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Getting flu shot every autumn can lead to better health

Everyone knows that the best way to avoid the flu is by getting an annual flu shot. But a trip to your physician every autumn for the vaccination can help you avoid much more than the dreaded flu bug. "At the doctor's office, the focus is on you and what is going on with your health. This is your time to talk about concerns to improve your well-being beyond the flu season," says Jorge Parada, MD, MPH, the medical director of the Infection Prevention and Control Program at Loyola University Health System.

15 Sep 2014

Research roundup: Prevention services for seniors; drug shortages

This policy brief reports the findings of a systematic review conducted by the Community Health Innovations in Prevention for Seniors (CHIPS) project. ... Clinical preventive services such as colorectal cancer screening and pneumococcal immunization can help reduce rates of premature death and disability. Yet, many older adults are not receiving the full set of clinical preventive services that have been proven effective and are considered "high value" in terms of their costs per life saved. Rates are particularly low among racial and ethnic minority older adults compared to national goals.

15 Sep 2014

Health value of Apple's Watch questioned

Health care professionals say there is little evidence the new watch surpasses gadgets already on the market, although more health features may be in store, Reuters reports. Meanwhile, The Associated Press examines tensions between Silicon Valley tech giants and government regulators.

15 Sep 2014

House approves bill to extend some plans that don't meet health law standards

The legislation would allow people to use the once-canceled policies through 2018. However, the measure is not expected to get a vote in the Senate.

15 Sep 2014

Health costs inch up as coverage expands

According to the Census Bureau's Quarterly Services Survey, total revenue at health care and social-assistance firms rose 3 percent in the second quarter of the year. But analysts described the increase as modest.

15 Sep 2014

Study: High-dose prescribing increases by 23% in Canada

High-dose opioid prescribing increased by 23 per cent in Canada between 2006 and 2011, despite clinical guidelines recommending that most patients should avoid high-doses of these drugs, according to new research.

15 Sep 2014

Groups get $3.2 million to enroll minorities in Obamacare

Federal health officials award grants to 13 community organizations to sign up racial and ethnic minorities in health plans through online insurance marketplaces. Meanwhile, a group of South Florida hospitals raises money to help low-income patients pay their insurance premiums, and Massachusetts details plans to re-enroll 450,000 residents.

15 Sep 2014

Breathing-based meditation practice can be effective treatment for PTSD

One of the greatest casualties of war is its lasting effect on the minds of soldiers. This presents a daunting public health problem: More than 20 percent of veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a 2012 report by RAND Corp.

12 Sep 2014

ONCOblot expands into international territories

The ONCOblot- Test, a highly sensitive blood test for cancer, has now expanded into international territories; bringing much needed support for early cancer detection to areas beyond The United States.

12 Sep 2014

Missouri sets 72-hour wait for women seeking abortions

The Republican-controlled legislature overrode Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon's veto to enact one of the most stringent waiting periods in the nation that includes no exception for cases of rape or incest.

12 Sep 2014

New research analyzes transmission rates of Ebola in West African countries

New research from Arizona State University and the University of Tokyo that analyzes transmission rates of Ebola in West African countries shows how rapidly the disease is spreading.

12 Sep 2014

Lung cancer screening could save thousands, study suggests

Experts from the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have weighed up the pros and cons of lung cancer screening to determine whether Medicare-eligible individuals would actually benefit from annual testing.

11 Sep 2014

PwC's HRI releases new report on retail health insurance

PwC's Health Research Institute today released a new report – The Rise of Retail Health Coverage – detailing how retail health insurance marketplaces, known as exchanges, are dramatically changing both the employer benefits environment and the health insurance business.

11 Sep 2014

ChromaDex signs NIAGEN supply agreement with Healthy Directions

ChromaDex Corp., an innovative natural products company that provides proprietary ingredients and science-based solutions to the dietary supplement, food and beverage, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries, announced today that it has entered into an ingredient supply agreement with Healthy Directions, a direct-to-consumer nutritional supplement retailer and wholly-owned subsidiary of Helen of Troy Limited.

11 Sep 2014

HelloMD, Crosswave Management partner to provide Chinese patients with access to top US doctors

HelloMD today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Crosswave Management to provide Chinese patients with access to top US doctors.

11 Sep 2014

Loyola announces opening of new acupuncture clinic for patients with pelvic health disorders

Loyola University Health System will open an acupuncture clinic for men and women with pelvic health disorders this fall. The clinic will use acupuncture to treat patients with common conditions such as pelvic pain, nausea from pelvic surgery, interstitial cystitis, painful bladder syndrome, postoperative pain, prostatitis and overactive bladder.

11 Sep 2014

New collaborative approach could help improve diabetes care in China

Diabetes has become a major public health crisis in China, with an annual projected cost of 360 billion RMB (nearly 35 billion British pounds) by 2030, but a new collaborative approach to care that uses registries and community support could help improve diabetes care, according to a new three-part Series about diabetes in China published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

11 Sep 2014

NSF, NIH, USDA receive more than $12 million in new EEID grants

Ebola, MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), malaria, antibiotic-resistant infections: Is our interaction with the environment somehow responsible for their increased incidence?

11 Sep 2014

Measles infections worse than flu, new study reveals

Measles causes significant absence from school or work and has a much larger impact on people’s daily lives than illnesses like flu or chicken pox, according to a new study by researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Public Health England.

11 Sep 2014

University of Michigan Health System becomes one of best places for young doctors to train

Doctors nationwide rate the University of Michigan Health System as one of the best places for young doctors to train in their chosen field, across 20 medical specialties, according to a new ranking released today.

11 Sep 2014