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Health & Wellness
Who has time for sick days? Tips to fight the cold, cough and flu this year
(BPT) - People who have gotten sick report their cold and flu symptoms lasted up to six days, according to the Vicks Second Annual Global Cough and Cold Survey. While health experts advise sick workers to stay home to avoid spreading germs, few of us can afford to take that many sick days off from work or home life. Fo...
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Why going gluten-free doesn't mean going grain-free
(BPT) - It’s impossible to stroll the aisles in your local supermarket without seeing package after package labeled “gluten-free.” But who really needs a gluten-free diet, and how can you still enjoy grains, even if you are eating gluten-free? Gluten is a protein found in just four grains: wheat, barley, rye and tritic...
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Frequent spring allergy questions answered
(BPT) - Spring is in the air – and that means pollen, mold spores and other airborne allergens are going to bring on sneezing and wheezing for an estimated 40 to 50 million Americans. The spring season can be especially bothersome with so much conflicting information on how to find relief. To help you better understand...
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Medicine cabinet makeover tips for people with high blood pressure
(BPT) - If you’re among the 68 million Americans who have high blood pressure, you may feel that taking your medicine, getting plenty of exercise and eating a healthy diet means you’re doing everything you can to manage your condition. But with cold season in full swing and many areas of the country recording record num...
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Survival tips for every Alzheimer's disease family caregiver
Every 68 seconds, someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s disease. Approximately 5.4 million Americans currently have the disease, and nearly 15 million others are providing care. Often the equivalent of a full-time job, 80 percent of at-home care for people with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia is provided by unpaid family caregivers. With the rise in the older population, many Americans may find themselves in the role of caregiver for a friend or family member with Alzhei...
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To comfort a cold or flu, home remedies make a world of difference
(BPT) - For generations, families have passed down home-spun remedies that can help loved ones feel that even during those sniffles and sneezes, they’re cared for. Having a bowl of grandma’s famous soup or your aunt’s special healing concoction can help your body heal and set your mind at ease. Recently, a group of Lati...
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The truth about losing weight: Separating facts from fiction (and magic pills)
(BPT) - Losing weight can dramatically improve your emotional and physical health, but it’s often a slow process. Millions of American adults use dietary supplements to lose weight, choosing a range of products that claim to decrease appetite, block fat absorption or increase metabolism. But with hundreds of products ...
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Keep your office healthy to prevent a flu outbreak
(BPT) - A flu outbreak in your workforce can cause problems in several different areas of your business. The best flu prevention is encouraging and educating workers on how to be proactive at fending off the flu virus. By making sure your employees do the best they can to stay in good health and flu free, you can keep y...
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Diabetic nerve pain is different than a muscle ache or sprained ankle
(BPT) - The prevalence of diabetes continues to increase significantly, and is expected to affect 53.1 million Americans by 2025, an increase of 64 percent from 2010. One of the most common complications of diabetes is diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), a form of nerve damage. More than one in five people with diabet...
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Eye-opening facts and myths about eye health [Infographic]
If you live long enough, you will get a cataract. Cataracts can limit the ability to see bright colors, read and, most frighteningly, drive a car – especially at night. Although more than 20 million Americans 40 years and older have a cataract in one or both eyes, there is a surprising lack of knowledge about the condition among U.S. adults. In fact, a recent survey found that 22 percent of Americans did not think that they were at risk for developing cataracts in their lifetime, when in rea...
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Learn how to be healthy, active and live well with diabetes
(BPT) - Whether you are at risk for, have been recently diagnosed with, or are living with diabetes, it is essential to make sure you have the information necessary to manage your disease. It can also be overwhelming caring for someone with diabetes. The American Diabetes Association strives to make it easier and the or...
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Nursing home admissions avoided with simplified prescription packaging
(BPT) - Numerous factors impact a senior’s ability to live independently, such as health and memory problems, mobility issues, and care coordination concerns. Often overlooked is the fact that one quarter of all nursing home admissions are the result of poor medication adherence. Representing a loss of independence, be...
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national news

U.S. Army Private First Class Manning enters the courtroom for day four of his court martial at Fort MeadeBy Medina Roshan FORT MEADE, Maryland (Reuters) - The court-martial of the U.S. soldier accused of providing reams of classified documents to WikiLeaks in a case illustrating the challenge of keeping secrets in the digital age must decide whether tweets and Web pages can be admitted as evidence. Lawyers for Private First Class Bradley Manning, 25, who is accused with providing more than 700,000 files to the anti-secrecy website in the biggest breach of classified U.S. data in the nation's history, argued on Tuesday that Twitter postings offered by prosecutors do not meet the court's standards. ...


2013-06-18 14:52:17 -0500

The flag over a war crimes courtroom in Camp Justice at US Naval Base Guantanamo Bay in CubaBy Jane Sutton GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) - No court in the world has ever ordered the International Committee of the Red Cross to open its confidential files on prisoner visits and the U.S. Guantanamo war crimes tribunal would set a dangerous precedent if it becomes the first to do so, a lawyer for the humanitarian group said on Tuesday. ...


2013-06-18 15:11:09 -0500
By Jonathan Allen NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former Mayor Ed Koch was 88 years old when he died in February, despite what his gravestone said. A worker at the Trinity Cemetery in Manhattan noticed last week that the gravestone's inscription shaved 18 years off the mayor's life after a stonecutter transposed two digits in his birth year, a Trinity spokeswoman said on Tuesday. The correct year of 1924 was mistakenly carved as 1942, she said. "It was a simple human mistake," said Tommy Flynn, owner of Flynn Funeral & Cremation Memorial Centers, which worked with Koch to create his funeral monument. ...
2013-06-18 15:19:17 -0500
A pair of California teens were rescued by helicopter from atop an 8,600-foot cliff after they became stranded and were unable to climb down, CNN reports. The California Highway Patrol dispatched a helicopter and a small plane to retrieve them. With winds gusting up to 30 mph and the teenage boys, 16 and 17, perched [...]
2013-06-18 12:51:46 -0500