Health News Update: Stories You May Have Missed, Part 2

May 24: 'Swim Lessons for Toddlers Get Doctors' Approval'

Associated Press:'The nation's largest pediatricians group is relaxing its stance against swimming lessons for children younger than 4.

In the past, the American Academy of Pediatrics has said swim classes might give toddlers and parents a false sense of security. Now the group says it's fine to enroll children as young as 1.

The article includes a link to a VIDEO entitled: 'VIDEO: Swimming Survival Skills'

May 25: 'New Infectious Threats to U.S. Blood Supply'

The Wall Street Journal: Blood centers, which have long tested for risks like hepatitis C and AIDS, have added a number of new tests on donated blood in recent years, including checks for West Nile virus and Chagas, a tropical parasitic disease.

But new screening tests are hard to develop and can take years to win government approval. Blood supply officials are urging the U.S. government to adopt so-called pathogen-reduction technology that can kill a wide range of contaminants in blood after it has been donated.

May 26: 'Dr. Manny: Silly Bandz Bracelet Trend May Be Dangerous for Kids'

Fox News: This article discusses how these bands could cause a tourniquet effect that can cause veins to get congested. The bracelets could cause blood clots to form in some of the veins, giving someone a phlebitis, which is an inflammation and clotting of the vein.

May 27: 'U.S. Study Reveals Smoking Causes Gene Mutation'

Reuters: A team at Roche's biotechnology unit Genentech in California compared all the genetic changes in a single patient's lung tumor with healthy tissue from the patient, a 51-year-old man who had smoked an average of 25 cigarettes per day for 15 years before the tumor was removed. What they found were as many as 50,000 genetic mutations.

May 28: 'Sun Smarts: Which Cities Know Best'

Live Science: Some city folks are more knowledgeable about sun protection, a new survey of 26 metro areas finds, with Hartford, Conn., taking the top spot this year.Even so, sun myths still plagued residents of U.S. cities, the American Academy of Dermatology poll finds.

Discussed within this article are a number of common myths about sun protection and the risks associated with tanning.

Get full details on each story by clicking on the title, which is linked to the article. Only brief introductory sections of the stories are provided here.

For more articles by this writer, click here.

These articles by R.C. Johnson may be of special interest:
Voluntary Recall of Four PediaCare Children's Products
Health News Update: Stories You May Have Missed
Caldwell Fresh Foods Recalls Alfalfa Sprouts
AP Testing Finds Cadmium in Miley CyrusJewelry Sold at Walmart
'Best Friends' Bracelets Recalled: High Levels of Cadmium (VIDEO)
Lettuce Recall in 23 States: E. Coli Link?
Doctors Warn Using Recalled Children's Cold Meds Dangerous.
5-Minute Colon Cancer Test: is it Effective?

Sources:
http://video.foxnews.com/v/3932027/swimming-survival-skills
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,593424,00.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,593504,00.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,593585,00.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,593605,00.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,593665,00.html