In the name of science: women wanted to eat chocolate for a year
Scientists in the UK are seeking 150 women to eat chocolate every day for a year in the cause of medical research.
The trial, at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, eastern England, will test whether a natural compound found in cocoa, the main ingredient of chocolate, could cut the risk of heart disease among women with diabetes.
A Belgian confectionist has created the special chocolate bar containing high levels of flavonoids -- a plant compound that has been shown to reduce heart risk factors -- to be used in the experiment. Soy, another natural source of flavonoids, has also been added to the bar.
Participants, who must be postmenopausal women under the age of 70, will have their risk of heart disease tested on five occasions during the year to see whether change occurs.
Nurse? Did you wash your hands?
The Irish Hospital Consultants Association plans to protest to the HSE about its current advertising campaign asking patients to ask health professionals whether they have washed their hands.
Irish Health reports that the campaign has met with a mixed reaction from the public, judging by the latest irishhealth.com viewers' poll results. One viewer says she has even complained to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission about the advertising campaign. (To view the full results and comments click on...http://www.irishhealth.com/poll.html?pollid=423 )
.jpg)
HSE Assistant National Director for Health Protection Dr Kevin Kelleher said evidence shows that hand hygiene is the single most effective defence against the spread of MRSA.
Donal Duffy, Assistant Secretary General of the IHCA, told irishhealth.com,
"They (consultants) find it gratuitously insulting, given that the campaign effectively accuses consultants of not washing their hands."
Janette Byrne of the Patients Together organization, said,
"If you are feeling very sick it would be difficult to have the worry of asking staff about their hand hygiene. We feel that the full responsibility for this should be placed on hospital staff, and it is not fair to put this burden on the patient. … Many people would struggle to confront a doctor or nurse on this issue and we feel the campaign is very much a case of the HSE passing the buck."
What to do if food has made you poop or barf
An employee at the Kansas State College of Veterinary Medicine brought me a present the other day: a bag of salad that apparently had a big wad of mud in it. Or was it poop? Smelled like mud.
She wasnt sickened by the food, but if you think a specific food has made you sick, here's what to do:
• go to the doctor if necessary;
• keep the food, in the fridge or freezer if necessary; and,
• contact your local health department.
Bill Marler's got some more specific guidelines here.
Health Canada pulls holiday recommendations from its ass
Health Canada says that 11 to 13 million of Canada's 33 million people will get sick from food each year.
.jpg)
But,
"You can help reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses for your family and friends during the holiday season by following some basic food safety tips."
If it's basic, why are so many people getting sick?
The Canadians at least have it right by saying,
"If cooking a turkey for a holiday meal, use a digital food thermometer to make sure it is cooked properly."
That's so much better than the Brits and the Irish.
But then, Health Canada says,
"The temperature of the thickest part of the breast or thigh should be at least 85 degrees C (185 degrees F)."
.jpg)
No one knows where this recommendation comes from. In the U.S., the recommendation is 165 F, and anyone can figure out where it came from. Apparently no one asks such questions in Canada.
12 germiest places?
MSNBC got “Health” magazine senior editor Frances Largeman-Roth to identify the 12 germiest places you’re likely to encounter during an average day.
Lists make nice water cooler chatter, like the top 25 Canadian albums (and Canadians are still apologizing for Bryan Adams and Celine Dion), but some references would bolster the credibility of the germy list. And what is germiest?
1. Your kitchen sink
2. Airplane bathrooms
3. A load of wet laundry
4. Public drinking fountains
5. Shopping cart handles
6. ATM buttons
7. Your handbag
8. Playgrounds
9. Mats and machines at health clubs
10. Your bathtub
11. Your office phone
12. The hotel-room remote control
