Join our #SaludTues Tweetchat 1p ET 01/05/16: Connecting Latinos to Coverage Before the End of Open Enrollment



The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was designed to increase access to quality health care for everyone in the country, especially the Latino community. The ACA’s open enrollment phase is currently underway through January 31, 2016. Health coverage under the new enrollment period began as early as January 1, 2016. To date, nearly 17 million individuals have gained coverage through the ACA and it has seen the largest reduction of uninsured Americans in four decades. Overall, 4.2 million Latinos (ages 18-64) gained health coverage and nearly 9 million now have access to vital preventive services such as mammograms, cervical cancer screenings, and flu shots. In 2014, an estimated 80% of uninsured Latinos qualified Medicaid, CHIP, or lower costs on monthly premiums through the Health ...

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El exceso de TV afecta el cerebro



El pasar mucho tiempo viendo televisión no solamente es malo para el corazón si no también para el cerebro, reporta NPR Health. Un nuevo estudio por la Universidad de California, encontró que aquellos que solamente hacen menos de tres horas de ejercicio y pasan por lo menos tres horas en frente del televisor tuvieron malos resultados en exámenes de enfoque cognitivo y velocidad que aquellos que hacen mas ejercicio y ven menos televisión. Según los expertos la perdida de poder cerebral causada por el exceso de televisión y poco ejercicio esta asociada con el hecho de que poco o nada de actividad física es mala para el ser humano. Marcus Richards, psicólogo de la Universidad de Londres piensa que la diferencia en habilidad y enfoque cognitivo de aquellos que ven mucha ...

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Study: E-Cigs Linked to Dangerous Lung Disease



Over 75 percent of flavored electronic cigarettes contain diacetyl, a chemical linked to severe lung disease. Diacetyl along with two other compounds was found in most sweet tasting flavors, such as cupcake, cotton candy and fruit squirts, CBS News reports. Researchers at Harvard University looked for the presence of dyacetyl, a chemical additive that’s often added to foods such as popcorn to give them a buttery flavor. Diacetyl has been associated with a severe lung disease condition known as bronchioles obliterans more commonly known as “popcorn lung,” named after many workers at microwave popcorn factories were diagnosed with the disease.. "One of three flavoring chemicals was found in 92 percent of the e-cigarettes we sampled and these chemicals are of interest because of ...

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3 Ways to Deal with Loneliness During Holiday Season



While most people spend the holidays in the company of family and friends a recent survey by the American Psychological Association showed that 1 in 4 Americans experiences loneliness during the Christmas season. Among the most affected by loneliness are senior citizens who have lost communication with family members and or don’t have the means to travel. To cope with the feeling of loneliness here are a few recommendations: Reconnect with old friends and family using social media. The holiday season is the perfect time to reconnect with old friends and family. Social media has made it easier and cheaper to keep in touch with family and friends. Platforms like Facebook and Skype offer free video calling. If your family lives abroad, you can keep in touch with them ...

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Andrea Fernandez: An Èxito! Grad Who Believes in the Value of Perseverance



Editor’s Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2015 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for 2016. Andrea Fernandez San Antonio, Texas It’s not always easy to stay calm, cool and collected under stress or facing adversity. However, Andrea is ready for anything that comes her way thanks to her mother, who stayed positive and encouraged her to continue her education despite battling cancer.  As the first person in her immediate and extended family to attend a university, Andrea has  the desire to evolve and excel. Andrea completed her bachelors in Psychology at UT Pan American and her masters in Public Health from the UT Health Science Center Houston-School of Public Health. Andrea thought that she might be past the stage where she ...

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Study: Gum Disease Linked to Breast Cancer-Risk



Postmenopausal women with gum disease could be at a higher risk for breast cancer, Reuters reports. Researchers at the University of Buffalo found that middle aged and older women with gum disease who smoked cigarettes or had quit within the past 20 years had a higher risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer, the leading cause of cancer death among Latinas. For the study, researchers analyzed data from more than 73,000 postmenopausal women who did not have breast cancer. “About one quarter said they had periodontal disease, a chronic inflammation and infection of the gum tissue around the base of the teeth. Gum disease has also been tied to heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some other cancers.” After following the women for six years researchers found 2,100 women had been ...

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Online Resource for Latino Health Care Consumers



In California, Spanish speaking Latinos who have been denied health coverage, experience delays or are dissatisfied with the decisions made by their health plan will now have a place to send their complaints and get help using the Spanish version of MyPatientRights.org created by the California Chronic Care Coalition (CCCC). "MyPatientRights.org is a beacon of light in a stormy health care sea, particularly for patients with a chronic condition," said Liz Helms, president and CEO of the CCCC. "With the future of the nation's health closely linked to the well-being of the Hispanic and Latino communities, it is imperative they access quality, affordable health care and navigate the complaint system when they are not able to access the specialists or medicines they need. As more ...

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Nuevos casos de diabetes en descenso, entre los latinos no tanto



Nuevos casos de diabetes continúan en descenso en los EE.UU, después de décadas de ir en aumento. Entre los latinos y afro-americanos el descenso no es muy significativo, reporta Univisión noticias. Datos del centro para la prevención y control de enfermedades (CDC)  muestran una caída de nuevos casos del 20% entre 2008 y 2014. El año pasado 1.4 millones fueron diagnosticados a comparación de 1.7 millones en 2008. Sin embargo según la CDC entre los latinos y afro Americanos continúan siendo mas vulnerables. En la comunidad latina el numero de nuevos casos de diabetes no ha cambiado drásticamente. Expertos advierten que la batalla contra la diabetes no ha terminado. Alrededor de 29 millones de personal viven con diabetes y 86 millones están en riesgo de ...

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Research: Latino Families Have Worse Access to Healthy Food



Latinos tend live in neighborhoods with few supermarkets and other sources of healthy, affordable food options, but several promising solutions are emerging, according to a new package of research from Salud America!, a national network for Latino childhood obesity prevention funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and based at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. Salud America!’s Better Food in the Neighborhood research package includes an in-depth review of the latest science on the U.S. Latino food environment and policy implications based on that research. It also includes an issue brief, animated video, and infographics. The research shows that Latino neighborhoods have one-third as many supermarkets as non-Latino ones, corner stores with few healthy options, and ...

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