While some hospitals go so far as to ban drug sales reps from stepping foot in their halls, at medical society conferences there’s hardly a square inch that can’t be sponsored by a medical product-related company, reports ProPublica. At one society meeting this week, imperial banners adorn the sides of buildings. Logos are branded hotel key cards, cellphone charging stations, and carpets. Doctors can’t go to sleep without seeing another logo waiting for them on their nightstand. The goal? To influence, subtly and not so subtly, physicians into becoming emissaries for the interests of the sponsoring companies. [More]
health
2 Pounds Away From Weight Loss Goal
By 5.6.11
I’m 2 lbs away from my weight loss goal. What’s my secret you ask? An ancient technique passed down to me by visions of an Aztec god: diet and exercise. Specifically soccer. Oodles of soccer. [More]
Do You Live Near A Food Desert?
By 5.4.11
If you’ve ever wanted to find out if you live in a wasteland with a dearth of access to fresh and nutritious food, boy have we got the government-sponsored data mashup for you! The USDA just launched the “Food Desert Locator” which lets you see where it’s hard to get a decent bite to eat in America. A “food desert” (remember: not dessert, that has two s’s because you want more of it) is a low-income area where a most of the people live more than one mile from the nearest grocery store/supermarket. Thanks to this map, now we know why North Dakotans are so sad: no one will make them a sandwich! [More]
SnackWell's Ups Snack Pack Calorie Count From 100 To 150
By 4.22.11
SnackWell’s, the nonfat low-cal line of snack food introduced in 1992 but hasn’t advertised in the past five years, is increasing the size of some of its new snack-packs higher than the previously holy 100 calorie level. Some new varieties, like the “fudge drizzled caramel popcorn” are 130 calories. Pouches of Fudge Crème Brownie Bites tip the scales at 150 calories. A benchmark has been breached, people. [More]
When The Economy Gets Worse, People Shake Babies More
By 4.22.11
When the going gets tough, the weak get going on their babies. A new study finds a rise in “shaken baby syndrome” correlates with economic downturns. At one hospital, the number of babies that were hospitalized for what is known as “non-accidental head trauma” doubled during th recession. [More]
FDA Approval for Implants Is Too Slow. Or Is It Too Fast?
By 4.20.11
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration can’t seem to catch a break. Last week, the federal agency came under fire by the Government Accountability Office for its 510(k) program, which expedites approvals of new medical devices without requiring extensive clinical studies. [More]
Sitting Can Literally Kill You
By 4.18.11
If you’ve ever worried that you were slowly dying by spending your days trapped in cubicle-land, you don’t have to worry anymore. You’re right. And according to new research, the threat isn’t merely existential. Sitting for long periods of time set off a chain reaction of events that quicken your shuffle off this mortal coil. [More]
Lawsuit: Campbell's "Regular" And "25% Less Sodium" Tomato Soup Both Contain 480mg Of Sodium
By 4.18.11
Here’s a trick question: How much sodium does Campbell’s “25% less sodium” tomato soup contain compared to regular Campbell’s tomato soup? Would you believe that both contain 480 mg? And that the first one costs more? Four NJ housewives couldn’t, and a federal judge has ruled that their lawsuit against Campbell’s over what they call misleading labels can proceed. [More]
2nd Man Dies From Eating Salmonella Contaminated Pastries
By 4.11.11
A second man has died after eating pastries from the DeFusco’s bakery in Rhode Island, the result of a salmonella outbreak that has sickened 66 and hospitalized 23, reports The Providence Journal. [More]
First Aid Prep Pads Recalled For Bacterial Infection
By 4.8.11
All lots of H&P Industries Povidine Iodine Prep Pads are being recalled for Elizabethkingia meningoseptica, which is associated with invasive meningitis. “Use of contaminated Povidine Prep Pads could lead to life-threatening infections,” said the FDA recall notice. If you have a first aid kid, you should check to see if any of these pads are in it and get rid of them. These pads can be identified by these names on their packages: [More]
Study: HFCS Leads To Much More Weight Gain In Rats Than Sugar
By 3.28.11
A study from Princeton published in the February issue of the journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior (PDF) shows that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), used as a cheap sweetener in everything from Coke to Progresso soup, is not the same as table sugar, namely for the way that it makes you gain 48% more weight. [More]
How To Game The Salad Bar At Whole Foods
By 3.25.11
Is your salad bar ripping you off? The New York Times Magazine investigated and found that ingredients at the salad bar, like cucumber, were 70% more expensive at the salad bar than if you had bought them from elsewhere in the store. So how do you get the best deal when you’re forking lettuce down your gullet? For one, go for the baby spinach and mesclun to get the best value, ladle on the cost-effective sun-dried tomatoes and go nuts on the toppings. These little guys will take a far bigger premium from your wallet off the shelf than from the lettuce trough. [More]
Insurers Dodge Payouts By Claiming Accidental Deaths As Suicides
By 3.18.11
Thanks to loopholes, some insurers are erroneously denying insurance claims for accidental deaths by claiming they’re suicides, reports Bloomberg Markets Magazine in a new in-depth investigation. [More]
Pepsi Throwback Becomes Permanent
By 3.17.11
Pepsi “Throwback,” a version made with real sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup, will has been upgraded from “limited time” to “permanent,” the sodamaker announced on its Facebook wall. No more driving down to Mexico or waiting for Passover to snatch some up. You can now enjoy the all-natural sugary pick-me-up beverage as an occasional treat and compliment to your favorite nutritious meals and snacks all year-round. [More]
Ex-Girlfriend Auctions Off Sheen's Inscribed Consumer Reports Drug Reference Book
By 3.11.11
Charlie Sheen is a prolific, and apparently, very informed consumer of substances. In a recent Inside Edition interview, his former girlfriend Ginger Lynn brought out a copy of publishing pal Consumer Reports book The Complete Drug Reference that he inscribed and gave to her when they were dating back in the early 90’s. It reads, “To Ging, From one Druggie To Another. Love, C.” The book is going for $1,000 but that’s silly, you can get all the prescription drug information you need at Consumer Reports Health, and you don’t even need to be an extra-dimensional warlock to use it. [More]
Docs: Tanning Booths Should Be Outlawed For Teens
By 2.28.11
Last year, we asked readers if minors should be required to get parental permission to use a tanning bed and almost 75% of voters said yes. But today, the American Academy of Pediatrics has declared its belief that minors should be legally barred from entering a tanning salon. [More]
New Flu Vaccine Could End Shortages
By 2.16.11
A shift toward producing flu vaccines using cultures of animal cells inside of steel tanks instead of chicken eggs should make it easier to get the shots ready more quickly to stem pandemics. [More]
Food Activists Capture And Execute Ronald McDonald Statue
By 2.14.11
A bunch of food activists and artists in Finland kidnapped a Ronald McDonald statute from McDonald’s and held it hostage in a series of Al-Qaeda style ransom videos. They demanded answers to questions about how McDonald’s produces it food or they would guillotine the statue. Two members of the group were arrested by police and the statue was recovered, but the group went ahead and guillotined a replica anyway. [More]
