There is strong evidence that chemotherapy drugs are actually causing cancer among hospital workers, while causing new, additional cancers in cancer patients themselves.

Pharmacists who prepare the chemo drugs, and members of the teams of oncology doctors and nurses who handle the drugs, are getting sick and dying from cancers that are very likely caused by the drugs. The evidence points to a higher incidence of cancers among these workers than the public at large. Read the rest of this entry »

Despite routine household cleaning, a new study found mold is thriving in many U.S. homes — often at levels high enough to trigger allergy and asthma attacks.

160 homes in seven U.S. cities were surveyed by Kelly A. Reynolds of the University of Arizona, in Tucson. 100% of the homes tested positive for mold on some inside surface; on average, four sites per house tested positive for mold. Read the rest of this entry »

The best defense against the cold and flu is at least three hours of physical activity per day, according to a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology.

Exercise has a positive impact on the immune system.

Moderate exercise and physical activity enhance immunity and reduce the rate of upper respiratory infections. Stress and obesity suppress the immune system. Read the rest of this entry »

Obesity is a serious health concern for American children and adolescents. The rate of increase in obesity statistics among American children and adolescents is trending sharply upward. With no real solutions being implemented, childhood obesity could reasonably be called an epidemic. Read the rest of this entry »

Memory is often a problem as we get older. Sometimes we forget where we put something, or we can’t remember names — the variations are endless. We’ve come to accept this condition as “normal” in the older population, but a new study shows that, if you’re a woman, memory loss and cognitive function may be linked to your weight.

The study, which involved 8,745 cognitively normal, post-menopausal women ages 65 to 79, showed that for every one-point increase in a woman’s body mass index (BMI), a point was lost from her memory score. Read the rest of this entry »

In June of 2010, Kellogg’s recalled 28 million boxes of Corn Pops, Honey Smacks, Froot Loops and Apple Jacks after customers complained of the cereal having a bad smell and suffering various symptoms including nausea and diarrhea after eating some of the cereal.

Kellogg’s said the problem was an “off-taste and smell” that caused the nausea and diarrhea in some “sensitive” people. The company said testing found “slightly elevated levels” of a food packaging “substance” in the box liners. The company did not publicly identify the mystery substance. Read the rest of this entry »

Did you know that many of the personal care products — shampoos, deodorants, skin creams, cosmetics, shaving lotions, hair color, and so on — contain potentially dangerous chemicals? Those chemicals are absorbed through our skin every time we use these products, and some are very hard to eliminate. Unfortunately, you can’t always tell from the labels whether a chemical is dangerous or not, but you don’t have to wonder about product safety anymore: Check out the Skin Deep database. Read the rest of this entry »

Now those damaged by the questionable marketing practices of pharmaceutical companies get more justice!

According to the Attorney General of Washington State, AstraZeneca, manufacturer and marketer of the antipsychosis drug Seroquel® will pay for their improper marketing and advice to medical professionals. Read the rest of this entry »

In early May 2010, The Food and Drug Administration announced a voluntary recall of Johnson & Johnson products manufactured by their McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division.

Covered by the recall were liquid infant’s and children’s Tylenol®, Motrin®, Zyrtec®, and Benadryl®.

In the 11 months prior to the recall, the company had received 46 consumer complaints about black specks or foreign material in these drugs. The FDA met with the manufacturer in February 2010 and in April, FDA inspectors walked into the manufacturing plant for an investigation. The day the investigation’s report was issued, Johnson & Johnson announced its “voluntary” recall. Read the rest of this entry »

Over the last few years, a scandal has been brewing, but it’s been out of sight to most people. Still, many healthcare providers and hundreds of patients have been aware of it or seriously affected by it.
The problem started in 2007 when the Food and Drug Administration started receiving an increasing number of reports of deaths in patients receiving the blood-thinning drug heparin.

Heparin is used when patients are going through procedures where blood clots might create life-threatening situations, such as cardiac surgery or kidney dialysis. It’s also used when blood clots are threatened. It is administered as an injection, but it is also present as a coating in some medical devices such as catheters, oxygenators, pumps, filters, and blood reservoirs used during cardiac procedures. Read the rest of this entry »