In 1991, the percentage of teenagers who admitted to smoking cigarettes was at 27.5%, but a recent revelation gives hope for the future health and well-being of our country. According to a biennial survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the 2013 percentage for teen smoking has dipped to the lowest numbers in the survey’s history: a surprising 15.7%.

“I think the bottom line is that our teens are choosing health,” CDC Director Tom Frieden said.

The current totals are nearly 20% less than the all-time high of 36.4% in 1997, and well ahead of the U.S. government’s goal of  less than 16% by 2020. Vince Willmore, spokesperson for the Washington, D.C.-based Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, believes that cigarette taxes and anti-tobacco education has made an impact on our nation’s teen smoking rates. However, his satisfaction with the improved numbers is tempered by the fact that there are “still 2.7 million high school kids who smoke.”

If Fewer Teens are Smoking, Then What are They Doing Instead?

Every positive in the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey, seemed to correlate to a no change or negative. The CDC polls more than 13,000 teenagers every two years on topics not just limited to smoking, including drinking, sexual activity, food and soda consumption, exercise decisions and much more. The private and public school students who participated in the 2013 survey gave valuable insights into how they spend their time and what risks they are willing to take.

• As previously stated, the number of teenagers smoking cigarettes has dipped to historically-low levels, but this does not represent a full disavowal of tobacco and related products. Cigar, e-cigarette and hookah use is on the rise, while smokeless tobacco has remained steady for 15 years.

• More teenagers are using birth control to combat pregnancy, but condom use has decreased from 63% in 2003 to 59% among the sexually-active one-third of the teen population. (Obviously condoms serve as a form of birth control, but they are vital in the prevention of HIV and STDs.)

• The percentage of teenagers who watch television for three hours each day has dropped from 43% to 32% since 1999. Conversely, the number of teens who use their computers for “non-school activities” increased by nearly 20% since 2003: from 22% to 41%.

The overall survey numbers are only a sampling of the wider range of risky behaviors teenagers engage in regularly. Other areas of note included a decrease in school fights and weapon possession, no change on the national rate of teenage heroine users and a new focus upon texting/emailing and driving. The survey is broken down regionally, and many of the numbers fluctuate dramatically based upon the teen’s location in the country.

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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the latest figures in what appears to be a losing battle against new cases of diabetes: from 2010-2012, three million people were diagnosed with the illness. This was an increase from 26 million to 29 million total individuals; nearly 1 out of 10 people have diabetes, with one out of four diabetics not knowing they have it.

In addition, approximately one-third of U.S. adults, or 86 million people, suffer from a condition dubbed, “prediabetes.” When a patient has this type of diabetes, he or she has high blood sugar levels, but these levels are not at type 2 diabetes levels. However, if the pre-diabetic person does not make changes in nutrition, exercise and other related factors, he or she runs a 15-30% higher risk of contributing to the next set of CDC diabetes numbers.

Diabetes on the Rise: Now What?

Before we can fully understand the uphill battle our nation’s doctors face when it comes to diabetes, it is important to have a basic understanding of the disease itself. The illness can come in one of two forms: Type 1 — often inherited, this type relates to the autoimmune system and is brought about by the pancreas’s trouble to create necessary cells used in the production of insulin; or Type 2 — this version relates more closely to obesity and appears after a passage of time.

“These new numbers are alarming, and underscore the need for an increased focus on reducing the burden of diabetes in our country,” according to Ann Albright, director of CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation. “Diabetes is costly in both human and economic terms. It’s urgent that we take swift action to effectively treat and prevent this serious disease.”

Albright’s concern with the economics of diabetes is not unfounded: medical costs, work leaves and lost wages accounted for $245 billion in 2012. With the seemingly unrelenting increases, it appears the disease will remain ever-present as long as younger populations do not change their habits. Nearly 210,000 Americans under the age of 20 years old have already been diagnosed with one of the diabetes types.

The disease itself can cause sufferers a multitude of health issues, and the potential for kidney failure, heart problems, stroke, limb amputation and death are very real for those who do not know they have diabetes, or for those who refuse treatment. If a person is willing to check blood sugar levels, take proper medicine, watch his or her diet and get active, the disease can have a minimal impact on the ill person’s daily life. Just a few steps can take a person from sick to well, but it is up to us to educate ourselves and others in order to avoid unhealthy and bad choices.

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According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), a record breaking 371 people are now affected by diabetes globally and nearly 2 million of them don’t know they have the illness.

The findings were released as part of November 14^th’s World Diabetes Day 2012 and many of the numbers are truly alarming. Last year’s estimate of diabetes cases was only 366 million and while only 4 million died from diabetes complications last year that number is expected to climb to 4.8 million this year with half those deaths occurring in people under the age of 60.

In an accompanying press release, IDF President Jean Claude Mbanya said: “As millions of undiagnosed people develop diabetes complications, we can expect to see the mortality rate climb. On World Diabetes Day, we want to raise awareness that this disease can be controlled and in some cases prevented.”

Diabetes is now the 7^th leading cause of death in America, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 95% of those cases are Type 2 diabetes, the risk factors for which include: obesity, inactivity, age and family history.

The health complications from diabetes can be very serious; it can lead to kidney failure, heart attack, stroke and lower limb amputations. Already this year, a record $471 billion has been spent in diabetes treatment up $6 billion from 2011. According to the latest numbers from the CDC an astonishing 8.3% percent of Americans now suffer from the disease with 7 million people diagnosed and another 79 million suffering from prediabetes.

There are many things a person can do to lower their risk of diabetes. A regular exercise routine can not only help establish a healthy BMI but can also lower blood sugar levels and increase your body’s sensitivity to insulin. Eating a healthy diet rich in fiber and whole grains can also help maintain normal blood sugar levels.

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With the official arrival of cold and flu season, and the coughs, congestion and runny noses that come along with it, it can be hard to know when to eat some chicken soup and when to head to the doctor for a prescription. In honor of the CDC’s “Get Smart About Antibiotics Week” here are a few things you need to know when it comes to deciding whether an antibiotic is the right course of treatment for your ailment.

Taking antibiotics to often can lead to trouble

It’s never a good idea to take antibiotics unless your doctor believes that they are absolutely necessary. Every time you take a course of antibiotics, the bacteria they are made to combat learn to adapt and get stronger. The more antibiotics bacteria are exposed to the more the weaker ones die off, leaving stronger bacteria that are much harder to kill. According to the CDC nearly every strain of bacteria has become more resilient over the years making them harder to treat through antibiotics.

Sometimes you just don’t need an antibiotic

Antibiotics are used solely to treat illnesses caused by bacteria. Many of the common winter illnesses like cold and flu are not caused by bacteria at all, they are caused by viruses. Antibiotics are completely ineffective against viruses, so chances are, if you are suffering from a sore throat or sinus infection an antibiotic is not going to help. That being said, there are occasions when coughs and other cold symptoms can be caused by bacteria so if symptoms don’t go away after a few days or if you have a fever it’s a good idea to check with your doctor.

There are better ways to treat the cold or flu than antibiotics

While there is no cure for a viral illness, there are things you can do to alleviate symptoms and make yourself feel better. The most important thing you can do is make sure that you get plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids; your body needs to keep up its strength to fight off the virus. There are many over the counter products such as saline nasal drops and acetaminophen that can ease congestion and help ease aches and pains. Even certain foods can help ward off cold symptoms, for sore throats try a cup of hot tea with lots of honey; it makes a great all-natural soother.

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The national total has reached 323 cases of fungal meningitis since the outbreak, linked to steroid injections, began and doctors are struggling to figure out how to handle the crisis. 11 new cases have been reported in the past 24 hours alone and outbreaks are being reported in 18 states nationwide. Most of the infections occurred when contaminated steroids were injected directly into the patients’ spinal fluid but lately reports of infections from joint injections have also been confirmed. According to the CDC this particular type of fungus has never before been known to cause meningitis and health officials are uncertain as to how best to treat infected patients. This particular type of meningitis is very hard to diagnose and even harder to kill. Most patients require at least 3 months of treatment and can suffer hallucinations as a side effect. Doctors are unable to predict what a patient’s chance of survival is or when it is safe to stop treatments. What doctors have learned so far is that early treatment is essential to a patient’s recovery and since most people get sick within 42 days of receiving an injection they are hopeful that the worst of the outbreak is coming to an end. It is unusual for a fungal infection of this type to sicken or kill an otherwise healthy person but it seems that the location of the injection site and the particular strain of fungus are making this an exceptional killer. Because the fungus is injected near the spine doctors believe that it reduces inflammation, bypassing one of the body’s key defenses against infection.  It also grows quietly enough that it is able to create an abscess in the spinal canal and then travel directly to the brain via the spinal fluid before a patient exhibits any symptoms. The good news is that there is a treatment called voriconazole, that is now replacing earlier attempts at treatment that is proving to be more successful, with less side effects than its predecessor.

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The CDC announced today that an additional 1,000 people more than previously thought may have received steroid injection contaminated with fungal meningitis. The CDC raised their estimate from 13,000 possible victims to 14,000 today as officials try to determine how a disaster of this magnitude could have been allowed to happen. 33 new cases of infection have been reported in just the past 24 hours bringing the totals up to 170 illnesses and 14 death and officials fear that things will get worse before they get better. In response to the outbreak, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal has asked federal authorities to launch an investigation into the cause of the contamination and to determine whether the Massachusetts pharmacy that manufactured the steroid drugs may have misled regulators about the scale of their operation. Blumenthal spoke with the press this morning saying; “The company, its officers, employees and maybe others may have violated state and federal criminal laws in their potential misrepresentation to government agencies regarding their products. The fact that death and serious injuries resulted from the potential violations of law certainly is relevant, and the misstatements or fraud could constitute a violation of federal mail and wire fraud prohibitions.”

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