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 at marijke.durning@b5media.com. I’m going to see if I can scare up a few prizes for contributors.

I also love feed back – please don’t be shy about leaving comments. Comments help me figure out what types of posts are the most popular, controversial or just plain fun. If you belong to Twitter or any other type of social network, and you really enjoy a particular post, why not share it with others? There is a row of buttons/icons at the bottom of each post that allows you to click on one (or more) for you to pass the post on.

Have fun!

Marijke

~~~

Image: PhotoXpress.com

Post from: Healthbolt

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 health and medicine. I’ll still be around though, dropping in occasionally with a guest post or two. But mostly, I’ll be over at Perceptive Travel, Ecosalon (where previous Healthbolt’er Sara Ost is now editor),  and working on my new project The Green Wine Guide.

Meanwhile, Healthbolt will be left in good hands.

Longstanding B5media blogger Marijke Durning will be the new Healthbolt’er. While she’s not a lefthander (a first for Healthbolt), Marijke offers a new, fresh voice that will keep up the Healthbolt tradition of being ‘not just another health blog.’

So goodbye and farewell. It really is time to go…

…woobly smile, hit the publish button, wave and walk away…

 

Post from: Healthbolt

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 the phone industry saying ‘no risk’ and researchers around the world still seeking answers.

Given that no one knows for sure, it makes sense to go for a phone with the least amount of radiation emissions. That’s where the EWG online tool comes in handy. It offers information on the best and worst radiation emitting phones, as well as ways of reducing your risks.

It’s definitely the place to go to if you want to limit your exposure to cell phone radiation.

(image source)

Post from: Healthbolt

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…

 

 
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.

 

Post from: Healthbolt

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 on the database and all you need to do is select the disease you are interested in finding out about.

It’s as easy as the push of a button, either via computer or via iPhone.

The Outbreaks Near Me App will also send out alerts whenever new outbreaks occur in the user’s area, and if you are travelling, will send alerts informing you that you have just entered an area where disease activity has been reported.

Plus you can also send in reports, including photographs, to HealthMap, who will review and then include them on it’s world map as appropriate

Check it out. It’s free.

Post from: Healthbolt

SNAFU at the Veterans Administration

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 Lou Gehrig’s disease and why the heck no one had told them before.

According to a VA spokesperson, the letter no way inferred a medical diagnosis of ALS. The VA has since offered their apologies for any distress receiving this letter might of caused any recipient.

(image source)

Post from: Healthbolt

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 Mosquito Day.

But discovering the cause unfortunately has not lead to the eradication of the disease. Malaria still kills over a million people a year.

So World Mosquito Day is not so much a celebration of the discovery but a reminder to us all that we still have a long way to go in the fight against malaria and other mosquito borne diseases such as West Nile disease.

So how should you celebrate World Mosquito Day?

Probably by eliminating any standing-water habitats in your backyard, donating to mosquito-net programs abroad, and following these mosquito avoidance tips.

Learn more at the American Mosquito Control Association

(image source)

 

www.mosquito.org

Post from: Healthbolt

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 films screened at a festival in New York City this fall where a winner and runners-up will be chosen and awarded prizes.

The winner will receive $1,000 and two runners-up will each be given $500.

The deadline to submit entries is August 1, 2009

You can find the full guidelines at Fertility LifeLines .

Post from: Healthbolt

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 musician. But all the media coverage and constant innuendos about the cause of death is just too much. Let the man rest in peace.

Let his fans, friends, and family mourn his passing. Let us just enjoy and celebrate his music.

On that note, I offer you one of my favorite, but lesser known,  Michael Jackson songs…

Post from: Healthbolt

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 acoustic speakers and landmine detectors, the SPTT quickly measures vibrations in the human head and chest and use the data to calculate vital signs.

Imagine the possibilities of such a machine. According to the DHS, this machine could potentially take only 30 seconds to do what it normally takes a medic three to five minutes per person.

(image source)

Post from: Healthbolt