- Author: Health Informer
- Filed under: Health News
- Date: Apr 16,2011
Mike McCready’s Public Service Announcements Highlight Community-Based Fundraising and Awareness through Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation Take Steps Walks
Mike McCready, guitarist and founding member of the American rock band, Pearl Jam, recently donated his time to create a radio public service announcement (PSA) series on behalf of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation to raise critical awareness for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The 60, 30, and 15 second PSAs will encourage Americans to register for one of over 130 Take Steps Walks in 2011 in communities around the country. Walkers will raise much-needed dollars for research into Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, chronic, painful, and often debilitating digestive diseases. Collectively known as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), Crohn’s and colitis afflict over 1.4 million American children and adults.
McCready understands the ups-and-downs of living with an incurable digestive disease because he has Crohn’s disease. In the PSAs, he explains the chronic and debilitating pain of Crohn’s and colitis and the Foundation’s mission to find a cure for these digestive diseases and improve the quality of life for patients. He goes on to urge listeners to join him to end the suffering by signing up for a Take Steps Walk.
“I have been living with Crohn’s Disease for over 24 years,” says McCready. “Luckily, my disease is now under control. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for many of the 1 million plus Americans suffering from IBD. I know first hand the tremendous impact CCFA’s programs can have on improving Crohn’s and colitis patients’ lives. I encourage anyone inflicted or affected by these diseases to sign up for the Take Steps Walk program.” Read the rest of this entry »
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- Author: Health Informer
- Filed under: Health News
- Date: Apr 14,2011
New service gives much-needed relief from costly medical bills
RushCard announced that money-saving discount health plans are now available exclusively to its members. The plans allow for savings on a variety of health services, such as dental and vision exams, diabetes management products, lab services and more.
The Discount Health Plans from RushCard expand its health care offerings, bringing unmatched value to RushCard members. The Discount Health Plans join the free Prescription Discount Card from RushCard, which entitles members to discounts on regular prescription drugs, in a suite of health care services.
“No other prepaid card is offering a way to get relief from the high cost of medical services like we are,” said Russell Simmons, philanthropist and founder of the RushCard.
Bankruptcies due to medical bills increased significantly in a six-year period, from 46% of all bankruptcies in 2001 to 62% in 2007, according to the American Journal of Medicine. It added that most of those who filed for bankruptcy were middle-class homeowners.
“The Discount Health Plans from RushCard are a wise choice for everyone, regardless of income or health insurance coverage,” Simmons said. ”We’ll continue to offer services based on what our members tell us they need to manage their expenses—large and small—and build greater peace of mind.” Read the rest of this entry »
- Author: Health Informer
- Filed under: Health News
- Date: Apr 13,2011
Researchers Stress the Importance of Reducing Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages, Especially in Light of New Dietary Guidelines
Leading health and research experts are convening at the American Society for Nutrition’s Scientific Sessions and Annual Meeting at Experimental Biology 2011 in Washington, D.C., to review research findings that highlight the growing problem of increased consumption of sweetened caloric beverages and its link to negative health outcomes. During the workshop, “The Global Beverage Picture: Where is the Science Today as Beverage Consumption Relates to Cardiometabolic Health,” experts will share new research updates on the relationship between this upward trend and metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that occur together, has been linked to abdominal obesity, and found to increase a person’s risk for heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
This research is particularly relevant given the recently released 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which conclude: Read the rest of this entry »
- Author: Health Informer
- Filed under: Health News
- Date: Apr 13,2011
New evidence suggests that walking on a treadmill at a comfortable speed and for longer duration is the most effective exercise to improve mobility in people with Parkinson’s disease. That’s according to the first randomized trial comparing three types of exercise training in Parkinson’s disease. The late-breaking research will be presented at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, April 9–16, 2011, in Honolulu.
“Difficulty walking is the greatest cause of disability in people with Parkinson’s disease,” said Lisa M. Shulman, M.D., with the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. “These results have important implications for how we manage Parkinson’s disease, since low-intensity exercise can be done by most people with Parkinson’s, and our patients frequently ask what type of exercise they should be doing.”
In this study, 67 people with Parkinson’s disease who had problems with walking were randomly assigned to three types of exercise: high intensity treadmill (greater speed, shorter duration), low intensity treadmill (lower speed, longer duration) or stretching and resistance exercises, which included repetitions of leg presses, extensions and curls. Read the rest of this entry »