Americans have taken big steps to be healthier – like decreasing smoking and lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels – but we still aren’t exercising enough and eating right. Those conclusions from a recent American Heart Association (AHA) report highlight a serious statistic: in spite of some improvements, cardiovascular disease still kills one American every 40 seconds.
On December 14th the EPA finalized a rule updating the standards for fine particulates, including soot, setting the annual health standard to 12 micrograms per cubic meter, down from the current level of 15. EPA’s proposed rule issued in June, 2012 generated more than 230,000 public comments.
Many cardiac patients are not giving healthy eating a high priority because some of their medical conditions are being controlled by drugs, according to a new study, which finds that practice can increase the risk of recurrent heart attacks.
This article discusses the exposure hazards to eyes/face associated with specific non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation (EMR) not addressed by OSHA: ultraviolet (UV), infrared (IR) and high-energy visible light (HEV).
In the 10th annual Ready or Not? Protecting the Public from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism report, 35 states and Washington, D.C. scored a six or lower on 10 key indicators of public health preparedness. The report found that while there has been significant progress toward improving public health preparedness over the past 10 years, particularly in core capabilities, there continue to be persistent gaps in the country's ability to respond to health emergencies, ranging from bioterrorist threats to serious disease outbreaks to extreme weather events.
If Congress – in its quest to rein in the federal deficit – decides to tax workers’ health benefits, more than half of American workers would either switch to a less costly plan, shop around, or drop coverage, according to new research from the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI).
Americans don’t like to take sick days – and when they’re sick, they don’t take steps to prevent co-workers from getting sick, too. Those conclusions come from a new study commissioned by Cintas Corporation, which found that 84% of U.S. adults who are employed have gone to work while sick. Of those, 45 percent don’t warn co-workers about their illness, and 45 percent don’t avoid direct contact – such as shaking hands – which could transmit an illness to others.
Choose activities that you enjoy and can do regularly. Fitting activity into a daily routine can be easy — such as taking a brisk 10 minute walk to and from the parking lot, bus stop, or subway station. Or, join an exercise class. Keep it interesting by trying something different on alternate days. Every little bit adds up and doing something is better than doing nothing.
The holidays aren't joyous for everyone. This time of year can bring stress and feelings of loneliness. Exercise, focusing on positive relationships, and doing things that you find rewarding can help with depression. Get tips on what to do if you feel depressed. Keep in mind that winter depression could be a sign of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which is caused by the lack of sunlight. Treatment for SAD is much like other forms of depression, but may also involve light therapy.
Cancer in U.S. workers leads to productivity losses of more than 33 million disability days per year, according to a study in the December Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM). Most affected: smaller companies.
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