Editor's note: In the Human Factor , we profile survivors who have overcome the odds. Confronting a life obstacle – injury, illness or other hardship – they tapped their inner strength and found resilience they didn't know they possessed. This week American R&B singer-songwriter-producer Charlie Wilson explains why he's talking a lot about prostate cancer. “Mr. Wilson… you have prostate cancer.” Those words made up the most devastating phrase I had ever heard. I have faced numerous challenges in my life and my journey hasn’t been an easy one. I walk that journey step-by-step and prayer-by-prayer. But prostate cancer was a new challenge. I remember hearing I had prostate cancer like it was yesterday. I was convinced my life was over.  I worked hard at overcoming other life challenges and had the will to return to the top of my game in the music business. I put together a good show; had a catalog of great new songs to record and perform. Everything was just going great until I went to the doctor for a general physical in the summer of 2008. My wife, Mahin, made an appointment for me to have my annual physical. I have never liked going to the doctor or getting any type of exam. In addition to the physical, Mahin suggested I have a prostate exam. I definitely did not want to have that – for various reasons – but Mahin was very convincing. After a few days, I heard back from the doctor. He encouraged me to make an appointment for the following month for additional monitoring. He explained that African-American men were more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than any other race, and he wanted to keep an eye on things. I returned in a month. Based on follow-up tests, my doctor suggested that I see a specialist for a biopsy. I immediately got nervous and was concerned about what this could possibly mean. Our visit with the specialist started with, “I have some good news and some bad news.” My wife asked for the bad news and the doctor said “Mr. Wilson, you have prostate cancer.” My initial reaction was to get up and leave the room. My wife calmly asked me to sit down and have the doctor give us the good news. The good news was that it had been detected early and could be effectively treated. Thank God for my wife and her patience and understanding. My initial thought was that my life and career were over. Nothing was further from the truth. The doctor gave us some informational materials and our research began. We discussed options with my health care team and by working with them closely, I am now cancer free. However, my journey was not over. During our research I learned that African-American men are 60% more likely to be diagnosed with this disease than other races or ethnicities. It was at that time that I decided it was time for me to start informing as well as performing. I began to talk about my prostrate cancer diagnosis in my concerts and interviews. Some men asked, “Why are you telling your personal business?” I replied, “It’s my responsibility to make my community aware of this disease and to try to overcome the fear about discussing it.” During my own prostate cancer battle, I learned that my father was also conducting his own battle. Unfortunately, he did not tell us that he had prostate cancer. It wasn’t until I called to let him know about my diagnosis that he told me. That was a very difficult conversation for me and also confirmed my commitment to tell my story in order to make my community aware of this disease and encourage them to discuss it. Teaming up with Janssen Biotech, Inc. on the Making Awareness a Priority (M.A.P.) initiative is giving me the opportunity to talk to my community about the toll prostate cancer can take and about taking control of your health care decisions. It’s a much larger platform that will help me reach as many men as possible. We kicked off the program in Atlanta in April and additional M.A.P. events are planned in New York on May 19 and Chicago on July 28 – details and registration information can be found at www.myprostatecancerroadmap.com . Each event is open to the public and is an opportunity to start a dialogue about prostate cancer, its impact on African-American men and their families, and increasing awareness to start a conversation with their health care teams about this serious and deadly disease. People say I am a prostate cancer survivor and that is true. But I am doing more than surviving. I am thriving. My career is at an all-time high. I’ve had two No. 1 albums, four Grammy nominations and I am touring and performing at some of the biggest music festivals in the country. I’ve performed for our troops in Kuwait and Iraq four times in the last three years and recently performed at a sold-out concert in London. More important than anything, my priority is taking care of myself and taking charge of my health care decisions. I hope that African-American men and their families will register for one of the upcoming events, take a moment to learn more about prostate cancer and help spread the word. Awareness is the key. There are great resources and support for those who need it. I am grateful to my wife for insisting that I have yearly checkups and that I include a discussion about my prostate with my doctor. I still don’t like going to the doctor, but now that I am aware of the importance of going and discussing my health care, I am doing what I can to help myself, with the continued support of my family. Filed under: Cancer , Conditions , Human Factor Tagged: Charlie Wilson – Special to CNN

Coffee drinkers can be reassured about the health risks of enjoying their cup of java, doctors say.

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Drunk driving is unfortunately a constant reality in South Florida. The crashes drunk drivers cause are sometimes deadly, but thanks to the work of those at the Ryder Trauma Center many people live. Some of those survivors paid tribute to the hospital staff Wednesday. “It really has taken a toll on me emotionally,” said Brian Beaubrun. Beaubrun talked to CBS4 about the accident that changed his life. He was hit by a drunk driver in Coconut Grove last spring. “It’s bad, it can hurt people and I’m a prime example of it,” said Beaubrun. “My memory is not that well and I have problems dealing with everything from cooking dinner because I might burn myself because I might forget where I put my hand.” He was taken to Ryder Trauma Center where he would spend the next five weeks. Beaubrun suffered a traumatic brain injury in the crash. He credits his survival to the care he received at the hospital and thanked his care team during a Wednesday ceremony. Miami Police Sergeant Luis Taborda can relate to what Beaubrun went through. He was on duty in 1998 when he was by a drunk driver. He too credited his survival to the Ryder Trauma team. “They saved my leg. I’m not in a wheelchair; and it just serves to the testimony and the dedication of these people,” Sgt. Taborda said. One of the biggest problems from drunk driving crashes is that typically the drunk driver suffers the least amount of damage. “It’s usually not the drunk driver that gets the worst of it. It’s the poor victim,” said Dr. Nicolas Namias. Since 1992, the staff at Ryder said they’ve saved 6,000 lives since 1992 all victims of drunk drivers getting behind the wheel. It’s a constant reminder to them and everyone else that driving while drunk will not only put you on the wrong side of the law, but could put you on a path that you will regret the rest of your life.

Just in time for summer, product safety officers with Health Canada are warning second-hand store owners and garage salers about safety regulations.

The U.S. government is stepping up efforts to combat Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, affecting more than 5 million Americans and whose progression has been resistant to treatments. U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius detailed the plan Tuesday at the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Summit 2012: Path to Treatment and Prevention. Alzheimer's is projected to affect 16 million by 2050.  "The plan gives us a blueprint to build on our research efforts," Sebelius said at the announcement.  "These actions are the cornerstone of an ambitious and  aggressive agenda." The plan promises to find effective prevention and treatment approaches  for Alzheimer's disease by 2025.  Leading Alzheimer's researchers from around the world are at the National Institutes of Health today to talk about which research should be emphasized. To help, the government has launched with website www.alzheimers.gov as a resource for people to find out more about the disease, caregiving and getting help. President Obama signed the National Alzheimer’s Project Act into law in January 2011, which called for a coordinated national plan to fight Alzheimer's. In February of 2012 , the administration said it would push for a $156 million increase in funding for Alzheimer's research over the next two years. As of Tuesday, Obama's proposed 2013 budget allows for a $100 million increase for anti-Alzheimer's efforts. Funding for Alzheimer's research in the United States has not even approached the level of monetary support for other major diseases. Last year, the NIH spent $3 billion on research into AIDS, $4.3 billion on heart disease, and $5.8 billion for cancer, according to the Alzheimer's Association . Photo gallery: Alzheimer's disease The current thinking among Alzheimer's experts is that early detection and intervention – even before symptoms begin – is better. Individuals with only mild memory problems may hold the most promise for testing treatments. Some of the funding will go towards launching two major clinical trials, according to HHS.  "One is a $7.9 million effort to test an insulin nasal spray for treating Alzheimer’s disease.  A second study, toward which National Institutes of Health is contributing $16 million, is the first prevention trial in people at the highest risk for the disease," said Sebelius in a press statement. Funding is only one part of finding solutions for this debilitating disease.  In practice scientists find it challenging to get a lot of participation in clinical trials . Some people don't want to risk the possible side effects of an experimental drug; others do want to try new drugs, but fear being placed in the placebo group.  And elderly people may have practical difficulties getting to the study location. Filed under: Alzheimer’s , Conditions Tagged: Elizabeth Landau – CNN.com Health Writer/Producer

You’d like to do something— anything —to speed up your metabolism, but it’s out of your control. Right? Not quite. Although genetics and your age both play a role, recent studies suggest you have plenty of say over how well your metabolism—which involves your body’s ability to break down food into usable energy—functions. In fact, you can all but negate the metabolic slowdown that happens after 40 by tweaking your diet, exercise, and sleep habits. “Think of your body as an engine—your metabolism is the rate at which your engine runs,” explains Scott Isaacs, MD, an endocrinologist in Atlanta and author of Hormonal Balance: How to Lose Weight By Understanding Your Hormones and Metabolism . “By making adjustments to these three elements, you can actually make your engine rev higher.” The eating and exercise plans on these pages were designed to keep your metabolism humming to the tune of up to 10 pounds off in 21 days. Read on for the keys to not only losing, but losing for good. Key 1: Eat early Your basal metabolic rate—the number of calories your body burns at rest—is based on things like age, height, and body type, so there isn’t much you can do to alter it. But there is a lot you can do to change the number of calories you burn above that, beginning with your diet. Specifically: Eat breakfast. We already know the reasons you may not want to (you don’t have the time/energy/stomach for it), but leaving for work on an empty stomach is like hitting the pause button on your metabolism. Here’s why: When your brain senses your stomach is empty, it sends a message to your cells to conserve energy in case another meal doesn’t arrive. In other words, your body holds onto the fat stored in your cells instead of helping you burn it off. “Breakfast triggers a process called thermogenesis, where the body signals the brain to activate the metabolic process of turning food into energy,” says Mark Hyman, MD, author of The Blood Sugar Solution . Key 2: Eat often To keep your metabolism humming, Dr. Hyman suggests eating small meals every three or four hours. Aim to make each of those meals at least one-quarter protein—whether it’s animal protein, beans, or dairy, says Marissa Lippert, RD, who designed the eating plan on page 39. A recent study in the journal Neuron suggests that consuming protein stimulates the cells responsible for switching on the body’s calorie-burning mechanism. Foods high in sugar and processed carbs, on the other hand, can lead to another problem: insulin resistance. “As we get older, it’s crucial to pay attention to how much sugar we’re consuming,” says Diane Kress, RD, author of The Metabolism Miracle . “Too much messes with your metabolism by causing your body to store extra calories as fat.” Next Page:  Key 3: Sweat off the weight Key 3: Sweat off the weight Even more important? Exercise. “Not only does it affect your metabolism while you’re doing it, but research shows you can keep burning calories up to 24 hours after you finish because your metabolism stays elevated,” Dr. Isaacs says. That’s especially true if you challenge yourself: A new study in the journal Cell Metabolism suggests that intense bouts of exercise can “turn on” genes responsible for energy metabolism. Researchers found that the activation of these fat- burning genes was higher in cyclists who pedaled at 80 percent of their aerobic capacity versus those who did a more moderate cycling session at 40 percent. So although you can’t permanently change your DNA (if only!), experts say exercise can fire up certain genes that initiate the fat-burning process. Exercise is particularly helpful once you pass the age of 40, when your metabolism naturally begins to slow down. Experts used to believe it slowed due to an inevitable loss of muscle mass. However, a study in the journal The Physician and Sports Medicine found that fit women ages 41 to 81 who continued to exercise four to five times a week as they got older had little change in body composition. The real reason you lose muscle with age? You stop using it. “We now know that women who keep up a regular vigorous fitness routine don’t experience the metabolic decrease,” Dr. Isaacs says. Key 4: Sleep away the pounds No, it’s not your imagination. Too little sleep can cause you to gain—and not just because you’re spending those extra waking hours in front of the TV nursing a bag of chips. Research suggests that people who sleep two-thirds of their usual amount (five hours instead of eight, say) eat an average of 549 extra calories the following day without realizing it. Experts believe this is because too few zzz’s upset the balance of important appetite-regulating hormones. But that’s not all: A Swedish study found that even one night of disrupted sleep can cause the body to burn up to 20 percent fewer calories the following day. “Sleep deprivation impacts multiple hormones related to metabolism,” Dr. Isaacs says. “Resistance to leptin—a hormone that regulates body weight—increases, while levels of ghrelin, a hormone that signals to your brain that you’re hungry, also increase.” Aim for seven to eight hours of pillow time a night, advises Dr. Hyman. “Just a small change in your sleep schedule can make a big difference in your health.” Not to mention your ability to burn calories.

When babies are on the verge of walking, their parents know it's high time to baby-proof their house or apartment if they haven't already done so. But in all the preparations, they may forget to baby-proof their child as well, not by wrapping their little one in bubble-wrap, but by removing potentially dangerous objects from their child's mouth.  Binkies (aka pacifiers), bottles and sippy cups, serve an important purpose in calming and feeding a child but, used improperly, they can also hurt a child. In a study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics , researchers looked at data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System and reviewed 20 years of records of children age 3 and under, who were treated in the emergency departments across the country. Between 1991 and 2010, they found 45,398 children were treated for injuries that involved pacifiers, bottles and sippy cups – that's about 2,270 cases per year. In 86% of the cases, falling down contributed to the injury and two-thirds (65.8%) of the children involved bottles. One in five (19.9%) injured children had a pacifier in their mouth, and in 14.3% of the cases, a sippy cup was involved. Some of the injuries reported included lacerations to the mouth, cuts and bruises to the lip or tongue and a variety of dental injuries. "Teeth were either knocked out, chipped, pushed back up into the gums or knocked sideways," says Sandra Keim, lead study author and a researcher at the Center for Biobehavioral Health at The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. The study also found that one-year-old children were injured the most often. Dr. Garry Gardner is a pediatrician in Chicago and he chairs the Injury, Violence and Poison Control committee for the American Academy of Pediatrics. He's not surprised by the results of this study, especially that the majority of children injured were about 1-year-old. "They toddle along and they're not very coordinated and it's amazing to see these kids trip over nothing – and they do it all the time. If there's anything in a child's mouth, he says, it's going to cause an injury to the mouth or hurt a tooth. He notes that according to the study, it's a good thing that most of the injuries weren't life-threatening. Dr. Joanna Cohen – a pediatric emergency medicine specialist at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. – says the study results are pretty consistent with what she sees in their emergency department.  "Usually these injuries seem to be minor lacerations in the face… or minor facial trauma." Keim points out that fears of BPA and other chemicals in plastic bottles has led to somewhat of a renaissance for glass bottles, which can add another layer to the types of injuries toddlers can sustain. The researchers believe this is the first study to provide a nationwide picture about how many of these injuries occur. Keim points out that the data only reflects the number of children who were actually taken to an emergency room. It doesn't include any visits to the pediatrician, dentist or Dr. "mom" or Dr. "dad." When should you take your child to the ER? Cohen says if the injury is "a deeper laceration that might require sutures, or an associated dental injury," or if the child hurts its head in any way. It's impossible for any parent to keep an eye on their child every second of their waking hours.  But there are some simple steps that can help parents reduce the number of these types of injuries. Keim, who is also a mom has this sage advice: "Getting your child in the habit of drinking while seated rather than walking around can help prevent some of the injuries." She also refers to the AAP guidelines which recommend transitioning your child from a bottle or sippy cup at about 12 months of age and teaching your child to drink from a cup without a lid. The AAP already recommends weaning your baby off the pacifier in the second 6 months of life to reduce the risk of middle ear infections. Keim and Gardner both make the point that if toddlers no longer use a pacifier by the time they start walking and running, a parent doesn't have to deal with taking it away from them to reduce the risk of injury. Another benefit to not having your child attached to a bottle or sippy cup for long periods of time: You reduce your child's chance of getting cavities. Gardner adds one more reminder: "Kids shouldn't run around with food in their mouth either."  That's just adding the risk of choking. He points parents to the AAP's website healthychildren.org for additional advice and parenting tips. Filed under: Children’s Health Tagged: Miriam Falco – CNN Medical Managing Editor

MIAMI (CBS4) – Two words that don’t seem to go together are children and cancer,  but sadly each year cancer affects about 13 thousand children in the United States. A South Florida teen is now working with Miami Children’s Hospital on a new campaign called Bald, Brave, Beautiful – to help other children diagnosed with cancer. Caroline Pallidine was only 13-years old when she was diagnosed with leukemia.  She says since she always had hair down to her waist, one of the hardest things was losing her hair. Today, more than a year later, Caroline is happy to report she’s cancer free, and her hair is starting to grow back.  But she remembers what it was like not having hair due to the treatments. She always wore a wig until she met the singer Pitbull.  Since he is bald, he gave her the courage to take off her own wig. Then she went to a camp for cancer survivors. “They made me realize everyone went through it and I shouldn’t be ashamed of it,” said Caroline. That was the last time Caroline wore her wig. Now she’s helping Miami Children’s Hospital spread the word about the Bald, Brave, Beautiful campaign.  It’s an effort to eliminate the stigma and bullying that coincide with baldness. Doug Carillo, the father of two-year old Maya who is a cancer survivor, says it’s a great campaign. “This mission shows them it doesn’t matter what’s on the exterior,” said Carillo. “It’s on the interior that counts.  And that you are still a beautiful person.” Maya’s mother says even though her little girl was so young, she was aware that she was losing her hair.  She would look at her mother Erika, and her dolls, and want hair. Recently Caroline and Maya walked the runway for the Hugs and Kisses Fashion Show to benefit Miami Children’s Hospital. For more information, click on http://www.baldbravebeautiful.com/

School food has been under scrutiny in California. Five years ago, the state passed some of the strongest school-food legislation in the nation in hopes of combating childhood obesity. These rules limit the kinds of unhealthy foods that students can buy in vending machines or at a snack bar, which aren’t offered as part of lunch in the school's cafeteria. The state is well-known for leading the nation with health trends , so it's no surprise that its leaders are out front when it comes to cutting back on junk food in schools. A new study shows their efforts may be working: High school students in California are eating fewer calories and less added sugar and fat during the school day than students from other states. According to researchers, high school students in California eat about 160 fewer calories a day than students in the 14 other states studied, which have less stringent standards for junk foods. Most of these saved calories came from eating less while in school, and when students headed home they didn't appear to overeat to compensate for consuming fewer calories during the school day. "If teenagers consume 158 fewer calories on average, while maintaining healthy levels of physical activity, it could go a long way toward preventing excess weight gain," says Daniel Taber, lead author of the study and investigator at the Institute for Health Research and Policy at the University of Illinois in Chicago. The research was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Limiting calories from junk food could potentially help a student shed about 7.5 pounds over the school year, according to an accompanying editorial in the Archives Journal by Dr. Barbara Dennison. This could add up to 30 pounds by the end of high school. But registered dietitian Andrea Giancoli, who is a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, points out that the study did not compare the weight of children in California to the weight of students in the 14 other states. Further studies are needed to find out if California students are indeed winning the obesity battle. Taber says more work needs to be done. "Just because students cannot purchase high-fat, high-sugar candies does not automatically mean they're eating a spinach salad in its place. If we really want to improve the quality of students' diet, we need to promote fruits, vegetables, whole grains and other healthy alternatives that appeal to students," Taber said. In 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act to overhaul child nutrition standards. The law gave the U.S. Department of Agriculture the authority to come up with new school lunch standards, which will be implemented in the upcoming school year. The USDA is drafting standards to also regulate competitive foods – the snacks and junk food that are not included in the meal plan, but that students can buy from the vending machines or at other locations in school. These standards may be completed within the next year. In the meantime, California and several other states such as Oregon and Massachusetts have put together strong competitive food standards for their high school students to get a jump on the junk foods issue. “The school setting can make significant change, but we all have to work together. It takes a village to raise a child. Neighborhoods and food companies, restaurants and the marketers of junk food have to jump on the bandwagon as well to solve this childhood obesity problem,” says Giancoli. Filed under: Adolescent Health , Healthy Eating , Obesity , Weight loss Tagged: Leslie Wade – CNN Medical Producer

5 “healthy” foods that contain just as much salt as soy sauce – Shape Guilty pleasures like apple pie and mac and cheese get a healthy do-over – Self Picnic time? Make sure to steer clear of these unhealthy food choices – Health The spiritual benefits believed to be tied to sage – Mind Body Green Go ahead‚ get brunchy! 30 healthy recipes to celebrate the weekend – Fitness Doing the bridal bootcamp? Foods you should probably divorce now – The Stir