Online Features
Health & Wellness
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Preventing medication fraud and abuse starts at home
(BPT) - Prescription drug abuse has reached epidemic proportions across the United States. More than 6 million Americans abuse prescription drugs and much of the abuse begins at home, according to a national survey on drug use and health. In fact, more than 70 percent of those who illegally use prescription pain relieve...
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Reinvent dinner in minutes with common pantry staples
(BPT) - Busy families face the dinnertime challenge every day. Not only do they need to find a nutritious meal the entire family will enjoy, but they need to do so in a limited amount of time. With a few tricks, it’s easy to get out of the dinner rut and score big with tasty, wholesome meals that use pantry staples in c...
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Healthy foods and creative recipes provide vitamin D when sunshine is scarce
(BPT) - When days are short and sunshine is scarce, it’s only natural to feel a little out of sorts. The sun is the body’s chief source of vitamin D, and for many Americans, clouds and cold temperatures can lead to deficiencies. Fortunately, there are other sources that provide this important vitamin – some of which com...
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Thyroid awareness [Infographic]
Located in the base of the neck, the thyroid produces hormones that travel to all the body’s tissues, influencing the function of virtually every organ. Of the estimated 30 million Americans with a thyroid disorder, an estimated 50 percent are undiagnosed.
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Foot care tips to keep you moving while on vacation
(BPT) - Decongestant, check. Sunscreen, check. Antacids, check. So you’re going on vacation and your bag is well-stocked with remedies for every illness that could possibly derail your good time – from sunburn to an upset stomach. While you’re taking steps to preserve your good health on vacation, don’t overlook the bod...
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Igniting the conversation about rare diseases
(BPT) - Each year, people across the world are invited to join together to raise awareness about rare diseases. Unlike more common conditions such as diabetes and breast cancer, many of these diseases, as well as the people affected by them, are not recognized by their own awareness initiatives throughout the year. Yet for people living with rare diseases and their loved ones, the path to a confirmed diagnosis, adapting to new treatment regimens, and facing the day-to-day challenges of thes...
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Rare Disease Day 2013: Maintaining bone health in people with multiple myeloma
(BPT) - In honor of the sixth annual Rare Disease Day, celebrated on Feb. 28, it is important to drive awareness about some rare cancers that are many times undiagnosed until the cancer has already spread. One particular cancer, multiple myeloma, often goes undiagnosed until the disease has spread to the bone. Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells, a type of white blood cell found in the bone marrow.  An estimated 70,000 people in the United States are currently living with multi...
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New study results make choosing a blood glucose meter easier [Infographic]
Managing diabetes just got a little bit easier. For the first time in history, J.D. Power and Associates, the premier market research firm, conducted an inaugural 2012 Blood Glucose Meter Satisfaction Study(SM) based on meter performance, ease-of-use, cost of test strips and training. Now with the results of this new customer satisfaction study, people with diabetes can be confident with their meter choice.  
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Go nuts and celebrate your health with a handful
(BPT) - Good things really do come in small packages. And when it comes to your health, pistachios pack a powerful punch: They help you manage your weight, may help reduce blood pressure and a study published in the “International Journal of Impotence Research” shows they may even help with erectile function. Here are t...
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Cycling to help stop diabetes
(BPT) - The American Diabetes Association is challenging bicycle riders to be part of the movement to Stop Diabetes(R) by participating in the annual Tour de Cure(R), a cycling event to raise funds to help fight diabetes. Tour de Cure is a fun way to get out with your family, friends or co-workers and has routes designe...
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How to breathe easier in your own home this spring
(BPT) - With spring on the horizon, airborne allergens and pollutants can cause much grief to homeowners who suffer from breathing problems such as asthma and seasonal allergies. With the potential for increased irritation, allergy sufferers typically seek long-term, consistent relief any way they can. Regardless of th...
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Age-related complications of iron overload in NTDT syndromes [Infographic]
Thalassemia, one of the world’s most common genetic diseases, affects red blood cell production, causing anemia. One group of thalassemias is called non-transfusion-dependent thalassemia (NTDT) syndromes, which predominantly affect people of South and Southeast Asian, Mediterranean or Middle Eastern origin. People who have NTDT are not symptomatic at birth, but symptoms begin to appear as early as age 10 and become increasingly common as people reach their 20s and 30s. Diagnosis of the disea...
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national news
Massachusetts police search NFL player's home in homicide probe: report

Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez talks on a phone during media day for the NFL Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis(Reuters) - Massachusetts State Police searched the home of New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez on Tuesday as part of a probe into a suspected homicide, according to ABC News. Hernandez was initially uncooperative with police after the body of a 27-year-old man was found in an industrial park near his home in North Attleborough on Monday, ABC News said, citing unnamed law enforcement sources. A police spokesman confirmed there was a homicide investigation under way in North Attleborough, but declined to give further details. ...


2013-06-18 22:07:10 -0500
After court rules, California gay marriage fight may go on

A man carries flags at a rally in support of same-sex marriage at the State of California Supreme Court in San FranciscoBy Peter Henderson SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The fight over legalizing gay marriage in the most populous U.S. state may go back to the ballot box in 2014 with California voters asked once again to settle the matter even after the Supreme Court's expected ruling this month on the issue. Experts believe the top court is unlikely to proclaim a national right to same-sex marriage in its decisions. The court is set to rule on a challenge to California's ban on same-sex marriage and on a provision of federal law denying certain benefits for married same-sex couples. ...


2013-06-19 00:11:14 -0500
Analysis: Hospital investors sold on U.S. health reform despite bumps

A Tea Party member reaches for a pamphlet at a "Food for Free Minds Tea Party Rally" in LittletonBy Susan Kelly CHICAGO (Reuters) - Shares of U.S. hospital operators have been on a tear this year, on average posting triple the gains of the broader stock market, as investors tallied up the benefits of President Barack Obama's healthcare reform. While some on Wall Street have held back amid signs of trouble as U.S. states prepare to implement the reform law, long-term investors still see more reward than risk on the horizon for hospital stocks. They expect company earnings to strengthen as more Americans gain insurance coverage and hospitals lose less money treating the uninsured. ...


2013-06-19 00:05:37 -0500
Journalist Michael Hastings dies in car crash at 33
Michael Hastings, the award-winning journalist whose explosive 2010 Rolling Stone profile of U.S. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal ("The Runaway General") led to McChrystal's resignation, died Tuesday in an early morning car accident in Los Angeles, the magazine said. He was 33. "Hard-charging, unabashedly opinionated, Hastings was original and at times abrasive," Rolling Stone, where he [...]
2013-06-18 19:23:00 -0500