Information :

• Skipping breakfast primes the brain to seek out fat - 17 October 2012
  "Brain scans show that skipping breakfast makes fatty, high calorie foods appear far more attractive later in the day, according to researchers..."
  (BBC)

• Bad Health Habits Are on the Rise [Interactive] (scientificamerican.com)

• US Supreme Court upholds healthcare reform law - 28 June 2012 + VIDEO
  "The US Supreme Court has said President Barack Obama's landmark healthcare reform act is constitutional."
  + In pictures: US healthcare ruling
  (BBC)
  

• Counterfeit medicine "is fake medicine. It may be contaminated or contain the wrong or no active ingredient.
  They could have the right active ingredient but at the wrong dose. Counterfeit drugs are illegal and may be harmful to your health."
  + The Possible Dangers of Buying Medicines over the Internet
  + FDA Alerts Consumers to Unsafe, Misrepresented Drugs Purchased Over the Internet
  + Buying Prescription Medicine Online: A Consumer Safety Guide
  (fda.gov)

• Electronic tattoo
  "This photo provided by the journal Science shows a thin, flexible piece of electronics stuck onto the skin.
  One day monitoring a patient's vital signs like temperature and heart rate could be as simple as sticking on a tiny, wireless patch, sort of like the temporary tattoos popular with the younger set."
  (telegraph.co.uk)
  
  
  
  

  Stick-On Electronic Tattoos
  "A flexible electronic device stuck on the skin could provide irritation-free monitoring of heart, brain, and muscle activity."
  (technologyreview.com)

  An Electronic Second Skin
  It will "allow monitoring to be simpler, more reliable, and uninterrupted.
  These devices were made through “transfer printing” fabrication processes that create flexible versions of high-performance semiconductors that are brittle as bulk materials."
  (sciencemag.org)

  Des scientifiques mettent au point un tatouage capable de veiller sur votre santé
  "Une équipe internationale de chercheurs a dévoilé jeudi un timbre épidermique plus fin qu'un cheveux, adhérant sans colle à la peau et capable de mesurer le rythme cardiaque ou encore l'activité cérébrale et musculaire grâce à des capteurs électroniques..."
  (20minutes.fr)

  

• Sitting is killing you - an infographic and a quiz (anglais.over-blog.org)

  

• Death wish: Routine use of vital antibiotics on farms threatens human health - 17 June 2011
  "As Europe and the US face up to the menace of antibiotic-resistant superbugs, UK farmers have dramatically increased their use of the drugs most likely to cause these lethal strains.
  The use of modern antibiotics on British farms has risen dramatically in the past decade, fuelling the development of resistant organisms and weakening the power of human medicine to cure disease...
  A bill was introduced in the US Senate yesterday to encourage the development of new antibiotics to fight drug-resistant infections"
  + Intensive farming and market forces blamed for reckless practices
  + Jeremy Laurance: The world cannot afford to ignore this biological menace
  (independent.co.uk)
  
  
  
  
  

• FORMALDEHYDE :
  
  
  
  • formaldehyde (for-MAL-deh-hide) (cancer.gov)
    "A chemical used in manufacturing and chemical industries, and as a preservative by anatomists, embalmers, and pathologists.
    Being exposed to formaldehyde may increase the risk of developing leukemia and brain cancer...
    Formaldehyde sources in the home include pressed-wood products, cigarette smoke, and fuel-burning appliances "
    
    What are the short-term health effects of formaldehyde exposure?
    "When formaldehyde is present in the air at levels exceeding 0.1 ppm, some individuals may experience adverse effects such as watery eyes;
    burning sensations in the eyes, nose, and throat; coughing; wheezing; nausea; and skin irritation. Some people are very sensitive to formaldehyde, whereas others have no reaction to the same level of exposure."

    See : How can people limit formaldehyde exposure in their homes?
    
    

  • An Introduction to Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Formaldehyde (epa.gov)
    
    
    
  • You're Probably Breathing Formaldehyde Right Now! (home-air-purifier-expert.com)
    
    
    

    Common Household Sources of Formaldehyde :

    
    
    

• Mobiles 'may cause brain cancer'
  " The World Health Organization's cancer research agency says mobile phones are "possibly carcinogenic"...
  it is important to take pragmatic measures to reduce exposure such as hands free devices or texting."
  See : What else is labelled possibly carcinogenic ?
  (BBC)

• Just How Dangerous Is Sitting All Day? - an infographic
  "A recent medical journal study showed that people who sit for most of their day are 54% more likely to die of a heart attack."
  (mashable.com)

  

   

• TOXIC THREATS :

  "Green Cross Switzerland has teamed up with the Blacksmith Institute to identify the top six toxic threats to global health (UPDATED) as part of the 2010 Toxic Threat Report highlighting the worst pollution problems."
  They "cause serious health risks for up to one hundred million people around the world, especially children.
  The global health impacts of toxic pollutants such as heavy metals, pesticides and radionuclides are much more substantial than previously estimated."
  Lead / Mercury / Chromium / Arsenic / Pesticides / Radionuclides
  (gci.ch)
  A copy of the 2010 Toxic Threat Report can be downloaded here.
  (greencross.ch)
  
  

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention / CDC (cdc.gov)

  

  Nearly 59 Million Americans Lack Health Insurance: CDC (huffingtonpost.com)
  "A bill passed in March promises to get health insurance coverage to 32 million Americans who currently lack coverage.
  But Republicans who just took control of the House of Representatives last week have vowed to derail the new law by cutting off the funds for it..." (Reuters)
  
  

• Qwerty Tummy
  "Stomach upsets caused by bacteria from dirty computer keyboards...
  Many users, they said, are at risk of becoming ill with stomach bugs dubbed “qwerty tummy” after the first six letters on a keyboard. "
  (schott.blogs.nytimes.com)
  
  

• Is Your Cell Phone Dirty?
  (kcbd.com)
  
  Cell Phones Filthier Than Bottom of Shoe
  (wired.com)

• How Dirty is Your Handbag?
  "Studies have shown that as many as 4 out of every 5 handbags not only have not only “normal” dirt, grime, and germs on the outside but also surprisingly large amounts of very dangerous bacteria and substances like staphylococcus aureus,  e. coli, salmonella, fecal matter, and even vomit."
  (twirlit.com)

• US House passes key healthcare reform bill
  "The US House of Representatives has narrowly voted to pass a landmark healthcare reform bill at the heart of President Barack Obama's agenda."
  + KEY HEALTHCARE REFORMS
  + US HEALTHCARE AND WORLD COMPARISONS
  + VIDEOS
  (BBC)
  
  
  
  See Cartoons

• Watching TV Linked to Higher Risk of Death
  "Australian researchers who tracked 8,800 people for an average of six years found that those who said they watched TV for more than four hours a day were 46% more likely to die of any cause and 80% more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than people who reported spending less than two hours a day in front of the tube.
  Time spent in front of televisions and computers and playing videogames has come under fire in studies in recent years for contributing to an epidemic of obesity in the U.S. and around the world.  "
  (online.wsj.com)
  
  

• Watching TV 'harms back muscles'
  "Slumping in front of the television or a computer for hours at a time may damage important back muscles, according to scientists."
  (BBC)

  

• Remarks by the President on Senate Passage of Health Insurance Reform
  with LINKS for the TEXT + VIDEO + AUDIO mp3
  (sabironlangues.typepad.fr)
  
  

  
  
• Elderly man removes leech from nose
  "A 73-year-old man who suffered nasal congestion and nosebleeds for more than five years is recovering after doctors removed a 10 cm long leech from his nose in Gaozhou, Guangdong province...
  The leech possibly went into his nose five years ago after he drank water from a mountain stream while collecting herbs. "
  (chinadaily.com.cn)

  

• Warnings over body piercing boom
  "Problems over botched body piercings could be a "substantial burden" on the NHS in the near future, a study says...
  Just over a quarter of people reported complications, including swelling, infection and bleeding..."
  (BBC)

  

• Dengue fever (nlm.nih.gov)

  Dengue fever (Wikipedia)

• Microbe Zoo (commtechlab.msu.edu)
  DirtLand | Animal Pavilion | Snack Bar | Space Adventure | WaterWorld
  "Discover the many worlds of hidden microbes"
  
  

• Alphabetical Index of Health Topics (niehs.nih.gov)
  "This listing consists of information on a variety of environmental health topics, including answers to some common environmental questions.
  The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences conducts basic research on environmental health and environment-related diseases."

• Take care of yourself in the UK :
  Health - Safety - Advice - Relationships - Manners - Religion
  (ukstudentlife.com/)

• Doctor over time (PBS)
  "This activity shows how doctors over this century would have handled the same afflictions.
  All you have to do is complain to the doctor, then see how he or she responds."

World Blood Donor Day :

• Blood donation

   

World Health Day : The theme for 2013 is high blood pressure.

• World Health Day (Wikipedia)
  "celebrated every year on 7 April, under the sponsorship of the World Health Organization (WHO)."
  1 World Health Day 2008: Protecting health from the adverse affects of climate change
  2 World Health day 2007: Invest in health, build a safer future
  3 Themes of previous World Health Days
  4 External links

• World Health Day 2008: protecting health from climate change (who.int)
  See Data and statistics
  
  

Maps :

• Health Mindmap (learningfundamentals.com.au)

  

• HEALTHmap - Global disease alert map
  (healthmap.org)

  

Anthrax :

• Anthrax mini-movie (brainpop.com)

Malaria :

• Herbs And Empires: A Brief, Animated History Of Malaria Drugs (npr.org)

• World Malaria Day is on April 25th (Larry Ferlazzo)

• Malaria - Conversation questions (esldiscussions.com)

• Malaria Endemic Areas

  

• Malaria Transmission Cycle
  "Malaria is caused by a parasite transmitted from one human to another via the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito.
  The parasites migrate to the liver, mature and enter the bloodstream, where they rupture red blood cells..."
  (nlm.nih.gov)

  

Avian Flu :

• Avian Influenza: Global Threat? - un dossier (whyfiles.org)

  

• see Cartoons

Cloning :

• Cartoon: Cloned Babies Breakthrough
  BACKGROUND + THE CARTOON + VOCABULARY + Related articles
  (englishblog.com)

  

• Animal Cloning
  "Based on a final risk assessment, a report written by FDA scientists and issued in January 2008, FDA has concluded that meat and milk from cow, pig, and goat clones and the offspring of any animal clones are as safe as food we eat every day."
  (fda.gov)
  
  
• FDA: Cloned animals' meat is safe
  "After more than five years of study, the Food and Drug Administration concluded that cloned livestock is "virtually indistinguishable" from conventional livestock."
  (usatoday.com)
  
  
• Is meat from cloned animals safe? (foodsafety.wisc.edu)
  
  
• Questions and Answers About Foods from Cloned Animals (ific.org)

• Quiz about Genes (brainpop.com)

Diets and Obesity :

• Fat and fatter: the world's 10 fattest countries 2010
  "Obesity is a growing problem in every corner of the world."
  Argentina / Mexico / Australia / Egypt / Greece / Belarus / United Kingdom / Naura / Dominica / Kuwait
  (globalpost.com)

  

• The United States of Obesity
  "Mississippi is the fattest state for 5th straight year, Colorado still leanest."
  (calorielab.com)

  

• British children 'getting fatter at twice the rate of American youngsters'
  "Researchers found that British children were spending double the amount on sugary products, snacks and treats as those living in the United States."
  (telegraph.co.uk)

• France's obesity crisis: All those croissants really do add up, after all
  (dailyfinance.com)

  

• What is the current state of obesity in America? - an infographic
  (chacha.com)
  

  

• US obesity problem 'intensifies'
  "The percentage of obese and overweight children is at or above 30% in 30 states...
  Childhood obesity rates in the US have more than tripled since 1980."
  (BBC)

• Obesity in various countries around the world
  "The percentage of the population older than 15 with a body-mass index greater than 30."
  (losanjalis.com)

  

• Obesity Trends in America
  Watch the BMI grow from 1985 to 2003.
  - with an animation
  (explorepdx.com)

  

• Rising obesity among US children and teenagers
  (BBC)

  

• Let's Move!
  "Let's Move! has an ambitious but important goal: to solve the epidemic of childhood obesity within a generation."
  + a VIDEO with the First Lady
  (letsmove.gov)

  

• Fit or fat? (BBC)
  "Doctors in Britain are warning of an obesity time bomb, when children who are already overweight grow up.
  So, what should we do? Exercise more? Eat less? Or both?
  The government feels it has to take responsibility for this expanding problem."(BBC)
  - a text and a glossary
  
  

• How bulimia affects your body (i18.photobucket.com)

  

• Bet dieting takes hold in the UK
  "A new method of losing weight by betting on your own success and having to pay up if you fail is gaining popularity in the UK.
  Bet dieters join a website and make a commitment to lose a certain amount of weight over a defined period of time.
  Then, if they fail to meet their targets, money is withdrawn from their account and paid to a charity of their choice..."
  (BBC)

  
  
  

Food Pyramids :

• Tiki's Guide to Food - with quizzes (tiki.oneworld.net)

  

   

• Let Food Be Thy Medicine: Top 10 Healing Foods Of The Decade
  "Many fruits, vegetables, and unprocessed whole foods have properties that can benefit our health...
  offering benefits such as cancer prevention, cholesterol reduction, and hormone regulation, to name a few." 
  (huffingtonpost.com)
  

  

• Kids Activity Pyramid (muextension.missouri.edu)
  
  

Safety :

• Suggestion d'exploitation pédagogique de l'article 'ARE SCHOOL DINNERS SAFE ?' (Ac. Clermont)

Cancer :

• Cancer: causes and prevention - visual dictionary (ikonet.com)

• CANCER - a file (BBC)

• Cancer-related infographics  (anidea.com)