Dear Healthbolters,
This blog is a lot of fun to write, but geez, there’s a LOT of fun stuff to write about. Would you believe that I have at least 30 stories all ready for you – and that’s just from a few quick searches over the past few weeks? That doesn’t include all the neat stuff I find every day.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that I’m pretty obsessive about things I’m enjoying, so I’m going to encourage a bit more. If you come across any great stories you’d like to see covered here at Healthbolt, please send me a note …read more

 Wow, it’s hard to believe that it’s been almost two years since my very first Healthbolt post.
I’ve had fun. I’ve laughed. I’ve cried. And I’ve been amazed and even gobsmacked as I’ve wandered around cyberspace looking for interesting, entertaining, and bizarre health news to share with Healthbolt readers. I only hope that you all have had as much fun as me…
But you know what they say – all good things must come to an end…eventually.
So, it’s time for me to say goodbye to Healthbolt and follow a new path. A path that focuses more on travel and the environment than …read more

Thinking about buying a new cell phone?
Before you do, you might want to check out the free, user friendly online tool that illustrates the radio frequency emission of more than 1000 phones in the marketplace.
The online tool, created by the Environmental Working Group, offers easy to read graphics which enables consumers to make quick comparision of the radiation levels of cellphones and smart phones.
Radiation is emitted from cell phones each time you talk on or send text message from it. Some phones emit less than others. As to whether or not it is a health risk remains in debate with …read more

Meet the Hip Hop Docs
They are doctors aiming to get the message to kids through hip hop.
There’s Rani G Whitfield, a board certified family doctor in Baton Rouge, Louisiana who wants to  empower young people to change unhealthly lifestyles.
By hip hop…
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And then there’s Dr John Clarke from New York City who does the medical rap, writing his own lyrics about ssthma, diabetes, and HIV.
Dr Clarke has just entered the 2009 Flu Prevention PSA Contest with his song about Swine  H1N1 Flu.
You can vote for Dr Clarke’s entry or any of the other 9 entries at the flu.gov contest site.
 

Interested in finding out where the latest salmonella or H1N1 Flu outbreak is?
Want to know what diseases are bugging your hometown or favorite vacation spot before you get there?
Now you can do so not only in the internet with the user friendly HealthMap website but also with the recently released Outbreaks Near Me iPhone App.
The iPhone app is hooked into the HealthMap site and every time you search of information, the HealthMap database is searched and the info is downloaded to your phone in map form.
While the H1N1 flu takes center stage, in all, there are nearly 100 diseases listed …read more

There was a  health care SNAFU at the Veterans Administration early this month.
A computer coding error by the Veterans Administration led to more than 1,800 Gulf War veterans being sent letters informing them that they had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a fatal neurological disease more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Can you imagine opening up your mail and being told that as a veteran with ALS, they were entitled to disability compensation of up to $2,700 a month with additional money for their children and spouses.
Most would have been left scratching their head and wondering how in the world they suddenly had …read more

August 20th is World Mosquito Day.
It was on this day back in 1897 the link between mosquitos and malaria was first established. Army doctor Ronald Ross, based in India, discovered this tremendous fact while dissecting the stomach tissue of a anopheline mosquito. The mosquito, which had fed on a malarious patient four days previously, had the malaria parasite. It was the evidence needed to prove mosquitos were responsible for transmitting the malaria parasite to humans.
Ross, who went on the win the Nobel Price for Medicine in 1902 and found the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, declared August 20th as World …read more

Infertility – it’s something that has affected millions of people around the world.
And the National Infertility Association and Fertility LifeLines™, a free patient resource provided by EMD Serono, want to hear their stories. They are  holding the first-ever In The Know Short Film Competition.
Have you got a story to tell about dealing with infertility?
Anyone touched by infertility can enter the In The Know Short Film competition by  submitting a creative, inspirational short film about their path to parenthood (or the journey of someone close to them).
These films will be reviewed by a panel of judges. Competition finalists will have their …read more

Okay, so you’d have to be pretty much living on Mars not to have heard about the sad passing on of Michael Jackson. Within seconds of the news, the internet’s social media exploded with discussions.
Of course, the mainstream media was in hyper action.
It was like the rest of the world suddenly ceased to exist. The problem in Iran, the President’s health care and climate care reforms, even the death of another well known Hollywood actress Farrah Fawcett was pushed aside to make way for the death of Michael Jackson.
Yes, it was very sad. Yes, the world lost a great …read more

Star Trek fans will remember Dr McCoy’s cool medical tricorder that could name medical ailments without even laying a hand on the patient.
But that was television and in reality, we all knew that the tricorder didn’t exist.
But now it’s starting to look as though it does.
Meet the Standoff Patient Triage Tool (SPTT), a 15-by-8-by-6-inch (or about 38-by-20-by-15-centimeter) machine that according to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate can gauge a person’s pulse, body temperature and muscle movement from up to 40 feet away.
Using the same type of laser technology already in use on airplanes and in …read more