New information released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics links preterm births and infant mortality rates in the United States. The U.S. ranked 30th out of 31 countries in overall infant mortality rates, showing 6.9 of every 1,000 live births resulted in death, a statistic that is complemented by the fact that 1/8 of the births in the U.S. were preterm, a high rate compared to numbers from European countries.
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Men and women have different health needs, and each gender finds itself with special health risks and needs. Women, in particular, are required to pay particular attention to certain health conditions because of body composition, such as reproductive organs. And for reasons left to scientists, women are also more susceptible to certain diseases, thereby requiring them to pay more attention to their health and prevention practices.
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So far, as many as 5.7 million Americans have been infected with the H1N1 flu virus, which is widespread in 48 states—an unprecedented level for the early weeks of flu season. Yet the H1N1 vaccine supply continues to lag far behind what officials had estimated would be available, leaving public health departments, clinics, and doctor’s offices across the country scrambling for ways to vaccinate those at highest risk for complications. Officials initially announced that 120 million doses would be available by October 1. That number was later amended to 40 million, but as of Friday, only 26.6 million doses had been shipped. Even President Barack Obama has expressed frustration with the delays and Senators Joseph I. Lieberman and Susan Collins sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius demanding details about the lag in production.
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Every day, people in parks, community centers, YMCAs, gyms, churches, and living rooms across the country are performing tai chi, a centuries-old Chinese martial art—not because of their interest in martial training, but for its purported physical and mental health benefits. Tai chi’s slow, repetitive movements provide a low-impact method for strengthening the body’s muscular, skeletal, and organ systems while the emphasis on breathing and inner stillness relieves stress and anxiety. And as an added bonus, it burns more calories than surfing and nearly as many as downhill skiing. Studies have shown tai chi may help lower cholesterol, improve cardiovascular and respiratory function, reduce the symptoms of Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), reduce the severity of diabetes, and improve people’s overall health. And recently, researchers found that regular tai chi exercise can also help reduce pain and improve knee function among seniors with osteoarthritis.
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It was in June of 2009 that President Obama charged all members of Congress with the task of coming to agreement on proper and forward-thinking health care reform. It was the last week of October before bills were actually introduced to the House and the Senate, as months of fighting between the political parties and struggling with a sometimes misinformed public (and media) delayed the process much longer than anticipated.
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Obesity is still a big problem within our country, and now one of the medications prescribed for children could be a factor in their weight gain. Up to one-third of adolescents and children who took some of the common antipsychotic drugs for the first time became overweight or obese in as little as 11 weeks, which in turn raised their risk for diabetes and heart disease.
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Since New York issued a mandate in 2008 requiring fast food restaurants to post calorie counts on their menus, consumers have become more calorie conscious and are making better meal choices. The city is the first in the U.S. to have issued such a mandate.
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Throughout the summer and autumn months of 2009, as the health care reform debate rages on from the halls of Congress to the homes of many Americans, a key point in the discussions has been the level of waste in the current system that makes it so expensive. The Obama administration has touted reforms as a way of fixing the problems that cause waste, and the subsequent money saved could help pay for said reforms. Now there are facts that back up those statements, coming from an independent study released on Monday, October 26, which verifies that the current result of waste in the U.S. health care system costs the country between $505 billion and $850 billion.
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At a time when the issue of health care dominates news coverage and the attention of the government, as well as the public it represents, it only seems appropriate that the latest study is released with rankings of the states based on the performance of their health care systems. The state of health care in America is important each day of the year, but with the current concentration on accessibility, pricing, availability, and quality of the system, any analysis of the system rings particularly true.
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Heart specialists may advise you to drink a glass or two of red wine to keep your heart healthy but emerging research may be shedding a new light on the same theory involving diabetes health. Next time you are planning a road trip, ski trip, or just a quiet dinner at home, you may want to reach for the red grapes and put a bushel (or bottle) in your cart to ward off the danger of diabetes.
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