Health News for the Week of 7/7/08

It's Friday and that means it's time for a health news round-up. There are a lot of links this week, so let's go.

• Listening to the radio the other day I heard a commercial for Clean Air NY. Their website has info on air quality in NY, including air quality alerts and ways we can improve the air quality in the city.

• Most people don't get enough sleep. What we may not realize is that a lack of sleep can affect our health, and make our allergy symptoms worse.

• An expert from Prevention magazine joins the cast of the Today Show in telling us when to replace our stuff, including pillows, air conditioners, and water filters.

• Hypnosis has been gaining popularity lately to help people stop negative behavior, like smoking. But to find relief from your allergy symptoms? This article claims that self-hypnosis can help you gain control over your allergy symptoms.

• $12 million is being invested in a study to research the genetic and environmental factors that influence the development of asthma and allergies in children. The study will take 6 years.

• The New York Times has a list of clinical trials for people with allergic rhinitis (common nasal allergies) as part of their page on allergies.

• According to a study by a University of Toronto nutritionist, watching television while eating can make kids fat. He says that the distraction overrides keeps us from knowing when to stop eating. This corresponds with things I’ve heard before - when you pay attention to what you eat you eat less. I've never heard it applied to kids, though.

That's all the links for this week. We've also added a widget to the sidebar that will give you a pollen count for your area if you put in your zip code or city. As a bonus I discovered it also gives the ozone levels and major air pollutants. Let me know what you think.