December Health Pearls: Smoking, Drinking and Coffee
SMOKING: Women who smoked or had been exposed to high levels of secondhand smoke were more likely to have infertility and reached menopause before 50 years old, reported by the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI). The analysis consisted of more than 93,000 women from 50-79 years old, from 1993-1998. The researchers believe their result showed how…
Quit While You’re Ahead
We are aware that addiction to nicotine is one of the most difficult addictions to overcome. Let’s say you’re a smoker and you’d like to quit or someone important to you is in that position. Consider the information included here. It’s not unusual for smokers to make 3 or more attempts to quit before they are…
Coffee and Health Protection; Aspirin and Liver Cancer; Antibiotics for UTI; Public Antibiotics Survey
*Coffee Consumption and Health Risks* Coffee drinkers, regular or decaf, may have lower rate of mortality from cardiovascular disease, neurological conditions, stroke, and suicide, reported by Dr. Frank Hu, MD, PhD at Harvard school of Public Health, in a study published online in Circulation on November 16. The study spanned over three decades with 208,501…
What’s New with Flu 2015-16?
What’s New with Flu (2015-2016) Once again it is time to have the discussion about the importance of the annual flu vaccine. As we all know, influenza is a highly contagious viral illness which can land people in the hospital and kills many each year. Add to that, the failure of last year’s vaccine and…
November Health Pearls: Flu, Sex, Exercise
FLU It’s time to get your flu shot if you have not already. In this week’s news, the first case of Influenza, type A H1N1, was documented in Baltimore, Maryland. This year’s vaccine is protective against this strain of virus. Peak flu season is between December and February and the CDC recommends that anyone over…
What To Expect With Dementia
Dementia is so common that most people know someone who has been affected by it. Many of us fear that it’s affecting us as well. Every time we forget where we’ve put our keys or walk into a room and forget why we headed there, we need to assure ourselves that it’s normal. Have you…
October 2015 Health Pearls
Regular Exercise During Pregnancy is Recommended by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) For several years now, ACOG has recommended that pregnant women exercise frequently to improve their mood, energy, strength and endurance, to reduce back and pelvic discomfort, and to prevent or control gestational diabetes. ACOG recently reaffirmed its recommendation of thirty…
Fall Allergies
For Fall allergy sufferers, the late summer and early fall bring weed pollen allergies. In the DC area, Ragweed is one of the main pollens in the air. But there are other (less well known, but equally important) weeds that can affect allergy sufferers in the fall. In addition to weed pollens, we see a…
September 2015 Health News: Vitamin C Supplement and Exercise; Red Meat Consumption and Overeating; Antibiotics and Type 2 Diabetes
*Can Vitamin C supplement replace exercise?* A study from University of Colorado in Boulder reported that Vitamin C supplementation (500mg/day, time-released) can be as effective as walking for cardiovascular benefits in overweight and obese adults. The study was presented by Dr. Caitlin Dow on Friday, September 4 at the14th International Conference on Endothelin: Physiology, …
August Health News: Osteoporosis Prevalence; Carbohydrates Consumption and Depression Risk; Autism Early Screening; Cranberry Capsules and UTI Risk…
*Osteoporosis Prevalence in Women and Men: News from the CDC* Using data from National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES), collected from 2005-2010, the Center of Disease Control (CDC) reported that 16.2% adults at 65 years and older have osteoporosis. The condition is more widespread in women (24.8%) than men (5.6%). The age-adjusted prevalence (or…