For the past 25 years, the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) has published an annual survey of toy safety. In its most recent report, PIRG provides safety guidelines for consumers when purchasing toys for small children. The report also identifies potentially dangerous toys on sale. [audio:http://hospitalstay.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/05-The-Kids-Arent-Alright.mp3|titles=The Kids Aren’t Alright]

The following information is taken directly from PIRG’s Executive Summary:

In April 2010, the President’s Cancer Panel – a group of three distinguished experts appointed by President Bush to evaluate the nation’s cancer program – raised the alarm about our ubiquitous exposure to toxic chemicals. “The American people – even before they are born – are bombarded continually,” the panel wrote. In effect, our lives have become a giant, uncontrolled experiment on the relationship between toxic chemicals and our health. … Read more →

With the aid of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a specialized MRI that measures the hemodynamic response (change in blood flow) related to neural activity in the brain or spinal cord, researchers can now capture images of the brain during acupuncture.

The study was presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), showing pictures from patients experiencing pain with and without acupuncture. … Read more →

A new report from the University of Michigan School of Public Health suggests that children who are exposed to antibacterial soaps in large quantities may suffer more from allergies if the soaps contain Triclosan. The same study also linked overexposure to Bisphenol A with a negative impact on the adult immune system.

Triclosan is a chemical compound typically used in soaps, toothpaste, pens, diaper bags and medical devices. Bisphenol A (BPA) can be found in many plastics. Both chemicals are considered “endocrine-disrupting compounds” (EDCs), which can cause harm by mimicking or affecting hormones. … Read more →

In 1930, the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart founded Santa Teresita Hospital. Originally a tuberculosis sanitarium, the hospital was located on a three-acre plot in Duarte, California (Duarte had a population of 300 at the time).

The Hospital was named after Saint Therese, a French nun who died of tuberculosis. In Spanish she was called Santa Teresita (“the Little Flower”). … Read more →

Tuolumne General Hospital opened in 1849 as a full service, acute care hospital, providing a complete range of medical, surgical, and diagnostic treatment.Tuolumne catered to the residents of Tuolumne County and neighboring rural counties of the Mother Lode.

Originally one of the oldest healthcare systems in the nation forged by an informal partnership between local governments and merchants, the Hospital was first built to provide care to the “sick and destitute”. … Read more →

The Philadelphia Almshouse (later renamed the Blockley Almshouse), founded in 1729 was the first public hospital in America.The Hospital cared for the sick and mentally ill while feeding the impoverished. In 1767, the facility moved to a larger building and was called the Philadelphia Bettering House.

Eventually renamed Philadelphia General Hospital (PGH) in 1919, the original Blockley Almshouse buildings were replaced with a modern hospital. The original patient wards were 40 beds long, divided into four separate sections on two floors. There was a pharmacy on the first floor, an asylum in the basement, and operating rooms on the third floor. … Read more →

This past year, 19.9% of adults in the United States (45 million) have suffered from mental illness, according to a survey  by SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration).

Add to that, 4.8% of the adult population in the U.S. (11 million people) have battled serious mental illness in the past 12 months.  According to SAMHSA, serious mental illness is defined as “one that was diagnosed and considerably undermines at least one of life’s major activities.”

This same survey (2009 National Survey on Drug Abuse and Health or NSDUEH) determined that one million Americans over 18 attempted suicide, 2.2 million made plans to end their lives, and 8.4 million gave the matter serious consideration. … Read more →

Douglas Community Medical Center in Roseburg, Oregon, was built in the early 1950s. Community leaders in both areas wanted a secular alternative to long-established Catholic hospitals within their borders.

Led by Roseburg Forest Products owner Kenneth Ford, the hospital provided a secular alternative to Catholic hospitals in Oregon. Even as the ownership structure of the hospital changed after 1985, the facility still maintained its community status: patients went there to be treated by friends and neighbors. The corporate changes, however, ultimately proved to be too much for Douglas Community. … Read more →

By the end of the 19th century in the United States, tuberculosis was a highly contagious, misunderstood, and practically incurable disease.  Its mortality rate was about 80%.

In May 1909, the Arkansas Legislature passed Act 378 to construct the Arkansas Tuberculosis Sanatorium.  The Act provided for in part: (1) the establishment of the facility to provide treatment for tuberculosis patients; (2) $50,000 for the purchase of the site, equipment and construction for the Sanatorium; (3) $30,000 for operational expenses for the facility; and (4) establishing criteria for admission of patients, including proof that any patient has tuberculosis and is a resident of Arkansas. … Read more →

According to recent study from the University of Bombay, New Mumbai, India published in the International Journal of Biotechnology, how medication looks, feels and tastes may be almost as important as how well it works, especially for over-the-counter (OTC) products.

In a survey of 600 people, 75% reported that the color and shape of the medication helped them remember the medication. In fact, 14% thought that pink tablets had a sweeter taste than red tablets, and yellow pills were salty. 11% responded that white or blue medication was bitter, and 10% believed orange medication was sour. … Read more →