Salmon, tuna, and other fish are loaded with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, so they must be good for you, right? Not so fast—some types of fish have more mercury than others, and others are harvested from the ocean or farmed in a way that’s harmful to the environment.
Now, a new list has come to the rescue: It sorts through the confusion by rating fish in terms of levels of omega-3 fatty acids, mercury and other toxins, and in terms of their sustainability or ocean-friendly status. (more…)
The full results of a landmark trial of an AIDS vaccine show that the shot did have limited success in protecting recipients from HIV.
But the study, published Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, also suggests that this effect fades with time and may not work well for those at highest risk from HIV, such as people who engage in risky sexual practices or abuse intravenous drugs.
“Although our study provided preliminary evidence that an HIV vaccine regimen has the potential to prevent infection, it did not have the power to address two intriguing questions: vaccine efficacy may have decreased over the first year after vaccination, and vaccine efficacy may have been greater in persons at lower risk of infection,” wrote the researchers who tested the vaccine on more than 16,000 young adult volunteers in Thailand. (more…)
Infant car seats have saved countless young lives, but those same seats are also responsible for injuring thousands of youngsters when improperly used outside a vehicle, a new study found.
More than 43,000 infants in the United States required emergency room care between 2003 and 2007 after falling in car seats that were improperly placed on tables, counters and other elevated surfaces. Accidents were even reported after seats rolled over on soft surfaces, such as beds and sofas, the study discovered. (more…)
Maybe you take some echinacea when you feel a cold coming on or sip a little chamomile tea to soothe an upset tummy. Smart moves. But which natural health boosters should you take regularly—and when?
The answers are extra important during tough financial times, when more and more Americans are buying vitamins and supplements as they struggle to afford traditional health care. (more…)
People who live in neighborhoods that promote physical activity and offer access to healthy foods may be less likely to develop type 2 diabetes, researchers say.
Their study included 2,285 people, aged 45 to 84, living in neighborhoods in Baltimore, Forsyth County, N.C., and New York City/Bronx. Their neighborhoods were assessed by asking residents questions, such as whether it’s easy or pleasant to walk in their community, and whether local stores carry a large, high-quality selection of fruits, vegetables and other low-fat foods. Average neighborhood scores were 3.68 for physical activity and 3.36 for healthy foods, the researchers found. (more…)
Even as the H1N1 swine flu vaccine is distributed coast to coast, many people say they have safety concerns that may stop them from getting vaccinated.
Although experts say those fears are unwarranted, a recent Associated Press-GfK poll found only about half of Americans said they are planning to get the vaccine. Most of those are older people — so far among the least vulnerable to the virus.
Almost three-quarters of respondents said they were concerned about the vaccine’s safety (although many of these said they still were going to get the shot).
And a University of Michigan poll found that only 40 percent of parents wanted to get their children inoculated. (more…)
Young infants may cry a lot. And new parents may not know exactly what’s wrong.
The University of Michigan Health System lists these warning signs that your new baby may be in pain:
Source : Yahoo Health
Sound therapy serves to be a great way for relaxing and enjoying a soothing sleep. The sound music is a marvelous technology that is really effective to get peace. Apart from endowing one with tranquility, this sound therapy is even helpful for other issues. Both the young and adult people can get benefit from the treatment of sound therapy that is not just simple to use but cost effective as well.
Sound therapy treatment is one among the most interesting and effective way to get peaceful sleep. As it is a fact that all of us are actually tired after working everyday. For some, it can be simple to lie down and sleep while for the others, getting sound sleep is just like a dream. Such individuals try their best to sleep but to no avail.
To adopt sound therapy effectively, the person needs to listen to some type of music like the classical music on daily basis. The treatment makes use of various sound qualities that inspire the person’s inner ear. When this music reaches the person’s brain, his or her senses are automatically soothed and brought to relaxation state. (more…)
Every day we put potential toxins into our mouths, breathe them into our lungs, and track them into our homes without ever really knowing where they’ll end up—or how much damage they’ll do when they get there. In fact, if you could peek inside your body you’d find fire-retardant chemicals, heavy metals, pesticides, plastic particles, and dozens of other residues of modern life.
Every day we put potential toxins into our mouths, breathe them into our lungs, and track them into our homes without ever really knowing where they’ll end up—or how much damage they’ll do when they get there. In fact, if you could peek inside your body you’d find fire-retardant chemicals, heavy metals, pesticides, plastic particles, and dozens of other residues of modern life.
3. Look out for lead
Thanks to the widespread use of leaded gasoline in past decades, women 40 and up have high amounts of lead in their bones, says Ellen Silbergeld, PhD, a toxicology expert at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Why that’s bad: As your bones greedily soak up calcium, they can easily be fooled by lead, a dangerous metalliclook-alike. Lead-laden bones may be weak and prone to breaks. And as bones start to thin after menopause, the toxic metal could be released into the bloodstream, where it can increase blood pressure and possibly lead to neurological and kidney trouble.
How to fight back? Calcium, vitamin D, and regular exercise all can slow bone loss and reduce the amount of lead that moves from the bones into the blood, Silbergeld says. To keep more lead from climbing aboard, reduce dust in your home with either frequent wet-mopping or good vacuuming with a HEPA-filtered cleaner. (HEPA vacuums trap even those tiny dust particles you can’t see.) (more…)
