Health & Wellness

Millions of Americans are going hungry, and the number is rising. In 2008, a total of 17 million households in the United States, or 14.6 percent, went hungry and experienced food insecurity, the highest level seen since nationally representative food security surveys were first started in 1995.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has new data showing that omeprazole, a medicine used to reduce stomach acid and treat frequent heartburn, can reduce the anti-blood clotting effect of clopidogrel, better known as Plavix.

A prescription skin patch called Qutenza, which contains a synthetic form of capsaicin, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of pain due to postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), a condition that develops in some people who have had shingles. Capsaicin is the substance found in chili peppers and is frequently used to treat various types of painful conditions.

More and more families and schools are having to learn how to deal with food allergies as these allergies have increased in children over the past decade.

Eating fruits and vegetables can lead to rosy, lighter, healthy looking skin, and was found to be preferred among study participants given the chance to choose skin tones that reflect good health. Researchers from the UK say skin tone that is naturally attractive and also reflects good overall health comes from eating fruits and vegetables.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued new guidelines Monday for basic preventative screening for breast cancer for women over the age of 40. Among the changes include an increasing of the age for baseline mammograms to age 50, and to change the recommendation for annual screenings to having the exams every other year.

Practicing Transcendental Meditation was shown in a nine year study to reduce risk of stroke, heart attack and death among a group of participants with known coronary artery disease. The technique also significantly lowered blood pressure in addition to reducing the risk of cardiovascular events, compared to a control group. Transcendental Meditation can be easily learned, and practiced daily.

Playing video game is not all bad. Choosing active video games is found to be as good as moderately intense exercise that can help fight obesity, diabetes and heart disease. A study, funded by Nintendo, found that boxing, bowling, golfing and tennis Wii sports™ games are a healthy choice that can expend sufficient energy.

Results of a Phase III clinical trial show that the libido enhancing drug flibanserin boosted libido in women. The drug increased sexual desire at the highest dose of 100 mg. taken at bedtime. Women, age 18 to 50 felt better about sexual dysfunction from taking the drug to arouse sexual desire.

The number of children with food allergies has increased 18% in the past ten years according to new research by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition, those seeking treatment at hospitals and clinics for food allergy related symptoms have tripled since 1993.