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.
In the wake of a recent train derailment in NJ released toxins and forced widespread evacuations, environmental groups are urging the Obama administration to use its power under the Clean Air Act to reduce chemical disaster risks.
New health research gives hope to workers and residents exposed to toxic dust and fumes after the collapse of the World Trade Center towers on 9/11. A study finds that some of those people have shown gradual improvement in lung function, indicating that airway injury is reversible in at least some cases.
Worried about your cholesterol? New health research finds that the benefits of diet and exercise may go beyond weight loss and muscle tone improvement. Working out may actually help raise the production of “good” cholesterol.
Public places and private workplaces across the nation are working to better respond to cardiac emergencies by stepping up efforts to map the location of the closest AEDs and developing new ways to access this information.
Andriy Skipalskyi was feeling proud, even triumphant, when he arrived last March at the World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Singapore. Ukraine’s parliament had just voted to approve a public smoking ban, and its president had just signed a bill to outlaw tobacco advertising and promotion. These were revolutionary steps in chain-smoking Eastern Europe.