Category: Quality Control (Page 18 of 74)

USDA Makes Effort To Prevent Food-Borne Illness

May 5, 2012 / Staff

With summertime quickly approaching, picnics and barbecue’s offer prime opportunities for food-borne illnesses to surface.

Preventing outbreaks will be a huge shift from past strategies which offer response tactics.

Consumers can choose meats last and keep the packages away from other foods.

Avoid putting your hands in your mouth or rubbing your eyes before thoroughly washing your hands.

It is also recommended to carrying an alcohol-based gel or wipes containing a small amount of bleach to clean yourself up after handling a package.

The new direction, which focuses on prevention and faster response times, is a huge improvement over past USDA practices, says Philip M. Tierno Jr., PhD, director of clinical microbiology at NYU Langone Medical Center and clinical professor at the NYU School of Medicine.
“We will likely see a reduction in unnecessary illnesses and possibly the prevention of a [death] or two,” says Tierno, author of The Secret Life of Germs.
Washington, D.C.-based consumer advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest also supports the USDA’s shift in priorities.

Quality Control, Wellness

consumer safety e-coli food safety food-borne illness public safety salmonella salmonella poisoning USDA

Uk Doctor’s Survey Suggests A Change Of Thought

May 5, 2012 / Staff

The profession which claims, “first do no harm”, has weighed in on controversial issues surrounding health care.

A survey of British physicians has revealed a paradigm shift in how medicine views patient responsibility.

“Lifestyle rationing” has become a way of qualifying patient care.

Health care budgets hit by rising costs and a huge increase in preventable chronic illness is reaching it’s limit.

The survey by doctors.net.uk, which claims nearly 192,000 members, found that 593, or 54 percent, of the 1,096 doctors who participated answered yes to this question: “Should the NHS be allowed to refuse non-emergency treatments to patients unless they lose weight or stop smoking?”
Doctors who approved gave a few examples, The Observer said:
Denying in-vitro fertilization to childless women who smoke was justified because the procedure was only half as successful for them as for non-smokers.
Obese or alcoholic patients should be expected to change their behaviors before undergoing liver transplant surgery.

Doctors, Health Care Policy, Health Insurance, Quality Control, Research, Wellness

diabetes Health Care patient care UK doctor survey universal health care

Is There More To Mad Cow Disease Than The U.S Department Of Agriculture Is Telling?

May 2, 2012 / Staff

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Factory farming in the U.S. engages in practices which compromises the safety of the food supply.

The British and European outbreaks of BSE ignited because the industry turned cattle — natural vegetarians — into cannibals, feeding them the remains of cattle and other animals. U.S. farmers did the same, but Britain had a huge incidence of a related disease in sheep called scrapie, and many scientists believe that was the source of the massive cattle outbreak. Although experiments showed that BSE could infect monkeys and other animals, it was not until the first human infections that anyone realized the threat it poses to people. The human form of the disease, first discovered in Britain in the 1980s, has been blamed for the deaths of at least 280 people worldwide, with 175 in the UK alone.
How could the California cow have been infected with feed? Following the British outbreak, ranchers in the U.S. and most of the rest of the world stopped feeding cattle the remains of cattle, sheep and other mammals. But a farmer’s feed still could get contaminated by other means. The USDA still allows chickens to consume the remains of cattle. Chicken litter, containing urine and feces, is fed to cows. That could theoretically transmit the infection to cattle.

Quality Control, Research

animal safety factory farms food supply mad cow disease public safety slaughterhouse U.S. Department of Agriculture

The Secrets Of Centenarians

April 27, 2012 / Staff

Living to be 100 years old requires incorporating a few healthy habits into your daily routine.

Not smoking, keeping off extra weight, and getting a good night’s sleep are just a few very simple things that you can do to reach the 100 year mark in good health.

“The vast majority of individuals we study live independently for most of their lives, and we have found that the older you live usually means the healthier you’ve lived.” Dr. Perls and other researchers have connected activities and factors that may tack on additional months and years and those that’ll whittle down your time. “We have a great deal of power over our longevity, and the decisions we make every day contribute to our life expectancy,” says Dr. Perls. “I know that after working with centenarians, I have changed my habits. I lost 30 pounds and think twice before grabbing a high-fat snack at the checkout counter.” To better your chances of joining the 100 club, check out what researchers have learned about these life extenders and enders.

Quality Control, Research, Wellness

centenarians geriatric health geriatrics living to be 100 older adults

When Losing Your Memory is Something To Worry About

April 27, 2012 / Staff

Forgetfulness is a part of everyone’s life, but when should you worry that it may be the symptom of something worse?

Here are 5 signs that your forgetfulness may be a sign of something more serious.

Your memory problems frighten you.

You’ve changed how you work or play because of memory problems.

Friends or family point out mistakes and/or express concern.

You notice friends or family starting to cover for you.

You find it hard to make choices.

“For many people with early dementia, the nature of the memory problems frighten them or cause a strong emotional reaction,” Robbins says. The fear tends to stem from knowing in your gut that something’s “just not right.”
Other examples: You’re uneasy because you can’t explain how your car keys wound up in the refrigerator — and it’s the second or third time you’ve found them in an odd spot. Or you’re driving down the road and suddenly have no idea where you are or where you’re heading — and a few moments later, you realize you’re on the same old road to work.

Talk to your physician about your concerns and help him/her to create a baseline of your mental health to monitor any changes or reason for concern.