Health

Radiation exposure from CT scans

Thursday, 02 September 2010 14:14 EarthTalk®  From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine.

Dear EarthTalk: Should I fear radiation exposure associated with medical scans such as CT scans, mammograms and the like? -- Shelly Johansen, Fairbanks, AK

The short answer is…maybe. Critics of the health care industry postulate that our society’s quickness to test for disease may in fact be causing more of it, especially in the case of medical scans. To wit, the radiation dose from a typical CT scan (short for computed tomography and commonly known as a “cat scan”) is 600 times more powerful than the average chest x-ray.

A 2007 study by Dr. Amy Berrington de González of the National Cancer Institute projected that the 72 million CT scans conducted yearly in the U.S. (not including scans conducted after a cancer diagnosis or performed at the end of life) will likely cause some 29,000 cancers resulting in 15,000 deaths two to three decades later. Scans of the abdomen, pelvis, chest and head were deemed most likely to cause cancer, and patients aged 35 to 54 were more likely to develop cancer as a result of CT scans than other age group.

Free training for people with chronic health conditions

Wednesday, 01 September 2010 16:05

Pathways to Better Health: Managing Ongoing Health Conditions is a training program offered by HealthEast Care System for people who are living with chronic health conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, lung disease, heart disease, obesity, cancer, to name just a few. The program also provides training for caregivers and medical professionals.

The program is a series of six weekly workshops that run for 2 to 2.5 hours. The workshops are informal and include a break and healthy snacks. Participants also receive the 380-page reference book Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions. These workshops are provided free of charge.

Congregations unite to promote health and wellness

Monday, 30 August 2010 18:00

Focusing on health disparities in the African American community

Four St. Paul congregations are joining forces, for the second year, to raise awareness around the importance of health and wellness. The “Know Your Numbers” health fair will take place at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church, 451 Central Avenue W, St. Paul, on Saturday, Sept. 18, 10 am to 1 pm. The goal is to promote healthy lifestyles by empowering people through education and screenings, while creating increased awareness of community resources that are available to individuals and families.

This is an interdenominational activity involving: Camphor Memorial United Methodist Church, Mt. Olivet Baptist Church, Pilgrim Baptist Church, and Resurrection Temple. The congregations are part of a larger health initiative under the auspices of the Stairstep Foundation called “There Is A Balm”.

The upsides and down sides of hydroelectric dams.

Tuesday, 24 August 2010 15:29 EarthTalk®  From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine.

Dear EarthTalk: Many people oppose dams because they change the flow of rivers and affect the migrating patterns of fish and other species, but aren’t they also a great renewable energy source? -- Ryan Clark, Milton, WA

Hydroelectric dams are among the greenest and most affordable electricity sources in the world—and by far the most widely used renewable energy sources—but they also take a heavy environmental toll in the form of compromised landscapes, ecosystems and fisheries. Hydroelectric dams have been an important component of America’s energy mix since the powerful flow of rivers was first harnessed for industrial use in the 1880s. Today hydroelectric power accounts for seven percent of U.S. electricity generation—and some two-thirds of the country’s renewable power—according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Should soy drinks be called "milk?"

Tuesday, 24 August 2010 15:25 EarthTalk®  From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine.

Dear EarthTalk: Is the dairy industry really trying to stop soy milk makers from calling their products “milk?” They must feel very threatened by the preponderance of soy milks now available in supermarkets. -- Gina Storzen, Weymouth, MA

Indeed, just this past April the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), a trade group representing dairy farms, petitioned the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to crack down on what it calls “the misappropriation of dairy terminology on imitation milk products.” NMPF has been asking for such a ruling for a decade, and argues that the soy industry’s “false and misleading” labeling is now more common than ever.

According to NMPF president and CEO, Jerry Kozak, the FDA has let the issue slide so that the meaning of ‘milk’ and even ‘cheese’ has been “watered down to the point where many products that use the term have never seen the inside of a barn.”

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