Health News This Week (February 5, 2010)
Americans advised to get H1N1 vaccine – February 5, 2010: Federal health officials urged Friday that more Americans get vaccinated against the H1N1 flu virus, sometimes referred to as swine flu, which continues to kill. Most states are reporting only sporadic or local flu activity, but Dr. Anne Schuchat, who heads the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warned against complacency, telling reporters the virus is still a threat.
Mediterranean diet may help prevent dementia, study says – February 8, 2010: Eating a diet rich in healthy fats and limiting dairy and meat could do more than keep your heart healthier. It could also help keep you thinking clearly. New research shows that sticking to the Mediterranean diet, previously shown to reduce heart and other health issues, also may help lower the risk of having small areas of dead tissue linked to thinking problems. Known as brain infarcts, they’re involved in vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia, after Alzheimer’s disease.
Fact Check: The cost of obesity – February 9, 2010: The White House on Tuesday unveiled its campaign to fight childhood obesity. First lady Michelle Obama is spearheading the effort. In a kickoff event at the White House, the first lady said, “Economic experts tell us that we are spending outrageous amounts of money treating obesity-related conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.”
Shoveling snow? How to protect your back (and your heart) – February 10, 2010: Snow and ice can make driving treacherous, of course, but snowfall — especially the wet, heavy kind — can be dangerous even if you never leave your driveway. Each year, shoveling piles of snow after a storm is believed to cause tens of thousands of back and shoulder injuries in the United States, not to mention several hundred heart attacks.
Mumps outbreak reaches nearly 2,000 in New York and New Jersey – February 11, 2010: Nearly 2,000 people, mostly adolescent and young adult males in Orthodox Jewish communities in New York and New Jersey, have contracted mumps since last summer, according to health officials. In Thursday’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports 1,521 mumps cases, using data collected before end of January. But CNN has learned that the number is now at least 1,996.
Running debate: Bare or in shoes? – February 12, 2010: Terry Chiplin didn’t need a Harvard study to tell him what he’s known for years. “Barefoot running, for me, is a lot less painful than wearing running shoes,” said the 55-year-old Brit, who competed in high school in thin-soled leather shoes and would run shoeless whenever he could.
Health News This Week (January 30, 2010)
Responding to a crisis: The harsh realities for aid workers in Haiti – January 30, 2010: They have come from all over the world, speaking a multitude of languages and representing dozens of countries. Diverse as the planet itself, they are all united by one mission: to save lives. The number of relief workers in Haiti is now in the thousands and is expected to increase as Haiti continues to recover from the devastating January 12 earthquake. Relief workers have pulled survivors from the rubble, given them food and water, set up water purification plants and opened shelters.
Herbal remedies, heart drugs a dangerous combo – February 2, 2010: If you take heart medication, you may want to avoid some of the most popular over-the-counter herbal supplements on the market, including ginseng, saw palmetto, and echinacea. These herbal remedies — and many others — can cause potentially serious problems in people taking heart medications, a new report warns.
Concussions extra dangerous to teen brains – February 4, 2010: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 4 million sports and recreation-related concussions occur each year. Experts say the vast majority are suffered at the high school level, but few schools have rules governing how concussion is treated — and few coaches are trained to identify it. ”It’s the group we need to worry about most,” said Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher, chairman of the American Academy of Neurology Sports Neurology Section, adding that fewer than half of high schools have access to athletic trainers.
Obama calls for talks with GOP on health care, then vote by Congress – February 4, 2010: President Obama called Thursday for high-level talks with Republicans to work out a compromise on health care legislation, then putting the resulting bill to a vote in Congress. ”If Congress decides we’re not going to do it, even after all the facts are laid out, after all the options are clear, then the American people can make a judgment as to whether this Congress has done the right thing for them or not,” Obama said. “That’s how democracy works.”
Man awakens from H1N1 coma – February 4, 2010: A Seattle-area man spent 17 days in a coma after contracting the swine flu.
Ex-NFL lineman tackles Super Sunday overeating – February 5, 2010: Excluding Thanksgiving, Americans eat more on Super Bowl Sunday than on any other day of the year, according to the American Institute of Food Distribution. Former NFL lineman Jamie Dukes says the amount of food consumed, coupled with inactivity, makes Super Bowl Sunday one unhealthy celebration.
Health News This Week (January 23, 2010)
Fake Alli diet pills can pose health risks – January 23, 2010: Counterfeit capsules of the diet drug Alli that are sold online can pose a serious health risk to some users, a research director from the Food and Drug Administration said Saturday. The FDA warned consumers this week that fake versions of the over-the-counter drug are being sold, mainly on online auction sites.
Hard lessons, humility for big-city doctors in Haiti – January 26, 2010: Dr. Roberto Feliz and Dr. Hiba Georges were quickly jolted from the most modern of medical care in Boston, Massachusetts, to the most rudimentary of care when they flew to Haiti last week to work at a hospital housed in two tents run by the University of Miami. The doctors, who worked at the Boston Medical Center, quickly learned that when you have no technology — not even the simplest blood test — you have to make medical decisions in an entirely different way.
Pelosi promises health care reform win – January 27, 2010: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi insisted Wednesday that Congress will pass a health care reform bill, despite recent setbacks that have raised new questions about the changing political climate. Democratic hopes to get a bill to President Obama’s desk before his upcoming State of the Union speech were derailed by the GOP’s upset win in last week’s special election to fill late Sen. Ted Kennedy’s seat in Massachusetts.
Rhode Island agency says salami tests positive for salmonella – January 28, 2010: The Rhode Island Department of Health said Thursday that pepper-coated salami manufactured by Italian sausage company Daniele Inc. has tested positive for the strain of salmonella associated with a recent national outbreak. Specifically, traces of salmonella were found in samples of the black pepper used to prepare Daniele’s salami, the agency said.
Health News This Week (January 16, 2010)
Unsung heroes work hard to cut hospital-acquired infections – January 21, 2010: For years, Alfonso Torress-Cook followed the rules in his quest to eliminate hospital-acquired infections. Patients at his hospital received large doses of antibiotics and were scrubbed down with alcohol-based soaps, as he and his colleagues aimed to kill every bacterium possible. Search and destroy was the mantra.
Study: Cutting salt intake would boost nation’s health – January 21, 2010: If Americans cut their salt intake by just half a teaspoon per day, it would produce public health benefits on par with reducing high cholesterol, smoking, or obesity, a new study has found. The number of heart attacks in the U.S. could decline by up to 13 percent if adults could just slash their daily salt intake by 3 grams, or about 1,200 milligrams of sodium, according to the study, which was published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. New cases of heart disease and the number of strokes could also be expected to decline, by up to 11 percent and 8 percent, respectively.
The surprising reason why being overweight isn’t healthy – January 21, 2010: It’s shocking, but it’s true: Being a woman who’s more than 20 pounds overweight may actually hike your risk of getting poor medical treatment. In fact, weighing too much can have surprising — and devastating — health repercussions beyond the usual diabetes and heart-health concerns you’ve heard about for years.
Top foods to fuel your heart – January 15, 2010: CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks at the top 10 foods for your heart.
Gene mappers untangling common cold mysteries – January 18, 2010: A cure for the common cold has eluded scientists since the dawn of mankind. Common colds — also known as human rhinovirus — affect billions of people worldwide every year and have more than 100 different, but related, strains. Each of these strains can cause a variety of symptoms in sufferers. Doctors say that variety is what makes the common cold so hard to understand and so hard to treat. Last year, researchers from the University of Maryland and the University of Wisconsin-Madison announced that they had taken the first step in finding a cure for rhinovirus by mapping each strain’s entire genome.
CDC: As many as 80 million infected by H1N1 – January 16, 2010: As many as 80 million Americans were sickened by and another 16,000 died because of the H1N1 influenza virus between April 2009 and December, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. Those numbers are at the high end of the CDC’s estimate. The number of infected could be closer to 39 million while deaths could be about 8,000.
Health News This Week (January 11, 2010)
Too much TV may mean earlier death – January 11, 2010: Watching too much television can make you feel a bit brain-dead. According to a new study, it might also take years off your life. The more time you spend watching TV, the greater your risk of dying at an earlier age — especially from heart disease, researchers found. The study followed 8,800 adults with no history of heart disease for more than six years. Compared to those who watched less than two hours of TV per day, people who watched four hours or more were 80 percent more likely to die from heart disease and 46 percent more likely to die from any cause. All told, 284 people died during the study.
Tuberculosis patient flies despite being on banned list – January 13, 2010: A person infected with an active case of tuberculosis flew aboard a commercial passenger jet last week, despite the person’s presence on a “do-not-board” list maintained by federal health authorities, officials said Tuesday. The patient, who has not been identified publicly, flew Saturday aboard US Airways Flight 401 from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to San Francisco, California, airline spokesman Morgan Durrant told CNN.
Haiti earthquake could trigger possible medical ‘perfect storm’ – January 13, 2010: The devastation caused by Tuesday’s earthquake could decimate what fragile medical care exists and spawn a “perfect storm” in a country already struggling to fight rare tropical and infectious diseases, health experts said. The disaster cut power, electricity and other utilities. This could leave people without clean drinking water and at greater risk of malnutrition and disease. The potential new mass of displaced persons could create crowded, unsanitary conditions that facilitate the spread of contagious respiratory infections, said Dr. Peter Hotez, head of the department of microbiology at George Washington University.
Obesity rates stabilize but remain high – January 14, 2010: Obesity rates in the United States are still sky-high, but for the moment they appear to have stopped climbing higher, according to new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One out of every three American adults is obese, and two out of every three are overweight, according to the data. Among children and teens, the numbers aren’t much better: Roughly 17 percent of children between the ages of 2 and 19 are considered obese. All of these percentages have increased sharply since 1980, the data show.
In Haiti, mental aftershocks could be far-reaching – January 15, 2010: As Haitians struggle to recover from the devastation of Tuesday’s 7.0-magnitude earthquake, mental health experts caution that the most severe psychological effects won’t take form until individuals’ situations stabilize. Feelings of confusion, fear, agitation, grief and anger that surround a large-scale traumatic event such as the Haiti earthquake give way to more pronounced psychological disorders once people’s basic human needs are taken care of, experts say.
Health News This Week (January 4, 2010)
Smoking and diabetes – January 5, 2010: New research suggests that quitting smoking increases the risk of diabetes. People who quit smoking are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes after they kick the habit, most likely due to post-quitting weight gain, a new study has found. Experts caution, however, that the benefits of quitting smoking — including a lower risk of heart attack and lung cancer — far outweigh the risk of developing diabetes, which can be treated with diet, exercise, and medication.
Taco Bell: Making a run for weight loss? – January 6, 2010: The company that brought us the taco-craving Chihuahua, Fourth Meal and double-decker tacos suggests that it can now help fight fat. In an ad campaign much like Subway’s Jared Fogle spots, Taco Bell has introduced its own weight-loss character. Christine Dougherty, 27, ate items from Taco Bell’s lower-calorie “Fresco menu” five to eight times a week and dropped 54 pounds, according to the company.
CDC: H1N1 still circulating; vaccine plentiful – January 7, 2010: The H1N1 influenza virus is still circulating and causing illness, hospitalization and death, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday as officials made another call for vaccination. ”Many people are still susceptible to this virus and would benefit from vaccination,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC. “We want to avoid complacency. We have a very good supply of the H1N1 vaccine all around the country.”
Protect yourself from the cold – January 7, 2010: Much of the nation is battling frigid temps. Susan Hendricks has tips to keep you safe when you’re out in the cold.
More kids getting vaccines – January 7, 2010: CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks about a new study showing the number of kids being vaccinated is increasing.
‘Water justice’ advocate: Don’t privatize – January 8, 2010: Every eight seconds, somewhere in the world a child dies from waterborne diseases because the parents cannot afford clean water, according to Maude Barlow, founder of the Blue Planet Project.
Health News This Week (December 28, 2009)
What you need to know about multivitamins – January 1, 2010: In this day and age of food-on-the-go, supplements can add much-needed nutrients to your diet. But a walk down the vitamin aisle at any store could very well make your head spin. Here’s a breakdown of several of multivitamin options.
Making Resolutions that stick – January 1, 2010: A psychologist offers tips to help you make your New Year’s resolutions work.
Top Medical Stories of 2009 – December 30, 2009: CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta brings you a look at a few of the medical stories that made news in 2009.
H1N1 and health reform dominated 2009 medical news – December 30, 2009: It was the year that a new pandemic flu swept across the globe, initially baffling health authorities and causing worldwide panic.
UK’s crippling alcohol abuse – January 1, 2009: Britain’s heavy drinking culture could soon overwhelm the National Health Service.
Health News This Week (December 21, 2009)
Flu, Health-Care Overhaul Debate Top 2009 Health Stories – December 22, 2009: Whether they wanted to or not, many Americans learned a lot about the state of their health care this year. High unemployment, the swine-flu pandemic and growing political momentum for a health-system overhaul made 2009 a high-stakes year for health care, with 2010 poised to carry on a few big themes.
Try holiday foods with a nutritional punch – December 23, 2009: Many foods we eat during the holidays have nutrients that may help prevent disease.
GOP eyes last-ditch effort to derail health care bill – December 23, 2009: Congressional Republicans on Wednesday plan to mount a last-ditch challenge to the health care bill moving through the Senate, arguing that a key provision is unconstitutional.
Volunteers vaccinate homeless against H1N1 – December 22, 2009: Sean Cononie bounded out of the back of an ambulance ahead of most of the other volunteers. A bullhorn in his hand, he was, in a sense, the pied piper.
Heart-healthy gifts from the kitchen – December 21, 2009: Nothing quite expresses love and joy like gifts of food — especially for those loved ones on your list who may be at higher risk for heart disease.
Holiday Depression – December 19, 2009: CNN’s Betty Nguyen talks to social worker Rita Grayson about ways to cope and avoid holiday stressors.
Health News This Week (December 14, 2009)
Food Safety Flaws – December 13, 2009: A new audit raises questions about the FDA’s ability to protect the U.S. food supply.
H1N1- Related Deaths – December 11, 2009: The number of H1N1-related deaths more than doubled from October to November. CNN’s Elizabeth Cohen reports.
How Health Bill Affects You – December 17, 2009: How does the proposed health bill affect people in certain situations?
WHO wants health issues at heart of climate talks – December 17, 2009: The World Health Organization (WHO) held a “side event” for public health officials in Copenhagen, Thursday, in an effort to put public health at the center of the climate-change debate.
Is ‘Double-Dipping’ that bad? – December 16, 2009: Does double dipping contaminate the food? We go Beyond the Surface to find out.
800,000 H1N1 vaccine doses for young children recalled; safety not a concern – December 15, 2009: One of the five manufacturers supplying H1N1 vaccine to the United States is recalling hundreds of thousands of flu shots because they aren’t as potent as they should be.
Health News This Week (December 7, 2009)
Understanding Autism – December 7, 2009: Researchers study brain waves of kids, hoping to unlock the mysteries of autism.
Senate Debates Health Care, Rejects GOP Amendment - December 5, 2009: Senate Republicans failed Saturday to eliminate $42.1 billion in cuts to Medicare home health care service in the health care bill.
H1N1 virus attacks deep into the lungs – December 8, 2009: In the rare cases when the H1N1 virus kills, scientists have found, it penetrates deep into the lungs, creating widespread damage — a pattern similar to what killed millions during previous flu pandemics in 1918 and 1957.
H1N1 Vaccine Likely to Become More Widely Available - December 7, 2009: Restrictions limiting the H1N1 flu vaccine to high-risk groups could be lifted in many U.S. states now that production of the vaccine has increased, state health officials said Monday.
Feel Good Foods – December 8, 2009: Healthy eating can help you ward off colds and flu. Dr. Felicia Wade shows us more.
Chinese Health Officials Step Up Flu Prevention – December 11, 2009: China’s Health Ministry warned Friday that the swine flu outbreak in the country could peak over the next several months, especially as hundreds of millions of people return home for the traditional Chinese New Year.
Grading School Lunches – December 9, 2009: CNN’s Kyra Phillips talks to USA Today reporters who uncovered some shocking facts about school lunchmeat standards.
CDC: H1N1 Flu Sickened 1 in 6 Americans by Mid-November – December 10, 2009: H1N1 swine flu killed 10,000 Americans, sent 213,000 to the hospital, and sickened 50 million — a sixth of the population — by mid-November, the CDC estimates.
