Health

San Diego, California (NAPSI) – Should you be taking the medications you’re taking? If you’re 65 or older, that’s an important question to ask yourself and your healthcare provider. Why? Because some commonly prescribed medications can actually be harmful for older adults.

PARIS – Long-term exposure to particulate air pollution boosts the risk of lung cancer, even at concentrations below the legal maximum, said a European study published on Wednesday.

BEAT VIRUS THE NATURAL WAY. Mom Susan Quimpo shares her recipes for natural home remedies MANILA, Philippines – As a mom, at the first sign of a cold, fever or sore throat, I would shun the use of aspirin, paracetamol or the all-too-often prescribed antibiotic. I resort to these only as my last option.

SYDNEY — A study has found that for desk-bound office workers, introducing interventions such as sit/stand workstations, can reduce sitting time by over an hour each working day, leading to better health.

What health issues are most important for women? While many women worry about breast cancer, heart disease presents a greater danger. Moreover, adequate stress management, a healthy heart and cardiovascular system plays a role in well health in many other conditions. In celebration of National Women’s Health Week, we’re taking a look at the top…

MANILA – A total of 58 DOH-accredited hospitals nationwide will be offering women 21 years old and above free cervical cancer screening for the whole month of May, according to the Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday.

Geneva – The world has made dramatic progress in improving health in the poorest countries and narrowing the gaps between countries with the best and worst health status in the past two decades, according to the World Health Statistics 2013.

Did you know that April 7 was World Health Day (to celebrate the founding of the World Health Organization in 1948)? Frankly, I was too sick because of the oppressive heat to bother. I wasn’t really feeling healthy on World Health Day.

GENEVA, Switzerland – The United Nations launched a plan Friday, April 12, aimed at all but eradicating childhood deaths from diarrhea and pneumonia by 2025, in a bid to save the lives of some two million children every year.

WASHINGTON—People age 65 and older who eat fish may live an average of two years longer than people who do not consume the omega-3 fatty acids found mainly in seafood, a US study suggested on Monday.

WASHINGTON DC – For pregnant women, breathing in air pollution from vehicles, heating and coal power plants increases the risk of having a low birth weight baby, an international study said Wednesday.

WASHINGTON, Jan 10 2013 (IPS) – Even as government negotiators from around the world prepare to gather next week for a final round of talks on a new international treaty limiting the use of mercury, scientists and activists are warning that the draft treaty is both too weak and too limited in scope to have…

10 January 2013 – Communities in developing countries are facing increasing health and environmental risks linked to exposure to mercury, according to new studies by the United Nations environmental agency.

Experts are questioning whether diet drinks could raise depression risk, after a large study has found a link. The US research in more than 250,000 people found depression was more common among frequent consumers of artificially sweetened beverages.

MANILA, Philippines – At least 26 million Filipinos still don’t have access to a sanitary toilet, with a large number still finding creative ways to defecate, an expert said.

People who have recently lost their jobs are more likely to suffer a heart attack than their employed peers, in some cases running a risk as high as 35 percent, according to a US study.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines is one of the top five most burdened nations in terms of tobacco use, according to a study conducted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). But the country has succeeded in erasing its “negative image” in the international and local health community, which was created by its perceived support for…

THERE is no question that diet plays a very important role in the development of cardiovascular diseases and some forms of cancer, especially of the gastrointestinal tract. One particular diet — one high in saturated fat and cholesterol, and low in fiber — consisting mainly of red meats (pork, beef, non-skim dairy products, etc) and…

MANILA, Philippines – Filipinos may not be getting the right amount of most vitamins and minerals they need every day. At the same time more Filipinos are becoming overweight and obese. According to Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), this trend also exposes more Filipinos to health risks related to high blood pressure, high blood…

In observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth) vowed to help Filipino women fight off the disease, which has overtaken lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer mortality in the country. With “at least 10,000 new breast cancer cases” detected every year, the Philippines now has the highest incidence…

MANILA, Philippines – Most blind people in the Philippines and other countries have the chance to recover their eyesight, the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported. The WHO said that with adequate treatment, four out of five blind people can see again. There are 39 million people who are blind and another 246 million people…

Sitting for long periods increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease and death, researchers suggest. The scientists from Leicester and Loughborough Universities say harm is done even if people also exercise. The study, published in Diabetologia, analysed 18 existing studies involving almost 800,000 people. Diabetes UK said anyone who spent a lot of time sitting…

NEW YORK – Younger people with advanced lung cancer who quit smoking more than a year before their diagnosis survive longer than those who continue smoking, according to a new study. It’s known that people who never smoked are more likely to survive the disease than those who light up. But whether former smokers do…

AT least 5,000 Filipino children under the age of five die every year of diseases spread through dirty hands, according to an official of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef). Worldwide, about 3.5 million children lose their lives because of these preventable diseases.

MANILA, Philippines – Filipinos are becoming healthier due to improved social conditions and health system boosted by modern technologies, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported yesterday. In its Philippine Health in Transition (HiT) report launched yesterday, WHO said the health of Filipinos has improved considerably during the second half of the 20th century, and these…

Sept. 14 (Bloomberg) — Stephanie Chan spent four years at Manila Doctors College qualifying to work as a nurse overseas. She never left the country. Instead, she switched careers and now earns almost as much monitoring people’s finances.

In the Philippines, the scenario is all too frequent: Employees calling in sick due to various illnesses like cold, fever, headache, body ache and pain. Sick or emergency leaves are filed to care for family members who fall ill. Chronic illnesses have become more prevalent with an alarming increase in the number of employees seeking…

Even as the promise of an AIDS vaccine seems finally within humanity’s reach, researchers in the United States have discovered a new disease —as-yet unnamed, but fortunately non-contagious— with very AIDS-like symptoms.

Senators will ask the stakeholders in the tobacco industry on the government proposal to restructure excise taxes on tobacco and alcohol despite the admission made by Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima that the tax incrase did not lead to a reduction in the number of smokers.

Stress has many causes but no matter what its source is, there are ways to reduce it. For this article, the term “stress” refers only to a stress with significant negative consequences, or “distress” in the terminology advocated by Hans Selye.