The average American Thanksgiving meal contains around 3,000 calories according to The American Council on Exercise (see this food guide from The Washington Post for a handy Thanksgiving calorie reference). Add in drinks and snacks, and the day’s calorie count can add up to 4,500. Use these tips to enjoy this year’s get-together without having to buy new pants. Slimmer Pickings: Eat Better America [...] Read More »

“Love is like racing across the frozen tundra on a snowmobile which flips over, trapping you underneath. At night, the ice-weasels come,” said Matt Groening, creator of the hit TV show The Simpsons. While the idea of ice-weasels may be frightening, Americans who are sexually active should concern themselves with a more immediate threat: sexually transmitted diseases. A new report issued by The [...] Read More »

“These are the times that try men’s souls,” wrote Thomas Paine in his 1776 pamphlet The Crisis. These sentiments are echoed today, as many Americans find themselves uncertain of the future as unemployment rates remain stubbornly high and jobs hard to find. A report released on Wednesday by Medco Health Solutions, a pharmacy-benefits manager, finds that this incertitude, and the stress that accompanies [...] Read More »

A report issued on Monday by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) predicts that 1 in 10 people will have diabetes by 2030 “if no urgent action is taken.” Diabetes, a chronic disease in which blood glucose levels are above normal, affects approximately 336 million people today, and the IDF expects this number to rise to a staggering 552 million in the next two decades. This prediction includes [...] Read More »

On November 11, 1918 at 11 a.m. in a railroad carriage in the French Compiègne Forest, the Allies of World War I and Germany signed the armistice signaling the end of hostilities on the Western Front. A year later President Woodrow Wilson declared November 11 a national holiday, and ever since then Americans have spent November 11 celebrating the men and women who serve in the military. While many [...] Read More »

On Monday a federal judge blocked a rule that would require tobacco companies to display graphic warning labels on all packs of cigarettes. The photos, chosen by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), include a photo of a man smoking out of a hole in his throat, diseased lungs, and a dead man on an autopsy table with the words “Smoking Can Kill You.” A picture may be worth a thousand words, but [...] Read More »

On Wednesday the Federal Drug Administration approved the pre-market approval application for MelaFind, an apparatus that takes digital images of skin growths and uses a computer to analyze them for signs of cancer. The news was welcomed by dermatologists across the country. “Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer and rates of the disease are on the rise…” said Susan Weinkle, MD and president [...] Read More »

America has a drug problem, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Their report, issued on Tuesday, found that in 2008 15,000 Americans died due to prescription painkiller overdoses. This record high death toll surpasses the combined number of deaths attributed to cocaine and heroin use. According to the CDC, the overuse of painkillers such as hydrocodone, methadone, oxycodone, and oxymorphone [...] Read More »

In a recent five-year study* involving 4,400 families and more than 7,000 children, researchers from University College London found that children whose parents were in a healthy weight range were twice as likely to also fall within a healthy weight range.  Similarly, children whose parents were overweight or obese were in turn much more likely to be overweight or obese. And it’s these children [...] Read More »

Before you set your little goblins loose on October 31st, be aware of these top Halloween hazards: 1. Candy Coma It’s tempting to want to eat all the sugary, chocolaty treats at once, but too much candy will lead to tummy aches and indigestion. Solution: Fill up by eating a healthy meal before trick-or-treating and set a limit on how much candy can be consumed in one sitting. 2. Dashing in the Dark That [...] Read More »