Health Care

After a “partial-birth abortion” ban passed in the Michigan legislature Wednesday, local Tea Party leader Sharon Snyder shared her feelings about the procedure in question with The Christian Post.

Snyder, a registered nurse who specializes in obstetrics, expressed her deep disapproval of the procedure – also known by its medical term, “dilation and extraction.”

“I see banning the partial-birth abortion as a good thing and a step forward that is going to protect all of us, including the unborn,” she said. more >>

A recent study proves that exercising is one the top solutions for getting teen cigarette smokers to kick the habit and quit for good.

The study, published in journal Pediatrics, looked at the effects of adding exercise regimes to teen-focused smoking cessation programs and found that a program that combines counseling with physical activity may offer teens a more effective way to stop smoking.

"Oftentimes people believe that kids aren't interested in quitting and that they won't take part in an intervention. This study offers a strong case that it is possible to effectively intervene with teen smokers," said study author and lead researcher Kimberly Horn, a professor in the department of community medicine at West Virginia School of Medicine in Morgantown. more >>

The Census Bureau said Tuesday that the number of Americans without health insurance has increased once again, adding more gloom to the U.S. economic situation.

According to the statistics, there are now 49.9 million people who lacked health insurance. Last year, there were about 16.3 percent of people without insurance, with the bulk being foreign-born residents, young adults from 19- to 25-years-old, and low income families with yearly household income of $25,000 or less.

The decline of insured individuals in the recent years is attributed to the loss of employer-provided coverage, which led to a cutting back of health benefits for employees. more >>

Watching too much television could shorten your lifespan, according to a recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

For every hour of television a person watches, their life is shortened by almost 22 minutes, stated experts from the University of Queensland, in Brisbane. The study also concluded that after the age of 25, watching television for six hours a day could cut a person’s lifespan by almost five years.

The nature of a chronic television watcher is that physical activity levels drop dramatically. This type of lifestyle can be more deadly than smoking cigarettes, the study indicates. more >>

State Health Commissioner Nirav R. Shah urged all New Yorkers to be cautious of mosquito bites after detecting mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus and Easter Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in various regions of the state.

Although the mosquitoes could be found across the state, people living in Long Island and in New York City are at highest risk and should especially take extra precautions.

According to the department of health, both diseases can cause serious illness or death and have already claimed one victim, a 4-year-old child from Oswego County who died of EEE on Sunday. more >>

A new groundbreaking study on multiple sclerosis has led to the discovery of 29 new gene variants that will likely transform the way scientists understand and pursue treatment for the disease.

The 29 new gene variants were found in internationally collaborative research that provided findings that will now offer scientists a view into the genetic aspects of MS disease.

The findings of the breakthrough study also promote and uphold the theory that MS is primarily an autoimmune disease because many of the genes that were discovered are genes that are linked to the immune system. more >>