The Checkup - Health and Wellness Blog - September 20, 2009

Is That Right? Goldfish Crackers Provide 1/3 Serving of Real Vegetables

Let me be clear: I have nothing against Goldfish crackers. I agree with Cristin Dillon-Jones, Self magazine's "Eat Like Me" blogger, who wrote in a guest blog for The Checkup this summer that occasional treats such as Goldfish can be part of a healthful diet. Not every food we put...

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | September 25, 2009; 7:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Is That Right? , Nutrition and Fitness
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Should Pregnant Women Fly?

Is it safe for a pregnant woman to travel by air? According to some new guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) the answer is yes--with a few caveats. This week, the group released the first update of its guidelines on air travel for pregnant women since...

By Rob Stein | September 24, 2009; 7:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Motherhood , Travel Health
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Preventing Falls Among the Elderly

Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) (Getty Images) Senator Byrd, meet Mary Tinetti. Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), 91, reportedly lost his balance and fell down in his home Tuesday morning. It happens all the time to older people, for whom falling down can pose serious health issues. But falling down isn't...

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | September 23, 2009; 11:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Aging , General Health , Seniors
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For Some Women, Recession Means Having Few Children

By Rob Stein The recession is apparently prompting more women to try to delay having babies, according to the first survey (pdf) aimed at documenting the effects of the economic downtown on childbearing. Nearly half of working-class women want to put off childbearing or to have fewer children, according to...

By washingtonpost.com Editors | September 23, 2009; 7:50 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Family Health , Women's Health
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What Do You Eat When You've Got the Flu?

Are you a "feed a fever, starve a cold" person? Or do you "feed a cold, starve a fever"? In reality, you shouldn't starve either a cold or a fever. To the extent that you can, you should try to keep eating (and drinking) nutritious foods and beverages while you're...

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | September 22, 2009; 7:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Family Health , General Health , Influenza , Nutrition and Fitness
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Mail-Order Pharmacy Woes

Even as more and more of us are forced by our health-insurance plans to fill prescriptions through the mail, a new survey finds many consumers have gone without medications because of delays. And that's not the only problem the survey turned up. The Alexandria-based National Community Pharmacists' Association (NCPA) --...

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | September 21, 2009; 7:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (17)
Categories: General Health , Health Policy
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