• In case you missed it, Mission Hospital’s Lighten Up 4 Life competition and its participation in the Pound for Pound Challenge were featured this week on The Biggest Loser, NBC’s weight-loss reality show. You can view the video segment online here.
• Local health officials are concerned that vaccination rates may drop as NC is no longer providing vaccines free to all children, due to budget cuts. It is believed that lower vaccination rates could lead to vaccine-preventable diseases, such as mumps, hepatitis A, and influenza.
• From the food department – The Citizen-Times covered some of the rumors surrounding Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s sneaking a peek at the Asheville market (scroll down for interesting commentary), and a new study suggests that frozen vegetables are often more healthy than fresh vegetables – as up to 45% of important nutrients may be lost by the time they are consumed. [Note that the research was carried out “on behalf of Birds Eye, the frozen food manufacturer”.]
• Buncombe County’s decision to transfer primary care services to local health center Three Streams Family Health is causing an influx of patients onto an already strained system. Said administrator Geri Spangler: “We have been getting quite a few calls, and we can’t take them all. There is not an office in town that could do that (volume) and keep their sanity.”
• After an exceptionally harsh WNC winter, experts suggest that a lack of sunlight can contribute to low levels of vitamin D, and that “adequate vitamin D levels can help strengthen muscles, alleviate fatigue and just generally make people feel better.”
• A recent report found that 15.7% of NC women receive delayed or no prenatal care & 28% of women live in a “medically underserved area” with nearly one in five women uninsured. “A state-by-state examination shows that North Carolina is 37th on a maternal mortality ranking, with 11.4 deaths per 100,000 live births.”
• The New York Times is reporting that “More antibiotics are fed to livestock in North Carolina alone than are given to humans in the entire United States, according to the peer-reviewed Medical Clinics of North America.”
On the health calendar:
• Sunday event to bring awareness of AIDS to black community
• Traditional Herbalist Certification March 9- November 11, 2010 started this week
• Women in Balance Workshop 3/27 @ Women’s Wellness & Education Center
• ‘Bringing Clarity to HealthCare Reform’- 3/27 2-4pm – New Hope Presbyterian Church
• Women in wellness careers topic of UNCA Career Center panel on March 23
• Wellness on Wheels Van to stop in Asheville 8 a.m.-11 a.m. March 20
Please follow us on Twitter and submit WNC health & wellness info with the hashtag: #avlhealth
See you next week. Stay healthy.
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