10.1 Being moderately overweight might not pose health risk
10.2 Health study of NFL players universally lauded
10.3 A Safer Way to Affordable Health Care
10.4 Aging Poorly
10.5 Everyday Activities May Have Same Health Benefits as Going to Gym
10.6 Health Officials Urge F.D.A Action on Soft Drinks
10.7 'There is no safe threshold for alcohol and cancer risk'
10.8 Six Health Problems Linked to Lack of Sleep
10.9 When it comes to Women's Health, Politicians Still Don't Get it
10.10 New tattoo inks may cause complications
10.11 CDC sounds alarm on deadly, untreatable superbugs
10.12 Dr. Shetty on Heart
10.13 The Air That Kills in India
10.14 Nanny-in-chief or health crusader?
10.15 Drugs do not equal health
10.16 At chicken plants, chemicals blamed for health ailments
10.17 The health conundrum
10.18 Fast food's takeover of France
10.19 Should The World Invest More in Men's Health?
10.20 Celebrities Who Should Have Never Attempted Plastic Surgery
10.21 Economist explores the roots of global health
10.22 Doctors prescribe narcotics too often for pain, CDC chief says
10.23 Active Design
10.24 Are Aging Parents in La-La Land About their health?
10.25 Plastic surgery to improve appearance
10.26 Next-Gen Solution for shocking Muscle Gains?
10.27 Sugar
10.28 Wimbledon Champion Retires, Citing Recurring Pain
10.29 Obesity's death toll could be higher than believed
10.30 Doctors sound alarm on child fitness and health
10.31 BMI is not an accurate measure of health
10. 32 Concussion Lawsuit
10.33 Our children need to move more and watch less
10.34 Fruits not fruit juice
10.35 Europe's public health disaster
10.36 New CPR - A MUST WATCH!!!
10.37 Health kick 'reverses cell aging'
10.38 Plain packaging laws for cigarette
10.39 Patents
10.40 High fat / high-sugar foods
10.41 Stroke Numbers Up Worldwide
10.42 Drug resistant TB
10.43 Fast food restaurants doing little to promote healthy options for kids
10.44 Many children 'slower runners than their parents were'
10.45 Modern-day health woes
10.46 Sugar
10.47 Wasting money on vitamins
10.48 The best preventive medicine?
............................
10.1 Being moderately overweight might not pose health risk (1/1/2013)
There are a range of possible reasons why people who are overweight might fare better in studies than those who are of normal weight, said obesity researcher Dr. Steven B. Heymsfield, executive director of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La.
Only some of those explanations suggest that carrying a few extra pounds truly makes someone healthier.
For example, some studies suggest that people who are overweight or mildly obese are treated more aggressively by their doctors for blood pressure or cholesterol problems than those who are of normal weight, said Heymsfield, who was not involved in the study but co-wrote a commentary that accompanied it.
Preferential treatment could more than compensate for a higher rate of health problems among those who are overweight or mildly obese.
.. Study lead author Katherine M. Flegal, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said she and her colleagues could not say what lay behind the apparent survival edge for overweight people. But she noted that it had been observed before in other studies.
http://articles.latimes.com/
PILE OF RUBBISH?
Dr Walter Willett, from the Harvard School of Public Health said: "This is an even greater pile of rubbish" than a study conducted by the same group in 2005.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
10.2 Health study of NFL players universally lauded (1/1/2013)
Harvard researchers have determined that professional football players in the United States and Canada “appear to have life expectancies in the mid-to-late 50s.” Atallah said the Players Association has not done recent life-expectancy studies of its own.
“But I do know that from the research we have done, NFL players are at a greater risk for long-term health problems, and that’s one of the things that this research aims to tackle,” he said. “It’s a comprehensive look at the overall health of players, where head trauma and brain trauma and the impact on the brain is one of the areas we cover, but we also cover chronic pain, mental illnesses, and a score of other health issues that they face.”
... Hundreds of former players are suing the league, charging that the NFL did not do enough to inform them of the dangers of concussions.
http://bostonglobe.com/sports/
10.3 A Safer Way to Affordable Health Care (1/2/2013)
Archimedes said that if you gave him a large enough lever, and a proper fulcrum,
he could move the world. For social change, the fulcrum is personal choice ...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
10.4 Aging Poorly (5/2/2013)
"About half of people 20 years ago said they exercised regularly, which meant three times a week, and that rate now is only about 18 percent," he says. "That's an astonishing change in just one generation."
The impact could be far-reaching if millions of baby boomers are already in such bad shape just as they're starting to grow old.
"The implications for health care costs in the next decade are astounding," King says. "The baby boomers are going into those high medical-use years in much worse condition than their forefathers."
... Despite all this, baby boomers are living longer than their parents. But along the way, they're having a lot more knee operations and taking a lot more pills for blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/
------------------
The speculations in the comments section are interesting.
Selvaraj
10.5 Everyday Activities May Have Same Health Benefits as Going to Gym (10/2/2013)
SUNDAY, Feb. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Short stretches of physical activity -- such as taking the stairs or raking leaves -- throughout the day can be just as beneficial as a trip to the gym, according to a new study.
http://health.usnews.com/
10.6 Health Officials Urge F.D.A Action on Soft Drinks (13/2/2013)
10.7 'There is no safe threshold for alcohol and cancer risk' (17/2/2013)
While previous research has consistently shown that alcohol consumption is a significant risk factor for cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus and liver, more recent research has demonstrated that alcohol consumption also increases the risk of cancers of the colon, rectum and female breast.
10.8 Six Health Problems Linked to Lack of Sleep (1/1/2013)
10.9 When it comes to Women's Health, Politicians Still Don't Get it (1/3/2013)
Florida has two million uninsured women and nearly 1.9 million more who need contraceptive services and supplies. Women don't come to Planned Parenthood to make a political statement. They come for confidential, non-judgmental care. And they don't want their health care to be politicized. So when legislators attack women's health and Planned Parenthood, they're attacking the single mother working two jobs who gets birth control at Planned Parenthood. They're attacking the recently laid off woman who has nowhere else to turn. When they attack birth control, they attack virtually all women, since, according to the Guttmacher Institute, 99 percent of us have used it.
10.10 New tattoo inks may cause complications (3/3/2013)
Washington: Modern tattoo inks are causing increased complications like allergic reactions, serious infections and reactions that can mimic skin cancer, a dermatologist has claimed.
Tattoo ink`s composition has changed dramatically over the years. In the past, metal salts, lead, cobalt and carbon were used in inks but today, many modern tattoo inks (especially intense reds and yellows) contain organic azo dyes with plastic-based pigments, which also have industrial uses in printing, textiles and car paint.
As a result, Michi Shinohara, MD, FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist and clinical assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Washington in Seattle, explained that there are many unknowns about how these inks interact with the skin and within the body and if they are responsible for an increasing number of complications. - See more at: http://zeenews.india.com/news/
10.11 CDC sound alarm on deadly, untreatable superbugs (6/3/2013)
CDC sounds alarm on deadly, untreatable superbugs
10.12 Dr. Shetty on Heart (10/3/2013)
10.13 The Air That Kills in India (14/2/2013)
10.14 Nanny-in-chief or health crusader? (24/3/2013)
"We have a worldwide, nationwide problem on obesity. This year, more people will die from overeating than from starvation -- first time in the history of the world."
10.15 Drugs do not equal health (8/4/2013)
Drugs do not equal health:http://communities.
10.16 At chicken plants, chemicals blamed for health ailments (25/4/2013)
10.17 The health conundrum (29/4/2013)
10.18 Fast food's takeover of France (6/5/2013)
10.19 Should The World Invest More in Men's Health? (20/5/2013)
10.20 Celebrities Who Should Have Never Attempted Plastic Surgery (4/6/2013)
10.21 Economist explores the roots of global health (23/6/2013)
.. Alsan plans to keep observing the effects of the
vaccination campaign by dissecting Turkish census data. Ultimately, she
hopes to show the economic impact of early childhood intervention as it
relates to children’s ability to contribute to society later in life. As
she has been finding, keeping a child healthy can also have a positive
effect on the entire household.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/
10.22 Doctors prescribe narcotics too often for pain, CDC chief says (3/7/2013)
10.23 Active Design (18/7/2013)
10.24 Are Aging Parents in La-La Land About their health? (1/8/2013)
The study found that sixty percent of seniors expect their health to stay the same over the next five to 10 years. (Who are they kidding?) They are not doing any activities to help themselves manage their health over the long run. 65 percent of seniors report having at least two chronic health conditions.
10.25 Plastic surgery to improve appearance (4/8/2013)
10.26 Next-Gen Solutions for Shocking Muscle Gains!? (9/8/2013)
Since its launch in 2009, Force Factor has enjoyed skyrocketing success, winning honors like GNC’s "Rising Star" award and Bodybuilding.com’s "Best New Brand" award while transforming the bodies of thousands of men and women throughout the U.S. Today, they’ve improved upon their original, groundbreaking formula and have released the most advanced nitric oxide supplement on the market: Factor 2.
http://www.smarterlifestyles.
----------
Nitric Oxide, artificially introduced, will be impossible to detect if it is also produced by the body naturally. Is this what sports medicine professionals spend their time and energy on?
10.27 Sugar (14/8/2013)
10.28 Wimbledon Champion Retires, Citing Recurring Pain (15/8/2013)
Wimbledon Champion Retires, Citing Recurring Pain
10.29 Obesity's death toll could be higher than believed (17/8/2013)
10.30 Doctors sound alarm on child fitness and health (22/8/2013)
10.31 BMI is not an accurate measure of health (25/8/2013)
Obesity is a serious issue in the United States. According to the CDC, more than 33 percent of U.S. adults are obese. In fact, the estimated yearly medical cost of obesity in the U.S. was $147 billion in 2008; the health care costs for obese individuals were $1,429 higher than those of normal weight.
Read more: http://www.
Selvaraj
10.32 Concussion Lawsuit (30/8/2013)
10.33 Our children need to move more and watch less (1/9/2013)
10.34 Fruits not fruit juice (8/9/2013)
10.35 Europe's public health disaster (9/9/2013)
What we have learned is that severe, indiscriminate cuts to vital social protection programs are not only economically self-defeating, but fatal. http://edition.cnn.com/2013/
10.36 New CPR - A MUST WATCH!!! (17/9/2013)
Please watch - and then share. This short video illustrates the best demonstration and gives the simplest explanation of exactly what to do if someone near you collapses and is presumably having a heart attack. You could very well save the life of a friend or loved one. Someone you share this video with might save your life!
> http://heart.arizona.edu/
>
10.37 Health kick 'reverses cell aging' (17/9/2013)
10.38 Plain packaging laws for cigarette (25/9/2013)
The Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon has revealed a proposal to package all cigarettes in the olive green cartons covered with large health warnings.
If the draft legislation passes through parliament Australia will become the first country in the world to implement plain packaging laws for cigarettes.
Retailers and tobacco companies have campaigned against the changes, saying they will not reduce smoking rates.
But Professor Mike Daube says tobacco companies hate the idea because they know it will stop people smoking.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/
10.39 Patents (6/10/2013)
Selvaraj
- The history of patents and patent laws is generally considered to have started in Italy with a Venetian Statute of 1474 which was issued by the Republic of Venice.[1] They issued a decree by which new and inventive devices, once they had been put into practice, had to be communicated to the Republic in order to obtain legal protection against potential infringers. The period of protection was 10 years.[2]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
10.40 High fat / high-sugar foods (16/10/2013)
“Our research supports the theory that high-fat/ high-sugar foods stimulate the brain in the same way that drugs do,” Neuroscience Professor Joseph Schroeder said in a school press release. “It may explain why some people can’t resist these foods despite the fact that they know they are bad for them.”
http://www.foxnews.com/health/
10.41 Stroke Numbers Up Worldwide (24/10/2013)
10.42 Drug resistant TB (3/11/2013)
http://infochangeindia.org/
-----------------
There is HUGE variation in the worldwide incidence of TB. Poverty? Cleanliness? Better Medical Treatment?
http://data.worldbank.org/
10.43 Fast food restaurants doing little to promote healthy options to kids (10/11/2013)
10.44 Many children 'slower runners than their parents were' (20/11/2013)
Many children cannot run as fast as their parents could when they were young, a study of global fitness says.
Experts say the work - being presented at the American Heart Association's annual meeting - suggests children's fitness levels may be declining.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
-------------------
We have our lame duck engineering profession to thank for this. Forget running, if a child attempts to even walk outside he is going to be run over by a car.
Selvaraj
10.45 Modern-day health woes (1/12/2013)
10.46 Sugar (1/12/2013)
"You hear people saying, 'Why are we all of a sudden freaked out about sugar?' The answer is scientists have actually started to learn things the public isn't aware of," Schmidt said. "People don't understand how much added sugar they're getting in their diet."
She said food manufacturers are putting sugar in almost everything, even if the foods don't taste sweet. Bagels, bread, sauces, salad dressing, ketchup, sausage - all of them contain added sugar. Women should eat no more than six teaspoons of sugar a day, but most eat three or four times that, Schmidt said. The recommended limit for men is nine teaspoons.
"I would rather get my teaspoons in a nice big piece of chocolate cake rather than in a pork sandwich or salad dressing," she said.
The UCSF research team argues that the federal government needs to intervene, as it has with tobacco and alcohol.
"If you have a substance that's both toxic and abused, which is what we have, then you need societal intervention," Lustig said.
http://www.sfgate.com/health/
10.47 Wasting money on vitamins (18/12/2013)
Looking for ways to save money in 2014? Here's some advice from doctors: Stop buying vitamins.
http://www.latimes.com/
10.48 The best preventive medicine? (31/12/2013)
10.2 Health study of NFL players universally lauded
10.3 A Safer Way to Affordable Health Care
10.4 Aging Poorly
10.5 Everyday Activities May Have Same Health Benefits as Going to Gym
10.6 Health Officials Urge F.D.A Action on Soft Drinks
10.7 'There is no safe threshold for alcohol and cancer risk'
10.8 Six Health Problems Linked to Lack of Sleep
10.9 When it comes to Women's Health, Politicians Still Don't Get it
10.10 New tattoo inks may cause complications
10.11 CDC sounds alarm on deadly, untreatable superbugs
10.12 Dr. Shetty on Heart
10.13 The Air That Kills in India
10.14 Nanny-in-chief or health crusader?
10.15 Drugs do not equal health
10.16 At chicken plants, chemicals blamed for health ailments
10.17 The health conundrum
10.18 Fast food's takeover of France
10.19 Should The World Invest More in Men's Health?
10.20 Celebrities Who Should Have Never Attempted Plastic Surgery
10.21 Economist explores the roots of global health
10.22 Doctors prescribe narcotics too often for pain, CDC chief says
10.23 Active Design
10.24 Are Aging Parents in La-La Land About their health?
10.25 Plastic surgery to improve appearance
10.26 Next-Gen Solution for shocking Muscle Gains?
10.27 Sugar
10.28 Wimbledon Champion Retires, Citing Recurring Pain
10.29 Obesity's death toll could be higher than believed
10.30 Doctors sound alarm on child fitness and health
10.31 BMI is not an accurate measure of health
10. 32 Concussion Lawsuit
10.33 Our children need to move more and watch less
10.34 Fruits not fruit juice
10.35 Europe's public health disaster
10.36 New CPR - A MUST WATCH!!!
10.37 Health kick 'reverses cell aging'
10.38 Plain packaging laws for cigarette
10.39 Patents
10.40 High fat / high-sugar foods
10.41 Stroke Numbers Up Worldwide
10.42 Drug resistant TB
10.43 Fast food restaurants doing little to promote healthy options for kids
10.44 Many children 'slower runners than their parents were'
10.45 Modern-day health woes
10.46 Sugar
10.47 Wasting money on vitamins
10.48 The best preventive medicine?
............................
10.1 Being moderately overweight might not pose health risk (1/1/2013)
There are a range of possible reasons why people who are overweight might fare better in studies than those who are of normal weight, said obesity researcher Dr. Steven B. Heymsfield, executive director of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La.
Only some of those explanations suggest that carrying a few extra pounds truly makes someone healthier.
For example, some studies suggest that people who are overweight or mildly obese are treated more aggressively by their doctors for blood pressure or cholesterol problems than those who are of normal weight, said Heymsfield, who was not involved in the study but co-wrote a commentary that accompanied it.
Preferential treatment could more than compensate for a higher rate of health problems among those who are overweight or mildly obese.
.. Study lead author Katherine M. Flegal, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said she and her colleagues could not say what lay behind the apparent survival edge for overweight people. But she noted that it had been observed before in other studies.
http://articles.latimes.com/
PILE OF RUBBISH?
Dr Walter Willett, from the Harvard School of Public Health said: "This is an even greater pile of rubbish" than a study conducted by the same group in 2005.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
10.2 Health study of NFL players universally lauded (1/1/2013)
Harvard researchers have determined that professional football players in the United States and Canada “appear to have life expectancies in the mid-to-late 50s.” Atallah said the Players Association has not done recent life-expectancy studies of its own.
“But I do know that from the research we have done, NFL players are at a greater risk for long-term health problems, and that’s one of the things that this research aims to tackle,” he said. “It’s a comprehensive look at the overall health of players, where head trauma and brain trauma and the impact on the brain is one of the areas we cover, but we also cover chronic pain, mental illnesses, and a score of other health issues that they face.”
... Hundreds of former players are suing the league, charging that the NFL did not do enough to inform them of the dangers of concussions.
http://bostonglobe.com/sports/
10.3 A Safer Way to Affordable Health Care (1/2/2013)
Archimedes said that if you gave him a large enough lever, and a proper fulcrum,
he could move the world. For social change, the fulcrum is personal choice ...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
10.4 Aging Poorly (5/2/2013)
"About half of people 20 years ago said they exercised regularly, which meant three times a week, and that rate now is only about 18 percent," he says. "That's an astonishing change in just one generation."
The impact could be far-reaching if millions of baby boomers are already in such bad shape just as they're starting to grow old.
"The implications for health care costs in the next decade are astounding," King says. "The baby boomers are going into those high medical-use years in much worse condition than their forefathers."
... Despite all this, baby boomers are living longer than their parents. But along the way, they're having a lot more knee operations and taking a lot more pills for blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/
------------------
The speculations in the comments section are interesting.
Selvaraj
10.5 Everyday Activities May Have Same Health Benefits as Going to Gym (10/2/2013)
SUNDAY, Feb. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Short stretches of physical activity -- such as taking the stairs or raking leaves -- throughout the day can be just as beneficial as a trip to the gym, according to a new study.
http://health.usnews.com/
10.6 Health Officials Urge F.D.A Action on Soft Drinks (13/2/2013)
Sodas
and sugary drinks are the biggest source of calories in the American
diet, adding 300 to 400 calories to the average consumer’s total daily
caloric intake. At least one-quarter of the total calories consumed each
day by roughly one-fifth of children aged 12 to 18 come from added
sugars, according to the 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey, a survey done by the Centers for Disease Control.
The
centers noted that a typical 20-ounce bottle of soda contains an amount
of high fructose corn syrup equivalent to roughly 16 teaspoons of
sugar. The American Heart Association recommends that women consume no
more than 6 teaspoons and men no more than 9 teaspoons of added sugar a
day.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/
10.7 'There is no safe threshold for alcohol and cancer risk' (17/2/2013)
While previous research has consistently shown that alcohol consumption is a significant risk factor for cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus and liver, more recent research has demonstrated that alcohol consumption also increases the risk of cancers of the colon, rectum and female breast.
10.8 Six Health Problems Linked to Lack of Sleep (1/1/2013)
6 Health Problems Linked to Lack of Sleep
10.9 When it comes to Women's Health, Politicians Still Don't Get it (1/3/2013)
Florida has two million uninsured women and nearly 1.9 million more who need contraceptive services and supplies. Women don't come to Planned Parenthood to make a political statement. They come for confidential, non-judgmental care. And they don't want their health care to be politicized. So when legislators attack women's health and Planned Parenthood, they're attacking the single mother working two jobs who gets birth control at Planned Parenthood. They're attacking the recently laid off woman who has nowhere else to turn. When they attack birth control, they attack virtually all women, since, according to the Guttmacher Institute, 99 percent of us have used it.
-------------------------
'Planned
Parenthood' is a lousy name! They should think of changing it to say
'Woman's Health Services' or even 'Family Planning Services'.
Selvaraj
10.10 New tattoo inks may cause complications (3/3/2013)
Washington: Modern tattoo inks are causing increased complications like allergic reactions, serious infections and reactions that can mimic skin cancer, a dermatologist has claimed.
Tattoo ink`s composition has changed dramatically over the years. In the past, metal salts, lead, cobalt and carbon were used in inks but today, many modern tattoo inks (especially intense reds and yellows) contain organic azo dyes with plastic-based pigments, which also have industrial uses in printing, textiles and car paint.
As a result, Michi Shinohara, MD, FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist and clinical assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Washington in Seattle, explained that there are many unknowns about how these inks interact with the skin and within the body and if they are responsible for an increasing number of complications. - See more at: http://zeenews.india.com/news/
-----------------------
Humans are a crazy species :-) They lack common sense :-(
Selvaraj
10.11 CDC sound alarm on deadly, untreatable superbugs (6/3/2013)
CDC sounds alarm on deadly, untreatable superbugs
10.12 Dr. Shetty on Heart (10/3/2013)
Q: Which is the best and worst food for the heart?
Ans: Fruits and vegetables are the best and the worst is oil.
Q: Which oil is better - groundnut, sunflower, olive?
Ans: All oils are bad .
Q: How would you define junk food?
Ans: Fried food like Kentucky , McDonalds , samosas, and even masala dosas.
10.13 The Air That Kills in India (14/2/2013)
The
thick haze of outdoor air pollution common in India today is the
nation’s fifth-largest killer, after high blood pressure, indoor air
pollution (mainly from cookfires), smoking and poor nutrition, according
to a new analysis presented in New Delhi by the Boston-based Health Effects Institute. In 2010, outdoor air pollution contributed to over 620,000 premature deaths in India, up from 100,000 in 2000.
‘’It’s
not just breathing bad air,’’ said Aaron Cohen, the principal
epidemiologist at the institute. “A host of diseases is related to air
pollution, such as cardiovascular diseases that lead to heart attacks
and strokes, respiratory infections and lung cancer.”
-----------------------
In
Trivandrum we have our own brand of this problem, with garbage disposal
in disarray and a frenzy of garbage burning going on without any
attempt to segregate the garbage. The government and the public are
equally unaware of the consequences. A scene from the front of my house
which adjoins
the Government Higher Secondary School for Girls, Mathrubhumi Road,
Vanchioor (where children from poorer families study). The school
authorities have sent a number of representations, as the fumes and the
stench make it difficult on the teachers and the students; the
authorities are still to respond. In India problems relating to handling and disposal of garbage is left to uneducated people belonging to the depressed classes.
Selvaraj
10.14 Nanny-in-chief or health crusader? (24/3/2013)
"We have a worldwide, nationwide problem on obesity. This year, more people will die from overeating than from starvation -- first time in the history of the world."
10.15 Drugs do not equal health (8/4/2013)
Drugs do not equal health:http://communities.
10.16 At chicken plants, chemicals blamed for health ailments (25/4/2013)
Under
the new rules, which could be finalized as soon as this summer, the
number of chemical treatments used on birds is also likely to further
increase, according to agency documents and USDA inspectors who have
worked in plants where line speeds have already accelerated.
To
keep speeds up, the new regulations would allow visibly contaminated
birds to remain on the lines — rather than being discarded or removed
for off-line cleaning, as is now common practice. The proposed rules say
“all carcasses” on the line would be treated with antimicrobial
chemicals “whether they are contaminated or not.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/10.17 The health conundrum (29/4/2013)
More
than two of five adults—75 million people—reported problems with
medical bills. Problems included an inability to their pay bills, being
contacted by a collection agency, or being forced to change their way of
life to meet medical costs. Of those reporting problems paying bills,
32 million said they had received a lower credit rating as a result,
making it more difficult and expensive to obtain credit to purchase a
home or car and threatening higher credit card interest rates and
reductions in credit lines.
An
estimated 28 million people reported using all of their savings to pay
off medical bills. One-quarter of adults reported being unable to pay
for basic necessities such as food, heat or rent due to medical costs,
while 17 million delayed career or education plans. Four million people
reported filing for bankruptcy; 5 million took out a second mortgage or
other loan. Those unable to find a way to finance their medical care
have been forced to go without.
The original article:
http://www.commonwealthfund.10.18 Fast food's takeover of France (6/5/2013)
More
than half of all French restaurant sales now take place,
sacrilegiously, at fast food chains, according to a new survey by food
consultancy firm Gira Conseil.
This
is the first time fast food sales have surpassed sit-down restaurant
sales in France — you know, the the country that gave us cafes, bistros
and the Michelin star. It also makes France the world’s second-biggest
consumer of fast food, NPR reports, with 1,200 McDonalds franchises alone.
...
So why the sudden taste for burgers and frites? NPR’s Amy Guttman
suspects it has to do with France’s shrinking lunch breaks, which have
fallen from 80 minutes in 1975 to a hurried 22 minutes in 2011.
...
Another economic explanation might have more to do with cost, one of
the same reasons fast food is so popular in the U.S. Food is not cheap
in France.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/10.19 Should The World Invest More in Men's Health? (20/5/2013)
On average, men aren't as healthy as women.
Men don't live as long, and they're more likely to engage in risky behaviors, like smoking and drinking.
But in the past decade, global health funding has focused heavily on women.
Programs and policies for men have been "notably absent," Sarah Hawkes from the University of London's Institute of Global Health.
She and a colleague a commentary in The Lancet on Friday calling for more gender equality in global health funding.
"If you look at the top 10 health problems around the world, they are much more common in men," she tells Shots. "But the current focus is predominantly on women's health. "
http://www.npr.org/blogs/
---------------
Two points missing from the above commentary:
1) As chief wage earners, the finances of the family will go for a six when men cannot earn due to ill health and in addition have to undergo medical treatment.
2) Even when they are not ill, their substance abuse habits are likely to strain the finances of their families... eventually compromising the health of the whole family.
Selvaraj
Men don't live as long, and they're more likely to engage in risky behaviors, like smoking and drinking.
But in the past decade, global health funding has focused heavily on women.
Programs and policies for men have been "notably absent," Sarah Hawkes from the University of London's Institute of Global Health.
She and a colleague a commentary in The Lancet on Friday calling for more gender equality in global health funding.
"If you look at the top 10 health problems around the world, they are much more common in men," she tells Shots. "But the current focus is predominantly on women's health. "
http://www.npr.org/blogs/
---------------
Two points missing from the above commentary:
1) As chief wage earners, the finances of the family will go for a six when men cannot earn due to ill health and in addition have to undergo medical treatment.
2) Even when they are not ill, their substance abuse habits are likely to strain the finances of their families... eventually compromising the health of the whole family.
Selvaraj
10.20 Celebrities Who Should Have Never Attempted Plastic Surgery (4/6/2013)
Hollywood
culture centers on the youthful, attractive features of its much-adored
stars. Yet, as these actresses and actors grow older, they face
constant pressure to resist the aging process and retain their youthful
good looks. Unfortunately, this cultural obsession with youth has led to
a number of sad plastic surgery mishaps.
----------------------
If
anyone understands that the musculoskeletal system in intimately
linked, he will think twice before doing surgeries of this nature. The
human body is not a rock that can be sculpted locally without affecting
the other parts. Ignorance about the musculoskeletal system in the
highest reaches of modern science is simply amazing. Since this
ignorance affects children adversely, it is also highly regrettable.
Selvaraj
10.21 Economist explores the roots of global health (23/6/2013)
Alsan
began to think about the root causes of death and disease, and realized
that if she really wanted to make a difference, she needed to know more
than how to treat an individual patient with medicine. She needed to
understand how social forces affect a population’s health.
10.22 Doctors prescribe narcotics too often for pain, CDC chief says (3/7/2013)
The
nation's top public health official on Tuesday sharply criticized the
widespread treatment of aches and pains with narcotics, saying that
doctors are prescribing such drugs too soon, too often and for too long —
putting patients at risk of addiction and overdose.
Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that doctors are relying on these powerful drugs to treat chronic pain when physical therapy, exercise and other remedies would be safer and in many cases more effective.
http://www.latimes.com/news/10.23 Active Design (18/7/2013)
Active
design has gained cachet in recent years among architects and public
health experts, who see it as a low-key but effective way to build more
exercise into lives that cars, elevators and other factors have made
more sedentary over the decades. Less than half of American adults met
aerobic exercise guidelines in 2011, according to the Centers for
Disease Control.
New
Yorkers are on the move more than many Americans, because lots of city
residents depend on public transportation, walking and bicycles to get
around. Still, only 30% of New Yorkers get recommended amounts of
physical activity, city Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said.
Active
design can entail making sidewalks more inviting, biking more
convenient, and the like. And especially in a vertical city,
"stair-climbing is an important, valuable, and under-recognized form of
physical activity," Farley said. A 150-pound person burns about 10
calories a minute walking up stairs, compared to 1.5 calories riding an
elevator, according to the CDC.
10.24 Are Aging Parents in La-La Land About their health? (1/8/2013)
The study found that sixty percent of seniors expect their health to stay the same over the next five to 10 years. (Who are they kidding?) They are not doing any activities to help themselves manage their health over the long run. 65 percent of seniors report having at least two chronic health conditions.
From seeing this part of the study, I am concerned. Chronic health
conditions need to be managed or they are sure to get worse over time,
not stay the same. Yet the majority of the seniors in the study did not
report taking their chronic health issues seriously enough to work on
managing them. They must be in la-la land.
More than half of the seniors studied have set no goals, such as regular
physical activity or weight loss, to manage their health. And these
seniors are apparently not getting much help on this goal setting
either. Of those with chronic health conditions, 7 in 10 state that
they were not encouraged by their health care provider to attend
community programs to help with their health.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/10.25 Plastic surgery to improve appearance (4/8/2013)
Are
you hoping to shave ten years off your appearance by doing expensive
and painful shit to your face? Before you get on the operating table,
you might like to know that a new study suggests the visual effects of
plastic surgery (specifically: face-lifts, brow-lifts, and eyelid
surgery) are not nearly as dramatic as we’ve been led to believe.
Read more: http://www.thegloss.com/
Read more: http://www.thegloss.com/
----------------------------
The
human musculoskeletal system is linked from the tip of the nose to the
tip of the toes. The only way to improve appearance and well being is to
improve postural balance. (People who are badly scarred will need
plastic surgery).
Selvaraj.
10.26 Next-Gen Solutions for Shocking Muscle Gains!? (9/8/2013)
Since its launch in 2009, Force Factor has enjoyed skyrocketing success, winning honors like GNC’s "Rising Star" award and Bodybuilding.com’s "Best New Brand" award while transforming the bodies of thousands of men and women throughout the U.S. Today, they’ve improved upon their original, groundbreaking formula and have released the most advanced nitric oxide supplement on the market: Factor 2.
http://www.smarterlifestyles.
----------
Nitric Oxide, artificially introduced, will be impossible to detect if it is also produced by the body naturally. Is this what sports medicine professionals spend their time and energy on?
Selvaraj
10.27 Sugar (14/8/2013)
Studies indicate that between 13 and 25 percent of Americans get a quarter or more of their calories from added sugars, which also include candy,
cookies, fruit drinks and ice cream. While previous studies have found
sugar has a toxic effect, they generally used amounts much higher than
most people actually eat, said the study's first author, James Ruff.
"I
think the big takeaway is the level of sugar we readily eat and think
is safe causes major health declines in mice," said Ruff, who recently
earned his doctorate at the U. "We're not just talking about some minor
metabolic thing. We're taking about increased rates of death and [lower
rates] of reproduction."
10.28 Wimbledon Champion Retires, Citing Recurring Pain (15/8/2013)
Wimbledon Champion Retires, Citing Recurring Pain
---------------
More research is needed on sports injuries and why they happen. Are certain sports more prone to injuries?
Selvaraj
10.29 Obesity's death toll could be higher than believed (17/8/2013)
The death toll of the nation's obesity epidemic
may be close to four times higher than has been widely believed, and
all that excess weight could reverse the steady trend of lengthening
life spans for a generation of younger Americans, new research warns.
Some
18.2% of premature deaths in the United States between 1986 and 2006
were associated with excess body mass, according to a team
of sociologists led by a Columbia University demographer.
That estimate, published online Thursday in the American Journal of
Public Health, is far higher than the 5% toll widely cited by
researchers.
http://www.latimes.com/10.30 Doctors sound alarm on child fitness and health (22/8/2013)
The
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, which represents the
UK's 11,000 specialist children's doctors, said it was worried about the
trend towards so many children entertaining themselves indoors in front
of devices rather than outdoors as previous generations did.
Prof
Mitch Blair, the college's officer for health promotion, said: "It
concerns me that half of all UK seven-year-olds are sedentary for six to
seven hours every day and are failing to undertake the recommended
daily minimum level of physical activity; at an age at which children
should be moving around a lot more and enjoying active play instead of
being glued to screens."
----------------
Is there a practical way to solve this problem?
Good posture is also important.
A child with good posture will be naturally active even in an adverse environment.
Selvaraj
10.31 BMI is not an accurate measure of health (25/8/2013)
Obesity is a serious issue in the United States. According to the CDC, more than 33 percent of U.S. adults are obese. In fact, the estimated yearly medical cost of obesity in the U.S. was $147 billion in 2008; the health care costs for obese individuals were $1,429 higher than those of normal weight.
Read more: http://www.
-----------
This is an issue I am also trying to understand, as part of my interest in 'Posture'.
10.32 Concussion Lawsuit (30/8/2013)
The
NFL has agreed to a $765 million settlement deal with thousands of
former players who sued the league, accusing it of hiding the dangers of
brain injury while profiting from the sport's violence, according to
court papers released Thursday.
The
league agreed to pay $765 million to fund medical exams,
concussion-related compensation and a program of medical research as
well as to cover some legal expenses, according to a filing in U.S.
District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
...
More than 4,500 players had accused the league of glorifying football's
ferocity while concealing the risks of concussions and long-term brain
damage as a result of repeated hits to the head.
-----------
The above issue relates to pounding taken by the brain. It is important
to do similar research to pin down what happens when we engage in sports
with faulty posture. Especially when the sporting activity is intense
and of a competitive nature - what is the nature of the damage to the
musculoskeletal system (if any)?
Selvaraj
10.33 Our children need to move more and watch less (1/9/2013)
Unfortunately,
the trend continues to go in the wrong direction. Thirty-five years
ago, daily physical education was the norm for K-12 students. Today,
according to the American Heart Association, only four percent of
elementary schools, seven percent of middle schools and two percent of
high schools have daily physical education class for the entire school
year. Twenty-two percent of schools don't require physical education
class at all!
Moreover,
the amount of time students spend in physical education steadily
declines from kindergarten through high school. By high school, most
kids in our country are basically done with P.E. The result is that
elementary school kids -- who are increasingly overweight and obese
themselves -- are now 24 percent more active than high school students.
It's
important to note that young people who are active through high school
are more active than their less-active school peers through their adult
years. Active children tend to turn into active adults.
Bottom line: Our children need to move more and watch less.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/10.34 Fruits not fruit juice (8/9/2013)
Popkin,
a distinguished professor at the department of nutrition at the
University of North Carolina, told the Guardian that smoothies and fruit
juice are the new danger.
He
added that it’s kind of the next step in the evolution of the battle,
and it’s a really big part of it because in every country they’ve been
replacing soft drinks with fruit juice and smoothies as the new healthy
beverage.
Researchers
from the UK, USA and Singapore found that, in large-scale studies
involving nurses, people who ate whole fruit, especially blueberries,
grapes and apples, were less likely to get type 2 diabetes, which is
obesity-related, but those who drank fruit juice were at increased risk.
http://www.dnaindia.com/10.35 Europe's public health disaster (9/9/2013)
What we have learned is that severe, indiscriminate cuts to vital social protection programs are not only economically self-defeating, but fatal. http://edition.cnn.com/2013/
10.36 New CPR - A MUST WATCH!!! (17/9/2013)
Please watch - and then share. This short video illustrates the best demonstration and gives the simplest explanation of exactly what to do if someone near you collapses and is presumably having a heart attack. You could very well save the life of a friend or loved one. Someone you share this video with might save your life!
> http://heart.arizona.edu/
>
10.37 Health kick 'reverses cell aging' (17/9/2013)
The
University of California team says it has found the first evidence a
strict regime of exercise, diet and meditation can have such an effect.
But experts say although the study in Lancet Oncology is intriguing, it is too early to draw any firm conclusions.
The
study looked at just 35 men with prostate cancer. Those who changed
their lifestyle had demonstrably younger cells in genetic terms.
--------------------
Not surprising, similar effects should be there with good posture. Even
thought we all age, faulty breathing and improper circulation of blood
due to excessive tension must impact the system at the cellular level.
Selvaraj
10.38 Plain packaging laws for cigarette (25/9/2013)
The Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon has revealed a proposal to package all cigarettes in the olive green cartons covered with large health warnings.
If the draft legislation passes through parliament Australia will become the first country in the world to implement plain packaging laws for cigarettes.
Retailers and tobacco companies have campaigned against the changes, saying they will not reduce smoking rates.
But Professor Mike Daube says tobacco companies hate the idea because they know it will stop people smoking.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/
10.39 Patents (6/10/2013)
There are at least five big departures of our health care system from a classical free market:
...5. In order to spur research into new drugs, the government gives temporary monopolies on the production of life-saving drugs—a.k.a. patents—that push the price of those drugs far above the actual cost of production. .
---------------
Interesting thought - Patents do not match the ideals of a classical free market!?...5. In order to spur research into new drugs, the government gives temporary monopolies on the production of life-saving drugs—a.k.a. patents—that push the price of those drugs far above the actual cost of production. .
---------------
- The history of patents and patent laws is generally considered to have started in Italy with a Venetian Statute of 1474 which was issued by the Republic of Venice.[1] They issued a decree by which new and inventive devices, once they had been put into practice, had to be communicated to the Republic in order to obtain legal protection against potential infringers. The period of protection was 10 years.[2]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
10.40 High fat / high-sugar foods (16/10/2013)
“Our research supports the theory that high-fat/ high-sugar foods stimulate the brain in the same way that drugs do,” Neuroscience Professor Joseph Schroeder said in a school press release. “It may explain why some people can’t resist these foods despite the fact that they know they are bad for them.”
http://www.foxnews.com/health/
10.41 Stroke Numbers Up Worldwide (24/10/2013)
The
overall burden of stroke in terms of absolute numbers of people
affected around the world is growing, especially in younger age groups
and in low-to-middle-income countries, a global study showed.
In
2010, there were 16.9 million people who had a first stroke, 33 million
stroke survivors, and 5.9 million people who died from a stroke --
increases of 68%, 84%, and 26% respectively since 1990, according toValery Feigin, MD, of the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand, and colleagues.
In addition, 102 million disability-adjusted life years DALYs were lost, up 12%, the researchers reported online in The Lancet.
What's
more, there was a 25% (95% CI 13% to 33%) increased incidence of stroke
in those ages 20 to 64. At the end of the study period, 31% of first
strokes occurred in people younger than 65, up from 25% in 1990...
10.42 Drug resistant TB (3/11/2013)
The activists hijacked the stage and shouted slogans like ‘Shame India’
and ‘The tuberculosis genocide must stop’. They also pointed at the
Indian delegation and said, “They should take the next flight back home
and fix the supply, management and monitoring systems for tuberculosis
to a desired level. If you don’t do this, India is going to be a
breeding ground for drug resistant TB. We, global citizens, are not
going to allow other global citizens who you are custodians of, to
continue suffering like this.”
http://www.dnaindia.com/
It is a well-known fact that about eight out of 10 Indians carry dormant TB bacillus. The problem starts when these TB bacilli become active and start spreading. An unhealthy lifestyle, lack of nutrition and low immunity can cause TB in any person, say doctors.
... Doctors believe that While TB can spread through air, it is the citizens, especially those from well-to-do families, who are responsible for making the TB bacilli drug-resistant.
http://articles.timesofindia.
In Arunachal Pradesh 1 in 10 people suffer from TB!http://www.dnaindia.com/
It is a well-known fact that about eight out of 10 Indians carry dormant TB bacillus. The problem starts when these TB bacilli become active and start spreading. An unhealthy lifestyle, lack of nutrition and low immunity can cause TB in any person, say doctors.
... Doctors believe that While TB can spread through air, it is the citizens, especially those from well-to-do families, who are responsible for making the TB bacilli drug-resistant.
http://articles.timesofindia.
http://infochangeindia.org/
-----------------
http://data.worldbank.org/
10.43 Fast food restaurants doing little to promote healthy options to kids (10/11/2013)
The study also found that 97 percent of kids' meals don't even meet the
restaurant industry's own standards for what is considered a healthy
meal. The study showed that the healthy options are rarely offered as a
default. Instead, unhealthy options like soft drinks and fries usually
come by default.
http://www.foxnews.com/health/
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How do we balance the benefits that Market Economy
brings, with social goods which come into conflict with Market Economy
in many spheres?
Basically the Market Economy also controls the Educational System, the Government and the Media.
Better Education (or no educational at all :-) is perhaps the key to this dilemma.
Selvaraj
10.44 Many children 'slower runners than their parents were' (20/11/2013)
Many children cannot run as fast as their parents could when they were young, a study of global fitness says.
Experts say the work - being presented at the American Heart Association's annual meeting - suggests children's fitness levels may be declining.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
-------------------
We have our lame duck engineering profession to thank for this. Forget running, if a child attempts to even walk outside he is going to be run over by a car.
Selvaraj
10.45 Modern-day health woes (1/12/2013)
Beware: More and more
research suggests that blue light from a light-emitting diode (LED)
screen -- the type of screen on most computers, phones, TVs and other
devices these days -- can inhibit the production of the sleep-inducing
hormone melatonin and disrupt our circadian rhythms. Researchers think
this is because LED-generated blue light emits wavelengths very similar
to daylight, so it can make our bodies think it's daytime all the time.
In a 2011 study in the Journal of Applied Physiology, participants who viewed an LED screen at bedtime had melatonin levels that took longer to rise and remained lower during the night than when they looked at old-fashioned fluorescent monitors.
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/
In a 2011 study in the Journal of Applied Physiology, participants who viewed an LED screen at bedtime had melatonin levels that took longer to rise and remained lower during the night than when they looked at old-fashioned fluorescent monitors.
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/
10.46 Sugar (1/12/2013)
"You hear people saying, 'Why are we all of a sudden freaked out about sugar?' The answer is scientists have actually started to learn things the public isn't aware of," Schmidt said. "People don't understand how much added sugar they're getting in their diet."
She said food manufacturers are putting sugar in almost everything, even if the foods don't taste sweet. Bagels, bread, sauces, salad dressing, ketchup, sausage - all of them contain added sugar. Women should eat no more than six teaspoons of sugar a day, but most eat three or four times that, Schmidt said. The recommended limit for men is nine teaspoons.
"I would rather get my teaspoons in a nice big piece of chocolate cake rather than in a pork sandwich or salad dressing," she said.
The UCSF research team argues that the federal government needs to intervene, as it has with tobacco and alcohol.
"If you have a substance that's both toxic and abused, which is what we have, then you need societal intervention," Lustig said.
http://www.sfgate.com/health/
10.47 Wasting money on vitamins (18/12/2013)
Looking for ways to save money in 2014? Here's some advice from doctors: Stop buying vitamins.
Time after time, studies have shown that vitamin and mineral supplements don’t prevent disease or death. And yet consumers keep buying them, lament the authors of an editorial published in Tuesday’s edition of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
A 2011 report from the National Center for Health Statistics estimated that 53% of American adults used some type of supplement in the years 2003 to 2006, with multivitamin/multimineral formulations being the most popular. Those pills weren’t cheap – U.S. consumers spent $28 billion on them in 2010 alone, the editorial says.
A 2011 report from the National Center for Health Statistics estimated that 53% of American adults used some type of supplement in the years 2003 to 2006, with multivitamin/multimineral formulations being the most popular. Those pills weren’t cheap – U.S. consumers spent $28 billion on them in 2010 alone, the editorial says.
http://www.latimes.com/
10.48 The best preventive medicine? (31/12/2013)
If losing weight and looking better isn’t enough motivation to inspire
you to exercise, how about the fact that the latest research shows that
regular physical activity may be “the best preventive drug we have” for
many health problems?
http://www.dailycomet.com/
-------
I would put (NATURAL) PHYSICAL ACTIVITY as being
more important than either GOOD POSTURE or EXERCISE for people who lead
sedentary lives.http://www.dailycomet.com/
-------
It is extraordinary that we have
crafted a civilization where we design our environment (including the
nature of our clothing) to reduce physical activity to dangerously low
levels.
Worse still, children whose nervous systems are still to mature, are trapped in this dangerous environment.
SelvarajWorse still, children whose nervous systems are still to mature, are trapped in this dangerous environment.
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