Diet and Nutrition. Natural Health, and Healthy Living

IRVINE—CALPIRG Health Care Advocate Michael Russo testified today at a Department of Managed Care hearing in Irvine, calling for the enactment of new regulations to protect patients from balance billing. When patients are taken to the hospital for emergency treatment, they may be treated by doctors who are not part of their insurance plan’s network. When this happens, some hospitals send a surprise bill directly to the patient. Usually (more...)

FORBES: Fed Chief Ben Bernanke fans the flames of health reform. "It's not just balancing the federal budget; it's really a much broader question of the stability and strength of our economy over a longer period of time," Benanke said.

CHICAGO TRIBUNE: AMA turns thumbs down to secret medical shoppers. "It is grossly unethical," said Dr. Howard Chodash, a professor at Southern Illinois University Medical School.

WASH POST: "Halting runaway medical inflation represents a potential victory for all generations," wrote Sandra Day O'Connor and James R. Jones.

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Baby’s first feeding routine
A flexible routine is required. No two babies are the same and a baby will not necessarily conform to a mothers’ schedule or indeed to the anticipated four hourly pattern.

Baby should feed often and be comfortable at the breast.Feeding times vary in the first few weeks at between six to eight times in a twenty four hour period.Leaking milk can occur between feeds triggered by emotions or hearing baby’s cry. Breast pads will protect clothes.Feeding is best done in a comfortable position to avoid backache and baby dragging on the breast. Sit upright with back support, or lean slightly forward with breasts falling slightly towards baby. Stack pillows, if necessary, to ensure baby is level with breast.Baby should "latch" onto a good mouthful of breast tissue. Sucking on the end of the nipple can be painful and will cause tender nipples.Feeding should be a pleasurable bonding experience for both mother and baby.

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This is Serenity. She has Lukemia.

Serenity, was diagnosed two days ago with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia . She's two.

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Jason Yap Interview - Singapore Tourism BoardQ & A with Dr. Jason CH Yap, Director, Healthcare Services, Singapore Tourism Board. Dr. Yap is a public health physician with nearly two decades in healthcare services and currently part of the SingaporeMedicine multi-agency initiative to promote and streamline services offered (more...)

K. Warner Schaie and Sherry L. Willis are two of the more important researchers in the area of aging and cognitive training. They oversee the Seattle Longitudinal Study, which followed adults across many years as they grew older, regularly monitoring their cognitive status. Among their most important findings:

Through cognitive training (exercises for the brain), older people can improve their abilities.Those who have had a decline in their thinking abilities can get back to where they were 14 years earlier.Certain abilities are more likely to decline with age than others. Four abilities that typically get worse are: processing speedreasoningmemoryspatial orientationCognitive training can impact everyday tasks. For example, reasoning training can make people better at solving problems around the household or logistics of transportation.

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Statement by Mike Russo, Health Care Advocate and Staff Attorney for CALPIRG: “CALPIRG applauds the Assembly’s passage today of the comprehensive health care reform bill, ABX1-1. The reform will greatly expand coverage, contain the surging costs of health care, and give consumers a fair shake when buying insurance. The bill:· Creates a large purchasing pool to let many Californians who currently lack access to group coverage (more...)

Million Americans UninsuredThere are now a record 47 million Americans without health insurance, while the percentage of children without insurance rose for a second consecutive year, according to newly realeased US Census Bureau data. The comparison:
The number of people without health insurance coverage rose from 44.8 (more...)