The following tornado safety tips are provided by the La Junta Police and Fire departments, the Otero County Health Department, as well as the National Child Safety Council.

Before and during a tornado watch

# Be alert. Otero County Health Department Executive Director Rick Ritter said to watch the sky, watch television, listen to the radio to be prepared for a possible change in weather. watch for tornado danger signs including changes in the sky’s color, hail, large, dark low-lying clouds.

# Determine a designated area for the family to assemble in case of a tornado warning. “Be prepared to get to shelter and get ready to go,” Ritter said. Read more » »

PHOENIX — A doctor’s office visit doesn’t rank high on the to-do list of many corporate executives.

But an executive’s lack of attention to his or her health can cost a company in several ways.

Corporations with a sick or absent leader may face internal struggles for control, direction or philosophy. In worst-case scenarios, a CEO’s death can trigger a slumping share price or a takeover battle.

“I think (a CEO’s health) is one of the least identified risks an organization has,” said John O’Connell, a professor of international risk management at Thunderbird School of Global Management. “We are talking about the ability of an organization to function without that individual … Without that person, the organization would not be what it is.” Read more » »

As England prepares to follow the rest of the UK with a smoking ban in public places, The British Dietetic Association launches its top tips for improving nutrition when you quit.

On 1st July, smokers will have to use designated areas outside pubs and restaurants, and other public places, giving a great incentive to give up the habit. There are plenty of financial savings and health incentives to help on the road to being a non-smoker. Once you’ve made the decision to stop - a major step in itself - it’s important to prepare yourself and get strategies in place which will maximise chances of success.

Dr Frankie Phillips, registered dietitian and The British Dietetic Association (BDA) spokesperson, says: “One of the reasons that people give for not stopping smoking is the risk of weight gain. Although studies have shown that smokers tend to be thinner than non-smokers, the average Read more » »

TORONTO, June 26 /CNW/ - Given that 28 smog days have already been

recorded so far this year, Ontario’s physicians are asking people to

understand the impact smog can have on their health and to take appropriate

measures to stay healthy during smog alerts.

“Heat and humidity increase the risk that our breathing will be affected

by smog,” said Dr. Janice Willett, President of the Ontario Medical

Association (OMA). “Physicians treat patients every day suffering smog-related Read more » »

IT’S A bountiful life for many an Australian specialist doctor. Dinners at Sydney’s finest restaurants. Business- class airfares and a week in New Orleans, Amsterdam or Atlanta. Tickets to Jose Carreras concerts and a dinner cruise, and time for a spot of golf. No need to reach for the wallet. It’s all absolutely free.

More than half of Australia’s physicians are “confident engagers” with the pharmaceutical industry, recent evidence to the Federal Court shows. They’re very comfortable receiving big pharma’s gifts of travel, entertainment and a little “education” - drug company information on new medications. A patient’s disease no longer determines which pill gets popped; commerce firmly guides the doctor’s arm when reaching for the prescription pad.

Here’s how it works, says Ian Haines, an oncologist with Melbourne’s Cabrini Hospital. Drug Read more » »

The national drug hotline that uncovered dangerous side effects linked to the sleeping pill Stilnox is set to shut down within weeks unless it secures federal funding.

The Adverse Medicine Events Line, which takes more calls from patients about potential harmful effects of medication than any other body, has found evidence of safety problems with several drugs.

But the federal government has declined to renew funding for the hotline, despite its pilot program being hailed as a success and the existence of similar bodies in the United States and Britain.

Dr Geraldine Moses, who runs the hotline, said its closure meant consumers would be less likely to report adverse reactions to drugs. Read more » »

Senate Special Committee on Aging Chairman Herb Kohl (D-WI) held a hearing to examine the pharmaceutical industry’s costly practice of providing payments and gifts to doctors, and to consider what kind of influence this wields over some of our nation’s physicians. It is estimated that drug companies spend 19 billion dollars annually on doctors in the form of lecture honoraria and conference registration fees, research grants, trips, meals, drug samples, and other freebies. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine earlier this year reported that 94 percent of physicians have received such gifts and payments from drug companies.

“The financial ties between doctors and drug companies are only deepening,” said Chairman Kohl. “These gifts and payments can compromise physicians’ medical judgment by putting their financial interest ahead of the welfare of their patients.” Read more » »