public health

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C-Sections Propel Jump in Preemies
C-Sections Propel Jump
in Preemies
May 29, 2008 11:56 AM CDT

C-Sections Propel Jump in Preemies

Risks, costs skyrocket for premature infants, new research notes

(Newser) - The number of US babies born before reaching normal gestation jumped by a third from 1996 to 2004, the Los Angeles Times reports, with Cesarean sections accounting for much of the rise. With health risks and high costs associated with premature babies, the trend presents "a serious problem,"...

Bad Habits: It's Who You Know
 Bad Habits: It's Who You Know 
May 26, 2008 4:48 PM CDT

Bad Habits: It's Who You Know

Study says social networks strongly influence behavior

(Newser) - If your friends all jumped off a bridge, you'd probably listen to your mom and not follow them, but how about if they started exercising? New research into social networks—in 3D, not on MySpace or Facebook—shows people are more likely to quit smoking or lose weight if someone...

Toad Venom Aphrodisiac Kills NYC Man

'There is no safe way to use' love drug that upsets heart rhythms

(Newser) - New York City officials warned people today to avoid a toad venom-based aphrodisiac that recently killed a man, the AP reports. The illegal love drug, often sold as Jamaican Stone or Chinese Rock, is harmful whether ingested or applied to the skin. "There is no definitely safe way to...

Organic Formula Stirs Worries About Sugar

Recipe for popular brand includes tooth-rotting sucrose

(Newser) - Although it controls more than a third of the organic baby formula market, Similac Organic also carries a less coveted distinction: It is the only brand in the category that contains cane sugar, or sucrose. The company says its is FDA approved, but many parents and doctors worry about starting...

Illegal Workers Must Rely on Healers, Home Remedies

Farm workers without health care shun doctors, hospitals

(Newser) - Faced with high medical costs and fearing deportation, many illegal immigrants avoid doctors and instead seek their cures among traditional healers, the New York Times reports. With an estimated two-thirds of illegal immigrants uninsured, visits to a doctor are often reserved for emergencies. Instead, the immigrants—most of whom toil...

Death, Illness on Canada Train Not Related
Death, Illness on Canada Train Not Related
UPDATED
May 9, 2008 4:39 PM CDT

Death, Illness on Canada Train Not Related

Woman who died on Via Rail not infectious; quarantine to be lifted

(Newser) - Canadian authorities are set to lift the quarantine on a train en route from Vancouver to Toronto after determining that the 60-year-old passenger who died aboard earlier today "most likely did not have an infectious disease," CTV reports. Ten other passengers came down with flu-like symptoms; "we...

Hormone Makes Food More Appetizing
Hormone Makes Food More Appetizing
May 7, 2008 3:35 PM CDT

Hormone Makes Food More Appetizing

Ghrelin-blocking drugs could fight obesity, but side effects loom

(Newser) - What makes people eat more than their bodies need? It might have a lot to do with the hormone ghrelin, a new study at McGill University finds. The chemical tells the brain to find food more appealing, and causes hunger, LiveScience reports. Work has already started on ghrelin-blocking drugs, but...

Quit Sooner, Live Longer
Quit Sooner, Live Longer
May 7, 2008 2:59 PM CDT

Quit Sooner, Live Longer

Newly minted nonsmokers see benefits almost immediately

(Newser) - Smokers who kick the habit see their risk of dying drop drastically after 5 years, and their risk level nears that of nonsmokers within 20 years, new research finds. In a study that followed 100,000 women over 3 decades, researchers recorded a 13% drop in death from all causes...

Big Butts Are Healthy, Study Finds
Big Butts
Are Healthy, Study Finds
May 7, 2008 6:52 AM CDT

Big Butts Are Healthy, Study Finds

Pear-shaped bodies contain fat that could help prevent diabetes

(Newser) - The kind of fat found in the hips and buttocks may actually help fight diabetes, a result that surprised Harvard doctors performing the research that produced the finding. Although belly fat is known to raise the risk of diabetes, subcutaneous fat injected into the abdomens of mice actually increased their...

Deadly Virus Hits Kids in China

EV71 claims at least 21 lives, mostly young children

(Newser) - Almost 3,000 children living in the eastern Chinese province of Anhui have been infected with a deadly intestinal virus. At least 21 children have died of Enterovirus 71, a highly contagious malady whose cause remains unknown, reports state-run media. Most of the victims have been children under the age...

77% of US Moms Breast-Feed
 77% of US Moms Breast-Feed 
Apr 30, 2008 7:07 PM CDT

77% of US Moms Breast-Feed

Percentage highest in survey's history; rise greatest among African-Americans

(Newser) - About 77% of new mothers breast-feed, the highest percentage since the CDC began taking surveys 20 years ago. The agency cites public-awareness campaigns about its health benefits for the rise, noting that only 60% of mothers breast-fed in 1994, the AP reports. Changing cultural attitudes that accommodate the practice also...

NY Stays Calorie-Count Law
 NY Stays Calorie-Count Law 
Apr 21, 2008 5:53 PM CDT

NY Stays Calorie-Count Law

Restaurants use delay to seek another delay

(Newser) - Today a New York judge delayed a law requiring Big Apple eateries to list calorie content on menus. Set to kick in today, the law is now slated to take effect Friday—which gives the city time to sort out a suit by New York restaurants, which are seeking yet...

Health History Hidden in Urine
 Health History Hidden in Urine 
Apr 21, 2008 10:07 AM CDT

Health History Hidden in Urine

Metabolites differ across national, ethnic boundaries, could offer insight into disease

(Newser) - Urine does indeed hold metabolic clues, researchers have found, and could shed light on blood pressure and heart problems, the Times of London reports. "Metabolic profiling can tell us how specific aspects of a person’s diet and how much they drink are contributing to their risks for certain...

Nalgene Nixes Suspect Chemical
Nalgene Nixes Suspect Chemical
Apr 18, 2008 1:31 PM CDT

Nalgene Nixes Suspect Chemical

Company will yank bottles containing bisphenol A

(Newser) - The maker of Nalgene bottles will pull the products from stores over concerns about the health effects of the chemical bisphenol A, Reuters reports. The plastic water bottles, long a favorite of hikers, will be made with BPA-free materials going forward. The move comes despite the chemical industry's assurances that...

Cataract Risk Linked to Climate Change

Rising UV levels will hit developing countries hardest

(Newser) - As climate change drives ozone depletion and increases the level of ultraviolet rays reaching Earth's surface, humans' eyesight will be suffering more and more, AFP reports. UV rays are one of the leading causes of cataracts, which in turn cause 50% of avoidable blindness worldwide. The trend is likely to...

For Healthier Teens, Keep the TV in the Den

Older adolescents who watch in their bedrooms pick up bad habits with the remote

(Newser) - Older teens feeling too fit, well nourished, and smart can turn all that around with one simple move: install a TV in the bedroom. Kids 15 to 18 with a boob tube in the boudoir were twice as likely to watch 5 or more hours a day than those who...

Skip Liplock, 'Go for the Heart' to Save a Life

Chest compressions key in heart attack CPR, says health group

(Newser) - Reluctant bystanders can skip mouth-to-mouth resuscitation if they witness someone collapse from a heart attack, but should attempt "hands-only" CPR to save a life, the American Heart Association has recommended.  With less than a third of cardiac arrest victims receiving any form of CPR before it's too late,...

Mental Decline Strikes 1/3 of Seniors
Mental Decline Strikes 1/3
of Seniors
Mar 18, 2008 12:53 PM CDT

Mental Decline Strikes 1/3 of Seniors

Alzheimer's will afflict 1 in 8 baby boomers, report projects

(Newser) - Cognitive problems ranging from forgetting what day it is to full-blown dementia are affecting one-third of the nation's seniors, reports a new study by the National Institute on Aging. The report says 22% of those over 71 have mild impairment, added to 16% suffering dementia, the Washington Post reports. An...

Scientists Warn Doctors of Syphilis Comeback

Cases are on the rise, doctors not spotting the symptoms

(Newser) - Health researchers have warned that syphilis is making a comeback, and doctors may not be recognizing the symptoms. Developed countries came closing to wiping out the disease in the '90s, Reuters reports, but infection rates in the US went up last year for the seventh year in a row. A...

All Schoolkids Should Get Flu Shot, Feds Say

CDC panel proposes vaccinations for additional 30M kids

(Newser) - All schoolchildren in the US should get flu shots, a CDC panel advises. Current guidelines call for shots for those ages 6 months to 5 years, but the new recommendation raises the age to 18, an expansion of 30 million youngsters, the AP reports. The CDC is expected to adopt...

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