(UPI) A U.S. congressional Web site tells representatives how healthcare reform will impact their district, but it also shows how consumers will be affected.

For example, Rep. John Boozman, Rep.-Ark., can expect the 429,000 residents of his district who receive healthcare from an employer or through policies purchased on the individual market can keep their coverage. However, the bill prohibits annual and lifetime limits, eliminates cutting individuals who become ill while insured, bans coverage denials for pre-existing conditions and reduces the cost of preventive care.

Those who do not receive healthcare through their employer can purchase coverage at group rates through the new health insurance exchange. The bill provides families with incomes up to $88,000 for a family of four with tax credits to help pay for coverage, the Web site says. For a family of four making $50,000, the average tax credit will be approximately $5,800. Those with incomes below 133 percent of poverty receive coverage via Medicaid.

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(Science Daily) Downsizing and demotions at the workplace can be a health hazard for people over age 50, according to research…

Job insecurity was not associated with health outcomes for all individuals uniformly. After a period of two years, the men who had faced job insecurity were more likely to experience poorer self-rated health, higher blood pressure, and higher levels of epinephrine (a stress-induced hormone). When faced with the same workplace conditions, women showed higher levels of hostility, loneliness, and depressive symptoms.

The researchers chose to focus on older workers for several reasons. People aged 55 and older have experienced strong growth in the labor market over the past 20 years -- a trend expected to continue in the decade ahead. Additionally, a 2007 AARP study found that a full 70 percent of working adults between 45 and 74 years old planned to work during retirement or to never retire at all.

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(Science Daily) Chronic feelings of loneliness take a toll on blood pressure over time, causing a marked increase after four years, according to a new study at the University of Chicago.

A new study shows, for the first time, a direct relation between loneliness and larger increases in blood pressure four years later -- a link that is independent of age and other factors that could cause blood pressure to rise, including body-mass index, smoking, alcohol use and demographic differences such as race and income.

The researchers also looked at the possibility that depression and stress might account for the increase but found that those factors did not fully explain the increase in blood pressure among lonely people 50 years and older.

"Loneliness behaved as though it is a unique health-risk factor in its own right," wrote researcher Louise Hawkley.

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Community: If you’re lonely and not a people person, you can always get a dog. See below.

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(HealthDay News) Comfort dogs come to the emotional rescue of people who are suffering in the aftermath of disasters or battling the difficulties of daily life.

Their job is deceptively simple: to get people to open up and talk about what happened.

Amy Rideout, president of HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response, a national organization with more than 100 certified dog-handler teams, said engaging in a discussion about an experience is healing and helps a person to overcome a traumatic event.

There are other health benefits the pooches provide. Research has shown the simple act of petting a dog helps to lower blood pressure, lift spirits and reduce stress.

"There are not too many things that we can do that can make an instantaneous impact on somebody, so this is special work," she said.

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(RealAge.com) When you're so stressed you can't think straight, take a quick look around. See lots of clutter? Consider it a sign.

In her book, The Superstress Solution, physician and author Roberta Lee writes that a disorganized, untidy, clutter-filled home is not only a symptom of stress but also a source of stress. Clean up the litter and you'll dial up the calm…

According to Lee, research shows that we secrete the stress hormone cortisol when surrounded by disarray. Bad news for your body. But the good news is that you know exactly what to do about it. With a quick tidy-up, you could reclaim both your surroundings and your serenity…

RealAge Benefit:
Not completing nagging unfinished tasks (NUTs) can make your RealAge 8 years older.

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(UPI) Researchers in Spain say cloves scored the highest marks as a natural antioxidant that may help fight the effects of aging.

Researchers at Miguel Hernandez University determined cloves contain high levels of phenolic compounds and other properties key to fighting off the effects of aging. They said these properties make cloves a good candidate for inclusion in food -- especially meat products -- as a natural preservative.

Cloves scored the highest marks when tested on five characteristics of good antioxidants. Other high scorers among the spices of the Mediterranean diet tested included essential oils from oregano, thyme, rosemary and sage.

"These substances exhibit high antioxidant capacity, and could have beneficial effects for health," study co-author Juana Fernandez-Lopez said in a statement.

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(HealthDay News) Treatment with a specific type of omega-3 fatty acid can shrink the number and size of precancerous polyps in people at high genetic risk of developing bowel cancer, British researchers say.

The study authors reported that the new treatment appears to work as well as a drug called celecoxib (Celebrex), which is prescribed for patients with bowel polyps linked to their genetic risk, but it doesn't cause heart-related side effects…

According to the researchers from St. James's University Hospital in Leeds, U.K., omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are safe and have also been shown to be beneficial for cardiovascular health, so this treatment may be a particularly good choice for those at risk of both bowel cancer and heart disease.

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(HealthDay News) "This diet did not raise triglycerides and didn't lower HDL cholesterol," [study author Barbara V.] Howard said. "It didn't do any of the adverse things that high-fat people have claimed."

In addition, women who lowered intake of specific kinds of fats -- saturated fats and trans fatty acids -- did have lower a lower rate of heart disease, she said.

And eating a low-fat diet might make it easier to lose weight, which is important because of the current American epidemic of obesity, Howard noted.

"If you start out eating too many calories and you cut fat, that automatically makes you eat a higher-carbohydrate diet," she said. "If a person wants to reduce weight and is comfortable with cutting fat, that is a good strategy."

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(SouthBeachDiet.com) The key to sticking to any healthy diet and keeping hunger at bay is to eat nutritious, filling foods. That’s why … we stress eating nutrient-dense, fiber-rich foods (such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans and other legumes), as well as good fats and lean protein.

It’s also why we tell you to avoid the highly processed (essentially fiberless) carbohydrates found in baked goods, many breads, snack foods, and other convenient favorites, which can have the opposite effect on satiety. High-fiber foods, good fats, and lean protein (as well as acidic foods) all help to slow the digestion of the sugars in carbs. When you include a variety of these foods in your diet, your body produces less insulin, and less insulin means fewer swings in blood-sugar levels. It is these swings that are the cause of cravings and constant hunger in the first place. Once your blood sugar is under control, you’ll find that your cravings and hunger greatly diminish and that you’ll feel more satisfied after a meal. Read more about curbing hunger with foods that are filling.

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Chicken and Cashews
Top tender chicken with an inspired Asian sauce loaded with cashews, ginger, honey, and sesame oil. Pair this entrée with a simple rice pilaf.

Pasta with Asparagus, Pancetta, and Pine Nuts
Pasta is the perfect weeknight meal. Your family will love the comforting flavors, and you'll love that it's surprisingly low in calories.

Fix-and-Freeze Recipes

Beef, Cheese, and Noodle Bake

1 List, 5 Meals Archive

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(RealAge.com) [H]ere's a potential new option for keeping face creases away: sipping white tea.

According to a recent lab study, extracts in white tea exert an anti-inflammatory effect that slows the breakdown of collagen and elastin fibers -- those super-supportive intracellular structures that skin needs to stay firm and wrinkle-free…

Okay -- so that's what happened in a lab dish. But can drinking tea really fight wrinkles? Research in human skin will be required to confirm it… (White tea may have special fat-thwarting powers, too.)

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Community: See also, “Dr. Amy's 7 Habits for Healthy Skin”.

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(UPI) Nutritional training is important to every area of clinical practice but has been long neglected, researchers in Britain said.

The evidence shows healthcare professionals in general know little about how to assess and manage poor nutrition and gastroenterologists in particular need to be able to provide advice and expertise in general nutrition, artificial nutrition support, and intestinal failure, the researchers said.

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(Reuters) Bacterial infections, hepatitis B and C, and possibly even HIV are being transmitted via acupuncture through the use of contaminated needles, cotton swabs and hot packs, experts warned on Friday.

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(Reuters) Virtually all of the experts who wrote favorably about GlaxoSmithKline Plc's troubled diabetes drug Avandia had financial ties to drug makers, a finding that shows the need for reform of such relationships, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.

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(UPI) The stereotype of the uninsured, ethnic minority inappropriately seeking basic primary care at U.S. hospitals pervades, but it is inaccurate, doctors say.

A review of two dozen studies … found frequent users of hospital emergency departments are predominantly white, insured and at greater risk for hospitalization due to serious illness, despite public perceptions of them as abusers of the healthcare system with minor complaints and no health insurance.

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(Reuters) A Senate Democrat asked top drugmakers on Wednesday to explain why Americans pay higher prices for prescription drugs than patients do in other developed nations.

Senator Herb Kohl, who chairs the Special Committee on Aging, sent letters to AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, and Sanofi-Aventis.

Kohl said Americans on average pay twice as much as people in other industrialized countries…

Some Democrats have attacked drugmakers as the U.S. Congress works on an overhaul of U.S. healthcare system.

The pharmaceutical industry has pledged to pay $80 billion over 10 years in price cuts and other concessions to help fund wider insurance coverage as part of a healthcare overhaul under consideration in Congress.

Some lawmakers have criticized that amount as a small price to pay for a $315 billion-a-year industry that stands to gain tens of millions of new customers if insurance coverage expands. Democrats are trying to pass a final bill for President Barack Obama to sign into law in the coming weeks.

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Community: Senator Kohl knows very well why we pay more here. It’s because of backroom deals like the one mentioned above that President Obama made with the pharmaceutical companies, which keeps our governmental healthcare providers from negotiating lower prices, the way other countries do.

And why have members of Congress been so reluctant to point out that we pay more than twice for ALL health care than other industrialized nations, yet have worse outcomes? That fact should be hammered into Americans’ brains every single day.

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(Science Daily) A new University of Illinois study touts the benefits of soluble fiber -- found in oats, apples, and nuts, for starters -- saying that it reduces the inflammation associated with obesity-related diseases and strengthens the immune system.

"Soluble fiber changes the personality of immune cells -- they go from being pro-inflammatory, angry cells to anti-inflammatory, healing cells that help us recover faster from infection," said Gregory Freund…

"[W]e'd like to find a way to keep some of the anti-inflammatory, positive effects that develop over time with a high-fat diet while reducing that diet's negative effects, such as high blood glucose and high triglycerides. It's possible that supplementing a high-fat diet with soluble fiber could do that, even delaying the onset of diabetes," he said…

Good sources of soluble fiber are oat bran, barley, nuts, seeds, lentils, citrus fruits, apples, strawberries, and carrots. "We used a citrus-based pectin in our study," Sherry said.

Insoluble fiber, found in whole wheat and whole-grain products, wheat bran, and green, leafy vegetables, is also valuable for providing bulk and helping food move through the digestive system, but it doesn't provide the boost to the immune system that soluble fiber provides.

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(Science Daily) Scientists at the University of Liverpool argue that anti-obesity drugs fail to provide lasting benefits for health and wellbeing because they tackle the biological consequences of obesity, and not the important psychological causes of overconsumption and weight gain…

Professor Tim Kirkham … said: "Novel, effective anti-obesity treatments must address these different factors. We need to identify drugs that can selectively affect the desire to eat, the enjoyment of eating, fullness and satisfaction. Interventions designed specifically to modulate these processes could help reduce the aversive experience of dieting, and maximize an individual's capacity to successfully gain control over their appetite."

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(Science Daily) Diabetes patients who have a lower propensity to reach out to others have a higher mortality rate than those who feel comfortable seeking support. These are the findings of a five-year study reported by Dr. Paul Ciechanowski, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington…

"Many self-management behaviors related to diabetes are optimally carried out in collaboration with others -- family, peers and health-care providers," Ciechanowski noted. Planning and cooking diabetic-friendly meals, exercising, and quitting smoking are best undertaken, he added, with motivational support. Also, as diabetes gets more severe or complications arise, a self-reliant attitude that worked in the past may become a liability.

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(Science Daily) The role of selenium in diabetes has been controversial, with some studies suggesting that it raises diabetes risk and others finding that it is protective. Now, research published in BioMed Central's open access journalNutrition and Metabolism, has shown that, for men, high plasma selenium concentrations are associated with a lower occurrence of dysglycemia.

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