The US National Cancer Institute has just published a report that links a diet high in animal fats to pancreatic cancer.  All meats are high in animal fats, with red meats topping the list.  Cheeses and all full-fat dairy products…

Dr. Dana E. King, professor of family medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, would give the general US population a C-minus if there were a report card for healthy lifestyles.  King says Americans seem more willing today to…

According to a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most Americans consume too much salt for optimum health.  Almost 145 million adults (69%) are considered medically sensitive to salt, placing them at increased risk…

Chief executive officers (CEOs) of major US companies gather each year for a Business Roundtable in which they discuss the issues affecting their businesses.  This year, health care is a hot topic and the consensus is that the current dismal…

According to a recently released US study, rage kills, and so do other strong emotions associated with stressful events.  These emotions become deadly when they trigger irregular heart beats (arrhythmia) and cardiac arrest. More than 400,000 people die from sudden…

In more and more communities across the nation, laws and ordinances against social hosting are popping up, an effort to curb the number of teenagers who drink and drive.  These social hosting laws incriminate the parents, or any other adult,…

A still-unnamed California mother made global headlines earlier this week when she gave birth to octuplets.  Her 8 babies, 6 boys and 2 girls, were born during the 12th week of pregnancy and, although painfully small, their doctors say they…

The February issue of the journal, ‘Pediatrics,’ carries a report from US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warning parents against sleeping with their babies.  The warning is based on a nationwide study of infant death certificates which identified…

The new year brought a new ban on smoking in public places in Oregon and, along with that ban, comes increased conversation about the perils of secondhand cigarette smoke.  Many veterinarians are describing how ailing pets have regained their health…

Adults raised under the “don’t kiss and tell” school of thought would never consider posting tales of their sexual exploits online nor would they consider revealing their illicit drug use or acts of violence.  Their children, however, enjoy a heightened…

Remember the children’s song that says “If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands?”  A new scientific study says that even when friends of our friends’ friends are happy, there’s cause for applause.  Seems happiness is contagious and…

Seems every diet book ever published has a chapter devoted to exercise but it’s probably the least likely chapter to be read.  Or followed.  The Institute of Medicine also tells us how much exercise we need each week to maintain…

Like the Marlboro Man and martini-swilling TV characters of a couple of decades ago, some advocates for children’s nutritional health would like to see the king of burgers and his clownish golden-arched competition disappear from television airwaves, too.  A just-released…

A recent issue of the ‘Federal Register,’ published by the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division, gives the final word on a much-anticipated amendment to the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which allows workers unpaid time…