chance of getting ovarian cancer in their lifetime." 07-09 -07-24-09 The Four Grossest Kid Health Problems (CNN News) "Kids plus germs often equals extreme yuckiness (think stomach flu). But there are some childhood afflictions that -- even though they're not at all dangerous -- are (how to put this?) truly disgusting. First, the good news: The four conditions described here have nothing to do with hygiene and are much more common than you think, so there's no need to be embarrassed." 07-09 -08-03-09 Millions of Children Lacking in Vitamin D (MSNBC News) "Millions of U.S. children have disturbingly low Vitamin D levels, possibly increasing their risk for bone problems, heart disease, diabetes and other ailments, according to two new studies that provide the first national assessment of the crucial nutrient in young Americans." "About 9 percent of those ages 1 through 21 — about 7.6 million children, adolescents and young adults — have Vitamin D levels so low they could be considered deficient, while an additional 61 percent — 50.8 million — have higher levels, but still low enough to be insufficient, according to the analysis of federal data being released Monday." 07-09 -08-04-09 How to Get Enough Vitamin D (ABC News) "The recommended intake for children is 400 IU which translates into about 15 minutes of sunlight 3 times a week. Eating foods such as milk and cheese are also good sources of the vitamin, and if that's not enough, vitamin D supplements are also an option." 07-09 -08-04-09 Researchers Say They Found Malaria's Origin (CNN News) "Though not a public health issue in the United States, malaria infects 500 million people every year and kills between 1 million and 3 million. Its assault on humans has been relentless, especially among African children." "Malaria hijacks and kills healthy red blood cells and infects the liver. If not treated soon after onset of symptoms -- such as fever, chills, diarrhea and shortness of breath -- those infected by malaria can have neurological problems or cognitive problems, or ultimately die." "It is a biological menace, constantly morphing, eluding the best efforts to fight it." 08-09 -08-16-09 Exercise and Obesity (ABC News) "The problem ultimately is about not exercise itself but the way we've come to define it. Many obesity researchers now believe that very frequent, low-level physical activity — the kind humans did for tens of thousands of years before the leaf blower was invented — may actually work better for us than the occasional bouts of exercise you get as a gym rat." 08-09 -08-19-09 Editorial: Frightening Future If Health Reform Fails (CNN News) "Milliman Inc., an employee benefits consulting firm, publishes annually its Milliman Medical Index on the total health spending by or for a typical American family of four with private health insurance. The index totals the family's out-of-pocket spending for health care plus the contribution employers and employees make to that family's job-related health insurance coverage." 08-09 -09-06-09 Twenty Percent Fewer May Get Alzheimer's (MSNBC News) "Scientists have found three new major genetic links to Alzheimer's, affecting up to 20 percent of people with the brain-wasting disease, and said on Sunday it was the most significant such discovery in 15 years." 09-09 -09-06-09 Unhealthy Habits Mar Thinking and Memory Skils (MSNBC News) "Previous research has linked declining thinking and memory skills with unhealthy behaviors such as smoking, abstaining completely from alcohol, not getting enough physical activity, and not eating enough fruits and vegetables daily." "Over a 17-year period, adult men and women who accumulated the most versus the least number of unhealthy behaviors were nearly three times more likely to show poor thinking skills, and about two times more likely to have declining memory, Sabia and colleagues report in the American Journal of Epidemiology." 09-09 -09-07-09 Study: Face Masks Can Be Effective (CNN News) "From Mexico to China, people around the world have worn face masks to protect against swine flu, also known as the H1N1 virus. The problem? Experts could never say for sure whether such masks actually help you stay healthy." "Now, the largest study to date on the subject suggests they do. When sick people and their families wear surgical face masks and wash their hands within the first 36 hours of symptoms, healthy family members are indeed less likely to get seasonal flu, researchers say. They think the results may apply to H1N1 as well." "However, those who started using masks or washing their hands after the 36-hour time period had passed saw no benefit." 09-09 -09-12-09 President Obama: Illegal Immigrants Will Be Barred (ABC News) " 'Undocumented immigrants would not be able to buy private insurance on the exchange. Those who are lawfully present in this country would be able to participate.' " 09-09 -09-15-09 FDA Approves a Vaccine for Swine Flu, H1N1 (CBS News) "The Food and Drug Administration approved the new swine flu vaccine Tuesday, a long-anticipated step as the government works to get vaccinations under way next month." 09-09 -09-16-09 Doctors Urge Action to Avoid Catastrophic Health Consequences (Time.com) "A weak response to climate change could be catastrophic for international health, leading doctors said in two British medical journals Wednesday." "In a letter jointly published in The Lancet and BMJ, presidents from 18 medical organizations worldwide called on doctors to pressure politicians meeting in Copenhagen in December to take decisive action on global warming." "In an accompanying editorial, Lord Michael Jay of the medical charity Merlin and Michael Marmot of University College London wrote that 'a successful outcome at Copenhagen is vital for our future as a species and for our civilization.' " 09-09 -09-19-09 Added Sugar Hurts (U.S. New) "Added sugars, which are sprinkled on and processed into packaged foods and beverages, have become all too common in the American diet, says the American Heart Association. The group argues that sugar bingeing is helping drive the uptick in metabolic changes in the American population, including the exploding obesity rate, and has now recommended an upper limit on daily consumption. Women should consume no more than 100 calories per day of added sugars, and men should not top 150 calories per day. There goes the soda habit: One 12-ounce can contains about 8 teaspoons or about 33 grams of added sugar, which equals approximately 130 calories, notes the AHA. (One gram of sugar serves up 4 calories, according to the American Dietetic Association.)" 09-09 -09-26-09 Children Under 10 Will Need Two Swine Flu Shots (U.S. News) "Still confused about what's going to happen with swine flu shots next month? You're not alone. The federal government and individual states still haven't told us how they're going to distribute the vaccine, or when. Yesterday's chirpy press release from the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases made it easy to think that all children will need just one swine flu immunization, but that's not true. The younger a child is, the less well his or her immune system responded to the swine flu vaccine in clinical trials. So children under age 10 will need two doses of swine flu vaccine, one month apart, according to the NIAID itself." 09-09 -10-06-09 Children Begin Receiving Swine Flu Shots (ABC News) "The first doses of H1N1 flu vaccine were given to children today, a day after health care workers began getting doses in what is likely to be the largest flu vaccination campaign in U.S. history." 10-09 -10-06-09 Ten Riskiest Foods in the U.S. (MSNBC News) "A new CSPI report finds that the top 10 riskiest foods regulated by the federal Food and Drug Administration accounted for nearly 40 percent of all foodborne outbreaks in the U.S. between 1990 and 2006, spawning nearly 50,000 illnesses with symptoms ranging from stomach cramps and diarrhea to kidney failure and death." 10-09 -10-07-09 CBO Scores the Baucus Bill (Time.com) "The good news/bad news seems to be that it reduces the deficit by $81 billion over 10 years, but leaves 25 million uninsured (one-third of them illegal immigrants)." 10-09 -10-07-09 Treating Bedbugs (ABC News) "But Koehler and Pereira recently discovered a low-cost way to eradicate bedbugs in furniture -- by heating them to death. Clothes, sheets and other bedding can be placed in a clothes dryer at high heat for about 15 minutes to kill the pests -- so why not heat up the infested furniture?" Visitors also call them bed bugs. 10-09 -10-09-09 Blind Boy Learns to "See" With His Ears (CNN News) "To 'see' the world around him, he clicks his tongue on the roof of his mouth and listens to the echo that bounces back. From the sound, he can make out the location, depth and shape of objects around him, allowing him to navigate even unfamiliar areas." 10-09 -10-09-09 Things To Do and Not Do for Flu Protection (U.S. News) "The H1N1 virus that causes swine flu is highly infectious, most likely because so few of us have been exposed to it. While it's nearly impossible to completely protect yourself from getting infected—even if you always wear a face mask—there are things you can do (or not do) to reduce your chances." 10-09 -10-12-09 Stem Cells Grow New Cheek Bones (ABC News) "Brad had an experimental eight-hour operation in May at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, where doctors implanted cadaver bone into his face. They then injected Brad's own stem cells into the donor bone." "From a medical standpoint, the results were miraculous." 10-09 -10-13-09 Ten Ways to Reduce Risk of Flu (Time.com) "Whether you decide to get a flu shot this year or not, it's important to take steps to prevent yourself from getting the seasonal flu, as well as H1N1, commonly referred to as swine flu." 10-09 -10-15-09 Gas May Be a Lifesaver (CNN News) "The air we breathe is 21 percent oxygen. At 5 percent, those fish and flies -- like us -- would be dead in a few minutes. At 0.1 percent, it was another story. 'You get a state of suspended animation and the creatures do not pass away, and that's the basis of what we see as an alternative way to think about critical care medicine,' Roth says. 'What you want to do is to have the patient's time slowed down, while everyone around them [like doctors] move at what we would call real time.' " "If the patient's time -- the process of your death -- were slowed down, doctors would have more time to fix you. In medicine, time is key. An analogy is the history of open heart surgery. For years, surgeons had the technical tools to make simple repairs on the heart, but they couldn't help patients until the development of the heart-lung machine made it possible to preserve the body for more than a few minutes without a heartbeat." 10-09 -10-15-09 Study: Benefits of Avoiding Secondhand Smoke Confirmed (MSNBC News) "A major report confirms what health officials have long believed: Bans on smoking in restaurants, bars and other gathering spots reduce the risk of heart attacks among nonsmokers." 04-09 -10-16-09 New Treatment for Heart Attacks (CNN News) "Working to calm himself, Scott performed a new type of CPR on his wife. No pausing for mouth-to-mouth. Compressions only. Since 2004, the technique has been utilized throughout Arizona to minimize interruptions in blood flow to a cardiac arrest victim's heart and brain. In the last five years, statewide survival has more than tripled." 10-09 -10-16-09 Will the Attacks of Insurers Backfire? (Time.com) "Indeed, the insurers seem to have done nothing so much as galvanize the often fractious Democrats. Before this week, a proposed government-funded public plan to compete with private insurers to reduce costs seemed to be off the table. In the Senate it most likely still is; but in the House, Pelosi is using the industry's assault to coax recalcitrant moderates to sign on to a strong public option." 10-09 -10-17-09 Swine Flu Links to Pneumonia (CBS News) "The virus can cause life-threatening viral pneumonia much more commonly than the typical flu, prompting the World Health Organization on Friday to warn hospitals to prepare for a possible wave of very sick patients and to urge doctors to treat suspected cases quickly with antiviral drugs." "Experts stress that most people who get the H1N1 virus either never get sick or recover easily. But some young adults, possibly especially women, are falling seriously ill at an unexpectedly rapid pace and are showing up in intensive care units and dying in unusually high numbers, they say." "Although why a minority of patients become so sick remains a mystery, new research indicates that H1N1 is different from typical seasonal flu viruses in crucial ways -- most notably in its ability to penetrate deep into the lungs and cause viral pneumonia." 10-09 -10-19-09 Life-Saving H1N1 Drub Unavailable to Most (CBS News) "New doses of the H1N1 flu vaccine will arrive across the country this week. But what about those who are already infected?" "The virus can make healthy people suddenly very ill. Some doctors say they'd use an experimental drug to help rescue patients on the brink - if only they were allowed, CBS News correspondent Wyatt Andrews reports." 10-09 -10-19-09 Poll: Majority Backs Public Option (MSNBC News) "As Democratic congressional leaders and White House officials work to shape health care bills that will go to the House and Senate floors, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows that support for a government-run health plan to compete with private insurers has rebounded from its summertime lows and now wins clear majority support from the public." 10-09 -10-19-09 The 20 Worst Foods for Kids (MSNBC News) "Seventy percent of overweight adolescents end up overweight or obese in adulthood. And since obesity increases your odds of heart attack, stroke, and early death, consider the impact of an entire generation of overweight children on our country's health care system — and families. It's a chilling thought, especially if one of those children is your own. That's why we've created this list, to help your family make smarter choices today for a healthier tomorrow." 10-09 -10-20-09 Health Care Lobbyists Rise to Power (CBS News) "The pharmaceutical industry is putting its army of lobbyists into overdrive as Congress works to complete a health care reform bill." "There are 3,000 registered health care lobbyists on Capitol Hill -- that's six for every single member of Congress. And in many cases, those lobbyists are former members of Congress who shaped laws that benefitted the industry they joined." 10-09 -10-20-09 Study: School Lunches Inadequate (MSNBC News) "School lunches need more fruits, veggies and whole grains and a limit on calories, says a report urging an update of the nation's 14-year-old standards for cafeteria fare." 10-09 -10-21-09 Big Businesses Ask for Health Care Reform Exemption (MSNBC News) "At issue are businesses that "self-insure" rather than purchasing coverage from an insurance company. Workers in such arrangements often believe they're covered by a health insurer since they have cards bearing the company's name, but in fact their employer shoulders the risks and pays claims, with the insurance company merely administering the plan." 10-09 -10-22-09 Twin Study Reveals Secrets to Looking Younger (MSNBC News) "It may seem odd that two people with the same DNA could look so different, but it’s common, according to research published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery by Bahman Guyuron, a plastic surgeon in Cleveland, and colleagues at Cleveland’s Case Western Reserve University. Contrasting behaviors cause subtle differences in appearance that eventually make one of the pair look older than the other. And that suggests that all of us — twins or not — may have more influence on the way we age than we think." 10-09 -10-28-09 A H1N1 Flu To Do (and Don't Do) List (CNN News) "Experts say that flu activity is higher-than-normal for this time of year and almost all of it is due to H1N1." " 'From what I've seen, I actually believe it to be more contagious,' [than seasonal flu] says Litman. [Dr. Nathan Litman is the chief of pediatric infectious diseases at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore, in New York City.] Often with the seasonal flu that's circulating, a percentage of the population has some immunity to it. With H1N1, it looks like most people -- other than the elderly -- have no immunity to it, and that may be why it appears more contagious, he says." "People who are older than 60 may have been exposed to a swine-flu-like virus in the distant past, which is giving them an edge with this pandemic." " 'Get immunized, wash your hands, cover your mouth and nose if you're sneezing or coughing, stay home if you're sick, and if any warning signs come up -- difficulty breathing, not responsive as usual, unable to take fluids, or after a day or two of the fever coming down and having more fever and cough again -- see the doctor,' says Litman." 10-09 -10-28-09 House Health Reform Bill Ready for Vote (and Don't Do) List (ABC News) "After weeks of intense, closed-door negotiations with House Democrats, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi plans to unveil her health care bill tomorrow. " "It includes a public option, but it will not be the Medicare-like public option she wanted. The government-run insurance company created by her bill would negotiate payment rates with health care providers just like private insurance companies. Pelosi simply could not get the votes to pass the 'robust' version she prefers." 10-09 -10-28-09 Plus-Size Supermodel Speaks Out (Time.com) "Six years ago, Crystal Renn was an unknown size-0 model who moved to New York City from Clinton, Miss., to make it big. She struggled with her weight for years, however, and finally made the bold decision to switch to plus-size modeling. Now a healthy 165 lb., she is the highest-paid plus-size model in the world, having graced the covers of American Vogue and Harper's Bazaar and appeared in Dolce & Gabbana ads. The 23-year-old talks with TIME about her new book, Hungry, her size-0 modeling days and walking the runway for Jean Paul Gaultier." 10-09 -10-28-09 Study: Curry Spice Kills Cancer (BBC News) "An extract found in the bright yellow curry spice turmeric can kill off cancer cells, scientists have shown." "The chemical - curcumin - has long been thought to have healing powers and is already being tested as a treatment for arthritis and even dementia." 10-09 -10-29-09 House to Vote on Health Plan (MSNBC News.com) "After months of struggle, House Democrats rolled out sweeping legislation Thursday to extend health care coverage to millions who lack it and create a new option of government-run insurance. A vote is likely next week on the plan largely tailored to President Barack Obama's liking." 10-09 -10-31-09 Obama to Lift HIV/AIDS Travel Ban (CNN News) "President Obama announced Friday that he will lift a 22-year-old ban on entry into the United States for people infected with HIV/AIDS." ""We talk about reducing the stigma of this disease, yet we've treated a visitor living with it as a threat," he said at the White House. "If we want to be the global leader in combating HIV/AIDS, we need to act like it." "Obama said that lifting the ban is a "step that will encourage people to get tested and get treatment. It's a step that will keep families together, and it's a step that will save lives." "The United States, he said, is one of only a dozen countries that still bar the entry of people with HIV." 01-09 -10-31-09 Study: Sleep Need May Have a Genetic Link (CNN News) "A study published this year in the journal Science identified a mutated gene in a mother-daughter pair that allowed them to function on six hours of sleep. The research conducted by University of California, San Francisco scientists is believed to be the first to discover a gene, hDEC2 involved in regulating sleep length. This finding could someday lead to a better understanding of why some people require more sleep." 01-09 -11-01-09 Study: Preventing H1N1 From Spreading(U>S. News) "Perhaps I should take a hint from a coworker who yesterday forwarded me a study showing that H1N1, the virus that causes swine flu, remains contagious long after those first few can't-get-out-of-bed days." "The study, published last week in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found that H1N1 is most contagious within the first three days after symptoms appear but that infected individuals could still spread the disease after a week." "Bottom line: If you've got flulike symptoms, do your best to avoid close contact with others for several days or even a week. Skip family gatherings, especially if you know that certain high-risk individuals may be present: kids younger than 5 years old; seniors over 65; pregnant women; and those with asthma, diabetes, impaired immunity, or heart or lung conditions. While the CDC no longer recommends that we stay home from work or school until all our symptoms are gone, the agency does still have this recommendation in place for healthcare workers or those visiting relatives in the hospital." 10-09 -11-13-09 Why Small Businesses Are Against the Health Bills (Time.com) "When it comes to finding quality, affordable health insurance, few have it worse than small-business owners and their workers shopping for coverage on the open market. They are charged the most per person, have the least amount of choice and, as a result, are some of the most likely to be uninsured." "Some 70% of the nation's estimated 50 million uninsured are full-time workers or their dependents, many of whom work for small businesses. Just 39% of workers in firms with three to 24 staff are covered by job-sponsored insurance, down from 50% in 1999." "Business groups like the Chamber and the NFIB vehemently oppose the public option. The Chamber says it would pay below-cost reimbursement rates, leading doctors and hospitals to charge private insurers (and the employers who purchase coverage from them) more to make up the difference. But even if that were true — and there are many observers who say this fear is overblown — it's not clear that small-business owners would be the ones to suffer." 11-09 -11-18-09 CBO: Senate Health Plan to Reduce Deficit over 10 Years (MSNBC News) "The Congressional Budget Office estimated it would cost $849 billion over 10 years, spread coverage to 31 million Americans who currently lack it while still reducing federal deficits by a total of $127 billion in that decade." "An aide said the CBO also estimated that the bill would achieve cuts of $1 trillion over a decade in projected health care costs. The estimate of 94 percent coverage was less than the 96 percent estimated for legislation the House passed earlier this month, but no precise comparisons were possible without as-yet-unreleased CBO documentation." 11-09 -11-19-09 Study: Choice of Words Can Seriously Influence Health (USA Today) "The blood tests revealed people who used words that reflect thoughtfulness limited the rise in the damaging proteins, so there was added health protection for participants who choose the right words in conversing with their partner." "If the woman used thoughtful words, it did reduce the rise in cytokines in the man, but if the man used the right words, it didn't affect the woman, she added. It's not clear why, although as many researchers have noted in the past, women are different from men." "OK, so the research shows that if you keep your cool, don't use inflammatory language, and run your comments through a bit of cognitive processing -- in other words, think about the words you use -- you can emerge from a fight with your lover better equipped to deal with some really serious health issues. But can people really do that, especially while discussing a contentious issue?" 11-09 -Health News (New York Times) "Health Update is your weekly dose of news and information from the world's leading experts on health, fitness and nutrition." 02-08 -Swine Flu Update for the U.S. (CDC.gov) "Human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection have been identified in the United States. Human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection also have been identified internationally. The current U.S. case count is provided below." 04-09 05-08-09 Nurses Are a Key to Health Care Reform (Time.com) "One of the few things that just about all sides agree upon in this health care debate is that we need more primary care providers -- lots more. And an already serious shortage will only get worse if we succeed in expanding coverage to some or all of the 47 million Americans who now lack it. That is one of the lessons of health care reform in Massachusetts, whose success in moving toward universal coverage has created what the Massachusetts Medical Society deems a 'critical' need for internal medicine and family practice physicians." 05-09 Current Health and Science Issues in Depth (NOW with Bill Moyers) "When PBS and Bill Moyers launched NOW, it was to illuminate stories that weren't being covered on any other public affairs broadcast, and under Moyers' leadership, NOW has pursued the truth behind the headlines. 'We are continuing to take a thoughtful look at the events shaping our world,' says Moyers, who has received every major broadcast journalisim award including more than 30 Emmy Awards." 12-03 Few Survive Cardiac Arrest (MSNBC News) "The odds of surviving cardiac arrest after getting CPR in a hospital are slim and have not improved in more than a decade, a big Medicare study concludes." "Only about 18 percent of such patients live long enough to leave the hospital, researchers found." 06-08 Medical News (The Lancet) Provides news in medicine. Requires registration. 2-01 Study: A Third of Cancer Can Be Prevented (CBS News) "Authors of a joint American-British study say about a third of the cancer cases reported every year in the United States could be prevented, 'through lifestyle.' " "The researchers claim to have crafted the most systematic policy report ever on cancer prevention, using data already available from existing research on cancer risk and prevention." 02-09 UnitedHealth Buys the Lewin Group (Bloomberg.com) "UnitedHealth Group Inc., the largest U.S. health insurer, said profit rose 22 percent on gains from government-sponsored medical programs." "In May, UnitedHealth bought the Lewin Group, a Washington-based health-policy consulting firm, for an undisclosed sum, adding to its expanding capabilities in analyzing and mining health data." Editor's Note: Lewin Group, owned by the largest U.S. health insurer, has been cited by Congressmen opposed to health care reform as the source of information for why health care reform should be opposed. 07-09 Papers -001 Obama Declares Swine Flu a National Emergency (MSNBC News) "President Barack Obama has signed a proclamation declaring swine flu a national emergency, the White House said Saturday." 10-09 -10-27-09 Poll: Public Option at Highest Popularity Yet (MSNBC News) "According to the poll, 48% say they favor a public health plan administered by the federal government that would compete with private insurers, compared with 42% who oppose it. That's a shift from last month, though within the margin of error, when 48% opposed the public option and 46% supported it. And it's a 10-point swing from August, when 47% were in opposition and 43% were in favor." "In another question asked a different way -- is it important to give people a choice of a public option? -- a combined 72% answered that it was either 'extremely important' or 'quite important,' while just 23% said it was 'not that important' or 'not at all important.' Those numbers are virtually unchanged from last month." 10-09 -Best Health Plans (U.S. News) Suggests best plans. 08-08 -Best Hospitals (USNews.com) "Of the 176 medical centers that appear in this year's edition of America's Best Hospitals, find out which ones earned Honor Roll status, a mark of particular distinction." 06-07 -Best and Worst Hospitals for Heart Attack Survival (USA Today) "These hospitals made the government's roster of the best and worst in America, as measured by patients' heart-attack and heart-failure death rates in 2005 and 2006." 06-07 -How to Not Get H1N1 Flu (Time.com) "Keeping your hands clean can stop viruses that are living and breeding around you from causing infection." 09-09 -Study: Fish Found With Pharmaceuticals in Them (CBS News) "Fish caught near wastewater treatment plants serving five major U.S. cities had residues of pharmaceuticals in them, including medicines used to treat high cholesterol, allergies, high blood pressure, bipolar disorder and depression, researchers reported Wednesday." "Findings from this first nationwide study of human drugs in fish tissue have prompted the Environmental Protection Agency to significantly expand similar ongoing research to more than 150 different locations." 03-09 -The Myth of Moderate Exercise (Time.com) "Obesity experts agree that daily exercise is essential for good health, but whether it can successfully lead to long-term weight loss is a question of much debate. What has become increasingly clear, however, is that the conventionally accepted advice — 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity most days of the week — is probably insufficient to spur any real change in a person's body weight. A study published July 28 in the Archives of Internal Medicine adds to the burgeoning scientific consensus: when it comes to exercise for weight loss, more is better. It suggests that obese people would have to exercise at least an hour at a time to see any significant difference in their weight." 07-08 -What to Do If Your Insurance Company Won't Pay (U.S. News) "Billing advocates have several lines of attack they can follow. They often uncover errors such as services that were billed but never delivered and single procedures billed multiple times, says Nora Johnson, vice president of Medical Billing Advocates of America in Salem, Va. They also have tools to determine typical payments to hospitals and physicians by Medicare and private insurers, which are lower than the amounts charged to out-of-network patients and even lower than the charges levied on patients with little or no insurance. And they can drill down to a hospital's bottom-line cost for specific services, which tells them just how much wiggle room there is for jawboning inflated charges lower." " 'You give them your documentation from the government, and they will turn around,' Whitehead says. 'I've never found one where the hospital or insurer will not come to a resolution.' " 08-08 10 Diseases Stem Cells May Cure (U.S. News) "Excitement over the embryonic cells comes from their remarkable ability, as biological blank slates, to become virtually any of the body's cell types. Many observers believe the president's move will accelerate the hunt for cures for some of our most vexing diseases." 03-09 A "Home Gym" for $100 (U.S. News) "If you're unable—or simply unwilling—to pay thousands of dollars a year for membership in the new exercise studio started by Gwyneth Paltrow and her personal trainer, never fear. You don't need to be cashed up to get a good workout. In fact, you don't need to join a gym at all. We asked four fitness pros for their advice on putting together a home gym for $100 or less. Here's what they said." 03-09 A Little Less Salt (Time.com) "If Americans halved their salt intake, as many as 150,000 premature deaths could be prevented each year, according to the American Medical Association. And new research presented March 11 by Bibbins-Domingo at the AHA's annual conference shows that even small reductions — as little as 1 g of salt per day — could have dramatic effects, saving 200,000 lives over the course of a decade." 03-09 AIDS - Projections for 2010 - Best Case Scenario (BBC News) This study "predicted 45 million new infections in poor and middle income countries by 2010 if no improvements were made. But it said that 29 million of those infections could be averted if a set of prevention and care measures from successful projects around the world was implemented immediately". 12-03 Advances in Protection from the Sun (ABC News) "The most promising new products are sunscreen lotions containing an ingredient called Helioplex. It is being called the most important advance in sunscreen in 20 years." 07-06 Anti-Malaria Vaccine Discovered (Scientific American) "A new vaccine stimulated human immune cells to recognize and kill malaria parasites in a recent clinical trial. The vaccine proved effective in both infected human blood samples and mice whose immune systems had been modified to mimic that of humans." 12-05 Athletic Ability Tests (MSNCNET.com) "Sports Potential, in Palo Alto, Calif., has developed a series of tests and sophisticated software to calculate an individual's aptitude for a wide range of sports--from baseball to bobsledding. After a two-hour test, the company's Web-based software can illustrate a subject's physical traits, such as body composition, power, speed, agility and endurance, and compare the results with people in the same age group." 02-06 Autism: The Hidden Epidemic? (MSNBC News) "While the causes for the dramatic rise in autism cases over the past decade are the subject of much debate, one thing is certain: early diagnosis is crucial." 10-06 Bad Breath: Some Surprises (U.S. News) "Has a friend or significant other gently hinted that your breath is, um, pungent? (Many halitosis sufferers can't tell.) Brushing and flossing more diligently may do the trick, and U.S. News's Sarah Baldauf offered other suggestions earlier this year. But a few more minutes at the sink won't always help, say experts. Here are eight causes of bad breath that may surprise you:" 12-08 Battling Diabetes With Diet and Exercise (U.S. News) "While surgery and other treatments are available, prevention and intensive management are the keys to stopping the epidemic. Some innovative programs lead the way." 11-08 Best Practices for Heart Care Clarified (PBS.org) "People should receive angioplasties to unclog arteries in the first 90 minutes following a heart attack, though they often don't receive the treatment in time, the American Heart Association said at a recent meeting. An expert discusses this and other recommendations." 11-06 Best Safety Option for a Car - Electronic Stability Control (CNNMoney) "Now two studies from Europe and Japan -- where consumers have more widely embraced the systems -- confirm what I've long believed: that stability control may be second only to seat belts in safeguarding drivers and passengers."  "Toyota found that electronic stability control reduced single-vehicle crashes in Japan by a remarkable 35 percent and head-on crashes by 30 percent." 10-03 Better Pain Reliever Found (Scientific American) "Morphine and other opioids work wonders for pain. Unfortunately, their effectiveness declines over time while their addictiveness grows, meaning patients need the drug even as it affords them less and less relief. But new research into the cellular workings of opioids offers a promising new pathway to improved pain relief--without the addiction--by triggering one receptor and blocking another." "Medicinal chemist Philip Portoghese of the University of Minnesota and his colleagues began by studying two of the four major opioid receptors in the cells of the central nervous system. Each bears the name of a Greek letter and the chemists focused on the Mu and Delta receptors. Previous research had shown that drugs that linked up with Mu receptors lasted longer with less addiction when combined with drugs that blocked Delta receptors. But it was not known whether the two channels worked separately or in concert to improve the overall effect." 12-05 Boost Memory and Become Smarter? (MSNBC News) "An intense game of Concentration or other demanding memory task might kick your intelligence up a notch or two, and the more you engage your brain this way, the smarter you might become." "Researchers reporting in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences say that brain exercises designed to improve working memory also increase scores in fluid intelligence. Fluid intelligence is the ability to reason and solve new problems. It does not rely on memory and is often thought of as having a strong hereditary component. Such intelligence is considered one of the most important factors in learning and is linked to academic and professional success, according to researchers." 04-08 Boosting Brain Power Through Exercise (CBS News) Professor Arthur Kramer of the University of Illinois in Urbana says "changing the size and the function of your brain is as easy as taking a few steps." " 'We found in our study that walking will increase the volume of the brain, increase the efficiency of the brain and increase improvements in the number of cognitive functions such as memory and attention,' Kramer says." 01-07 Breakthrough Against Flu and Bird Flu (U.S. News) "Researchers have found what they think could be the key to a whole new way of treating and protecting against influenza—with monoclonal antibodies. If the discovery pans out, the approach could be used as a treatment for bird flu and seasonal flu and also as the basis for a vaccine against many different flu strains, including the H5N1 strain that has caused so much worry about a pandemic." "Our vaccine is directed against the lollipop stick, which actually contains the machinery that allows the virus to enter cells. This is what allowed us to make this significant scientific advance—to identify a new Achilles' heel in the virus's coat protein." "We tested the antibody against bird flu, against 1918 pandemic flu; we tested it against all 10 different types of flu viruses, multiple strains, both in tissue culture and in animals. The antibody was not only active in preventing infection; you could give it to animals that got a lethal dose of the flu virus as late as three days after infection, when they were clearly getting sick, and they recovered and survived." 02-09 Can Alzheimer's Be Prevented? (Time.com) "Few things are as terrifying as losing one's mind. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia among the elderly and affects as many as 4.5 million Americans, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. It currently has no cure. But recent research offers groundbreaking insight into what causes the disease, and how researchers could reduce people's risk." 05-08 Colas Result in Loss of Bone Density in Women (ABC News) "Women who drank more cola had reduced bone mineral density at all three hip sites but not at the spine. The link between cola consumption and women's bone loss was unaffected by age, menopausal status, cigarettes, alcohol, or total calcium and vitamin D intake. "Cola consumption did not affect men in the same way. Also, other carbonated drinks were not associated with bone loss." 10-06 Consequences of Insufficient Sleep (Time.com) "According to Dinges' analysis of data from the 2003 American Time Use Survey, the most common reason we shortchange ourselves on sleep is work. (The second biggest reason, surprisingly, is that we spend too much time driving around in our cars.) But consider that in giving up two hours of bedtime to do more work, you're losing a quarter of your recommended nightly dose and gaining just 12% more time during the day. What if you could be 12% more productive instead?" 06-08 Denmark the Happiest Place to Live? (CBS News) "Little Denmark, with its five-and-a-half million people, is the happiest country in the world, says a study done by an English University." 02-08 Dermatologist: Pill Can Help Against Sunburn and Maybe Skin Cancer (ABC News) "Heliocare, made from the extract of a tropical fern that has been used for generations in folk medicine to treat skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema, is an herbal supplement that you can take daily to prevent sun damage." 07-06 Device on Ankle Monitors Alcohol Use (ABC News) "After an offender consumes a few drinks, the device relays the information to a computer where the results can be checked. The system can also tell whether the device has been tampered with and, in some states, the offender is also monitored by the global positioning system so authorities know his or her location. There are 2,200 people in the United States being monitored by SCRAM." 12-05 Diet, Exercise, and Cancer (American Cancer Society) "For the majority of Americans who do not smoke, eating a healthful diet and being physically active are the most important ways to reduce cancer risk. Evidence suggests that one third of the 550,000 cancer deaths that occur in the United States each year are due to unhealthy diet and insufficient physical activity." 1-04 Diets that Promote Health (U.S. News) "Rather than reducing a diet to its essential foods and then foods to their essential nutrients—vitamins, minerals, and other chemicals—and trying to isolate those that may contribute to good health, researchers are increasingly taking a step back and correlating health with broader eating patterns." 05-09 Disposable Plastic Water Bottles Harmful? (U.S. News) " 'Awwk!' That was my first reaction when I read a recent E-mail about new dangers lurking in my disposable water bottle, the one with a No. 1 recycling code stamped on the bottom that sits on my desk waiting to be refilled. There's a new study from Germany out today that tested the water in those bottles and found estrogenlike compounds, most likely leaching out from the plastic. These water bottles don't contain the notorious chemical bisphenol A, which is found in hard water bottles, baby bottles, and the plastic coatings of metal cans. (Studies of BPA indicate that high exposures could increase the risk of reproductive health problems and possibly breast, prostate, and ovarian cancers, which is why six leading baby bottle makers last week decided to ban it from their products.) The soft bottles do, though, contain other estrogenlike compounds, still unidentified, that could have the same harmful effects as BPA." 03-09 Do You Need a Thyroid Test? (US News) "The symptoms of an underactive thyroid—fatigue, feeling cold, weight gain, dry skin and hair, and constipation—can be associated with many other diseases and disorders, making the condition impossible to diagnose definitively without a blood test." 10-07 Dramatic Improvements in Cancer Treatment (CBS News) "Herceptin is a drug that targets proteins on the surface of the cell. Gleevec works inside the cell to block cancer's growth. Avastin shuts down the blood vessels that feed the tumor, literally starving it to death. These are all called targeted therapies." "Those discoveries could pave the way for the development of other cancer drugs that destroy the dangerous runaway cells without destroying the patient's quality of life." 10-06 Essential Medical Screening (CBS News) "For most of the diseases we're going to talk about screening for, many patients wouldn't have any symptoms at all to alert them that there was a problem. So routine screening allows you to make a diagnosis before symptoms arise and early enough to actually be able to do something about it." 09-07 Exercise and Brain Power (New York Times) "Scientists have suspected for decades that exercise, particularly regular aerobic exercise, can affect the brain. But they could only speculate as to how. Now an expanding body of research shows that exercise can improve the performance of the brain by boosting memory and cognitive processing speed. Exercise can, in fact, create a stronger, faster brain." 08-07 Exercise to Improve Health (USA Today) "Besides reducing belly fat, physical activity lowers blood pressure, cholesterol and the risk of diabetes and cancer. It reduces depression and anxiety, and it improves bone and joint health, sex drive, sleep and memory, he [Church] says." "But Church notes that fewer than 25% of Americans meet the minimum guidelines of being moderately active for 30 minutes five or more days a week, estimates show." " 'The average American doesn't understand that other than not smoking, exercise is the most important thing you can do for your health,' Church says. 'They think exercising is a health suggestion on par with leaving mayonnaise off their sandwich.' " 04-08 Fat Gene Can Be Neutralized With Exercise (MSNBC News) "Scientists believe about 30 percent of white people of European ancestry have this [FTO fat gene] variant, including the Amish, and that may partly explain why so many people are overweight." "And while physical activity is recommended for just about everyone, the study suggests that people with the gene variation need to be especially vigilant about getting exercise." " 'It's only if you're not active that the gene hurts,' Snitker said. 'If you are active, then either way, it doesn't matter whether you have the gene or not.' " 09-08 Fiber in the Diet (U.S. News) "So what's the bottom line? The recommendations for daily fiber intake call for about 25 grams for women and 38 for men, and research shows we are getting only about 15 grams. But because the health benefits of different types of fiber vary—and in many cases are not clear or consistent—the best advice is to eat an array of plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. Worry less about targeting specific types of fiber and 'get [it] from as many different foods as you can,' advises Slavin." 05-09 Fighting Wrinkles (U.S. News) "Evidence does support another kind of topical—prescription creams containing retinoic acid, more commonly called tretinoin, which can actually rejuvenate skin, as University of Michigan researchers reported in the Archives of Dermatology last May. Retinoic acid works by gradually stimulating fresh collagen production, which helps stave off or reverse fine lines, says Leffell. 'There's no point at which you lose a benefit from starting [its] application,' says Kauvar, who frequently prescribes retinoic acid to patients in their 50s and 60s, just as she pre-emptively does for the younger set. Just one potential wrinkle: If used during pregnancy, it may cause birth defects." 01-09 First-Ever Cancer Vaccine Approved (USA Today) "The Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday that it has approved the first vaccine designed to prevent cancer." "The vaccine, Gardasil, blocks infection by two types of the human papillomavirus, or HPV, which account for about 70% of cervical cancer cases." 06-06 Five Things that Will Age You (ABC News) "People have searched for the fountain of youth for centuries. And, while it remains elusive, there are things you can do to slow the aging process, or speed it up. Oprah's favorite doc, Dr. Mehmet Oz, discusses the five things that age people most." 02-09 Foods Provide Cancer Preventatives (MSNBC News) "TODAY nutritionist Joy Bauer offers these five lifestyle guidelines to help reduce your overall risk of the disease:" 04-07 For Longevity, Other Factors Pale in Comparison to "Education" (New York Times) "The one social factor that researchers agree is consistently linked to longer lives in every country where it has been studied is education. It is more important than race; it obliterates any effects of income." "And, health economists say, those factors that are popularly believed to be crucial — money and health insurance, for example, pale in comparison." 01-07 Fruit and Vegetables May Protect From Memory Losses (MSNBC News) "Purple fruits and vegetables, such as blueberries, cranberries and Concord grapes, may be especially beneficial for the brain, says Joseph. In a study on aging mice genetically engineered to develop Alzheimer's, Joseph was able to improve their cognitive function by feeding the animals a diet high in blueberries." 11-06 Gut Microbes Provide Clues to Obesity (ABC News) ""By changing our diet, we can change the kind of bugs found in our colon, from those found in an obese person's colon to that of a lean person's colon," said Dr. Samuel Klein, director of the human nutrition center at Washington University." 12-06 Happiness Comes with Age for Many (ABC News) "In his latest study, carried out with Heather Lacey, a postdoctoral fellow with the Veterans Administration's Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ubel found that most people are happier in their later years than they were when they were young, although they may not have expected that to be the case." 06-06 Healthy Breakfasts for Children (U.S. News) "A bowl of cereal can be less healthful than a doughnut, according to a new ranking of kids' breakfast cereals published by Consumer Reports. Eleven cereals ranked by the venerable group had more sugar than a glazed Dunkin' Donut." 10-08 Hot Liquids Are the Problem With BPA (Science Daily) "When it comes to Bisphenol A (BPA) exposure from polycarbonate plastic bottles, it's not whether the container is new or old but the liquid's temperature that has the most impact on how much BPA is released, according to University of Cincinnati (UC) scientists." "Scott Belcher, PhD, and his team found when the same new and used polycarbonate drinking bottles were exposed to boiling hot water, BPA, an environmental estrogen, was released 55 times more rapidly than before exposure to hot water." 09-08 How Children Can Win the Weight Battle (USNew.com) "Many experts now believe that an emphasis on dropping weight rather than adding healthful nutrients and exercise is doing more harm than good." 09-07 How Much Sleep You Really Need (Time.com) "Daniel Kripke, co-director of research at the Scripps Clinic Sleep Center in La Jolla, Calif., has looked at the most important question of all. In 2002, he compared death rates among more than 1 million American adults who, as part of a study on cancer prevention, reported their average nightly amount of sleep. To many his results were surprising, but they've since been corroborated by similar studies in Europe and East Asia. Kripke explains." "Studies show that people who sleep between 6.5 hours and 7.5 hours a night, as they report, live the longest. And people who sleep 8 hours or more, or less than 6.5 hours, they don't live quite as long. There is just as much risk associated with sleeping too long as with sleeping too short. The big surprise is that long sleep seems to start at 8 hours. Sleeping 8.5 hours might really be a little worse than sleeping five." 06-08 How the Body Ages (MSNBC News) "So far, 37 percent of the monkeys who kept their regular diet have died of age-related diseases — compared with just 13 percent of the calorie-cut monkeys, a nearly three-fold difference, the researchers reported. A handful of other monkeys died of unrelated conditions, such as injury, not deemed affected by nutrition." "Death was not the only change. The calorie-cut monkeys had less than half the incidence of cancerous tumors or heart disease as the monkeys who ate normally. Brain scans showed less age-related shrinkage in the dieting monkeys. They also retained more muscle, something else that tends to waste with age." 07-09 How to Protect Against Alzheimer's Disease (U.S. News) "We all want to dodge the Alzheimer's bullet. And lucky us, Mother Nature has counterbalanced the power of our hard-wired genes by allowing multiple lifestyle choices to greatly influence our aging. Read: Your destiny is not fated; you do have some control." 09-09 Hydroxycut Products Recalled (CNN News) "Hydroxycut products, popular dietary supplements used for weight loss, have been linked to liver damage and are being recalled, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday." 05-09 Intellegent Decisions Linked to Longevity (MSNBC News) "So while it's true that having a high IQ makes you more likely to have wealth and a higher-social-status job, it's making smart and healthy decisions--and not simply the status and savings--that help a person live longer." 02-06 Is Cardio-Free the Way to Be? (ABC News) "Dr. Jennifer Mieres, a cardiologist and American Heart Association spokesperson, "thinks people should build and strengthen their muscles, especially women who face the possibility of developing osteoporosis" through strength training." "'But the evidence is overwhelming,' she says. 'You need to do some cardio workout to change your cardiac profile to make it better, to prevent death from heart disease and stroke.' " 04-07 Medical Insurance While Abroad (U.S. News) "Travelers who need medical attention outside the United States may be surprised to find that payment is required on the spot and, in some countries, even before treatment. Most health insurers—including basic Medicare—will not cover any costs outside the country. Some say they'll pick up the tab after the fact but will apply a higher deductible, provider restrictions, and other limits. In fact, many insurance companies have trimmed coverage abroad in recent years." 07-08 Men Over 50 Need Annual Checkups (CNN News) "Dr. David Dodson, an expert on men's health at the Marino Center in Wellesley, Massachusetts, recommends that healthy men under 50 get a regular checkup every 18 months. After 50, he suggests, men should see their doctors annually." 06-08 Mercury Toxicity and Seafood (ABC News) "Millions of people make fish — a low-fat, vitamin-rich source of protein — part of their diet for nutritional reasons, or simply because they enjoy the taste. But eating a diet high in fish is becoming increasingly controversial, as some studies tout the benefits of seafood while others argue that the toxic mercury found in some fish outweighs any potential benefits." 10-05 Mercury and Flourescent Bulbs (theBostonChannel.com) "Consumers were cautioned to avoid using the energy-saving bulbs on tables or in other places where they can be easily broken. Even so, the reports said, the bulbs, which use 75 percent less energy and last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, are still the best way for homeowners to try to save on electricity, adding that the benefits of using them outweigh the risks." 02-08 Metabolic Syndrome Tied to Diet Soda (New York Times) "Researchers have found a correlation between drinking diet soda and metabolic syndrome — the collection of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes that include abdominal obesity, high cholesterol and blood glucose levels, and elevated blood pressure." "But the one-third who ate the most fried food increased their risk by 25 percent compared with the one-third who ate the least, and surprisingly, the risk of developing metabolic syndrome was 34 percent higher among those who drank one can of diet soda a day compared with those who drank none." 02-08 National Association of Free Clinics (FreeClinics.us) "The National Association of Free Clinics (NAFC) is the only nonprofit 501c(3)organization whose mission is solely focused on the issues and needs of themore than 1,200 free clinics and the people they serve in the United States." "Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the NAFC is an effective advocate for the issues and concerns of free clinics, their volunteer workforce of doctors, dentists, nurses, therapists, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, technicians and other health care professionals, and the patients served by free clinics in communities throughout the nation." 10-09 New Approach to Managing Diabetes (U.S. News) "Some people with type 2 diabetes might want to rethink how they manage their disease, based on a trio of new studies showing that tightly controlling blood glucose levels doesn't reduce cardiovascular disease in people at high risk, perhaps because they have high blood pressure or are overweight. Reaching blood pressure and cholesterol goals rather than blood glucose targets may be more important in preventing heart attack and stroke in these people, say experts. In those who are newly diagnosed with diabetes and are not already in the high-risk category, intensively managing blood sugar may be effective at reducing heart risk." 01-09 New Colon Cancer Screening Recommendations (US News) "Two tests are now being recommended: the virtual colonoscopy, which is an external CT scan that visualizes the colon without snaking a tube into it, and a stool test that detects mutated DNA shed from tumors." 03-08 New Sinus Treatment Offers Hope (ABC News) "The procedure, called balloon sinuplasty, opens sinus cavities the same way doctors open clogged arteries when they do a balloon angioplasty." "After the sinuplasty, the sinus openings become significantly wider. In most cases, they stay that way, because the balloon has actually fractured the bones and spread them apart — all without pain." 04-06 Nutrition for Better Sleep (MSNBC) "Nutritionist Joy Bauer visited 'Today' to discuss foods that can help you sleep and to suggest ways you can get a longer, more restful night's sleep." 9-05 One School's Fight Against Obesity (CBS News) "While most of the country is failing the grade on obesity, Nurse Scully says Long Pond students are getting the message." 01-07 One in Five Four Years Olds Obese (CNN News) "Nearly one-fifth of American 4-year-olds are obese, and children of color are at higher risk, according to new research." 04-09 One-Legged Cyclist Transforms Others (ABC News) "Yeboah was born 28 years ago with a severely deformed left leg in the African nation of Ghana. There, where an estimated 10 percent of the people are disabled from birth defects or diseases, disabled babies often are despised, seen as omens of bad fortune, and often killed or left by their parents in the wilderness to die." "Yeboah decided he would ride a bike across his entire country, nearly 400 miles, to prove what the disabled can do. So in 2002, for 10 days, he rode, pedaling on one leg, right across Ghana." "The country was astonished and inspired." 8-05 Organ Regeneration a Reality (ABC News) "The news is being hailed as a medical milestone: Several years after receiving new bladders engineered entirely in a laboratory, seven young patients are all still healthy." 04-06 Pacifiers Greatly Reduce Risk Of SIDS (Scientific American) "Pacifiers aren't just for soothing colicky babies anymore. A new study has found that use of a pacifier during sleep reduced the chances of a baby suffering from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) by 90 percent. Furthermore, pacifiers eliminated the increased risk associated with babies who slept on their stomach or in soft bedding--factors that have been shown to increase the risk of SIDS as much as 10-fold." "Myths persist that the use of pacifiers (or thumb sucking) will affect tooth development or the infant's ability to take to breast-feeding, but by simply waiting a few weeks to start using a pacifier and stopping when the baby becomes a toddler such impacts can be avoided, Li notes." 12-05. Pancreatic Cancer Prevention (ABC News) "When the researchers compared the answers of the men who had developed pancreatic cancer to those who had not, they found that the risk of developing the disease was 64 percent greater in the men who had gum disease." 01-07 Popkins: Why the World Is Fat (U.S. News) "Why in the heck did the world's chief food problem shift from malnutrition to obesity? That's the question Barry Popkin, director of the University of North Carolina's Inter-Disciplinary Obesity Center, explores in his new book, The World Is Fat. From the book and a conversation with Popkin, we've extracted seven tidbits you might not have known about obesity, nutrition, and what we put in our mouths." 01-09 Scientists Worry About Health Risks in Plastic Containers (ABC News) "BPA — sometimes indicated by a number 7 on products — is found mostly in strong plastics, such as nondisposable water bottles, baby bottles and in the lining of canned foods." "BPA — sometimes indicated by a number 7 on products — is found mostly in strong plastics, such as nondisposable water bottles, baby bottles and in the lining of canned foods." "While the Food and Drug Administration and the American Plastics Council insist BPA is safe, an outspoken biology professor and other scientists believe it may bring all kinds of harm — such as cancer, early puberty, obesity and even attention-deficit disorder." 07-06 Scientists: Marketing of "Junk" Food Effective - Stop It (MSNBC News) "SpongeBob SquarePants, Shrek and other characters kids love should promote only healthy food, a panel of scientists recommended." "In a report released Tuesday, the Institute of Medicine said television advertising strongly influences what children under 12 eat." 12-05 Seniors Need to Work Out (US News) Harris, though, is the exception to the rule. Despite the age-defying benefits of getting fit, seniors are the least physically active of all Americans—40 percent of women and 30 percent of men over 70 report that they never exercise. Beyond protection against heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers, numerous studies suggest that regular exercise can lower the risk of decline—the dementia, the frailty—that spells the end of independence. Brisk walks around the neighborhood make a great start. But more is needed to prevent falls and retain strength and mobility. In August, the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association issued new exercise guidelines for seniors that call for several workouts a week incorporating resistance training, stretching, and balancing as well as aerobics. 10-07 Stop the Damage to Your Ears (US News) "A Harvard survey of adolescents and young adults reported that more than half had taken a hit to their hearing at loud music events, either tinnitus or temporary deafness. And from my observation, most seem to have iPods attached to their ears. For them, and the others who can still hear a pin drop, it's smart to pay attention to the health of the inner ear, the nerve center for making sense of sound." 07-07 Study: "Weight-ism" More Widespread Than Racism (ABC News) "It's illegal to discriminate against someone because of race or gender, but our culture condones a bias against people who are overweight." "Weight discrimination 'occurs in employment settings and daily interpersonal relationships virtually as often as race discrimination, and in some cases even more frequently than age or gender discrimination,' the researchers report in the current issue of the International Journal of Obesity." 04-08 Study: Coffee Strongest in Antioxidants (CBS News) "Coffee not only helps clear the mind and perk up the energy, it also provides more healthful antioxidants than any other food or beverage in the American diet, according to a study released Sunday." "Of course, too much coffee can make people jittery and even raise cholesterol levels, so food experts stress moderation." 12-05 Study: Crestor Found to Reduce Heart Disease (CBS News) "New research indicates that the powerful statin Crestor not only drastically lowered cholesterol levels by more than 50 percent, it actually reversed heart disease." 03-06 Study: Drugs Work as Well as Stents in Non-Emergency Situation (PBS News) "A new study has found that the use of drugs and stents, which are tiny metal scaffolds placed in clogged arteries, may be no better than using drugs alone in non-emergency situations. Two cardiologists discuss the findings." 03-07 Study: Extra Pounds May Shorten Life (MSNC News) "Being obese can take years off your life and in some cases may be as dangerous as smoking, a new study says." 03-09 Study: Fish and Mercury (CNN News) "Having mercury levels that are too high isn't someone else's problem. In a recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of 17 women of childbearing age in the United States has mercury in her blood above the level that could pose a risk to a developing fetus (5.8 micrograms per liter). So the federal government advises pregnant women and those thinking of becoming pregnant to avoid certain fish, such as shark, swordfish and fresh tuna, usually found in fish markets and sushi. Canned tuna seems to be less of a threat, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture says consumption should be limited." "Why avoid these kinds of fish? According to Andrew Heyes, a scientist with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, Maryland, the older and larger the fish, the more mercury it has stored. 'As it grows older, it can't eliminate mercury as fast as it takes it in," he says. 'So there's an accumulation in the fish.' " Safer fish are salmon, cod, tilapia, and haddock. 04-09 Study: Fit People Have Lower Heart and Death Risks (U.S. News) "Staying healthy means a quality life that lasts longer, review finds." 05-09 Study: HPV, Virus That Causes Cancer in Women, Is Very Common (ABC News) "And the figures could have the greatest implications for younger women. Researchers found that among females 14 to 24 years of age, 34 percent were infected with HPV. That suggests 7.5 million teens and young women infected nationwide — much more than the 4.6 million in previous estimates." "Harper says vaccination against HPV does not provide 100 percent protection against cervical cancer, and women still need to have regular Pap smears as recommended by their doctor to allow for early detection of changes in the cervix." 02-07 Study: Health Risks With Plastic in Bottles (MSNBC News) " The first major study of health effects in people from a chemical used in plastic baby bottles, food cans and a host of other products links it with possible risks for heart disease and diabetes." "It suggests a potential new concern about the safety of bisphenol A or BPA. And because of the possible public health implications, the results 'deserve scientific follow-up,' the study authors said." "But the study is preliminary, far from proof that the chemical causes heart disease and diabetes. Two Dartmouth College analysts of medical research said the study raises questions but provides no answers about whether the ubiquitous chemical is harmful." 09-08 Study: How a Food Diary Can Help (U.S. News) "There's a reason so many doctors and nutritionists recommend keeping a food diary when you're trying to lose weight: It actually appears to work. The case for food diaries (or food records or journals) got a little stronger today, when weight-loss researchers reported that a large, multicenter study suggests that tracking what goes in your mouth can double the amount of weight lost." 07-08 Study: Medications Now Helpful with Treating Addictions (CNN News) "These findings highlight what's become increasingly clear: Addiction is a brain disease, not just a failure of willpower. Naltrexone and topiramate have slightly different mechanisms, but both seem to block the release of brain chemicals that are linked to pleasure and excitement. Unlike earlier drugs used to treat alcoholics, neither is addictive or carries significant side effects. It does appear that each might work better in certain subgroups -- topiramate for repeat relapsers, and naltrexone in people with a strong family history of alcoholism." 04-09 Study: Osteoporosis Shot Reduces Breaks (USA Today) "Reclast, given as an annual, 15-minute infusion, reduced risk of new spine fractures by 70% and of hip fractures by 40%, according to data supplied by maker Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. The drug, chemically known as zoledronic acid, also reduced the risk of fractures elsewhere, according to a just-completed, international study of 7,736 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis." 09-06 Study: Plastics Increase Risk for Metabolic Syndrome (Science Daily) "New research from the University of Cincinnati (UC) implicates the primary chemical used to produce hard plastics—bisphenol A (BPA)—as a risk factor for metabolic syndrome and its consequences." 09-08 Study: Risk of Hip Fractures Reduced With Supplements (ABC News) "Taking calcium and vitamin D supplements for several years can help older women reduce the risk of hip fractures, according to the results of a long-term, comprehensive, federally funded study by the Women's Health Initiative." Study: Some Clarity on Estrogen Use (US News) "Estrogen is not risky and looks to be beneficial for women's hearts when it's begun within 10 years of menopause, says the latest report from the Women's Health Initiative appearing in this week's New England Journal of Medicine. Confused? This sure sounds different from the WHI findings that shook the world a few years back—that hormones brought heart risk, not benefit—and overnight changed how medicine and women viewed what had been seen as a fountain of health." 06-07 Study: Three Wrinkle Removers That Work (U.S. News) "Over the past decade, University of Michigan researchers have focused on the mechanisms behind aging skin and have emerged with a better understanding of how best to tame the process—without Botox or plastic surgery. After analyzing several dozen of their studies, the team reported last month that three treatments definitely rejuvenate skin: topical retinoic acid, carbon dioxide laser resurfacing, and injections of cross-linked hyaluronic acid. 'These three, as far as I'm concerned, are the ones where the evidence is quite solid,' says senior author John Voorhees, chair of the department of dermatology at the University of Michigan's medical school (who has no financial ties to the manufacturers of the treatments studied)." "Why do they work? All three are able to replenish some of what skin loses with time: collagen. Wrinkles form as collagen breaks down, which signals the cells that secrete it to stop doing so. Age and sun exposure are triggers. But this cycle isn't irreversible, says Voorhees. Treatments can sweep away the old, splintered collagen, and fool cells into making more. Since collagen has a half life of 15 years, once it's laid down, lots will last, he says. 'What we're trying to say is that you actually have to do something to the skin to make it repair and rejuvenate,' says Voorhees. 'You can't expect magically to put on a potion which will stimulate the repair process deep in the skin. It doesn't happen.' " 03-07 Study: Where You Live Influences How Long You Live (MSNBC News) "Where you live, combined with race and income, plays a huge role in the nation's health disparities, differences so stark that a report issued Monday contends it's as if there are eight separate Americas instead of one." 09-06 Ten Ways to Pep Up (CNN News) "Fatigue and flagging energy seem to be epidemics, especially among women who burn the candle at both ends (and who doesn't?). Instead of moping, pump up your mojo with these 10 strategies from experts in sleep, fitness, nutrition, psychology, and alternative medicine." 03-08 The 19 Worst Drive-Thru Foods in America (MSNBC News) "Drive-thru foods may be convenient and easy on the wallet, but they’re loaded with unhealthy fats, added sugars, carbohydrates, and sodium. Translation: They’re no bargain when it comes to your health." 04-09 The Cruel Irony of Hormone Therapy (MSNBC News) "The recent data on breast cancer rates suggest that millions of women could have developed and even died from the disease because of excessive use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT)." "How did this happen?" "A good place to look is a book called 'Feminine Forever,' by Dr. Robert A. Wilson. A best seller when it was published 40 years ago, the book helped persuade millions of physicians and their female patients that HRT was not just helpful, but necessary." 01-07 The Flu: A Guide for Parents (CDC.gov) Provides a guide for parents regarding influenza (flu). Editor's Note: As of April 27th, a vaccine for "swine flu" had not been made available. 04-09 The Value of One Human Life (Time) "In theory, a year of human life is priceless. In reality, it's worth $50,000." "That's the international standard most private and government-run health insurance plans worldwide use to determine whether to cover a new medical procedure." 05-08 The Year in Medicine 2008 (Time.com) "In good times and bad, science doesn't sleep, and every year brings breakthroughs, setbacks, reasons for worry and reasons for joy. TIME's annual alphabetical roundup of a sampling of those stories gives you an overview of the year behind and a hint of what might be in the one ahead." 04-09 Top Five Ways to Feel Full and Eat Less (Science Daily) "So rather than just eating less, Rolls and others say, there are ways to feel full without giving up all that much. For hunger pains that don't go away—real or imagined—here's what the latest studies suggest:" 03-07 Top Medical Breakthroughs of 2008 (Time.com) Provides Time's list of the top 10 medical breakthroughs. 02-09 Projects Assess Your Disease Risk (YourDiseaseRisk.Harvard.edu) Provides a questionnaire to assess your disease risk. Includes advise on how to prevent each disease. 11-06

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