Health & WellnessS


Heart

People with obstructive sleep apnea at risk for cardiac stress on airline flights


American Thoracic Society
Sun, 18 May 2008 15:01 UTC
People with severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on commercial airline flights may have a greater risk of adverse events from cardiac stress than healthy people, according to new research to be presented at the American Thoracic Society's 2008 International Conference in Toronto on Sunday, May 18.

The researchers compared oxygen levels and ventilation of healthy people and people with severe OSA during simulated flight conditions replicating the oxygen and pressure levels of typical commercial flights that have "cabin altitudes" (a measure of the air pressure and oxygen) ranging from 6,000 feet and 8,000 feet - the maximum allowed, even if the airplane is flying at 30,000 feet. This is the first study to use these measurements to assess fitness to fly without supplemental oxygen.
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Health

Men at increased risk of death from pneumonia compared to women


University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences
Sun, 18 May 2008 14:56 UTC
Men who come to the hospital with pneumonia generally are sicker than women and have a higher risk of dying over the next year, despite aggressive medical care, according to a study being presented Tuesday, May 20, at the 104th International Conference of the American Thoracic Society. Scientific sessions are scheduled May 16 to 21 in Toronto.

"It is well known that women live longer than men. We have always assumed that these differences occur because men engage in riskier behaviors and have a greater burden of chronic diseases," said Sachin Yende, M.D., study co-author and assistant professor in the Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "Our study showed that men were more likely to die up to a year after pneumonia, despite adjusting for health behaviors and chronic conditions. Further, our findings indicate this may be linked to differences in immune response."

The University of Pittsburgh researchers evaluated data from 1,136 men and 1,047 women with symptoms of pneumonia who were treated at 28 hospital emergency departments in the United States.
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Health

Over 90 hospitalized after measles vaccination in east Ukraine


RIA Novosti
Sun, 18 May 2008 14:53 UTC
A total of 92 people, including 87 children, were hospitalized in eastern Ukraine as of early Sunday after measles vaccination, Ukraine's emergencies ministry said.

On May 13, a 17-year-old boy died after measles inoculation in the Donetsk Region. Two days later, over 60 people in eastern Ukraine were hospitalized after vaccination. A total of over 20,000 people in the region received the same vaccine.
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Coffee

UK: Most People Can't Even Roast Chicken


Sky News
Fri, 16 May 2008 14:36 UTC
One of the reasons for the nation's growing obesity problem may be because so many people rely on instant meals as they do not have even basic cooking skills.

Almost eight in 10 people do not know how to roast a chicken or even boil an egg, shocking figures have revealed.

Despite the glamourous efforts of TV chefs like Delia Smith and Nigella Lawson, many cannot make themselves the simplest of meals, according to the poll.

Some 79% of the 1,500 adults surveyed could not boil an egg, 83% did not know how long it took to roast a chicken and 9% thought it took less than 30 minutes to roast potatoes.

More than a third thought British staple shepherd's pie is made with beef mince rather than lamb mince.
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Health

Toxic Chemicals Are Maiming Thousands Around the World

Aquene Freechild
Environmental Health Fund
Fri, 16 May 2008 23:49 UTC
Over time, our bodies lose their ability to cope with toxic chemicals, and each exposure has a more severe effect.

I don't know how anyone survives there.

My first visit to the SIPCOT Chemicals Hub in Cuddalore, India could have appeared deceptively pleasant to outside eyes. It's a beautiful day and there's a good breeze as we drive past the welcome sign for SIPCOT. The air in some places seems far cleaner than the air in nearby Chennai. In some spots it smells sweet, in others, like opening a bottle of ibuprofen -- an antiseptic, medicinal smell.
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No Entry

Australia: Pigs quarantined after lead discovery

David Weber
ABC
Tue, 13 May 2008 11:15 UTC
This is a transcript from PM. The program is broadcast around Australia at 5:10pm on Radio National and 6:10pm on ABC Local Radio.

You can also listen to the story in REAL AUDIO and WINDOWS MEDIA and MP3 formats.
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X

Ignorant Health Advocates: Put more fluoride in public drinking water

Richard Fellinger
York Daily Records
Tue, 13 May 2008 10:06 UTC
Health advocates rallied in the Capitol on Monday for a bill to require more fluoride in public drinking water, saying it would help low-income people avoid serious dental problems and save taxpayer money.

The rally was led by PAFluorideNOW, a new coalition of public health advocates who are backing a bill sponsored by Rep. Stephen Barrar, R-Delaware. The bill would require water systems with at least 500 connections to have the recommended level of fluoride.

Comment: Read: Fluorine Compounds Make you Stupid - Why is the Government not merely allowing, but promoting them?

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Health

A New Treatment for Prostate Cancer that the FDA won't Approve

Erin Colgan
Live 5 News
Mon, 12 May 2008 09:57 UTC
Eight months ago 67 Year old Gary Tauscher flew with his wife to Puerto Vallarta, but it wasn't for the sunny beaches. Tauscher was getting treated for Prostate cancer.

"When cancer happens to you, you really take a deep breath and you think of all the implications that go with that."
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Syringe

CDC: Syringe reuse linked to Las Vegas hepatitis C outbreak

Scott Sonner
The Associated Press
Fri, 16 May 2008 08:55 UTC
RENO, Nev. - A hepatitis C outbreak was caused by workers improperly reusing syringes and medicine vials at a Las Vegas clinic, federal health officials said Friday.
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Health

America's Frightening Alzheimer's Epidemic

Rebecca Hyman
AlterNet
Fri, 16 May 2008 20:17 UTC


Alzheimers patients
©Unknown

By 2030, one in four adults over 65 will have Alzheimer's. This unforgiving brain damage can cripple patients, families and the economy.

When I was about 11 years old, I saw an advertisement on TV that stayed with me. A beautiful woman in her 40s faces an elderly woman across a coffee table. The older woman beams at the younger and says, "You seem like such a nice girl." The camera shifts its focus to the face of the younger woman, who has tears welling up in her eyes. "Thanks, Mom," she says. The elder woman gives her daughter a quizzical look, and then stares vacantly into the distance.
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