Wash. reaches epidemic levels of whooping cough
Nurse Susan Peel gives a whooping cough vaccination to a student at Inderkum High School on Sept. 19, 2011, in Sacramento, Calif.
/ AP/Rich Pedroncelli"We're very concerned about the continued rapid increase in reported cases," said Secretary of Health Mary Selecky said in the press release. "This disease can be very serious for young babies, who often get whooping cough from adults and other family members. We want all teens and adults who haven't had Tdap to be vaccinated to help protect babies that are too young for the vaccine."
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Study: U.S. obesity rates may be underestimated
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(CBS News) America may have a worse weight problem than anyone thought. Current estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show roughly one-third of Americans are obese. But the authors behind a new study that questions the test commonly used to measure obesity think that rate might be underestimated.
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"Roughly 30 percent of Americans are obese," based on their body mass index (BMI), study author Dr. Eric Braverman, president of the nonprofit research group, the Path Foundation in New York City, told HealthDay. "But when you use other methods, closer to 60 percent are obese. We call BMI the 'baloney mass index.'"
Continue »"Pro-ana" sites shut down, but still persist
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On one blog covered with pro-ana tags found on a popular site, a woman gives a play-by-play of a three day fast she's partaking in. During one of the days, the blogger wrote she consumed only tea, vitamins, and a gallon of water.
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Anorexia sufferers five times more likely to die sooner
"I'm super psyched to weigh in," the blogger wrote. "If I can make it til noon Friday I may extend it through the weekend!" Other followers offered support and said they'd join in the weight loss attempt.
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Study: Sitting too much boosts risk of dying
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Too much sitting behind 92,000 cancer cases a year
PICTURES: Six ways to sit less every day
PICTURES: 20 most sedentary cities in America
According to a study in the March 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers discovered that people who sat for 11 hours a day or more were 40 percent more likely to die - from any cause. The researchers also found the odds of dying were 15 percent higher for those who sit between eight to 11 hours a day compared to those who sit less than four hours a day.
Continue »Is chocolate the secret to a skinny waistline?
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(CBS News) What's the best way to stay thin? A new study finds it's exercising and eating a healthy diet full of - chocolate?
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The study found that people who frequently ate chocolate had a lower body mass index (BMI) than people who didn't.
Is it time to ditch fat-free for fudge?
TB presents problems for HIV-affected areas
Steve Neri (below center) and his Project HOPE team
/ Project HOPE(CBS News) March 24th of each year is recognized as World Tuberculosis Day. The date commemorates when a scientist first discovered the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis that causes the disease.
The event is a way spread awareness about the threat that tuberculosis (TB) still presents in countries around the world and encourage efforts to stop the continuous spread of the curable disease.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 8.8 million people contracted TB in 2010, with 1.4 million eventually dying from it. Over 95 percent of TB deaths occur in low and middle-income countries.
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Report: Tobacco claimed 6 million lives in 2011
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(CBS News) Think a pack of cigarettes only costs you what the store clerk is asking for? Think again. According to the latest edition of the "Tobacco Atlas," the cost of a single pack of cigarettes costs an American smoker $35 when it comes to future health care costs. And, for the almost six million people who died from tobacco use in 2011, cigarettes also cost them their life.
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"We can no longer deny nor accept the massive human and economic harm caused by tobacco," said Dr. John R. Seffrin, chief executive officer for the American Cancer Society, said in a written statement. "This book is a vital tool for not only public health advocates, but also for governments, economists, educators and the media to use to tell the story of how a cohesive, well-funded tobacco industry is systematically causing preventable deaths and crippling economies. We know what needs to be done to counteract these tactics and save up to hundreds of millions of lives."
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Antibiotic overuse means knee scrape can be fatal
Charlotte Harbor, Fla., Publix Pharmacy Technician Sherrie Cocco rings up a customer on Aug. 6,2007, behind a display of oral antibiotics.
/ AP Photo/Charlotte Sun(CBS News) Overuse of antibiotics has become so prevalent that if the trend continues, a normal infection can become deadly, according to statements made by World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan.
"Things as common as strep throat or a child's scratched knee could once again kill," she warned.
Deaths from gastroenteritis double in U.S.: What's behind rising rates?
Sinus infections not cured with antibiotics, study suggests
CDC: Deaths from gastroenteritis double in U.S.
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(CBS News) A stomach bug might be unpleasant and debilitating for sufferers, but most people usually recover within a week with fluids and rest. A new report from the CDC, however, shows death rates from these stomach illnesses, collectively known as gastroenteritis, have doubled over the past decade.
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"Gastroenteritis is a major cause of death worldwide," lead researcher Dr. Aron Hall of the CDC's Division of Viral Diseases, said in a written statement. "By knowing the causes of gastroenteritis-associated deaths and who's at risk, we can develop better treatments and help health care providers prevent people from getting sick."
Continue »U.S. to unveil graphic anti-smoking campaign
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PICTURES: 27 cigarette warning labels nixed by the FDA
PICTURES: CDC unveils graphic "Tips from Former Smokers" ad campaign
The $54 million campaign will be seen on billboards and print, radio and TV ads that show people whose smoking resulted in heart surgery, a tracheotomy, lost limbs or paralysis. The campaign, called "Tips from Former Smokers" is the largest and starkest anti-smoking push by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its first national advertising effort.
Continue »PMS? 6 signs it may be more serious
Moody much?
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Experts tell women these are just side effects of premenstrual syndrome, or PMS. But if you find yourself in a serious emotional funk that goes so far as to disrupt your work and relationships, you may have PMS's debilitating cousin, premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). And if the blues continue even after your period, they could be a sign of depression or bipolar disorder.
More from Health.com: 10 ways to get rid of PMS
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Red meat every day raises risk of dying, study shows
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(CBS News) Eating a diet heavy in red meat has been tied to added risk for cancer, diabetes and heart disease. It shouldn't be surprising then that a new study found eating red meat every day appears to increase a person's chances of dying from a chronic disease by 12 percent.
PICTURES: 10 Ways Meat Can Make You Sick
For the study, published online in the March 12 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, Harvard researchers analyzed data from two dietary studies that tracked nearly 37,700 men and 83,600 women for 28 years.
The researchers found overall that there were 23,900 deaths, including 5,900 from heart disease and nearly 9,500 from cancer. When the researchers looked closely at dietary habits, red meat took the cake when it came to raising death risk.
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Alzheimer's drug helps moderate, severe symptoms
An opened packet of Aricept
/ Cate Gillon/Getty Images(CBS/AP) Alzheimer's disease patients who are taking a commonly prescribed drug can still benefit from it after they progress to moderate-to-severe illness, when it can be tough to tell whether it's doing any good, a new study says.
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The study of Aricept also found some benefit if the patient switches to another frequently used drug, Namenda. But it found that combining the two drugs, a common strategy in the United States, was not significantly more effective than using Aricept alone.
That last finding conflicts with an earlier study, and experts said it would probably not change what most doctors do in the United States.
Continue »Surgeon General: Work needed to stop teen smoking
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(CBS/AP) Far too many teens smoke cigarettes, according to a new report from the U.S. Surgeon General, and more measures like increasing cigarette taxes and creating smoking bands are needed.
PICTURES: Teen smoking: 12 states with highest ratesPICTURES: Blowing smoke: Vintage ads of doctors endorsing tobacco
Nearly one in five high school-aged teens smokes, a rate that's down from earlier decades but the rate of decline has slowed, the report showed.
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How Reddit saved this man's life
(CBS News) - If you ever get yelled at for trolling the Internet too much, here's one reason to throw back in your accuser's face: It may save your life.
Bear Silber, a self-professed Redditor, was ill for five years. An active athlete who ran San Francisco's Bay to Breakers marathon in an hour, he started getting strange symptoms including rapid weight gain and high blood pressure. A doctor couldn't diagnose what was going on.
Despondent, he went on Reddit one fateful Saturday night and saw a picture of a man who looked like he had similar symptoms. After reading through the comments, he saw one by a user who suggested the man might have Cushing's syndrome, a disease caused by a tumor that produces high levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone or cortisol, a natural hormone created by the pituitary gland. Immediately, Silber looked up the symptoms of the disease, which include weak muscles, bone pain, and upper body obesity, and found out he had every single one listed.
We'll let Silber tell you the story himself.
The National Institutes of Health has more on Cushing's syndrome.
