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 'health news'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:48:48 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181781&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F09%2Finfant-rotavirus-vaccine-may-protect-all-of-us.html Rotavirus infections can be devastating for infants and young children, causing inflammation of the stomach and intestines leading to severe diarrhea, and often abdominal pain, fever, and vomiting. But a study published this week in the Journal of Infectious Diseases by researchers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that rotavirus may infect many more older children and adults than previously thought—and that vaccinating infants may protect the older groups as well. Rotavirus vaccines were introduced and recommended for infants in 2006, and can prevent 85 percent or more of severe cases. Before the current vaccines, rotavirus was the leading cause of severe diarrhea in infants and small children in the U.S., causing up to 70,000 hospitalizations each... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181781 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 14:00:00 +0100 5181781 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181782&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fstressed-out-employees-at-risk-for-other-health-problems.html Super stressed? If so, it might also effect how much you eat and exercise, and even your confidence, according to a study published today in the American Journal of Health Promotion in which researchers found that asking people just one simple question about their stress levels quickly determines their risk for poor health. Researchers looked at responses from a survey of 13,000 workers who had enrolled in their employer’s wellness center. Nearly 17 percent, or 2,147, reported stress "as bad as it can be." Those very stressed employees reported poorer eating habits, more fatigue, and lower activity levels than their less-stressed counterparts. They also reported more health problems, including being overweight and having high blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels. Ot... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181782 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 21:30:00 +0100 5181782 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181783&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fbaby%2F2011%2F08%2Fcoping-when-kids-nag-for-unhealthy-food.html Consider it your offspring’s revenge for your attempts to hide vegetables in their mac and cheese or chocolate cake. A new study examines the techniques and manipulations that children use to persuade, cajole, or simply wear down their parents to buy commercially advertised products such as junk food. In the paper, “The Nag Factor—A mixed-methodology study in the US of young children’s requests for advertised products”, published in the latest issue of the Journal of Children and Media, researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health discovered that children who were more familiar with characters on commercial television shows were more likely to persist in their demands for advertised items. The study focused on 3- to 5-year-olds, inter... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181783 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 19:15:00 +0100 5181783 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181784&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fpoor-sleep-linked-to-high-blood-pressure.html Older men who regularly miss out on deep, restorative sleep have an 80 percent increased risk of developing high blood pressure, according to a study out this week in the American Heart Association’s journal Hypertension. Researchers used in-home sleep monitors to measure how long and well 784 men 65 and older slept. After an average of 3.4 years, 243 men had developed high blood pressure. Men who spent less than 4 percent of their sleep time in of slow-wave sleep, considered the deeper, restorative stage of sleep, had the highest risk of developing high blood pressure. In addition, men with reduced slow-wave sleep had shorter sleep duration, more awakenings at night, and more severe sleep apnea. Nearly a third of U.S. adults have high blood pressure, and the risk if higher in sen... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181784 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 21:00:00 +0100 5181784 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181785&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fnew-vaccine-resistant-strain-of-bird-flu-is-detected-in-asia.html A new strain of bird flu, officially called avian H5N1-2.3.2.1 influenza, has been detected in poultry flocks in Vietnam and China. Even more worrisome, the strain appears to be resistant to the current vaccine, according to the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). But the agency says that no cases of the new strain of H5N1 flu have been reported this year. Most of the northern and central parts of Vietnam have been invaded by the new strain, the FAO said in a statement. Vietnam is considering a new vaccination campaign this fall, since the old vaccines won't work against the old strain. The ongoing H5N1 flu virus caused illness and death in humans in 2003. The virus spread in poultry, peaked in 2006, and then hit a low in 2008 after widespread poultry slaughters in affected ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181785 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 17:30:00 +0100 5181785 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181786&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fcan-a-little-chocolate-really-cut-your-risk-of-heart-disease-and-stroke.html People who eat higher amounts of chocolate have a significantly lower risk of heart disease—37 percent lower, in fact—than those who consume less of the confection, according to a large-scale review published this week in the British Medical Journal. The study also found a 29 percent reduction in stroke risk and a 31 percent reduction in diabetes risk in people who consume higher amounts of chocolate. While none of the research involved randomized controlled trials, the evidence does hint at a rather sweet prospect: A little chocolate might be good for your heart as well as your soul. Researchers looked at the results of seven studies including 114,009 participants, and compared the group with the highest chocolate consumption with the group with the lowest. The studies did no... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181786 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 14:00:00 +0100 5181786 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174604&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fwidely-used-acne-treatments-lack-evidence-says-new-study.html Most teenagers experience at least some degree of acne, and the problem sometime extends into adulthood. When it’s severe (or even when it’s not) it can lead to low self-esteem, depression, and diminished quality of life. Yet despite the scads of prescription and over-the-counter treatments marketed for acne, very little is known about their comparative effectiveness—that is, which of them works best, and for whom, according to a review published today in the journal Lancet. Researchers at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom and other institutions undertook a comprehensive review of the scientific literature on acne causes, treatments, and management dating back to 1999. The treatments they examined included topical ones, such as benzoyl peroxide (Clearas... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174604 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 23:31:00 +0100 5174604 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174605&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fsafety%2F2011%2F08%2Ffeds-warn-of-bad-iodine-swabs-from-hp-industries-inc.html The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a recall warning last week of iodine-based swabs made by H&P Industries, Inc. in Hartand, Wisconsin. The antiseptic medical swabs may be "non-sterile," says the company. The recall involves all lots (beginning with 8J-8M, 9A-9M, 0A-0M, 1A-1C) of Povidone Iodine Swabsticks, Prep Solutions, Scrub Solutions, and Prep Gel. The antiseptic products—which are used by doctors in preparation for surgical procedures as well as by consumers for treatment of minor cuts and burns—were produced without having a means of testing for the products' sterility, says the FDA. According to H&P Industries, extensive testing of the iodine swabs and prep solutions have not, so far, yielded any contaminated product. Nor has the company received any complai... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174605 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 19:00:00 +0100 5174605 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174606&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fdont-use-medicines-affected-by-hurricane-irene.html If Hurricane Irene left you with flooding and water damage, chances are food, drinking water, and even medicines in your home were affected, exposing you and your family to potential illness and other serious health risks. To lessen these risks, the Food and Drug Administration is recommending that you discard any drug products—even those in their original containers—that have come into contact with flood or contaminated water. That includes capsules, tablets, and liquids in drug containers with screw-top caps, snap lids, or droppers and injections, inhalers, and skin medications. If needed, contact your doctor or pharmacist for replacements. In addition, medications that have been placed in any alternative storage containers should be discarded if they have come in contact wi... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174606 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 18:00:00 +0100 5174606 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174607&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fmake-sure-your-post-irene-food-and-water-are-safe.html If you’re one of the millions feeling the after effects of Hurricane Irene in the form of power outages, flooding, and other damages, food and water safety is a paramount concern. To avoid illness from contaminated drinking water and food, the Food and Drug Administration is urging people to take the following precautions: Do not eat any food that may have come into contact with flood water. When in doubt, throw it out. Do not eat food packed in plastic, paper, cardboard, cloth and similar containers that have been water-damaged. Discard food and beverage containers with screw-caps, snap lids, crimped caps (soda bottles), twist caps, flip tops, cardboard juice/milk/baby formula boxes and home canned foods, if they have come in contact with flood water. These containers cannot be ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174607 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 03:20:00 +0100 5174607 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5169541&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fexercise-now-benefit-later.html If you’re waiting for the “right time” to start working out more, don’t delay. The earlier you start exercising, the more likely you are to maintain physical performance and strength in older age, suggests a study out this week in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Researchers in England and Australia analyzed self-reported exercise levels of approximately 2,400 British men and women at ages 36, 43 and 53 followed since their birth in the month of March,1946. In 1999, when all the participants in the study were 53 years of age, the researchers measured their grip strength, standing balance, and how long it took them to rise from a chair as indicators of strength and physical performance. Grip strength is a measure of upper-body muscle condition. Chair-r... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5169541 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 20:55:00 +0100 5169541 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5169543&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhome%2F2011%2F08%2Fhow-to-get-ready-for-hurrican-irene.html Hurricane Irene is barreling toward North Carolina, where a hurricane warning is in effect, and hurricane watches have been posted for Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York and New England. Unlike their neighbors to the south, Northeasterners may not be as familiar with hurricane preparedness. Whether you’re weathering in or have to evacuate, there’s a few supplies you should have on hand. Related stories: For a complete guide to staying safe during Hurricane Irene and other disasters, check out: Social Media: Americans' source for disaster news, help and comfort Fast facts: How to prepare a homeowners insurance flood claim Hurricane survival tips for your electronics Hurricane car survival tips How to keep your food safe if Irene knocks out your power In a ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5169543 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 16:41:00 +0100 5169543 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158964&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Ffda-says-cancer-drug-shortage-is-getting-worse.html Several cancer drugs are in low supply, preventing some breast and prostate cancer patients from getting needed treatment, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The shortage of cancer drugs, which has been on the rise since 2010, stems from several factors, according to Valerie Jensen, the associate director of the Drug Shortage Program at the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, in an interview with MSN. Those factors include problems at manufacturing plants, such as contamination; late delivery of raw materials; and misprints in drug labels and packaging. MSN suggested that delayed inspections by the FDA after problems arise might also contribute to shortages, though Jensen disagreed. On its Drug Shortages Website, the FDA writes that: These shortages occur fo... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158964 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 21:00:00 +0100 5158964 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158965&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fbarefoot-running-shoes-are-they-for-you.html Are you thinking about buying a pair of “barefoot-running” shoes, like those introduced this week by Adidas, but wonder if they really live up to the hype? We asked our exercise experts what they think of the suddenly popular trend. Barefoot running shoes—which have thin rubber soles that fit over feet like gloves, with a slot for each toe—allow you to run with the same mechanics as if you were barefoot. And they offer some protection from abrasions, punctures, and stubbed toes. But it's unclear whether the barefoot-running style—in which you're more likely to land on the balls of your feet than the heels—offers any advantages. In theory, it could lead to less hip and knee twisting and have less of an impact on joints. But it might also lead to short... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158965 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 20:15:00 +0100 5158965 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158966&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fbaby%2F2011%2F08%2Fusda-unveils-improvements-to-school-lunch-program.html Your children will have healthier choices for lunch at school thanks to changes to the school lunch program. Starting this fall there will be more fruits and vegetables, less sodium, leaner meats, reduced fat dairy products and whole grains on the menu, according to a recent announcement from the United States Department of Agriculture. “These are the first changes in 15 years”, said USDA Under Secretary Kevin Concannon. “This is a rare opportunity to make changes in 101,000 American schools in all states and territories. This is the most significant change in the history of the school lunch program.” Children may be offered fresh fruit cups, for example, instead of sugary desserts, roasted or baked chicken rather than deep fried, and they’ll be offered whol... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158966 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 17:00:00 +0100 5158966 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158967&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fvaccines-cause-very-few-serious-side-effects.html The start of school means it’s vaccine time, and a new 667-page report released today from the Institute of Medicine should offer parents some reassurance. It found that there is no connection between the vaccine for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) and autism, despite some parent’s lingering concerns. And it said that other serious side effects of that and other childhood vaccines were rare. A committee of experts convened by the IOM culled through more than 12,000 peer-reviewed articles to examine whether eight childhood vaccines caused adverse events. The report specifically ruled out any causal relationship between the flu shot and Bell’s Palsy, and found that getting vaccinated against the flu doesn’t make asthma worse. It also dispelled any notions of a con... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158967 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 16:01:00 +0100 5158967 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158968&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fgoogle-to-pay-500-million-for-running-pharmacy-ads.html As part of a settlement with the federal government, Google will pay $500 million for running ads by online Canadian pharmacies in the U.S. that the government says were illegal. The Canadian pharmacies do not require a prescription, and also sell counterfeit drugs. The $500 million settlement covers the estimated amount that Google collected in advertising fees, as well as revenue that the Canadian pharmacies received from people in the U.S. who purchased their products. According to New York Times Bitz Blog, when Google became aware of the governments investigation in 2010, it started requiring that online Canadian pharmacy advertisers be certified by the Canadian International Pharmacy Association. Google also stipulated that the Canadian pharmacies were only to advertise to Canadian... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158968 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 21:00:00 +0100 5158968 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158969&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Ffda-warns-that-high-doses-of-celexa-are-linked-to-heart-problems.html People should not take more than 40 milligrams a day of the antidepressant citalopram (Celexa and generic) because higher doses appear to trigger potentially fatal heart rhythm problems, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday. People at greatest risk include those with heart conditions or low potassium or magnesium levels. The FDA's warning is based on reports it received of people taking the drug who developed abnormal changes in the electrical activity of the heart that could lead to deadly heart rhythm conditions. In addition, a study involving 119 adults found that higher doses of citalopram (up to 60 mg per day) increased the abnormal heart activity. Other research suggests that doses over 40 milligrams are no more effective than lower doses. Bottom line: If you’re ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158969 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 20:55:00 +0100 5158969 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158970&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fnuts-soy-lowers-cholesterol-better-than-low-saturated-diet.html Good news, tofu lovers. Soy-based foods, as well as oats, nuts, and lentils, can lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels more than cutting back on saturated fats, says a study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association. In the study, 345 people with high cholesterol were placed on three different diets: a low-saturated fat diet; a diet high in cholesterol-lowering foods consisting of soy, fiber, and plant sterols, plus two counseling sessions; and those same foods combined with seven counseling sessions. After six months, the people who received counseling (either two or seven sessions) plus the cholesterol-lowering foods lowered their LDL by at least 13 percent, while the low-saturated fats group saw only a 3 percent reduction. Bottom line: The findings provide ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158970 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 20:05:00 +0100 5158970 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158971&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fmarriage-and-divorce-linked-to-weight-gain.html Men tend to pack on the pounds after getting divorced, women after getting married. That’s according to research presented this week at the American Sociological Association’s 106th Annual Meeting. Researchers at Ohio State University used data on 10,071 people surveyed from 1986 to 2008 to determine weight gain in the two years following a marriage or divorce. Men who got divorced were more likely to gain a lot of weight—more than about 21 pounds—than those who stayed married. Women on the other hand were more likely to add a lot of weight after they got married. For both genders, the weight gains were most notable in people older than 30. Other research suggests that married men are healthier than unmarried ones in other ways as well, though researchers aren&#... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158971 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 18:55:00 +0100 5158971 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158972&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Felectronics%2F2011%2F08%2Fstudy-surfing-the-web-at-work-can-pay-off-in-productivity.html Workers, rejoice! Scientists have evidence that browsing the Internet while sitting at your office desk may actually be beneficial to your job performance. The Wall Street Journal reports that Don J.Q. Chen and Vivien K.G Lim of the National University of Singapore have conducted research that suggests workers who surf the Web during work breaks may actually be more refreshed than those who spend their time making personal calls or answering e-mail. The study, "Impact of Cyberloafing on Psychological Engagement," was composed of two similar groups. In each, participants were divided into three smaller groups but given the same simple 20-minute task: Highlight as many instances of the letter E as possible in a sample piece of text. Each group was then assigned a different task for the nex... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158972 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 15:30:00 +0100 5158972 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158973&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fhappy-marriage-healthy-heart.html The song goes “love will keep us together,” but love can help keep you alive after heart bypass surgery, too, suggests a study published online today in the journal Health Psychology. It found that happily married people who underwent coronary bypass surgery were more than three times as likely to be alive 15 years later as were their unmarried counterparts. Researchers at the University of Rochester tracked 225 people ages 33 to 80 who had bypass surgery between 1987 and 1990. They asked married participants to rate their degree of happiness with their marriage one year after surgery. The study adjusted for age, sex, education, depressed mood, tobacco use, and other factors known to affect survival rates for cardiovascular disease. After 15 years, 83 percent of happily wedd... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158973 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 22:30:00 +0100 5158973 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158974&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fmany-doctors-and-nurses-embrace-alternative-medicine.html Your doctor or nurse might be more likely than you to turn to dietary supplements and alternative therapies such as acupuncture and chiropractic care, according to a recent study in the journal Health Services Research. It found that 76 percent of health-care workers reported using alternative or complementary therapy in the preceding year compared with 63 percent of the general population. Researchers at the University of Minnesota and elsewhere analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2007 National Health Interview Survey, the most current nationally representative data available on the use of complementary and alternative medicine in U.S. households. The most common reason given by health-care professionals for use of complementary or alternative medici... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158974 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 20:00:00 +0100 5158974 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158975&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fcertified-sustainable-seafood-not-always-what-it-seems.html That "sustainable" Chilean sea bass you bought in the grocery store might not actually be so sustainable—and might even be a different kind of fish entirely. That's according to researchers who tested DNA samples of fish labeled as having been harvested from a fishery with sustainable fishing practices. The researchers, from Clemson University, isolated DNA samples from Chilean sea bass, an over-fished species. All the samples carried labels from the Marine Stewardship Council, indicating that they were harvested from the only recognized sustainable Chilean sea bass fishery in the world, a region surrounding the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia and a nearby underwater plateau. But about 15 percent of the samples were genetically distinct from fish collected previously from the ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158975 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 18:00:00 +0100 5158975 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158976&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fnearly-1-in-10-children-diagnosed-with-adhd-says-cdc.html Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is on the rise, with nearly one in 10 American children ages 5 to 17 receiving an ADHD diagnosis, according to new data released this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the CDC’s National Health Interview Survey data, from 1998 to 2009 the number of children ever diagnosed with ADHD increased from just under 7 percent to 9 percent. The report found a higher prevalence of ADHD among boys and children in the South and Midwest. And the number of cases increased by about 10 percent in children living in low-income households. ADHD is one of the most common problems involving behavior and brain function. Its symptoms—inattention, impulsive behavior, and hyperactivity—begin in childhood, creat... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158976 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 14:00:00 +0100 5158976 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139716&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fmany-pregnant-women-are-still-not-getting-flu-shots.html Flu vaccination has been historically low for pregnant women, despite the long-standing recommendation that pregnant women get vaccinated. And that troubling trend hasn’t changed much in recent years. According to survey data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today, only about half (49 percent) of pregnant women were estimated to have been vaccinated during last year’s flu season. Pregnant women who were offered a flu shot by a health provider were five times as likely to be vaccinated as women who weren’t offered the shot, and were more likely to have positive attitudes about the effectiveness of the vaccine. However, four out of 10 women did not receive a provider offer. Among pregnant women who planned to skip the flu shot, top concerns were s... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139716 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 22:55:00 +0100 5139716 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139717&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fcdc-practice-healthy-behaviors-have-a-longer-life.html At first blush, it would seem like common sense. Practice a healthy lifestyle and you'll have a longer life. And the latest study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has the empirical proof to back the popular claim. The CDC researchers looked at adults 17 and older over the course of a few decades—from when they were recruited (1988 to 1994) through to 2006. In particular, the researchers looked at those who practiced "low-risk" lifestyles—not smoking, eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise and moderating alcoholic drinks. The findings? Compared to adults who did not practice any healthy lifestyle habits, those who followed all four low-risk living options were: 63 percent less likely to die an early death, overall 66 percent less likely to d... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139717 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 21:00:00 +0100 5139717 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139718&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fnew-rules-will-make-health-insurance-documents-easier-to-understand.html Consumers dread shopping for health insurance and deciphering health insurance documents. We know, because Consumers Union conducted several studies in which we asked consumers how they shop for health insurance, and they told us so. One of the provisions in the Affordable Care Act is going to make this task a little easier by making insurance companies give you standard “health insurance facts”—written in plain English—for every private product they offer, starting in 2012. The information will have the same format for every product, just like the familiar Nutrition Facts label that looks the same whether you’re buying a box of cereal or a can of soup. Whether you get health insurance from your employer or buy on your own, you’ll see the same form. ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139718 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 15:15:00 +0100 5139718 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139719&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fsmoking-causes-half-of-all-bladder-cancers-study-says.html Bladder cancer risk for male cigarette smokers is high—50 to 65 percent of men diagnosed with it are smokers. And now women, thought to be at a lower risk, may be just as vulnerable, according to new research. While previous studies show that 20 to 30 percent of women with bladder cancer were smokers, a large study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that smoking is now responsible for half of bladder cancer cases in women. Researchers from the National Cancer Institute analyzed health questionnaire data for more than 450,000 men and women enrolled in the NIH/AARP Diet and Health Study launched in 1995. During the course of follow-up, between 1995 and 2006, 3,896 men and 627 women were diagnosed with bladder cancer. Current smokers were f... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139719 Wed, 17 Aug 2011 21:35:00 +0100 5139719 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139720&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Ftobacco-companies-file-suit-to-stop-new-graphic-cigarette-labels.html Four of the five biggest tobacco companies in the U.S. have filed a lawsuit over new warning labels to appear on packs of cigarettes. The labels include graphic pictures, such as a sewn up corpse with the warning "Smoking can kill you." The lawsuit alleges that the labels violate free speech rights. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved the nine new warnings. The labels, scheduled to appear on cigarette packs early next year, will cycle through the nine different graphics, and cover the top half, front and back, of the packaging. The warnings also must constitute 20 percent of money spent on cigarette advertising, and include a stop-smoking hotline number. The FDA declined to comment to the Associated Press about the lawsuit, saying it can't comment on pending litigatio... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139720 Wed, 17 Aug 2011 16:00:00 +0100 5139720 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139721&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhome%2F2011%2F08%2Fkid-approved-fruit-cups-just-in-time-for-the-start-of-school.html In blind taste tests of six popular brands of fruit cups, 28 kid testers gave their highest marks to the Walmart brand Great Value Mandarin Oranges in light syrup. Our young testers (age 5 to 16) said they liked the sweetness and orange flavor in these snacks. Kids also said they liked Del Monte’s Cherry Mixed Fruit in cherry-flavored light syrup and Del Monte’s Mandarin Oranges in 100 percent fruit juice. Kids were not fans, however, of Dole Cherry Mixed Fruit in 100 percent fruit juice. They said the combined fruits didn't taste good together or tasted weird, and that there were too many flavors. “Based on those comments, parents might select fruit cups with a single fruit or a combo with fruits already familiar to the child,” said Gayle Williams, deputy ed... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139721 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 21:00:00 +0100 5139721 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139722&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fexcess-weight-not-always-unhealthy.html A new study has added to the evidence that when it comes to longevity, being healthy is more important than being thin. Researchers at Toronto’s York University and other institutions looked at data from 5,453 obese men and 771 obese women who took part in the ongoing Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study in Dallas. For comparison, they also examined data from more than 23,000 normal-weight people in the same study. They grouped the obese individuals into four categories, or “stages,” based on their overall health and whether they had risk factors such as high cholesterol, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, or a mental-health condition. Obese people who had moderate or severe risk factors or coexisting illnesses had a substantially greater risk of dying during the st... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139722 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 20:35:00 +0100 5139722 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139723&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fhome-breakfast-eaters-stay-slimmer.html If you regularly take time for breakfast, even if it’s just grabbing a banana on the way out the door, you’re not alone—and you may be on to something. Most of the 1,234 Americans in our recent survey said they ate breakfast on the day we called, and 84 percent of those people said the food came from home. Moreover, their body mass index—a measure that uses weight and height to calculate body size—tended to be lower than those who said they ate breakfast out. Popular breakfast choices included: • fruit (42 percent) • fruit juice (37 percent) • cold cereal (29 percent) • whole-wheat bread, toast, or English muffin (25 percent) • bacon, ham, or sausage (19 percent) • oatmeal (18 percent) • yogurt (15 percent) • eggs (14 percent) • egg subs... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139723 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:30:00 +0100 5139723 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130739&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2F15-minutes-of-daily-exercise-lowers-risk-of-death.html Good news—the bare minimum is good enough, suggests a study published online in the Lancet this evening (or stet) concluding that just 15 minutes of daily physical activity increases your life expectancy by 14 percent, or three years, over your sedentary counterparts. In this large observational study, over 400,000 Taiwanese men and women aged 20 and older participated in a 12-year standard medical screening program, with an average follow-up of eight years. Based on self reports of weekly activity, participants were placed into five categories: inactive, low, medium, high, or very high. Researchers calculated hazard ratios (HR) for mortality risks for every group compared with the inactive group, and calculated life expectancy. Compared with the inactive group, low-activity par... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130739 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 23:31:00 +0100 5130739 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130740&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Frecalls_safety%2F2011%2F08%2Frecall-60000-pounds-of-ground-beef-possible-e-coli-contamination.html The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a recall of more than 60,000 pounds of ground beef because of possible E. coli contamination. The recalled meat was produced by the Kansas-based National Beef Packing Company and shipped to stores nationwide. According to a report by The Examiner, the recall affects meat sold at Kroger, Publix Super Markets, and Winn-Dixie Stores in the following states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee. People infected with E. coli can experience diarrhea and abdominal cramps. It can also lead to a type of kidney failure that is most common in children under five and the elderly. Signs include fever, pale skin tone, fatigue, irritability, small bruises or bleeding from the nose and mouth, decreased urination and ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130740 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 17:15:00 +0100 5130740 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5125731&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fis-obamacare-done-for.html Nope. Earlier today a federal appeals court in Atlanta struck down the most contentious part of the Affordable Care Act—the “individual mandate” requirement that everyone must have health insurance or pay a penalty. But it has no immediate impact on consumers. Here’s why. First of all, the individual mandate part of the law isn’t scheduled to take effect until 2014. And the overall fate of the law will almost certainly be decided before then by the Supreme Court, because another appeals court has previously upheld the constitutionality of the mandate. Indeed, the 2 to 1 decision by a three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals is only the latest in a series of contradictory judicial rulings on the law. Meanwhile, the many parts of the law that al... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5125731 Fri, 12 Aug 2011 21:05:00 +0100 5125731 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5125732&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fis-it-too-early-for-a-flu-shot.html Seasonal flu shots have already begun arriving at drug stores across the country, for $32 for people paying out of pocket. Since the outbreak of the H1N1 flu two years ago, and the recent recommendation that all people older than 6 months get vaccinated, drug manufacturers have ramped up production. That means more doses, and earlier supplies. But the flu season doesn’t usually get going until the fall and winter. Is August too early to get the shot? No, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They recommend getting vaccinated as soon as the vaccine is available in your community. Whether that is late summer or early fall, the protection will last through the flu season, they say. But it’s important to get vaccinated every year—even though this year’s ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5125732 Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:40:00 +0100 5125732 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118626&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fmusic-may-be-therapeutic-for-cancer-patients.html Cancer treatments save lives, but they can be hard on the body and spirit. Now, new research suggests that a distinctly non-medical treatment—listening to music—may help buoy cancer patients' mood and take the edge off their pain and anxiety. The researchers pooled data from 30 small studies looking at the effects of music on people with cancer. The findings were striking: People who listened to a music CD or had sessions with a music therapist had lower scores on anxiety tests than those only having standard care. Their level of pain was also lower, and they had slight improvements in their blood pressure, and their heart and breathing rates. People having music treatment also rated their mood and quality of life higher. But they did not show any improvement in their level ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118626 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 19:05:00 +0100 5118626 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118627&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fbaby%2F2011%2F08%2Fsids-rethinking-safer-sleep-for-babies.html Alone. Back. Crib. That’s an important ABC for new parents to learn, to help prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Few possibilities are scarier to parents than the threat of SIDS, when babies die mysteriously in their sleep. What made the tragedy even worse for bereaved parents was its seeming arbitrariness. According to an NPR investigative report, it turns out, however, that many deaths attributed to SIDS were in fact related to unsafe sleep practices, such as putting a baby to sleep on her stomach or on a soft surface. The city of Baltimore’s health department is trying to prevent such unsafe sleep practices through its B’more for Healthy Babies program “Sleep Safe” campaign, which promotes this ABC message of “Alone. Back. Crib.” Following ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118627 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:08:00 +0100 5118627 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118628&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fcoconut-water-label-claims-questioned-by-consumerlabcom-tests.html Only one of the brands of coconut water tested by the health-product testing firm ConsumerLab.com lived up to it's nutritional claims. Zico coconut water had as much potassium and other nutrients as listed on its label. The other tested brands, O.N.E. and Vita Coco, did not. Researchers at ConsumerLab.com tested the sodium, potassium, magnesium, and sugar content of all three brands. The sugar and potassium content in Vita Coco and O.N.E. were in line with their labels, but the amounts of sodium and magnesium were as much as 82 percent and 35 percent lower, respectively, than the listed amount. Coconut water is the liquid inside unripe coconuts, and is particularly rich in potassium. One cup has about 500 milligrams, roughly what would be in a banana or cup of orange juice, according to... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118628 Tue, 09 Aug 2011 18:30:00 +0100 5118628 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118629&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fbody-imaging-chain-hit-with-fines-for-unnecessary-medical-scans.html Colorado health officials levied a $3.2 million fine against Heart Check America for performing unnecessary X-rays and CT scans on consumers without a licensed doctor's request or oversight. The penalty—the largest ever imposed by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment—comes after months of investigation into alleged operating violations, including using "unfair and deceptive business practices" to sway consumers into committing to too many costly medical screenings. A recent Consumer Reports Health report on treating heart disease suggests that such scare tactics by clinics and medical groups are becoming more commonplace. Kimberly Lovett, M.D., a physician at Kaiser Permanente and a member of the San Diego Center for Patient Safety at the University of C... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118629 Tue, 09 Aug 2011 18:00:00 +0100 5118629 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107502&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fsoy-pills-dont-help-menopausal-symptoms-study-shows.html Soy isoflavone supplementation didn’t reduce menopausal symptoms such as bone loss, but was linked with an increase in hot flashes, according to a small study published today in the Archives of Internal Medicine. In the randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial, 248 postmenopausal women age 45 to 60 who had no evidence of osteoporosis received either 200 milligrams of soy isoflavone supplementation per day or a daily placebo. During two years of follow-up, researchers from the University of Miami and elsewhere found no significant differences in the prevention of bone loss, night sweats, insomnia, loss of libido, or vaginal dryness in either group. But 48 percent of women in the soy group reported hot flashes, compared with 32 percent of those in the placebo group. An a... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107502 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 22:01:00 +0100 5107502 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107503&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Ffda-moves-to-clarify-meaning-of-gluten-free.html If you’re having trouble clearly defining “gluten-free,” you’re in good company. But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration hopes to clarify the issue by standardizing how the term is used on food labels. The agency is reopening a proposal introduced back in 2007 that would require wheat, rye, and barley products that use the term “gluten-free” on their labels to contain no more than 20 part per million of gluten. The FDA said the standard of 20 ppm comes from the Codex Alimentarius Commission, an agency that develops worldwide food standards, which set the guideline in 2008. The European Union has since adopted 20 ppm as its standard for gluten-free foods. Gluten levels below 20 ppm cannot be detected by standard lab tests. Last week, the FDA announced... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107503 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 20:00:00 +0100 5107503 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107504&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fbaby%2F2011%2F08%2Fhazardous-lunches-for-preschoolers.html You think you’re doing the right thing for your preschooler, by sending her off with a lovingly prepared homemade lunch when she heads to day care. But if you’re not taking the proper precautions to keep the food properly chilled, your child may be at risk of getting sick from the bacteria that can grow in perishable food. That’s the conclusion of a new study, “Temperature of Foods Sent by Parents of Preschool-aged Children,” published in the September 2011 issue of Pediatrics. Based on a study of 705 bag lunches for preschoolers at 9 Texas child care centers, the authors found that more than 90 percent of those lunches, even those that had multiple ice packs, were kept at unsafe temperatures. “This was an eye-opener,” said Fawaz D. Almansour, l... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107504 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 18:02:00 +0100 5107504 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107505&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fweight-loss-may-improve-mens-sexual-health-1.html This study may add another reason—to improve your sexual health—but we can’t be sure of the long-term results. Symptoms like difficulty getting an erection and difficulty urinating should always be checked out by a doctor. They could be a sign of more serious health problems. See our advice on preventing and treating type 2 diabetes. Sources Comparing effects of a low-energy diet and a high-protein low-fat diet on sexual and endothelial function, urinary tract symptoms, and inflammation in obese diabetic men. [The Journal of Sexual Medicine.] —Anna Sayburn, BMJ Group ConsumerReportsHealth.org has partnered with The BMJ Group to monitor the latest medical research and assess the evidence to help you decide which news you should use. (Source: Consumer Reports H... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107505 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 15:00:00 +0100 5107505 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107506&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fnew-tick-borne-disease-found-in-the-us-plus-updated-stats-on-west-nile-virus.html A new strain of a tick-borne bacterium has turned up in Minnesota and Wisconsin, triggering a disease called ehrlichiosis in at least 25 people, according to a recent report in in the New England Journal of Medicine. Ehrlichiosis is carried by the same deer ticks that spread Lyme disease. Doctors have known about the disease for a while, but this is the first time it's been linked to this particular bacterium. The new pathogenic ehrlichia causes the disease ehrlichiosis. Previously it was thought that only ehrlichia chaffeensis and e. ewingii causes the disease in the U.S. Ehrlichiosis symptoms include fever, body aches, headaches and fatigue. While the disease can be treated with antibiotics, it can be more serious in people with a compromised immune system, including the very young a... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107506 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:30:00 +0100 5107506 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107525&cid=t_98444_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FyGCavJGs3jw%2F The LITFL team call upon the wider academic cardiological community to fund research into the under-diagnosed conditions of 'calligraphitis' or literary heart syndrome and the positive electropenogram (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107525 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 07:42:56 +0100 5107525 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107507&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fone-in-three-teens-in-us-got-sunburned-last-year.html That’s the suggestion of a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It asked how often, over a 12-month period in 2009 and 2010, teens got a burn that turned their skin red or hurt, and lasted for 12 or more hours. Among white, non-Hispanic teens ages 14 to 17, nearly half reported a sunburn. Avoiding sunburns starts with wearing protective clothing and limiting time in the sun. It also means using the right sunscreen. Your sunscreen should be water resistant, with an SPF of at least 30. Above 30, there's not much more protection. And you need to use it properly, too. That means reapplying it every 2 hours or so and after swimming or sweating. Use 2 to 3 tablespoons of a lotion on most of your body. For details, see our updated sunscreen Ratings. Source Q... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107507 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 22:15:00 +0100 5107507 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5103333&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fone-in-three-teens-in-us-got-sunburned-last-year.html That’s according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among white, non-Hispanic teens ages 14 to 17, nearly half got a burn that turned their skin red or hurt and lasted for 12 or more hours. Avoiding sunburns starts with wearing protective clothing and limiting time in the sun. It also means using the right sunscreen. Your sunscreen should be water resistant, with an SPF of at least 30. Above 30, there's not much more protection. And you need to use it properly, too. That means reapplying it every 2 hours or so and after swimming or sweating. Use 2 to 3 tablespoons of a lotion on most of your body. For details, see our updated sunscreen Ratings. Source QuickStats: Percentage of Teens Aged 14 to 7 Years Who Had a Sunburn During the Preceding 12 M... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5103333 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 22:15:00 +0100 5103333 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5103334&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Feat-right-without-even-trying.html It’s easy to absentemindedly chow down on junk food while watching TV or surfing the Web. But a few simple changes to your environment can make it just as easy to mindlessly munch on healthy foods, according to Brian Wansink, Ph.D., a food psychologist and director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University. Speaking at the American Psychological Association’s annual convention in Washington, D.C., Wansink outlined findings from his lab’s numerous studies on food behavior showing, among other things, that things as basic as the size of a popcorn container or drinking glass can greatly influence the quantity a person consumes. And you can’t necessarily rely on your stomach to tell you you’re full: When Wansink’s team created a bottomless soup bow... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5103334 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 20:30:00 +0100 5103334 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5103335&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fnew-labels-will-help-consumers-evaluate-health-insurance-plans-1.html A new form required by the health-reform law will help millions of consumers better understand how their insurance works, according to a report from Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports magazine and this web site. The law requires all health insurers in 2012 to explain the basic components of their coverage on a standardized form similar to the nutrition-facts label on foods. The form uses a simple format to explain common terms, such as deductibles, co-payments, co-insurance, and out-of-pockets limits. It also requires insurers to calculate and disclose total patient costs for three hypothetical patient scenarios, allowing consumers to better understand the “bottom line” of what they’d end up paying out of their own pocket if illness struck. The three sc... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5103335 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 18:00:00 +0100 5103335 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096184&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fover-the-counter-lipitor-thats-risky.html Pfizer hopes consumers will soon be able to get its cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor (atorvastatin) without a prescription, according to two news reports. But our medical advisors say that’s a bad idea because Lipitor and other statins are potent medications that can cause dangerous side effects, and should only be taken with a doctor's supervision. The company is likely looking for ways to make up lost sales—the drug racked up nearly $11 billion last year according to figures from IMS Health—when the patent expires in November. The Food and Drug Administration would have to grant permission for the switch, but that seems unlikely because it has previously said no to over-the-counter sales of two other statins—Mevacor (lovastatin) and Pravachol (pravastatin)&#8212... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096184 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 22:01:00 +0100 5096184 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096185&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fwest-nile-virus.html There were 1,021 cases of West Nile virus in the U.S. last year, a 60 percent increase from the year before, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of the more than 1,000 cases, 718 people were hospitalized and 57 died. The increase came after several years of steady or declining numbers. Cases for this year are not yet available. West Nile virus is transmitted to humans primarily by infected mosquitoes and ticks. Since West Nile virus was first detected in the Western Hemisphere in 1999, it has become the leading cause of neuroinvasive arboviral disease in the U.S. See our tips on avoiding West Nile disease, as well as our Ratings of insect repellants. Source: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) [CDC] —Maggie Shader (Source: C... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096185 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 21:00:00 +0100 5096185 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096186&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fsmoking-high-blood-pressure-may-shrink-your-brain-1.html The first study to look specifically at the links between smoking, blood pressure, weight and diabetes in middle age, and the way your brain changes as it ages, makes for troubling reading. Researchers carried out MRI brain scans on 1,300 people over the age of 50 (average age 54). They asked multiple questions about their health and lifestyle, and the people took tests to check their thinking and decision-making abilities. Ten years later, the tests and the scans were repeated. People with high blood pressure developed age-related changes in their brain at a faster rate than those with normal blood pressure readings. They also had a more rapid decline in scores on tests looking at their thinking and decision-making abilities. The researchers found that the brains of people with diabet... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096186 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 19:10:00 +0100 5096186 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096187&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fasthma-risk-increases-with-infant-exposure-to-mold.html Infants exposed to mold in the home have twice the risk of developing childhood asthma, according to a new study in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Part of the "Cincinnati Childhood Allergy and Air Pollution Study," the results suggest a link between mold exposure during infancy and the development of chronic inflammation of the lungs, leading to wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing. The research pool included 176 children who were followed from birth. By age 7, 18 percent of children were asthmatc. And children who lived in a home rated as having a high level of mold during the first year of life, were 2.6 times more likely to have asthma as those who lived in homes with a low level of mold. A family history of asthma and an allergic reaction to dus... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096187 Wed, 03 Aug 2011 20:45:00 +0100 5096187 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096188&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fct-angiography-gets-low-scores-in-our-updated-ratings-of-heart-screening-tests.html CT angiography, which is increasingly being advertised directly to consumers by hospitals and physicians, has little if any use in screening for heart disease in most people without symptoms, according to our updated Ratings of heart-screening tests. We gave it our lowest Rating for people who are at low or high risk of heart disease, and our second lowest Rating for people at moderate risk. CT angiography is a test that takes multiple X-rays to produce three-dimensional images of your coronary arteries, including possible blockages of those arteries. It can also be used to measure the amount of calcium in your arteries, which is associated with those blockages. But our medical experts say that, for several reasons, the test offers little beyond what you can learn from simpler, safer, and... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096188 Wed, 03 Aug 2011 11:00:00 +0100 5096188 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096189&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fovercoming-our-hardwired-drive-to-eat-and-eat-and-eat.html Most people know that they should eat less and make smarter food choices. But translating that into action is hard—and a study out this week in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association says that has less to do with a lack of will power than certain powerful biological imperatives. Such “neurobehavioral processes,” the researchers say, help explain why even motivated and informed obese people often fail to maintain weight loss through dietary changes. In particular, the authors say that obese people tend to have a heightened sense of “food reward,” or pleasure from eating tasty (and often sweet or fatty) foods, and a decreased sense of “inhibitory control,” or the ability to suppress the urge to eat high-calorie foods. They also tend to val... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096189 Tue, 02 Aug 2011 23:30:00 +0100 5096189 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096191&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fa-quarter-of-heart-surgeons-are-above-average-in-updated-ratings.html Eighty-one of 323 surgical groups that perform heart bypass surgery got three stars (above average) in updated ratings published today by Consumer Reports and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. In addition, 237 got two stars (average) and 5 received one star (below average). While several states require heart surgeons to report heart surgery data, many surgical groups—even some with just one star—voluntarily share that information with the public. Why? Because they know that ultimately translates into better care, as it helps surgeons identify the areas where they need to improve. In fact, the willingness of surgeons to track their performance has led to some important improvements, including a dramatic reduction in mortality over the past 10 years. For example, the differen... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096191 Tue, 02 Aug 2011 11:01:00 +0100 5096191 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5086167&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhat-we-want-in-health-news-is-often-not-what-we-need%2F2011.08.01 News of the World wasn’t read by 15 percent of the British public because it told people what they should know. It got there by giving them what they wanted: stories about the peccadilloes of the rich and famous, accounts of the gross incompetence of government and of course, pictures of naked ladies. Setting aside the fact that News of the World is no more, its publishers and editors knew how to sell the “news.”  As free online news replaces print, every click, every page view, every second of viewing per page is tracked in the fierce competition for ad dollars, and so the selling of news increasingly influences its reporting.  Titles, format and content are tweaked by editors to “optimize the metrics.” Reporters succeed and fail based on their ability to write articles that a... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5086167 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 22:00:46 +0100 5086167 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5086161&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fair-purifiers-ease-asthma-symptoms-in-children-of-smokers.html Air purifiers are as effective as certain drugs in controlling asthma symptoms in children who live with smokers, according to a study published today in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. Researchers divided a group of 126 asthmatic children who lived with a smoker into three groups: one that received an air purifier, another that got the device plus a health coach, and a third that received neither. After six months, the researchers noted a nearly 50 percent drop in the amount of dust, dirt, smoke and other particulate matter in the air of the homes of families that received an air purifier. Asthmatic children in those homes also reported substantially more symptom-free days, though the amount of nicotine in the air or cotinine (a metabolite of nicotine) in their urine... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5086161 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 21:27:16 +0100 5086161 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5086162&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fcolon-cleansing-does-more-harm-than-good.html Colon cleansing is touted as a “natural” way to detox and enhance your well-being, but it’s anything but, say researchers. In fact, the practice comes with several unpleasant side effects and in some cases can even cause death, according to a study published today in the August issue of The Journal of Family Practice. Georgetown University School of Medicine researchers examined 20 studies published over the last decade on colon cleansing, which is also sometimes called colonic irrigation or colonic hydrotherapy. The reports showed little evidence of benefit, but side effects including cramping, bloating, nausea, vomiting, and soreness. In some cases, the products were linked to renal failure, aplastic anemia, liver toxicity, and even death. Previous research has shown ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5086162 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 20:40:00 +0100 5086162 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5086163&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F08%2Fhealth-plans-must-provide-birth-control-for-free.html Starting next year, all new health plans must cover 100 percent of the cost of contraception and a list of other women’s preventive services, with no deductibles or copays, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. With one exception (see below), HHS adopted all the recommendations made by an expert committee of the Institute of Medicine, which we wrote about when it came out a couple of weeks ago. To recap, here are the covered services: • All FDA-approved contraceptives. • Annual HIV test for all sexually active women. • Screening pregnant women for gestational diabetes. • A DNA test for human papillomavirus (HPV) in women over 30 who have a normal Pap smear (also covered), in order to identify women at higher risk of developing cervical cancer in th... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5086163 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 17:35:00 +0100 5086163 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5086173&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fnew-technology-enables-doctors-to-diagnose-lung-nodules-without-surgery%2F2011.07.31 Every year, a half million bronchoscopies are performed in the U.S. in order to investigate lesions within patients’ lungs. Because conventional bronchoscopy cannot reach the distant regions of the lungs, more invasive surgical procedures are often needed to diagnose lung nodules that may be malignant. The General Thoracic Surgery Division at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia has begun using a new technology, superDimension Electromagnetic Navigation Bronchoscopy™ (ENB). ENB creates a computer-generated reconstruction of the lungs from a CT scan of the tracheobronchial tree, explains Lyall A. Gorenstein, MD, FRCS (C), FACS, Director, Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery. Using these reconstructed images, the system creates a visual pathway so that surgeons can guide steerable catheters to w... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5086173 Sun, 31 Jul 2011 18:00:28 +0100 5086173 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077671&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fpositive-outlook-may-reduce-stroke-risk.html People who look on the bright side of life may be less likely to have a stroke, a new study shows. There is already some evidence that our state of mind can affect our physical health. Optimistic people may make a better recovery from heart surgery or be more immune to some infections than their negative counterparts. Now research has found that if you have a positive outlook you are less likely to have a stroke than more pessimistic people, but there isn’t a big difference in the risk. Researchers looked at around 6,000 adults over the age of 50 who had never had a stroke and rated how optimistic they were on a 16-point scale. For every point increase on that scale their risk of having a stroke went down by 9 percent. The research found that having a positive outlook seemed to ma... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077671 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 19:00:00 +0100 5077671 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077672&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fwill-medicare-pay-for-dental-implants-needed-as-a-result-of-my-autoimmune-disease.html Q: I have Sjogren’s Syndrome, an autoimmune condition that has attacked my salivary glands. As a result, my teeth have been destroyed by the lack of saliva. Dentists say a bridge of false teeth will not stay in place because there is no saliva to form a suction lock. I must have implants instead. Can I get any help from Medicare with this expense, as it is a medical condition that caused the loss of my teeth? A: Probably not, but you should try anyway. In fact there is a class-action lawsuit currently pending that aims to get Medicare to change its no-dental-coverage policy for people in your situation. We contacted Sally Hart, an attorney for the Center for Medicare Advocacy, who filed the suit in a federal district court in Phoenix, Ariz., to learn more. She explained that by law... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077672 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:00:00 +0100 5077672 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077673&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Ftylenols-maximum-dose-reduced-to-help-prevent-overdoses.html The maximum daily dose for Tylenol will be lowered on all acetaminophen-containing adult products from 4,000 mg (8 Extra Strength Tylenol pills) to 3,000 mg (6 pills), the manufacturer said today. The move is intended to reduce the risk of accidental acetaminophen overdoses that can lead to liver failure and death. People can unknowingly take too much acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, because it's included in more than 600 hundred over-the-counter medications that are intended to treat back pain, cold and flu symptoms, headaches, and other conditions. Acetaminophen is also found in certain prescription painkillers, such as Percocet and Vicodin. The reduction in the maximum daily dose will appear on bottle labels in the fall for Extra Strength Tylenol. Regular strength Tyle... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077673 Thu, 28 Jul 2011 22:35:00 +0100 5077673 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077674&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Ffewer-young-people-dying-from-chickenpox-thanks-to-vaccine.html Chickenpox deaths have declined 97 percent among people under 20, and 88 percent overall since the vaccine came on the market in 1995, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study published this week in the journal Pediatrics. In fact, the chickenpox vaccine has been so effective that public health officials now foresee a potential elimination of deaths from the disease in the near future. Before the chickenpox vaccine, approximately 13 children between one and four years old, and 16 children between five and nine died every year from complications of the disease. But since the single dose vaccine was introduced the number of childhood deaths from chickenpox has been drastically reduced. Only 3 children from each of those age groups died during the entire six years betw... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077674 Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:20:00 +0100 5077674 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077675&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fcranberries-or-antibiotics-to-prevent-urine-infections.html Cranberries may help to prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs), but they won’t work as well as taking antibiotics, a new study shows. If you get recurrent UTIs (more than three infections a year), your doctor may suggest you take continuous antibiotics to reduce the number of infections you get. Many women are unhappy with taking antibiotics continually, either because of unwanted side effects such as yeast infections, or the risk of bacteria becoming resistant to the drugs. So some women prefer the idea of taking a natural remedy like cranberries instead of antibiotics. There is some evidence that drinking cranberry juice or taking cranberry capsules may help reduce the chances of getting a UTI. But, until now, there hasn’t been research to show whether cranberries work as... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077675 Thu, 28 Jul 2011 12:15:00 +0100 5077675 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077676&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fbaby%2F2011%2F07%2Fchildren-with-adhd-are-at-greater-risk-when-crossing-the-street.html Teaching children how to cross streets safely by themselves is one of the basic tasks of responsible parenthood. Children who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), however, are at greater risk of injury when crossing the street independently—so parents whose children have ADHD may want to give them extra practice, or even delay when they allow their children to cross streets by themselves. That’s the finding from research published recently in the American Academy of Pediatrics journal, Pediatrics, “Mediating Factors Associated with Pedestrian Injury in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.” The study looked at 78 children, aged 7 to 10 years old. Of these, 39 were diagnosed with ADHD. The children stopped taking their ADHD medica... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077676 Wed, 27 Jul 2011 22:10:00 +0100 5077676 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069460&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fwill-my-familys-pre-existing-conditions-be-covered-if-i-change-jobs.html Q. I am considering changing jobs but am concerned about insurance coverage for pre-existing conditions. My son had a transplant, I had a pituitary tumor, and my husband had open-heart surgery. If I change jobs and insurance, is the new insurance required to cover us? A. It most certainly is, thanks to a federal law called the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, commonly known as HIPAA. This law makes it illegal for group health plans to deny coverage to employees (and their dependents, if the group health plan offers dependent coverage) on the basis of pre-existing conditions. And they cannot charge you more for your premium contribution than any other employee. A couple of things to keep in mind: You must start your new health plan within 63 days of leaving ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069460 Wed, 27 Jul 2011 16:30:00 +0100 5069460 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069461&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Ffast-food-snack-attack-not-so-much-for-these-customers.html Calorie counts on menus seem to be having an effect on what some people are ordering at fast-food restaurants these days. One in six customers took note of the numbers and purchased 106 fewer calories, on average, than people who either ignored or didn’t see the information, according to a study published today in the British Medical Journal. Researchers looked at what people bought at 168 New York City fast-food restaurants in the spring of 2007 (one year before the introduction of the New York law requiring chain restaurants to provide calorie information) and in the spring of 2009 (nearly a year after the law’s implementation). Teams interviewed more than 7,300 adult customers in 2007 and more than 8,400 in 2009 at the top 11 fast-food chains during lunchtime, asking cust... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069461 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 23:31:00 +0100 5069461 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069462&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fspray-sunscreens-should-not-be-sprayed-on-kids-at-least-for-now.html The Food and Drug Administration announced last month that it was investigating the potential risks of spray sunscreens. Of particular concern to us is the possibility that people might accidentally breathe in the ingredients, a risk that’s greatest in children, who—as any parent knows—are more likely to squirm around when they’re being sprayed. As a result, we now say that until the FDA completes its analysis, the products should generally not be used by or on children. We have also removed one sunscreen spray—Ocean Potion Kids Instant Dry Mist SPF 50—from the group of recommended sunscreens in our Ratings, because it is marketed especially for children. Finally, we would like to reemphasize our longstanding advice that you use sprays carefully, by ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069462 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 18:20:00 +0100 5069462 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069463&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Felectronics%2F2011%2F07%2Fstudy-watching-3d-video-can-cause-vision-problems.html Three-dimensional (3D) displays cause extra eye fatigue, according to a recent Journal of Vision study. Perhaps no surprise to some, test subjects reported more eye strain and fatigue and less vision clarity after watching 3D video. In addition to other 3D video tests, researchers at the University of Califonia-Berkeley showed study participants 3D video at various viewing distances. The difference between the screen depth and the depth of the 3D image caused eye strain, as did the relationship between the image depth and how close the participant was to the screen. The study was, in part, funded by Samsung, which manufactures 3D televisions. Bottom line: Having trouble seeing 3D? See an ophthalmologist or optometrist, and in addition to the eye exam, get an assessment of your stereopti... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069463 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:30:00 +0100 5069463 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069464&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fsleep-more-weigh-less.html Each year, readers of Consumer Reports pose hundreds of questions. One common query: What’s the connection between sleep and weight? There is some literature connecting too little sleep to weight gain. Studies suggest that it has to do with hormones called leptin and ghrelin that reside in your fat cells and gastrointestinal tract, respectively. Lack of sleep may decrease the level of leptin, which can block feelings of satiety and encourage you to eat more. And sleep deprivation increases ghrelin, which stimulates the appetite. Seven to 8 hours of restful sleep a night is ideal to eliminate that problem. See what subscribers said about alternative therapies for sleep problems. (Source: Consumer Reports Health Blog) Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069464 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:15:00 +0100 5069464 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062232&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fpapayas-recalled-due-to-salmonella-contamination.html It’s a great time of year for eating fresh papayas, but resist the urge. That’s the Food and Drug Administration’s warning today on the heels of a papaya recall issued by distributor Agromod Produce, Inc. So far, 97 cases of possible salmonella contamination have been reported, including 10 hospitalizations, in 23 states linked to papayas from the McAllen, Texas distributor. No deaths have been reported. The recalled whole papayas were imported from Mexico and distributed nationwide and to Canada, prior to July 23, 2011 under the brand names Blondie, Yaya, Mañanita, and Tastylicious. In addition to two Argromod Produce, Inc. papaya samples that tested positive for the Salmonella Agona strain, 10 other papaya samples from Mexico have also tested positive with different ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062232 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 19:25:00 +0100 5062232 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062233&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fheight-linked-to-cancer-risk.html Taller people may have a higher risk of developing cancer. That’s the conclusion of a new study that looked at more than a million women. Every extra 4 inches of height over a baseline of 5 feet was linked to a 16 percent higher risk of cancer. That works out at about an extra one woman developing cancer in a group of 100 taller women, compared with another 100 women who are 4 inches shorter. Taller women had a higher risk of several kinds of cancer, including bowel cancer, skin cancer, breast cancer, cancer of the ovaries, cancer of the womb lining, cancer of the kidneys, leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (a type of blood cancer), and cancers affecting the nervous system. Although the study looked only at middle-aged women, previous research has found similar results for me... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062233 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:00:00 +0100 5062233 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5057717&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fmarried-men-seek-help-for-heart-attacks-faster.html Men: Listen to your wives! It could save your life. Fast treatment after a heart attack can make the difference between life and death. So, if you experience chest pain, the sooner you get treated the better. But many people who get chest pain delay going to the emergency room, maybe because they don’t want to make a fuss, or they’re not sure whether their symptoms are serious. A new study shows that married men are much more likely to make it to the emergency room within six hours of chest pain starting, compared with men who are single or living alone. About 75 in 100 married people got help promptly, compared with 68 in 100 people who were single, 69 in 100 who were divorced, and 71 in 100 who were widowed. The study, which looked at 4,000 people in Canada, found men w... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5057717 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 20:40:00 +0100 5057717 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5057718&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fdrug-used-to-treat-atrial-fibrillation-increases-heart-risks.html The drug Multaq, also known as dronedarone, which is used to treat abnormal heart rhythms, appears to double the risk of premature death in patients with a long-term form of atrial fibrillation, according to early results of a major clinical trial, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said yesterday. Patients 65 and older with the condition who took Multaq also faced a higher risk of stroke and hospitalizations for heart failure. It’s still unclear whether the drug poses similar risks to patients with other forms of atrial fibrillation. The FDA said patients taking Multaq should not stop taking the drug but should contact their doctor or other health-care professional. The agency also said doctors should not prescribe Multaq to patients with permanent atrial fibrillation. About ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5057718 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:30:00 +0100 5057718 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050553&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fdoctors-are-better-at-spotting-skin-cancer-than-you-are.html Not only are doctors more likely to find melanoma than patients, but they tend to find them earlier, when they are easier to treat. That’s the finding of a study out this week in the Archives of Dermatology. Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City looked at the records of 394 patients, who had a total of 527 melanomas. In patients who had been treated at the hospital for at least three months, 82 percent of the melanomas were found by doctors, not patients. In new patients, 63 percent were found by doctors. Cancers found by doctors also tended to be thinner, meaning that they were not as advanced. Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the U.S. While melanoma accounts for only 5 percent to 6 percent of skin cancers, it causes roughly 75... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050553 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 12:15:00 +0100 5050553 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050595&cid=t_98444_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FxvlvkhYrbUk%2F I have heard of vegetarians, breatharians and fruitarians before - but this week, for the first time I have had to deal with a new order - the Pastafarian (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050595 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 07:58:00 +0100 5050595 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050554&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhome%2F2011%2F07%2Fhow-to-recognize-poison-ivy-poison-oak-and-poison-sumac.html Recent rains and warm temperatures have resulted in a bumper crop of poison ivy and doctors have seen an increase in outbreaks in recent weeks. Getting rid of poison ivy and its partners in pain, poison oak and poison sumac, can be a challenge but here’s something not to try—a string trimmer. Whacking the weed will just toss the bits back at you resulting in a malady called trimmer’s itch. The itch is quickly followed by a rash and blisters and weeks of misery. Recognizing these plants and knowing where they grow is the best way to avoid them. The old adage, “Leaves of three, let it be” only applies to the ivy. Poison oak can have three to five leaves on a stem and poison sumac seven to 13. The Food and Drug Administration also recommends the following: Was... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050554 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 21:22:00 +0100 5050554 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050555&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fsome-aluminum-water-bottles-still-contain-bpa.html Switching from reusable polycarbonate plastic water bottles to aluminum ones doesn't necessarily prevent exposure to the hormone-disrupting chemical bisphenol-A (BPA). That’s according to a recent study examining whether materials used for “BPA-free” reusable bottles lived up to their claims. The study, in the journal Chemosphere, found that some types of aluminum bottles are lined with an epoxy resin that leached even more BPA into water than did the plastic bottles that they were meant to replace. Epoxy resins also are commonly used to line food and beverage cans, and a Consumer Reports investigation found that almost all of the 19 name-brand canned foods we tested contained BPA, which some studies have linked to health effects including reproductive abnormalities and ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050555 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 19:10:00 +0100 5050555 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050556&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fhands-on-mind-body-therapies-beat-supplements-in-cr-survey.html A new survey of subscribers to Consumer Reports found that prescription drugs generally performed better than alternative therapies for 12 common health problems. But hands-on treatments such as chiropractic care and deep-tissue massage, as well as mind-body therapies such as yoga and meditation, held their own, especially for certain conditions. Far fewer said that dietary supplements helped a lot. Prescription drugs helped the most for nine of the conditions we asked about: allergies, anxiety, colds and flu, depression, digestive problems, headache and migraine, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, and osteoarthritis. But chiropractic care performed better than drugs for back pain, and deep-tissue massage beat drugs for neck pain. Massage was as also as good as drugs for fibromyalgia.... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050556 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 11:01:00 +0100 5050556 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050557&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fsix-of-10-gastric-banding-patients-need-repeat-operation.html Yes, you read that right. Almost two-thirds of patients who undergo a common weight-loss surgery that makes the stomach smaller by putting a band around it have to be readmitted to the hospital, either to get the band repaired or removed, according to a study published this week in the Archives of Surgery. Our recent survey found that about 5 percent of Americans have considered some form of weight loss surgery. The study looked at a series of 82 patients who had the laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding and were followed for at least 12 years. Of those, 23 (28 percent) suffered "band erosion," a serious complication that requires repeat surgery, in which the band starts to erode into the stomach. And 41 (50 percent) had to have the band removed. Our survey found that about 5 percent ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050557 Wed, 20 Jul 2011 18:30:00 +0100 5050557 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050558&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fhealth-plans-should-offer-women-free-contraception-and-hiv-screening-iom-says.html All health plans should cover the full cost of contraceptives and an annual HIV test for all sexually active women, an expert Institute of Medicine panel recommended on Tuesday. Now it’s up to the Department of Health and Human Services, which asked the panel for the recommendations, to decide whether to accept them. Some background: The Affordable Care Act says that all new health plans must pay 100 percent of the cost a specified list of preventive services. But the law also instructed that the government should take a closer look at preventive care for women, and add more services to fill in any gaps that exist. That’s what the panel just did. The most hotly anticipated question was whether the expert panel would include birth control on their list. They did, emphatically... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050558 Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:00:00 +0100 5050558 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050559&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fsecondhand-smoke-linked-to-teens-hearing-loss.html Teens exposed to secondhand smoke have nearly double the hearing-loss risk of those who aren’t exposed, according to a study in the July issue of Archives of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. Researchers at New York University’s Langone Medical Center gave hearing tests to 1,500 teenagers nationwide, and also measured the levels of cotinine, a nicotine chemical, in their blood. Those with higher cotinine levels were more likely to have sensorineural hearing loss, a condition most often caused by problems with the cochlea, a snail-shaped organ in the inner ear. Teens exposed to secondhand smoke also performed worse in sound-frequency tests, especially those important for understanding speech. Finally, 80 percent of the affected teens didn’t know they had any form o... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050559 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 20:15:00 +0100 5050559 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050560&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fmelanoma-on-the-rise-in-latinos.html The number of Latinos with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, has increased by nearly 30 percent since 1992, according to a study in the July issue of the Archives of Dermatology. The main reasons? A false sense of security against the cancer, which leads to excessive sun exposure and inadequate use of safe-sun practices. Many of my Latino patients, and even some of my family members, assume that their darker skin will protect them against harmful rays from the sun, and thus fail to take the steps that can prevent excessive sun exposure. The current study noted in particular that Latino’s rarely wore sun-protective clothing, which includes a broad-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and tightly woven long-sleeved pants and shirts. Other important steps include: • Thoroughly ap... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050560 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 20:02:00 +0100 5050560 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050561&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fstudy-shopping-cart-not-basket-means-healthier-choices-at-the-supermarket.html Heading to the grocery store? Then using a shopping cart instead of a basket can help you make healthier choices as you cruise down the aisles. At least that is the suggestion of a recent study in the Journal of Marketing Research. The researchers, who watched 136 people as they made food choices in the grocery store, found that people who used baskets that they carried instead of carts that they pushed were more than three times as likely to choose unhealthy over healthy food items. Why, exactly, is a little complicated, and involves something called "embodied cognition," or the notion that bodily sensations can influence our thoughts and emotions. In this case, the researchers say that the act of flexing your arm, as you do when holding a basket, somehow encourages you to choose smal... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050561 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 20:00:00 +0100 5050561 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050562&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fhospital-acquired-infections-common-and-deadly-in-trauma-patients.html In this study, researchers found that trauma patients who develop serious bloodstream infections are six times more likely to die during their stay than those without an infection. And people who develop other infections, such as pneumonia or MRSA, are 1.5 to 1.9 times more likely to die. Patients with infections also had hospital stays roughly twice as long and hospital costs roughly twice as high as those who didn’t have infections. In an editorial accompanying the article, H.Scott Bjerke, M.D., at the Research Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo., says: Infections make trauma patients sicker and sicker patients do worse; they die more, they consume more resources, and they stay longer. Or as my teenage son would say, ‘Duh, Dad, everyone knows that.’ So why do we need... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050562 Mon, 18 Jul 2011 22:01:00 +0100 5050562 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5036224&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fheat-wave-poses-special-risks-to-older-people.html As temperatures and humidity rise across much of the U.S., people 65 and older are among the most vulnerable to heat stroke and heat exhaustion, according to the National Institute on Aging. That’s because the body’s ability to regulate temperature through blood circulation and sweat glands tends to decline with age. Heat stroke is the most serious heat-related illness. The signs include: • A body temperature above 103 degrees F • Red, hot, and dry skin with no sweating • Rapid, strong pulse • Throbbing headache • Dizziness • Nausea Heat exhaustion is milder and can develop after several days of exposure to high temperatures. The warning signs are heavy sweating, paleness, muscle cramps, tiredness, weakness, fainting, dizziness, headache, and nausea or vomit... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5036224 Fri, 15 Jul 2011 18:00:00 +0100 5036224 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028184&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fkids-menus-get-a-healthy-makeover.html If the kid’s menus at fast-food chains leave you scratching your head—and feeling like a bad parent—here’s good news. This week, more than 15,000 restaurants joined the “Kids LiveWell” initiative and now offer healthier kids’ menu options. Think more fruit, vegetables, and whole grains, and less trans fats and sodium. To join “Kids LiveWell,” restaurants agree to offer options that meet qualifying criteria closely tied to the 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines. The criteria include, offering: • A children’s meal (an entrée, side, and beverage) with 600 calories or less; two servings of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and/or low-fat dairy; and limits on sodium, fats and sugar. • At least one other individual item w... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028184 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 22:05:40 +0100 5028184 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028185&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Flow-job-status-linked-to-high-blood-pressure.html People from disadvantaged backgrounds—based on their parents' jobs—run a higher risk of developing high blood pressure, researchers have found. People from a disadvantaged background who go on to get a higher status job have a reduced risk of high blood pressure, compared with people whose social status doesn’t change. Researchers from Sweden looked at 12,000 twins born between 1926 and 1958. They looked at how social and economic status affected people’s risk of high blood pressure, and what happened when people moved between socioeconomic groups. People whose parents had low-status jobs had a 42 percent higher risk of developing high blood pressure, compared with people whose parents had higher status jobs or were self-employed. Looking at people’s own j... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028185 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:40:00 +0100 5028185 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028186&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fcould-ill-fitting-dentures-raise-your-dementia-risk.html Not likely—at least not on their own. But older people who have multiple signs of poorer overall health—like difficulty hearing, joint problems and ill-fitting dentures—may be more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia, researchers say. Although several age-related health problems are linked to dementia—such as heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes—these conditions only partly explain the increase in risk as we get older. And they can't reliably predict who will develop dementia and who will not. Some research has suggested that a person's overall health may provide a clearer indication of their dementia risk. To explore this, a group of Canadian researchers put together a "frailty index" of 19 factors related t... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028186 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 21:01:00 +0100 5028186 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028187&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fcdc-releases-new-guide-on-preventing-infections-in-outpatient-clinics.html More than three-quarters of all operations in the U.S. are now done in outpatient clinics, not hospitals. But many of those clinics don’t adhere to standard infection-prevention practices. To help correct that problem, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today released new guidelines meant to prevent infections in in “ambulatory” surgery centers, primary-care offices, endoscopy clinics, and pain-management clinics. The new guide is based on existing CDC guidelines now used mostly in hospitals. The guide includes a checklist meant to prevent infections from injections, poor hygiene, and other causes. Among other recommendations, it suggests that all outpatient practices have at least one individual with specific training in infection control on staff or regular... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028187 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 20:51:06 +0100 5028187 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028188&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Ftoo-much-sodium-too-little-potassium-linked-to-increased-risk-of-early-death.html This study suggests that a high sodium intake, especially when combined with a low potassium intake, is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and premature death. Unfortunately, nearly all Americans consume too much sodium and far too little potassium. See our tips for reducing sodium intake and our list of foods that are rich in potassium. And see more tips for how to lower your blood pressure and prevent heart disease. Sources Sodium and Potassium Intake and Mortality Among US Adults [Archives of Internal Medicine] Sodium and Potassium Intake: Mortality Effects and Policy Implications [Archives of Internal Medicine] (Source: Consumer Reports Health Blog) Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028188 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 13:15:00 +0100 5028188 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028189&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fnfl-players-low-in-vitamin-d-prone-to-injury.html Even big guys need vitamin D, apparently. NFL football players low in the vitamin were more prone to muscle injuries than those with higher levels, according to a recent study presented at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine’s Annual Meeting in San Diego. Researchers tested the vitamin D levels of 89 players from a single NFL team during the spring of 2010. Sixteen players experienced a muscle injury during their careers, and their average vitamin D level was 19.9 nanograms per milliliter, slightly below the official cut off for deficiency and well below the 32 ng/mL that some people recommend. There study also found a large discrepancy in the vitamin D levels of white and black players. White players had a mean vitamin D value of 30.3 ng/mL, while black players ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028189 Tue, 12 Jul 2011 16:00:00 +0100 5028189 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028190&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Falcohol-consumption-guidelines-experts-say-should-be-revised-with-cancer-risks-in-mind.html Recommendations for sensible drinking focus too much on the short-term risks, not the long-term health threats such as cancer. That's the conclusion of a new analysis out this week in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Current guidelines, which were developed in the early 1980s, are based mainly on the social and psychological problems of excessive drinking. But they disregard the dose-response relationship between alcohol consumption and risk of cancer, according to the CMAJ analysis. The authors argue that new evidence linking alcohol and cancer suggest that the guidelines should be revised. The authors also say that in the past, representatives of alcohol producers helped define sensible drinking guidelines, creating a potential conflict of interest, and that the guidelines do... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028190 Tue, 12 Jul 2011 14:30:00 +0100 5028190 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028191&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fhealth-insurance-rate-hikes-to-get-government-review.html Increases in your health-insurance premiums will soon be reviewed by state or federal government agencies, the Obama administration announced late last week. Starting in September, increases of 10 percent or more in either individual or small business plans will trigger an automatic review to gauge the “reasonableness” of the increase. Premium rate review, as it’s known, is a major piece of health-care reform and the Affordable Care Act. In many states, premium increases for individuals and small businesses have risen by double digits every year. As a result, health insurance has become increasingly unaffordable even as the recession has taken a toll on people’s ability to pay the tab. DeAnn Friedholm, the director of Consumers Union's health reform campaign, sa... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028191 Tue, 12 Jul 2011 12:00:00 +0100 5028191 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028192&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fappliances%2F2011%2F07%2Fthe-myth-of-the-hypoallergenic-dog.html Sorry Bo, but a new study says that there may be no such thing as a low-allergy or allergy-free dog. So chew on that while you’re romping around the White House with Sasha and Malia (who reportedly has dog allergies). The study found that the quantities of dog allergens in homes with supposedly hypoallergenic breeds were no different from those in homes with other breeds, according to The New York Times. So another myth busted. Bo is a Portuguese water dog, one of 11 “hypoallergenic canine candidates” on a list from the American Kennel Club, which also includes poodles, soft-coated wheaten terriers and schnauzers. “I have no idea where this whole concept came from,” Christine Cole Johnson, the senior author of the study, to be published online in The American... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028192 Mon, 11 Jul 2011 22:17:00 +0100 5028192 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028193&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fgoing-to-the-hospital-this-month-beware-the-july-effect.html Patients admitted to teaching hospitals in July are slightly more likely to die during their stay, and tend to have longer hospital stays and higher hospital charges, according to a study published online today by the Annals of Internal Medicine. Why? Possibly because July is when experienced trainees graduate and new, less experienced ones start. Researchers from the University of San Francisco School of Medicine reviewed 39 studies to determine the effect of trainee changeover on patient outcomes. They noted that while there was considerable variation among hospitals, overall patients tended to fare worse in the month of July. John Q. Young, M.D., co-author of the study, said in a press release, At year-end, teaching hospitals experience a massive exodus of highly experienced physic... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028193 Mon, 11 Jul 2011 22:01:00 +0100 5028193 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028194&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fshould-we-sign-up-for.html Q. My husband and I are self-employed, with a two-year old son. We are considering joining the Samaritan Ministries health-care sharing ministry, which is a faith-based non-profit in which members help each other pay medical bills. Is that a good idea? A. Samaritan Ministries is one of three major health-care sharing ministries in the U.S. (the others are Christian Care Ministry’s Medi-Share and Christian Healthcare Ministries). The first thing you need to understand is that they do not provide the same degree of legal and financial protection as real insurance. “Health insurance is an actuarial contract,” says James Lansberry, Samaritan’s executive vice president and also president of the Alliance of Health Care Sharing Ministries, a trade organization. “Pe... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028194 Mon, 11 Jul 2011 19:41:00 +0100 5028194 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028196&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fantibiotic-resistant-gonorrhea-discovered.html Scientists have discovered a "super bug" version of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacterium that causes gonorrhea. As with other super bugs, this strain is reportedly resistant to antibiotics used to combat the sexually transmitted disease, say researchers. The discovery, made by Swedish researchers, could signal the STD's re-emergence as a global health threat, particularly since antibiotics such as cephalosporins are the only effective treatments for gonorrhea. Magnus Unemo, professor at the Swedish Reference Laboratory for Pathogenic Neisseria in Örebro, Sweden and lead researcher of the discovery said in a statement: While it is still too early to assess if this new strain has become widespread, the history of newly emergent resistance in the bacterium suggests that it may spread rapi... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028196 Mon, 11 Jul 2011 16:15:00 +0100 5028196 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028197&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fits-true-men-love-their-potatoes.html And women are a lot more likely to eat broccoli, celery, and yellow squash than men. Those and more findings come from our recent nationally representative telephone survey of the veggie-eating habits of 1,234 Americans 21 years of age and older. How often you eat vegetables, and what kind, depends in part on your age, gender, and where you live, our survey found. Older people, for example, were most likely to go for cauliflower, celery, sweet potato, or yellow squash, while thirty-somethings ate fewer vegetables overall and were less likely to eat spinach than other age groups. Corn, was considerably more popular in households with kids: 63 percent of households with kids under 18 ate corn at least once a week compared to only 52 percent of households without kids. Southerners held a... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028197 Sun, 10 Jul 2011 14:00:00 +0100 5028197 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028198&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fcuddling-keeps-men-happy-says-study.html The key to a long, happy relationship? Surprisingly, cuddling and caressing is more important to men than for women, according to a study published this week in the Archives of Sexual Behavior. Researchers at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University in Bloomington surveyed 1,009 middle-aged and older couples from the U.S., Brazil, Germany, Japan, and Spain, who were together an average 25 years. The asked how many times during the past 4 weeks they engaged in sexual activity with their partner, how often they kissed, cuddled, and caressed, and their degree of happiness in their relationships and sex lives. Men were most likely to be in a happy relationship if they kissed and cuddled a lot, and if their partner experienced orgasm. Men also said they were happier, and were more satisfie... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028198 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 21:15:00 +0100 5028198 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008173&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fcolon-cancer-deaths-declining-but-more-screening-needed.html Increased colon-cancer screening prevented 66,000 colon-cancer cases and saved 32,000 lives between 2003 and 2007, according to a new report this week from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But those numbers could be even better: roughly a third of U.S. adults between the ages of 50 and 75 still aren’t up to date with their screening. Colon cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. among cancers that affect both men and women. But those deaths are largely avoidable. Colonoscopy can help detect the cancer early and prevent it by finding precancerous polyps. A study published earlier this year in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that screening colonoscopy cut the risk of colon cancer by 77 percent ov... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008173 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 12:00:00 +0100 5008173 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008174&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Ffor-high-blood-pressure-more-measurement-is-better.html If you have high blood pressure, you’re better off taking measurements periodically at home than relying on those taken in your doctor’s office, according to a recent study in the Annals of Internal Medicine. It found that multiple home readings provide a more accurate picture of blood-pressure control—and thus might lead to better treatment. Researchers analyzed systolic (upper) blood-pressure measurements taken from 444 veterans with hypertension over 18 months. They had their blood pressure measured in three ways: via a home monitor that transmitted measurements electronically three times a week; during regular office visits (approximately once a month) with their primary-care provider; and at 6-month intervals by the researchers conducting the study. Rates of blood... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008174 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 22:00:00 +0100 5008174 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008175&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fvitamin-d-might-save-lives.html Taking a daily vitamin D supplement might extend your life, at least if you’re an older woman. That’s the suggestion of a comprehensive review published this week by the Cochrane Collaboration. The analysis looked at 50 prior trials, including 94,148 people—mostly women living in nursing homes, with an average age of 74—from high-income countries. Researchers concluded that over a two-year period, one life was saved for every 161 people who took an average daily dose of less than 800 international units of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Other forms, including vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and the active forms of vitamin D (alfacalcidol and calcitriol), did not show the same benefit. People who took vitamin D3 with calcium were more likely to develop kidney stones. B... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008175 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 20:50:00 +0100 5008175 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008176&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fis-it-worth-cutting-down-on-salt.html This study suggests that reducing salt alone may not be enough to make a difference to your chances of avoiding a heart attack or stroke. Blood pressure medicines may be needed as well. See more tips for how to lower your blood pressure and prevent heart disease. Sources Taylor RS, Ashton KE, Moxham T, et al. Reduced dietary salt for the prevention of cardiovascular disease (Cochrane review) [The Cochrane Library] —Sophie Ramsey, BMJ Group ConsumerReportsHealth.org has partnered with The BMJ Group to monitor the latest medical research and assess the evidence to help you decide which news you should use. (Source: Consumer Reports Health Blog) Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008176 Wed, 06 Jul 2011 00:01:00 +0100 5008176 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008177&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Flabeling-of-genetically-modified-foods-moves-forward-after-us-drops-opposition.html Regulators from more than 100 countries agreed to label guidelines today that will make it easier for food manufacturers to say whether their products contain genetically modified ingredients. Until now, objections from the U.S. had presented roadblocks to such labels. But the new agreement means that any country wishing to adopt genetically modified food labeling will no longer face the threat of a legal challenge from the World Trade Organization. Samuel Ochieng, President Emeritus of Consumers International, said that while the agreement fell short of the consumer movement’s long-held demand for mandatory labeling, that it was still a milestone. “This guidance is extremely good news for the worlds’ consumers who want to know what is in the foods on their plates.&#8... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008177 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 23:10:00 +0100 5008177 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008178&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Ffatty-foods-trigger-your-bodys-marijuana-like-chemicals.html Ever wonder why it’s so hard to control yourself when you’re eating fatty foods like potato chips and French fries? Maybe it’s because fats in such foods trigger the release of marijuana-like chemicals called endocannabinoids that drives us to eat them, according to research published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers fed rats Vanilla Ensure, a corn oil beverage, a sugar solution, and a protein-rich liquid called peptone, and measured the production of endocannabinoids in the small intestine. They found that the fatty diet triggered the production of endocannabinoids, but the sugars and proteins did not. The trigger starts when the food hits the tongue, where fats in food generate a signal that travels first to the brai... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008178 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 22:00:00 +0100 5008178 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008179&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Flooking-for-an-alternative-to-recalled-tylenol.html Since the recall last week of nearly 61,000 bottles of Tylenol Extra Strength pain relief because of a musty, moldy odor, you may be finding it hard to find the product on pharmacy shelves. Or the string of Tylenol recalls for that same problem going back over a year now might make you think that it’s time to look for alternatives. Our advice: Look for store-brand or generic versions of acetaminophen instead. Generic acetaminophen typically costs much less than brand-name versions, is just as safe and effective, and hasn’t been implicated in these recalls. Read more about our tips on using generic drugs. (Source: Consumer Reports Health Blog) Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008179 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 21:30:00 +0100 5008179 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008180&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Fmassage-speeds-recovery-from-back-pain.html Massage helps people make a faster recovery from long-term back pain, researchers have found. In a new study, researchers compared two types of massage with usual care from a doctor. Some people had relaxation massage, which uses a fairly light touch to help people feel relaxed. Others had structural massage, which aims to correct abnormalities in muscles and other soft tissue. People in the study were between ages 20 and 65, and had suffered from back pain for more than three months. At the start of the study, the average rating people gave to their level of disability was 11, on a scale from 0 to 23 (with higher scores meaning more disability). After having an hour of massage every week for 10 weeks, the average disability score among people having relaxation massage fell to 6. Disa... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008180 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 19:10:00 +0100 5008180 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4997515&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Foh-for-the-love-of-fair-food.html Okay, I admit it—I love County Fair Food—the kind you capitalize in your mind. Funnel cakes. Caramel apples rolled in peanuts. Cheese fries. Snow cones. Ice cream in still warm waffle cones. I try most of the time to eat healthfully, limiting treats and choosing wisely, but get me near the midway and I turn into a salivating fool driven by the need for treats. I will be especially careful in what I eat for weeks if I know we’re going to a county fair, just so I can indulge in all those nutritional nightmares. But there’s one type of Fair Food that I just don’t get—the urge to deep-fry everything. Now, I happen to think the union of the potato and the deep fryer was a match made in culinary heaven. And doughnuts or funnel cake? Please—deep-fried do... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4997515 Mon, 04 Jul 2011 14:00:00 +0100 4997515 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992676&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Famericans-eating-moreand-more-often.html This study shows how this epidemic has crept up on us.” Bottom line: If you are looking to control your calorie intake, check out our latest diet Ratings. And visit our diet and nutrition and exercise and fitness pages to find more ways to lose weight and live a healthy life. Source Energy Density, Portion Size, and Eating Occasions: Contributions to Increased Energy Intake in the United States, 1977-2006 [PLoS Medicine] (Source: Consumer Reports Health Blog) Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992676 Fri, 01 Jul 2011 16:20:00 +0100 4992676 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992677&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F07%2Flung-cancer-screening-could-save-lives-at-a-cost.html Lung cancer is a sly disease, often not picked up until it's well-entrenched and spreading, making treatment difficult. However, lung cancer screening holds the promise of earlier detection and treatment for people at high risk. And, according to new research, this could save lives. Researchers have been looking at several screening approaches, with one of the most promising being low-dose spiral CT scans. These scans can produce detailed pictures of cross-sections of your lungs. Studies show that CT scans can detect more early-stage lung cancers than chest X-rays. But it has been unclear whether this might prevent many deaths. That's where the new study comes in. Researchers recruited more than 50,000 current and former heavy smokers who were ages 55 to 74. They screened them annually... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992677 Fri, 01 Jul 2011 15:25:00 +0100 4992677 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992680&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Fdiet-sodas-do-they-or-dont-they-help-you-lose-weight.html Last week, a major study suggested that diet soda was not associated with weight gain. This week, a paper presented at the American Diabetes Association 2011 meetings reached the opposite conclusion. What’s a diet-soda lover to do? In the new study, researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio recorded the diet-soda intake of 474 adults aged 65 to 74, as well their waist-circumference, a measurement linked to excess weight. After nine years, the soda-drinking seniors added an average of almost an inch to their belts, compared with roughly a third of an inch for those who avoided diet soda. Some previous research has also suggested that diet soda doesn't help people lose weight, perhaps because people might use diet-sodas to justify consuming other hig... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992680 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 19:20:00 +0100 4992680 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984437&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Fhow-much-can-you-cut-your-breast-cancer-risk.html What can women do to avoid breast cancer? There are three key factors to watch, but much of the risk is out of our hands. Many of the risks associated with breast cancer are hard or impossible to change, such as your family history, your age, the age at which you had children, and the age when you started your periods. But lifestyle also plays a part. Drinking alcohol raises breast cancer risk. Getting regular exercise lowers the risk, and being overweight or obese (especially in middle age and beyond) increases the risk. To find out how much difference lifestyle factors make, Italian researchers looked at data from a big study of women diagnosed with breast cancer, compared with women of the same age who’d not had breast cancer. Using the data, they figured out that women in t... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984437 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 15:00:00 +0100 4984437 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984438&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Fnivea-skin-cream-wont-help-you-lose-weight-says-ftc.html Chances are, you didn’t really think you could lose weight by rubbing Nivea’s skin lotion on your belly and thighs. But now even the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says the company has gone too far, ordering the maker of the cream to pay $900,000 and saying it can no longer claim in ads that regular use of its product Nivea My Silhouette! skin cream can reduce your body size. In one such TV ad, a woman getting dressed after applying the cream to her stomach and thighs discovers that an old pair of jeans now fit, while a voice-over intones “New Nivea My Silhouette! with Bio-Slim Complex helps redefine the appearance of your silhouette and noticeably firm skin in just four weeks.” The company also allegedly purchased sponsored search results so that when people typed... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984438 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 13:49:58 +0100 4984438 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984440&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Flawn-mower-injuries-on-the-rise.html On a recent sunny day—the first after a long stretch of rain—Timothy Strobel decided to mow his lawn. Within minutes he was stuck in the mud. Pulling hard while leaning back to gain better leverage, he struck his head so hard on a window air conditioner that he knocked himself out. When he woke up he was unable to move his arms or legs. He’s just one of many who have suffered a mowing-related injury. In 2010, more than 200,000 Americans were treated for a lawn-mower injury, a rising tally, reports the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and three other medical societies. Timothy, a patient of mine, had suffered a spinal cord injury, and a severe concussion. While he’s now feeling much better, he does feel foolish for mowin... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984440 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:00:00 +0100 4984440 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975855&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Fvitamin-d-and-calcium-to-prevent-melanoma.html A daily supplement of vitamin D plus calcium might help stave off melanoma in people with a history of other skin cancers, a new study reports. Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine and other institutions analyzed data on more than 36,000 postmenopausal women who participated in the Women’s Health Initiative study. Half of the women took a modest dose of vitamin D—400 international units, or IU—plus 1,000 milligrams of calcium each day. The other half took a placebo. Overall, the calcium and vitamin D combination didn’t reduce the risk of melanoma—the deadliest form of skin cancer—or other skin cancers over the seven years of the study. But when the researchers looked just at women with a history of other forms of skin cancer, includin... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975855 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 18:30:00 +0100 4975855 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975856&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Fcr-secret-shoppers-find-dangers-with-prescription-labels-and-inserts.html It seemed like a straightforward “spot check.” We sent Consumer Reports Health staffers to five pharmacies—Costco, CVS, Target, Walgreens, and Walmart—near our Yonkers, N.Y. office to fill prescriptions for the blood-thinner warfarin to see what kinds of instructions and warnings we’d find on the prescription bottles and patient-information sheets. But what we found was troubling. We expected clear and consistent label information for two reasons. First, if not taken correctly warfarin, the generic version of Coumadin, can cause bleeding problems, which can be fatal. In fact, it’s the second most commonly implicated drug in emergency room visits in the U.S. In addition, it’s taken so often that it ranked among the top 20 most prescribed medication... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975856 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:00:00 +0100 4975856 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975857&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fsafety%2F2011%2F06%2Fendocet-bottles-recalled-for-incorrect-dosage.html The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Endo Pharmaceuticals have issued a nationwide recall of bottles of Endocet. The problem: The bottle may contain tablets with higher concentrations of acetaminophen than indicated on the label, which could lead to health complications. The recall affects bottles labeled "Endocet® (oxycodone/acetaminophen, USP) Tablets, 10 mg /325 mg 100 count" with an expiration date of January 2014 and a Lot number of either 402415NV or 402426NV. Some of these bottles may contain the larger Endocet tablets (see image) which have higher oxycodone/acetaminophen ratios of 10mg/650mg. The flawed Endocet bottles were distributed between April and May to wholesalers in 18 states, including California, Florida, New York and Ohio. The affected bottles may have been furt... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975857 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 19:45:00 +0100 4975857 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968478&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fsafety%2F2011%2F06%2Frecall-rugby-child-pain-and-fever-dropspackaging-not-childproof.html Almost 900,000 bottles of children’s concentrated pain and fever drops were recalled because the dispenser fails to meet standards for child-resistant closure. Although the original bottle has child-resistant packaging, a dropper for dispensing the drug to children does not. A child could access the medicine, posing serious health problems or death if more than the recommended dosage is consumed. No injuries or incidents have been reported in relation to this product. This over-the-counter medicine was sold at drug and grocery stores plus other retailers nation wide since January 2009. The drops contain acetaminophen, which calls for child-resistant packaging under the Poison Prevention Packaging Act. To arrange for a free replacement dropper, contact Altaire Pharmaceuticals at 80... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968478 Fri, 24 Jun 2011 17:45:00 +0100 4968478 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968479&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fsafety%2F2011%2F06%2Fwinning-the-bpa-battle-state-by-state.html Vastly different in size and on opposite coasts, California and Delaware shared at least one thing in common this week: both states advanced legislation to ban BPA in food containers for children. Delaware’s legislature, unwavering in its support to protect its smallest citizens, passed the bill unanimously in both houses, clearing the Senate several weeks ago with a vote of 21-0 and the House on Wednesday 41-0. The bill, which bans the sale of baby bottles and sippy cups containing BPA, now goes to the governor to sign. Meanwhile in California, a similar bill faced a hurdle in the Senate Health Committee, but made it through with a vote of 5-2. The bill, which also bans BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups, was passed by the Assembly last month. The bill must be heard in the Senat... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968479 Fri, 24 Jun 2011 16:20:38 +0100 4968479 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968480&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Fdetails-emerge-on-possible-cell-phone-radiation-risk.html A group of scientists at the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, which last month classified low-level radiation from cell phones as "possibly carcinogenic to humans," provided more details yesterday about how they arrived at their conclusions in a report published online in The Lancet Oncology. The panel of 30 scientists from 14 countries reviewed hundreds of articles, including animal research and human studies, some of which had methodological limitations or provided inconsistent results. The new report cites some key studies, including the 2010 INTERPHONE study, the largest investigation so far of cell phone use and brain tumors. The INTERPHONE data showed that people who used cell phones appeared to be at a slightly lower risk, overall, of... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968480 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 15:45:00 +0100 4968480 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960057&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Fnew-crows-feet-treatment-is-better-than-botox.html Got crow's feet? You know, those lines at the corners of your eyes? In the first ever face-to-face comparison between the long-time market leader Botox and the related drug Dysport, which has been available for only about two years, the challenger came out the winner. Ninety volunteers, all with crow's feet, had Botox (onabotulinumtoxin A) injections on one side of their face and Dysport (abobotulinumtoxin A) injections on the other side. After 30 days, 67 percent of the patients said they thought Dysport did a better job. The study authors agreed, writing "photographic evidence also pointed to a striking difference between the treated sides of each patient's face." In the conclusion, co-author Kartik Nettar of the University of California San Francisco, wrote: "Ongoing studies will det... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960057 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 11:00:00 +0100 4960057 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960058&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Fnew-test-may-help-detect-early-alzheimers.html Measuring a spinal fluid protein might eventually help doctors detect Alzheimer’s disease early in people with slight memory problems, according to a study published online today in Neurology. German researchers measured several proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease in fluid samples taken from the spinal columns of 58 people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). After an average of three years, 21 participants developed Alzheimer’s disease, 27 still had MCI, and eight reverted back to normal cognitive health. Participants who developed Alzheimer’s had higher levels of a protein called soluble amyloid precursor protein beta in their spinal fluid than those who didn’t develop the disease. That protein, combined with the tau protein (an established mar... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960058 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 22:24:15 +0100 4960058 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960059&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Fsay-no-to-fries-and-chips-cheese-and-diet-soda-are-ok.html For several decades now, Harvard researchers have tracked the effect of various “lifestyle factors”—that’s diet and physical activity to you and me—on the health and well-being of more than 120,000 volunteer doctors and nurses from around the U.S. Their latest report is just out in the New England Journal of Medicine and it tells us in no uncertain terms to lay off French fries and potato chips if we don’t want to get fat. But it’s apparently ok to eat cheese and drink diet soda. The researchers determined this by looking at the interaction between diet, exercise, sleep, television watching habits and weight gain (or, occasionally, loss). Discouragingly, they found that the average study participant gained 3.35 pounds over every four-year period. ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960059 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 22:01:00 +0100 4960059 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960060&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Fchantix-may-cause-heart-attacks.html The drug varenicline—sold under the brand name Chantix and used to help smokers quit—may increase the risk of heart problems, the FDA has warned. Varenicline more than doubles a smoker’s chance of quitting compared with willpower alone, but it has side effects. More than 1 in 10 people taking it feel nauseated, have trouble sleeping, get strange dreams, or get a headache. Some people have reported changes in mood or even suicidal feelings with the drug, although a 2009 study didn't find any link between varenicline and suicidal thoughts. Now, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned that varenicline may increase the risk of heart problems. In a year-long study of people trying to quit smoking, 2 in 100 people taking varenicline had a heart attack, compared wit... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960060 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 16:00:00 +0100 4960060 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960061&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Ffor-chronic-fatigue-sufferers-another-blow.html While chronic fatigue syndrome is now recognized by the medical community as a real illness, treatments have remained elusive, largely because nobody knows what causes the condition, marked by extreme tiredness and weakness most of the time. Now several new studies have dashed hopes that the syndrome might have a viral link—which in turn would have opened the door to better prevention and treatment. In an article published online Tuesday in the journal Lancet, researchers from the Netherlands summarized the results of three recently published studies that essentially seem to rule out the possibility that a retrovirus called XMRV, or xenotropic murine leukemia virus (MLV)-related virus, is a cause of chronic fatigue syndrome. That possibility was raised by a controversial 2009 study ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960061 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 12:00:00 +0100 4960061 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952823&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Fshop-for-hearing-aids-tips-problems-dispenser-audiologist-hearing-loss-association-of-america-hlaa.html Buying a hearing aid has to rank among the most tedious of shopping experiences. To begin with, it's not an item that people are excited about buying. For another, these devices can cost thousands of dollars, and typically are not covered much—if at all—by insurance. There's jargon to understand, and tiny controls and batteries to master. And once you've got your aid or aids, it could take a month or longer for your ears and your brain to fully adjust. As hearing professionals are fond of saying, it's not like putting on a pair of prescription glasses. What's more, getting good information, and making sure the dispenser knows enough about you to provide the right device, can be a challenge. Indeed, in the course of researching CR's hearing aids report, we sent hearing-impaired... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952823 Tue, 21 Jun 2011 19:00:17 +0100 4952823 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952824&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Ffda-unveils-nine-graphic-cigarette-labels.html Still not convinced you need to quit smoking? Maybe the nine graphic cigarette warnings, unveiled today by the Food and Drug Administration, will make you reconsider. Starting September 2012, the warnings will appear on every pack of cigarettes sold in the U.S. and in every cigarette advertisement. The new labels mark the first change in cigarette warnings in more than 25 years. The warnings include messages such as “Warning: Cigarettes are addictive,” accompanied by an up-close image of a man smoking through a gaping hole in his throat, and “Warning: Smoking during your pregnancy can harm your baby,” with an image of an infant struggling to survive in the hospital just days after birth. “These labels are frank, honest and powerful depictions of the health r... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952824 Tue, 21 Jun 2011 16:25:11 +0100 4952824 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952825&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fsafety%2F2011%2F06%2Ffda-report-addresses-safety-concerns-with-imported-goods.html The Food and Drug Administration released a special report Monday that addresses rising number of foods and drugs being imported into the U.S. each year, and the challenges the agency faces in inspecting the safety of those products. The report, titled “Pathway to Global Product Safety and Quality,” says nearly two-thirds of all fruits and vegetables and 80 percent of seafood consumed in America comes from outside the country. Additionally, half of the medical devices and 80 percent of the ingredients for pharmaceuticals that are sold here are manufactured abroad. The number of products being imported has spiked in the last decade. In 2001, the FDA inspected 6 million products at 300 ports around the country; this year, the agency is expected to police 24 million products. ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952825 Tue, 21 Jun 2011 14:25:37 +0100 4952825 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952826&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Fneed-a-nap-get-rocking.html When it comes to a getting a good nap, adults have more in common with babies than we think. Babies like to be cradled and rocked to sleep, and according to new research, so do we. There’s a strong link between rocking and the quality of our sleep, suggests a small study published Monday in the journal Current Biology. Swiss researchers asked twelve healthy adults to take two 45-minute naps on a hammock-type bed that either remained stationary or rocked gently. All described themselves as good sleepers who didn’t typically nap, with no excessive daytime sleepiness and little anxiety. Researchers assessed sleep quality and quantity using questionnaires and brain wave recordings monitored by an electroencephalogram (EEG). The participants all fell asleep faster when they rocke... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952826 Tue, 21 Jun 2011 11:30:00 +0100 4952826 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952828&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Fto-sleep-perchance-to-dreamof-cake.html In this study, the researchers asked the same questions and did the same brain scans, but then asked questions designed to determine the participants “sleep chronotype,” that is, whether they were morning or evening people. They found that the early birds shown pictures of tasty food had more activity in the self-control portion of the brain than did the night owls. Reading these two studies, I’m left with a question—am I more likely to reach for that scrumptious snack because I’m tired? Or will my early-morning tendencies help me fend off the fat by giving a boost to my self control? Maybe I’ll just split the difference by having a brownie while running on the treadmill. See our advice for some healthier ways to deal with insomnia, including changes... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952828 Sat, 18 Jun 2011 14:00:00 +0100 4952828 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952829&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Fhealthy-fathers-day-gifts-for-every-type-of-dad.html If you’re stumped on what to get Dad for Father’s Day, give the gift that keeps on giving—good health. These gifts are sure to keep the special guy in your life—whatever type of guy he is—looking and feeling youthful. And we’re not talking Botox and body shapers. Active Dad: Consider home workout equipment to help him stay fit. Go small with exercise bands, a stability ball, and dumbbells. Step it up with a set of kettlebells, but first make sure you read our safety advice. Go big with a treadmill. We rated dozens and recommend several. Dapper Dad. Give him a close shave with a brand new electric razor. Our testers found seven smooth operators. Conceal signs of wear and tear with one of the many skin-preserving wrinkle products on the market, but may... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952829 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 19:50:00 +0100 4952829 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952830&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Flife-expectancy-in-us-depends.html How long you live depends a lot on where you live, according to an analysis of U.S. life expectancy figures released this week. It found wide variation in those rates in U.S. counties, ranging from 65.9 to 81.1 years for men and 73.5 to 86.0 years for women. And compared to other developed countries, like Japan and Canada, we’re falling behind, the analysis found. The average life expectancy in the U.S. in 2007 was 75.6 years for men and 80.8 years for women, both 37th in the world. The study, by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, suggests that the relatively low life expectancies in the U.S. can’t be explained by the size of the nation, racial diversity, or economics. Instead, it points to the high rates of obesity, tobacco use, a... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952830 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 18:45:00 +0100 4952830 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952831&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Fnearly-forty-percent-of-cardiac-patients-dont-benefit-from-crt.html Nearly 40 percent of heart-failure patients who use pacemakers get little or no benefit from them, according to a study published online this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Pacemakers are battery-powered devices sometimes used in heart-failure patients to get the heart’s lower chambers, or right and left ventricles, beating in sync. But the new study suggests that the criteria currently used to determine who’s a candidate for that treatment, called cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), are too broad. Current American Heart Association guidelines say that patients with a QRS (the measurement of the activity of the heart's left and right ventricles) of greater than 120 milliseconds should be treated with CRT. But the study found that patients with a QRS between ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952831 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 17:45:00 +0100 4952831 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952832&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Fis-menopause-a-pre-existing-condition.html Q. I may have to change insurance companies soon, and I will also likely enter menopause. Will my new insurer consider that a pre-existing condition? A. Any middle-aged person contemplating a switch in health insurance plans has every reason to be concerned about pre-existing conditions. But menopause itself isn’t one of them because it’s not a disease, it’s a normal stage of life for women. “Just being a 50-year-old woman with no symptoms obviously would not be a problem,” says Mark Brown, a certified financial planner and longtime insurance agent in Naperville, Ill. But menopause can produce symptoms for which women do seek medical treatment—hot flashes, say, or trouble sleeping. In most states, Brown said, those might well trigger a rate hike or ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952832 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 16:40:00 +0100 4952832 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952833&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Ffda-warns-of-bladder-cancer-risk-with-actos.html The diabetes drug pioglitazone (Actos) increases the risk of bladder cancer in people who take it for a year or longer, the Food and Drug Administration announced yesterday. The warning applies to all drugs containing pioglitazone, including Actoplus Met, Actoplus Met XR, and Duetact. The FDA said an ongoing study involving more than 193,000 people 40 or older with type 2 diabetes found that those who took Actos for more than a year had a 40 percent higher risk of developing bladder cancer. France banned the drug last week after a study that followed 1.5 million people with diabetes also found an increased risk of bladder cancer, particularly in men. Signs of bladder cancer include blood or red color in your urine, urgent need to urinate or pain while urinating, and pain in your back or... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952833 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 16:15:00 +0100 4952833 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934136&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fsafety%2F2011%2F06%2Ffda-finds-food-poisoning-bacteria-listeria-at-kellogg-cookie-factory.html The Food and Drug Administration found listeria at an Augusta, Ga. Kellogg plant where Keebler and other cookies are made. Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can cause food poisoning. Listeria was discovered on and around production-line conveyor belts, but not in any food items. The FDA also noted pooling water that was dripping into an open mixer bowl and flies swarming near food mixers. In warning letter to Kellogg, the FDA stated that the conditions at the facility “demonstrate a failure of cleaning and sanitation operations that may allow for contamination of foods with filth or pathogens.” The letter was sent after a February inspection. The agency is giving Kellogg 15 working days to come up with a plan of correction. Kellogg Warning Letter [FDA] FDA tells ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934136 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 18:04:00 +0100 4934136 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934137&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fcars%2F2011%2F06%2Fsummer-driving-may-increase-risk-of-skin-cancer.html Heading out for a long drive with the top down or windows open? Don’t forget to buckle up—and apply sunscreen. A study out this week suggests that people in the United States are more likely to develop skin cancer on the left side of their bodies and driving could be the cause. In the study, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, researchers from the University of Washington used a large government database to look at two particularly deadly forms of skin cancer, melanoma and Merkel cell carcinoma. They found that when the cancers occurred on just one side of the body, in more than half of cases it was the left side--particularly the left arm. Exposure to ultraviolet rays on the driver’s side is a likely contributing factor, the researchers said... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934137 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 16:35:00 +0100 4934137 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934138&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Fpour-on-the-olive-oil-for-lower-stroke-risk.html Regularly consuming olive oil might help prevent a stroke, particularly if you’re 65 or older, suggests a study published online Wednesday in the journal Neurology. Researchers looked at olive-oil consumption over five years in 7,625 French seniors with no history of stroke. Those who consumed the most olive oil (using it both for cooking and as dressing or with bread) had a 41 percent lower risk of stroke than those who never used it. Heavy and moderate olive-oil users also tended to have a lower body mass index (BMI), lower triglycerides, and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Bottom line: The next time you’re in the kitchen preparing dinner, pour on the olive oil, for improved health—and taste. Olive oil, a monounsaturated fat, is a key ingredient in the Medite... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934138 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:45:00 +0100 4934138 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934139&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Fshould-we-keep-our-federal-retiree-plan-or-sign-up-for-medicare-part-b.html Q. I’m about to retire at age 66 and will lose my employee health plan. I could sign up for Medicare Part B but I’m not sure I need it because my husband is a retired federal employee and we plan on maintaining his FEHB Blue Cross-Blue Shield coverage. On the other hand, our friends say that Part B helps with out-of -pocket expenses. Which is a better choice for us? A. You are in a position that many retirees would kill for, but you still have decisions to make. While most retirees must take Part B once they or their spouse are no longer actively employed, such is not the case for federal retirees. You basically have three choices, all with pros and cons. (I’m assuming that in all three cases, you will sign up for Medicare Part A. It’s free so there’s no reas... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934139 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 23:35:00 +0100 4934139 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934140&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Fdoes-tv-raise-the-risk-of-diabetes-heart-disease.html Americans do love their TV time, watching around five hours of programming a day on average. But this most beloved of passive pastimes may exact a high price, with new research linking TV viewing to a raised risk of diabetes and heart disease. It's no secret that spending hours in front of the television isn't the healthiest of habits. Studies show that people are more likely to eat high-fat, high-calorie foods while watching the small screen—perhaps swayed in part by ads for soft drinks, chips, and convenience foods. And people who watch a lot of TV also tend to be less active, as more time on the couch can mean less time for exercise. For these reasons, TV viewing is often blamed as contributing to the rise in obesity in the United States and other developed countries. And it's w... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934140 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 17:01:00 +0100 4934140 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934141&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fsafety%2F2011%2F06%2Fharbinger-fitness-recalls-ab-straps-due-to-fall-hazard.html WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.Name of Product: Ab Straps exercise equipmentUnits: About 4,169Importer: Harbinger Fitness, of Fairfield, Calif.Hazard: The plastic buckle on the ab straps can break, posing a fall hazard to consumers.Incidents/Injuries: There were two reported incidents of straps breaking. Both incidents resulted in lacerations to consumers' heads and necks.Description: The recalled product is a set of Harbinger Ab Straps, style 371100 that are hung from an overhead structure... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934141 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 16:00:00 +0100 4934141 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934142&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Fdont-get-burned-fda-announces-changes-to-sunscreen-labels.html The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today several long-awaited changes to sunscreen labels. But you won’t see the changes until next summer since most manufacturers have a year to start adhering to the new regulations. Here are some of the language changes you will eventually see on sunscreen labels: • Broad spectrum. Products that protect against both UVB rays (the kind that cause sunburn) and UVA rays (the kind that cause wrinkles and premature aging of the skin) will be labeled “broad spectrum.” Previously, the FDA only had Ratings for UVB rays—the familiar sun protection factor (SPF) ratings. • Cancer and wrinkles claims. Sunscreens that are “broad spectrum” and have a SPF 15 or higher will be able to say on their label that they... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934142 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 21:55:00 +0100 4934142 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934143&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fsafety%2F2011%2F06%2Ffeds-take-action-against-drug-companies-with-poor-safety-record.html The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an injunction yesterday against H&P Industries Inc. and The Triad Group for violating federal regulations regarding the safe manufacture of drugs and pharmaceuticals. The FDA said inspections over the past two years have revealed the Hartland, Wisconsin-based companies failed to meet "good manufacturing practices." Since last December, H&P has had five voluntary product recalls, including bacteria-contaminated alcohol pads and similarly-tainted iodine swabs included in Atwater Carey first aid kits. U.S. Marshals have already seized more than $6 million of the companies' products in April. But the current injunction will prohibit H&P and Triad Group from further production and marketing of health care products until an independent expert and th... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934143 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:30:00 +0100 4934143 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934144&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Ffda-warns-of-dangerous-mix-up-between-risperdal-and-requip.html If you take either risperidone (Risperdal), used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, or ropinirole (Requip), used for Parkinson's disease and restless legs syndrome, check the label carefully to make sure you have the right medication, the Food and Drug Administration cautioned Monday. Confusion between the drugs has led to at least 226 cases in which people took the wrong one, including five who had to be hospitalized and possibly one who died. Similarities between the drugs names and packaging, or illegible handwriting on prescriptions, appear to have contributed to the confusion, the FDA said. The agency has asked manufacturers of the medications to change the labeling and packaging so the drugs are more easily distinguished from each other. Bottom line. If you take risperid... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934144 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 14:30:00 +0100 4934144 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934145&cid=t_98444_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Fcutting-back-on-fats-sugar-might-lower-alzheimers-risk.html Following a diet that’s low in saturated fat and quickly digested carbohydrates, such as doughnuts and white bread, could cut your risk of developing Alzheimer’s, suggests a study published today in the June issue of the journal Archives of Neurology. Researchers fed 20 healthy adults either a diet that had a high glycemic index and lots of saturated fat or a low glycemic index and little saturated fat for four weeks. They then gave the participants a memory test. Those who ate the low-fat, low-glycemic-index diet performed better on the memory test, and also had lower blood levels of certain markers of Alzheimer’s disease. A similar experiment in 29 adults who already had some signs of cognitive showed similar, though not quite as impressive, results. While this study... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934145 Mon, 13 Jun 2011 21:01:00 +0100 4934145