Candy Sagon

Mammogram Advice: Older Women Aren’t Convinced

Posted on 04/22/2013 by Candy Sagon | Personal Health and Well-being | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal HealthMore than three years after a federally appointed panel of experts said most women don’t need annual mammograms, a new study of mammogram rates shows that older women have pretty much ignored the advice. According to an analysis of data from nearly 28,000 women, women over 40 continue to get the yearly screening, apparently unconvinced they should do it less often. In fact, mammogram rates slightly increased overall, from 51.9 percent in 2008 to 53.6 percent in 2011, even though …

Return of the Tourniquet: A Lifesaver in Boston

Posted on 04/19/2013 by Candy Sagon | Personal Health and Well-being | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal HealthThe trusty tourniquet — used since Roman times to stem blood loss — had only a decade ago been dismissed as being risky and ineffective. But when people lay bleeding in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings, it was this simple device that helped save lives. The Associated Press reports that rescuers used belts, shirts and other materials to quickly tie bleeding limbs to prevent major blood loss, shock and death. Doctors at Boston-area hospitals said the quick action …

Memo to Doctors: Why Are You Over-Drugging Seniors?

Posted on 04/17/2013 by Candy Sagon | Personal Health and Well-being | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal HealthWhat the heck is going on with doctors in some parts of the country who prescribe risky drugs for older adults? According to an analysis of more than 6 million seniors on Medicare Advantage, more than 20 percent are prescribed at least one high-risk medication. The problem is most common in the South, among women, and in relatively poor areas, report public health researchers with Brown University. Risky medications are ones that health authorities have specifically recommended against prescribing to …

5 Chemicals You Shouldn’t Have in Your House

Posted on 04/15/2013 by Candy Sagon | Personal Health and Well-being | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal HealthIn honor of Earth Day (April 22), lots of folks would like us to think about the common chemicals we’re exposed to daily that we may not realize could affect our health. For example, have you checked the ingredients on that antibacterial soap in your shower? Or wondered about the safety of Fifi’s flea collar? The environmentalists at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) have, and they’ve issued a report called “The Five Stupidest Chemicals That Shouldn’t Be in Your …

The New Bird Flu: Many Worries, Few Solutions

Posted on 04/12/2013 by Candy Sagon | Personal Health and Well-being | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal HealthThe numbers are modest but still alarming: 13 dead, 60 sick, from a new strain of bird flu in eastern China, according to the latest reports. But even though the H7N9 virus so far has not spread outside of China, both national and international health officials worry that it may be just a matter of time before it does — and right now there’s no vaccine to protect against the disease. The New York Times reported on a new analysis by …

What’s Lurking in Your Refrigerator Drawers?

Posted on 04/12/2013 by Candy Sagon | Personal Health and Well-being | Comments

Personal HealthWhich of your kitchen appliances or utensils has the most germs? It’s not, as most people in a new survey guessed, the keypad on the microwave. Or even that gunky can opener, the second most common answer. In terms of the pathogens that could really make you ill — E. coli, salmonella and listeria — the top three offenders were the refrigerator meat and vegetable drawers, followed by the blender gasket — that floppy ring that fits around the appliance’s …