Health Weekender: It’s 4th of July—have fun, keep your food safe

If there’s one thing that can ruin a perfectly good picnic, it’s a nasty case of food poisoning. If you’re planning to grill this 4th-of-July weekend, here are some important guidelines to help keep your family and friends safe.

Safe storage

Safe handling starts at the supermarket, so when buying raw meat and poultry, the USDA recommends separating it from other food in your shopping cart. And to avoid cross-contamination put packages of meat into plastic bags. Once you’re home, refrigerate meat and poultry within 2 hours of buying it and within 1 hour if the temperature is above 90 degrees outside to minimize bacteria growth. Keep it refrigerated until you’re ready to grill it.

Once you’re ready to grill, don’t use the same platter and utensils for raw and cooked meat and poultry to avoid spreading harmful bacteria. If you’re grilling, but not in your own backyard, be sure you have access to water for prep and clean up. Or pack clean cloths and wet towelettes for cleaning surfaces and hands.

Safe cooking

Undercooking and overcooking food are both common grilling mistakes. Many barbecue gourmets know the dangers of undercooking, but you may not know that eating beef, chicken, lamb, pork, or fish grilled until it's overcooked, or burnt and charred, might increase the risk of developing certain cancers. The National Cancer Institute recommends cooking meats below 325 degrees F, marinating meat—which has been shown to reduce the cancer-causing compounds, called HCAs—and not cooking directly over the flame since dripping fat or marinade can create flare-ups that contribute to HCAs.

Q&A: Should you apply sunscreen to your eyelids?

After spending a day out in the sun, my eyelids get red and sore as if they were sunburned. Should I put sunscreen on them? —A.G., Port Chester, N.Y.

That depends. It’s safe to apply sunscreen to eyelids, but swimming or sweating may cause it to run into your eyes and irritate them. You may have better luck using a moisturizer or eye cream with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher, which is absorbed more easily into the lid and less prone to run into your eyes. The best strategy might be to wear wraparound sunglasses that block ultraviolet (UV) light and a wide-brimmed hat to protect both the delicate skin around your eyes and the clear membrane covering the front of the eyeball. (In severe cases that membrane can get burned, a condition called snow blindness because it often happens in winter when the snow reflects sunlight.)

Check out our sunscreen poll for more on who's more likely to use sunscreen—men or women. And take a look at our latest Ratings (subscribers only) to find out which 3 sunscreens performed better than the rest.

By the Numbers: What’s the difference between

$1 trillion and $600 billion?

Technically speaking the answer is $400 billion. The real question is: What is the difference between the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) $1 trillion estimate of the Senate Health Education Labor and Pension (HELP) Committee’s health reform plan from June 15th, and the roughly $600 billion estimate over ten years that is being discussed today?

For starters, the earlier bill was incomplete. It didn’t include a public plan option, employer mandates (also known as “pay or play”), individual mandates, or other important cost-cutting features of reform that were still being negotiated. Now, HELP Committee leaders, Edward Kennedy (D-Mass) and Chris Dodd (D-CT), are circulating a letter describing two new components of reform, along with a revised CBO estimate of $611 billion. That significantly lowers the cost of the plan, and HELP leaders write that it, “combined with the work being done...in the Finance Committee, will dramatically reduce the number of uninsured - fully 97 percent of Americans will have coverage.”

The two new components of the plan, according to the letter, are:   

1)    A national public plan option that would be available in every state, run by the department of Health and Human Services.
2)    Employer mandates that would require businesses to offer insurance to their employees, or pay $750 a year per full time employee—$350 per part-time employee—to help pay for their health insurance. Small businesses with less than 25 employees would be exempt from the mandate. The fee would generate about $52 billion over ten years to fund health care subsidies for those who can’t afford it, according to HELP leaders.   

French fries—minus a little guilt

French fries are an American fast-food favorite, but they catch a lot of flack—too much fat, too much salt, not to mention too many calories. But now that Burger King, McDonald’s, and Wendy’s have cut the trans fats from their fries, you can enjoy them with a little less guilt. Our taste testers recently tried the new trans-fat free fries from the three fast-food restaurants, and found some good news: they all taste about the same as they used to. Take a look at the french-fry face-off results.

Of course, you’ll want to keep your health in mind—these fries are still considerably high in fat and calories. A medium-sized order of McDonald’s fries comes in at 380 calories and 19 grams of fat, Wendy’s has 430 calories and 20 grams of fat, and Burger King topped out at a whopping 480 calories and 23 grams of fat. A high intake of saturated fat can lead to obesity and high cholesterol—precursors for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and stroke.

So what’s the skinny? Keep french-fry runs to a minimum, particularly if you’re already at risk.

—Ginger Skinner

Naked heads exposed, on bikes no less ...

Lately I've been noticing a lot of people riding their bicycles, young and old alike. It’s the season here in New York, and amazingly, many people are riding without a bicycle helmet. I know they didn’t exist when some of us were kids or when many people learned to ride a bike, but they’re here now.

True, we lived, but many others got seriously injured or worse. Think of it as cheap insurance. A properly fitted and adjusted helmet will not only help prevent serious head injuries, but it also can be easy to use, cool your head as you ride, and look good to boot. You will you protect yourself and will be setting a good example for younger riders.

So be safe, be cool, and wear a helmet.

—Rich Handel, project leader and guest blogger, Consumers Union

Before you buy a helmet, see our advice on how to get a good fit and take a look at our latest bicycle helmet Ratings for kids (subscribers only), including a review of the Hot Wheels and Hannah Montana models.

FDA warns of dangerous side effects of smoking cessation drugs

The Food and Drug Administration today said smoking cessation drugs varenicline (Chantix) and bupropion (Zyban and generics) must now carry a "black box" warning that they can increase the risk of psychological side effects. These include unusual changes in behavior, hostility, agitation, depressed mood, suicidal thoughts, and attempted suicide.

People who are taking Chantix or Zyban and "experience any serious and unusual changes in mood or behavior or who feel like hurting themselves or someone else should stop taking the medicine and call their health-care professional right away," the FDA says. Additionally, if friends and family members notice these behavioral changes, they should counsel the person to stop taking the drug and call his or her doctor.

The FDA said it detected the increased risk for the side effects from reviewing reports of adverse events associated with the drugs.

The news about Chantix is not surprising. We first reported on potential serious side effects from Chantix, including aggressive behavior and suicide, more than a year ago. Bupropion was originally approved as an antidepressant (Wellbutrin and generic), and there have been some concerns about potential risks from that drug. But FDA officials said they included bupropion in the review, along with nicotine replacement therapies, to determine if reports of adverse events for Chantix were unusually high.

FDA panel calls for crackdown on acetaminophen

The dangers of the painkiller acetaminophen, which include liver damage and death from overdosing, have long been a concern, and Tuesday, a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee recommended the agency take strong action to protect the public, including banning widely used prescription pain drugs, such as Percocet and Vicodin, that combine acetaminophen with a narcotic opioid.

Acetaminophen is hard to avoid because it’s in so many products, from Percocet and Vicodin to hundreds of over-the-counter medicines, such as cough syrups and the pain relievers Excedrin and Tylenol. And that makes it dangerous, because people who are taking a few of these drugs at the same time can unwittingly take too much acetaminophen, which can lead to liver damage and even death.

Among the advisory panel’s other recommendations were that the highest allowed dose of acetaminophen in over-the-counter pills be reduced from its current level of 500 mg to 325 mg and that the maximum daily dosage be dropped to less than 4,000 mg. The panel also recommended that acetaminophen products contain a black box warning about the risk of liver damage, the most serious warning the FDA bestows.

Cigarette use down—but nicotine dependence holds steady

One image in particular sticks in my mind from my husband's days as a heavy smoker—him, huddled under the eaves at our back door, smoking an Old Gold cigarette as sheets of rain poured down. I remember thinking "He can't be enjoying that," and indeed he wasn't. But his need for a cigarette fix at that moment was stronger than any consideration for bodily comfort, so powerful is the sway of nicotine addiction.

Like President Obama and many other smokers, my husband struggled to give up his nicotine habit. He finally succeeded (10 years ago and counting), but quitting remains an elusive goal for many, despite public-awareness campaigns on the health risks of smoking, heavy taxation of cigarettes, and restrictions on smoking in public places. True, the number of smokers has dropped in recent decades with the help of such public health initiatives. But a new study finds that the ranks of heavy smokers has actually remained steady, suggesting that other approaches are necessary to help these smokers kick the habit.

Unlike previous research on smoking, the new study sought to separate occasional smokers from those with a true nicotine dependence. The researchers gathered information from a survey* of more than 40,000 adults on alcoholism and related conditions and addictions. As part of the survey, participants were asked questions about smoking, including more than 40 to gauge nicotine dependence.

Shattering the myths about health reform

In a USA Today editorial today, Steven Findlay, senior health policy analyst at Consumers Union, sheds some light on the myths about health-care reform, many of which have frightened Americans. In it he debunks the notion that our system is headed toward socialized, government-run medicine with a side of rationed care:

"Cookbook and rationed care? This fear stems from concerns that the government aims to dictate what doctors do and cut costs by limiting access to care. These notions are wrong. Rather, what [President] Obama and both Democratic and Republican leaders want to do is aggressively measure the quality of care that doctors and hospitals deliver and change the way those providers get paid so quality of care—rather than quantity—is rewarded. That's hardly a socialistic notion."

So what must be done to fix the system? Findlay urges creative thinking and proposes that the medical industry be challenged to cut costs and change its "General Motors gas-guzzler mindset" by reducing waste and inventing more efficient systems.

FDA confirms E. Coli in Nestlé Toll House cookie dough

A sample of raw cookie dough collected at a Nestlé plant in Danville, Va. has tested positive for E. coli O157:H7. The sample was taken last week, the Food and Drug Administration reported this week.

Earlier this month, Nestlé recalled all its Toll House refrigerated cookie dough after it was suspected as the cause of a foodborne illness outbreak that so far has sickened 69 persons in 29 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Of those, 34 have been hospitalized and nine have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious complication.

Read this full post on our Safety blog, and read more on how to protect yourself from foodborne illness. For more on the recall and what you should do if you've recently eaten a recalled Nestlé product, see the FDA's Q&A.

Q&A with CU President, Jim Guest: Consumers should help decide which issues need medical research

An initial list of 100 research priorities and recommendations* for the future was sent to Congress and the Administration today by the Institute of Medicine, an independent group that advises the government on health policy. The list will serve as a guidepost for spending the $1.1 billion that Congress authorized for "comparative effectiveness research" as part of this year’s stimulus bill. This type of research compares two or more medical treatments or approaches for a given condition. The results help doctors, patients, and caregivers weigh the benefits, harms, and value of various treatments and prevention methods.

Jim Guest, Consumer Union’s President, was part of the committee that chose the priorities. We sat down with him today to discuss what comparative effectiveness funding means for consumers, patients and health-care providers.

What was it like to be a consumer rep amid all the medical experts helping to set priorities for medical research?

I was one of a small group of consumer representatives on a 23-member committee that included professors, medical school chancellors, health-care providers, and other research experts. At first I wasn’t sure how receptive the group would be to the consumer point of view. A lot of experts take a "just leave it to us" attitude. But I found the group really listened and realized the value of input from consumers, patients, and caregivers in deciding what topics to tackle and how to maximize the practical impact of research. In the future, I’d also like to have periodic surveys of consumers and practicing doctors to find out what disease areas and treatment options they think would be most valuable to evaluate and compare in order to make well-informed medical decisions.

Summer safety: Don’t leave your child in a hot car

It may only take a few minutes to park your car and run into the supermarket to buy a gallon of milk. But the next time you park—even if it’s for “just a minute,” don’t leave your child in the car. Sunlight and heat get trapped inside a parked car, and in direct sunlight on an 80-degree day with no ventilation, the temperature can rapidly reach up to 131 degrees, according to the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). In just 10 minutes, a child’s body temperature can go as high as 106 degrees F, leading to damage to the brain and vital organs, heat stroke, dehydration, seizures, and death.

According to our Safety blog, six children this year already have died in overheated cars. In one case, a child died after his father forgot he in the back seat and left him in the car all day. The temperature outside was only in the 60s, but reports say the air in the car topped 100 degrees.

Follow these important tips from the ACEP to keep your child safe:

Readers weigh in on lower-back pain

Readers who have lower-back pain have written us a lot since the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center Survey results were released in April. We’ve heard from chiropractic fans and chiropractic detractors, readers who have problems with opioid medications and readers who use such narcotics without a problem.

Many writers remarked that our coverage had failed to mention treatments that worked well for them. There was a spinal decompression success story as well as a "compression shirt" success story. There were those who were helped by a therapy called the Feldenkrais Method® and those who swore by another called the Alexander Technique. There was a reader who touted the book "Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection," by John E. Sarno, M.D., and another who touted Esther Gokhale’s "8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back." There was even a reader who advised patience: "Mother Nature's treatment method was just as effective as that provided by the medical professionals, and she didn't charge a fee."

Letters also reminded us that our survey had neglected to ask about a variety of practitioners, including pain psychologists, physiatrists (physicians who specialize in physical medicine and rehabilitation), pain management doctors, muscular therapists, and osteopaths.

U.S. seniors have better memories than English counterparts

Everyone worries about memory problems as they get older. But U.S. seniors may have less reason to worry than their peers in England—they do a whole lot better on a standard memory test.

Several thousand people over the age of 65 were given the test, in both countries. The test consisted of listening to a list of 10 common words, then repeating them back immediately and again after 5 minutes.

The Americans did far better on the delayed memory test than the English. Researchers said the difference was what you'd normally expect to see over the course of a decade—so Americans age 75 had the memory of English people age 65.

The point of the study wasn't just to crow, however. The researchers are looking hard at the rest of the data from the surveys to try to spot the causes for the difference.

So far, they've found that American seniors were on average wealthier, and had more years of education, than English seniors. That accounted for some of the difference, because wealth and education usually coincide with less of a decline in memory with age. English seniors were more likely to report symptoms of depression, which can affect memory. Another study suggested that depressed older people in the United Kingdom were less likely to be treated with antidepressants than they would be in the U.S.

Health Weekender: Picking better strawberries—does size matter?

I buy strawberries year-round and now that they’re in season, my refrigerator is stocked up. I add them to breakfast cereal, salad greens, and—on a less healthful note—to vanilla ice cream. And I’m not alone—one in five households reported eating more strawberries in the last year, according a survey by the California Strawberry Commission. Those respondents said strawberries are "one of the most healthy fruits you can eat", and are "one of the fundamentals of a healthy diet."

Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C, a good source of fiber and folate—a crucial nutrient for pregnant women. Strawberries also have quite a bit of potassium and are one of the richest sources of disease-fighting antioxidants. Studies are being conducted on the effects of strawberries on age-related cognitive functioning and on reducing high blood pressure.

Not all strawberry news is good news, though, particularly if you have allergies. Strawberries contain a common allergen as well as natural salicylate, an aspirin-like compound. And they contain oxalic acid, which can aggravate kidney and bladder stones for some.