Heart disease is expected to kill 400,000 Americans in 2010. However, a British study found that half those deaths could be prevented if Americans ate healthfully and didn't smoke. Two-thirds of U.S. adults and almost one-third of children are overweight or obese, increasing their risk of heart disease, diabetes and other chronic illnesses. Worldwide almost 1 billion adults are overweight; and if nothing is done, the number will exceed 1.5 billion by 2015. According to the World Health Organization not smoking, eating healthfully and exercising regularly dramatically reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. It's standard health care everyone can afford.
Standard hospital protocol is for doctors and nurses to wash their hands before and after seeing a patient. Unfortunately, studies show that only about 40% of U.S. health care workers wash their hands as required. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, health-care-associated infections kill approximately 100,000 patients every year. In 2010 health care workers at Baptist Princeton Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama started wearing badges that wirelessly transmit information about when they enter a patient's room and if they wash their hands appropriately. It's hoped that e-mailing or texting non-compliers will motivate them to clean up their act.
Something else that needs cleaning up is double dipping. Whether motivated by laziness or bad manners, putting an already used chip back into a bowl for a second helping of dip is unhealthy. Studies have shown that several dips of previously used chips into a bowl will transfer tens of thousands of bacteria to the dip. Thin dips, such as salsa, hold more bacteria. Thick dips, such as cheese and hummus, seal bacteria on the chip. Double dipping is equivalent to kissing all the other double dippers on the mouth. Single dipping is healthy "dip-lomacy".
Finally, although it's estimated that 80% of people brush their teeth every day, very few brush their pet's teeth. As a result, periodontal disease is the most commonly diagnosed problem in dogs and cats. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, by age two 80% of dogs and 70% of cats have periodontal disease, which has been linked to diabetes, strokes, kidney disease and heart disease. Pets' gums should be pink, without bumps or lesions; and pets' breath shouldn't smell bad. Dry food and chew toys help control plaque and tartar. However, an annual professional teeth cleaning is necessary - not "petty".
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