In time for Father's Day, actor Mark Consuelos is joining forces with the makers of Glucerna(R) Bars and Shakes and FreeStyle(R) blood glucose monitoring systems to honor his father, Saul Consuelos, and to take part in a national educational effort to help the 18 million Americans with diabetes better manage their condition. Consuelos is encouraging those with diabetes and their loved ones to take the Diabetes Freedom pledge as the first step in committing to a healthier lifestyle through regular exercise, proper nutrition and frequent blood glucose monitoring.

Treating babies who have sickle cell disease (SCD) with oral liquid hydroxyurea appears to prevent the onset of long-term complications triggered by this disease, according to results of a preliminary study by investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

When kids or teens experience aching joints and stiffness it may be more than growing pains. It may be arthritis of the spine and other joints (ankylosing spondylitis), which researchers report can often go undiagnosed for years and years, leading to serious problems in adulthood. The findings, generated from a national life impact study and reported in the June 15 issue of Arthritis Care and Research, highlight a need for increased awareness and earlier treatment of the disease.

Students throughout the country are tackling the issue of childhood obesity and nutrition with corporate leaders from Abbott, Cargill, Coca-Cola and Kraft Foods and other government, industry, education and non-profit organizations as part of a national forum being held in Keystone, Colorado, during the week of June 11-18.

Adult children of people with Alzheimer's disease were satisfied and unharmed by the experience of genetic risk assessment, even when results suggested they might be at risk, according to a new study presented at the first Alzheimer's Association's International Conference on the Prevention of Dementia.

A new study presented this week at the American Society of Echocardiography's 16th Annual Scientific Sessions offers new hope to children stricken with Duchene muscular dystrophy (DMD), a degenerative muscular disease characterized by a loss of voluntary muscle control which can eventually affect the heart.

Ziaja Skin Care, Inc., the Poland-based company ( http://www.ziajaskincare.com/ ) established by a team of pharmacists, announces the introduction in America of their LipoCELL BLOKER(TM) LINE Anti-Cellulite 3-Step Program based on technology clinically proven to reduce fat tissue by 14.5% with only four weeks of regular use. The LipoCELL BLOKER(TM) LINE is the first and only 3-step anti-cellulite treatment in the U.S. to reduce the size of accumulated fat tissue cells and visibly reduce cellulite.

Choosing organic foods is a great way 21st century fathers can teach, provide for and protect their children, according to Dr. Alan Greene, one of the nation's foremost pediatricians and children's environmental health advocates.

Are you digging your grave with your fork? Do you want to lose weight, have more energy, and prevent disease? Because people are often confused by fad diets or overwhelmed in the kitchen, Susan Silberstein, PhD, founder and director of the Center for Advancement in Cancer Education, has written Hungry for Health, a new recipe book ($17.95) available online, including at http://www.beatcancer.org/.

Key health outcomes indicators, one on the incidence of end-stage kidney disease and the other on potentially preventable hospital admissions, suggest notable improvements in the quality of diabetes care in America, according to reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) presented here today at the American Diabetes Association's 65th Annual Scientific Sessions.

"It was 7 or 8 years that I had avoided the dentist. I took a pill an hour before and then I don't remember anything about the procedure. Now my teeth are in good shape. It works for me!" said Donna Rader, a dispatcher for an electric company in Woodward, Oklahoma.

One Out of Three Adults Fall Off the 'Health and Wellness Wagon' While Eating on the Go. Released today, a ZonePerfect(R) survey(1) conducted by Harris Interactive(R) found that nine out of ten U.S. adults eat meals or snacks on the go; six out of ten do so on a daily basis; and about a quarter (26 percent) do so two to three times daily.

A first-of-its-kind study released today by Harvard University scientists found that babies in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) receiving intensive therapy with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) medical devices were exposed to a toxic phthalate at very high levels -- an average of 25 times higher than the general population and up to 50 times higher for the most exposed. As their medical treatments intensified, the sick infants were exposed to progressively higher exposures of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, or DEHP.

The findings of a new observational study on teenagers and weight are about the relationship between excess calories and weight gain. The study is not at odds with the body of science that links dairy consumption and weight management in adults. In addition, the milk industry's campaign regarding weight loss has been directed at adults, not children or teens.

In a recent report, the Surgeon General implored Americans to pay attention to bone health. America has listened. Through CARNATION(R) Evaporated Milk's "Pour it in. Pass it on." program, over 28,000 Americans have already joined the fight against osteoporosis. But it's not enough. According to the Surgeon General, by the year 2020 one in two Americans over the age of 50 will be at risk for fractures from osteoporosis and low bone mass. More people are needed to join the fight, and each and every American can help. The program is simple: