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Allergies may boost severity of lung disease

Submitted by MyFoxAL Web Staff on Sunday, May 12th, 2:00 pm
Allergies may boost severity of lung disease

(HealthDay News) -- Hay fever and similar allergies increase the frequency and severity of respiratory problems in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a new study shows.

COPD is a progressive lung disease that makes it difficult to breathe.

In this study, researchers looked at more than 1,400 patients with COPD, and found that those with allergies were much more likely than those without allergies to wheeze, to have chronic cough and chronic phlegm, to awake during the night because of cough, and to have a worsening of COPD symptoms that required antibiotics or a visit to the doctor.

The study by the Johns Hopkins University researchers was published online May 10 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

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6 household items to throw away today

Submitted by Ronda Robinson, Fox 6 News Reporter
Thursday, May 9th, 2013, 6:27pm
6 household items to throw away today

BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC)- You may not think you need to throw away spices from your pantry, but if you've had them more than four years, toss them!

According to AARP.com, these are six items that should be thrown away today.

1. Take a good look at those plastic containers that are piled up on your shelves. If they have recycle codes 3 or 7 on them they may contain BPA, a hormone-disrupting chemical that leaches into food.

2. Purge your medicine cabinet of expired or unused medications. Do not flush them down the toilet or put them in the trash. Take them to official collection sites. Check the smarxtdisposal website for disposal ideas.

3. How long have you had that makeup? Bacteria that may cause infection can start to grow. You should only keep mascara for two to three months, lip gloss six months. Replace foundation after six months to a year.

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Comparison of procedure costs at various Ala. hospitals

Submitted by Jonathan Hardison, Fox 6 News Reporter
Wednesday, May 8th, 2013, 9:01pm
Comparison of procedure costs at various Ala. hospitals

BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC)- Today we got our first-ever comprehensive look at what hospitals around the country charge for different procedures, and the newly-released data shows some big gaps in what different hospitals in our area charge for the same procedure.

Hospitals protect this cost information like KFC protects its recipe, but as part of the healthcare overhaul, the government today released thousands of pages of documents showing what hospitals charge Medicare and Medicaid for different procedures.

Before we show you the data, there are a couple of important things to remember.

These costs are what the hospitals charge the government, not what they charge healthcare insurance companies who often negotiate deep discounts as part of their contracts.

And as you'll see, there is a big difference between what a hospital charges and what the government ends up actually paying.

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UAB: Driving with the dog not a good idea for seniors

Submitted by MyFoxAL Web Staff on Sunday, May 5th, 9:00 am
UAB: Driving with the dog not a good idea for seniors

From the University of Alabama at Birmingham

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Senior drivers who always take a pet in the car are at increased risk for being involved in a motor vehicle collision, said University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) researchers. In a study published in Accident Analysis and Prevention on May 2, 2013, the research team said both overall and at-fault crash rates for drivers 70 years of age or older were higher for those whose pet habitually rode with them.

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Food, skin allergies on the rise among children

Submitted by MyFoxAL Web Staff on Saturday, May 4th, 9:00 am
Food, skin allergies on the rise among children

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- The number of American children who suffer from food and skin allergies has increased dramatically in recent years, a new government report shows.

Interestingly, the prevalence of food and respiratory allergies rose with income: Children living in families that made more than 200 percent of the poverty level had the highest rates, the statistics showed.

"The prevalence of food and skin allergies both increased over the past 14 years," said report co-author LaJeana Howie, from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "This has been a consistent trend."

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Docs to teens: Cinnamon challenge prank dangerous

Submitted by MyFoxAL Web Staff on Saturday, April 27th, 2:00 pm
Docs to teens: Cinnamon challenge prank dangerous

By Amy Norton
HealthDay Reporter

(HealthDay News) -- As if parents didn't have enough to worry about, it seems a growing number of kids are taking the "Cinnamon Challenge" -- a stunt that has landed some in the ER, pediatricians warn.

The Cinnamon Challenge sounds simple but is almost impossible: Swallow a tablespoon of ground cinnamon in 60 seconds without the help of a drink. Invariably, the taker ends up gagging and coughing up the spice -- creating a big brown cloud dubbed "dragon breath."

Onlookers apparently find it funny, said Dr. Steven Lipshultz, a pediatrics professor at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Florida. There are over 51,000 YouTube clips of the stunt -- one of which was viewed more than 19 million times as of last August, Lipshultz and his colleagues report in the May issue of Pediatrics.

But it could be dangerous for the person who downs the cinnamon.

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Most Americans oppose soda, candy taxes

Submitted by MyFoxAL Web Staff on Saturday, April 27th, 9:00 am
Most Americans oppose soda, candy taxes

By Amy Norton
HealthDay Reporter

(HealthDay News) -- Most U.S. adults aren't sweet on the idea of soda and candy taxes, and many doubt the bigger price tags would trim the national waistline.

That's the finding of a new Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll released Thursday. In the online survey of more than 2,100 adults, respondents were opposed to government taxes on sugary drinks and candy by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

Between 56 percent and 58 percent said no to such taxes, while only 21 to 23 percent were in favor.

"This is a strong vote against the 'nanny state,'" said Humphrey Taylor, chairman of The Harris Poll.

"The idea of taxing calorie-rich candies and sodas may be popular with some public health advocates, who see them as major causes of the nation's obesity epidemic, but it is very unpopular with the public," Taylor said.

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