Health & WellnessS


Nuke

Battle lines drawn in row over fluoridated water

[Australia] Anti-fluoridation groups are preparing to lobby government to reverse the state government's decision to add fluoride to the state of Queensland's water supply.

And with the Sunshine Coast now likely to build a fluoridation plant at Lander's Shoot next year, the emotional debate will gain momentum over the coming weeks.

Health

330 Ugandans monitored as Ebola death toll hits 22: official

KAMPALA - Some 330 people are being monitored for possible Ebola infection in western Uganda, health authorities announced Thursday, as the national death toll hit 22.

But authorities faced hurdles probing the extent of the outbreak in Bundibugyo district, home to 250,000 people and epicentre of the disease, with many villagers unwilling to cooperate with medical detectives, they said.

Bulb

The Health Industry's Secret History of Delaying the Fight Against Cancer



©n/a

In her new book, Devra Davis exposes scientists and government officials who have worked to downplay or dismiss preventable causes of cancer.

Life Preserver

Cranberry Sauce: Good for What Ails You



©n/a

Compounds in cranberries are able to alter E. coli bacteria so that they are unable to initiate an infection. E. coli are responsible for illnesses ranging from kidney infections, to gastroenteritis, to tooth decay.

Beneficial health effects that have long been attributed to cranberries and cranberry juice include, in particular, the ability to prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs).

Syringe

Would you like a "flu" shot before we strap you into that plane?

After taking off their shoes, emptying their pockets and passing through the security checkpoint, travelers at some major U.S. airports can now roll up a sleeve and get a flu shot.

Comment: The idea of a herd of people lined up at security gates followed by injections and then being escorted through a winding passage and a door into a waiting chamber brings one image to mind.

©AP




Arrow Up

First Rise in U.S. Teen Births Since '91

ATLANTA - In a troubling reversal, the nation's teen birth rate rose for the first time in 15 years, surprising government health officials and reviving the bitter debate about abstinence-only sex education.

Syringe

Mysterious illness attracts experts

The outbreak of a mysterious illness that has affected 11 Quality Pork Processors employees over the last year is so rare, it is attracting the attention of neurological disorder experts and national and international foundations.

Health

Deadly Staph Infection 'Superbug' Has a Dangerous Foothold in U.S. Jails

With 19,000 deaths attributed to staph infections annually, there's cause for serious alarm. So why aren't we talking about our nightmarish prison system, the biggest incubator of them all?

Dr. Jeff Duchin, the communicable diseases chief for Seattle/King County Department of Public Health holds his soap-lathered hands in an attention-grabbing newspaper cover photo. Above his dignified image is a highly magnified picture of fuzzy bacterium. The bacterium doesn't appear to be particularly frightening, but it is. This "superbug," known as methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), has the power to disable, disfigure and kill the people who come into contact with it.

Health

All I Want for Christmas Are Some Lead-Free Toys

It's not just imported toys that carry harmful chemicals, but brand-name, U.S.-manufactured ones too. One organization is helping shoppers identify non-toxic toys.

Are the toys on your holiday gift list safe? Are they already on a recall list or should they be? As a parent, I am more than a little alarmed at recent developments. In August, Fischer Price recalled almost one million Chinese-made Dora the Explorer and Sesame Street character toys due to "impermissible levels of lead." Mattel followed in September with the callback of 675,000 Barbie accessory toys for the same reason.

Health

Let's have a quieter night in: it's all in the snore

Snoring is a health hazard, as well as a marriage wrecker. But few sufferers know it can be cured

There's no sound quite as annoying as that of a snore; it's right up there with the noise of a jackhammer or a baby crying. Anyone who has tried to sleep near a snorer will agree that the worst part about a snore is the silence in between when you think that it might have stopped... only for it to start again.