Category Archives: Health Facts

Why Do 13% of U.S. Adults Skip Medication? Money

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Greg Asseff

An alarmingly high number of people report skipping doses of their medication in order to save money, according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC also counted many reports of individuals saving money by delaying the fulfillment of their prescriptions. In total, the organization found that 12.6% of individuals between age 18 and 64 stray from the prescriptions given to them by their health care providers in order to pinch pennies. By comparison, just 5.8% of people over the age of 64 said the same, providing some reassurance. The survey used to come to these findings was distributed nationally in 2011.

Posted in Health, Health Facts, Medical, Mental Health, News, Studies | 15 Comments

Red Meat and Heart Disease: Is Saturated Fat Really to Blame?

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Greg Asseff

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 715,000 people in the U.S. suffer from a heart attack each year. High blood sugar, smoking and high blood pressure are all known to contribute to the possibility of heart disease and heart attacks. Eating large quantities of red meat also increases your risk of heart disease because it contains high levels of cholesterol and saturated fat – right? While that may be at least partially true, researchers from Ohio’s Cleveland Clinic say that their new study may have identified the truer culprit. According to their study, the primary component in red meat that influences heart disease risk may be l-carnitine, a nutrient also readily available in dietary supplements. What is l-carnitine, and why are people taking it in supplement form if it increases the risk of developing heart disease.

Posted in Diet, Food, Health, Health Facts, Medical, News, Nutrition, Studies | Leave a comment

Half-Million Kids Have Too Much Lead in Blood

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Greg Asseff

A new study by the CDC, or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, finds that over half a million U.S. children have abnormally high levels of lead in their blood. According to the study, which was conducted between 2007 and 2010, approximately 535,000 kids between the ages of 1 and 5 had at least 5 micrograms per deciliter of lead in their blood. Five mg/dl is the recommended maximum limit for blood lead content. The study indicates that about 2.6% of kids in the 1 to 5 age group are exposed to too much lead. Even low levels of lead in a child’s blood can cause serious physical and mental health issues, including behavioral problems, difficulty paying attention and lower IQ scores. According to the researchers behind the study, any level of lead exposure is too much, especially for a child.

Posted in Health, Health Facts, Medical, Mental Health, News, Parenting, Studies | 1,088 Comments

Study: Only 3% of Kids’ Meals at Restaurants are “Healthy”

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Greg Asseff

About 97% of kids’ meals sold at restaurants around the country fail to meet the health and nutrition standards defined by the CSPI, or Center for Science in the Public Interest, according to a study by this same organization. The group analyzed almost 3,500 meals from more than 40 chain restaurants around the country, many of which have recently attempted to amp up the nutritional value of their kids’ meals, in coming to their conclusions. Just as a few examples, the CSPI found that 73% of the meals came with french fries, 78% came with a sugar-sweetened beverage, and over 50% were in excess of 600 calories.

Posted in Diet, Food, Health, Health Facts, News, Nutrition, Parenting, Studies, Weight Loss | 1 Comment

Generic Drug Prices Vary Wildly, Study Finds

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Greg Asseff

According to the FDA, generic drugs are identical to their more expensive name-brand counterparts. However, if you opt for generics when given a prescription by your doctor, you could be doing serious unnecessary harm to your wallet if you don’t shop around at a few pharmacies first, according to a new study. The study, conducted by Consumer Reports, looked at the cost of a one-month supply of five different popular drugs at over 200 pharmacies across the country. All of the drugs involved in the study had only recently gone generic. Shockingly, the researchers found that the lowest-priced pharmacies were about 447% cheaper than the most expensive pharmacies. Lisa Gill, who regularly covers prescription drugs for Consumer Reports, said that “irrational pricing” is common in the immediate wake of a prescription drug going generic.