Over the weekend, Mondelez Global, the parent company that makes Ritz crackers, announced it had issued a voluntary recall of certain Ritz cracker sandwiches and Ritz Bits products. Whey powder used in the items had been recalled by a supplier due to a possible salmonella contamination. The recall affects Ritz Bits Cheese, Ritz Cheese Cracker…
Covered California on Thursday announced proposed health insurance rates for 2019 that will average single digits. The comparatively modest 8.7 percent average rate change, which some healthcare analysts expected to be in the high double-digits, is a testament to vigorous rate negotiations with insurance companies and a mix of healthy enrollees in the Covered California…
After a nearly two-decade partnership, Governor Rick Scott and Florida Medicaid officials are denying renewal of an HIV care contract with AHF’s Positive Healthcare— a respected non-profit which has been providing critical health insurance coverage for people living with HIV in Florida since 1999 and forcing HIV patients to use for-profit companies that don’t currently…
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men with approximately 165,000 new cases each year and over 29,000 deaths, according to the American Cancer Society. The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) is an independent, volunteer panel of national experts convened by the federal government that rates the effectiveness of preventive screenings and tests,…
The past year has been a virtual roller coaster in our ten-year battle to remove mentholated and all flavored tobacco products from our communities. In 2017, Malia Cohen and the City and County of San Francisco boldly passed historical legislation that restricted the sale of these deadly products city-wide. Tobacco Giant, RJ Reynolds promptly bankrolled…
It is no secret that there is a strong genetic component to type 1 and type 2 diabetes, this holds solid in the African American community where you can commonly find diabetes running ramped within families. Some researchers believe that inheritance of diabetes, specifically diabetes 2 is more apparent in the black community than any…
A heart-stopping condition that causes about half of all cardiovascular-related deaths seems to happen in an instant, with no symptoms. But several recent studies show that, sometimes, people who experience sudden cardiac arrest have warning signs hours – and even weeks – ahead of time. Experts say that’s why it’s important for everyone to be…
Inside Florida’s largest retirement community researchers using new brain-mapping technology are trying to peel back the secrets of the brain. The goal: Make world-changing discoveries about how our minds work that could lead to earlier detection of Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases. The research’s success could allow physicians to start treatments earlier than ever and…
Riverside County health officials are collaborating with medical providers, community groups and others to tackle the surge of syphilis cases in the region, particularly in the Coachella Valley, where the rate of infection is nearly three times the rate countywide. The Riverside County Syphilis Community Collaborative will hold its inaugural meeting at 1:30 p.m. May…
LOS ANGELES (May 3, 2018) — Cedars-Sinai investigators are examining the risk factors associated with mental health issues experienced by many women after giving birth. “Maternal mental health has long been undervalued,” said Sarah J. Kilpatrick, MD, PhD, chair of the Cedars-Sinai Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. “While pregnancy is a normal part of many…
Multiple Sclerosis Treatments At its annual meeting, the American Academy of Neurology unveiled recommendations for starting, switching, and stopping disease-modifying treatments. People living with multiple sclerosis (MS) currently can choose from 17 disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Recommendations for starting, switching, and stopping these DMTs were announced at…
A Canadian woman just set the bar for possibly many more to be healed of sickle cell anemia after becoming the first adult in Canada to be cured of the disease. She has God, the doctors, and her sister to thank after receiving a life-saving stem cell transplant. Revée Agyepong, 26, of Edmonton was diagnosed…
It’s hard to believe that in 2018, with an effective treatment for hepatitis C on the books since late 2013, African Americans—who make up just 12 percent of the population—still account for 25 percent of people living with the virus. Yet this is the reality Gloria Searson, founder of the Coalition on Positive Health Empowerment,…
Working a desk job is commonly associated with monotony. The idea is that you wake up each morning, show up to work, and go through the motions as you sit for hours. My schedule changes each day and I’m constantly moving around, which I personally love, so that sounds pretty awful to me. Luckily most…
If ethical and legally compliant behavioral health providers do not stand together, the behavioral health industry runs the significant risk of government regulation that is based on ill-informed and emotionally charged beliefs. Behavioral Health Association of Providers offers a platform for providers within the United States. LOS ANGELES, April 2, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — To effectively…
Healthcare Providers Urge Senate to Oppose Budget Proposal Eliminating 340B Drug Discount Program for Medi-Cal Patients Sacramento – A Brown administration budget proposal to eliminate the 340B Discount Drug Program for Medi-Cal patients will severely compromise the ability of California’s most vulnerable patients to receive the treatments and services they need to live and thrive….
Poor diabetes control can lead to diabetic neuropathies—damage to the nerves in the body. Nerves are the messengers in our body that communicate pain, temperature, and other information between our body and the brain. Their nourished tiny blood vessels are easily damaged by the effects of diabetes. There are two common types of nerve damage…
People with diabetes are at increased risk for depression. In fact, studies show people with diabetes are twice as likely to experience depression compared to individuals without diabetes. The cause of depression in people living with the disease is presently not known. “This is a complicated issue as clinical depression, and diabetes distress are very…
This year, Women’s History Month comes at a pivotal time – women’s voices and stories are being heard and lifted up in a way they never have before. This opportunity should be celebrated, and gives us a chance to see history in new ways – including stories about things that impact women’s health. Many may…
“Lupus is not some distant disease,” Gabrielle Davis, founder of Lupus Sistas, tells Black Health Matters just days before the Black Health Matters Summit. In fact, lupus is an urgent matter. “It is rampant in the black community. It is having devastating effects on women, specifically black women.” It is with this same passion that…
LOS ANGELES (February 27, 2018) — Even before Angelique Garcia was born, doctors at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) knew she had a severe form of congenital heart disease called complete atrioventricular canal defect (CAVC), thanks to a prenatal echocardiogram by CHLA cardiologist Jay Pruetz, MD. In a normal heart, there are four distinct walled…
Boston University researchers surveyed nearly 4,000 women and more than 1,000 of their male partners, looking at everyone’s medical history, lifestyle factors and diet. The data revealed that drinking soda was linked to a reduction in the average monthly probability of conception for both men and women. Women who drank at least one soda per…
Nationwide — Building on its success in prostate cancer education, awareness and advocacy, the Prostate Health Education Network (PHEN) is enhancing its efforts with a Broadway-style stage play. “Daddy’s Boys” tells the story of a widowed father and his sons, whose relationships are fractured, coming together when faced with prostate cancer. This highly entertaining play…