Health : How to Have an Allergy-Free Hotel Stay

---

• How to Have an Allergy-Free Hotel Stay
• Attention Travelers: Is the Bedbug Threat Real?
• Four Loko May Be Gone, but Dangerous Alcohol Drinks Remain
• Exercise Combo Best for Type 2 Diabetes
• Health Buzz: Gonorrhea Rate Drops, Chlamydia and Syphilis Rise
• 7 Steps Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetics Should Take
• Infant Cold Remedy Ban Helped Reduce Overdoses
• 6 Ways to Trick Yourself Into Eating Fruits and Veggies
• Fruit and Veggie Report Card Doesn't Look Good
• Children of Divorce Face Twice the Risk of Stroke as Adults: Study
• Health Buzz: FDA Clears Stem Cell Trial to Treat Blindness

How to Have an Allergy-Free Hotel Stay Posted: 23 Nov 2010 02:57 PM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Attention Travelers: Is the Bedbug Threat Real? Posted: 23 Nov 2010 02:57 PM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Four Loko May Be Gone, but Dangerous Alcohol Drinks Remain Posted: 23 Nov 2010 02:49 PM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Exercise Combo Best for Type 2 Diabetes Posted: 23 Nov 2010 01:00 PM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Health Buzz: Gonorrhea Rate Drops, Chlamydia and Syphilis Rise Posted: 23 Nov 2010 09:55 AM PST STD Report: Gonorrhea Rate Falls, Chlamydia And Syphilis Infections Increase About 19 million Americans catch a sexually transmitted disease each year, costing the healthcare system more than $16 billion annually. A new government report offers a snapshot of STD trends, and the findings are mixed: The gonorrhea rate has dropped to an all-time low with 301,000 new cases in 2009, compared to 336,742 cases in 2008. But chlamydia and syphilis rates continue to climb, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday. A record 1.2 million chlamydia cases were reported in 2009—up 2.8 percent from 2008—and the CDC estimates that these numbers may only represent a fraction of the actual chlamydia cases in the United States. Nearly 14,000 cases of syphilis were reported, meanwhile, a 5 percent jump from the previous year. The diagnosis rate fell among women, but increased among gay men, according to the report. Gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis account for less than 10 percent of STD cases annually, but doctors must report these STDs to the CDC, since they weak such serious consequences, including infertility. Herpes and human papillomavirus infections remain the most common STDs, the researchers estimate. Condom Use Lowest...Among Adults Over 40? Don't Ignore the Symptoms: Sexual Problems, STDs Affect Millions 6 Ways to Trick Yourself Into Eating Fruits and Veggies Turns out that Mom and Dad, regardless of their threats to take away TV time if you don't eat your broccoli, aren't so good at swallowing their own advice. The pitifully low amount of produce adults eat earned them an "F" in a report card released last week by the National Fruit and Vegetable Alliance, a federal, industry, and consumer partnership. Compared to five years ago, adults aren't much closer to embracing the number of servings of fruits and veggies recommended by the latest federal Dietary Guidelines. Teens flunked, too, and younger children got a D, writes U.S. News's Kurtis Hiatt. The grades were based on data collected by a market research organization, says Elizabeth Pivonka, cochair for the NFVA and president of the Produce for Better Health Foundation, a consumer-education nonprofit group. Food diaries kept by families in 2,000 households from February 2003 to February 2004 were compared with diaries from another 2,000 households that kept them from February 2008 to February 2009. Big surprise, right? Experts say most people know they don't eat nearly enough fruits and vegetables (Find how much the government says you should be getting here.) And they know about obesity, cancer, diabetes, and heart problems that await the unhealthy. So why do they shun plants? "People just don't know how to cook anymore," says Pivonka. "I think that is the crux of the problem." Some wrongly assume they don't like asparagus or cauliflower when in fact they don't like the way it was prepared, she says. Many vegetables, among them green beans, carrots, and sweet potatoes, become family favorites when drizzled with a little olive oil and roasted in the oven. And fruits and vegetables can disappear if tucked into dishes the right way. [Read more: 6 Ways to Trick Yourself Into Eating Fruits and Veggies.] The Best Low-Carbohydrate Diet? One That's Plant-Based 5 Kid-Friendly Foods With Iron Fruit and Veggie Report Card Doesn't Look Good You just flunked Fruits and Veggies 101, according to a report card released last week by the National Fruit and Vegetable Alliance. The organization, a partnership of federal agencies and industry and consumer groups, examined Americans' produce progress over the last five years in 15 areas related to consumption, U.S. News reports. Here's a look at the report card: A (met or exceeded goal) Vouchers for fruits and vegetables. The federal Food and Nutrition Service, an arm of the Department of Agriculture, introduced veggie vouchers a few years ago in its Women, Infants, and Children program for low-income Americans. The NFVA would like to see even higher-value vouchers per person, but views this inclusion as "substantial progress." "Fruits & Veggies—More Matters" campaign. Launched in 2007, the campaign targets moms, emphasizing the importance of healthy produce via a website , social networks, and state health departments. Expansion of a school program. Funded by the federal government, the Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program met its goal of providing fruits and vegetables to at least some schools in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. It is hoped to expand to millions more students in the future, the NFVA says. [Read more: Fruit and Veggie Report Card Doesn't Look Good.] Getting Kids to Eat Their Vegetables 10 Easy-Grow Veggies for Your Kids' Obama White House Garden This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

7 Steps Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetics Should Take Posted: 22 Nov 2010 03:28 PM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Infant Cold Remedy Ban Helped Reduce Overdoses Posted: 22 Nov 2010 02:28 PM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

6 Ways to Trick Yourself Into Eating Fruits and Veggies Posted: 22 Nov 2010 01:07 PM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Fruit and Veggie Report Card Doesn't Look Good Posted: 22 Nov 2010 01:07 PM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Children of Divorce Face Twice the Risk of Stroke as Adults: Study Posted: 22 Nov 2010 09:00 AM PST This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Health Buzz: FDA Clears Stem Cell Trial to Treat Blindness Posted: 22 Nov 2010 08:00 AM PST Trial Will Test Stem Cells as Treatment for Stargardt's Macular Dystrophy Federal officials have once again approved a clinical trial using human embryonic stem cells—this time, only the second, in an effort to treat a rare disease that causes blindness in young people. Advanced Cell Technology, a biotechnology company based in Marlborough, Mass., said today that it received the green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; the company expects the study to begin early next year with 12 patients diagnosed with Stargardt's Macular Dystrophy. The condition, which is currently incurable, progressively destroys vision beginning at around age 10. Researchers will inject between 50,000 and 200,000 healthy retinal cells derived from stem cells into each patient's eyes; in animal studies, the cells helped prevent further vision loss and restored some sight. "I think this marks the beginning of a new era for stem cell research," Robert Lanza, the company's chief scientific officer, told The Washington Post. "After a decade of intense controversy, the field is finally ready to prove itself—and to actually start helping patients suffering from a range of horrific diseases. It also shows the new readiness of the FDA to work with researchers to move exciting new stem cell therapies out of the laboratory and into the clinic." Stem Cells: 10 Diseases They May—or May Not—Cure Embryonic Stem Cells—and Other Stem Cells—Promise to Advance Treatments Your Primary Care Team Will See You Now You're likely to see your future primary care delivered by a "team" of health professionals rather than your doctor, family physician Kenny Lin writes in his blog for U.S. News. A high-functioning health team doesn't require doctors to issue orders all the time—or expect nurses to read their boss's mind. These medical assistants can read charts and test results to determine if a patient, say, needs a referral or isn't up to date on an immunization. Medical degrees aren't required for these things, according to a 2004 commentary on health care teams that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. If doctors can hand off some of their responsibilities to others on their medical team, this would solve two tough problems in today's medical system. First of all, we're facing a primary care physician shortage that's only going to get worse when nearly all Americans get health insurance in 2014. Massachusetts and California, which already have universal health care systems, have seen severe shortages in pediatricians, family physicians and obstetrician-gynecologists. Medical teams could allow doctors to expand their practices, seeing more patients each day. They could also solve the time-crunch problem where appointment slots in some offices have been reduced to 12 minutes per patient. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants can set aside far more time to discuss lifestyle changes and the side effects of various medications than doctors rushing from room to room. [Read more: Your Primary Care Team Will See You Now.] How to Get Your Doctor to Translate the Medical-Speak 6 Secrets to Getting the Right Medical Diagnosis Mental Illness Hit 1 in 5 U.S. Adults in Past Year A new survey finds that 20 percent of U.S. adults—over 45 million people—experienced mental illness in the past year, HealthDay reports. Overall, 4.8 percent (11 million people) suffered serious mental illness, 8.4 million people had serious thoughts of suicide, 2.2 million made suicide plans, and one million attempted suicide, according to the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Nearly 20 percent (8.9 million) of adults with mental illness in the past year also had a substance abuse disorder, the report found. The rate was 25.7 percent for those with a serious mental illness—about four times higher than the rate of 6.5 percent among people without a serious mental illness. The survey, which included 67,500 adults nationwide, was released Thursday by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. "Too many Americans are not getting the help they need and opportunities to prevent and intervene early are being missed," SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde said in an agency news release. [Read more: Mental Illness Hit 1 in 5 U.S. Adults in Past Year.] Depressed and Coping: Treating Depression When Medication Fails Want to Be Happier? Keep Your Focus This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

You are subscribed to email updates from Health Buzz To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610