Health Buzz: Germs Could Flourish in Your Shower and Other Health News

Study Finds Shower Heads Are Awash in Germs

A new study finds that shower heads are home to bacteria that could actually sicken some people, HealthDay reports. Showering might have you breathing in germs that in those with weakened immune systems could cause lung disease, the study says. Researchers studied 45 shower heads from nine cities in the United States. Among other shower-head germs, mycobacteria, a type of bacteria associated with lung disease, were found at 100 times the level normally seen in tap water. Leah Feazel, a researcher at the University of Colorado and coauthor of the study, told HealthDay that most healthy people don't need to worry about the germs. Also, shower heads may not be any germier than other household surfaces such as faucets and counters, she said.

Find out why women's hands may be hold more germs than men's and how researchers are identifying the diverse bacteria that exist on human skin.

6 Things You Need to Know About Pancreatic Cancer

Actor Patrick Swayze died yesterday nearly two years after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, the Associated Press reports. Despite the recent high-profile cases that include Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Apple CEO Steven Jobs, pancreatic cancer is not a particularly common form of cancer. Fewer than 38,000 people were diagnosed with the disease last year, compared with more than 215,000 cases of lung cancer and almost 185,000 of breast cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. In February, U.S. News's Katherine Hobson wrote 6 things to know about pancreatic cancer.

Among the list: Pancreatic cancer is extremely deadly. For all stages of the disease combined, about 20 percent of patients will be alive a year after being diagnosed, and fewer than 4 percent of patients will be alive after five years, according to the American Cancer Society. But as with most cancers, early detection improves survival; those diagnosed with the earliest form of the disease have a five-year survival rate (excluding deaths from other causes) of more than 35 percent, Hobson wrote. Read more.

Learn what scientists are saying might be a diagnostic tool for pancreatic cancer and what blood types are associated with a higher risk of pancreatic cancer.

How Doctors View Health Reform

According to a new survey, the majority of U.S. doctors favor a health reform plan that incorporates both private and public insurance options, Reuters reports. Of more than 2,000 physicians surveyed, 63 percent said they'd support a system that includes a new public option along with private health insurance. Twenty-seven percent preferred only private insurance, compared with 10 percent who said they wanted public insurance only, according to Reuters. The survey appears in the New England Journal of Medicine.

In June, President Obama spoke about healthcare reform to the American Medical Association. Following his speech, U.S. News columnist and physician Bernadine Healy wrote about why the AMA had taken issue with health reform and the proposed public option. A public option will help keep the private insurers honest, the president told the AMA. But the AMA's concern was that it could actually erode private medicine.

Consider these 7 ways health reform will affect you, and find out why health reform could mean higher insurance premiums for young adults.

Other Popular Articles From USNews.com

• Battling Diabetes With Diet and Exercise
• 10 Cities Where Coronary Bypass Surgery Outpaces Angioplasty
• 10 Reasons Not to Skimp on Sleep
• 5 Risks Linked to Diabetes Medications
• 7 Steps Newly Diagnosed Diabetics Should Take
• 6 Ways to Reduce Inflammation Without Taking a Statin
• Need Care? Scan the Rankings: Best Nursing Homes, Best Health Plans, and Best Hospitals.