Daily Health News Blog

(BPT) - Each year, millions of Americans seek hospital care to treat a wide range of medical problems - from accidental injuries to chronic or life-threatening illnesses. While the majority of patients have positive outcomes, it is imperative to remember patient safety should be a top priority for everyone. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) notes patient safety is a serious global public health issue. Even in developed countries such as the United States, as many as one in 10 patients may be harmed while hospitalized. Injury rates are even higher in developing countries, making patient safety a high priority around the world. You can take steps to help ensure your safety whether in the hospital for a planned or unexpected circumstance. Here are three things to keep in mind to make your hospital stay as safe as possible: Reduce infection risks: Hospital infections are a top concern, especially for surgical patients. According to WHO, hand hygiene is the single mos

Love it or hate it, Facebook is enormous. Since it has roughly one billion users, we are often lulled into a false sense of anonymity. Why would anyone notice your little page when there are millions and millions of others to choose from—probably with much more interesting content too? Every time you apply for a job, take on a new client, make a new friend, or date a new person, you can bet they are going to check you out on Facebook. It’s the easy and quick go-to place for amateur private detectives — and you’d better make sure they cannot dig up anything that you’ll wish they hadn’t. Not convinced? Here are five very good reasons for cleaning up your Facebook page ASAP and preventing irrevocable damage to your  Your Farmville Skills Will Get You Nowhere.  Everyone is guilty of wasting time at some point in the day, but nobody wants a potential employer to know just how much time you dedicate to online games. Chopping down computer-generated trees, popping colored bubbles,

From watermelon to red cabbage, find out why these foods should be part of your diet. Some foods are so healthy they star on every nutrition expert’s list of super foods. But often missing on those lists are some underrated gems that can definitely upgrade your diet. We tapped nutrition experts to find out their favorite underrated fare. They only selected whole foods that are familiar, widely available, affordable, and nutrient-rich -- and that taste great. Here are their top picks. 1. Beans and Lentils Beans and lentils really are nutrition superstars -- rich in protein, fiber, complex carbs, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. Bonnie Taub-Dix, RD, author of Read It Before You Eat It, says healthy foods like beans and lentils defy the recommendation to only shop the perimeter of the grocery store. "There are hundreds of essential foods like beans and lentils lining the shelves in the center aisles that should not be overlooked." Beans are versatile and ea

People who spend hours each day without getting up and moving around should take heed: A new study suggests that the more people sit each day, the greater their risk for chronic health problems, such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Researchers from Australia and Kansas State University said their findings have implications for office workers, truck drivers and other people who regularly sit for long periods of time. To reduce the risk of chronic disease, the study authors concluded that people should sit less, and move more. "We know that with very high confidence that more physically active people do better with regard to chronic disease compared with less physically active people, but we should also be looking at reducing sitting," Richard Rosenkranz, assistant professor of human nutrition at Kansas State University, said in a university news release. "A lot of office jobs that require long periods of sitting may be hazardous to your health because of i

Early in the 20th century, only one in seven women were employed outside the home. Today, most women work, with women constituting 47% of the labor force. A consequence of this is that women are now exposed to many workplace hazards, including occupational stress. Occupational (or job) stress is a prevalent problem in the United States, with between a third to nearly a half of workers routinely reporting high levels of job stress. Certain job conditions have been well-established as stressors. These include heavy workload demands, little control over work, unclear or conflicting job roles, poor relationships with coworkers and supervisors, and unchallenging, repetitive, or monotonous work. Women experience additional job stressors that may affect men to a lesser degree. Since women often have primary responsibility for children and household chores, achieving an acceptable work-family balance can be challenging.  In some jobs in which women predominate, such as nursing and customer

Most people have heard of shingles, but many do not have a firm idea of what it actually is. I’ve diagnosed patients with shingles who knew little more than that it is rash, which is most likely to strike older adults. Although shingles can be painful, this viral infection is not life-threatening and is unlikely to lead to serious complications. Gaining a better understanding of this virus, however, will help you manage this surprisingly common condition. How Shingles Strikes Shingles is characterized by a often painful, blistering rash. It is usually located near the middle of your back and wraps around one side of your chest. It can also occur on the neck, scalp and face. As I noted above, shingles is a viral rash. So, how do you catch this unpleasant virus? People diagnosed with shingles are usually shocked to hear that they have probably had the virus since childhood. In fact, it is the same virus which causes chicken pox. Once you’ve had chicken pox, your body’s immune s

Many seniors who smoke feel like it is too late to quit. If you’ve been smoking almost your whole life, it may seem that it is not worth it to quit later in life. But there are some real benefits to quitting, even if you are older. First, you will find that your senses of taste and smell will improve. As you age, these senses naturally begin to decline. Smoking intensifies that effect. But quitting smoking will improve your sense of taste and smell, letting you enjoy your food and environment much more. You also will benefit from an immediate reduction in your heart rate and blood pressure. There is improved lung function in ex-smokers. If you deal with a chronic or nagging cough, giving up smoking will improve that. This is a gradual improvement, but research by the American Cancer Society shows that the cilia in your lungs regains normal function within about six months. After a year of quitting, your risk of coronary heart disease is cut in half. After five years, your risk o