MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'air pollution'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:03:18 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4758749&cid=t_135026_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FkqNmcpWq5kw%2F This guest post was written by Nalini Saligram, PhD, founder and CEO of Arogya World. It originally ran on Arogya World’s blog on April 22nd. On Earth Day, which was marked recently on April 22, 2011, we generally tend to focus on the impact of people on the planet. But it is equally important to consider the impact of pollution on people and health including non-communicable diseases  (NCDs).  NCDs, which include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancers and chronic lung disease, are gaining much-needed attention this year in advance of the upcoming pivotal UN High-level Meeting on NCDs on September 19-20.  NCDs – yes, the word is hard to pronounce and doesn’t quite roll off our tongues easily, but I am sure HIV/AIDS was quite a mouthful too in the early years – cau... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4758749 Wed, 27 Apr 2011 13:43:40 +0100 4758749 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4664474&cid=t_135026_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FK-4vF4d67fI%2F After two months of testimony, a federal jury found a former Merck unit contaminated the air and water in a central California subdivision, potentially exposing thousands to a cancer-causing chemical known as hexavalent chromium - the same chemical that was made famous in the movie about Erin Brockovich, the Associated Press reports. The jury decided hazardous levels from a manufacturing plant spread into the air where residents of Merced’s Beachwood subdivision could have been exposed for 25 years. The residents could have been exposed through water in an irrigation canal, where they swam and fished, and through floodwaters, which flooded the subdivision in 2006 and picked up contaminated soil from the plant (see the lawsuit). The chemical, by the way, is also known as Chromium 6, a... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4664474 Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:21:35 +0100 4664474 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4159528&cid=t_135026_160_f&fid=36189&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.skinmdblog.com%2F313%2Fskin-care-facts-the-experts-dont-want-you-to-learn%2F Skincare experts ideas range greatly on topics like anti aging skin care, zits, eczema and sun exposure.  Right here is the short version of my belief on those topics. Sun exposure is healthful, as long as it is not excessive.   Sun burning is bad for the skin’s well being in many ways.  Spending too much time indoors is probably a whole lot worse for your well being than being active. Of course, that does depend on exactly where you dwell and the volume of air pollution in your environment.  If you stay in a big city, try to get away and get some refreshing air just about every few days or so.  It can do you a world of good. Nourishing lotions and good dietary supplements, as well as a nutritious diet, can help shield you from the injury that the sun could do to your skin.  If so... Skin MD blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4159528 Fri, 12 Nov 2010 16:12:00 +0100 4159528 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3954214&cid=t_135026_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2F199150%2F California’s Pollution Problem: A new study shows that air pollution in California is the cause of at least 9,000 premature deaths every year. (via Inhabitat) Post from: BlissTree (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3) Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3954214 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 17:04:45 +0100 3954214 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3924870&cid=t_135026_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fhot-summers-mean-bad-air-are-heat-and-pollution-ruining-your-lungs%2F If you live on the East Coast, you’ve probably been whining about the brutally hot weather all summer, but it turns out there’s more than just sweat to worry about: Heat waves cause high air pollution, and can wreak havoc on your lungs. High air pollution advisories have been issued in several cities throughout the country this summer, meaning that residents should basically try to avoid spending time outside. Heat triggers worse air pollution than normal because it turns air particles like nitrogens and hydrocarbons into ozone, a pollutant that’s highly toxic and dangerous to breathe. (For all you air conditioning gluttons out there: It’s worth noting that while electric plants pump at full speed to fuel your air conditioner, they’re also making the air outsi... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3924870 Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:49:01 +0100 3924870 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3585573&cid=t_135026_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fmeasuring-air-quality-with-your-phone-better-than-apps%2F Photo: Thinkstock We’ve got a lot of good reasons to worry about air pollution: Dirt and chemicals floating around in the air are bad for everything from your lungs and allergies to your skin, hair, and eyes. With all the trucks, cars, and factories emitting smog, CO2, and dirty chemicals, sometimes it just seems safer to stay inside. Well, a new silicon chip developed by researchers might be able to tell you how safe the air outside of your house is. The chip would be embedded in your cellphone, so it wouldn’t be a burden on your daily routine. The chip would alert you if it detected a pollutant, the release of a toxin, or even a gas leak. You’re cell phone could text you if there is a carbon monoxide leak in your house, just like your carbon monoxide detector. Only cool... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3585573 Thu, 20 May 2010 21:11:56 +0100 3585573 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3560253&cid=t_135026_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2Fn56maosOcPE%2Fonly_the_ducks_are_dead.php BP has this great reputation for being an environmentally friendly and responsible company. I know it because their incessant television ads tell me it's true. The ones that flank the national news stories about their horrendous safety record of explosions and worker deaths or their catastrophic oil spills. Those ads. When something happens they start the noise machine and appear to be the innocent party let down by their lessee. Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3560253 Thu, 13 May 2010 11:52:09 +0100 3560253 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3487095&cid=t_135026_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FeUV_mUVl-_o%2Fvolcanoes_pandemics_and_crysta.php The Icelandic volcanic eruption is still causing havoc in Europe with ripple effects elsewhere as people and planes are grounded for travel in or out of much of northern Europe. Pressure from the traveling public, air carriers and business is mounting to let passenger and cargo planes fly again. What's changed? Not much. There's about as much uncertainty as there was a week ago, just a lot more pushback. The recriminations are already starting: EU and national transport authorities "over reacted." They should have ... done what? At the same time airlines like Air France-KLM are conducting test flights to see if it's safe to fly planes with the traveling public through dust laden air corridors, and if so, which ones. So it sounds as if neither the authorities nor the airlines know the basel... Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3487095 Tue, 20 Apr 2010 11:42:16 +0100 3487095 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3483035&cid=t_135026_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FSRoPcOcGaCw%2F It’s hard to believe that the blanket of white haze is smog, and not fog, in this photo of Los Angeles, originally posted on The Daily Green: Photo: StÃ¥le Veipe/Daily Green Post from: BlissTree You Know You're Unwell If … Your City Has This Much Smog (Source: Genetics and Health) Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3483035 Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:34:11 +0100 3483035 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3440749&cid=t_135026_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Ffeel%2F173369%2F Seasonal Allergies, or Exhaust in Your Lungs? New study deciphers which types of air pollution worsens allergy, cold and flu symptoms in kids. (via EnvrionmentalHealthNews.org) Post from: BlissTree (Source: Healthbolt) Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3440749 Mon, 05 Apr 2010 15:11:14 +0100 3440749 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3204889&cid=t_135026_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FXVsgiRFrKFM%2Fozone_from_china.php It used to be my job to teach the environmental health survey course for public health students and air pollution was a topic I spent a lot of time on because it interested me and intersected some of my research work. One of the things I taught my students was that some air pollutants were very local -- carbon monoxide (CO) being a good example; levels of CO on one side of the street could vary significantly from those on the other side by virtue of traffic patterns or street canyon effects -- while others were considered regional pollutants. Ozone (O3) was my example of choice. It isn't emitted by sources by formed as a secondary pollutant via chemical reactions in the atmosphere from chemical precursors like volatile organics and nitrogen oxides (juiced with sunlight) which were emitted ... Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3204889 Sun, 24 Jan 2010 20:42:58 +0100 3204889 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3084732&cid=t_135026_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F12%2F14%2Foccupational-and-environmental-medicine-2009-volume-66-number-12%2F Fade Fave: Traffic particles and occurrence of acute myocardial infarction: a case–control analysis Fade Skinny: Models exposure to traffic particles using a latent variable approach and investigated whether long-term exposure to traffic particles is associated with an increase in the occurrence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) using data from a population-based coronary disease registry. Provides some support for an association between long-term exposure to traffic particles and risk of AMI. (NHS Athens is required to access this article online) Posted in Athens Password, Current Awareness, E-Journals Tagged: Air Pollution, Athens Password, Current Awareness, E-Journals, Heart Diseases, Myocardial Infarction, Pollution (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3084732 Mon, 14 Dec 2009 09:00:07 +0100 3084732 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2924774&cid=t_135026_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F10%2F25%2Fheart-2009-vol-95-no-21%2F Contents page Fade Fave: Effects of air pollution on the incidence of myocardial infarction Fade Skinny: Systematic review finding some evidence that short-term fluctuations in air pollution affect the risk of Myocardial Infarction. However, further studies are needed to clarify the nature of these effects and identify vulnerable populations and individuals. (NHS Athens is required to access this article online) Posted in Athens Password, Current Awareness, E-Journals Tagged: Air Pollution, Athens Password, Current Awareness, E-Journals, Heart Diseases, Myocardial Infarction (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2924774 Sun, 25 Oct 2009 09:04:55 +0100 2924774 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2674252&cid=t_135026_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blisstree.com%2Fhealthbolt%2Fthe-air-that-we-breathe%2F Think that the air inside your house is safer to breathe than the air outside ? Better think again. According to this fascinating, yet scary report by WebMD, the air in our houses probably isn’t any better for us than the air out in the community. In particular, they point out that a typical American home has over 500 chemicals floating around in the air. The number is based on a recent study done on indoor airborne contaminants in homes in Arizona.  That’s a huge number of chemicals. But what’s worse, as the WebMD articles points out, is that the scientists were unable to even identify 120 of these chemicals. I don’t know about you, but I find that very concerning. But wait. It get’s worse.  The article goes on to state that babies are at more risk of contamination than adul... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2674252 Thu, 06 Aug 2009 01:10:50 +0100 2674252 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2256402&cid=t_135026_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2FFA26HqfwkOw%2Fdc_appeals_court_chokes_on_bus.php I'm sure it will be years before we have cleaned up all the garbage -- literally and figuratively -- from the Bush administration's Environmental "Protection" Agency. The notoriously conservative DC Appeals Court, in a unanimous decision, did its part recently when it declared the Bush EPA's standards for air particulates “contrary to law and unsupported by adequately reasoned decisionmaking." The language doesn't get much stronger than that. Just a few days before the Supremes refused to hear a challenge to a lower court decision striking down Bush EPA mercury standards from coal-fired power plants. That's how you make clean coal. You redefine dirty to mean clean. But it didn't work. But back to the soot standards: Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... (S... Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2256402 Mon, 09 Mar 2009 12:38:05 +0100 2256402 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2207670&cid=t_135026_107_f&fid=38269&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrdonnadouglas.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F02%2F23%2Frelief-for-seasonal-allergies%2F                           Allergic rhinitis (often called hay fever) occurs when your immune system overreacts to particles in the air that you breathe—you are allergic to them. Your immune system attacks the particles, causing symptoms such as sneezing and a runny nose. Chronic sinusitis, which recurs or lasts longer than 12 weeks, can be caused by upper respiratory tract infection, allergies, deviated septum or other anatomical conditions, and fungi.  Symptoms may include trouble breathing through the nose, headache, aching behind the eye area, tenderness in the cheeks, sinus congestion, nasal discharge, or post nasal drip. But you can control these symptoms with medicine and by avoiding the irritants that cause them.  If allergies are left  uncontrolled you... Dr. Donna, MedicineWoman blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2207670 Mon, 23 Feb 2009 18:50:14 +0100 2207670 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1980550&cid=t_135026_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2F461134500%2Fa_national_park_with_a_view.php The trouble with National Parks for a city boy like me is too much wilderness. I am only able to stand up on asphalt. So it is comforting to find out the Bush administration is looking out for folks like me, should by some quirk of fate we find ourselves outdoors in a National Park with no Starbucks within blocks. Soon we'll be able to see the soul satisfying outline of a huge coal fired power plant, an oil refinery or some other familiar polluter to make us feel at home. It's just too bad that the EPA's own administrators can't get onboard: Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1980550 Fri, 21 Nov 2008 20:02:55 +0100 1980550 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1980551&cid=t_135026_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2F460711459%2Fdems_dump_dirty_air_dingell.php John Dingell (D-MI), longtime Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has done some good things in his time, but overall he's been a net minus. When Henry Waxman (D-CA) toppled him from his perch today my feeling was an uncharitable, Good Riddance. The vote in the Democratic Party caucus was close but not very close: 137 - 122. Dingell has not been representing the people of his District as much as he has been representing the US Automakers. He he got the sobriquet Dirty Air Dingell the old fashioned way: he earned it: Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1980551 Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:08:09 +0100 1980551 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1888076&cid=t_135026_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2F424554993%2Fbush_epa_sets_new_rules_for_le.php Here's some public health man-bites-dog news. George Bush's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did something right: Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... (Source: Effect Measure) Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1888076 Sat, 18 Oct 2008 12:34:45 +0100 1888076 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1862763&cid=t_135026_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D4832 a Salmonella Poisoning from Microwaving Uncooked Chicken, Childhood Factors for Victimization, Air Pollution Increases Risk of Appendicitis (Source: Malaysian Medical Resources) Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1862763 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1862763 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1742672&cid=t_135026_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2F378004792%2Fa_new_class_of_air_pollutant.php I used to joke that the only plan the Bush administration had for dealing with air pollution was to put all the free radicals in jail. If you don't know what a free radical is, it is a highly reactive form of a chemical, usually involving an unpaired electron. Radicals often are short lived intermediates in other reactions and can have half lives in the microseconds or less. In any event we're talking seconds. It is free radicals that are formed by ionizing radiation. They quickly react with whatever chemicals are in their vicinity and if that chemical happens to be your genetic material, you can get the kind of programming error that leads to cancer. Now a combustion chemist is reporting a new kind of free radical which he calls a "persistent free radical," almost a chemical oxymoron: R... Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1742672 Fri, 29 Aug 2008 12:26:59 +0100 1742672 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1538298&cid=t_135026_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F318266957%2F The drugmaker agreed to pay the civil penalty to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act at its former manufacturing plant in Groton, Connecticut, the same town where Pfizer R&D is headquartered. Why is this noteworthy? The US Department of Justice says the settlement is the first of its type in federal court under PharmaMACT regulations that are supposed to control the emissions of hazardous air pollutants from pharmaceutical manufacturing operations. The violations, which occurred between October 2002 and December 2005, were associated with the production of bulk pharmaceutical materials, and included a failure to properly conduct pressure tests to identify leaks, repair leaks before start-up, equip open-ended lines with a cap or other seal, and document leak tests to establ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1538298 Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:02:44 +0100 1538298 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1399589&cid=t_135026_107_f&fid=36672&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencebase.com%2Fscience-blog%2Fbiomonitors.html Keeping a weather eye on atmospheric pollution is a large-scale, costly and time-consuming activity. However, there just happens to be a vast network of self-contained, self-powered units around the globe that can respond to the presence of toxins, radioactive species, atmospheric particulates and other materials in the environment and could be used to build up a local, national or international picture of environmental conditions - the world’s plants, mosses, and lichens. In a forthcoming special issue of the International Journal of Environment and Pollution (2008, Volume 32, Issue 4), researchers from various fields explain how living organisms can be used to track the dispersal of atmospheric pollutants, particulates, and trace elements. They also explain how plants and other so-... Sciencebase Science Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1399589 Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:54:21 +0100 1399589 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1211992&cid=t_135026_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F02%2F06%2Fjournal-of-epidemiology-and-community-health-february-2008-622%2F The new issue of Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health is now available online. If you want to access the full text of the journal you’ll need your Athens password from the NHS (at the moment you’ll need one from Cheshire and Merseyside but from April this resource will be available nationally. If you don’t have an Athens password and are eligible you can get one here). Full contents of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2008 62(2) February In this issue Carlos Alvarez-Dardet and John R Ashton, Joint Edit J Epidemiol Community Health 2008; 62: 89. [Extract] [Full text] [PDF] “If you always do…” JRA J Epidemiol Community Health 2008; 62: 90. [Extract] [Full text] [PDF] The s... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1211992 Wed, 06 Feb 2008 20:11:34 +0100 1211992 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1177634&cid=t_135026_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2F223144100%2Fa_small_air_pollution_risk_nan.php The particles are smaller but the risks appear to be bigger. We're talking air pollution, here, folks. Not so long ago EPA regulations were on the basis of pretty large partiles, ten microns in size. Then a considerable body of work indicated that much smaller particulate matter, size around 2.5 microns were a much better measure of risk. Like a lot of things, though, as our measurements get better we are finding effects, sometimes big ones, with ever smaller particles. A recent study published in Circulation Research and reported by Bloomberg says that unregulated extremely fine particles, less then 0.2 microns particles not measured at all by most methods, produce serious cardiovascular effects. The work is with animal models but the model used has been quite informative about human heal... Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1177634 Fri, 25 Jan 2008 21:00:45 +0100 1177634 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1036848&cid=t_135026_99_f&fid=34593&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2FAyaJ%2F%7E3%2F187354084%2Fparticulate_air_pollution_is_l.php Air pollution exists in two physical forms: as a gas (molecules) and as particles (usually heterogeneous agglomerations of huge numbers of molecules stuck together). Particles in the air are also called aerosols. Depending upon their size (really their aerodynamic behavior), their abundance and their composition, they can affect our lungs, vegetation or visibility. They can come from anywhere. Sometimes they are formed "in place" by secondary chemical reactions of precursor pollutants. Photochemical oxidant pollution ("smog") is of this type. Sometimes it is of natural origin and can be transported over huge distances. Dust storms in Asia can wind up as particulates over the US continent. And sometimes they are of local or regional origin, for example, sent up the stacks of power plants. I... Effect Measure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1036848 Mon, 19 Nov 2007 20:57:58 +0100 1036848 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=903715&cid=t_135026_134_f&fid=36049&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FDiabetesNotes%2F%7E3%2F161202290%2F I know that I have written about something similar to this in the past, but here is new research that offers a non invasive way to analyze blood sugars amongst type 1 diabetics. By using a chemical analysis method developed for air-pollution testing, UC Irvine chemists and pediatricians have found that children with type-1 diabetes exhale significantly higher concentrations of methyl nitrates when they are hyperglycemic. The methyl nitrate exhaled concentrations were found to be at least 10 times higher in diabetic children experiencing hyperglycemia than when they are not. Wow! This is very exciting news indeed for possible non invasive type testing in the future. Wouldn’t that be grand? To test your blood sugar without a single prick… but would it be as precise and accurate? ... Diabetes Notes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=903715 Tue, 25 Sep 2007 19:10:36 +0100 903715 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=788141&cid=t_135026_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F8%2F8%2Fnetwork-medicine-a-fascinating-development.html By Dov Michaeli MD, Ph.DIn my previous posting I reviewed a paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine which showed that obesity can spread among friends and family just like any infectious disease. But unlike infectious diseases, physical proximity did not count for much: obesity did not spread among neighbors. It did spread among family members, regardless of geographical location. The strongest influence on the spread of obesity was friendship, in particular mutual friendship. This was a totally unexpected finding. The paper had some unavoidable flaws. For instance, in assessing the effect of friendship, the investigators had data on an average of 0.7 “contacts” (or friends) per case. This hardly gives a complete picture of the social network of the average perso... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=788141 Wed, 08 Aug 2007 05:08:33 +0100 788141 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=761489&cid=t_135026_87_f&fid=34866&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecardioblog.com%2F2007%2F07%2F27%2Fwhy-being-an-athlete-isnt-as-healthy-as-it-used-to-be%2F Filed under: ExercisePhysical activity is great for your health, and although it's no guarantee against heart disease and cardiovascular issues it is a pretty big deterrent and can definitely swing the odds in your favor. But being an athlete isn't as healthy as it used to be years ago, now that air pollution levels and smog have risen so much in urban and highly populated areas. Athletes breathe in more air than the average sedentary person, and those chemicals and pollutants can build up their bodies and cause problems in the heart and lungs.Suggestions on limiting the damage caused by poor air quality include doing what you can to avoid working out in high traffic areas and staying indoors altogether when the air quality is bad. You can usually get air quality readings on the website fo... The Cardio Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=761489 Fri, 27 Jul 2007 04:00:00 +0100 761489