Health News - The Decade's Top 10 Stories

Top ten health news stories for me and my family include:

1. H1N1 - the information we heard at the beginning was totally a mix. Some said thousands would die and the story went on both sides of that startling piece of information.

2. Stem cell research - President Obama has made it easier for those researching chronic, fast moving - and often life threatening diseases - to move forward. Stem cell research could have a major impact on many dreaded or complicated health care problems.

3. OTC Drugs for kids - often times parents would give young children a small dose of adult meds. With research they now know that young children's bodies do not re-act as do adults' bodies.

4. HPV vaccine for cervical cancer - Much dispute on giving young women the vaccination, but for those sexually active it is effective on helping to prevent cervical cancer.

5. Increase in Alzheimer's Disease - just what is causing it and why are we seeing it in younger people. Yes, medical personnel and families now are more aware of first symptoms and researchers are constantly working on brain problems. Researchers say that keeping minds busy and active will help. Then why do we see so many former teachers with Alzheimer's Disease?

6. Type II Diabetes - The overall increase in body size of Americans is working against the health of our nation. Obesity, also another news story in itself, steadily increases in all ages. Just look at the numbers of morbidly obese people when you go to the mall.

7. Screening tests - such as breast cancer screenings for mammograms are in the news. Will research quickly find another manner in which doctors will be able to find any cancer tumors quicker and safer?

8. Food labeling, food safety, nutrition and education. Each of these, we now know, make a difference in lifetime expectations.

9. Health Care Reform - absolutely no one knows how health care reform will impact each of us and society as a whole. Even with the best planning, we truly have learned that efforts often need to be changed extremely quickly to ensure the best health care for all. Are we ready for those changes? Will they indeed help us?

10. Health care availability - Health care changes and reforms have already made huge difference in how patients are served. When we're sick, we want to be able to go to a nearby doctor in a timely manner - and see a physician in whom we have trust, Rural areas have seen much less service available, yet their needs continue the same.

Even though our health care leaders and researchers continually study health care, one small or large trauma can change research, time frames and goals in a heart-beat. We all know health care will be needed by each of us at one time or another. When we're very sick, we don't want or need problems of finding a doctor, being served appropriately and timely, and lack of information that keeps us from healing and general well-being.