Cervical cancer is preventable though HPV vaccination
LANSING — In recognition that January is Cervical Health Awareness Month, the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) is reminding all women to stay current on their cervical cancer screening as a means to improve their health in 2014. In 2010, 344 Michigan women were diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer, and in 2011, 121...Healthy lifestyle choices recommended to prevent birth defects in Michigan babies
A baby is born with a birth defect in the United States every four and a half minutes. Healthy lifestyle choices as well as medical care before and during pregnancy can reduce these chances, resulting in better infant health outcomes for all Michiganders.“Most people simply do not realize how common, costly and critical birth defects...Eight million lives saved since U.S. alarm on smoking 50 years ago
More than half of American men and over a third of women were smokers on January 11, 1964, when Dr. Luther Terry delivered the first Surgeon General's Report on Smoking and Health outlining the links between tobacco use, lung cancer and death.Fifty years later, smoking rates have been cut by about half, and a new study estimates that 8...Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan offers safety tips for coping with winter snow fall
DETROIT — Over the past few weeks, Michigan has experienced multiple snow falls, forcing Michigan residents to head outdoors to clear driveways and walkways. Now and as winter continues, physicians at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network recommend residents keep heart health in mind and pace themselves when clearing...Snow shoveling tips as Winter looms
Shoveling snow can increase your risk of heart attack, and you should take precautions to protect yourself, an expert says."When the temperature outside drops, our blood vessels narrow to prevent our bodies from losing heat," Dr. Holly Andersen, director of education and outreach at the Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute of...Five common New Year’s resolution mistakes and how to fix them
Every new year we make a list of resolutions, hoping to better ourselves and our lives, only to abandon our efforts entirely by Feb. 1 (if not by Jan. 2). Such failures are not mere disappointments, as they can create emotional wounds that impact our psychological well-being. Indeed, too often the annual ritual that is meant to...BCBSM extends enrollment deadline for off marketplace individual health plans
DETROIT - Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) is extending the enrollment deadline for some of its individual health plans to Dec. 31, giving Michigan consumers more time to enroll in a health plan and ensure uninterrupted coverage into the New Year.Deadline extended to December 31 for off-marketplace plans – for consumers who...8 strategies to avoid overeating this holiday season
With the holiday season upon us, food is everywhere. From festive holiday parties to dinners with friends and family, let's face it, this time of year tends to center around food. And, it is perfectly OK to indulge on occasion, sans the guilt, without gaining weight. The trick is to enjoy what you are eating, and to eat mindfully while...Blue Cross Blue Shield encourages consumers to use free government money to reduce plan premiums
DETROIT – Over the past week, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has monitored the progress of healthcare.gov and has seen encouraging evidence that the site is working better, signifying important progress at a critical time for Michigan consumers. In order to have active coverage beginning Jan. 1, consumers need to select a health...Natural ways to stay healthy this season
While you’re probably already accustomed with conventional ways of looking and feeling your best, this winter, consider more natural approaches to health and wellness.Here are several good-for-you and good-for-the-planet steps you can take to help stay strong and healthy this winter:Herbal RemediesFeeling under the weather? Before...Massachusetts, Michigan to coordinate NECC meningitis probes
DETROIT (CBS/AP) — Authorities in Michigan and Massachusetts said Monday that they will coordinate their separate state and federal criminal investigations of a Framingham company that sold steroid injection materials linked to a fungal meningitis outbreak that sickened hundreds of people in 20 states.A federal grand jury in Boston has...Butterball falls short on large turkey production this year
Butterball, the largest turkey producer in the United States, said it has a shortage of fresh large turkeys ahead of Thanksgiving. The company said that turkeys at some of its farms failed to gain weight this year, causing the shortage, the Los Angeles Times reported."We experienced a decline in weight gains on some of our farms causing...90 percent of people show up to work sick
Sick day? What's that?! Nearly 90 percent of office workers surveyed by Staples this year admitted to showing up on the job, even when they knew they were contagious. That's up from last year's findings that 80 percent of employees went to work when they were under the weather.Their reasoning? They don't want to fall behind. Nearly half...Cloning cells may be the answer to hair loss
Co-study leader Professor Angela M. Christiano and colleagues at the Columbia University Medical Center in New York said other hair restoration methods redistribute hair from one part of the scalp to another. The new approach could significantly expand the use of hair transplantation to women with hair loss, who tend to have insufficient...Real men… get checked: The importance of men scheduling screenings for cancer
According to the American Cancer Society, one in two men will develop invasive cancer in his lifetime. One in 26 will develop urinary bladder cancer. One in 19 will develop colon or rectum cancer. One in 13 will develop lung or bronchus cancer. One in six will develop prostate cancer.Cancer risk increases with......
Cloning cells may be the answer to hair loss
U.S. researchers say they devised a hair restoration method with the potential to actually grow new follicles using a patient's own cells.Co-study leader Professor Angela M. Christiano and colleagues at the Columbia University Medical Center in New York said other hair restoration methods redistribute hair from one part of the scalp to...Irregular child bedtimes linked to bad behavior
British researchers said they found a clear clinical and statistically significant link between irregular bedtimes and behavioral problems in children.The study, published in the journal of Pediatrics, found irregular bedtimes could disrupt natural body rhythms and cause sleep deprivation, undermining brain maturation and the ability to......
Heart disease has a substantial psychological component
Greek researchers say cardiovascular disease has a substantial psychological component and psychological interventions, such as music therapy, halve deaths.Zoi Aggelopoulou, a nurse and one of the study authors at NIMTS Veterans Hospital of Athens, said the current study was a meta-analysis of nine randomized controlled trials that were...Peanut butter sniff test may detect Alzheimer’s onset
Researchers at the University of Florida have found that peanut butter may help diagnose Alzheimer's disease.A tablespoon of peanut butter and a ruler may help confirm a diagnosis of early-stage Alzheimer's disease, according to a study from researchers at the University of Florida.Graduate students in Florida's McKnight Brain Institute...What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
When breast cancer starts out, it is too small to feel and does not cause signs and symptoms. As it grows, breast cancer can cause changes in how the breast looks or feels. Symptoms may include:• New lump in the breast or underarm (armpit) • Thickening or swelling of part of the...Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan’s “Goes Pink” in statewide activities to support breast cancer awareness month
DETROIT — In October, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is “going pink” to increase awareness about the importance of breast cancer checkups during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and as part of its three-month #kickcancer campaign. BCBSM will illuminate its downtown Detroit headquarters building, located at 600 E......
Burger King debuts low-fat french fries
MIAMI — Burger King Worldwide Inc, known for its "Whopper" hamburgers, has introduced lower-fat french fries as consumer groups and nutrition experts in the U.S. increase pressure on the food industry to offer healthier alternatives. The Miami-based hamburger chain says its new "Satisfries" contain 40 percent less fat and 30 percent...When ramen noodles won’t do: A college student’s guide to eating healthy
Whether you’re living on or off campus, a freshman or a fifth-year senior, eating healthy is key to maintaining a fit and trim body.If you’re a student with a meal plan, or have easy access to a cafeteria, then these tips are for you:• Don’t treat your campus’ cafeteria like a limitless buffet. Just because food is......
Dearborn’s latest fad: The E-hookah
September 19th, 20130 DEARBORN — In recent years, argeileh (AKA hookah) smoking has become quite prevalent among Arab Americans around metro Detroit, as an upsurge of hookah lounges continue to attract young customers on a daily basis. However, what has been known to be tradition among the elderly in the Middle East for the past 800 years, is now moving in...Five germ-fighting tips to keep kids healthy this school year
School is a great place to learn, play and make friends. Unfortunately it’s also a great place for germs to get very well acquainted….With your family! With 20 to 30 kids in a classroom and even more on the playground, it’s hard to avoid the germs that cause such illnesses as colds, flus and more.Three-time Gold Medalist, wife and......