Tapped into the Earth (.com) » health

Doctors Underestimate Environment as Cause for Cancer

Scientific American — Thu, 06 May 2010 16:35:00 +0000

The President’s Cancer Panel on Thursday reported that "the true burden of environmentally induced cancers has been grossly underestimated" and strongly urged action to reduce people’s widespread exposure to carcinogens .

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Carcinogen – Cancer – United States – Health – Government

Men Suppress Food Cravings Better Than Women

Scientific American — Tue, 04 May 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Worldwide, women suffer higher rates of eating disorders and obesity than men do–and a recent study may help explain why. [More]

Obesity – Eating disorders – Health – Mental Health – Eating

Impacts of Climate Change Extend to Human Health

Scientific American — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 22:40:00 +0000

Climate change is already affecting the nation’s public health, according to a new multi-agency report released by the Obama administration. It urges federal agencies to adapt their research and policies to limit future suffering.

"Climate change endangers human health, affecting all sectors of society, both domestically and globally," the report says.

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Cancer research faces changes with health care reform

Scientific American — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 20:25:00 +0000

WASHINGTON–Many doctors and medical researchers applauded a new federal focus on comparative effectiveness research that was boosted through the 2009 stimulus package and codified with the signing of the health care reform bill in March. This shift will support–and in many cases require–work to establish which treatments work best. [More]

The Future of Your Medical Data

Scientific American — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 21:00:00 +0000

Some 23 million additional U.S. residents are expected to become more regular users of the U.S. health care system in the next several years, thanks to the passage of health care reform . Digitizing medical data has been touted as one way to help the already burdened system manage the surge in patients. But putting people’s health information in databases and online is going to do more than simply reduce redundancies. It is already shifting the very way we seek and receive health care. [More]

Medicine goes mobile: iPhone apps take vitals, track viruses

Scientific American — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 14:25:00 +0000

On tiny keypads and greasy touch screens, doctors, nurses, NPs and physicians assistants these days are doing a lot more than checking email and phone messages. Increasingly, health care workers are using their iPhones and other smart phones to track patient information, take vital statistics and even make clinical decisions. [More]

United States: Documents Reveal Extensive Violations At Mine (Npr.org)

Pollution and Warming - Revue de presse Earth-stream.com — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 05:49:20 +0000

National Public Radio: The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration has released hundreds of pages of documents detailing its last three quarterly inspections of a Massey Ener …

Ayurveda out of balance: 93 percent of medicinal plants threatened with extinction

Scientific American — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 21:00:00 +0000

Traditional Ayurvedic medicine could face an uncertain future as 93 percent of the wild plants used in the practice are threatened with extinction due to overexploitation, the Times of India reports.

The Botanical Survey of India recently prioritized 359 wild medicinal plant species and conducted an assessment throughout the country to determine their health. The news wasn’t good. Of the 359 species, 335 were categorized as critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable or near-threatened. [More]

Climate Change Ups Infectious Disease Risks

Scientific American — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 14:39:08 +0000

A direct effect on human health related to climate change is the likely increase in infectious diseases transmitted by insects or through contaminated water.

In the March 25th issue of The New England Journal of Medicine , infectious disease researcher Emily Shuman points out that insects are more active at higher temperatures and broaden their range. Altered weather patterns bring drought to some areas, flooding to others and a higher likelihood of water contamination to both.

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First, do no harm (Wbcsd.org)

Pollution and Warming - Revue de presse Earth-stream.com — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:45:40 +0000

The best way to make hospitals green is to keep people out of them. Last month Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) calculated its carbon footprint at 21m tonnes of carbon dioxi …