In California, A Walking Expert Prescribes "Road Diets" To Improve Fitness, Safety

Community Health: A "walking expert" is prescribing "road diets" for car-centric Southern Calif. communities that want to create more walkable city streets to prevent obesity and improve safety, the Associated Press reports.

Patient Safety: Hospitals' overuse of double CT scans subject patients to unnecessary radiation and drive up health-care costs, Kaiser Health News reporters Julie Appleby and Jordan Rau report.

Health Fraud: Phantom pharmacies are becoming a big headache for federal officials investigating Medicare and Medicaid fraud, Parija Kavilanz reports for CNNMoney.

Children's Health: Food allergies in children are more common – and more serious – than once thought, according to largest-ever American study on the subject, reports Brenda Goodman for WebMD Health News. Researchers estimate that about 8 percent of American children are allergic to at least one food.

Pain Medicine: The FDA has just approved a new painkiller, Oxecta, that aims to curb abuse by including niacin, according to the Associated Press. The niacin causes flushing and irritation if extra doses of the drug are taken.

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Photo credit: Kevin Stanchfield via Flickr