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Method raises hopes for routine whole-genome sequencing in neonatal intensive care. A faster DNA sequencing machine and streamlined analysis of the results can diagnose genetic disorders in days rather than weeks, as reported today in Science Translational Medicine1. Up to a third of the babies admitted to neonatal intensive care units have a genetic disease. Although symptoms may be severe, the genetic cause can be hard to pin down. Thousands of genetic diseases have been described, but relatively few tests are available, and even these may detect only the most common mutations. Whole-genome sequencing could test for many diseases at...

Government-approved school meals as a model for the family dinner table? Responding to concerns that students are throwing away the healthy food on their cafeteria trays, the U.S. Department of Agriculture acknowledged that adapting to the changes "may be challenging at first, as students are introduced to new flavors and foods in the cafeteria." But the government also says parents can help school make the taste-transition easier: "We know that many parents are already making changes at home to help the whole family eat healthier," the USDA blogged on Monday. "We recommend reviewing school menus with kids at home and...

-excerpt- All received steroid injections, mostly for back pain, a fairly typical treatment.

Offering a myriad of health benefits, coconut oil is affordable, readily available and completely natural. I use it for EVERYTHING. Literally. I buy it in 5 gallon increments and keep it all over my house. I even have some in the car. So here is a little information to inspire you to check out this amazing oil!

A lot of people, conservatives in particular, tend to idealize the past. We like to wax lyrical about simpler times, the "good old days." Of course, if we are honest we have to admit that those good old days weren't always so great. The passage of time and progress of society have brought many blessings – civil, cultural, and technological. Society today is freer, fairer, safer, and more comfortable. Unfortunately many of the blessings of progress come at a cost. The same technologies that make life healthier and more comfortable can also present us with previously unimagined ethical dilemmas. This...

-excerpt- New Mexico-based Sunland Inc. has expanded its recall of peanut butter and almond butter to include cashew butters, tahini and blanched and roasted peanut products. -excerpt- In addition to Trader Joe's, the recall over the past week has included some nut butters and nut products sold at Whole Foods Market, Target, Safeway, Fresh & Easy, Harry and David, Sprouts, Heinen's, Stop & Shop Supermarket Company, Giant Food of Landover, Md., and several other stores. -excerpt- Some of the brand names included in the recall are Target's Archer Farms, Safeway's Open Nature, Earth Balance, Fresh & Easy, Late July, Heinen's,...

Mitt Romney’s health care plan wouldn’t just insure fewer people than “Obamacare” —it would make the uninsured problem worse than it would have been if the law had never passed, according to a comparison of the two plans released Tuesday morning. The analysis by the Commonwealth Fund, a New York-based health care research foundation....

... the architecture of the Affordable Care Act is based on conservative, not liberal, ideas about individual responsibility and the power of market forces....

Kim Jong-un's Aunt 'Seriously Ill' North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's aunt Kim Kyong-hui, one of the young leader's main pillars of support, is said to be seriously ill. Kim Kyong-hui did not show up at the session of the Supreme People's Assembly on Tuesday, a senior South Korean government source said Thursday. "It's likely that her health has deteriorated." There are rumors in the diplomatic community that she is in Singapore for emergency surgery. But the source denied this, saying the North Korean elite often visit Singapore for fun. Another source said Kim Kyong-hui looked healthy at the opening of...

Coca-Cola Co plans to deliver and operate water purification systems in rural parts of the developing world, working with the inventor of the Segway transportation device in a project that will also help further Coke's sustainability targets. Coca-Cola Co plans to deliver and operate water purification systems in rural parts of the developing world, working with the inventor of the Segway transportation device in a project that will also help further Coke's sustainability targets. The world's largest soft drink maker said on Tuesday that it is teaming up with American inventor Dean Kamen to roll out his new invention, called...

Hailed upon his election as the final nail in racism's coffin, Barack Obama has not delivered the hoped-for renaissance in African American communities where life on multiple fronts has turned worse as the president has moved on to other pressing issues, according to a leading scholar on race. "Racial inequality continues to be an ugly sore festering in the heart of 21st century America, despite claims that it has become a post-racial society," according to Northwestern University professor Aldon Morris. "Social conditions for poor and working-class blacks have actually worsened since Obama took office," he wrote in the authoritative Contemporary...

Pharmacy student Michael Crowe, 23, went to an Omaha hospital in August suffering from toxic blood poisoning, which led to acute myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle. But after setbacks in his quest to get a heart transplant, his failing heart suddenly mended itself. Ryan Soderlin/Omaha World-Herald Michael Crowe, a second-year UNMC pharmacy student, talks about his recovery at the Nebraska Medical Center on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2012. Crowe was admitted to the hospital about three weeks ago suffering from a virus, which then led to heart failure. Take our Poll Medicine and faith Do you believe that prayer...

According to Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, the solution to the growing grumbling over re-vamped school lunch menus boils down to a good old fashioned snack. --snip-- Under the new regulations, cafeterias are required to serve twice as many fruits and vegetables while limiting proteins and carbohydrates. For an average high school student, that means two baked fish nuggets, a cup of vegetables, half a cup of mashed potatoes, one whole grain roll and 8 ounces of fat free milk is the fuel that served to get them through their... --snip-- For Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, that "scant diet"...

Building a comprehensive food stockpile is a daunting task, to say the least. For that reason, I recommend you begin stocking your home grocery store with basic foods that will enable you to survive during a relatively short-term (two weeks to three months) emergency and then gradually expand your inventory to enable you to survive a long-term emergency (one year or longer) that includes a full array of food and non-food items necessary and tailored to your family’s needs and likes. When considering what to store, keep in mind young children, babies, elderly family members and your pets. Keep special...

Children and parents across the country are fed up with the restrictive new school meal regulations implemented by the Department of Agriculture under the “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010,” which has long been touted by first lady Michelle Obama. The standards — which cap meal calories at 650 for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, at 700 calories for middle school students and 850 for high school students — also dictate the number of breads, proteins, vegetables and fruits children are allowed per meal. A spokeswoman for Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King, who earlier this month introduced legislation to...

The grocery store chain Trader Joe's is recalling peanut butter that has been linked to 29 salmonella illnesses in 18 states.

In Weight Watchers’ newest point system (“PointsPlus”), fresh fruits and most vegetables have a zero point value (essentially meaning that they are unlimited) – this change was meant to encourage members to eat more whole plant foods and less processed foods, adding phytochemical value to their diet. This is certainly a positive step, and I applaud Weight Watchers for taking it. They have tweaked their program a bit, to make it healthier. However, the Weight Watchers program is still far from a health-promoting eating style...........

Witnesses described the 17-year-old boy as "shaking, growling, foaming at the mouth." According to police reports, Elijah Stai was at a McDonald's with his friend when he began to feel ill. Soon after, he "started to smash his head against the ground" and began acting "possessed," according to a witness. Two hours later, he had stopped breathing

As one of the country’s largest health-insurance companies, Humana regularly has a say in where its members seek care. Now it wants sway over what groceries they buy. Humana announced a new partnership with Wal-Mart on Wednesday that will give the more than 1 million members of its wellness program, HumanaVitality, a 5 percent discount on healthy groceries. The program, which will launch Oct. 15, is meant to steer customers toward healthier food choices and potentially push down health-care costs — while driving people into Wal-Mart stores. The unusual partnership between a major insurer and major retailer speaks to insurers’...

The BPA and body weight controversy heated up again yesterday, with a new Journal of American Medicine Association report that kids with lots of the controversial plastic chemical in their urine are more likely to be obese. “Our study found ample evidence that BPA exposure makes fat cells bigger, reduces the function of a protein that protects from heart disease, and it disrupts the functional balance of testosterone and estrogen, which are important in maintaining caloric balance,” said New York University School of Medicine’s Dr. Leonardo Trasande, who traced the levels of Bisphenol A, also known as BPA, in 3,000...