News in category: Protecting Your Family

A new study finds men are twice as likely to adopt a child then that of a woman in the same age group, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions National Center for Health Statistics.

Tyson Foods announced a recall of over 50,000 pounds of raw frozen chicken breast tenderloin products produced between July 23 and August 1 due to a soy-based allergen not declared on the product label.

Partial payments will begin in a few weeks to victims of recalled painkiller, Vioxx who suffered heart attacks. Stroke victims and their survivors will have to wait until next year.  Merck is vowing to fight other cases, and people from the UK are vowing to fight Merck to be included in the $4.85 billion settlement. 

Even though Vioxx and Bextra have been taken off the market because of a link to stroke and heart attack, a post-withdrawl study confirms the Cox-2 inhibitors increased the risk for stroke among Vioxx users by 28 percent and among Bextra users 41 percent when compared to the control group.

Being a consultant for a drug company pays well, but the FDA, following public pressure, doesn't think it looks too good.  The agency has just announced that advisory committee members, who recommend the approval of drugs for the FDA, must not have taken more than $50,000 from the drug company before them.  

This study off more than 8,000, finds that Americans are drinking slightly less than they did 50 years ago, and have shifted their preference from beer to wine. White men have reduced their daily consumption from two-and-a-half to one-and-a-half drinks.

Monsanto insists sales for its bovine growth hormone are better than ever, but despite that the company is divesting itself of Posilac, announcing today that division is for sale. Posilac was the first in a long line of genetically engineered products the company had pinned its hopes on. Now it will focus on GE seeds.

Children who had the most deep, restorative sleep, characterized by rapid eye movement or REM, were the least obese in this study. Researchers in Pittsburgh believe that lack of sleep and hormones contribute to obesity, which has triped in adolescents over the past 30 years. 

Some sort of prayer or meditation is used by the majority of cancer patients, the American Cancer Society finds. Complementary and alternative medicine is being sought out by cancer sufferers including  relaxation, faith and supplements. 

The late scientist, Dr. Linus Pauling, 35 years ago touted vitamin C as a powerful tool against cancer. Today scientists are playing catch-up and showing a renewed interest in the vitamin. High doses of vitamin C were found to kill up to 51% of some cancer cells in mice.  Research may start on humans soon, but why the 35 year lag? 

Several potato chip companies, including Frito-Lay, Heinz, Kettle Foods, and Lance Inc., have agreed to lower levels of acrylamide, a chemical that may cause cancer, in their products to settle a lawsuit filed by the state’s attorney general in 2005.

The maker of the recalled heart drug Digitek, is recalling all generics made in its New Jersey production facility to avoid any problems like Digitek. Digitek cases continue to climb and they may be exempt from federal pre-emption because of a manufacturing error.

Sunscreens need to be tested and labeling should include information on UVA protection, says two lawmakers who are pushing to have the FDA come up with final rules, so manufacturers can update labels and testing. Without that, consumers are largely left in the dark, assuming their product protects against the damage of all of the sun's rays, when it may not. 

For years Parkinson's patients taking the drug Mirapex have noticed they developed compulsive behaviors such as gambling, eating, shopping, porn. Hundreds of lawsuits are on tap in Minnesota District Court, and the first one has been decided in favor of the plaintiff - $8.2 million.

Danish scientists have noticed more behavioral problems among children whose mothers used cell phones during pregnancy.  Despite the controversy on how much - scientists agree that cell phones emit radiation. To err on the side of caution, there are some simple ways you can reduce your exposure, including something called a ferrite bead.