The top serious health concerns for African Americans are: Cardiovascular Disease—The #1 killer of African Americans. Diabetes—3.2 million African Americans have diabetes, yet more than 33% do not know it. Vitamin D Deficiency—Low Vitamin D has been associated with several types of cancer as well as certain autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus. HIV/AIDS—Nearly half of the people who get HIV/AIDS are African American, suffering more deaths than any other race. Cancer—Lung, Breast, Colon, Prostate—African American men are 35% more likely to die from prostate or colon cancer than Caucasian men and African American women are 18% more likely to die from breast cancer because of a genetic predisposition to aggressive forms of cancer.

The current economic crisis has many consumers looking for ways to reduce expenses. One of the best strategies to reduce healthcare expenses is by exercising regularly. “Most of the chronic health problems in our society are a result of a sedentary lifestyle,” according to Stan Reents, PharmD, a certified personal trainer, fitness counselor, tennis coach. Diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, coronary artery disease and others are largely preventable with regular exercise. “Healthcare costs – including medication costs – for these conditions can be reduced by exercising regularly,” says Reents.

A new survey from the Commonwealth Fund comparing patients in the United States to those in seven other countries finds more than half of chronically ill patients did not get recommended care, fill prescriptions, or see a doctor when sick because of costs. The survey underscores the importance for patients in exploring lower cost options, including generics, mail-service pharmacies, and electronic prescribing (e-prescribing), the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) said today.

With open enrollment season in full force across the country, many Americans are evaluating health care benefits for themselves and their families. But, according to a new survey conducted by BearingPoint and Zogby International, a startling percentage of citizens are considering denying themselves and their children health care to save money during this unstable economic environment.

One year ago this week, Linda suffered a debilitating stroke at the age of 52. This week, she’s planning a Mother and Son Retreat at her two teenage sons’ school. Tremendous family support, six months of in-home care covered by long term care insurance and a positive attitude helped Linda make a remarkable recovery.

Epocrates today announced hundreds of thousands of healthcare professionals and consumers, including more than 50,000 U.S. physicians, have downloaded its drug and formulary reference application to an Apple iPhone or iPod Touch device in only four months. The free Epocrates Rx software, designed specifically for the iPhone platform, was available at the launch of the Apple App store in July. The professional drug guide was an immediate hit with physicians, and is continuously ranked as one of the most popular apps in the health and fitness category.

In the war on cancer, oncologists report that financial concerns are increasingly altering certain aspects of treatment and may be narrowing patient options. While six in ten (59%) oncologists express optimism about the future of oncology care in the US, 74% believe rising costs will eventually exceed society’s collective ability to pay for optimal oncology care.

A large scale study led by renowned osteoporosis researcher Dr. Jianhua Wang and presented at the recent 6th International Conference on Bone and Mineral Research in Hohhot, China affirms the precision and accuracy of CompuMed’s OsteoGram system for low cost osteoporosis screening.

Investigators combing the genome in the hope of finding genetic variants responsible for triggering early-onset diabetes may be looking in the wrong place, new research at the Stanford University School of Medicine suggests. Early-onset diabetes, also known as type-1 diabetes, is an autoimmune disease, caused when the immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells in a person’s pancreas.

Oral cancer kills one American every hour, largely due to late detection. It used to be known as a disease of older men with histories of heavy smoking or drinking. But today’s oral cancer victim is often younger and female. Oral cancer among people in their 40’s nearly doubled from 1973-2004, and researchers think they know why.