• The FDA is charged with reviewing about 75,000 pharmaceutical marketing items per year. The agency recently received “a handful” of new staffers for these duties, bringing the total to 57 officials. FDA officials say they review thousands of ads but simply cannot get to them all. Many misleading ads, they admit, are already in the media before they are discovered.
   
• The antiquated FDA does not have the technology that would allow pharma companies to upload streaming files. This means the FDA must look at storyboards for commercials and other video files. These are not the actual advertisements themselves, of course.
  
  
• The number of FDA warning letters sent to pharma companies for violations of FDA marketing standards has increased over the years. It was just 21 in 2008, 41 in 2009, and 45 this year through late August.

• The FDA has yet to release a standardized set of requirements for the pharma industry with regard to advertising online and through social media. Yahoo and Google have also been clamoring for some direction, and the FDA says it hopes to release a draft document by the end of 2010.
   
• The FDA has recruited doctors to help them with the watchdog duties. The agency’s “Bad Ad” campaign trains physicians to recognize questionable promotions and statements, and the program has generated about 100 complaints from medical professionals since its inception.
   
• Pharmaceutical companies continue to push the envelope with their advertising. Allergan used “Twilight” movie actor Michael Welch to promote its Aczone medication for acne, and stuffed animals, games and children’s books have been used to target teens and young adults.

In this advertising tug of war, pharma companies have a limited amount of time to sell their products while presenting risk information – all in a way that’s understandable and not misleading. A tough balancing act. The disconcerting thing, however, is that pharma’s resources are way out of balance with the FDA’s.

Read more health news articles on AccessRx.

A photofacial is a way to freshen up the skin without substantial downtime in most cases. Broad spectrum light flashes are used to transmit energy to the skin, creating a more youthful and even skin surface. It reduces signs of sun damage and aging by minimizing brown and red spots.  It also helps to improve acne.

Photofacial treatments, also known as IPL or intense pulsed light can be performed on the face, chest, hands, and other areas with signs of sun damage.

At the end of the summer, photofacials are great for undoing some of the damage caused by soaking in the sun's rays on the beach.

With all of the hullabaloo about the cost of medical insurance and health care in general, many Americans may find themselves wishing that they could hearken back to a simpler time, when business was done on a handshake (including business at the doctor’s office). It is estimated that one out of seven Americans lacks the means to receive adequate medical care.

Those of us who grew up in the seventies and eighties remember watching episodes of Little House on the Prairie, where Doc Baker was always willing to take whatever Walnut Grove’s poor farming community could offer in exchange for his services. The man typically had more eggs, chickens, and apples than a single man could ever hope to eat. While none of us would seriously expect our doctors today to work for a bag of apples, it would be nice if you didn’t need to finance a simple trip to the doctor’s office.

Our own father recalls a time when medical insurance was used primarily to protect workers against the high costs of a catastrophic, long term illness or hospitalization. Until the late 1970s, most Americans paid for doctor’s visits out of their pockets, using medical insurance only to cover hospital bills. While doctor’s visits were never really cheap, they were not so expensive that the average American needed an insurance policy to pay for them.

We could get into a huge debate over where the costs come in. It seems everyone has a different idea about what has caused health care costs to skyrocket. Some say it’s doctor’s greed. Others point the finger at the insurance companies, while others lay the blame on prescription drug companies.

We’re relatively sure there’s plenty of blame to go around. But even if our health care system isn’t perfect, we would argue that it’s still a lot better than it was in the days when you traded a bag of apples for your health care. Better even than when a doctor’s visit was typically paid for out of pocket.

Advances in medical technology have made medical care much more expensive, necessitating insurance, but the care received is also considerably better. Doctors have means of saving lives and curing illnesses at their disposal today that no one would have dreamed possible twenty years ago. As for us, we’d rather pay more and receive the life saving treatment available today.

When you are on vacation, the last thing you want to think about is having insurance or that something could go wrong. Too often there are accidents that bring in the need for insurance on your trips. There are also times that you can get food poisoning or simply just get sick out of the country. Making sure you are covered even away from home is very important. Read these stories and tips below to make sure you have your next trip covered and you are protected.

1. International Insurance: Find articles here on why you need travel insurance and some of the options out there for you.
2. Do I Need it?: Discover what travel medical insurance really is and why you would need it.
3. Testimonials: Take a look at these testimonies from those who used travel insurance and are glad they did. Find out what their stories are and how they saved their trips.
4. Startling Facts: Read a few of these important facts on those who do not have travel medical insurance. See why you should seriously consider getting it before traveling out of the country.
5. Why do I Need International Insurance: Look at these scenarios of why you would need international coverage when you travel. Don’t be unprotected when you leave the country.
6. Travel Medical Insurance: Learn what some of the options are for travel insurance. Also get tips on why you need it when going out of the country.
7. Traveling out of the Country: Many people fail to realize the problems they could face if they do not have medical insurance for traveling. It can be a very costly mistake if you happen to get sick while out of the country.
8. A Few Reasons Why: Here are a few reasons why you would need travel insurance. You could run into things like having to cancel your trip, getting sick or getting injured. These are all reasons you need that extra protection when traveling.
9. Medical Evacuation Coverage: Learn what medical evacuation coverage is and whether you really need it when traveling.
10. Traveling to Mexico: When you are planning a trip to Mexico, you need to check this site out first. This will show you options on insurance and why you want to get extra coverage when traveling here.
11. Travel Medical: Discover why it may be in your best interest to purchase travel medical insurance when leaving the country. Also see what kind of coverage you can get.
12. International Major Medical: See what options you have when it comes to major medical coverage abroad.
13. Travel Insurance for the UK: Take a look at a few tips on getting travelers insurance when visiting the UK. Know what you want/need to insure and be careful to read your policy fully.
14. FAQ on Travelers Insurance: Find the answers here to some FAQ when it comes to purchasing travelers insurance.
15. Travel Protection: Look and see why Italy recommends buying travel insurance before taking your long out of the country trip.
16. Travel Insurance 101: Get the basics on what travel insurance is and what type of coverage you should consider. Read this before purchasing insurance.
17. Tips on Travel Insurance: Here are some great tips on how to pick your travel insurance and what type of coverage you need.
18. Do I Need Insurance when Backpacking?: Read this great article on why you may want to consider buying insurance when traveling to Europe to backpack.
19. Travel Insurance Options: Get information here on what travel insurance should cover and how much you may want to buy when going on a trip.
20. Squaremouth: Find out how this site can help you pick your insurance for traveling. They compare companies for you and let you know the best deals.
21. Travel Insurance Review Blog: This blogger helps you to decide what company to go with for your insurance and which ones you may want to steer clear of.
22. Testimonials: These people all were wondering why they needed travel insurance too. Look at their brief stories on how this helped them out tremendously.
23. World Nomads Travel Insurance: If you have considered using this company then you should read this review. Find out what others have said about their rates and service in the travel insurance industry.
24. Visiting America Insurance: Those from other countries should look into getting some visitor insurance before coming to America. Learn here what your options are and what you should have coverage for.
25. Patriot Travel Insurance Review: Learn what some of the benefits are to purchasing travel health insurance and how much you may actually need.
26. Why buy Insurance?: Here are a few reasons you should seriously consider buying travel insurance when going on a trip of any kind.
27. Travel Insurance Reviews: Try this site to help you find the best deals on travelers insurance.
28. One Blogger Tells You Why: One writer shares in this article why you should get travelers insurance. They have seen so many stories of how those traveling didn’t have it and lost money because of it.
29. Travel Reviews: Get help picking your insurance company. When traveling you can save yourself money by taking a few minutes to add insurance to your trip.
30. World Nomads Review: Get a discount code as well as learn what this company can offer you.
31. Holiday Extras: If you are going to be traveling during the holidays or on vacation, read here about travelers insurance and see whether you need it or not.
32. Is it Needed: While some will swear by getting insurance, others say it is a waste to get travelers insurance. You can decide on your own by reading this article.
33. Nationwide Travel Insurance: Take a look at this review on Nationwide travel insurance. See if this company is right for you.
34. Consumer Reports: One blogger shares their report on travel insurance companies and find out if Consumer Reports were right in their reviews.
35. Peace of Mind or Waste of Money: See what some reviewers say on whether you should really buy travelers insurance or if it is a waste of your money.
36. Product Reviews: For those in Australia, check out this site with customer reviews on the travel insurance options that are available.
37. A Waste or Needed: See what one reviewer says about whether travelers insurance is worth the time. Do you think it is a waste of money or a much needed addition to your trip planning?
38. Your Peace of Mind: One blogger’s view is that it is worth your peace of mind to purchase travel health insurance.
39. My Experience: One person shares her experience with travelers insurance. Read her story here.
40. Airport Delay: Learn how having insurance can help you when traveling and what to do if you have become a victim of airport delay.
41. A Tale of Two Families: Learn about two families that experienced problems on their vacation. One chose insurance while the other didn’t.
42. Travel Horror Stories: Check out these travel insurance horror stories. This may make you think twice on purchasing your insurance.
43. Insurance Horror Story: Hear one person’s story of the troubles they faced when they did not obtain the travel insurance they needed.
44. My Flight Horror: Read one persons horror story of traveling and how you can help prevent this by insuring your trip.
45. Do You Really Need it?: One writer shows you the pros and cons of getting travel insurance. This can help you make your decision in either way.
46. What You Should Know: This is a must read article for anyone who is going to be traveling. Learn what you should know when it comes to travelers insurance.
47. Protection Against Hurricanes or Severe Weather: Learn whether or not travel insurance will protect you if your trip is canceled due to sever weather.

Image credits: Eddie Awad

The first thing you need to know about this study is that it appears in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. You probably never thought cooking at home could be a life and death situation, did you?

Well, an online survey of 13,000 adults conducted by the Los Angeles County of Public Health (LACDPH) indicates that 1 in 7 kitchens are not up to code. In other words, they would not pass a health inspection that restaurants routinely receive. About 98 percent of restaurant kitchens in Los Angeles receive a passing grade each year.

It’s easy to worry about what’s going on behind the closed doors of the corner restaurant. But it turns out most of the harm caused by food-borne illness is a product of uncleanly kitchens and mistakes made by home chefs.

The LACDPH survey involved 45 yes or no questions. Anyone who scored 90 percent or more received an A grade (34 percent of respondents), 80 percent or more received a B grade (27 percent of respondents), and 70 percent or more received a C grade (25 percent). About 14 percent failed to score a passing C grade.

The results of the survey revealed that 26 percent of home cooks have shelves and cabinets that are not clean and dust-free, 36 percent do not have a fridge thermometer that works correctly, 28 percent do not remove jewelry or keep nails trimmed when cooking, and a total of 20 percent of participants either had flies, cockroaches or rodents in their kitchen.

All of a sudden, eating out just became more appetizing.

The editors of the survey report note that the results probably skew toward MORE cleanliness than you would find in the average kitchens in America. This is because those who take the survey are likely to have an interest in keeping a clean kitchen. Many home cooks probably do not care much about a clean kitchen and would not be inclined to take the survey.

There are an estimated 87 million cases of food-borne illnesses in the U.S. every year. Of those, well over 350,000 cases involve hospitalization and another 5,700 people die from their illnesses.

Food may be sustenance, but it could belong in the same sentence as mortality after all.

Read more health news articles on AccessRx.