Consumer Reports

I know it’s officially spring, but I wanted to remind you that H1N1 flu (also known as swine flu) is still a risk and you should take steps to stay healthy . Even though the H1N1 outbreak in the U.S. was mild over the winter, the World Health Organization still considers H1N1 a pandemic . Luckily for us, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been providing information since the initial H1N1 outbreak last year. CDC uses traditional channels and social media to get the message out, but I have found their text messaging pilot to be very interesting. To subscribe, you text HEALTH to 87000 and you will receive four introduction messages and then approximately three text messages a week containing health information. CDC’s text messaging pilot started in September as a three-month pilot, but it’s still in operation. Recently, CDC expanded the focus of the pilot and now offers health information about other health topics like heart disease and smoking. CDC is thinking about making the text messaging pilot permanent and they are interested to hear what you have to say. What do you think of CDC’s text messaging pilot?

Are you a morning person? The kind of person who springs out of bed at the crack of dawn and doesn’t need a shot of caffeine to get going? Or are you the opposite? Clinging to your last precious minutes of sleep and then downing three cups of coffee before you can be fully functional? I’m the former and I always tease my friends who rely on coffee to get them going in the morning. But it turns out those coffee drinkers may be getting a health benefit that I’m not. Recent research shows that drinking coffee or tea (decaf or not) may reduce the risk of diabetes . Now before you stop reading and run off to get a refill, you should know that the researchers aren’t sure what causes the link between coffee and tea drinkers and decreased diabetes . They’ve ruled out caffeine since the effect was noticeable in decaf as well. But there are many other things that could play a part, such as the diets of the people in the study. Before they say that anything is conclusive, the researchers said clinical trials are necessary. So don’t start guzzling that cup of joe just yet, but stay tuned for the latest results. Are you a coffee or tea drinker? And do you prefer decaf?

In five minutes, a house can be engulfed in flames. Oct. 4-10 is Fire Prevention Week. Visit the FAQ at USA.gov for fire safety information.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month . I have several friends whose mothers have had breast cancer. My friends witnessed their mothers go through surgeries and cancer treatment therapies, so they are familiar with the disease. Because a woman’s risk of breast cancer is higher if her mother, sister, or daughter had breast cancer, my friends pay special attention to their own breast health. Early detection with regular mammograms and manual breast self-examinations, can increase survival rates. Women who do not have a family history of breast cancer should also have a mammogram and clinical breast examination by a health care provider every year. Treatments can be most successful and chances of survival are best when breast cancer is found at the earliest opportunity. I have a little ritual I perform when I go to get my mammogram. I ask the technician, on a scale of 1 to 10, what kind of day she is having. If she responds with a 6 or lower, I joke with her that she needs to go have a strawberry margarita before putting me in the pincher (not the technical name for the thing, but you know what I’m talking about). If she responds with a 9 or 10, I joke with her that I am going to have to reschedule because she is a little too happy and might be a little overzealous in her job. It might sound dumb, but this little ice breaker helps me relax and it makes the experience… I won’t say pleasant, how about, not so bad? There are many resources out there that are useful, here are just a few that I was able to locate: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is featuring information on breast cancer awareness . The site also presents breast cancer statistics , information on breast cancer screening , and breast cancer publications . National Cancer Institute’s section on breast cancer contains lots of valuable information, including information on: treatments , male breast cancer , and clinical trials. It also features “What You Need to Know About Breast Cancer” in both English and En Espańol . The MedlinePlus page has a good section on diagnosis/symptoms and a multimedia and cool tools section that has photos, tutorials, and videos.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today a ban on cigarettes with flavors characterizing fruit, candy, or clove. The ban, authorized by the new Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, is part of a national effort by the FDA to reduce smoking in America.

Human cases of swine flu have been identified in the United States. Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for guidance on staying healthy, traveling, and more.

Are you interested in seeing how Recovery Act funds are being spent? Visit Recovery.gov to see a breakdown of funds by category, state, and federal agency.