Archives for August 2010

The Link Between Positive Psychology and Cancer Survival

August 31, 2010 | by
ResearchBlogging.org

Have you ever heard a person in poor health being told “Well, you’ve got to stay positive, that will help”? This seemingly common idea is currently under significant scientific investigation. Indeed, the debate about the degree to which psychological processes can directly influence physical health has received special attention recently. A special supplement of the Annals of Behavioural Medicine directly addressed this topic in February this year and a recent article in the Lancet explored this issue, cautioning us that the relationship between a positive psychological orientation and cancer survival remains unclear [1].

The Truth About Organ Donation

August 26, 2010 | by

This article was written by Rebekah Apple.

Right now, more than 107,000 Americans wait for a life-saving organ transplant. The list grows with another name every 11 minutes, and every day, 18 people on that list die.

One organ donor can save eight people’s lives and a tissue donor can help up to 50 others. The fact remains, however, that there simply aren’t enough organs to save everyone on the waiting list.

Donate Life

Signing up to become a donor is easy — most Americans can designate themselves as donors when they get their drivers license and, in many states, that designation transfers their information to a state database. In the event of their death, organ donation professionals access that database, which begins the process of saving lives.

Making the decision to become a donor is different; it requires a clear understanding of the way donation works — which can prove difficult, given various persistent myths about donation.

Social Media in Health and Medicine: Medlibs Round 2.7

August 11, 2010 | by

Welcome to Medlib’s Round, edition 2.7, the monthly blog carnival highlighting excellent blog posts in the field of medical information. Just under a year ago, we hosted MedLibs Round 1.8: Finding Credible Health Information Online. For this edition, we wanted to focus on how social media is being used to promote health information online.

Social media in health and medicine
There’s a revolution occurring on the Web: those “authoritative” articles written on traditional, static websites are being replaced with blogs, wikis and online social networks. In the sphere of health, medicine and information technology, this “real-time Web” consists of many who are professionals in the field; their posts are listed below.
In the digital age, these are the characteristics of new media: recent, relevant, reachable and reliable.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the term mobile is being used quite often when discussing social media and health. Indeed, according to a recent Pew Internet report, 59% of adults are now accessing the internet wirelessly using a laptop or cell phone [1].

Keeping with this month’s theme, we’re tweeting and sharing posts using the Twitter hashtags #medinfo and #medlibs. If you like a particular post, share it with your friends and be sure to add both hashtags.

The Quick Guide to Healthy Living

August 4, 2010 | by
The Quick Guide to Healthy Living

Earlier this year, we reported on the National Health Observances Toolkit, a resource at healthfinder.gov to help promote certain health observances. Late last month, they released another really useful tool: the Quick Guide to Healthy Living.

Your job, friends, the kids — we’re all on tight schedules these days. You try to stay up-to-date with prevention and wellness tips, but often there isn’t time to search through all the complex health information on the Web. The Quick Guide to Healthy Living now makes it easier — and faster — to find actionable prevention and wellness tips.

The guide features one-page, printable tools so you can find information to help you and those you care about stay healthy. Topics range from “Nutrition and Fitness” to “For Parents” to “Cancer Screening and Prevention” and include articles such as:

  • Manage stress and protect yourself from serious health problems
  • Take a heart healthy shopping list with you to the grocery store
  • Prevent allergy and asthma attacks at home
  • Get tested for breast cancer
  • Prevent mosquito and tick bites

Most of the guides have three sections, displayed as tabs on the page: Overview, The Basics and Take Action. Each guide also provides suggestions — Start Today: Small Steps — to help you get started right away.

Eat Healthy

With over 80 health and wellness tips, there’s something for everyone. It’s easy, it’s fast and it’ll help you stay healthy: the Quick Guide to Healthy Living from healthfinder.gov.