WebMD Newsroom

What Obama’s victory means for health care, six surprisingly salty foods and more of this week’s top news stories:

Barack Obama Wins: What It Means for Health Care
President Obama’s victory in this year’s presidential election ensures that the health reform law introduced during his first term will move forward. Read more

Act Quickly to Beat Mold after a Flood
Those struggling to clean up flooded homes and businesses after Hurricane Sandy should beware the dangers of mold, which can be especially hazardous for people with breathing problems related to allergies and asthma. Read more

List of ‘Salty Six’ Foods May Surprise You
Too much sodium in your diet? Your lunchtime sandwich may be more to blame than potato chips. The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association have warned of surprisingly high sodium levels in six common foods, including bread and cold cuts. Read more

New Arthritis Drug Xeljanz Gets FDA Approval
Pfizer has received FDA approval for a first-of-its-kind treatment for rheumatoid arthritis that mutes the inflammation responses responsible for RA. Read more

4 Signs of Aging That May Show Higher Heart Risk
A receding hairline and earlobe creases appear to be two signs of poor heart health, according to Danish researchers. Read more

Staying safe in Hurricane Sandy’s aftermath, top fitness trends for 2013, heart benefit from flu vaccines & more of this week’s top news stories:

Flu Vaccines May Protect Heart, Too
Your annual flu vaccine may have an unexpected bonus: lowering your risk of heart attacks, strokes, and irregular heart rhythms. Read more

A Diet That Asks You Not to Lose Weight (at First)
A study found that the key to helping people keep weight off is to practice certain skills, such as healthy eating and staying active, before they begin trying to shed pounds. Read more

How Much Caffeine Is in Your Energy Drink?
Think you know how much caffeine is in that energy drink you’re downing? You probably don’t: a Consumer Reports investigation found that five popular energy drinks contained more than 20% more caffeine than their labels claimed. Read more

Top 10 Fitness Trends Picked for 2013
What’s the hottest fitness trend for 2013? Body-weight workouts, which eschew fancy equipment in favor of using one’s own body to get fit. Read more

Q&A: Riding Out the Storm Safely
How to stay safe in Hurricane Sandy’s aftermath. Read more

How green tea helps prevent cancer, a potentially deadly energy drink, sunscreen recall and more of this week’s top news stories:

FDA: 5 Death Reports for Monster Energy Drink
The FDA is investigating reports of five deaths and a nonfatal heart attack that may be connected to the high-caffeine energy drinks made by the Monster Energy Company. Read more

Green Tea and Cancer Prevention: New Clues
Scientists have found new clues as to how green tea and its extracts can prevent or slow the growth of certain cancers. Read more

Fire Risk Spurs Banana Boat Spray Sunscreen Recall
Banana Boat has issued a recall of 23 of its products sold from January 2010 through September 2012 after at least five people caught fire after using them. Read more

Earlier Puberty: Age 9 or 10 for Average U.S. Boy
Just like the girls, American boys are starting to hit puberty at an earlier age, according to new data. Read more

Hospital Food Contaminated with C. diff
Hospital food has never had a brilliant reputation, and it may be about to get worse. A new report suggests that hospital food is frequently contaminated with the dangerous bug Clostridium difficile, which can cause diarrhea and colitis. Read more

Where Obama and Romney stand on health care issues, multivitamins may help prevent cancer, answers to questions about the fungal meningitis outbreak and more of this week’s top news stories:

Health Care: Presidential Candidate Comparison
Find out where the candidates stand on important health care-related issues. Read more

‘Mother’s Kiss’ Can Remove Objects from Kids’ Noses
Mother knows best! An old remedy called the “mother’s kiss” can help remove objects from kids’ noses and spare everyone the stress of an emergency room visit. Read more

Multivitamins May Help Prevent Cancer
A study that followed 15,000 men for 11 years revealed that taking a daily multivitamin may lower one’s risk of cancer. Read more

Study Questions the Value of Annual Physical Exams
Though many people duly visit their doctor for an annual physical, new research suggests these checkups don’t help people live longer or cut one’s risk of dying of cancer or heart disease. Read more

Fungal Meningitis Q&A
Answers to common questions about the recent fungal meningitis outbreak. Read more

By Daniel J. DeNoon

Nearly every day adds new brand names to the list of products made with recalled peanut butter and other nut butters from Arizona’s Sunland Farms.

Now Sunland has issued another recall. This time it’s recalling all of its peanuts, whether roasted or raw, shelled and in shell. Recalls of products containing the nuts already have begun. More are likely.

The nuts weren’t part of the initial recalls because they were processed in a different Sunland plant than the one that processed the firm’s nut butters.

The FDA is keeping an updated list of the recalled products, including pictures of the products and the companies’ recall notices.

The CDC and FDA traced an ongoing salmonella outbreak to the Sunland products.

As of Oct. 5, the CDC had received 35 reports of illness from 19 states. There were eight reported hospitalizations but no deaths. Over 60% of the cases were in children under age 10 years.

Worst cities for fall allergies, strokes striking the young & more of this week’s top news stories.

The 10 Worst Places for Fall Allergies in 2012
If you tend to suffer from allergies and are planning a trip this autumn, there are a few places you might want to avoid. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America has released its annual ranking of 100 metropolitan areas that are the worst for allergies. Read more

Fungal Meningitis Outbreak: 13,000 Tainted Shots
The fungal meningitis outbreak that has sickened more than 100 people has spread to 23 states and has been traced to contaminated steroid pain shots that were administered to about 13,000 people. Read more

Strokes Striking Younger People
New research has revealed that people are having strokes at younger ages, possibly due to rising rates of diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity. Read more

High-Dose Generic Wellbutrin XL Withdrawn
The FDA has withdrawn its approval of Teva Pharmaceutical’s generic version of Wellbutrin XL antidepressant. Patients taking the drug began complaining of headaches and returning depression shortly after the generic’s release in 2006. Read more

Weight Watchers Gets Thumbs Up in Study
A recent study found that people enrolled in Weight Watchers lost as much weight as those in a professionally led behavioral weight loss program, potentially opening up more affordable and effective weight-loss options for overweight Americans. Read more

Meningitis outbreak sickens 26, beta blockers may not be best for many heart patients, a diet you can live with & more of this week’s top news stories:

4 Dead from Rare Fungal Meningitis
An outbreak of a rare fungal meningitis linked to contaminated spinal steroid injections has killed four people and sickened a further 23 in at least five states. Read more

Common Heart Drug Questioned
Beta blockers, one of the most commonly prescribed medications for heart disease, may not be beneficial for many patients, according to a recent study. Read more

Background TV Takes a Toll on Children
Children younger than 8 spend an average of nearly four hours every day exposed to television, with children 8 months to 2 years receiving nearly six hours of exposure per day. The distractions of television could interrupt play, which develops problem solving and communication skills, possibly inhibiting children’s development in those areas. Read more

Prolonged Sitting Linked to Kidney Disease
Kidney disease joins the list of health risks, including diabetes, heart attack, and certain cancers, that can be attributed to sitting for too long. According to new research, women who reported less than three hours a day of total sitting time were 30% less likely to develop chronic kidney disease than women who sat for up to eight hours. Men who sat for most of the day had an elevated risk as well, though it was less pronounced than in women and could be mitigated by regular physical activity. Read more

Mediterranean Diet Tops List of ‘Liveable’ Diets
Want to find a diet you can actually live with for more than a few weeks? The Mediterranean diet, with its focus on fruits, vegetables, fish, whole grains, and healthy fats like olive oil, may be the one for you. A study found that people were more able to stick to this diet than to a low-fat, low-calorie or a low-carb eating plan over the long term. Read more

Latest news of the peanut butter and spinach recalls, a fast, easy way to ID those at risk of ovarian cancer, and more of this week’s top news stories:

Peanut Butter Recall Expands
A nationwide recall has expanded to include dozens of peanut butter, tahini, and other nut butter products sold under popular brand names due to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened 30 people in 19 states, sending four to the hospital. Read more

Sugary Drinks and Weight Gain Linked
Those at higher risk of obesity due to genetics are also more likely to gain weight by drinking sugary drinks such as soda, lemonade, and fruit drinks. Read more

Kroger Recalls Spinach in 15 States
Kroger is recalling spinach sold in stores in 15 states due to possible listeria contamination. Read more

3 Quick Questions Help ID Ovarian Cancer Risk
A three-item questionnaire could identify women most likely to benefit from further tests for ovarian cancer, possibly resulting in fewer unnecessary surgeries and far less anxiety for many women. Read more

Suicide, Not Car Crashes, #1 Cause of Injury Death
Suicide has overtaken car crashes as the leading cause of injury-related death in the U.S. The number of car fatalities has gone down 25% over the last decade, but suicide rates rose 15% over the same period. Read more

The truth behind teen sexting, foods that help blood pressure (and one food that doesn’t, the return of Excedrin and more of this week’s top news stories.

Weight Loss Pill Qsymia Now for Sale
The prescription weight loss pill Qsymia, which was approved by the FDA last July, has now gone on sale in certified pharmacies. Read more

Teen Sexting Linked to More Sexual Activity
Perhaps not surprisingly, teens are not using “sexting” as an alternative to sexual activity, but rather as part of a sexually active lifestyle, according to a new study. Read more

Oil Blend, Yogurt Help Blood Pressure
Integrating low-fat yogurt and a blend of sesame and rice bran oil into your diet could help lower your blood pressure and boost heart heath, according to two new studies. Read more

Where Is My Excedrin?
Customers loyal to headache medicine Excedrin have been turning to the internet since the medication was recalled in January. Fortunately for them, Excedrin Migraine is due back in stores by early October. Read more

Fish Oil Fizzles for Fighting Heart Attack, Stroke
Omega-3 supplements may not be as beneficial as many have been led to believe. A recent study found that heart patients who added omega-3 to their diet did not appear to have a lower risk of heart attack or stroke than those who did not take the supplement. Read more

Non-alcoholic wine boosts heart health, toxic cleaning products, marijuana linked to testicular cancer, and more of this week’s top news stories.

Non-Alcoholic Red Wine May Boost Heart Health
No need to reach for the pinot if you’re looking for a heart-health boost: a study published in Circulation Research shows that non-alcoholic red wine may be more effective than regular wine at lowering blood pressure in men who are at high risk for a heart attack. Read more

Breakthrough Changes Thinking About DNA
A massive research effort has uncovered the extremely complex method behind how the genome works and found that what had once been considered “junk” DNA plays an important role. Read more

Many Cleaning Products Said to Contain Toxins
The Environmental Working Group has released a report stating that many common household cleaning products contain toxic substances linked to asthma, allergic reactions, cancer, and a host of other health problems. Read more

Smoking Marijuana Tied to Testicular Cancer
Men who have smoked marijuana have been found to be twice as likely to get an aggressive form of testicular cancer than those who abstained, according to a recent study. Read more

Acupuncture Pain Relief is Real
Though some may scoff at ‘alternative’ remedies such as acupuncture, the relief it offers from chronic pain is real, though somewhat modest. Read more