Thursday, January 1, 2009

Start the 2009 off right...

Check out MSCNBC's top medical breakthroughs of 2008 for some great health tips...click here for the link
I suggest you click on the "print this" version.
Some highlights....

Stay healthy
Buy organic produce when you can — it's pricier, but you get more bang for your buck, says Kathleen Merrigan, PhD, assistant professor of nutrition at Tufts University. And that's not counting the benefits that come from reducing the amount of pesticides that enter the groundwater — and your body. "You'll really do your health good if you splurge on organic as much as possible in the produce aisle," she says. If you have to be selective, she adds, pick organic versions of the fruits and vegetables that tend to have the highest pesticide residues. For a list of the most contaminated produce — plus other buying tips — go to prevention.com/budgetorganic.

(Following the link to prevention.com.... The most important fruits and vegetables you should buy organic: (1) those with the greatest pesticide residues and (2) the ones you eat most often. Government lab tests show that even after washing, certain fruits and vegetables carry much higher levels of pesticides than do others. Between 2000 and 2005, the not-for-profit Environmental Working Group (EWG) analyzed the results of nearly 51,000 tests for residues on produce. Based on the data, they created a "dirty dozen" list of the most contaminated fruits and veggies. Top offenders include: peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, grapes (imported), spinach, lettuce, and potatoes. Always buying these foods organic is ideal, but if you can't, focus on those you eat all the time.)

If you witness someone collapsing, experts have long advised full-throttle CPR — chest compressions plus "rescue breaths." But last March, the American Heart Association announced a dramatic change: no more mouth-to-mouth for adults, because three studies have shown that chest compressions alone save just as many lives. Two-thirds of witnesses don't come to the aid of someone in need, often because they're worried they'll do CPR incorrectly, says Michael Sayre, MD, the lead author of the recent AHA advisory. "We hope this gets more people to act, because a victim who gets any kind of CPR more than doubles his chance of recovery," Sayre says.
Save A Life
If you see an adult collapse, call 911, then use both hands to push hard and fast (to the beat of the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive"). Traditional CPR is best if you come upon an adult who's already unconscious, if the victim is a child, or in cases of drowning.