The bottom line for now, pending additional research, is that people who have been using permanent hair dyes since the 1980s appear to be at little to no increased risk of lymphoma or other cancers.
Read More »Preventing Disease & Staying Healthy
We all know that it’s good to exercise, eat fresh fruits and vegetables, and get a good night’s sleep. But it’s hard to change our habits, especially if we don’t have persuasive proof that it will improve our lives and health.
The National Center for Health Research is constantly reviewing new research to determine what we can do that will prevent diseases and keep us healthy.
Excellent research is being conducted to learn exactly what kinds of foods and exercise will help you prevent specific diseases, and what exposures to avoid in your daily life. The results are sometimes confusing because new products to prevent diseases are aggressively advertised, whether they work or not. Sometimes the best strategies are ones that don’t cost anything – but who is going to pay to advertise those?
We cut through the hype. We scrutinize new research, and call the researchers to learn even more. Then we translate it into plain language that you can understand.
To find the information you need, please use our search box to search for exactly what you are looking for or browse through our various topics on the right. →
If you’re looking for information about how to prevent cancer, go to our Cancer Prevention and Treatment web site at www.stopcancerfund.org . If you don’t see what you’re looking for on any health topic, contact us through our online health helpline at info@center4research.org. We’ll try to get the information you need within a few days.
How to Report Problems With Medical Products to the FDA
Every year, tens of thousands of consumers suspect that their medicines or medical devices might be causing unexpected side effects. It is important to report suspected problems related to medical products to a physician and to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which may be done through a program called MedWatch.
Read More »Your Children May Be Eligible for Free Health Insurance
More than 8 million children across the country have no health insurance. The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), offers health coverage to uninsured children whose families earn too much for Medicaid but find it difficult to afford private coverage.
Read More »Another Reason Not to Smoke
Smokers tell you that smoking calms them down, but a 2000 study finds that adolescents who smoke are more likely to suffer from phobias, panic attacks, and other serious anxiety problems as young adults.
Read More »Heart CT Scans: New Heart Disease Test May Cause Cancer
Heart disease is the leading cause of death among adults in the U.S., so some doctors have recently started using a “CAT scan” (or CT scan) to detect blockages in the heart’s arteries. Unfortunately, a CT scan uses relatively large doses of radiation, which could ultimately lead to many new cases of cancer from increased exposure to radiation. Although heart CT scanning may be a useful tool in detecting blockages in heart arteries, there is not enough evidence to show that this test is worth the risks and is therefore not recommended for screening for heart disease at this time.
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