Smoking Bans Cut Heart Attack Risk
Every year, more than 400,000 Americans die of illnesses related to their smoking, and so do thousands of non-smokers who have been exposed to secondhand smoke—a combination of smoke that comes from the burning end of a cigarette, cigar or pipe and the smoke exhaled by the smoker. Non-smokers who breathe in secondhand smoke take in the same toxic chemicals that smokers do, including more than 50 substances that are known to cause cancer in humans or animals. The more secondhand smoke a person is exposed to, the higher the level of these harmful chemicals in their body. For adults, the health effects of exposure to secondhand smoke include respiratory tract infections, lung cancer, nasal sinus cancer and heart disease.
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Placebos, the ubiquitous sugar pills of old, are usually employed in drug trials to determine the effectiveness of a medication. Comparing the responses of both the medication and a placebo allows for the measurement of the efficacy of the treatment. However, in some cases, the placebo actually can have an effect, as is the case in a recent trial where the placebo actually reduced pain signaling in their spinal cord.
Over the years, immunization has saved millions of lives and prevented hundreds of millions of cases of disease. Today in the United States, children routinely get vaccines that protect them from 14 diseases, all of which, at one time or another, were a serious threat to our country’s children. For instance, diphtheria used to be one of the most dreaded of childhood diseases, killing more than 10,000 Americans each year, but today’s doctors are likely to never see a single case. And smallpox, which was one of the most devastating diseases the world has ever known, has been eradicated from the Earth thanks to vaccination.
Although early-stage dementia emerges as a memory disorder that commonly affects the aging mind, the end-stage effects are extensive and the illness is terminal. Based on new research, experts have redefined advanced dementia as fatal failure of the brain.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is expanding the list of conditions and diseases acknowledged as having a connection to being exposed to Agent Orange. Under the VA’s new proposal, additional medical conditions would have presumptive status, thereby making it easier for those who suffer from these illnesses to qualify for VA benefits.
You can drastically reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes simply by choosing to reside in a neighborhood that promotes exercise and offers easy access to healthy foods. In fact, people who live in “healthy” neighborhoods that provide safe sidewalks, plentiful parks, and readily accessible fresh fruits and vegetables, along with dependable public transportation, are 38 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than people who live in less healthy neighborhoods.
It’s a subject you’ve already heard a great deal about, and one that won’t be going away anytime soon—the H1N1 flu virus. Widespread flu activity is already being reported in 37 states, virtually all due to H1N1. Across the nation, flu-related doctor visits, hospitalizations and deaths are increasing and are higher than expected for this time of year. From August 30 to October 3, there were 3,874 laboratory-confirmed influenza associated hospitalizations, 240 laboratory-confirmed influenza associated deaths, 12,384 pneumonia and influenza syndrome-based hospitalizations and 1,544 pneumonia and influenza syndrome deaths reported to the CDC. The agency is also reporting 19 influenza-associated pediatric deaths in the past week; 16 of which were associated with H1N1 virus infection and three with influenza A virus for which subtype was undetermined. 
Ever feel like you are tired all the time but your doctor can’t seem to find the cause? You may suffer from a syndrome that approximately 10 million Americans have called chronic fatigue syndrome. Recently it has been discovered that a retrovirus is now linked with this syndrome, so treatment may be easier to find.
On the heels of October’s National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, legislators are often looking for ways to beat the cancer before it has a chance to take over the patient’s body…with awareness. Capitol Hill was recently the host of a congressional reception as a move to garner attention for the EARLY Act, an attempt to spread breast cancer information and prevention to young women.
When a woman gets pregnant—once she gets through the torturous morning sickness phase—she gets that healthy gorgeous glow that oftentimes carries through the rest of her term. However, even though pregnant women tend to get that special glow that radiates off of them, many still depend on skincare treatments to help them feel pretty when the rest of their body is rapidly changing and growing.