Free Republic

Americans are living longer, healthier lives—79.8 years on average—ranking 35th in the world in terms of life expectancy from birth. But where you live in the United States has a drastic impact on how far over or under the average your personal timeline will be. This illuminating map by the non-profit Measure of America shows how long you've likely got, and what country it's most similar to. Hawaiians top the longevity list with an average age of 81.3 years—equal to Barbados but still lagging far behind Japan's average of 84 years—while Mississippi is dead last with a paltry average age...

<p>Governments could slow or even reverse the growing obesity epidemic if they introduced more regulation into the global market for fast foods such as burgers, chips and fizzy drinks, researchers said on Monday.</p> <p>A study published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization (WHO) suggested that if governments took firmer action, they could start to prevent people becoming overweight and obese - conditions with serious long-term consequences such as diabetes, heart diseases and cancer.</p>

(Reuters) - Food transportation companies will be required to adhere to certain sanitation standards to prevent food from becoming contaminated during transit under a new rule proposed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The rule would require shippers and carriers to properly refrigerate food, clean vehicles between loads and protect food during transportation.

In a recent study, kids with severe peanut allergies were fed small amounts of peanut flour to build their tolerance. After the experiment, 80% could safely eat five peanuts at a time. Doctors say the goal isn’t to allow the kids to eat large amounts of peanuts, but to avoid life-threatening reactions if they unknowingly ingest traces of peanuts.An experimental therapy that fed children with peanut allergies small amounts of peanut flour has helped more than 80 percent of them safely eat a handful of the previously worrisome nuts. Although experts say the results of the carefully monitored study are...

I understand the arguments for the legalization of marijuana: It can generate tax revenue. It can reduce illegal supply and demand. It can strip power from cartels and lessen crime across and at our borders. And it isn't so dangerous as other illegal drugs or alcohol. President Barack Obama even claimed one of those arguments when he recently told New Yorker Editor David Remnick, "As has been well-documented, I smoked pot as a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes that I smoked as a young person up through...

<p>LOS ANGELES (AP) — Eric Lawson, who portrayed the rugged Marlboro man in cigarette ads during the late 1970s, has died. He was 72.</p> <p>Lawson died Jan. 10 at his home in San Luis Obispo of respiratory failure due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, his wife, Susan Lawson said Sunday.</p>

A doctor on his morning walk, noticed the the nice lady above... She was sitting on her front step smoking a cigar, so he walked up to her and said:  "I couldn't help but notice how happy you look! What is your secret?"  "I smoke ten cigars a day, she said. Then, before I go to bed, I smoke a big, fat joint! Apart from that, I drink a whole bottle of Jack Daniels every week, and eat only junk food. On weekends, I do other drugs, have sex and, most importantly-- I don't exercise at all."  "That is...

You may want to program the thermostat in your office down a couple of degrees today, despite the more-than-chilly temperatures outside. A paper published Wednesday in the scientific journal Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism suggests doing so could help you lose weight. Regular exposure to mildly cold temperatures help people burn more calories, according to the paper's authors, who have been studying this phenomenon for more than a decade. "Since most of us are exposed to indoor conditions 90 percent of the time, it is worth exploring health aspects of ambient temperatures," lead author Wouter van Marken Lichtenbelt said. "What...

Research shows people with higher levels of the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil may also have larger brain volumes in old age This would be the equivalent to preserving one or two years of brain health. Eating more fish could give you a bigger brain - and greater protection against diseases such as Alzheimer’s, claim researchers. They found people with higher levels of the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil may also have larger brain volumes in old age. This would be the equivalent to preserving one to two years of brain health, says a new study...

A proposed Maryland bill would restore the right of the states’ citizens to participate in cow shares, or cow boarding, to obtain raw milk. Maryland citizens lost the right to raw milk via cow shares in 2006, when the appointed director of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene redefined the word “sale” to include agistments. A hearing on the bill is scheduled for January 28 at 1:00pm at the Lowe House Office Building in Annapolis. Cow shares or cow boarding refers to a practice in which people buy shares in individual animals for a portion of the milk...

With their teenage son in a coma, a California family was willing to try anything to bring him back. And with a new type of treatment, their son has made a miraculous recovery — thanks to fish oil. Grant Virgin, now 17, of Palm Desert, Calif., was involved in a near-tragic car accident last September when an unidentified woman crashed into him and drove off — even after stopping to survey the damage, the Desert Sun reported. Virgin was in a coma and was in really bad shape.

Just as a more permissive attitude to cannabis gains momentum in the United States, so does a more restrictive attitude to tobacco. It is as if there were a law of the conservation of prohibition: if one substance is permitted after having been prohibited, another will be prohibited after having been permitted. While Colorado permits the use of marijuana by those over 21 for any purpose, New York City prepares to prevent sales of tobacco to anyone under the age of 21. An article in a recent edition of the New England Journal of Medicine comes out strongly in favor...

Engineers are pioneering a new way to explore the viscous fluids of biological environments, like the inside of the human body, where microscopes are difficult to place. Called a “bio-bot,” the microscopic biological machine swims like a sperm, is powered by heart cells, propelled by a tail and can navigate the aquatic world of micro-organisms on its own.

Traditional Chinese herbal medicines have been found to effectively slow the progression from prediabetes to diabetes diagnosis in a clinical trial. Yuan said that traditional Chinese herbs can be used to control blood sugar levels, either by consuming alone or in combination with other treatments. The study will be published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (JCEM).

The first fatal case of bird flu in North America has been reported in Canada. Officials in Canada said the victim, who was from Alberta, had just returned from Beijing. The unnamed victim, who was not identified, died on January 3, having been admitted to hospital on Jan 1. Four days earlier the victim, whose sex was not disclosed, had complained of a headache and fever. Rona Ambrose, the Canadian health minister, insisted this was an isolated case, although officials are trying to contact others on the flight.

Acetaminophen is often used in pain medications with opioids such as oxycodone (Percocet), hydrocodone (Vicodin) and codeine (Tylenol with Codeine). These are called combination drugs, and the Food and Drug Administration is asking doctors to stop prescribing those that have more than 325 mg of acetaminophen per dose. Acetaminophen overdose is one of the most common poisonings worldwide," according to the National Institutes of Health. Taking too much of this pain reliever can lead to liver failure or death. n 2011, the FDA asked manufacturers to limit the amount of acetaminophen in prescription combination drugs to 325 mg per capsule...

GROUNDED "It was good for the skin to touch the bare Earth, and the old people liked to remove their moccasins and walk with their bare feet on the sacred Earth. The soil was soothing, strengthening, cleansing and healing" ~Luther Standing Bear~ Sioux Tribal Leader 1868-1939 From a world older and more complete, a nomadic arctic animal, the wolverine, and all such creatures, help a man on a lifelong quest in a journey to explore life's profound mysteries. From ancient times, nature revealed an interconnected life force to humans, in the form of rhythms and patterns. This is a...

<p>First Lady Michelle Obama said she's yet to peak -- even as she celebrates her 50th birthday at the White House this week.</p> <p>"I'm first lady of the United States of America -- that's pretty high up," Obama said in a birthday-themed interview with People magazine. "But I've always felt like my life is ever-evolving."</p>

Nearly a half million Californians enrolled in Obamacare health plans through the end of December, according to data released Monday. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said 498,794 Californians picked health exchange plans, which gives the state 23 percent of the nearly 2.1 million enrollments nationwide. Considering the state has about 12 percent of the nation’s population, California has been more effective than other states in enrolling residents. The state has nearly met the lower threshold of predictions that call for 500,000 to 700,000 Californians to buy policies by March 31. “There is a feeling of optimism here...

The prospects for single-payer health care -- adored by many liberals, despised by private health insurers and looking better all the time to others -- did not die in the Affordable Care Act. It was thrown a lifeline through a little-known provision tucked in the famously long legislation. Single-payer groups in several states are now lining up to make use of Section 1332. Vermont is way ahead of the pack, but Hawaii, Oregon, New York, Washington, California, Colorado and Maryland have strong single-payer movements. First, some definitions. Single-payer is a system where the government pays all medical bills. Canada has...