Marketplace    Homes    Jobs    Classifieds    Coupons
[SeMissourian.com] Fair ~ 48°F  
River stage: 35.72 Rising
Saturday, Mar. 20, 2010

Health

Cancer society uses giant colon replica to raise awareness (03/17/10)
The local American Cancer Society is hoping that a tour of an inflatable colon exhibit will bring awareness about the importance of a screening for colorectal cancer. The 20-foot-long replica of a human colon will be open for tours Friday at the Saint Francis Medical Center Health and Wellness Center from 6 a.m. ...
March brings spring, and that means allergy season (03/16/10)
March, daylight saving time and warmer weather all signal the coming spring and, for many people, the coming of allergy season. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America reports that approximately 40 million Americans suffer from indoor/outdoor allergies like hay fever and other seasonal allergies. Cape Girardeau allergist Dr. Janna Tuck said there are many allergens in the area and, unfortunately, they are all at their peak about the same time...
Hearts may swoon when stocks do, study suggests (03/16/10)
ATLANTA -- Stock market slides may hurt more than your savings. New research suggests they might prompt heart attacks. Duke University researchers found a link between how a key stock index performed and how many heart attacks were treated at their North Carolina hospital shortly after the recession began in December 2007 through July 2009, when signs of recovery emerged...
Court says thimerosal did not cause autism (03/14/10)
WASHINGTON -- The vaccine additive thimerosal is not to blame for autism, a special federal court ruled Friday in a long-running battle by parents convinced there is a connection. While expressing sympathy for the parents involved in the emotionally charged cases, the court concluded they had failed to show a connection between the mercury-containing preservative and autism...
Practice with clinic in Cape Girardeau settles over false claims (03/12/10)
KENNETT, Mo. -- A physician with clinics in Cape Girardeau and five other Missouri communities has reached a civil settlement with the U.S. attorney's office for submitting false claims to Medicare and Medicaid.
Sikeston hospital says negotiations with insurance company progressing (03/10/10)
SIKESTON, Mo. -- Missouri Delta Medical Center officials say they are confident they will reach a resolution with a major insurance company, the Sikeston Standard Democrat reported. According to an MDMC news release, the local hospital has sought to address shortcomings in its existing Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield contract including coverage for orthopedic and neurosurgical spine services for several months...
The raw truth on dangers of eating uncooked, runny eggs (03/09/10)
Peanut butter recalls. Spinach scares. Contaminated meat. Is it any wonder Americans are jittery about their food? So much so that when The Associated Press recently ran a recipe for traditional spaghetti carbonara -- complete with its only barely cooked egg -- e-mails poured in...
Researchers: AIDS virus can hide in bone marrow (03/09/10)
WASHINGTON -- The virus that causes AIDS can hide in the bone marrow, avoiding drugs and later awakening to cause illness, according to new research that could point the way toward better treatments for the disease. Finding that hide-out is a first step, but years of research lie ahead...
Sikeston Anthem customers worried over loss of coverage at local hospital (03/08/10)
SIKESTON, Mo. -- A letter from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield has some of the health insurance company's customers in Southeast Missouri concerned they may soon not be covered at the nearest hospital. Officials and employees of Scott and Mississippi counties were among the customers notified in a letter dated Monday that, because of the termination of the provider contract with Anthem by Missouri Delta Medical Center on Feb. ...
Sikeston VA clinic expanding health care options for area veterans (03/08/10)
SIKESTON, Mo. -- One of the goals of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is to make its medical services more convenient for veterans to use. And that's what the VA has done with the opening of a community-based outpatient clinic in Sikeston, said Glenn A. Costie, chief executive officer of the VA Hospital in Poplar Bluff, Mo., during a Friday ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Sikeston facility...
Congress delays cut in Medicare payments (03/07/10)
Congress put off a big decision last week. When lawmakers voted to extend unemployment benefits, they also postponed until April 1 the workings of a law that would cut up to $285 billion from Medicare payments to doctors over the next 10 years. With physician groups warning the cut would force doctors to reduce the number of Medicare patients they treat, Congress left current rates in place. ...
Sikeston not-for-profit organizing event to collect old, unused prescription drugs (03/05/10)
SIKESTON, Mo. -- A Sikeston not-for-profit group will host an event this month to collect and dispose of old prescription medications with the idea of keeping those drugs out of the hands of children, the Sikeston Standard Democrat reported. Trends indicate more of today's teenagers are passing on the hard-to-obtain street drugs and opting for the typically easily accessible prescription drugs...
Picturing portions: Tips to manage serving sizes (03/02/10)
In a perfect world, people would only eat a half cup of rice, mashed potatoes and ice cream, and restaurants would proudly promote the three-ounce filet with a heaping one-cup serving of seasoned carrots. In the real world, though, Americans are overloaded in restaurants and inexperienced at estimating or recognizing portion sizes...
Pediatricians urge choking warning labels for food (03/02/10)
CHICAGO -- When 4-year-old Eric Stavros Adler choked to death on a piece of hot dog, his anguished mother never dreamed that the popular children's food could be so dangerous. Some food makers including Oscar Mayer have warning labels about choking, but not nearly enough, said Joan Stavros Adler, Eric's mom...
Speaker at grief seminar says words not always best to comfort the grieving (02/26/10)
Author, professor and senior consultant to Hospice Foundation of America Dr. Kenneth J. Doka spoke at Southeast Missouri Hospital's grief seminar Thursday at the Cape Girardeau Public Library. More than 75 nurses, social workers, hospice volunteers and educators heard Doka's presentation, "Loss and Grief Through the Life Cycle."
Healthy expression: Art therapy proves useful in helping patients dealing with stress, long recovery (02/23/10)
Since 1994, the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri and Southeast Missouri Hospital have put into use a therapy demonstrating the healing power of art with the help of an annual exhibit called "Art for the Health of It." The exhibit focuses on providing a relaxing atmosphere for patients, their families, visitors and employees...
Researchers: Most 'test tube' children are healthy (02/23/10)
SAN DIEGO -- More than 30 years after the world greeted its first "test-tube" baby with a mixture of awe, elation and concern, researchers say they are finding only a few medical differences between these children and ones conceived in the traditional way...
Report: Some Southeast Missouri counties among unhealthiest in state (02/18/10)
Southeast Missouri did not fare well in a snapshot of well-being by counties across the United States.
Girl's odyssey shows challenge of fighting obesity (02/16/10)
Paris Woods is hardly a poster child for the obesity epidemic. Lining up dripping wet with children on her swim team, she's a blend of girlish chunkiness and womanly curves. In street clothes -- roomy pink sweats or skimpy tank tops revealing broad, brown swimmers' shoulders -- the teen blends in with her friends, a fresh-faced, robust-looking all-American girl...
U.S. swine flu epidemic shows signs of being over (02/16/10)
ATLANTA -- Is the U.S. swine flu epidemic over? Federal health officials won't go so far as to say that, but earlier this month they reported for the fourth week in a row that no states had widespread flu activity. U.S. cases have been declining since October. An official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said swine flu cases are still occurring and are likely to continue a while longer at some level...
First lady Michelle Obama gets active in the fight against childhood obesity (02/09/10)
WASHINGTON -- By now, it is abundantly clear that Michelle Obama loves french fries. The first lady talks about this "guilty pleasure" all the time, trying to ward off any notion that she is a nutrition nanny even as she cajoles Americans to eat better. Her conversation with the public about the nation's health and fitness is about to get a lot more pointed...
Local look: Childhood obesity (02/09/10)
Local nutrition advocates weighed in on the issue of adolescent obesity and what to do about it. Through our e-mail listserv that reaches members of the health community, they were asked how bad the epidemic is, what lead young children to these unhealthy weights and if weekly meetings with dieticians and exercise experts would help...
Autism risks higher in kids of older mothers (02/09/10)
A woman's chance of having a child with autism increases substantially as she ages, but the risk may be less for older dads than previously suggested, a new study analyzing more than 5 million births found. "Although fathers' age can contribute risk, the risk is overwhelmed by maternal age," said University of California at Davis researcher Janie Shelton, the study's lead author...
Praying for a cure: The number of Americans with Alzheimer's disease will triple by the year 2050 - and there's still no way to prevent or cure the condition (02/06/10)
"She just got up and walked out. She doesn't know me today," says Bob Medlock of Sikeston, Mo. The retired preacher is visiting his wife Bernice, an Alzheimer's patient at a New Madrid, Mo., nursing home. "She knows me sometimes," he says. Still, he makes the 40-mile round trip at least four times a week to visit the "beautiful woman" he married 55 years ago...
Smoking for two (or more): New reports link secondhand smoke to heart attacks (02/06/10)
It's a well-known fact that smoking is an unhealthy habit. But did you also know that smoking is the most avoidable cause of disease and death? That secondhand smoke alone increases the risk of heart disease by 25 to 30 percent? And that at 24.9 percent, Missouri has the fourth-highest rate of adult smoking in the United States? The national average is just 18.3 percent...
Events: Health and community

Health news
  • Testing overseas may explain big drop in TB cases
    ATLANTA (AP) -- An unexpected big drop in new U.S. tuberculosis cases is probably because of stepped up screening and treatment of immigrants before they leave their native countries, health officials say.
  • Doctors, AARP support new health overhaul bill
    CHICAGO (AP) -- The nation's largest association of doctors and the AARP senior citizens' lobby are endorsing President Barack Obama's revised health overhaul legislation.
  • Calif. board to study requiring condoms in porn
    LOS ANGELES (AP) -- California's worker safety board voted Thursday to further study a proposal that would require porn actors to wear condoms during sex scenes.
  • AP Enterprise: NASA, cruise line got flu shots
    ATLANTA (AP) -- Last fall, as swine flu cases mounted and parents desperately sought to protect their kids, the hard-to-get vaccine was handed out in some surprising places: the Royal Caribbean cruise line, the headquarters of drug giant Merck, the Johnson Space Center and a Department of Energy office in Idaho.
  • Attempt stalls to ban smoking at Calif state parks
    SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- An attempt by the California Legislature to impose what is believed to be the nation's most far-reaching smoking ban in state parks stalled Thursday over objections it would inappropriately punish smokers.
  • WHO: Not sure if drug-resistant TB is worsening
    LONDON (AP) -- The World Health Organization says it doesn't have enough information to know if it is winning the fight against drug-resistant tuberculosis.
  • Prescription-drug heists on the rise
    WASHINGTON (AP) -- The $75 million heist at a pharmaceutical warehouse in Connecticut this week was just the most audacious example of a growing phenomenon: Thieves are stealing large quantities of prescription drugs for resale on the black market.