More from Gallup, this time on the top health findings from this year: WASHINGTON, D.C. — Gallup in 2011 published nearly 100 unique articles about Americans’ health and wellbeing. Through its daily surveys, conducted year-round, the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index uncovers new insights into and provides the most up-to-date data available on Americans’ mental state,...
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The following is from the March of Dimes  The nation’s preterm birth rate slipped under 12 percent for the first time in nearly a decade, the fourth consecutive year it declined, potentially sparing tens of thousands of babies the serious health consequences of an early birth.  The national preterm birth rate declined to 11.99...
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The following is from the Journal of the American Medical Association:  Consumption of 3 to 6 alcoholic drinks per week is associated with a small increase in the risk of breast cancer, and consumption in both earlier and later adult life is also associated with an increased risk, according to a study in the...
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The Associated Press reported that after 9/11, inspections for foreign insects coming into United States’ ports rapidly declined. Iowa is on the lookout for some of those pests that have made it into our borders. Here is the AP story and our own local version: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44841097/ns/us_news-security/ Its location in the central United States has...
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Iowa is among the top 10 states in the nation for farmers markets, according to figures released Friday, Aug. 5, 2011. Kathleen Merrigan,  Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, announced the new numbers during a conference call with reporters. Iowa is listed as having 237 farmers markets in the USDA’s National Farmers...
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Findings of a new study, published online today in Pediatrics, suggest that the prevalence and severity of childhood food allergy is greater than previously reported. Here is the abstract of that study: Objective: The goal of this study was to better estimate the prevalence and severity of childhood food allergy in the United States....
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Every year,  10,000 people in the United States are in need of an unrelated marrow or cord blood transplant. At current funding levels, the National Marrow Donor Program has increased the number of transplants to 5,200 transplants annually, but this addresses only approximately half of the annual need in the United States. The group...
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The FDA released the following on Jan. 26, 2011: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced a possible association between saline and silicone gel-filled breast implants and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), a very rare type of cancer. Data reviewed by the FDA suggest that patients with breast implants may have a very...
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There are currently 69,000 residents in Iowa aged 65 and older battling Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. In less than 15 years, this number is expected to soar to 77,000 people in Iowa. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain and the most common form of dementia. Despite promising scientific advances,...
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The following is from the American Institute for Cancer Research: WASHINGTON, DC – The US has the 7th highest cancer rate in the world, according to rankings compiled by the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) from World Health Organization (WHO) estimates.  Approximately 300 out of every 100,000 Americans develop cancer every year. In...
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