Health Headlines - June 30

Too Few Young Adults Treated for Alcohol, Drug Problems: Study

More than one in five young adults in the United States (7 million) need treatment for alcohol or illicit drug use, but only 7 percent of them receive treatment at a specialty facility, says a federal government study released Monday.

Those levels have remained relatively stable since 2002, said the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) study of 2007 data from a national survey of 22,187 adults ages 18 to 25.

"Substance use disorders are preventable and treatable yet we continue as a nation to allow the lives of 1 in 5 young people and their families be torn apart by substance abuse," SAMHSA Acting Adminstrator Eric Broderick said in a news release. "As a nation we must redouble our efforts to prevent substance abuse in the first place and ensure treatment is available to those in need."

The study also found that 96 percent of young adults who needed, but didn't receive, treatment for substance-use problems didn't believe they needed help.

Among the other findings from the 2007 data:

• Among young adults, 17.2 percent needed treatment for alcohol disorders in the past year, 8.4 percent for illicit drug disorders, and 4.4 percent for both alcohol and illicit drug disorders.
• Young adults covered by Medicaid/Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) were more than three times as likely as those with private insurance to receive treatment for alcohol or illicit drug use in a specialty facility -- 13.2 percent vs. 4 percent.

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Studies Detail New Ovary Preservation, Transplant Methods

New methods of preserving and transplanting ovaries could improve older women's chances of having children, two new studies suggest.

A growing number of women are delaying having a family until they're in their 30s or 40s, when they're more likely to have fertility problems. But doctors say it may be possible to have an ovary removed and frozen when a woman is in her 20s or 30s and have it reimplanted when she's ready to have children, the Associated Press reported.

In one study, U.S. researchers compared the number of eggs in fresh and frozen ovarian tissue removed from 15 women before they had cancer treatment. The ovarian tissue that was frozen using a new ultra-fast technique had the same number of eggs as the fresh tissue. With traditional, slow-freezing methods, about half of the eggs were lost.

In another study, French researchers detailed a new surgical technique to transplant ovaries, the AP reported.

The studies were presented at a meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction.

"We are in the middle of an infertility epidemic," said Dr. Sherman Silber, who is director of the St. Louis Infertility Center in Missouri and was involved in the first study, the AP reported. "With these new techniques, we could dramatically expand our reproductive lifespan."

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Salmonella Fears Trigger Plainview Food Products Recall: Report

Possible salmonella contamination has prompted a voluntary recall of food products made by Plainview Milk Products Cooperative in Minnesota over the last two years. Salmonella bacteria can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections.

The recalled products include instant non-fat dried milk, whey protein, fruit stabilizers and gums (thickening agents), said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, United Press International reported.

Plainview sells its products to industry customers who may have used them in their own products. None of the recalled products was sold directly to the public, the FDA said.

"This is an ongoing investigation, and the FDA will update the public as new information emerges," agency officials said. "At this time, the FDA is not aware of products being recalled at the consumer level," UPI reported.

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Beef Products Recall Expanded

A recall of beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli bacteria was expanded Sunday by JBS Swift Beef Co. of Greeley, Colo., to include about 380,000 more pounds of products.

But the U.S. Department of Agriculture didn't immediately update which states received the beef products or have reported illnesses, according to the Associated Press.

Last week, JBS Swift Beef Co. announced a recall of about 41,000 pounds of products that were made April 21-22 and shipped to Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin.

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Pro Cyclists Have Poor Sperm Quality: Study

Professional cyclists have poorer sperm quality than other men, possibly due to heat from wearing tight clothing, the friction of the testes against the saddle, and the overall physical demands of being an elite cyclist, Spanish researchers say.

They suggested that professional cyclists consider freezing their sperm before starting their careers, BBC News reported.

The study of 15 top triathletes who ride more than 186 miles a week found they have less than four percent normal-looking sperm, which would cause "significant" fertility problems. The findings were presented at a meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.

But recreational cyclists or those who cycle to work aren't likely to experience fertility problems, a British expert told BBC News.

"Men training for triathlons are spending much more time in the saddle than the average social (cyclist) or someone who might cycle to and from work," said Dr. Allan Pacey, of the University of Sheffield.

Health Tips for June 30

Health Tip: Who's at Risk for Heat Illness?

Heatstroke and heat exhaustion are potentially deadly conditions stemming from a dangerous rise in body temperature. While everyone is at risk of a heat-related illness, some people are especially vulnerable.

The U.S. National Safety Council says the following people should take extra care to keep cool and hydrated during the stifling heat of summer:

• Senior citizens.
• Babies and young children.
• Outdoor pets.
• People with heart conditions, circulatory problems or other chronic illnesses.
• Anyone who has to work outside in the mid-day heat.
• People who exercise outdoors frequently.
• People who take medication that affects sweat production.
• People who abuse alcohol and drugs.

Health Tip: Some Medications Can Help Trigger Heat-Related Illness

Heat exhaustion and heatstroke occur when the body becomes overheated and can't cool itself back down.

Some medications may increase your risk of heat-related illness. The American Academy of Family Physicians offers this list:

• Antihistamines to prevent allergy symptoms.
• Some medications to manage cough and cold symptoms.
• Some heart and blood pressure medications.
• Amphetamine diet pills.
• Irritable bowel and irritable bladder medicines.
• Laxatives.
• Water pills.
• Thyroid medications.
• Anti-seizure medications.
• Some medications used to manage mental health conditions.

Health Headlines - June 29

New Drug Shows Promise for Rheumatoid Arthritis

A new drug to treat rheumatoid arthritis reduces joint inflammation in severe cases while causing only mild to moderate side effects, according to a report from the first clinical trial of the drug on humans.

Masitinib, which is being developed by AB Science pharmaceuticals, is supposed to halt the activity of mast cells, a part of the immune system believed to be involved in the start and progression of rheumatoid arthritis.

The results of the French trial, involving 43 people with arthritis that other treatments had failed to help, appears online in Arthritis Research and Therapy.

"We are encouraged from this study that masitinib not only appears to be effective, but that within the first three months of treatment, the worst of its side effects were over, possibly making it suitable for long-term treatment regimens," one of the researchers, Olivier Hermine, said in a news release from the journal's publisher. The next step will be placebo-controlled trials, he added.

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Vitamin D may help prevent knee osteoarthritis

Low levels of vitamin D are associated with the loss of cartilage in the knee joint of older individuals, researchers in Australia report.

"Cartilage loss is the hallmark of osteoarthritis," Dr. Changhai Ding told Reuters Health. By the time patients reach the point of needing knee replacement, 60 percent of cartilage has been lost, he said.

However, "achieving vitamin D sufficiency in osteoarthritis patients could significantly delay total knee replacement," said Ding, at the Menzies Research Institute in Tasmania.

In a study, Ding and colleagues found "osteoarthritis patients with vitamin D sufficiency have approximately 1.5 percent less loss of knee cartilage per year than patients with vitamin D deficiency," said Ding.

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Obama pressures Senate on climate change measure

Hailing the House, President Barack Obama put pressure on senators Saturday to follow its lead and pass legislation to limit greenhouse gas emissions, helping usher the U.S. into a new age of energy efficiency.

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Obama urges Americans get tested for HIV

President Barack Obama on Saturday urged his fellow Americans to get tested for HIV in an effort to reduce transmission of the virus that causes AIDS.

Health Tips for June 29

Health Tip: Reasons for Adenoid Removal

Adenoids are glands that are found between the airway and the back of the throat. When the adenoids are removed, the procedure is called adenoidectomy.

Adenoidectomy is most often performed on children, and rarely on adults. The U.S. National Library of Medicine offers this list of reasons for why a child might need an adenoidectomy:

• Difficulty breathing through the nose because of enlarged adenoids.
• Frequent snoring.
• Sleep apnea.
• Recurrent ear infections that affect attendance at school or occur five times or more per year.
• Frequent tonsillitis infections.

Health Tip: Is LASIK Right for You?

LASIK surgery is performed on the eyes to improve vision, often reducing the need for glasses or contact lenses.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine, in cooperation with the American Academy of Ophthalmology, lists these guidelines for the ideal LASIK candidate:

• Being at least 18 years old. But, in some cases, young children with one very nearsighted eye and one normal eye may benefit from LASIK.
• Women should not be pregnant or nursing.
• Having healthy eyes with vision prescriptions that are relatively stable.
• Candidates should not be taking certain prescription drugs, including Accutane or oral prednisone.
• Being in overall good health, without chronic conditions such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, glaucoma, herpes eye infections, or cataracts.
• Being unsatisfied with wearing glasses or contacts.
• Having realistic expectations of the surgery and results.

Health Headlines - June 28

Swine flu shot campaign could involve 600M doses

A potential fall swine flu immunization campaign may involve an unprecedented 600 million doses of vaccine, though officials said Friday they haven't figured out how to administer so many doses or accurately track side effects if a seasonal vaccine is given simultaneously.

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Prescription drugs in spotlight after Jackson death

Michael Jackson's death has lifted a veil on the sinister underbelly of fame, with associates of the pop icon hitting out at celebrity-dazzled doctors who funnel powerful narcotics to the stars.

Jackson, who died Thursday aged 50 after collapsing at his home in Beverly Hills, had a long history of prescription drug use, stretching back to 1993 when allegations of child abuse were leveled against him.

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Jackson's Death Puts Spotlight on Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Pop star Michael Jackson probably did not die on Thursday of a heart attack but perhaps something even more deadly -- sudden cardiac arrest, experts say.

It's not yet clear whether Jackson went into sudden cardiac arrest in his Los Angeles home, but that assumption has been made by many experts "on the basis of the report that his heart stopped, and he received resuscitation attempts," said Dr. Stephen Nicholls, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic.

"The ultimate question is whether death was due to a problem with the heart or another problem," Nicholls said. An autopsy was performed Friday, but additional tests are to be performed and the results aren't expected for six to eight weeks, the Los Angeles County coroner's office said.

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The Psychology of Celebrity Worship

Looking at the legions of fans mourning the loss of Michael Jackson, one might think celebrity worship is a modern phenomenon. But from the gods on Olympus in ancient Greece to the bobby-soxers swooning over Frank Sinatra in the late 1930s to Brad and Angelina today, adulation of the stars is an age-old pursuit, psychologists say.

Health Tips for June 28

Health Tip: Protecting a New Hip

A hip replacement needs time to heal after surgery. And while you may be anxious to get back to a normal life, it's important to take it easy for a while.

Your doctor will tell you what you should and shouldn't do after surgery. But the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons offers these general suggestions:

• For at least eight weeks after the surgery, avoid sitting with your legs crossed at the knees.
• Don't lift your knee above the level of your hip.
• When seated, avoid leaning forward -- such as to pick something up off the floor.
• When bending down, keep your feet straight. Avoid pointing them to the inside or outside.
• When in bed, avoid reaching down to grab the sheet or blanket.
• Don't stand with toes pointed toward each other.
• Don't bend at the waist at more than a 90-degree angle.
• Just because a certain movement doesn't hurt doesn't mean it's safe. Pain isn't the only indicator of what you should or shouldn't do.

Health Tip: After a Hip Replacement

Having a hip replaced involves major surgery, and you should lighten your activity load for as long as your doctor recommends.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons offers these suggestions to help make your recovery easier:

• Keep items that you use often within close reach, so you won't have to stretch or bend for them.
• Arrange your furniture to accommodate your walker or crutches, and make your primary room doesn't require climbing stairs.
• Get a taller-than-average chair with a firmly padded seat. Low, soft seats will be less comfortable.
• Pick up any rugs that may cause you to slip, and make sure electrical cords are safely secured and out of the way.
• In the bathroom, use a shower chair, a grab bar and a raised toilet seat.
• Create an area with all of your medications, a phone, remote control, water and anything else you may need within reach.
• Use devices that will prevent you from having to reach, such as a long-handled shoehorn, a long-handled sponge, and a grabbing tool.

Health Headlines - June 27

Nestle Refused to Give Cookie Dough Records to FDA: Report

Nestle USA refused several times to provide federal government inspectors with pest-control records, complaint logs and other information related to the Virginia plant where recalled cookie dough was made, according to a published report.

The refusals were noted in inspection reports from the factory, the Associated Press reported. A Food and Drug Administration spokesperson said Nestle USA wasn't obligated to allow inspectors access to the records, which date back to 2004.

Last week, the company voluntarily recalled all Toll House refrigerated cookie dough products made at the Virginia plant. The recall came after the FDA said it believed people eating the dough raw may have been exposed to E. coli bacteria.

So far, there have been 69 reported cases of illness in 29 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the AP said.

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New York State Will Buy Women's Eggs for Stem Cell Research

New York's decision to become the first state to allow taxpayer-funded scientists to pay women for eggs to be used in embryonic stem cell research is being greeted with both praise and criticism.

Women who donate eggs will receive up to $10,000 for the time, discomfort and expenses associated with the procedure, the Washington Post reported. The new policy conflicts with guidelines issued by scientific organizations, including the National Academy of Sciences, the newspaper said.

Supporters of the decision say it will help advance stem cell research.

"This is a really great, appropriate policy," Susan Solomon, co-founder of the New York Stem Cell Foundation, a private, nonprofit research organization, told the Post. "This could help us to pursue some critical experiments that we hope will lead to treatments for devastating diseases."

But critics fear New York's policy will result in the exploitation of vulnerable women.

"In a field that's already the object of a great deal of controversy, the question is, are we at the point where we really need to go that route in order to do the science?" Jonathan D. Moreno, a professor of bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania, told the Post. "I'm not convinced."

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European Regulator Wants Painkiller Off Market

The painkiller dextropropoxyphene should be withdrawn from the European market because patients using the 50-year-old drug have been dying from overdoses, says the European Medicines Agency (EMEA).

The drug is still on the market in the United States, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering whether to withdraw it, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Dextropropoxyphene, which is called propoxyphene in the United States, is an opioid widely used to treat mild to moderate pain. It was first introduced in the United States in 1957 under the brand name Darvon and is marketed today by a wide number of generic drug makers. Opponents of the drug have tried for years to get it taken off the market, the newspaper said.

According to the EMEA, a "significant" number of Europeans have died from accidental or intentional overdoses of the drug, but it didn't provide an actual number, the Journal reported.

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E. coli Scare Spurs Big Beef Recall

Fears of contamination with the e. coli bacteria has prompted JBS Swift Co., of Greeley, Colo., to recall about 41,000 pounds of beef products, the Associated Press reported Thursday.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the products were processed on April 21-22 and sent to distributors and retailers in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin.

The recalled beef is packed in boxes marked "EST. 969" with packaging date codes of 042109 or 042209. They have case codes of 21852, 21853, 31852, 31853, 33852, 33853, 41853, 79852, 79853 or 90853.

Consumers who have questions regarding the recall should call JBS Swift at (800) 555-7675.

Health Tips for June 27

Health Tip: New Moms, Protect Your Back

New moms have enough on their minds without worrying about throwing out their back.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons offers this advice:

• Try to exercise and strengthen your back muscles as soon as your doctor says it's safe.
• Make an effort to lose the baby weight -- within six weeks is recommended.
• Keep your arms and baby close to your body when you lift the infant.
• When lifting baby, bend at the knees and lift with your legs, instead of your back.
• Always drop the side rail of the crib when lifting baby, rather than bending over the rail and hoisting baby out.
• Before lifting baby from the high chair, remove the high chair's tray.
• Carry baby in a pack on the front of your body, instead of your hip.

Health Tip: Caring for Your Newborn

Most first-time parents are at a loss when they bring baby home from the hospital.

The Nemours Foundation offers these suggestions for parental novices:

• Support baby's head with a gentle hand whenever you hold, carry or lay baby down.
• Treat baby gently. Never shake the baby for any reason, including to wake him or her up. Instead, tickle the feet or blow on the cheek to rouse your little one.
• Make sure you're using the baby car seat and stroller correctly, and that baby is safely secured.
• Newborns just need to be held and cuddled. It's too soon for games such as bouncing on the knee or lifting in the air.

Health Headlines - June 26

Pop Star Michael Jackson Dies at 50

Michael Jackson, an entertainment icon since he was a child, died Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The newspaper reported that Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Steve Ruda said paramedics responded to a 911 call at 12:26 p.m. at Jackson's home in Bel Air, Calif. The 50-year-old Jackson was unconscious when the paramedics arrived.

CPR was performed on the way to the hospital, the newspaper reported. Several media outlets reported that the cause of death was cardiac arrest. His spokesman denied reports he had cancer just last month, asserting that the King of Pop was "in the best of health."

A 50-concert tour in Great Britain had been planned for later this summer. Concerns over the state of Jackson's health had surfaced in recent years, but AEG Live, a promoter of the U.K. shows, said in March that Jackson had passed a four-and-a-half hour physical exams conducted by independent doctors, MSNBC reported.

Jackson's death capped a life of superstardom and scandal. The music legend first burst onto the pop scene as a child star with the Jackson 5 nearly four decades ago and went on to become one of the biggest selling entertainers of all time.

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Actress Farrah Fawcett Dies of Cancer at 62

Farrah Fawcett, a national sex symbol in the 1970s thanks to her feathery mane and her role in the TV series Charlie's Angels, died Thursday of cancer in California, the Los Angeles Times reported. She was 62.

Fawcett, initially known more for her layered locks than her acting ability, was diagnosed in 2006 with a rare anal cancer. She was declared cancer-free in 2007, but three months later, doctors at UCLA Medical Center said the cancer had returned and spread to her liver, the Times said. The actress subsequently sought experimental treatments in Europe, according to news reports.

Fawcett was a spokeswoman in the fight against cancer long before her diagnosis. In a statement released Thursday, Elizabeth Fontham, national volunteer president at the American Cancer Society, said: "We are saddened at the news of the passing of Farrah Fawcett. Ms. Fawcett served as the American Cancer Society's chairperson for Women Against Cancer in the early 1980s, appearing in a public service announcement where she encouraged viewers to avoid smoking and get regular cancer checkups. Her public battle against cancer these past few years is a reminder of the work still to be done, and of the toll cancer still takes. Her support of those efforts, and her unique approach to life, will be missed."

Fawcett's publicist, Paul Bloch, said she died at 9:30 a.m. at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, the Times reported.

Women get anal cancer slightly more often than men, according to the American Cancer Society. It estimates that 5,290 new cases will be diagnosed this year, and that 710 people in the United States will die from the disease.

Anal cancer, most often found in adults older than 35, is curable in most cases, the cancer society said.

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E. coli Scare Spurs Big Beef Recall

Fears of contamination with the e. coli bacteria has prompted JBS Swift Co., of Greeley, Colo., to recall about 41,000 pounds of beef products, the Associated Press reported Thursday.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the products were processed on April 21-22 and sent to distributors and retailers in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin.

The recalled beef is packed in boxes marked "EST. 969" with packaging date codes of 042109 or 042209. They have case codes of 21852, 21853, 31852, 31853, 33852, 33853, 41853, 79852, 79853 or 90853.

Consumers who have questions regarding the recall should call JBS Swift at (800) 555-7675.

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Doctors Mystified by Girl Who Doesn't Age

Doctors are trying to determine what's gone wrong with the aging process in a 16-year-old American girl who's the size of an infant and has the mental capacity of a toddler.

Brooke Greenberg may be unique among documented cases of children who fail to grow or develop in some way, said the girl's pediatrician, Dr. Lawrence Pakula from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, ABC News reported.

In a recent paper, Pakula and his colleagues listed a range of inconsistencies in Brooke's aging process. For example, she still has baby teeth and her bone age is estimated to be that of a 10-year-old, but she's never been diagnosed with a known genetic syndrome or chromosomal abnormality. The article appeared in the journal Mechanisms of Ageing and Development.

Instead of developing as a coordinated unit, independent parts of Brooke's body are developing out of sync, said the article's co-author, Dr. Richard Walker of the University of South Florida College of Medicine, ABC News reported.

"There've been very minimal changes in Brooke's brain," Walker said. "Various parts of her body, rather than all being at the same stage, seem to be disconnected."

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Gray Hair Might Indicate Reduced Cancer Risk

Gray hair could actually be a sign that you have a bit of added protection against cancer, suggests a Japanese study.

Hair grays when color-producing stem cells, called melanocytes, die off in hair follicles. DNA damage -- which can lead to cancer -- increases in melanocytes as people age. But gray hair means that melanocytes are no longer present and thus cannot pass on cancer-causing mutations, the Toronto Star reported.

The finding, published in the June 21 issue of New Scientist magazine, might help in the development of new cancer treatments, said Dr. David Fisher, director of the melanoma program at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

"The study demonstrated that stem cells containing DNA damage are removed, and it is theoretically possible that such a mechanism may exist for numerous types of cells (outside of hair follicles) in the body," Fisher wrote in an e-mail to the Star.

"The 'protection' concept from gray hair relates to the fact that damaged melanocyte stem cells have been removed (thus, the gray)," he said. "Perhaps if we had a similar mechanism of removing cells from the epidermis, melanoma may be less common."

Health Tips for June 26

Health Tip: Things That Trigger Migraines

While migraines and their causes vary from person to person, researchers have identified some common triggers.

The National Women's Health Information Center offers this list:

• Too much sleep, or not enough shut-eye.
• Missing meals.
• Overstimulated senses, including noises that are too loud, scents that are too strong, or lights that are too bright.
• Hormonal changes.
• Stress.
• Changes in the weather.
• Drinking red wine or changes in caffeine intake.
• Aspartame, an artificial sweetener.
• Food additives such as tyramine, monosodium glutamate (MSG) or nitrates.

Health Tip: Managing Your Child's Migraines

If your child gets migraine headaches, the American Academy of Family Physicians offers these suggestions to help prevent them:

• Make sure your child eats meals on a regular schedule, and never skips a meal.
• Keep your child on a regular sleep schedule.
• Make sure your child gets daily exercise, but don't overdo it.
• Figure out what triggers migraines in your child, and try to avoid those factors. Common triggers include stress, too much intense exercise, or changes in weather or altitude.
• Avoid foods that are known to trigger your child's migraines. Popular culinary causes include: cheese, processed meats, chocolate, caffeine, nuts, pickles and foods high in the preservative monosodium glutamate (MSG).

Health Headlines - June 25

South Pole Doctor Who Treated Own Breast Cancer Dies

The American doctor who diagnosed and treated her own breast cancer while on a research mission at the South Pole in 1999 has died of cancer.

Dr. Jerri Nielsen FitzGerald, 57, was the only doctor at the National Science Foundation Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station when she found a lump in her breast. Weather conditions made a rescue impossible, so she performed a biopsy on herself and then treated herself with anti-cancer drugs for months until she was taken back to the United States.

Her cancer remained in remission until August 2005. She died Tuesday at her home in Southwick, Mass., her husband, Thomas FitzGerald, said Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.

Neilsen FitzGerald described her South Pole ordeal in a best-selling book that was made into a TV movie. During the last decade, she traveled the world to speak about how cancer had changed her life. She also worked as a roving emergency room doctor at hospitals in the northeastern United States.

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Only Four Shots Needed for Rabies Protection

People exposed to a rabid animal need only four vaccinations, not the five currently recommended, a U.S. immunization advisory group has decided.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted Wednesday that four shots given within the first 14 days of exposure to rabies provides sufficient protection, the Associated Press reported.

Each year, between 20,000 and 40,000 Americans are in contact with a rabid animal. About 1,000 get just three or four shots and none have come down with rabies, which was a factor in the committee's decision, the AP said.

The committee advises the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which prepares official guidelines for doctors.

Until the 1970s, people had to have 14 shots in the abdomen after exposure to rabies, but improved vaccines led the government to ease that requirement.

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Insurance Improves Odds of Having a Doctor: Report

Young American adults who don't have health insurance are about half as likely as those with coverage to have a regular doctor (36 percent vs. 70 percent), says a federal government report released Wednesday.

About five million adults ages 19 to 23 didn't have health insurance for the entire year in 2006, and 30 percent said they didn't think coverage was worth the cost, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

More than two-thirds of young adults without insurance for the entire year did not see a doctor. Men were more likely than women to be uninsured -- 30 percent vs. 18 percent.

The AHRQ also said that 46 percent (2.2 million) of uninsured young adults worked full time and 26 percent (1.3 million) worked part time. The majority -- about 81 percent -- of the five million young adults without coverage through all of 2006 were not full-time students.

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Air Pollution Increases Cancer Risk For Many Americans: EPA

Millions of Americans live in neighborhoods where high levels of toxic air pollutants greatly increase their risk of cancer, according to an Environmental Protection Agency report to be released Wednesday.

People in the nearly 600 neighborhoods have a more than 100 in 1 million risk of cancer, compared to the national average risk of 36 in 1 million.

"If we are in between 10 in 1 million and 100 in 1 million, we want to look more deeply at that. If the risk is greater than 100 in 1 million, we don't like that at all ... we want to investigate that risk and do something about it," Kelly Rimer, an environmental scientist with the EPA, told the Associated Press.

The highest cancer risk in the nation -- 1,200 in 1 million and 1,100 in 1 million -- are in parts of Los Angeles, Calif., and Madison County, Ill., according to the EPA. Two neighborhoods in Allegheny County, Pa., and one in Tuscaloosa, Ala., had the next highest rates of cancer risk from air toxins.

The lowest risk levels are in Coconino County, Ariz., and Lyon County, Nev., the EPA said. The lowest levels of toxic air pollution are in Kalawao County, Hawaii, and Golden Valley County, Mont., the AP reported.

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Swine Flu Virus Likely Came From Asia: U.S. Officials

The swine flu pandemic likely originated in pigs in Asia, not on factory farms in Mexico, and was brought to North America by an infected human, say U.S. agriculture officials.

They said there's no evidence that the new swine flu virus -- a combination of North American and Eurasian genes -- has ever circulated in North American pigs. However, there is proof that a closely related "sister virus" has circulated among pigs in Asia, The New York Times reported.

But the agriculture officials added there's no way to prove their theory, which has only sketchy data to support it. As the virus spreads and pigs are infected by humans, it becomes more difficult to determine the origin of the pandemic.

"To tell whether a pig is newly infected by a human or had the virus before the human epidemic began really can't be done," Dr. Kelly M. Lager, a U.S. Agriculture Department swine disease expert, told the Times.

Since the swine flu pandemic began, the popular assumption is that it originated in Mexico. The pandemic has now reached more than 90 countries, according to the World Health Organization.

Health Tips for June 25

Health Tip: Help Prevent Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome occurs when being overweight or obese -- combined with other risk factors -- increase a person's chances of developing heart disease and diabetes.

These risk factors include abdominal obesity, elevated triglycerides, high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar and a poor ratio of good-to-bad cholesterol.

The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute suggests how you can help prevent metabolic syndrome:

• Maintain a healthy body-mass index (BMI) of less than 25.
• Keep your waistline at a healthy size. Less than 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men is ideal.
• Maintain a healthy body weight. Talk to your doctor about the best weight for you.
• Stick to a low-calorie, low-cholesterol and low-fat eating plan.
• Get regular exercise. In general, 60 minutes worth, five-to-seven days per week, is recommended for most people.
• Visit your doctor regularly, and frequently test your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar.

Health Tip: What's Behind High Cholesterol?

High cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease. If your numbers are rising, there are a few possible reasons.

The U.S. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute lists these factors that can affect blood cholesterol:

• A diet high in saturated fat or cholesterol-rich foods.
• Being overweight.
• Not getting enough exercise.
• Getting older, and being a postmenopausal female.
• A family history of high cholesterol.

Health Headlines - June 24

FDA Warns About Salmonella-Tainted Pistachios

Consumers should not to eat certain brands of pistachio nuts because they may be contaminated with salmonella, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns.

The California Prime Produce- and Orange County Orchards-brand pistachios were distributed to retail locations in airports and hotels across the United States. The pistachios are in clear 6-ounce flexible plastic Ziploc bags, with "Sell By Dates" of "7/30/09" and "8/30/09," United Press International reported.

Orca Distribution West Inc. of Anaheim, Calif., received and repackaged pistachios recalled by Setton Pistachios of Terra Bella Inc., which has recalled all of its pistachios because of possible salmonella contamination, the FDA said.

More than 660 products are affected by the Setton recall, UPI reported. The FDA has a complete list of products at www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/pistachiorecall/index.cfm.

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Americans Now Have Higher Out-of-Pocket Costs: Report

Out-of-pocket costs (including premiums) for American workers with employer-based health insurance increased 30 percent between 2001 and 2006, from an average of $2,827 to $3,744, according to a federal government report released Tuesday.

When premiums weren't included, the average cost increased from $1,260 to $1,522, according to Hidden Costs of Health Care: Why Americans Are Paying More but Getting Less.

The report also says that employer-sponsored health insurance premiums have nearly doubled since 2000, a rate three times higher than wage increases. In 2008, the average premium for an employer-based family plan was $12,680. That's nearly as much as the annual wage of a person working a full-time minimum wage job, the report said.

In 2004, about 20 percent of Americans with employer-based health insurance had a co-payment of more than $25, but that increased to one-third by 2008, according to the report.

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Nutrient May Protect Babies' Brains From Alcohol

Scientists plan to study whether a prenatal nutrient can protect the brains of babies whose mothers drink during pregnancy.

The study of pregnant women in Ukraine will examine the effects of choline, which is found in foods such as liver and eggs, the Associated Press reported.

The researchers are recruiting women who admit they drink while pregnant. The women would be counseled to stop drinking and then randomly selected to take either a standard vitamin supplement every day, or that vitamin plus 750 milligrams of choline. Currently, pregnant women are advised to get 450 milligrams per day of choline from food.

So far, about 120 of the planned 600 participants have been enrolled in the study. Preliminary results may be available within a year, the AP reported.

This is just one of a number of efforts to find ways to protect the brains of babies whose mothers drink while pregnant, including treatment with thyroid hormones and zinc.

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U.S. Study Will Target Vitamin D, Fish Oil

The effectiveness of two popular dietary supplements, vitamin D and fish oil, will be put to the test in a large, five-year U.S. government-sponsored study, the Associated Press reported.

The study is designed to determine whether either supplement reduces the risk of developing heart disease, cancer or stroke, as proponents claim.

One quarter of the participants will be black, the AP said, noting that dark-skinned people can't produce much vitamin D from sunlight. Some experts believe this is why blacks suffer higher rates of stroke, heart disease and cancer than whites.

Fish oil, or omega-3 fatty acid, is widely touted for improving heart health, but previous studies haven't established its safety or benefits.

Noting that other supplements, such as vitamins E and C, have fared poorly in recent tests, a study leader advised restraint. "We should be cautious before jumping on the bandwagon to take mega-doses of these supplements," said Dr. JoAnn Manson, who will co-lead the study with Dr. Julie Buring of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, according to the AP.

Set to start later this year, the new study will include 20,000 older adults who will be assigned to take vitamin D, fish oil, both supplements or placebo pills, the AP said.

Health Tips for June 24

Health Tip: Preparing Your Child for a Medical Test

Medical procedures and tests can be frightening for both parents and children, so it's important that you're both prepared and calm.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine offers these suggestions:

• Give your child a detailed, simple and clear explanation of what is going to happen.
• Be specific about which part of the body will be affected, and how it might feel.
• Allow your child to react -- even if it includes anger, screaming or crying -- but encourage communication about what he or she is feeling.
• Have your child practice the position that will be required -- such as lying down, stretching out an arm, or curling up on one side.
• Talk about why the test or procedure is necessary and how it will help your child.
• Let your child make decisions whenever possible, such as the color of the bandage that may be applied.

Health Tip: Eating Out With a Diabetic Child

It's easy to monitor what your diabetic child eats at home when you're the one preparing the meals. But it gets trickier when the family eats at a restaurant.

The American Academy of Family Physicians offers these suggestions for dining out with a diabetic child:

• Ask questions about what's in a particular menu item, and how it's cooked.
• Ask for healthier substitutions. For example, swap out fries for a salad or vegetable.
• Look for dishes that are grilled, steamed, broiled or baked instead of fried.
• Skip high-fat salad dressings, sauces and gravies.
• Split a large dish with your child to limit portion size, or box up half and take it home.
• Teach your child how to make healthy decisions by involving the child in the ordering process.

Health Headlines - June 23

U.S. Study Will Target Vitamin D, Fish Oil

The effectiveness of two popular dietary supplements, vitamin D and fish oil, will be put to the test in a large, five-year U.S. government-sponsored study, the Associated Press reported.

The study is designed to determine whether either supplement reduces the risk of developing heart disease, cancer or stroke, as proponents claim.

One quarter of the participants will be black, the AP said, noting that dark-skinned people can't produce much vitamin D from sunlight. Some experts believe this is why blacks suffer higher rates of stroke, heart disease and cancer than whites.

Fish oil, or omega-3 fatty acid, is widely touted for improving heart health, but previous studies haven't established its safety or benefits.

Noting that other supplements, such as vitamins E and C, have fared poorly in recent tests, a study leader advised restraint. "We should be cautious before jumping on the bandwagon to take mega-doses of these supplements," said Dr. JoAnn Manson, who will co-lead the study with Dr. Julie Buring of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, according to the AP.

Set to start later this year, the new study will include 20,000 older adults who will be assigned to take vitamin D, fish oil, both supplements or placebo pills, the AP said

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Drug Makers To Help Close Gap In Medicare Drug Coverage

U.S. drug makers promise to spend $80 billion over the next decade to help close the so-called "doughnut hole" in Medicare's drug coverage, the White House announced Monday.

Under the deal, drug companies will pay part of the cost of prescription drugs for lower- and middle-income Medicare recipients, the Associated Press reported. Currently, beneficiaries have to pay the full cost of prescriptions after their initial coverage ends but before they qualify for catastrophic coverage.

The pact should lead to at least a 50 percent discount on prescription drugs for some Medicare recipients, according to the president.

"This is a significant breakthrough on the road to health-care reform, one that will make a difference in the lives of many older Americans," Obama said, the AP reported.

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Swine Flu Infections, Deaths Surge In Recent Days

The United States leads countries that have seen a dramatic increase in the number of swine flu cases since Friday, the World Health Organization said Monday.

Since Friday, 7,873 more people worldwide were reported infected with the H1N1 virus and 51 more deaths were noted, for a total of more than 52,000 people infected and 231 dead in the pandemic, Agence France Presse reported.

The United States has reported 3,594 new cases since Friday, for a total of 21,449 with 87 deaths, the WHO said. Mexico was stable (7,600 cases and 113 deaths), while there were 805 new cases in Canada (5,710 cases and 13 deaths).

Figures that have yet to be incorporated into the WHO's official statistics may drive the worldwide number of infections and deaths even higher. The disease has now been reported in 100 countries and territories, AFP reported.

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VA Center Botched Prostate Cancer Treatments: Report

In the latest blow to the image of Veterans Affairs medical facilities, it's been revealed that 92 veterans with prostate cancer received incorrect radiation doses at the VA Medical Center in Philadelphia.

The New York Times reported that a procedure in which radioactive seeds are implanted to kill cancer cells (brachytherapy) was done incorrectly in 92 of 116 procedures over six years. The medical team involved kept performing the procedure for a year even though medical monitoring equipment wasn't working.

Of the 92 cases, 57 involved implants that delivered too little radiation to the prostate and 35 had excessive levels of radiation that affected nearby tissue and organs, according to a Nuclear Regulatory Commission report published in the Federal Register this month, the Associated Press reported.

All the affected patients received follow-up care, including eight who got additional radioactive seed implants at a Seattle VA Center, said Dale Warman of the Philadelphia VA Medical Center.

Health Tips for June 23

Health Tip: Why is the Room Spinning?

Dizziness typically isn't a serious problem. Most of the time, dizziness resolves itself or the underlying cause can be treated fairly easily.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine offers these common reasons for dizziness:

• Standing up too quickly.
• The flu.
• The common cold.
• Allergies.
• Low blood sugar.
• Vertigo.
• Problems with the inner ear, such as Meniere's disease or labyrinthitis.
• Irregular heart rhythm, stroke, brain tumor, multiple sclerosis, or significant drop in blood pressure. These less common but more serious causes require evaluation and treatment.

Health Tip: Dizziness During Pregnancy

Many women feel dizzy during pregnancy, a condition caused by hormones that help increase blood flow to the baby, but may restrict blood flow to you.

The American Pregnancy Association offers these suggestions to help relieve dizziness during pregnancy:

• Try not to stand up for long periods. When you do have to stand, move your feet frequently to help maintain your circulation.
• When you start to stand up, do so slowly.
• Keep a cool body temperature. Avoid very hot baths or showers.
• Don't go too long without eating.
• Make sure clothing is loose and not so tight that it can reduce blood circulation.
• Ask your doctor about other factors that could cause dizziness. In some women, lying on their back may impede blood flow as the weight of the fetus presses on certain blood vessels.

Health Headlines - June 22

Calif regulators find pot smoke causes cancer

Marijuana smoke has joined tobacco smoke and hundreds of other chemicals on a list of substances California regulators say cause cancer.

The ruling Friday by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment likely will force pot shops with 10 or more employees to post warnings. Final guidelines are expected by the time warning requirements take effect in a year.

The listing only applies to marijuana smoke, not the plant itself.

Spokesman Sam Delson says the state agency found marijuana smoke contains 33 of the same harmful chemicals as tobacco smoke.

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UN: World hunger reaches 1 billion mark

The global financial meltdown has pushed the ranks of the world's hungry to a record 1 billion, a grim milestone that poses a threat to peace and security, U.N. food officials said.

Because of war, drought, political instability, high food prices and poverty, hunger now affects one in six people, by the United Nations' estimate.

The financial meltdown has compounded the crisis in what the head of the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization called a "devastating combination for the world's most vulnerable."

Compared with last year, there are 100 million more people who are hungry, meaning they consume fewer than 1,800 calories a day, the agency said.

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AP: Conn. officials were warned about attack chimp

Connecticut officials were repeatedly warned about the dangers posed by a chimpanzee who later mauled and blinded a woman and were urged — more than three years before the attack — to take action, but failed to do so, according to records obtained by The Associated Press.

The 200-pound chimpanzee named Travis attacked Charla Nash of Stamford in February, ripping off her hands, nose, lips and eyelids. She has been hospitalized for months at the Cleveland Clinic, where her condition late last week was listed as stable.

The state's response could affect a high-stakes lawsuit the victim's family filed against the chimp's owner, Sandra Herold of Stamford, seeking $50 million in damages. Attorneys are weighing whether to sue others as well, but declined to comment further.

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US swine flu cases now exceed 21,000; 87 deaths

The national count of swine flu cases has risen to 21,449 cases and the number of deaths have nearly doubled to 87.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the number of confirmed and probable cases Monday morning. The tally is up from the last week's count of 18,000 cases and 44 deaths.

Wisconsin, Illinois and Texas have had the most reported illnesses, and the Illinois count rose more than 500 since the last report. But CDC officials say much of the most recent flu activity has been in the Northeast. A quarter of the new deaths were in New York.

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Nestle recalls all refrigerated Toll House dough

Federal authorities are investigating a new national outbreak of a bacteria-triggered illness, this time related to a sweet treat treasured by the heartbroken and children-at-heart — packaged raw cookie dough.

The federal Centers for Disease Control said its preliminary investigation shows "a strong association" between eating raw refrigerated cookie dough made by Nestle and the illnesses of 65 people in 29 states whose lab results have turned up E. coli bacteria since March.

About 25 of those people have been hospitalized, but no one has died. E. coli is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration and, in the most severe cases, kidney failure.

Nestle USA voluntarily recalled all of its Toll House refrigerated cookie dough products after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advised consumers to throw away any Nestle Toll House cookie dough products in their homes and asked retailers, restaurateurs and other food service operations not to sell or serve any of the recalled products.

Customers also can return any recalled product where they bought it for a full refund. The recall does not affect other Toll House products, including ice cream that contains raw Toll House dough.

Health Tips for June 22

Health Tip: False Labor or Real Labor?

Many women mistake the irregular contractions of the uterus that constitute "false labor" as the real deal.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists offers this comparison of real labor versus false labor:

• Real labor contractions last about 30 seconds to 70 seconds, and get closer together over time. False labor pains are inconsistent, and don't occur more frequently as they continue.
• Pains and contractions that continue even when you move around or change positions are a sign of real labor. Pains that are relieved by movement, rest, or changing positions are signs of false labor.
• Labor pains are strong and get increasingly stronger as they continue. False labor pains may become weaker over time or stay the same intensity.
• While false labor pains are in the front of the belly, real labor pains often start in the lower back and move to the front.

Health Tip: Be More Comfortable During Childbirth

Few women would say childbirth is easy. The amount and type of pain depends on the woman herself, her baby's size and its position, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says.

The college offers these general suggestions for how to stay more comfortable during childbirth:

• Well before the birth, take childbirth classes that will teach you breathing techniques and relaxation methods to use in the delivery room.
• Ask your partner to apply pressure and massage your lower back. Tennis balls or your partner's hands will do fine.
• Apply an ice pack to your lower back.
• Change positions as often as is necessary to get more comfortable.
• Ask your doctor or nurse if you can take a shower.
• Use a damp, cool washcloth to wipe down your body if you get too hot.

Obama asks men to be better fathers than their own

WASHINGTON – Barack Obama got a basketball, his first name and ambition from his father. Little else.

The son gave back more than he received: a lifetime of ruminations about the man who abandoned the family, a memoir named "Dreams from My Father," and endless reflections on his own successes and shortcomings as a parent of Sasha, 8, and Malia, 10.

As a candidate and now president, he's been telling men what sort of father they should be. It's become his Father's Day ritual.

He's asking American men to be better fathers than his own.

The president showcased fatherhood in a series of events and a magazine article in advance of Father's Day this Sunday. He said he came to understand the importance of fatherhood from its absence in his childhood homes — just as an estimated 24 million Americans today are growing up without a dad.

Fathers run deep in the political culture as they do everywhere else, for better and worse. Michelle Obama has said many times how her late dad, Fraser, is her reference point and rock — she checks in with him, in her mind, routinely, and at important moments.

Obama's presidential rival, John McCain, called his own memoirs "Faith of My Fathers," tracing generations of high-achieving scamps. The father-son presidencies of the George Bushes were bookends on Bill Clinton, whose father drowned in a ditch before the future president was born and whose stepfather was an abusive alcoholic nicknamed Dude.

A Kenyan goatherder-turned-intellectual who clawed his way to scholarships and Harvard, Barack Hussein Obama Sr. left a family behind to get his schooling in the United States. He started another family here, then left his second wife and 2-year-old Barack Jr. to return to Africa with another woman.

His promise flamed out in Africa after stints working for an oil company and the government; he fell into drink and died in a car crash when his son was 21, a student at Columbia University.

"I don't want to be the kind of father I had," the president is quoted as telling a friend in a new book about him.

And in an interview Friday with CBS News, Obama said: "It was only later in life that I found out that he actually led a very tragic life. And in that sense, it was the myth that I was chasing as opposed to knowing who he really was."

His half-sister, Maya, called his memoirs "part of the process of excavating his father."

Obama now cajoles men to be better fathers — not the kind who must be unearthed in the soul.

His finger-wagging is most pointed when addressing other black men, reflecting years of worry about the fabric of black families and single mothers, but it applies to everyone.

Father's Day 2007: "Let's admit to ourselves that there are a lot of men out there that need to stop acting like boys; who need to realize that responsibility does not end at conception; who need to know that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child but the courage to raise a child."

Father's Day 2008: "Any fool can have a child. That doesn't make you a father. It's the courage to raise a child that makes you a father."

Father's Day 2009: "We need to step out of our own heads and tune in. We need to turn off the television and start talking with our kids, and listening to them, and understanding what's going on in their lives."

He doesn't hold himself out as the ideal dad. No driven politician can.

"I know I have been an imperfect father," he writes in Sunday's Parade magazine. "I know I have made mistakes. I have lost count of all the times, over the years, when the demands of work have taken me from the duties of fatherhood."

He volunteered for those demands, as all people do when they want power. His years as a community organizer, Illinois lawmaker, U.S. senator and presidential candidate often kept him apart from family.

At the same time, he went to great lengths in the 2008 campaign to find time with his girls and wife, and now considers the routine family time one of the joys of living and working in the White House.

The new book "Renegade" by Richard Wolffe recounts strains in the marriage early this decade, arising from his absences and from what Michelle Obama apparently considered his selfish careerism at the time. The author interviewed the Obamas, friends and associates.

Obama himself attributed his "fierce ambitions" to his dad while crediting his mother — a loving but frequently absent figure — with giving him the means to pursue them.

"Someone once said that every man is trying to either live up to his father's expectations or make up for his father's mistakes," he once wrote, "and I suppose that may explain my particular malady as well as anything else." By malady, he meant the will to achieve.

Obama was a schoolboy in Hawaii when his father came back to visit. He gave his dad a tie. His father gave him a basketball and African figurines and came to his class to speak about Kenya. He was an impressive, mysterious figure whom Obama found compelling, volatile and vaguely threatening.

The visit took a sour turn when Obama went to watch "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and his father made him shut off the TV, saying he watched too much. Obama slammed the bedroom door; a loud argument ensued among grown-ups.

Not the quality time Obama has in mind in asking dads to turn off the TV now.

Health Headlines - June 21

Nestle recalls all refrigerated Toll House dough

Federal authorities are investigating a new national outbreak of a bacteria-triggered illness, this time related to a sweet treat treasured by the heartbroken and children-at-heart — packaged raw cookie dough.

The federal Centers for Disease Control said its preliminary investigation shows "a strong association" between eating raw refrigerated cookie dough made by Nestle and the illnesses of 65 people in 29 states whose lab results have turned up E. coli bacteria since March.

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Emerging $80B deal would help fund Medicare drugs

Medicare beneficiaries would receive better drug coverage and a portion of President Barack Obama's health care legislation would be paid for under an emerging agreement involving the pharmaceutical industry, the White House and key lawmakers.

Several officials said Friday night that agreement on the $80 billion deal was close, and one said it had been sealed.

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Green tea could delay prostate cancer: U.S. study

Active compounds in green tea may slow down the progression of prostate cancer, researchers reported on Friday.

Capsules made using green tea extracts called polyphenols lowered levels of proteins that tumors use to grow, the researchers found.

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AMA objects to calling obesity a disability

The American Medical Association has taken action to support doctors' ability to discuss obesity with their overweight patients.

Under a new policy adopted Tuesday, the AMA formally opposes efforts by advocacy groups to define obesity as a disability.

Doctors fear using that definition makes them vulnerable under disability laws to lawsuits from obese patients who don't want their doctors to discuss their weight.

Health Tips for June 21

Health Tip: Life After a Heart Attack

Life usually doesn't return to the way it was before a heart attack. You'll probably need to make changes to your daily way of life, including taking new medication.

The American Heart Association offers this advice for people who are resuming life just after a heart attack:

• Establish a good balance between rest time, exercise and social time. Take a nap when you feel tired, but interact with friends and family again as soon as you can.
• Give yourself sufficient time before you return to work. Speak with your doctor about an appropriate amount of time. It can take three months to recover for someone who has had a significant heart attack, or as little as two weeks for someone who's had a less severe one.
• Feeling depressed after a heart attack is very common. Seek help from your doctor, friends, family or a counselor and talk about your emotions.
• Understand that your heart attack has impacted your family, too. Since loved ones will be dealing with their own emotions, consider counseling for the whole family.
• Talk to your doctor about any chest pain or other symptoms that you experience after your heart attack. Chest pain doesn't necessarily mean another attack, but it must be checked out.
• Your doctor probably will recommend cardiac rehabilitation and lifestyle changes, to include a healthier diet, exercise and cutting out alcohol and tobacco.

Health Tip: Taking a Daily Aspirin

A daily low-dose aspirin can help reduce the risk of heart attack in people with higher-risk conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes.

While aspirin is generally safe, there are some people who shouldn't take it, since the drug can irritate the stomach lining.

The American Diabetes Association says the following people should talk to their doctor before beginning daily aspirin therapy:

• People younger than age 21.
• People who bleed often or easily.
• People who are allergic to aspirin.
• People who have had recent bleeding in the digestive tract.
• People with current liver disease.

Nestle recalls all refrigerated Toll House dough

NEW YORK – Federal authorities are investigating a new national outbreak of a bacteria-triggered illness, this time related to a sweet treat treasured by the heartbroken and children-at-heart — packaged raw cookie dough.

The federal Centers for Disease Control said its preliminary investigation shows "a strong association" between eating raw refrigerated cookie dough made by Nestle and the illnesses of 65 people in 29 states whose lab results have turned up E. coli bacteria since March.

About 25 of those people have been hospitalized, but no one has died. E. coli is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration and, in the most severe cases, kidney failure.

Nestle USA voluntarily recalled all of its Toll House refrigerated cookie dough products after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advised consumers to throw away any Nestle Toll House cookie dough products in their homes and asked retailers, restaurateurs and other foodservice operations not to sell or serve any of the recalled products.

Customers also can return any recalled product where they bought it for a full refund. The recall does not affect other Toll House products, including ice cream that contains raw Toll House dough.

FDA spokesman Michael Herndon said officials were confident that Nestle refrigerated dough products caused the outbreak.

"This has been a very quickly moving situation," said Roz O'Hearn, spokeswoman for Nestle's baking division, adding the company took action within 24 hours of learning of the problem.

Spokeswoman Laurie MacDonald for Nestle USA in Glendale, Calif., a unit of Switzerland-based Nestle SA, said the company has temporarily stopped making the refrigerated dough products while the FDA investigates the Danville, Va., factory where all the recalled items are made.

"We hope to resume production as soon as possible," she said.

There are about 550 employees at the facility, just across the border with North Carolina, about half making Toll House products. Spokeswoman Roz O'Hearn said Friday the company doesn't know how many will be temporarily laid off, but it could be as many as 250.

Nestle holds a 41 percent share of the prepared cookie dough market.

The recall includes refrigerated cookie bar dough, cookie dough tubs, cookie dough tubes, limited edition cookie dough items, seasonal cookie dough and Ultimates cookie bar dough. Nestle said about 300,000 cases of Nestle Toll House cookie dough are affected by the recall, which covers chocolate chip dough, gingerbread, sugar, peanut butter dough and other varieties.

The FDA said consumers should not try to cook the dough, even though it would be safe to eat if cooked, because the bacteria could move to their hands and to countertops and other cooking surfaces.

Raw cookie dough is so popular that it has spawned more than 40 groups on Facebook, complete with postings that read like love notes.

Stacey Oyler, a 33-year-old San Francisco resident, called it her "secret indulgence" — a treat that became irresistible when she was pregnant with her second child last August. She said she still indulges occasionally.

"I love the combination of the salt and sweet," she said. "You can't get that from a piece of chocolate."

But no raw cookie is necessarily safe. The eggs in Nestle Toll House's dough are pasteurized, which eliminates most of the risk of salmonella infection from raw eggs. But other ingredients could contain pathogens or bacteria, and the company warns in product labels not to eat the dough raw.

Several recent food recalls have been related to bacterial contamination, including a salmonella outbreak last winter traced to a peanut company that sickened more than 600 people and that was blamed for at least nine deaths. A separate outbreak of salmonella last year linked to jalapeno peppers from Mexico led 1,400 people to become ill.

Sarah Klein, staff attorney in the food safety group at consumer advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest, called the cookie dough news disheartening.

"Unfortunately, I don't think that people who have been working in food safety for years can be surprised at this point and sadly, I don't think the American people are surprised either," Klein said.

Health Headlines - June 20

Hunger Afflicts One-Sixth of World's People: U.N.

The global economic crisis and high food prices are major reasons why 1.02 billion people (one-sixth of the world's population) don't have enough to eat, says a United Nations' agency report released Friday. Most of those going hungry -- defined as consuming less than 1,800 calories a day -- are in developing nations.

The Food and Agriculture Organization said there are 100 million more people going hungry this year than in 2008, and that more aid and agricultural investment are needed to help people in poor countries get enough to eat, the Associated Press reported.

The largest number of hungry people (642 million) are in Asia and the Pacific region, while the highest rate of hunger (32 percent) is in sub-Saharan Africa.

"The silent hunger crisis, affecting one-sixth of all of humanity, poses a serious risk for world peace and security," said agency Director-General Jacques Diouf, the APreported.

To highlight the connection between hunger and peace, officials noted that rising prices for staples such as rice caused riots in the developing world last year, theAP reported.

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U.S. Gives $6 Billion in New Child Insurance Funding

The U.S. government will give $6 billion in new funding to states and territories to maintain existing Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollment and expand their programs.

The new funds were made available by the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009, which provides additional funding for CHIP programs.

Of the $6 billion in new funding, more than $1 billion has been released and the remainder is expected to be allocated by the end of September.

"Through CHIPRA, states and territories will receive additional funds to provide health insurance to 11 million children, including 4 million who were previously uninsured. Parents now have more help if their children fall ill," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a news release.

CHIP provides health insurance for children in working families whose incomes are too low for either employer-sponsored family plans or private plans, but too high for traditional Medicare.

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Undiagnosed Condition Increases Women's Osteoporosis Risk

A delay in diagnosing a menopause-like condition called primary ovarian insufficiency in young women increases their risk of low bone density and osteoporosis later in life, says a U.S. National Institutes of Health study.

The condition occurs in girls and women younger than 40 when their ovaries stop working normally and no longer release eggs or produce estrogen. The main symptom -- irregular or stopped menstrual periods -- is often disregarded by women and their doctors, the study authors said.

"For years, primary ovarian insufficiency has been known to put women at risk of low bone density," Dr. Duane Alexander, director of NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, said in a news release. "The new study helps explain why some women with the condition are more likely to develop low bone density. It also provides strong evidence that by diagnosing the condition early, replacing deficient estrogen, and getting adequate calcium and vitamin D, these women can protect their bones from weakness and fractures."

The study was published online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

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Bayer Threatened With Lawsuit Over Men's Vitamin Claims

A U.S. consumer advocacy group says that Bayer Healthcare must stop claiming that its One-A-Day vitamins for men reduce the risk of prostate cancer or face legal action.

There's no evidence to support claims in TV and radio ads that selenium, an ingredient in One-A-Day Men's Health Formula and 50+ Advantage, helps prevent cancer, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the Associated Press reported.

"The largest prostate cancer prevention trial has found that selenium is no more effective than a placebo," the center's senior nutritionist, David Schardt, said Thursday. "Bayer is ripping people off when it suggests otherwise in these dishonest ads."

But the company said the claims on its vitamins have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

"We stand behind all claims made in support of our products," Bayer spokeswoman Trisch McKernan told the AP.

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Trainers Urge Halt to Two-a-Day Football Practices in August

High school football teams should stop holding two practices a day during the first week of August to prevent heat-related illnesses or death, says a new report from the National Association of Athletic Trainers.

Strenuous two-a-day drills are an annual tradition for thousands of high school football teams across the United States, the Associated Press reported.

But the trainers' report says the cutback the group is recommending would match what's being done at the college level. It made special mention of a 15-year-old football player in Kentucky who collapsed during practice last August and later died. His coach was charged with reckless homicide.

Since 1995, at least 39 football players of all ages have died from heat-related causes, and most of the incidents occurred in August, according to the National Center for Catastrophic Injury Research, the AP reported.

Health Tips for June 20

Health Tip: What's an APGAR Test?

As soon as your baby is delivered at a hospital or other medical facility, it's commonly whisked away to be evaluated by the waiting team of professionals.

The medical team probably is giving your baby what's known as an APGAR test to check how well baby handled birth, and how the infant is adjusting to life outside the womb. It's given at one minute after birth, and a second time five minutes after birth. The score ranges from 1 to 10, 10 being healthiest.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine says the test evaluates:

Breathing effort
Heart rate
Muscle tone
Reflexes
Skin color
A score of less than five indicates that baby needs help adjusting to the new environment.

Health Headlines - June 19

Food Safety Bill Clears House Committee

Legislation to increase the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's funding and powers to regulate food safety was approved Wednesday by the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Under the bill, the agency would be given the authority to order food recalls, impose new civil penalties and make food companies adhere to food safety standards. In addition, the bill would oblige the FDA to inspect high-risk food facilities at least once a year and would require food makers to keep detailed records to enable quicker tracking of tainted foods, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Funding for the measure would come from an annual $500 registration fee paid by about 378,000 domestic and foreign food facilities. Farms that raise meat and poultry and other facilities regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture would be exempt.

A House vote on the legislation has not been scheduled. A food safety bill has been introduced in the Senate, but it's not clear when lawmakers will begin discussing it, the Wall Street Journal reported.

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Employers, Employees Face Health Insurance Increases: Report

A new report suggests that businesses that provide health insurance coverage for employees may have to deal with a 9 percent cost increase in 2010 and their workers may have to cope with an even larger increase.

The consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers said one reason for the rise in costs is because employees concerned about losing their jobs are using their health insurance while it's still available to them, the Associated Press reported. Another factor is increasing medical costs due to rising unemployment.

For its report, PWC surveyed more than 500 employers and health insurers and found that 42 percent of employers would respond to cost increases by passing some of the burden to workers through higher premiums, deductibles or co-payments.

Next year's costs won't be affected by health-care reform legislation currently being debated by lawmakers, said PWC Principal Michael Thompson. However, intense scrutiny of health-care costs may slow price increases, he suggested.

"Nobody wants to be front page news when all the lights are shining on your industry," he told the AP.

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Hillary Clinton Breaks Elbow in Fall

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton suffered a broken elbow when she fell on her way to the White House on Wednesday.

A statement released by her chief of staff said Clinton was treated at The George Washington University Hospital and then sent home. She's scheduled to have surgery to repair her elbow in the coming week, the Associated Press reported.

"Secretary Clinton appreciates the professionalism and kindness she received from the medical team who treated her this evening and looks forward to resuming her full schedule soon," Chief of Staff Cheryl Mills said in the statement.

Clinton had planned to attend an event Thursday morning to mark World Refugee Day, but that appearance has been removed from her public schedule, the AP reported.

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Asbestos Contamination Prompts Health Emergency in Montana Town

A public health emergency has been declared in a Montana town where more than 200 deaths and thousands of illnesses have been linked to asbestos contamination, the Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday.

The agency will spend more than $130 million in Libby, Mont., to conduct an extensive, home-by-home cleanup and to provide medical care for people with asbestos-related illnesses. However, the town's 2,600 residents won't be evacuated, the Associated Press reported.

The asbestos contamination is from a vermiculite mine that closed in 1990. Before the closure, mine workers carried asbestos home on their clothes. Previously, some residents in Libby used vermiculite as mulch in their home gardens, and vermiculite covered school running tracks in the town, the news service reported.

The federal government and Maryland-based W.R. Grace & Co. have already spent hundreds of millions of dollars to clean up Libby, the AP reported.

Health Tips for June 19

Health Tip: Help Prevent Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome occurs when being overweight or obese -- combined with other risk factors -- increase a person's chances of developing heart disease and diabetes.

These risk factors include abdominal obesity, elevated triglycerides, high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar and a poor ratio of good-to-bad cholesterol.

The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute suggests how you can help prevent metabolic syndrome:

• Maintain a healthy body-mass index (BMI) of less than 25.
• Keep your waistline at a healthy size. Less than 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men is ideal.
• Maintain a healthy body weight. Talk to your doctor about the best weight for you.
• Stick to a low-calorie, low-cholesterol and low-fat eating plan.
• Get regular exercise. In general, 60 minutes worth, five-to-seven days per week, is recommended for most people.
• Visit your doctor regularly, and frequently test your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar.

Health Tip: Understanding Various Types of Insulin

If you or a loved one has diabetes, you know that insulin is a lifeline to better health. But not all types of insulin are the same.

The American Diabetes Association offers this information about insulin's different forms:

• "Rapid-acting" insulin, often called Humalog or lispro, begins to work right away after injection and is most effective after about an hour. It's usually taken just before mealtime.
• "Regular," or short-acting insulin, may be taken 30 minutes to 45 minutes before meals, but it takes longer to work, and keeps working longer.
• "Intermediate-acting" insulin, often called NPH or Lente, is combined with another substance that helps it work more slowly. This type of insulin can last as long as 18 hours.
• "Long-acting" insulin, dubbed Ultralente, is commonly taken early in the morning or at bedtime, and can last for up to 20 hours.
• "Very long-acting insulin," or glargine, begins working about an hour after it's injected and can remain consistently effective for about 24 hours.

Health Headlines - June 18

Chopping Before Cooking Cuts Carrot's Cancer-Fighting Power

Carrots retain more of an anti-cancer compound if they're not cut up before they're cooked, say British researchers.

Carrots that were chopped up before they were boiled contained 25 percent less of the anti-cancer compound falcarinol than carrots that were boiled whole, BBC News reported.

The findings will be presented at a nutrition conference in France.

"Chopping up your carrots increases the surface area so more of the nutrients leach out into the water while they are cooked," explained lead researcher Kirsten Brandt, of Newcastle University's School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development.

"By keeping them whole and chopping them up afterwards you are locking in nutrients and the taste, so the carrot is better for you all round," Brandt said, BBC News reported.

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AMA Opposes Labeling Obesity a Disability

The American Medical Association decided Tuesday to formally oppose attempts to define obesity as a disability.

The adoption of the new policy is meant to help doctors who want to discuss obesity with their overweight patients, the Associated Press reported. If obesity is defined as a disability, it's feared that doctors may be vulnerable under disability laws to lawsuits from obese patients who don't want to hear about their weight from doctors.

The new policy was passed at the AMA's annual meeting in Chicago.

Also on Tuesday, the group voted to lobby for legislation to ban pharmacies from selling tobacco products, the AP said.

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FDA Experts Recommend Gout Drug's Approval

An expert panel advising the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted 14-1 on Tuesday to recommend that the full agency approve the Savient Pharmaceuticals drug Krystexxa (pegloticase), Dow Jones reported.

Last week, the FDA released documents saying that although the drug appeared to relieve the painful, swollen joints that characterize gout, it was concerned about the higher rate of cardiovascular side effects that surfaced during clinical testing.

About 24 percent of clinical trial participants who took Krystexxa had a serious adverse effect, compared with 12 percent of those who took a non-medicinal placebo. Six deaths were reported among those who took the drug, versus three deaths among those who didn't. But the FDA "noted that many of them had pre-existing heart conditions," the Associated Press reported.

The FDA has been reviewing the approval application from the drug's maker since December, the AP said.

Gout, which affects an estimated 8 million Americans, is caused by the buildup of too much uric acid in the body.

The full agency is not bound by the recommendations of its expert panels but usually follows them. The FDA's decision is expected by the end of July.

Health Tips for June 18

Health Tip: Some Medications Can Help Trigger Heat-Related Illness

Heat exhaustion and heatstroke occur when the body becomes overheated and can't cool itself back down.

Some medications may increase your risk of heat-related illness. The American Academy of Family Physicians offers this list:

• Antihistamines to prevent allergy symptoms.
• Some medications to manage cough and cold symptoms.
• Some heart and blood pressure medications.
• Amphetamine diet pills.
• Irritable bowel and irritable bladder medicines.
• Laxatives.
• Water pills.
• Thyroid medications.
• Anti-seizure medications.
• Some medications used to manage mental health conditions.

Health Tip: Beat by the Summer Heat

Soaring temperatures and high humidity can lead to heat-related ills, including heat stroke.

Some people are at greater risk, the U.S. National Safety Council says. They include:

• Babies and young children, the elderly, and pets.
• People who have a chronic illness, including heart problems and circulatory conditions.
• People who must work outdoors in the sun.
• Athletes who practice or play outdoors, or people who are just starting an outdoor exercise program.
• People who abuse drugs and alcohol.
• Anyone taking medications that affect sweat production.

Health Headlines - June 17

FDA Experts Recommend Gout Drug's Approval

An expert panel advising the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted 14-1 on Tuesday to recommend that the full agency approve the Savient Pharmaceuticals drug Krystexxa (pegloticase), Dow Jones reported.

Last week, the FDA released documents saying that although the drug appeared to relieve the painful, swollen joints that characterize gout, it was concerned about the higher rate of cardiovascular side effects that surfaced during clinical testing.

About 24 percent of clinical trial participants who took Krystexxa had a serious adverse effect, compared with 12 percent of those who took a non-medicinal placebo. Six deaths were reported among those who took the drug, versus three deaths among those who didn't. But the FDA "noted that many of them had pre-existing heart conditions," the Associated Press reported.

The FDA has been reviewing the approval application from the drug's maker since December, the AP said.

Gout, which affects an estimated 8 million Americans, is caused by the buildup of too much uric acid in the body.

The full agency is not bound by the recommendations of its expert panels but usually follows them. The FDA's decision is expected by the end of July.

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No Proof Anti-Aging Hormones Effective: AMA

There's no scientific proof that anti-aging hormones are effective, says the American Medical Association, which on Monday adopted a new policy on purported aging remedies.

For example, the AMA says, evidence indicates that long-term use of human growth hormone (HGH) to deal with aging-related issues might carry more risks, such as diabetes and tissue swelling, than benefits, the Associated Press reported.

The AMA says there's also no proof that hormones called bio-identicals are safer than traditional estrogen and progesterone products in treating menopause symptoms.

Those who promote the use of anti-aging hormones, the AMA says, need rigorous studies to support their claims, according to the AP report.

The new policy on products such as HGH, DHEA and testosterone was adopted at the group's annual meeting in Chicago.

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FDA Targets Bogus Treatments for H1N1 Swine Flu

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has sent more than 50 warning letters to Web sites selling illegal products that claim to diagnose, prevent, mitigate, treat or cure the H1N1 swine flu virus. As a result, more than 66 percent of the Web sites have removed the offending claims or products, the agency said.

The unapproved, uncleared or unauthorized products targeted by the FDA include:

• An electronic instrument that claimed to strengthen the immune system and prevent H1N1 virus-related symptoms.
• A shampoo that claimed to protect against the virus.
• A supplement that claimed to cure H1N1 infection within 4 to 8 hours.
• A dietary supplement that claimed to protect infants and children from contracting the H1N1 flu virus.

"Unapproved, uncleared or unauthorized products that claim to diagnose, mitigate, prevent, treat or cure the 2009 H1N1 flu are illegal and a potentially significant threat to the public health," the FDA said in a news release.

In addition to the warning letters, the agency identified the offending Web sites and products on the FDA Web site.

The agency "will consider further civil or criminal enforcement action against those Web sites that fail to resolve the violations cited in warning letters," the FDA said. "Actions could include seizure, injunction and criminal prosecution."

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Experts Challenge Benefits of Moderate Alcohol Consumption

Some experts are questioning the common belief that moderate alcohol consumption contributes to good health, The New York Times reports.

Research has shown an association between moderate drinking and lower risk of death, but the skeptics point out that no study has ever proved a causal relationship between the two. They suggest that rather than making people healthy, moderate drinking is something typically done by healthy people.

"The moderate drinkers tend to do everything right -- they exercise, they don't smoke, they eat right and they drink moderately," Kaye Middleton Fillmore, a retired sociologist from the University of California, San Francisco, told the Times. "It's very hard to disentangle all of that, and that's a real problem."

"The bottom line is there has not been a single study done on moderate alcohol consumption and mortality outcomes that is a 'gold standard' kind of study -- the kind of randomized controlled clinical trial that we would be required to have in order to approve a new pharmaceutical agent in this country," Dr. Tim Naimi, an epidemiologist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told the Times.

Critics also expressed concerns about academic centers that accept money from the alcohol beverage industry to pay for studies, train students and publicize their findings.

Health Tips for June 17

Health Tip: Choosing an Assisted Living Option

Assisted living housing may be the ideal solution for an aging person who can't quite live alone, but who doesn't need the complete services of a nursing home.

Rotary International offers this list of assisted living options:

• Individual apartments or homes -- which are part of a senior community, where social activity, security and supervision are there if needed.
• Congregate housing -- which offers independent living in private residences, but with the benefit of community meals and activities.
• Assisted living housing -- which offers help with some daily activities, such as bathing, dressing and cooking.
• Board and care housing -- which offers community meals and activities, and assistance with activities such as bathing and grooming, getting dressed and using the toilet.
• Continuing-care retirement communities -- which are senior-housing complexes that offer a variety of assisted living options, often from independent quarters to nursing facilities.

Health Tip: Fire Safety for Seniors

People 85 and older are five times more likely than younger people to die in a fire, the FireSafety.gov Web site warns.

Here's the site's list of why seniors are at increased risk of death or injury in a fire:

• Seniors' reflexes and response times are not always as fast as those of younger people.
• Medications that many seniors take may impact reflexes and decision-making abilities.
• Seniors who live alone don't have the help they need to prevent and react to factors that cause fires, including cooking and accidents.
• Unsafe use of cigarettes and other smoking materials is a common cause of fires involving seniors.
• Improperly used or maintained heating equipment, such as wood-burning stoves or electric space heaters, are a frequent cause of fires involving older people.
• Wiring problems in older homes are another significant cause of fires.

Health Headlines - June 16

Obama Calls U.S. Health-Care System a 'Time Bomb'

The United States' health-care system is "a ticking time bomb" that could seriously damage the nation financially unless major changes are made, President Barack Obama said Monday in a speech to the American Medical Association.

He compared America's situation to that of big U.S. automakers, the Associated Press reported.

"A big part of what led General Motors and Chrysler into trouble were the huge costs they racked up providing health care for their workers -- costs that made them less profitable and less competitive with automakers around the world," Obama said.

"If we do not fix our health-care system, America may go the way of GM -- paying more, getting less and going broke," he warned delegates at the AMA's annual meeting.

The president said the current health-care system leaves too many people uninsured and forces doctors into "excessive defensive medicine" due to worries about malpractice suits. This leads to a high number of unnecessary medical tests or procedures, the AP reported.

The speech was part of Obama's efforts to overhaul the U.S. health-care system. Broader insurance coverage and targeted spending cuts are among the proposals being pushed by the president.

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Proper Training, Guidelines Lacking at Many VA Clinics: Report

Surprise inspections at 42 Veterans Affairs clinics across the United States revealed that fewer than half had proper training and guidelines for colonoscopies and other endoscopic procedures, says a report by the VA inspector general.

The findings suggest that problems with colonoscopies and other minimally invasive procedures may not be limited to three facilities implicated earlier this year, the Associated Press reported.

In February, the VA started advising 10,000 patients who underwent procedures at clinics in Miami, and Murfreesboro, Tenn., and August, Ga., to get blood tests for HIV and hepatitis.

The surprise inspections conducted in May found that just 18 (43 percent) of the 42 clinics were able to prove that they'd properly trained their staffs and that they had standard operating guidelines in place for the procedures, the AP reported.

The VA inspector general's report is to be released Tuesday at a hearing before a House Veterans Affairs subcommittee.

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Weight Loss Surgery Increases Fracture Risk: Study

Weight loss surgery such as gastric bypass or banding may double a person's risk of fractures, according to U.S. researchers who reviewed data from nearly 100 patients.

The Mayo Clinic team found that about 20 percent of patients suffered fractures within seven years of their weight loss surgery, twice the normal rate for their age group, BBC News reported.

Most of the fractures occurred in the hands and feet, but the patients also suffered fractures of the hip, spine and upper arm. The study will be presented at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society.

Lead author Dr. Elizabeth Haglind said more research is needed to confirm the findings and to understand more about the specific risk factors and mechanisms involved, BBC News reported.

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Breast-Feeding May Improve Academic Achievement: Study

Breast-fed children may get better high school grade point averages and be more likely to attend college, suggests a U.S. study that looked at 126 siblings from 59 families.

Some of the siblings were breast-fed while others were not. Among those who were breast-fed, an additional month of breast-feeding was associated with an increase in high school GPA of 0.019 points and an increase of 0.014 in the likelihood of going to college, United Press International reported.

The findings were published in the Journal of Human Capital.

"The results of our study suggest that the cognitive and health benefits of breast-feeding may lead to important long-run educational benefits for children," American University professor Joseph Sabia said in a news release, UPI reported.

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Asian-American Parents May Favor Boys: Report

Some Asian-American parents may be using sex-selection techniques to have boys instead of girls, suggest analyses of U.S. Census data, The New York Times reported. The sex-selection techniques include in vitro fertilization, sperm sorting and abortion.

Researchers found that among Americans of Chinese, Indian and Korean descent, if the first child was a girl, it was more likely the second child would be a boy. If the first two children were girls, it was even more likely that the third child would be a boy, the newspaper reported.

"That this is going on in the United States, people were blown away by this," Prof. Lena Edlund, of Columbia University, told the Times. She and a colleague analyzed year 2000 Census data and published their findings last year.

In the United States, the ratio of male to female births is 1.05 to 1. However, among American families of Chinese, Indian and Korean descent, the probability of having a boy increased to 1.17 to 1 if the first child was a girl, the Columbia researchers found. If the first two children were girls, it was 50 percent more likely the third child would be a boy (1.51 to 1).

Health Tips for June 16

Health Tip: Taking an Herbal Supplement

Any product labeled "herbal" doesn't automatically make it safe. So, it's important to carefully evaluate any herbal supplement.

The Cleveland Clinic offers these suggestions:

• Don't look straight to herbal remedies if you get sick. See your doctor, find out what's wrong, and get the physician's advice on treatment.
• Skip herbal remedies altogether if you are pregnant or are trying to conceive.
• Never give herbal supplements to an infant.
• Never take more of an herbal remedy than its manufacturer recommends.
• Read labels, and only use products that specifically list which herbs (and amounts) are included.
• Always tell your doctor about any herbal products that you are taking.
• If you have any plant, flower or pollen allergies, pay attention to what's in the herbal supplements you're considering.
• Understand that there are no guarantees with herbal products, and that manufacturer or seller claims may not necessarily be accurate.

Health Tip: Stay Safe at the Amusement Park

It's difficult to find a more enjoyable activity for children than a day at the amusement park.

To help keep it that way, Saferparks.org offers these safety suggestions:

• Watch as much of the ride as possible before deciding whether it's safe for your child. Don't base your decision solely on the ride's signs and height limits.
• Never let your child go on a ride if the child's age, height, weight or health problems suggest the ride isn't suitable for the child.
• Never allow children to go on a ride that frightens them.
• Make sure you use safety belts and lap bars, and make sure your child knows to stay seated at all times.
• Make sure that your child sits on the safest part of the ride (follow loading instructions) and that the child's hands, feet and head stay inside the seat or car.
• Tell your child what to do in case he or she is lost or separated from you. On arrival at the park, point out uniformed park employees and tell the children to seek them out for help.
• Follow your instinct about what's safe for your child.

Health Headlines - June 15

British flu fatality is first outside Americas

British authorities have confirmed the first swine flu death outside the Americas, marking a new stage in the spread of the virus which has infected almost 30,000 people worldwide.

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Co-op compromise gives White House a health option

With Republicans fighting the idea of a government-run health insurance plan, Obama administration officials said Sunday that they are open to a compromise: a cooperative program that would expand coverage with taxpayer money but without direct governmental control.

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Health care status quo unacceptable: US official

The United States' unwieldy health care system is "unsustainable," US health secretary Kathleen Sebelius warned Sunday as she ramped up calls to back President Barack's Obama health reform plans.

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PROMISES, PROMISES: Indian health care needs unmet

Ta'Shon Rain Little Light, a happy little girl who loved to dance and dress up in traditional American Indian clothes, had stopped eating and walking. She complained constantly to her mother that her stomach hurt.

When Stephanie Little Light took her daughter to the Indian Health Service clinic in this wind-swept and remote corner of Montana, they told her the 5-year-old was depressed.

Ta'Shon's pain rapidly worsened and she visited the clinic about 10 more times over several months before her lung collapsed and she was airlifted to a children's hospital in Denver. There she was diagnosed with terminal cancer, confirming the suspicions of family members.

A few weeks later, a charity sent the whole family to Disney World so Ta'Shon could see Cinderella's Castle, her biggest dream. She never got to see the castle, though. She died in her hotel bed soon after the family arrived in Florida.

"Maybe it would have been treatable," says her great-aunt, Ada White, as she stoically recounts the last few months of Ta'Shon's short life. Stephanie Little Light cries as she recalls how she once forced her daughter to walk when she was in pain because the doctors told her it was all in the little girl's head.

Ta'Shon's story is not unique in the Indian Health Service system, which serves almost 2 million American Indians in 35 states.

On some reservations, the oft-quoted refrain is "don't get sick after June," when the federal dollars run out. It's a sick joke, and a sad one, because it's sometimes true, especially on the poorest reservations where residents cannot afford health insurance. Officials say they have about half of what they need to operate, and patients know they must be dying or about to lose a limb to get serious care.

Wealthier tribes can supplement the federal health service budget with their own money. But poorer tribes, often those on the most remote reservations, far away from city hospitals, are stuck with grossly substandard care. The agency itself describes a "rationed health care system."

Health Tips - June 15

Health Tip: Reduce Pesticide Exposure

Pesticides can help keep your home free of insects, rodents and other unwanted visitors, but exposure to these products can pose serious health risks.

The National Safety Council offers these suggestions when working with pesticides:

• Only use pesticides that have been legally purchased, and are approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or similar government agency.
• Carefully read directions on the pesticide label, and follow them exactly.
• When you can, use non-chemical pesticides.
• Keep the work area well-ventilated.
• Make sure you safely dispose of any excess product.

Health Tip: Bike Safely

Biking is great exercise -- not to mention a lot of fun. But a nasty spill can ruin your fun, so it's important to protect yourself every time you pedal.

The American Academy of Family Physicians offers these safety recommendations:

• Always bike with a helmet, no matter how short the trip.
• Wear sunglasses, which also helps prevent eye irritation from dirt and bugs.
• Choose outfits that are bright and easy for others to see. Avoid riding at night.
• Bike with padded gloves to help prevent hand injuries.
• Wear padded biking shorts, and use a padded or comfortable bike seat.

Health Headlines - June 14

Maker Pushed Zyprexa for Dementia, Without Evidence: Report

The maker of the anti-schizophrenia drug Zyprexa allegedly marketed the drug for "off-label" use in patients with dementia, despite lacking evidence that it worked for that purpose, the Bloomberg news service reported Friday, citing internal company documents.

Some four years after Eli Lilly & Co. told the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that its studies found no evidence that Zyprexa helped elderly dementia patients, in 1999 the company began pitching the drug for use in such patients, Bloombergreported.

In fact, the studies found that elderly people with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia who took Zyprexa faced a "significantly greater" risk of death than those who didn't take the drug, according to the news service.

In 2005, the FDA began requiring warning labels on Zyprexa and similar "antipsychotics," noting that the drugs increased the risk of death among elderly dementia patients, Bloomberg said.

Lilly's documents have been released as part of lawsuits against the drug maker by insurers and pension plans, according to Bloomberg. The plaintiffs are seeking up to $6.8 billion in damages, alleging the company ignored the drug's health risks and marketed Zyprexa for off-label use to increase sales.

Lilly pleaded guilty earlier this year to a federal misdemeanor charge of pitching the drug for off-label use for seniors with dementia. Lilly conceded illegally marketing the drug from September 1999 through March 2001, but has denied claims beyond that date. A company spokeswoman accused those bringing the lawsuits of "releasing one-sided cherry picked documents obtained in discovery to selected news media in an effort to try their case in the media," Bloombergreported.

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Gout Drug Effective, Despite Dangers: FDA

A new drug for gout appears effective in treating the disease, despite potential cardiovascular side effects, the Associated Press cited the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as saying on Friday.

About one-quarter of clinical trial participants who took Krystexxa had a serious adverse effect, versus 12 percent of those who took a non-medicinal placebo. Six deaths were reported among those who took the drug, compared to three deaths among those who didn't. But the FDA "noted that many of them had pre-existing heart conditions," the wire service reported.

The agency has been reviewing the approval application from the drug's maker, Savient Pharmaceuticals, since December, the AP said. On Friday, the agency said the drug seems to relieve gout's symptoms, primarily painful swollen joints. The condition, affecting some 8 million Americans, is caused by the body's buildup of too much uric acid.

On Tuesday, an FDA panel of experts is set to announce whether it will recommend approval of the drug. The full agency isn't bound by the recommendations of its expert panels, but usually follows them. The full agency's decision is expected by the end of next month, the AP said.

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Nursing Deficit Shrinks, With Economy's Help

The shrinking economy is helping to restore a withering nursing pool in the United States, easing a decade-long shortage of hospital nurses, the Wall Street Journalreported Friday, based on a new study's findings.

The number of nurses entering the workforce shot up by 243,000 (18 percent) in 2007-2008, the largest two-year rise in 30 years, the newspaper said. Many nurses who had left the profession -- about half of them older than age 50 -- returned for reasons including making up for a partner's lost income or acquiring health benefits, according to the study published Friday in the journal Health Affairs.

The shortage began in about 1998 and topped out in 2001, when some 13 percent of the average hospital's nursing needs were unmet, the Journal said.

In addition to the souring economy, other factors helping to restore the nursing pool included expanding nursing schools, efforts to attract young candidates and a jump in foreign-born nurses, the newspaper reported.

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Injected Ibuprofen Gets FDA Approval

Caldolor, the first injected form of ibuprofen, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat pain and fever, the agency said in a news release.

The drug will be available only for hospital use in 400 milligram to 800 milligram doses, depending on whether the patient has acute pain or fever. It's particularly useful for patients who cannot take ibuprofen in its oral form, the agency said.

Clinical testing involving 319 women who had undergone an elective hysterectomy found they were much less likely to ask for morphine if given Caldolor. Nausea, flatulence, vomiting and headache were the most common adverse reactions.

The drug is produced by Tennessee-based Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Health Tips for June 14

Health Tip: Soothing Separation Anxiety

Many young children have difficulty leaving their parents when it's time for school, work or a parental date night.

Rotary International offers this advice on how to make separating from your child less stressful for you both:

• Don't put off separating from your child, such as leaving the youngster with a sitter. The younger your child is when he or she gets used to separating, the easier the transition is likely to be.
• Start separating from your child slowly and gradually to build up tolerance.
• Make sure your child is well-rested and fed when transitioning to a caregiver.
• When you can, keep your child in a familiar environment.
• Devise a consistent ritual for separating from your child.
• Use the same caregiver, if possible, and introduce your child in advance.
• Stay calm and relaxed, and don't drag out the goodbye. Make it clear that you'll be back.

Health Tip: Laughter is Good for You

A genuine belly laugh can be priceless medicine for life's everyday stresses. And you don't have to worry about any side effects -- except, maybe, a case of the giggles.

When appropriate, make an effort to relax and let yourself laugh. Rotary International offers these suggestions:

• Instead of worrying about the souring economy or complaining about your work day, ask friends or family to tell a funny story.
• Surround yourself with people who laugh, smile and who are just plain playful and fun.
• Start smiling more. Make a conscious effort to smile, think about pleasant things and feel happy.
• Make a list of all the things you have to be happy about and thankful for. When you're feeling sad, pull out the list.
• Gravitate toward laughter. When you see a group of friends or coworkers having a good laugh, join in the conversation and treat yourself to a laugh, too.

Health Headlines - June 13

Maker Pushed Zyprexa for Dementia, Without Evidence: Report

The maker of the anti-schizophrenia drug Zyprexa allegedly marketed the drug for "off-label" use in patients with dementia, despite lacking evidence that it worked for that purpose, the Bloomberg news service reported Friday, citing internal company documents.

Some four years after Eli Lilly & Co. told the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that its studies found no evidence that Zyprexa helped elderly dementia patients, in 1999 the company began pitching the drug for use in such patients, Bloomberg reported.

In fact, the studies found that elderly people with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia who took Zyprexa faced a "significantly greater" risk of death than those who didn't take the drug, according to the news service.

In 2005, the FDA began requiring warning labels on Zyprexa and similar "antipsychotics," noting that the drugs increased the risk of death among elderly dementia patients, Bloomberg said.

Lilly's documents have been released as part of lawsuits against the drug maker by insurers and pension plans, according to Bloomberg. The plaintiffs are seeking up to $6.8 billion in damages, alleging the company ignored the drug's health risks and marketed Zyprexa for off-label use to increase sales.

Lilly pleaded guilty earlier this year to a federal misdemeanor charge of pitching the drug for off-label use for seniors with dementia. Lilly conceded illegally marketing the drug from September 1999 through March 2001, but has denied claims beyond that date. A company spokeswoman accused those bringing the lawsuits of "releasing one-sided cherry picked documents obtained in discovery to selected news media in an effort to try their case in the media," Bloomberg reported.

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Gout Drug Effective, Despite Dangers: FDA

A new drug for gout appears effective in treating the disease, despite potential cardiovascular side effects, the Associated Press cited the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as saying on Friday.

About one-quarter of clinical trial participants who took Krystexxa had a serious adverse effect, versus 12 percent of those who took a non-medicinal placebo. Six deaths were reported among those who took the drug, compared to three deaths among those who didn't. But the FDA "noted that many of them had pre-existing heart conditions," the wire service reported.

The agency has been reviewing the approval application from the drug's maker, Savient Pharmaceuticals, since December, the AP said. On Friday, the agency said the drug seems to relieve gout's symptoms, primarily painful swollen joints. The condition, affecting some 8 million Americans, is caused by the body's buildup of too much uric acid.

On Tuesday, an FDA panel of experts is set to announce whether it will recommend approval of the drug. The full agency isn't bound by the recommendations of its expert panels, but usually follows them. The full agency's decision is expected by the end of next month, the AP said.

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Nursing Deficit Shrinks, With Economy's Help

The shrinking economy is helping to restore a withering nursing pool in the United States, easing a decade-long shortage of hospital nurses, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday, based on a new study's findings.

The number of nurses entering the workforce shot up by 243,000 (18 percent) in 2007-2008, the largest two-year rise in 30 years, the newspaper said. Many nurses who had left the profession -- about half of them older than age 50 -- returned for reasons including making up for a partner's lost income or acquiring health benefits, according to the study published Friday in the journal Health Affairs.

The shortage began in about 1998 and topped out in 2001, when some 13 percent of the average hospital's nursing needs were unmet, the Journal said.

In addition to the souring economy, other factors helping to restore the nursing pool included expanding nursing schools, efforts to attract young candidates and a jump in foreign-born nurses, the newspaper reported.

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Injected Ibuprofen Gets FDA Approval

Caldolor, the first injected form of ibuprofen, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat pain and fever, the agency said in a news release.

The drug will be available only for hospital use in 400 milligram to 800 milligram doses, depending on whether the patient has acute pain or fever. It's particularly useful for patients who cannot take ibuprofen in its oral form, the agency said.

Clinical testing involving 319 women who had undergone an elective hysterectomy found they were much less likely to ask for morphine if given Caldolor. Nausea, flatulence, vomiting and headache were the most common adverse reactions.

The drug is produced by Tennessee-based Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Health Tips for June 13

Health Tip: Have Unused Medications?

While flushing unwanted or expired medications down the toilet is common practice, Health Canada says this may harm the environment.

Here's how to properly dispose of medications:

• Check to see if your pharmacy has a drug recycling program.
• See if your municipality incinerates drugs. If so, take your unused medications to your municipality's waste disposal depot.
• At least once a year, go through your medicine cabinet and remove prescription drugs that are old or that you no longer take. Dispose of them as suggested above.

Health Tip: Manage Medications Safely

To avoid the possibility of overdose, interaction or reaction, you must pay attention to how often, how and which medications you take.

The American Heart Association offers these suggestions to help you safely manage your medications:

• Store medications in a cool, dark dry place. Don't store them in a bathroom or anywhere else that's prone to moisture.
• Know which medications, including over-the-counter drugs, that shouldn't be taken at the same time.
• Always take medications the way your doctor tells you to, and for as long as he or she prescribes.
• Remind yourself to refill your prescriptions before you run out.
• To better track your medications, get them all filled at one pharmacy.
• Build a relationship with a pharmacist, and try to always consult with the same one. Don't be afraid to ask questions.
• Tell each of your doctors about every medication you take, including any over-the-counter and herbal remedies.
• Don't suffer through side effects. Speak with your doctor about potential ways to prevent them.
• Don't split or crush any medication unless your pharmacist says it's OK; it can affect the way the medication works.

Health Headlines - June 12

Senate Votes to Give FDA Broad Authority Over Tobacco

The U.S. Senate voted 79-17 on Thursday to give the Food and Drug Administration broad authority over the manufacture, sale and advertising of tobacco products.

The House has approved a similar measure and the legislation has the support of President Barack Obama, the Associated Press reported. His predecessor, George W. Bush, opposed prior bills aimed at establishing FDA regulation of tobacco.

Federal legislators have been trying for more than a decade to give the FDA such authority. The U.S. Supreme Court, in 2000, ruled 5-4 that the agency did not have such powers under current law, the AP said.

The latest measure authorizes the FDA to set levels for nicotine and other cigarette ingredients, and requires tobacco makers to list the contents of their products. It also requires the agency to approve any new products in much the same way that it now does with drugs and medical devices. The FDA also has the authority to require stronger warnings on cigarette packaging.

The new FDA operation is financed with additional tobacco company fees, the AP said.

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Medtronic Recalls 21,000 Pacemakers

Medtronic is recalling 21,000 pacemakers sold under the Kappa and Sigma brand names because wires that connect the devices' electronic circuit to other components may fail, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Thursday.

Although more than 1.7 million Kappa and Sigma pacemakers have been implanted in people, only about 21,000 devices are affected by the recall, mostly those that have been in patients for at least five years, the agency said.

People whose pacemakers malfunction may have a return of symptoms of abnormal heartbeat, including fainting and lightheadedness, the FDA said. In rare cases, a malfunction could lead to serious injury or death, the agency warned.

Medtronic issued a letter last month alerting doctors of the problem.

Affected devices are Kappa Series 600/700/900 and Sigma Series 100/200/300. People in whom these pacemakers are implanted should contact Medtronic at 1-800-505-4636, or visit its Web site at www.KappaSigmaSNList.medtronic.com to figure out if their devices are included in the recall.

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Frozen Chicken Has Undeclared Allergens

Some 608,188 pounds of frozen chicken sold at Kroger stores across the United States are being recalled because the products may contain undeclared allergens including milk, soy and wheat, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.

The products, in 32-oz. plastic bags, are labeled as "Kroger, Fully Cooked, Buffalo Style Chicken Wings, Chicken Wing Sections Coated With Sauce."

Each affected bag has the establishment number "P7091A," "P73477" or "P13485A" near the zip seal, a "Best By" date of "JUL 25, 2009" through "JUN 8, 2010", and a UPC code of "0 11110 97158 6." The products were produced July 25, 2008 through June 8, 2009.

People with questions should contact Kroger Consumer Relations at 1-800-632-6900.

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Restaurants Would List Calories Under New Legislation

Federal lawmakers, restaurant industry groups and consumer advocacy organizations have reached agreement on a proposal to require restaurants to display calorie information on their menus, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

The legislation, authored by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), would require chains with 20 or more restaurants to provide calorie information on menus, and at salad bars and buffets. Additional information about fat content, sugar, salt and cholesterol would have to provided upon patron request.

Currently, 13 state and local governments have such requirements, the Journal reported, including California, New York City and Seattle.

Similar legislation is pending in a number of states, the newspaper said.

Health Tips for June 12

Health Tip: Always Hungry?

Everyone has days when they eat too much. But if you always seem to be hungry, there may be a medical explanation.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine offers these possible reasons for excessive hunger, medically called "hyperphagia" or "polyphagia":

• Anxiety.
• Eating disorders, such as bulimia.
• Diabetes mellitus, including gestational diabetes.
• Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).
• Premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
• Thyroid conditions, such as hyperthyroidism or Graves' disease.
• Side effects of medications, including corticosteroids and certain antidepressants.

Health Tip: Making Better Choices for Fast Food

Fast food may be inexpensive and convenient, but it is often high in calories, fat, sugar and salt.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine offers these suggestions for choosing healthier options at fast food restaurants:

• Choose smaller portions, or only eat half of your meal.
• Skip the fries and choose fresh fruit, a salad or vegetables, yogurt or other healthy option as your side item.
• Order sandwiches without mayonnaise, cheese, bacon or fattening sauces.
• Ask for extra veggies on your sandwich, which may include lettuce, onions or tomatoes.
• Choose lean, grilled meats such as chicken or turkey instead of a burger.
• Skip breaded and fried meats, whether on your sandwich or salad.

Health Headlines - June 11

New Orleans Mayor Released From Swine Flu Quarantine

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, quarantined in Shanghai since Sunday over swine flu concerns, has been released, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

Nagin, his wife and a guard had been quarantined after a passenger on their flight from the United States had flu-like symptoms.

A Nagin spokeswoman confirmed the mayor's release, saying Nagin was to fly Wednesday to Australia for a planned series of speeches, the AP said.

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Diabetes Screenings Could Lower Medical Costs: Study

Nearly one-quarter of adults screened for diabetes ended up having the full-blown disease or its precursor, allowing doctors to begin treatment sooner. This suggests that routine diabetes screening could result in significant cost savings for the U.S. health-care system, researchers at Atlanta's Emory University concluded from a new study.

Prof. Lawrence S. Philips and his colleagues screened 1,259 adults who hadn't been diagnosed with diabetes, reported United Press International. Twenty-four percent of study participants ended up having diabetes or prediabetes, characterized by elevated blood sugar levels that don't meet the criteria of the full-blown disease.

Participants found to have either condition were treated with the anti-diabetic drug metformin or ordered to make lifestyle changes designed to control blood sugar. The cost of these remedies was found to be lower than the costs "associated with not screening," UPI reported.

Study results were presented at the American Diabetes Association's annual meeting in New Orleans.

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Infection-Control Programs Suffering, Hospitals Report

Infections acquired at hospitals lead to almost 10,000 deaths each year, costing the United States health care system more than $20 billion, the Wall Street Journalreported Tuesday.

Despite justification for beefing up U.S. hospitals' infection-control efforts, a new survey found that almost 41 percent of nearly 2,000 participants said their hospital infection-control budgets were being cut, the newspaper reported. Funding cuts were affecting technology, staff, education, products and equipment, the survey by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control (APIC) revealed.

Moreover, 40 percent of respondents said they were affected by layoffs or a reduction in hours, and one-third said their departments had job freezes, theJournal reported.

The survey also found that only about 20 percent of respondents said their institutions had electronic reporting systems -- referred to as "data mining" -- that helped identify infection clusters in real time, the newspaper said.

One infection-control director from Tacoma, Wash., reported that a data-mining effort identified a pattern of urinary tract infections that ended up preventing an estimated 187 additional infections over 16 months and saving her institution about $1.5 million, the Journal said.

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FDA: Don't Use Clarcon Skin Products

Clarcon Biological Chemistry Laboratory Inc. of Roy, Utah, is voluntarily recalling skin sanitizers and skin protectants sold under several brand names because the products may be contaminated with bacteria that could make users sick, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said.

The agency issued a news release warning consumers to refrain from using all products made by the company. It said an analysis of several samples revealed disease-causing bacteria, some of which are associated with unsanitary conditions. The germs could cause dangerous infections of the skin and underlying tissue, the FDA added.

The products -- promoted in some cases as antimicrobial agents that can prevent infection in open wounds -- should not be used and be disposed of in the household trash, the agency said. A partial list of affected products includes:

• Citrushield Lotion
• Dermasentials DermaBarrier
• Dermassentials by Clarcon Antimicrobial Hand Sanitizer
• Iron Fist Barrier Hand Treatment
• Skin Shield Restaurant
• Skin Shield Industrial
• Skin Shield Beauty Salon Lotion
• Total Skin Care Beauty
• Total Skin Care Work

To report adverse events associated with these or other consumer products, contact the FDA'S MedWatch reporting program at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Health Tips for June 11

Health Tip: Using Antihistamines

Antihistamines are medications to control allergy symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose and irritated eyes. Antihistamines are available over-the-counter and by prescription. The American Academy of Family Physicians says you should always discuss these drugs with your doctor before taking one. Antihistamines may interact with other medications or substances, as listed here by the AAFP: Muscle-relaxing medications. Sleeping pills or other medicines used for sedation. Medications used to treat high blood pressure. Alcohol. Health Tip: Keep Allergy Symptoms Under Control When spring has sprung, so have all kinds of allergens. Blooming trees and flowers may lead to sneezing, coughing and watery eyes. But you don't have to let allergy symptoms keep you from enjoying spring. The American Academy of Family Physicians offers these suggestions to help manage your allergy symptoms: Medications such as over-the-counter antihistamines, decongestants, eye drops or nasal sprays can help prevent and ease symptoms. Consider regular allergy shots. Always take a shower when coming in from the outdoors, especially before you go to bed. Help keep your home free of mold by frequently and thoroughly cleaning bathrooms, shower curtains and anything else that tends to get moist. Use a dehumidifier to limit humidity to less than 50 percent, if possible. Limit exposure to pets if a family member is allergic to them. Limit fabrics, which can attract dust. Where possible, eliminate fabric curtains or drapes, and replace carpet with wood or tile floors.

Health Headlines - June 10

Infection-Control Programs Suffering, Hospitals Report

Infections acquired at hospitals lead to almost 10,000 deaths each year, costing the United States health care system more than $20 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

Despite justification for beefing up U.S. hospitals' infection-control efforts, a new survey found that almost 41 percent of nearly 2,000 participants said their hospital infection-control budgets were being cut, the newspaper reported. Funding cuts were affecting technology, staff, education, products and equipment, the survey by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control (APIC) revealed.

Moreover, 40 percent of respondents said they were affected by layoffs or a reduction in hours, and one-third said their departments had job freezes, the Journal reported.

The survey also found that only about 20 percent of respondents said their institutions had electronic reporting systems -- referred to as "data mining" -- that helped identify infection clusters in real time, the newspaper said.

One infection-control director from Tacoma, Wash., reported that a data-mining effort identified a pattern of urinary tract infections that ended up preventing an estimated 187 additional infections over 16 months and saving her institution about $1.5 million, the Journal said.

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HIV Cases Said Leveling Off in South Africa

HIV cases in South Africa have leveled off to about 10.9 percent of residents aged two and older, the BBC reports of a new study.

The rate may actually be falling among children and teenagers partly because of increased condom use, the network reported of survey findings by the Human Sciences Research Council.

But the report termed the overall situation "dire," since South Africa has the world's largest HIV-positive population, at 5.5 million.

Women between 20 and 34 years old continued to be the worst affected, with 33 percent carrying HIV, according to the report.

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FDA: Don't Use Clarcon Skin Products

Clarcon Biological Chemistry Laboratory Inc. of Roy, Utah, is voluntarily recalling skin sanitizers and skin protectants sold under several brand names because the products may be contaminated with bacteria that could make users sick, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said.

The agency issued a news release warning consumers to refrain from using all products made by the company. It said an analysis of several samples revealed disease-causing bacteria, some of which are associated with unsanitary conditions. The germs could cause dangerous infections of the skin and underlying tissue, the FDA added.

The products -- promoted in some cases as antimicrobial agents that can prevent infection in open wounds -- should not be used and be disposed of in the household trash, the agency said. A partial list of affected products includes:

• Citrushield Lotion
• Dermasentials DermaBarrier
• Dermassentials by Clarcon Antimicrobial Hand Sanitizer
• Iron Fist Barrier Hand Treatment
• Skin Shield Restaurant
• Skin Shield Industrial
• Skin Shield Beauty Salon Lotion
• Total Skin Care Beauty
• Total Skin Care Work

To report adverse events associated with these or other consumer products, contact the FDA'S MedWatch reporting program at 1-800-FDA-1088.

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New Orleans Mayor Quarantined in China

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and his wife were being held in quarantine by the Chinese government Sunday after traveling on a plane to Shanghai with a passenger who had swine flu symptoms, the (NY) Daily News reported.

The mayor, his wife, Seletha, and a bodyguard were among those quarantined. Shanghai has 10 confirmed cases of swine flu, and authorities are taking extreme precautions, the Daily News said.

The three were feeling fine, said mayoral spokeswoman Ceeon Quiett. She also said they were being treated with the "utmost courtesy by Chinese officials," the Daily News said.

Nagin, who became a national figure in 2005 when New Orleans was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, was on an economic-development trip to China and Australia.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization reported that swine flu has now spread to 73 countries, with 139 deaths from the disease since it was first detected in April.

The latest WHO figures, released Monday, show more than 25,000 people have been infected with the swine influenza A-H1N1 worldwide, according to Voice of America.

Health Tips for June 10

Health Tip: Protect Yourself From Pesticides

Pesticides may help rid your home of unwelcome visitors. But the fact that they're designed to kill specific creatures or germs means that people and pets also should limit exposure to these products.

The U.S. National Safety Council offers these suggestions:

• When purchasing pesticides, stick to those that are registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
• Carefully follow the instructions on pesticide packaging. Never use pesticides for anything other than their intended use, or use more of the products than is recommended.
• Use pesticides designed specifically for the pest you want to eliminate.
• If you don't use all of the product, make sure you safely store or get rid of the remainder.
• Only use pesticides in well-ventilated places. Keep the area ventilated long after the product is used.
• If possible, use pesticide methods that don't include chemicals.

Health Tip: Use a Ladder Properly

If it's time to do some work on your roof, a refresher on ladder safety is of high importance.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons offers these suggestions:

• Don't sit on the shelf or top rung of the ladder. Most likely, it won't support your weight.
• Don't use more ladder than you need. Only use an extension ladder for really tall jobs, and opt for a utility ladder or sturdy step stool for lower-height projects.
• Pay attention when pulling or pushing anything while you're on a ladder. These motions can make it easier for you to lose your balance and fall.
• Don't reach too far or lean off the ladder; it's safer to get off the ladder and center it closer to where you need to be.
• Climb up the middle of the ladder (don't lean toward either side) while another person steadies it from the ground.

Health Headlines - June 9

New Orleans Mayor Quarantined in China

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and his wife were being held in quarantine by the Chinese government Sunday after traveling on a plane to Shanghai with a passenger who had swine flu symptoms, the (NY) Daily News reported.

The mayor, his wife, Seletha, and a bodyguard were among those quarantined. Shanghai has 10 confirmed cases of swine flu, and authorities are taking extreme precautions, the Daily News said.

The three were feeling fine, said mayoral spokeswoman Ceeon Quiett. She also said they were being treated with the "utmost courtesy by Chinese officials," the Daily News said.

Nagin, who became a national figure in 2005 when New Orleans was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, was on an economic-development trip to China and Australia.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization reported that swine flu has now spread to 73 countries, with 139 deaths from the disease since it was first detected in April.

The latest WHO figures, released Monday, show more than 25,000 people have been infected with the swine influenza A-H1N1 worldwide, according to Voice of America.

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Cancer Patients Still Taking Antioxidant Supplements

Cancer patients are still taking antioxidant supplements, despite concerns that they could interfere with chemotherapy and radiation therapy, US News & World Report said.

A new study published in the journal Cancer found that 61 percent of breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, radiation or anti-estrogen drug therapy were taking antioxidant supplements, such as Vitamins C and E, beta carotene or selenium, the magazine said.

Scientists aren't certain that the antioxidants are harmful, but some evidence suggests the supplements could protect the cells that cancer therapies are trying to destroy. Proponents of antioxidants argue otherwise, saying antioxidants may help chemo and radiation combat the deadly cells, the magazine said.

Heather Greenlee, lead author of the study and assistant professor of epidemiology and medical oncology at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, said there isn't enough information to settle the question. What doses, if any, could be problematic is also unknown, she said, according to U.S. News.

Cancer patients should continue to eat fruits and vegetables that contain natural antioxidants, the magazine reported. Also, tell your doctor what medications and supplements you are taking, even things such as green tea extract.

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Kids and Concussions: Guidelines Stir Controversy

Brain-injury experts are split over new guidelines on concussion care, with some worried that the stricter recommendations will ultimately put young athletes at greater risk of injury, according to the New York Times.

Updated recommendations in the May issue of The British Journal of Sports Medicine, said that athletes 18 or younger believed to have sustained a concussion during play should not be allowed to return to the playing field that day. Previously, an international panel of neurologists said the injured athletes could return if cleared by a doctor or certified athletic trainer. Now, they believe that such same-day determinations are too difficult to make.

"So many bad decisions are made when trying to assess whether a player is symptomatic or not," said Dr. Robert Cantu, an author of the guidelines and a director of the Neurological Sports Injury Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. "We know that an unacceptable number of kids are being sent back while symptomatic, and sometimes with devastating effects. The majority believe that the bullet should be bitten, and not let a kid go back into the same contest."

But Dr. Bob Sallis, a past president of the American College of Sports Medicine, said he disagrees. "More kids will be hurt seriously because of this, either by players not admitting they might have gotten a concussion or coaches encouraging them not to be up front about their symptoms, whether subtly or overtly," Sallis said.

In the 2007-2008 school year, high school athletes in nine primary sports sustained about 137,000 concussions, according to the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Ohio.

The panel also stressed the need for cognitive rest, not just physical rest, following a concussion, teens saying should be kept from schoolwork, computers and even text messaging until recovered from a concussion.

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Gum Disease Care Helps Arthritis

Treating gum disease also relieves the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, researchers say.

For people with both conditions, gum care plus arthritis drugs was the best combination treatment, according to a Journal of Periodontology study.

In the study, according to the BBC, patients who had dental treatments such as scaling also saw their arthritis symptoms lessened.

Gum disease and rheumatoid arthritis go hand in hand. In both conditions, soft and hard tissues are destroyed. Rheumatoid arthritis is an incurable disease caused by dysfunction of the immune system.

Researchers from the School of Dental Medicine at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals of Cleveland studied 40 patients who had both moderate to severe periodontal disease and a severe form of rheumatoid arthritis.

Dr. Nabil Bissada, head of the department of periodontics at the dental school, said: "It was exciting to find that if we eliminated the infection and inflammation in the gums, then patients with a severe kind of active rheumatoid arthritis reported improvement on the signs and symptoms of that disease. It gives us a new intervention."

Health Tips for June 9

Health Tip: Bike Safely

Biking is great exercise -- not to mention a lot of fun. But a nasty spill can ruin your fun, so it's important to protect yourself every time you pedal.

The American Academy of Family Physicians offers these safety recommendations:

• Always bike with a helmet, no matter how short the trip.
• Wear sunglasses, which also helps prevent eye irritation from dirt and bugs.
• Choose outfits that are bright and easy for others to see. Avoid riding at night.
• Bike with padded gloves to help prevent hand injuries.
• Wear padded biking shorts, and use a padded or comfortable bike seat.

Health Tip: Fire Safety for Seniors

People 85 and older are five times more likely than younger people to die in a fire, the FireSafety.gov Web site warns.

Here's the site's list of why seniors are at increased risk of death or injury in a fire:

• Seniors' reflexes and response times are not always as fast as those of younger people.
• Medications that many seniors take may impact reflexes and decision-making abilities.
• Seniors who live alone don't have the help they need to prevent and react to factors that cause fires, including cooking and accidents.
• Unsafe use of cigarettes and other smoking materials is a common cause of fires involving seniors.
• Improperly used or maintained heating equipment, such as wood-burning stoves or electric space heaters, are a frequent cause of fires involving older people.
• Wiring problems in older homes are another significant cause of fires.

Health Headlines - June 8

FDA Considers New Psychiatric Drugs for Children

The U.S. government is considering clearing three blockbuster psychiatric drugs currently taken by adults for use in children and adolescents, the Associated Press reported.

The drugs are now approved to treat schizophrenia and bipolar mania, also known as manic depressive disorder, in adults.

The Food and Drug Administration said the drugs appear to work in adolescents, but reviewers worry about exposing youngsters to the medications' side effects, which include weight gain, high blood pressure and sleepiness.

"These risks are of particular concern because of the lifelong nature of these disorders," Dr. Thomas Laughren, the FDA director for psychiatric products, wrote in documents posted online, the AP reported.

The issues will be discussed at a meeting Tuesday, when outside experts will voice their opinions about the drugs' risks and benefits. The FDA usually follows its advisory panels' advice, the AP said.

The drugs -- made by Pfizer Inc., Eli Lilly & Co. and AstraZeneca -- are currently approved to treat schizophrenia and bipolar mania in adults. Together, they accounted for $7.4 billion in sales last year, according to IMS Health, the AP said.

Many physicians already prescribe these drugs to children and teens. While it is permissible for doctors to prescribe as they see fit, pharmaceutical companies can only promote the drugs for FDA-approved uses, the APadded.

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Susan Boyle Leaves Mental Health Clinic

Susan Boyle, the British talent-show sensation, has left a London mental health clinic and is feeling better, according to her brother, the Associated Press reported.

Boyle, a frumpy-looking 47-year-old, won worldwide attention after her blockbuster performance on the television show "Britain's Got Talent."

Last week, after finishing a surprise second to a dance group, she collapsed and was whisked to the Priory Clinic. News reports said Boyle, a humble church volunteer who was living a quiet life in Scotland until six weeks ago, had cried for 24 hours following her defeat.

Her brother, Gerry Boyle, said his sister suffered an anxiety attack but now seems "a lot more like herself," the AP report said.

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Puerto Rico Has High HIV Infection Rate: Study

In 2006, the rate of new HIV infections in Puerto Rico was 45 per 100,000 people, two times higher than in the 50 states and Washington, D.C., according to a study published Thursday.

Injection drug use was the primary cause of transmission among the 1,440 people in Puerto Rico newly infected with HIV in 2006. The infection rate was 2.1 times higher among males than females. People ages 30-39 had the highest rates of infection, said researchers from the Puerto Rico Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the 50 states and Washington, D.C., most new HIV infections occur among gay and bisexual men and among younger adults. The differences noted in Puerto Rico highlight the need to tailor HIV-prevention efforts to meet local needs, the researchers said.

The study appears in the latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published by the CDC.

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Big Differences Among States in Drug Abuse, Mental Illness: Report

Levels of substance abuse and mental illness vary widely among states, according to a U.S. government analysis.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration examined interviews with 135,672 people in 2006 and 2007. Among the findings:

• The highest rate of marijuana use among those 12 and older was in Vermont (2.5 percent) and the lowest was in Utah (1.6 percent).
• The highest rate of cocaine use among those 12 and older was in the District of Columbia (5.1 percent) and the lowest rate was in Mississippi (1.6 percent).
• The highest rate of underage drinking was in North Dakota (40 percent) and the lowest was in Utah (17.3 percent).
• The rate of people 18 and older who had experienced major depression in the past year was highest in Tennessee (9.8 percent) and lowest in Hawaii (5 percent).
• In Iowa, the rate of current illicit drug use among those 12 and older was 5.2 percent, compared to 12.5 percent in Rhode Island. However, Iowa had one of the highest rates of people reporting alcohol dependence or abuse in the past year (9.2 percent).

"This report shows that while every state faces its own unique pattern of public health problems, these problems confront every state," Dr. Eric Broderick, acting administrator of SAMHSA, said in a news release. "By highlighting the exact nature and scope of the problems in each state, we can help state public health authorities better determine the most effective ways of addressing them."

Health Tips for June 8

Health Tip: Stay Safe at the Amusement Park

It's difficult to find a more enjoyable activity for children than a day at the amusement park.

To help keep it that way, Saferparks.org offers these safety suggestions:

• Watch as much of the ride as possible before deciding whether it's safe for your child. Don't base your decision solely on the ride's signs and height limits.
• Never let your child go on a ride if the child's age, height, weight or health problems suggest the ride isn't suitable for the child.
• Never allow children to go on a ride that frightens them.
• Make sure you use safety belts and lap bars, and make sure your child knows to stay seated at all times.
• Make sure that your child sits on the safest part of the ride (follow loading instructions) and that the child's hands, feet and head stay inside the seat or car.
• Tell your child what to do in case he or she is lost or separated from you. On arrival at the park, point out uniformed park employees and tell the children to seek them out for help.
• Follow your instinct about what's safe for your child.

Health Tip: Avoid Germs From a Petting Zoo

Petting zoos are a fun attraction for children, but it can expose you and the youngsters to germs.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that you take these precautions:

• Make use of any hand-washing stations set up around the petting zoo.
• Always wash hands immediately after petting the animals, after touching gates or fences, and always before you eat.
• Try to wash hands with soap and water; hand-sanitizing gel will suffice if no running water is present.
• Never take food or drink into the petting zoo area.
• Carefully watch young children, especially those aged 5 or younger. Make sure that while petting the animals, they don't put anything into their mouths -- including fingers, pacifiers or toys.

Health Headlines - June 7

FDA Considers New Psychiatric Drugs for Children

The U.S. government is considering clearing three blockbuster psychiatric drugs currently taken by adults for use in children and adolescents, the Associated Press reported.

The drugs are now approved to treat schizophrenia and bipolar mania, also known as manic depressive disorder, in adults.

The Food and Drug Administration said the drugs appear to work in adolescents, but reviewers worry about exposing youngsters to the medications' side effects, which include weight gain, high blood pressure and sleepiness.

"These risks are of particular concern because of the lifelong nature of these disorders," Dr. Thomas Laughren, the FDA director for psychiatric products, wrote in documents posted online, the AP reported.

The issues will be discussed at a meeting Tuesday, when outside experts will voice their opinions about the drugs' risks and benefits. The FDA usually follows its advisory panels' advice, the AP said.

The drugs -- made by Pfizer Inc., Eli Lilly & Co. and AstraZeneca -- are currently approved to treat schizophrenia and bipolar mania in adults. Together, they accounted for $7.4 billion in sales last year, according to IMS Health, the AP said.

Many physicians already prescribe these drugs to children and teens. While it is permissible for doctors to prescribe as they see fit, pharmaceutical companies can only promote the drugs for FDA-approved uses, the APadded.

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Susan Boyle Leaves Mental Health Clinic

Susan Boyle, the British talent-show sensation, has left a London mental health clinic and is feeling better, according to her brother, the Associated Press reported.

Boyle, a frumpy-looking 47-year-old, won worldwide attention after her blockbuster performance on the television show "Britain's Got Talent."

Last week, after finishing a surprise second to a dance group, she collapsed and was whisked to the Priory Clinic. News reports said Boyle, a humble church volunteer who was living a quiet life in Scotland until six weeks ago, had cried for 24 hours following her defeat.

Her brother, Gerry Boyle, said his sister suffered an anxiety attack but now seems "a lot more like herself," the AP report said.

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Puerto Rico Has High HIV Infection Rate: Study

In 2006, the rate of new HIV infections in Puerto Rico was 45 per 100,000 people, two times higher than in the 50 states and Washington, D.C., according to a study published Thursday.

Injection drug use was the primary cause of transmission among the 1,440 people in Puerto Rico newly infected with HIV in 2006. The infection rate was 2.1 times higher among males than females. People ages 30-39 had the highest rates of infection, said researchers from the Puerto Rico Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the 50 states and Washington, D.C., most new HIV infections occur among gay and bisexual men and among younger adults. The differences noted in Puerto Rico highlight the need to tailor HIV-prevention efforts to meet local needs, the researchers said.

The study appears in the latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published by the CDC.

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Big Differences Among States in Drug Abuse, Mental Illness: Report

Levels of substance abuse and mental illness vary widely among states, according to a U.S. government analysis.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration examined interviews with 135,672 people in 2006 and 2007. Among the findings:

• The highest rate of marijuana use among those 12 and older was in Vermont (2.5 percent) and the lowest was in Utah (1.6 percent).
• The highest rate of cocaine use among those 12 and older was in the District of Columbia (5.1 percent) and the lowest rate was in Mississippi (1.6 percent).
• The highest rate of underage drinking was in North Dakota (40 percent) and the lowest was in Utah (17.3 percent).
• The rate of people 18 and older who had experienced major depression in the past year was highest in Tennessee (9.8 percent) and lowest in Hawaii (5 percent).
• In Iowa, the rate of current illicit drug use among those 12 and older was 5.2 percent, compared to 12.5 percent in Rhode Island. However, Iowa had one of the highest rates of people reporting alcohol dependence or abuse in the past year (9.2 percent).

"This report shows that while every state faces its own unique pattern of public health problems, these problems confront every state," Dr. Eric Broderick, acting administrator of SAMHSA, said in a news release. "By highlighting the exact nature and scope of the problems in each state, we can help state public health authorities better determine the most effective ways of addressing them."

Health Tips for June 7

Health Tip: Drive Safely With Arthritis

Arthritis can make the joints in your arms, shoulders and hands stiff and swollen. It can also make driving a car a challenge, including affecting your ability to see other drivers next to you or behind you.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says regular exercise can help make driving easier and safer. So can medications designed to manage your arthritis -- as long as they don't make you drowsy, the agency advises.

If you find that you have trouble driving, speak with your doctor. Special devices can be installed in your car to make it easier to drive. But first, you'll need to be trained on how to use these appliances.

Health Tip: Triggers for Foot Arthritis

Arthritis can cause pain and swelling in any joint, and the joints of the feet are no exception.

The American Podiatric Medical Association says the following triggers may contribute to foot arthritis:

• An injury to the foot, especially one that was left untreated.
• A bacterial or viral infection such as pnuemonia or Lyme disease.
• Bowel disorders such as ileitis or colitis.
• Use of certain prescription drugs or illicit drugs.
• Research has suggested that genetic history may also play a role in the development of arthritis.

Health Headlines - June 6

FDA Considers New Psychiatric Drugs for Children

The U.S. government is considering clearing three blockbuster psychiatric drugs currently taken by adults for use in children and adolescents, the Associated Press reported.

The drugs are now approved to treat schizophrenia and bipolar mania, also known as manic depressive disorder, in adults.

The Food and Drug Administration said the drugs appear to work in adolescents, but reviewers worry about exposing youngsters to the medications' side effects, which include weight gain, high blood pressure and sleepiness.

"These risks are of particular concern because of the lifelong nature of these disorders," Dr. Thomas Laughren, the FDA director for psychiatric products, wrote in documents posted online, the AP reported.

The issues will be discussed at a meeting Tuesday, when outside experts will voice their opinions about the drugs' risks and benefits. The FDA usually follows its advisory panels' advice, the AP said.

The drugs -- made by Pfizer Inc., Eli Lilly & Co. and AstraZeneca -- are currently approved to treat schizophrenia and bipolar mania in adults. Together, they accounted for $7.4 billion in sales last year, according to IMS Health, the AP said.

Many physicians already prescribe these drugs to children and teens. While it is permissible for doctors to prescribe as they see fit, pharmaceutical companies can only promote the drugs for FDA-approved uses, the APadded.

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Susan Boyle Leaves Mental Health Clinic

Susan Boyle, the British talent-show sensation, has left a London mental health clinic and is feeling better, according to her brother, the Associated Press reported.

Boyle, a frumpy-looking 47-year-old, won worldwide attention after her blockbuster performance on the television show "Britain's Got Talent."

Last week, after finishing a surprise second to a dance group, she collapsed and was whisked to the Priory Clinic. News reports said Boyle, a humble church volunteer who was living a quiet life in Scotland until six weeks ago, had cried for 24 hours following her defeat.

Her brother, Gerry Boyle, said his sister suffered an anxiety attack but now seems "a lot more like herself," the AP report said.

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Puerto Rico Has High HIV Infection Rate: Study

In 2006, the rate of new HIV infections in Puerto Rico was 45 per 100,000 people, two times higher than in the 50 states and Washington, D.C., according to a study published Thursday.

Injection drug use was the primary cause of transmission among the 1,440 people in Puerto Rico newly infected with HIV in 2006. The infection rate was 2.1 times higher among males than females. People ages 30-39 had the highest rates of infection, said researchers from the Puerto Rico Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the 50 states and Washington, D.C., most new HIV infections occur among gay and bisexual men and among younger adults. The differences noted in Puerto Rico highlight the need to tailor HIV-prevention efforts to meet local needs, the researchers said.

The study appears in the latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published by the CDC.

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Big Differences Among States in Drug Abuse, Mental Illness: Report

Levels of substance abuse and mental illness vary widely among states, according to a U.S. government analysis.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration examined interviews with 135,672 people in 2006 and 2007. Among the findings:

• The highest rate of marijuana use among those 12 and older was in Vermont (2.5 percent) and the lowest was in Utah (1.6 percent).
• The highest rate of cocaine use among those 12 and older was in the District of Columbia (5.1 percent) and the lowest rate was in Mississippi (1.6 percent).
• The highest rate of underage drinking was in North Dakota (40 percent) and the lowest was in Utah (17.3 percent).
• The rate of people 18 and older who had experienced major depression in the past year was highest in Tennessee (9.8 percent) and lowest in Hawaii (5 percent).
• In Iowa, the rate of current illicit drug use among those 12 and older was 5.2 percent, compared to 12.5 percent in Rhode Island. However, Iowa had one of the highest rates of people reporting alcohol dependence or abuse in the past year (9.2 percent).

"This report shows that while every state faces its own unique pattern of public health problems, these problems confront every state," Dr. Eric Broderick, acting administrator of SAMHSA, said in a news release. "By highlighting the exact nature and scope of the problems in each state, we can help state public health authorities better determine the most effective ways of addressing them."

Health Tips for June 6

Health Tip: Dispose of Syringes Safely

Diabetics and others who use syringes and lancets shouldn't just toss those "sharps" into the trash. They can injure and expose others to blood-borne disease.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offers these safe disposal suggestions, if you don't have an approved "sharps" container:

• Dispose of the syringes or other sharp objects in a plastic jug, bottle, or container that needles can't penetrate. Collect them until the container is full, then securely seal and wrap the lid and throw it in the garbage. Make sure the container is not made of glass or another breakable material.
• Look for a container that has a small opening with a lid that can be securely tightened and closed.
• Some good containers to consider are plastic bottles of bleach, liquid laundry detergent, plastic milk jugs or coffee cans.

Health Tip: Taking a Trip When You Have Diabetes

Diabetes doesn't have to keep you from traveling, but you still need some extra preparation before you begin your trip.

The American Diabetes Association offers these suggestions to help you plan before you leave:

• Make sure your diabetes is well-controlled. Before you leave for a long trip, a visit with your doctor to make sure you're healthy, and to get the immunizations you need, is a good idea.
• Pack extra medication, syringes and other supplies.
• Take a letter from your doctor that describes exactly what supplies you need, a list of your medications, and any allergies you have.
• Always wear your bracelet or necklace that identifies you as having diabetes.
• If traveling to a foreign country, learn how to say key phrases in the native tongue, such as "I have diabetes" and how to ask for sugar or orange juice.

Health Headlines - June 5

Puerto Rico Has High HIV Infection Rate: Study

In 2006, the rate of new HIV infections in Puerto Rico was 45 per 100,000 people, two times higher than in the 50 states and Washington, D.C., according to a study published Thursday.

Injection drug use was the primary cause of transmission among the 1,440 people in Puerto Rico newly infected with HIV in 2006. The infection rate was 2.1 times higher among males than females. People ages 30-39 had the highest rates of infection, said researchers from the Puerto Rico Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the 50 states and Washington, D.C., most new HIV infections occur among gay and bisexual men and among younger adults. The differences noted in Puerto Rico highlight the need to tailor HIV-prevention efforts to meet local needs, the researchers said.

The study appears in the latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published by the CDC.

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Big Differences Among States in Drug Abuse, Mental Illness: Report

Levels of substance abuse and mental illness vary widely among states, according to a U.S. government analysis.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration examined interviews with 135,672 people in 2006 and 2007. Among the findings:

• The highest rate of marijuana use among those 12 and older was in Vermont (2.5 percent) and the lowest was in Utah (1.6 percent).
• The highest rate of cocaine use among those 12 and older was in the District of Columbia (5.1 percent) and the lowest rate was in Mississippi (1.6 percent).
• The highest rate of underage drinking was in North Dakota (40 percent) and the lowest was in Utah (17.3 percent).
• The rate of people 18 and older who had experienced major depression in the past year was highest in Tennessee (9.8 percent) and lowest in Hawaii (5 percent).
• In Iowa, the rate of current illicit drug use among those 12 and older was 5.2 percent, compared to 12.5 percent in Rhode Island. However, Iowa had one of the highest rates of people reporting alcohol dependence or abuse in the past year (9.2 percent).

"This report shows that while every state faces its own unique pattern of public health problems, these problems confront every state," Dr. Eric Broderick, acting administrator of SAMHSA, said in a news release. "By highlighting the exact nature and scope of the problems in each state, we can help state public health authorities better determine the most effective ways of addressing them."

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EPA Investigating Safety of Rubber Playgrounds, Sports Fields

Concerns about the possible health effects of sports fields and playgrounds made from ground-up tires prompted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to conduct a study of air and surface samples at four fields and playgrounds with recycled-rubber surfaces.

Government documents say the study began last year, and the results are expected within weeks, the Associated Press reported.

The EPA launched the limited study at the urging of some of its own scientists, who said there were gaps in scientific knowledge about how repeated exposure to bits of shredded tires might affect children's health.

"From everything I've been able to see, I'm not sure there's an imminent hazard, but it's something we're investigating," Michael Firestone, EPA's head of children's health protection, told the AP. "It's critical to take a look at all the data together."

Communities across the country have expressed concerns about children touching, swallowing or inhaling lead, metals and chemicals like benzene and zinc from artificial fields and play areas.

Results of a New York state study released last week found no significant health or environmental concerns about leaching and breathable air above the artificial sports fields, the AP said. Other local studies examining artificial grass or tire-crumb play areas have reached similar conclusions. Several have recommended more research, the AP said.

But New York City has announced its new sports fields no longer will use tire crumbs.

The EPA's limited study won't be definitive, but, along with studies in New Jersey, California, Connecticut and New York, it could help determine whether more research is needed, the AP said.

The ground covering under the Obama family's new play set at the White House is made of ground-up tire mulch, which was recommended by the National Recreation and Park Association.

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More Americans Doing Without Prescription Drugs

With the economic downturn, more Americans are unable to afford the prescription medications they need to manage life-threatening conditions, The New York Times reported.

Even with the Medicare drug benefit, the wide availability of low-cost generics and discounting by big chain stores, national surveys consistently show that as many as a third of respondents say they're not filling prescriptions because of cost. That's up from about a quarter of respondents three years ago.

The problem is common in hard-hit communities like Rocky Mount, N.C., where unemployment has doubled to 14 percent in a year.

Dr. John T. Avent, a physician at a low-income clinic, told The Times that at least 80 percent of his patients aren't taking prescribed medicines for conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes.

"They'll say, 'Well, Doc, I just couldn't afford it; I've been out of it for a month now,'" Avent said. "By that time, of course, their blood pressure is highly elevated and their hemoglobin A1C is two to three times what it should be."

Health Tips for June 5

Health Tip: Get a Safe Pedicure

Lots of people get pedicures in advance of the summer sandal season. But before you hit the salon, consider some safety do's and don'ts.

The American Podiatric Medical Association offers these suggestions to reduce the risk of infection or injury:

• Schedule one of the first appointments in the morning when tubs are cleanest. Or make sure your technician disinfects the tub before your pedicure.
• Bring your own pedicure tools. Use separate tools for pedicures and manicures to prevent contamination between toes and fingers.
• Skip shaving your legs before the appointment to help prevent bacteria from entering the skin.
• Have your feet scrubbed with a pumice stone, but never allow technicians to use a razor to remove dead skin.
• Make sure toenails are cut straight across and smoothed with an emery board. The board should never be shared with anyone else.
• Never allow your nails to be cleaned out with a sharp object that could puncture the skin; a blunt manicure stick is better.
• Make sure toes are completely dry when you leave. Extra moisture can lead to fungal growth.
• Never allow your cuticles to be cut, only pushed back.

Health Tip: Keep Your Feet Safe in Flip-Flops

Flip-flops may feel great to wear during summer, but your feet might not agree. Many flip-flops offer no or little protection for the feet, and can lead to pain or injury.

The American Podiatric Medical Association has these suggestions to help protect your feet while wearing flip-flops:

• Invest in better quality flip-flops, made of a soft leather.
• Try to bend the flip-flop gently. While it should give at the ball of the foot, never purchase any flip-flop that completely bends in half.
• Opt for flip-flops instead of walking barefoot in areas such as public pools, beaches, locker rooms and hotel rooms.
• Make sure the flip-flops fit, and your feet don't extend beyond the edge.
• Protect your feet with a sturdier shoe (never a flip-flop) when playing sports, doing a lot of walking, or working in the yard.
• Throw out old, worn flip-flops.
• Take care of any sores or irritated skin between the toes.

Health Headlines - June 4

FDA to Review BPA-Safety Decision

The U.S. government has agreed to reconsider its position that Bisphenol-A, a chemical used to harden plastics, is safe at levels found in baby bottles and other everyday products, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Dr. Margaret Hamburg, commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said the review should be complete by the end of summer or early fall. The FDA's acting chief scientist is in charge of the review, she said.

Democrats on the House of Representatives' Energy and Commerce Committee on Tuesday sent a letter to Hamburg asking the agency to review a decision made last August, when it determined that BPA, as the chemical is known, was safe at levels currently used for plastic bottles and other food and beverage containers.

But other studies suggest BPA causes health problems in humans. The FDA, which was criticized by some of its own advisers for its initial decision, agreed to review some of those studies, the Journal reported.

BPA, a hardening agent, is also found in CDs, bike helmets, sunglasses and in the linings of bottle tops and metal cans.

Containers of pre-mixed infant formula contain BPA, and health advocates wonder what effect that might have on babies. It's also in some plastic baby bottles, although many baby-bottle makers have discontinued using BPA.

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Where Eating Will Kill Your Diet: Restaurant Awards

Eating at some of America's best-known restaurant chains can pack a day's worth of calories into just one dish, USA Today reported.

The consumer watchdog group Center for Science in the Public Interest announced on Tuesday its 2009 Xtreme Eating Awards for dishes that it said are loaded with calories and artering-clogging saturated fats.

Some of the worst offenders, according to USA Today:

• Applebee's Quesadilla Burger, which packs 1,820 calories, 46 grams of saturated fat and 4,410 milligrams of sodium.
• Chili's Big Mouth Bites, with 2,350 calories, 38 grams of saturated fat and 3,940 milligrams of sodium.
• Uno Chicago Grill's Mega-Sized Deep Dish Sundae, with 2,800 calories and 72 grams of saturated fat.
• Olive Garden's Tour of Italy, providing 1,450 calories, 33 grams of saturated fat and 3,830 milligrams of sodium.
• The Cheesecake Factory's Chicken and Biscuits, with 2,500 calories.

"It's as if restaurants are on a mission to make bad food even worse," said Jayne Hurley, a CSPI nutritionist. "Fifteen years ago, restaurant entrees might top out at 1,000 calories, and now we are finding them in the 2,000 calories range."

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Curry May Protect Against Alzheimer's: Report

Regular consumption of curry may help protect against Alzheimer's disease, a U.S. researcher told the annual meeting of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Britain.

Studies suggest that curcumin, a component of the spice tumeric, appears to prevent the spread of dementia-associated amyloid protein plaques in the brain, said Professor Murali Doraiswamy of Duke University, BBC News reported.

There's evidence that people who consume curry two or three times a week are less likely to develop dementia, said Doraiswamy, who added that researchers are examining the effects of higher doses of curry.

"There is very solid evidence that curcumin binds to plaques, and basic research on animals engineered to produce human amyloid plaques has shown benefits," the Duke University professor told the meeting, BBC News reported.

"The next step is to test curcumin on human amyloid plaque formation using newer brain scans and there are plans for that." said Doraiswamy. A clinical trial is underway at the University of California, Los Angeles, to test curcumin's effects in Alzheimer's patients, he said.

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China Closes Thousands of Milk Inspection Stations

The Chinese government has closed more than 3,900 substandard milk collection stations in the wake of last year's contaminated-milk scandal that killed at least six children and left about 300,000 other children with kidney and urinary problems.

State media reported that all of China's 20,393 milk stations were inspected between November 2008 and April this year, and 3,908 were shut down because of lack of proper equipment or poor hygiene, Agence France Presse reported.

Last year's scandal, which involved milk laced with the industrial chemical melamine, led to worldwide recalls and bans of Chinese dairy products.

Milk collection stations became the focus of attention after investigators learned that middlemen had added melamine to diluted milk in order to make it seem to have a higher protein content, AFP reported.

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FDA Approves First Cancer Drug for Dogs

The first drug specifically developed to treat cancer in dogs has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Palladia, made by Pfizer Animal Health Inc., can be used to treat canine cutaneous (skin-based) mast cell tumors, a type of cancer that causes about 20 percent of skin tumors in dogs, the FDA said. Canine mast cell tumors can appear small and insignificant, but can be a very serious form of cancer in dogs.

Common side effects associated with Palladia are diarrhea, decrease or loss of appetite, lameness, weight loss and blood in the stool.

"This cancer drug approval for dogs is an important step forward for veterinary medicine," Bernadette Dunham, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, said in a news release.

"Prior to this approval, veterinarians had to rely on human (cancer) drugs, without knowledge of how safe or effective they would be for dogs. Today's approval offers dog owners, in consultation with their veterinarians, an option for treatment of their dog's cancer," Dunham said.

Health Tips for June 4

Health Tip: Fire Safety for Seniors

People 85 and older are five times more likely than younger people to die in a fire, the FireSafety.gov Web site warns.

Here's the site's list of why seniors are at increased risk of death or injury in a fire:

• Seniors' reflexes and response times are not always as fast as those of younger people.
• Medications that many seniors take may impact reflexes and decision-making abilities.
• Seniors who live alone don't have the help they need to prevent and react to factors that cause fires, including cooking and accidents.
• Unsafe use of cigarettes and other smoking materials is a common cause of fires involving seniors.
• Improperly used or maintained heating equipment, such as wood-burning stoves or electric space heaters, are a frequent cause of fires involving older people.
• Wiring problems in older homes are another significant cause of fires.

Health Tip: Benefitting From Adult Day Care

Some seniors become lonely staying home alone all day, particularly if they can no longer drive. And for older people with memory or physical problems, staying home alone can be unsafe.

That's when adult day care may come in.

Rotary International offers this list of adult day care's potential benefits:

• It's a safe, supervised place to be.
• It includes enjoyable activities and an opportunity to learn new things.
• It may allow participants to become mentally and physically healthier.
• It promotes a feeling of staying independent.
• It affords an opportunity to socialize, make friends and get support from other seniors.
• It includes regular, healthier meals and snacks.

Health Headlines - June 3

FDA to Warn of Antidepressants' Impact on Tamoxifen: Report

The U.S. government plans to warn doctors that the interaction between the breast-cancer drug tamoxifen and popular antidepressants such as Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft increases the risk of breast-cancer recurrence, the Wall Street Journal reported.

A study that included about 1,300 women found that the drug combination increases the risk of breast-cancer recurrence from the normal rate of 7.5 percent to 16 percent. As a result of the findings, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it would alert doctors to the negative interaction, the Journal said.

The study, led by researchers at Medco Health Solutions Inc., found that tamoxifen does not have this negative association with all antidepressants. Women who took drugs such as Celexa, Lexapro and Luvox didn't have a statistically higher rate of breast-cancer recurrence.

The findings were released last weekend at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Tamoxifen is used to prevent the return of estrogen-dependent tumors, one of the most common types of breast cancer.

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Slower Growth in Health Spending Would Boost U.S. Economy: Report

The national economy would benefit if growth in health-care spending slowed from 6 percent per year to 4.5 percent, according to a report released Tuesday by President Obama's chief economic advisers.

The Council of Economic Advisers said such a change would create as many as 500,000 jobs a year and boost annual income for the average annual family of four by $2,600 over the next decade, the Washington Post reported.

In addition, cutting costs while extending coverage to the 46 million uninsured Americans would remove "unnecessary barriers" to job mobility, improve the federal budget outlook and benefit the nation's overall economic well-being by about $100 billion a year, the council predicted.

However, they offered few details about how those goals would be achieved and didn't discuss any increased federal spending required to implement health reform, the Post reported.

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Experts Concerned About Popularity of Electronic Cigarettes

Electronic cigarettes are becoming increasingly popular in the United States, but the unapproved and virtually unstudied products have government officials and medical experts worried, The New York Times reported.

Safety claims about e-cigarettes, which contain nicotine, are unfounded since their components have never been tested.

"We basically don't know anything about them. They've never been tested for safety or efficacy to help people stop smoking," Dr. Richard D. Hurt, director of the Nicotine Dependence Center at the Mayo Clinic, told the Times.

Novelty, ease of access and enticing flavors may tempt children to use e-cigarettes, public health officials worry.

"It looks like a cigarette and is marketed as a cigarette. There's nothing that prevents youth from getting addicted to nicotine," Jonathon P. Winickoff, an associate professor at the Massachusetts General Hospital for Children and chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics Tobacco Consortium, told the Times.

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Possible Link Between Air Pollution and Abdominal Pain: Study

Air pollution may be to blame for many cases of non-specific abdominal pain, say Canadian researchers who compared data on 120,000 patients and levels of air pollution such as ozone, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter.

The study found that nearly two-thirds of hospital visits for non-specific abdominal pain were by women, the majority ages 15-24. Young women were more likely to seek treatment for non-specific abdominal pain on days when there were elevated levels of air pollution, United Press International reported.

Young women may be most susceptible because they're at increased risk for functional motility disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome, the researchers said.

The study was to be presented Wednesday at the Digestive Disease Week meeting in Chicago, UPI reported.

Health Tips for June 3

Health Tip: Eat Enough Fiber

Fiber is a plant substance that's required eating for a healthy diet. Lots of fiber is needed each day to help reduce the risk of heart disease, improve digestion, prevent constipation and maintain a healthy body weight, the U.S. National Library of Medicine says.

Fiber can be found in fruits, whole grains and vegetables. Most adults should eat at least 20 grams to 35 grams of fiber every day, though the agency says most people only eat about half as much.

It's best to slowly increase the fiber in your diet instead of piling it on all at once. A sudden increase in fiber intake can cause abdominal discomfort, the NLM says.

Health Tip: Plan Ahead for Healthy Meals

Many people have the best intentions when it comes to cooking and eating healthy, but late nights at work and juggling family schedules can make it a challenge.

The American Diabetes Association says you should carefully plan your meals. It offers these suggestions:

• Create a menu for the week ahead.
• Shop for the ingredients in advance. You should never use "not having the time to shop" as an excuse.
• Always keep a healthy supply of ingredients on hand, including olive and vegetable oil, chicken broth, frozen fruits and veggies, seasonings, healthy canned sauces and fish.
• Keep junk food out of the house. Instead, have healthy snacks available to grab when you or family members are hungry.
• Cook enough healthy food for leftovers or additional meals.
• Try not to eat out too often.

Health Headlines - June 2

FDA Approves Reclast Use Once Every Two Years

Reclast has received U.S. approval as an osteoporosis treatment that can be used once every two years, drug maker Novartis AG announced Monday.

The Associated Press reported that the drug was already being used in the U.S. and Europe as a once-a-year infusion therapy to treat postmenopausal osteoporosis in women, to increase bone mass in men with osteoporosis, and to treat and prevent osteoporosis caused by steroid treatment.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for use of Reclast once every two years is based on research involving more than 500 post-menopausal women with low bone mass, Novartis said. A single infusion of the drug significantly increased bone mineral density at two years, the study found.

According to Novartis, osteoporosis affects about 10 million women and men in the United States, the AP reported.

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Low Glycogen Linked to Drinking-Related Violence: Study

People who always become aggressive or violent when they drink may have low glycogen levels, a problem that could be remedied with medication and regular meals, suggest Finnish researchers.

They analyzed the insulin and glycogen levels of 49 men with alcohol problems who committed violent acts when drinking and compared them to a control group of 40 healthy men, Agence France Presse reported.

During eight years of follow-up, 17 of the 49 men with alcohol problems committed at least one new act of violence while drinking. The study found that those men had higher insulin levels and lower glycogen levels than the other men with alcohol problems who didn't commit any additional acts of violence, or men in the control group.

The findings "might suggest that substances increasing glycogen formation and decreasing the risk of hypoglycemia might be potential treatments for impulsive violent behavior," wrote researchers at the University of Helsinki, and those at Helsinki University Hospital, AFP reported.

Regular eating habits while drinking alcohol may also prevent violence, the scientists added.

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Bausch & Lomb Settling Contact Lens Solution Lawsuits

Contact lens maker Bausch & Lomb Inc. has so far paid out about $250 million to settle nearly 600 lawsuits related to fungal infections linked to its contact lens solution ReNu MoistureLoc, and still has to resolve dozens more claims the Associated Press reported.

The solution, used for cleaning, storing and moistening soft contact lenses, is blamed by more than 700 people in the United States and Asia for exposure to a potentially blinding infection called Fusarium keratitis, the AP said.

In the United States, there were 180 confirmed cases in 35 states between June 2005 and September 2006, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Seven people in the United States had to have an eye removed due to infection and at least 60 more needed vision-saving corneal transplants, the AP reported.

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Researchers ID Genetic Link to Drug-Induced Liver Injury

A genetic link associated with drug-induced liver injury in some people who take the antibiotic Flucloxacillin has been identified by the International Serious Adverse Event Consortium (SAEC). Flucloxacillin is widely used in Europe and Australia but isn't sold in the United States.

Researchers found that the HLA-B*5701 gentype was associated with Flucloxacillin-related liver injury. HLA-B is one of a number of highly variable genes on chromosome 6 that control immune function. The findings, published in the July issue of the journal Nature Genetics, may help identify patients at increased risk for drug-induced liver injury (DILI).

"These findings provide the research community with novel genomic data on DILI events and make an important contribution to the science of drug safety," Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a news release. "By making these data available, the research community will have better tools to evaluate predictive biomarkers for adverse events such as DILI. This type of collaborative research will eventually reduce a patient's likelihood of experiencing serious, and sometimes life-threatening, adverse drug events."

Health Tips for June 2

Health Tip: Preventing the Return of Pancreatitis

Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas, an organ that plays a key role in the body's digestive system.

Although the disease isn't fully understood, here are steps you can take to prevent it from returning, the American Gastroenterological Association says:

• If your doctor has told you that your illness is related to alcohol, avoid all alcoholic beverages.
• Eat a healthy diet and avoid foods that are high in fat or very greasy, especially if your illness is related to gallstones. Gallstone-related pancreatitis may require removal of your gallbladder.
• Talk to your doctor about taking an enzyme supplement that can help your body digest foods.
• Develop a new meal plan with your doctor to help reduce symptoms and prevent aggravation of the pancreas.

Health Tip: Using a Dietary Supplement

More than half of Americans take a dietary supplement of some kind, the Cleveland Clinic says.

But all supplements aren't safe and effective. The clinic offers this primer:

• There's no better substitute for a healthy, balanced diet, which can provide most healthy people with all of the nutrients they need.
• Supplements are a good option for people who can't get enough of certain needed nutrients through diet. Pregnant women, athletes and vegetarians are prime examples.
• Too much of a good thing can cause serious health problems. Be sure not to exceed the recommended daily amount of any supplement.
• Supplements aren't regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, so it's up to consumers to carefully check supplement labels to be sure what they're taking.

Health Headlines - June 1

Scientists Turn Skin Cells Into Stem Cells

Scientists who found a safe way to transform skin cells into stem cells say their achievement is an important step forward in making grow-in-a-dish transplant tissue available to patients.

The researchers used four introduced genes to reprogram skin cells to become indistinguishable from stem cells, Agence France Presse reported. The results, published online in the journal Cell Stem Cell, are so promising that the scientists hope to begin clinical trials by the middle of 2010.

"This is the first safe method of generating patient-specific stem cells," study author Robert Lanza, chief scientific officer at Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine International, told AFP. "This technology will soon allow us to expand the range of possible stem cell therapies for the entire human body."

He added that this method "allows us to generate the raw material to solve the problem of rejection (by the immune system) so this is really going to accelerate the field of regenerative medicine."

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Malaria Showing Signs of Drug Resistance

There's evidence that malaria in some parts of Cambodia is becoming resistant to front-line artemesinin drugs, a situation that needs to be contained because full-blown resistance would pose a serious worldwide health crisis, scientists warn.

Until now, these drugs cleared all the malaria parasites from a patient's blood within two or three days. But two teams of scientists conducting research in western Cambodia have found this process can now take four or five days, BBC News reported.

It's not clear why this resistance appears to be developing in this region of Cambodia, but the use of anti-malaria drugs isn't properly controlled and the local public health system is weak. Currently, malaria kills about a million people a year. About half the world's population faces exposure to malaria, BBC News reported.

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Deadly New Virus Identified in Africa

A deadly new hemorrhagic virus has been identified in Africa after it infected five people, killing four of them. The so-called "Lujo" virus causes bleeding like the Ebola virus.

The outbreak of the new virus began last September when a women in Zambia became ill with a fever-like illness that quickly became much more serious. She was taken to a hospital in South Africa, where she died, the Associated Press reported.

A paramedic who treated the woman and three health-care workers also became infected and three of them died. It's believed the virus spreads from person to person through contact with infected body fluids, investigators said.

"This (virus) is really, really aggressive," Dr. Ian Lipkin, a Columbia University epidemiologist involved in the discovery of the new virus, told the AP. He and his colleagues reported on the virus in a paper published online in the journal PLoS Pathogens.

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Genes Main Cause of Premature Ejaculation: Study

Genes, not nerves, are the main cause of premature ejaculation, according to a Finnish study that included more than 3,000 men.

The men, all pairs of male twins and their younger or older brothers, were interviewed about the first time they had sex. Many of them said they experienced erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation, United Press International reported.

The researchers concluded that premature ejaculation appears to be strongly associated with genetic factors, but not with external factors such as nervousness or intoxication. However, external factors can cause erectile dysfunction.

The study was published in the Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy.

Health Tips for June 1

Health Tip: Be an Involved Grandparent

Being a grandparent is one of the great joys of life. But if you feel like your child-care skills have rusted, Rotary International offers these suggestions:

• Spend time, one-on-one, with each grandchild.
• Don't spend the time together doing mundane things such as running errands. Instead, enjoy a fun, leisurely afternoon without a set schedule.
• Spend time together outdoors, at a local park or on a nature hike.
• Take your grandchild to a movie, play or concert, or visit local sights.
• Play games together. Card and board games are a fun way to help your grandchild learn, as you enjoy each other's company.
• Help your child learn about his or her family. Tell stories about family history, including when your grandchild's parents were young.

Health Tip: Avoid Germs From a Petting Zoo

Petting zoos are a fun attraction for children, but it can expose you and the youngsters to germs.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that you take these precautions:

• Make use of any hand-washing stations set up around the petting zoo.
• Always wash hands immediately after petting the animals, after touching gates or fences, and always before you eat.
• Try to wash hands with soap and water; hand-sanitizing gel will suffice if no running water is present.
• Never take food or drink into the petting zoo area.
• Carefully watch young children, especially those aged 5 or younger. Make sure that while petting the animals, they don't put anything into their mouths -- including fingers, pacifiers or toys.