Congratulations, America! You're having less sex than almost anyone else! According to the Durex Sexual Wellbeing Global Survey, Americans get it on less often than most, with only 53% having regular, weekly action (and with only 44% actually reporting being satisfied with their sex lives). In fact, the average American gets it on only slightly more often than the Japanese who were at the bottom of the list. Greeks preferred to be on top with... [continue]

Earlier this week, Mayor Bloomberg announced a new plan to put health information of millions of New Yorkers online. He touted the initiative, "By bringing this health technology to New Yorkers, we are building a national model for a health care system that works... In Washington, they talk about how our health care system should be reformed; here in New York City, we are actually doing it." Using $60 million of city, state, and federal... [continue]

Considering that most smokers pick up the nasty habit during their impressionable adolescent years, it makes sense to put off exposing the tykes to the temptation until they're old enough to poison themselves. Riding that puff of thought, the State Health Commissioner Richard F. Daines wrote an open letter earlier this month to film makers this week asking them to refrain from including smoking scenes in G, PG, and PG-13 rated movies. The (Health) Commish... [continue]

Well, most of them. According to a reported issued by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene yesterday, the city's overall death rate fell to an all-time low in 2006 mostly owing to decreases in smoking and HIV-related deaths. But although deaths from these causes were on the decline, those caused by substance abuse were up by 8 percent and lives lost from cancer and heart disease held steady for the year. 55,391 New Yorkers... [continue]

Looks like everything's bigger in the city, including your risk of getting breast cancer. After analyzing about 1,000 mammograms, researchers found that women who lived in the city of London had denser breasts than their suburban or rural compatriots. Their findings were presented at the Radiologic Society of North America (RSNA) annual meeting in Chicago this week. Mammographers lump patients into four broad categories depending on how dense their breasts are: extremely dense, heterogeneously dense,... [continue]

It's good to see that not all New Yorkers are out to run wheelchair riders off the road. The Taxi and Limousine Commission voted this week to create a new special service that will allow wheelchair users to order cabs by calling 311. While some advocacy groups oppose the new program, arguing instead that all taxis should be handicap accessible (like they are in cities like London), others are lauding the move. The service will... [continue]

Here's to hoping that your last cigarette break is your last ever. Today's the day of the Great American Smokeout and the city Health Department has joined forces with hospitals, clinics, and community organizations to hand out FREE nicotine patches all day. The Smokeout has been around for over 30 years and is a day where about a third of the 46 million American smokers out there try to abstain from puffing. While there are...... [continue]

How would you like to get a letter from your doctor saying, surprise, you may have hepatitis? Well that's exactly what happened to patients this week who received injections from a certain Nassau County doc. Six hundred thirty patients were contacted by the Nassau County health department who advised them to seek testing for hepatitis B, C as well as HIV. This is due to a confirmed case of HCV transmission between two patients at... [continue]

The only time Paula Radcliffe seems to carry any body fat is when she's toting around her 9-month-old daughter around. Mothers, new and old alike, are still in awe over the British marathoner's ability to win the famed NYC marathon months after giving birth. The AP reports that she ran the 26.2 miles in 2 hours and 23 minutes (we've sat through football games this weekend that lasted longer) just 291 days after delivering little...... [continue]

Does China make anything that isn't chock full of lead anymore? The US Product Safety Commission announced today that 43,000 Chinese-made fake teeth are being recalled because of very high levels of lead paint. The "Ugly Teeth" party favor retails for about two bucks and has been sold throughout the country since 2006. Consumers are asked to return the fake teeth to wherever they purchased them for a full refund. Lead paint ingestion is particularly... [continue]

A welcome break from the "what is this growing on my [insert body part here]" type of questions we're used to, Gothamist Health is happy to answer what all of our friends have been asking us for weeks: "Do I need a flu shot?" For most people, the answer is no, you don't need one. But the Department of Health released a statement yesterday suggesting that ALL New Yorkers go right ahead and take the... [continue]

With Halloween right around the dark, dank corner, the minds of small children are populated with blood thirsty vampires, hairy knuckled werewolves, and nebulous bogeymen. But as they try to sleep and shudder with thoughts of what's hiding in their closet and lurking under their beds, real monsters are on the loose: drug-resistant bacteria! And these so-called "superbugs" - including a bacterium linked to childhood ear infections that is resistant to up to 18 antibiotics... [continue]

Far from just being unhealthy for you, eating a hamburger these days just might kill you. The Health Department is asking New Yorkers to toss any ground beef burgers manufactured by the Topps company because of possible contamination with a particularly dangerous strain of E.coli. A bacteria normally found populating the guts of cows and the humans that love them, the 0157:H7 variety of E. coli is associated with more than just the nuisance of... [continue]

A self-appointed soldier in the war against aging and natural shortcomings, plastic surgeon Brad Jacobs reportedly tossed a few malpractice and neglect-filled grenades into the trenches of the Upper East Side over the years. And this week, the New York Department of Health had had enough of his friendly fire. According to the Village Voice, after collecting a record 26 malpractice judgments or settlements over an eight year period, the doctor finally handed over his... [continue]

Is it possible that the New York State Health Department finally understands the futility and limitations of trying to keep teenagers from having sex? Instead of receiving and funneling nearly $4 million of federal funds into abstinence-only sex ed programs annually, it decided this week to forego the federal dollars and focus instead on programs dedicated towards teaching good sexual health and avoiding unwanted pregnancies. Starting next month, state funds will be used to fuel... [continue]

It wasn’t built on an old native burial ground, but two councilmen are up in arms over a Queens high school's location. The Department of Education failed to disclose that Information Technology High School in Long Island City, which opened in 2003, was built on the former location of the Gould Mercereau metal-plating warehouse – one apparently chock full of lead and petrochemicals. City Councilmen James Gennaro and Eric Gioia claim that the city exploited... [continue]

As Americans continue their race slow, labored walk towards larger and larger coffins, New Yorkers are not far behind. According to a study published yesterday by the Trust for America’s Health, obesity rates rose in 31 U.S. States last year including New York where 22.4% of adults are obese – up by 0.7% from 2005. New York State is tied for 38th place with New Hampshire while Mississippi can boast the widest waistlines, becoming the... [continue]

Looks like New York State beaches have become just as dirty as the thoughts you have while lying there sunning yourselves (and we're not just talking about hypodermic needles). A new report from the NRDC says there's been a serious rise in the number of health-related advisories and beach closings thanks to pollution. New York beaches experienced over 1200 days of closings and advisories last year (that's up from about 830 in 2005). You can... [continue]

The Office of Emergency Management would like to remind you that for the next three days, New York City will be grosser than usual, with the heat index tipping 90 every day. But the professionals at OEM are on the case with such well-researched tips as,"Wear loose-fitting, light-colored clothing" and "Use an air conditioner if you have one." What would we do without our City government? But seriously, asthmatics should be extra cautious as... [continue]

Last week, we posted that the smoking rate in the City has fallen about 20% in the past five years. Well, it seems that a large drop in smoking among Hispanic men has played a large part in that trend. The Daily News reports today that smoking in this demographic fell from about 25% to 17% between 2005 and 2006 with a large amount of credit going to Ronaldo Martinez. Mr Martinez starred in a... [continue]