What is that stepping on the toes of traditional fitness routines? Zumba, the Latin-inspired dance workout that is more like a wild party scene than a strict exercise regimen, has tangoed into the top 10 fitness trends for the coming year, according to a report released today by the American College of Sports Medicine. The group surveyed more than 2,600 fitness professionals to compile the top 20 fitness...
October 26, 2011
Oct. 26 - TAMPA - As they look for ways to rein in health care spending, Medicare officials are turning to patient safety as a way to judge which hospitals are worth the money. Starting next October, hospitals with above-average rates of patients with surgical complications and post-operation complications, such as breathing problems or blood clots, could lose as much as 2 percent of their Medicare...
October 26, 2011
As the nation explores whether to invest more in nuclear energy, the National Academy of Sciences has begun a study of cancer risks faced by people living near nuclear facilities - a study it admits is worrisome. A patchwork of state and local mortality reports, inconsistent data on illnesses and pollution combined with an American population that has moved around quite a bit in the past 50 years are...
October 26, 2011
INDIANAPOLIS, Dec 2, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) - Two-thirds of the linemen on a Division I college football team are obese and more likely than other players to have health problems, a study reveals. In the study, researchers at Ohio State University looked at body fat and health indicators for 90 players at the university and found only linemen were obese, defined as having at least 25 percent body fat....
October 26, 2011
You've heard of the hazards of secondhand smoke. Now here's another worry: secondhand TV. A growing number of researchers are warning about the dangers of watching TV when very young children are nearby. Recent findings suggest that even casual exposure to TV can harm their development and undermine parent-child interactions. The most recent warning came last week when the American Academy of Pediatrics...
October 24, 2011
Oct. 24 - BERLIN - Autumn's shortening daylight hours and chilly, foul weather are not only a mood dampener but also a strain on the body's defences. "The change in the weather puts a burden on our immune system," said Thomas Assmann, a general practitioner in Germany. Constantly moving between the warm temperatures in heated buildings and the wind and cold air outside is stressful to the body and...
October 24, 2011
Girls exposed before birth to high levels of the estrogen-like chemical BPA are more likely to be anxious, depressed and hyperactive at age 3, according to a study in today's Pediatrics. Boys' behavior was unaffected by BPA, the study says. Scientists in recent years have linked BPA, or bisphenol A, to a wide variety of health problems, from breast cancer to diabetes. BPA is found in countless consumer...
October 24, 2011
States are using a variety of strategies to control Medicaid costs even as they look ahead to a huge expansion of the state-federal health insurance program for the poor beginning in 2014. The weak economy is driving more jobless Americans into Medicaid, increasing enrollment at the same time that medical costs keep going up. To deal with the higher costs, states are pushing Medicaid recipients into...
October 24, 2011
Berlin (dpa) - To recognize warning signs of a child's internet addiction, parents must keep a watchful eye on his or her online activities as soon and as persistently as possible. This is the advice of Klaus Woelfling, psychological director of the gambling addiction outpatient department of the Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy at the University of Mainz in Germany....
October 21, 2011
Berlin (dpa) - To recognize warning signs of a child's internet addiction, parents must keep a watchful eye on his or her online activities as soon and as persistently as possible. This is the advice of Klaus Woelfling, psychological director of the gambling addiction outpatient department of the Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy at the University of Mainz in Germany....
October 21, 2011
Amanda Kanowitz was a healthy 4-year-old when she got the flu. Her first symptoms - cough, low fever, vomiting - seemed like signs of any common childhood bug, and the doctor suggested fluids and rest. Three days later, her parents found her lifeless in her bed. Today, seven years after Amanda's death, her parents are passionate advocates for vaccines and work to dispel myths that allow kids to die...
October 20, 2011
Oct. 19 - Six weeks after opening a mental health crisis center that patients and families had sought for years, county officials have announced that the building must be demolished to make way for an upgrade of Ventura County Medical Center. The Ventura County Board of Supervisors authorized construction of a $250 million hospital wing to meet the state's seismic safety standards in January. The decision...
October 19, 2011
Oct. 19 - Boston Bundy won't lament the arrival of the first frost. The 4-year-old's severe seasonal allergies often cut short his outdoor playtime in high-pollen-count days. Once the temperatures start to cool off, however, the ragweed pollen that aggravates his congestion and itchy eyes drops off. He and his 12-year-old brother, Lance, who also has pollen allergies, will both breathe a little easier...
October 19, 2011
After weathering the patriotic fervor that led to "freedom fries" when France opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, the humble spud is now getting mashed for its effect on the school lunch program. In January, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the National School Lunch Program, proposed changes in nutritional standards that would limit the amount of starchy vegetables - white...
October 19, 2011
In a setback to the children's product industry, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended Tuesday that parents stop using all bumper pads in cribs because of the risks to infants. The academy previously warned only against pillow-like versions of these cushions attached to crib slats. Last month, Chicago banned the sale of all bumpers, and Maryland health officials proposed a statewide ban. The...
October 19, 2011
When a friend is going through cancer treatment, we naturally want to help - and for many people, that means whipping up a casserole or some other comfort food. But for those experiencing nausea, stomach upset or a metallic aftertaste from chemotherapy, some rich or heavy foods may be anything but comforting, say authors of cookbooks created with cancer patients in mind. Good nutrition is especially...
October 19, 2011
Amanda Kanowitz was a healthy 4-year-old when she got the flu. Her first symptoms - cough, low fever, vomiting - seemed like signs of any common childhood bug, and the doctor suggested fluids and rest. Three days later, her parents found her lifeless in her bed. Today, seven years after Amanda's death, her parents are passionate advocates for vaccines and work to dispel myths that allow kids to die...
October 17, 2011
Seasonal flu viruses can be divided into two main types: A and B. They cause the same miserable symptoms, so, if you catch the flu, you can't tell which type is the culprit just by how you feel. In fact, you can't even be sure your symptoms are really caused by the flu. That's what diagnostic tests are for. If the flu is going around, though, and you have garden-variety flulike symptoms, confirmation...
October 17, 2011
Berlin (dpa) - To recognize warning signs of a child's internet addiction, parents must keep a watchful eye on his or her online activities as soon and as persistently as possible. This is the advice of Klaus Woelfling, psychological director of the gambling addiction outpatient department of the Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy at the University of Mainz in Germany....
October 17, 2011
Aug. 29 - SINGAPORE - Singapore researchers have created the world's first online database that lists combinations of cancer drugs - in a move that could help protect patients from harmful side effects. Doctors and pharmacists can use it to help make sure the medication they give patients will not interfere with other medicines they are already taking - including herbal remedies. For example, they...
October 15, 2011
You know the old adage: If you have to look at the price tag, you can't afford it. The same could be said about indulgent menu items with exorbitant calorie costs - that only those who need to lose weight should care about counting calories. But I don't agree. In this era of fiscal and physical responsibility, I believe everyone has the right to know the consequences (in cash or calories) before they...
October 15, 2011
A Congress intent on slashing the budget has cut military research money for finding ways to treat damaged eyes, an injury that has affected about 50,000 troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The House reduced research funds from $4 million in 2011 to $3.2 million in 2012 for an injury that ranges from uncoordinated vision to blindness. The Senate Appropriations Committee voted to include vision-trauma study...
October 15, 2011
Oct. 11 - It has long be a concern that a person can contract a staph infection in the hospital, but not so common is the knowledge that staph is prevalent in the community and a person can contract it anywhere. "A lot of people already have it. It's colonized but has not surfaced. They can still transfer it and it can still surface," said Donna Davis, director of the emergency room at Sierra View...
October 14, 2011
So should you or shouldn't you be taking a multivitamin or any other vitamin or mineral supplements? Research released Monday showed that older women who took a daily vitamin supplement, even just a multivitamin, had an increased risk of dying of cardiovascular disease and cancer. The link between supplement intake and risk of premature death was strongest with iron. Calcium supplements were associated...
October 12, 2011
Sept. 08 - The Wilkes-Barre City Health Department has confirmed a positive case of tuberculosis contracted by a student who attended GAR and E.L. Meyers High School last year, according to a city news release. The Health Department and the district have identified "a small population of students, generally those students in the same classroom, who were possibly exposed at GAR and Meyers," according...
October 12, 2011