Retail Initiative Works to Get Healthy Foods in Corner Stores

Multnomah County offers grants to small shops to stock fresh foods

2011-09-16

Lisa Loving Of The Skanner News

No one can force kids to eat apples, and no one can force parents to serve spinach, but the Health Department has another idea: using federal Stimulus Grant funds to make sure small corner stores have the ability to stock healthier food items. Read the complete article

New Global Killers: Heart, Lung Disease and Cancer

UN, health leaders take focus off germs and address roots of chronic diseases

2011-09-14

Marilynn Marchione AP Medical Writer

What's killing us? For decades, global health leaders have focused on diseases that can spread - AIDS, tuberculosis, new flu bugs. They pushed for vaccines, better treatments and other ways to control germs that were only a plane ride away from seeding outbreaks anywhere in the world. Read the complete article

Experts: 366 Million People Now Have Diabetes

“Staggering” endemic causes 4.6 million deaths a year and is getting worse

2011-09-13

Maria Cheng The Associated Press

LONDON (AP) -- An estimated 366 million people worldwide now suffer from diabetes and the global epidemic is getting worse, health officials said Tuesday. Read the complete article

Families Urge Action as US Drafts Alzheimer's Plan

Advocates want more resources dedicated to research and at-home care

2011-09-13

Lauran Neergaard AP Medical Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- As her mother's Alzheimer's worsened over eight long years, so did Doreen Alfaro's bills: The walker, then the wheelchair, then the hospital bed, then the diapers - and the caregivers hired for more and more hours a day so Alfaro could go to work and her elderly father could get some rest. Read the complete article

No More Cigarettes for Smoking Malaysian Orangutan

Animal was likely imitating zoo visitors who lit up around exhibit

2011-09-13

Sean Yoong The Associated Press

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- A captive orangutan often spotted smoking cigarettes given to her by zoo visitors is being forced to kick the habit, a Malaysian wildlife official said Monday. Read the complete article

Sewage-Tainted Floodwaters Threaten Public Health in Northeast

Storms Lee and Irene sent waste, toxic liquids into water systems

2011-09-09

Dave Gram The Associated Press

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) -- Nasty floodwaters from the remnants of storms Lee and Irene - tainted with sewage and other toxins - threaten public health in parts of the Northeast by direct exposure or the contamination of private water wells. Read the complete article

New Mexico Fire: Pot Plant Operation Unscathed

The marijuana operation had an irrigation system and a possible evacuation route for those overseeing the plants

2011-09-05

Russell Contreras The Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- This summer's Las Conchas fire in New Mexico scorched tribal lands, threatened one of the nation's premier nuclear facilities and pushed bears into nearby cities. But it somehow spared more than 9,000 marijuana plants in a remote area of Bandelier National Monument. Read the complete article

Flooded Fields in North Dakota Lead to Higher Pasta Prices

State’s durum crop expected to be about only two-fifths of last year's output

2011-09-04

James MacPherson The Associated Press

PLAZA, N.D. (AP) -- Consumers are paying more for pasta after heavy spring rain and record flooding prevented planting on more than 1 million acres in one of the nation's best durum wheat-growing areas. Read the complete article

Need a C-Section? Protection From Blood Clot Urged

Special inflating boots increasingly recommended for cesarean deliveries

2011-08-31

Lauran Neergaard AP Medical Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- New advice for pregnant women: If you're getting a C-section, special inflating boots strapped on your legs may lower the risk of a blood clot. Read the complete article

Utah Researcher Helps Artist Make Bulletproof Skin

2011-08-28

Lynn DeBruin The Associated Press

A bio-art project to create bulletproof skin has given a Utah State researcher even more hope his genetically engineered spider silk can be used to help surgeons heal large wounds and create artificial tendons and ligaments. Read the complete article