Health and Healing | The Good For You Network

Proper hand-washing essential during flu season
- Health & Healing
- January 18, 2013
The simple everyday action of hand-washing, if done right, can truly help keep you healthy and go a long way in preventing the flu. Dr. Elaine Larson, associate dean of research at Columbia University School of Nursing, explains that some people may not be practicing proper hand-washing techniques. "The biggest mistake is not covering the surfaces most
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Sleep doctor on sleep aid morning after: “Like driving drunk”
- Health & Healing
- January 18, 2013
The FDA released new guidelines for the popular sleeping pill Ambien and other sleep aids containing the same active ingredient, cutting the recommended dose for women in half. New studies have indicated that women metabolize the drug differently and that it stays in their system longer, leading to a higher risk of injury due to
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Patients rarely told about medication errors
- Health & Healing
- January 16, 2013
Patients and their families are rarely told when hospitals make mistakes with their medicines, according to a new study. Reuters, 1/11/2013
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CDC: 1 in 8 U.S. women binge drink 3 times a month
- Health & Healing
- January 11, 2013
Binge drinking — defined as consuming four or more alcoholic drinks at one time — can take a serious toll on anyone's health. And, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals in a new report, it's an under-recognized activity that almost 14 million American women participate in about three times a month. Dr. Robert
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1 in 24 Americans Drives Drowsy, CDC Says
- Health & Healing
- January 9, 2013
Dr. Kingman Strohl, interim division chief of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at UH Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, reports that drowsy driving crashes are more likely to be fatal, and she explains, "A typical driver makes about 1000 decisions a minute. If a personal has not slept in 18 consecutive hours, their
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Blood Clot Risk Factors: 5 Ways To Help Prevent This Damaging And Potentially Deadly Condition
- Health & Healing
- January 3, 2013
Blood clots, like the one Hillary Clinton developed, can happen for many different reasons and under a variety of circumstances. Sometimes clots can form for seemingly no reason at all. Experts say there are at least five steps you can take to help prevent blood clots. The Huffington Post, 1/2/2013
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The Strange Link Between Your Heart and Depression
- Health & Healing
- December 30, 2012
A new study by Danish researchers shows that elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels—a marker of inflammation used to predict heart problems—are associated with an increased risk for psychological distress and depression. Men's Health, 12/24/2012
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Surgeons Still Make Preventable Mistakes
- Health & Healing
- December 24, 2012
Researchers at John Hopkins University have found that within the past 20 years, there were close to 10,000 reported instances when a foreign object was left in a patient, the wrong surgery was performed, or the surgery was performed on the wrong patient or wrong part of the body. These surgeries cost the healthcare industry
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Is everything we know about cholesterol wrong?
- Health & Healing
- December 15, 2012
Dr. Oz sits down with doctors Stephen Sinatra and Jonny Bowden to discuss their controversial stance on cholesterol. They don't believe high cholesterol causes heart disease. Instead, they believe inflammation and sugar play large roles in the development of heart disease. Dr. Sinatra and his co-author offer advice on maintaining cardiovascular health, as they explain all
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Hospitals: The cost of admission
- Health & Healing
- December 11, 2012
Doctors have been saying that the hospital chain they worked for (Hotel Management Associates) pressured them to admit patients and fill beds with people who did not actually need to be admitted, simply to make money. Cliff Cloonan, who worked at the Carlisle Regional Medical Center in Pennsylvania as the assistant emergency room director, warns, "If
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Breath Test May Detect Colon Cancer
- Health & Healing
- December 10, 2012
In a new study from Italy, researchers were able to identify patients with colorectal cancer with an accuracy of over 75% by analyzing samples of their breath. So a breath test, similar to the one used to determine when a driver has had too much to drink, is now showing promise as a screening tool
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Simple measures cut infections caught in hospitals
- Health & Healing
- December 3, 2012
A project at seven big hospitals reduced infections after colorectal surgeries by nearly one-third. It prevented an estimated 135 infections, saving almost $4 million, the Joint Commission hospital regulating group and the American College of Surgeons announced Wednesday. The two groups directed the 2 1/2-year project. Solutions such as germ-fighting soap and wound-protecting devices were
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Probiotics’ Benefits May Be More Than a Gut Feeling
- Health & Healing
- November 30, 2012
Probiotics are widely used to aid digestion and help restore gut bacterial balance after antibiotics. But some researchers are investigating the beneficial bugs for conditions that have nothing to do with the digestive tract. The Wall Street Journal, 11/27/2012
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Gupta: Let’s End the Prescription Drug Death Epidemic
- Health & Healing
- November 21, 2012
It's the biggest man-made epidemic in the United States: accidental death from prescription drug overdoses. A person dies every 19 minutes, on average, from an accidental prescription drug overdose. This is a problem that affects celebrities, returning veterans, and everyday people who get caught up in taking pain pills and other prescription drugs and eventually become
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10 shocking medical mistakes
- Health & Healing
- November 13, 2012
Medical errors kill over 250,000 people in the United States yearly. Fortunately, though, there are strategies you can use to help doctors and nurses avoid mistakes. CNN, 11/5/2012
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