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A new study suggests that diabetes prevention and glucose control in middle age may protect against cognitive decline. The study, from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, was published December 2nd in Annals of Internal Medicine.

We ve all heard it before many times Eat more fruit and vegetables for a healthy, balanced diet. But what if you can t? What if you live in a so-called food desert where really fresh produce is not to be found? And even if it were around, you couldn t afford it?

Dr. Gilbert Ross in The Santa Fe New Mexican, December 1, 2014.
Lawmakers in Santa Fe recently considered a proposal to institute a tax on vapor products (commonly referred to as electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes) at the exorbitant rate of 4 cents per milligram nicotine a level that

Catch the latest health news: Why soft bedding is dangerous to infants, smoking rates down but not quite enough, and an unexpected location for fracking waves

In the public gets the shaft again department, there is yet another example of a failure of generic drugs to control healthcare costs one that would make companies like Pfizer, Merck, and the others green with envy.
And, of course, it s all about green, and we don t mean recycled shopping bags.

Latest CDC data show adult smoking rate now down to 17.8 percent. While any reduction is a public-health benefit, given the lethality of smoking, this rate has declined ever-so-slowly for too long: we still have over 40 million smokers.

Most parents of young babies have likely heard the line Back to Sleep, the official mantra warning them to have their infants sleep on their backs. But there are other advisories,

The controversy surrounding the use of hydraulic fracturing fracking in the United States continues to make headlines, especially with the vote in Denton, TX to ban fracking within its borders. Well, a new anti-

HPV, the most common sexually transmitted infection, can lead to several types of cancers, including cervical. About 79 million Americans are currently infected with HPV, and there are about 14 million new cases every year.

Credit must be given to Charles Bankhead, a staff writer at MedPage Today for taking on a very difficult subject whether it makes any sense to perform cancer screens on seniors, and if so, when. While this may conjure up images of death squads or health care rationing, it is actually an important, pragmatic, and timely topic.

Medically, it just never made sense. Pfizer s Prevnar-13 pneumonia vaccine works very well in protecting against infection by Streptococcus pneumoniae the most common type of pneumonia, and the leading cause of death for adults 65 and older. (The 13 refers to the number of strains of the bacteria that the vaccine is designed to protect against.)

The GMO labeling debate continues, but the anti-GMO movement has suffered some serious losses in the past few years. Both California and Washington State defeated GMO labeling proposals in 2012 and 2013, respectively. While

Past research has demonstrated that tight control of blood glucose levels can help people with type 1 diabetes the ones who must use insulin to avoid some of the negative health consequences of the disease. A new study, published recently in The Lancet, extends the benefits of tight control to patients with type 2 diabetes the more common type usually associated with obesity and overweight.

For anyone who has followed the AIDS epidemic from the beginning, Anthony Fauci is a very familiar name. Dr. Fauci, an accomplished immunologist, became the director of National Institute of Allergy

As discussed in a TIME magazine article, a newly-released survey (by Kantar Media, called their annual MARS Consumer Health Study) shows that smokers have taken to quitting by using e-cigarettes with a devotion that

Influenza (the flu) is a systemic viral infection which usually wreaks most of its havoc upon the respiratory system. While most cases are not life-threatening (although it can be very uncomfortable and cost a week s work or loss of school),

American consumers ingest, on average, about 3400 milligrams of sodium every day (similar to the diets of most recorded civilizations), well above the dietary sodium targets set by US government agencies and the American Heart Association of 1500 to 2300 milligrams or lower. However, there has been much debate

If you re looking for an example of the absurdity of what happens when activist groups stick their noses in areas that are way above their pay grade, look no further. It doesn t get any better than this.

A commonly-used heart drug, digoxin, has never passed a controlled-study test to see if it s both safe and effective for patients with atrial fibrillation. A large VA retrospective analysis shows that it may be even riskier than suspected: maybe time for it to go.

Colorectal cancer (CRC), or colon cancer, is the third most common cancer worldwide, and the second leading cause of cancer death. According to the Colon Cancer Alliance, the exact

Dr. Gilbert Ross in the New York Post, August 13, 2014.
As we near the start of flu season, beware: Many of the city s top hospitals pose a serious hazard to your

A recent opinion piece in The Economist discusses a very polarizing topic whether patents granted to pharmaceutical companies help or discourage innovation in biomedical research.
Unlike reflexive reactions of many other groups and commentators, who somehow think that it is fair to take intellectual property away from one particular industry, the Economist article recognizes that this is impossible, that is, if we ever want to see a new drug again.

Depression is unlike any other disease. Yes, it is a disease.
It carries a social stigma with it that other diseases do not, as well as an astounding amount of ignorance.
Many people believe that depression is simply a sadness, a character flaw or an inability to deal with normal problems. While these can be contributing factors, they do not constitute clinical depression. It is far, far worse.

Lifestyle changes, including dietary changes, are important for prevention of cardiovascular events (CVD) such as heart attacks (MIs) and strokes. Research in this area is sometimes difficult due to the necessity of assessing participants diets: often this is done by detailed dietary histories or food frequency questionnaires. New research published in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that there is an easier way to obtain that information.

Yesterday, the New York City Health Department launched a campaign promoting the benefits of the HPV vaccine in an effort to encourage parents to vaccinate their children. HPV is the most common sexually