A full listing of articles and links on UpNorthHealth, sorted chronologically.

• Web tool helps advise when flu needs a doctor 2009.10.07 Wondering if swine flu’s bad enough to require a doctor’s attention? An interactive Web site may help you decide, using the same type of triage calculations that doctors at Emory University use.
• Govt: 1 swine flu shot enough for older kids 2009.09.22 Studies of the new swine flu vaccine show children 10 and older will need just one shot for protection against swine flu — but younger kids almost certainly will need two.
• Educational study promotes healthy habits 2009.09.04 Northern Michigan Regional Hospital has launched a new study which addresses diet-related diseases.
• Northern Michigan Regional Hospital Opens Cardiac Observation Unit 2009.08.27 Northern Michigan Regional Hospital has opened a cardiac observation unit to care for and monitor a specific group of patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain.
• Charlevoix Area Hospital hosts 'Wellness Wednesday' Sept. 2 2009.08.26 Charlevoix Area Hospital’s next “Wellness Wednesday” will be from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. and from 1:45 p.m. until 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 2.
• Heart group: Cut back — way back — on extra sugar 2009.08.25 A spoonful of sugar? Americans are swallowing 22 teaspoons of sugar each day, and it’s time to cut way back, the American Heart Association says.
• Scientists find rare gene behind short sleepers 2009.08.14 Scientists have discovered a gene that helps a mother and daughter stay alert on about six hours sleep a night, two hours less than the rest of their family needs.
• Any spread of breast cancer raises risk of return 2009.08.13 Breast cancer patients with even the tiniest spread of the disease to a lymph node have a much higher risk of it recurring years later and may need more treatment than just surgery, new research suggests.
• Veterinarians using stem cells to treat animals 2009.08.12 Thousands of dogs and horses with degenerative arthritis have had stem cell treatments, costing around $2,500 to $3,000 per procedure. There are no independent studies verifying their effectiveness, and some experts say such studies are needed to assess t
• Health Department recommends breastfeeding and immunizations 2009.08.12 Breastfeeding and immunizations are two of the best ways parents can help their babies stay healthy, according to public health nurses at the local health department.
• Nearly 10 percent of health spending for obesity 2009.08.04 Obesity’s not just dangerous, it’s expensive. New research shows medical spending averages $1,400 more a year for an obese person than for someone who’s normal weight.
• By the horns: Bull attack leaves Alanson man lucky to be alive 2009.08.03 Little did either of us know that within five minutes, I would be lying on the ground near death under an 1,800-pound bull and Tim would be doing everything he could do to save my life.
• Medical report: Cancer patient loses fingerprints 2009.08.03 When a cancer patient from Singapore traveled to the United States last year, he discovered an unusual side effect of his medication: missing fingerprints.
• Packing on too many pounds during pregnancy 2009.08.03 Eating for two? New guidelines are setting how much weight women should gain during pregnancy — surprisingly little if they’re already overweight.
• The perils of public potties require some care 2009.08.03 Mixed in with the book order forms and the crafts from the day, I got a notice in my daughter's school bin that several children had come down with scarlet fever.
• Scientists find bacterial zoo thrives in our skin 2009.08.03 Eeeww. There’s a zoo full of critters living on your skin — a bacterial zoo, that is. Consider your underarm a rain forest.
• A taste of help to keep cancer patients’ pounds up 2009.08.03 The statistic is shocking: Severe malnutrition and weight loss play a role in at least one in five cancer deaths.
• Congress can learn from Mass., Tenn. health plans 2009.08.03 Congressional lawmakers can look north to Massachusetts and south to Tennessee for guidance as they craft a national plan to restrain costs and cover the nation’s estimated 50 million uninsured.
• Medicare won’t cover ’virtual colonoscopy’ 2009.08.03 Medicare won’t pay for the so-called virtual colonoscopy procedure, concluding Tuesday that there’s inadequate evidence to support the cheaper, less intrusive alternative to the dreaded colonoscopy.
• Trial at Northern Michigan Regional Hospital leads to device approval by FDA 2009.08.03 The Impella 2.5 allows a patient, who otherwise would have to be medically treated, to have a PCI. The device helps the heart to pump and allows the patient's heart to rest.
• US cancer death rate drops again 2006 2009.08.03 The U.S. cancer death rate fell again in 2006, a new analysis shows, continuing a slow downward trend that experts attribute to declines in smoking, earlier detection and better treatment.
• Folic acid offers more protection than thought 2009.08.03 Baby-protecting folic acid is getting renewed attention: Not only does it fight spina bifida and some related abnormalities, new research shows it also may prevent premature birth and heart defects.
• Living with rheumatoid arthritis 2009.08.03 Living with rheumatoid arthritis
• Hunting best buys when eating healthy costs more 2009.07.15 Eating at home can save you some cash, but beware the calorie cost.
• Questions and answers about pain medicine dangers 2009.07.08 A Food and Drug Administration panel has recommended limits on Tylenol and other drugs containing acetaminophen because of risks for liver failure. Maximum recommended doses for over-the-counter Tylenol would be reduced. Percocet and Vicodin, two narcotic
• Enticed by the ancient martial arts of karate and tai chi 2009.07.07 Todd Ackerman has his own Karate Kid story.
• Doctors say more ovary transplants possible 2009.06.29 Two new techniques to preserve and transplant ovaries might give women a better chance to fight their biological clocks and have children when they are older, doctors announced Monday.
• False test results seen in maternal screening 2009.06.22 A massive effort to test pregnant women for a deadly germ they can spread to their babies has yielded a bad surprise — a high rate of wrong test results that led some infants to miss out on treatment.
• FDA says Zicam nasal spray can cause loss of smell 2009.06.17 Consumers should stop using Zicam Cold Remedy nasal gel and related products because they can permanently damage the sense of smell, federal health regulators said Tuesday.
• Head trauma turns Petoskey woman’s world upside down 2009.06.16 Over the next couple of weeks, her family had started noticing changes in her behavior and personality, and she had a hard time remembering her four children’s names.