Exciting News About Ebola Vaccine Research
There’s new positive information on vaccine development, following the largest recorded outbreak of Ebola. Since last year, there have been 17,000 total cases (suspected, probable and confirmed) and 11,000 deaths, most of which were in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Since Liberia was declared free of the virus in March (after 42 days, or two…
Health News: High Volume of Aerobic Exercise and Breast Cancer Risk, Robotic Surgery Complication, Probiotic Supplement and Infantile Eczema…
High Volume of Aerobic Exercise Decreases Adiposity in Postmenopausal Women and Potentially Lowers Risk of Breast Cancer. A study from Alberta, Canada, published online July 16, 2015 in JAMA Oncology, showed how high volume of aerobic activities (300 minutes/week) significantly decreased abdominal adipose tissue and waist to hip ratio, as compared to moderate volume of…
To Weigh or Not To Weigh?
As a culture both women and men are often emotionally connected to their scale weight/ body weight. We let it define us. It tells us whether we are “good” or “bad”. As it fluctuates often our mood and well-being fluctuate too. Scale weight is measured at the doctor’s office as part of a physical exam,…
Weight, BMI and Waist Circumference – What’s the Significance
Jody Miller’s article published today describes how repeated weight measurement may be counterproductive for some people. Another number, the BMI, is often used as a way to evaluate body weight relative to height; it is the ratio of weight (in kilograms) to height (in meters) squared. Your BMI can be determined from a table or a calculator…
Take the Sting Out of Bee Stings!
Bees and I do not get along. A playmate in my first grade class in Corvallis, Oregon stumbled upon a yellow jacket nest, so one of my earliest memories is standing in a classroom of screaming children while bees swarmed the room. While pregnant with my first child and taking the Internal Medicine Board Examination,…
What Should I Do About My Reflux Medicine? Do PPIs Cause Heart Attacks?
Millions of patients in the United States take the acid blocking medications called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). The most common indication for long term usage is acid reflux or heartburn (GERD). PPIs include omeprazole and other “– azoles” whose brand names include Aciphex, Dexilant, Nexium, Prevacid, Prilosec, and Protonix. Last week, an article was published in the…
We Just Stopped Complaining About Polar Freeze and Now It’s Hazy Hot and Humid!
Here in Washington, DC, we’re in the midst of our first real run of HHH — hazy, hot and humid — and reports of what ‘color’ code day it is. The determination of code yellow, orange or red is made on the basis of temperature and humidity, and is much more dependent on the latter….
June Health News: Peanut Allergy, Poor Sleep Links to Overeating, and More…
1. Infant Exposure to Peanut Products Reduces Risk of Peanut Allergy. The Learning Early About Peanut Allergy (LEAP) study, supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and conducted by the NIAID-funded Immune Tolerance Network (ITN), reported an 81% risk reduction in peanut allergy at age 5, in infants at high risk…
Get Ready for the Summer Travel Season!
As a travel medicine nurse for Foxhall Immunizations I consult with patients daily on what recommendations there are for traveling abroad. Research shows us that less than half of the world’s travelers actually seek travel advice. Ideally, a traveler should seek advice 4-6 weeks prior to traveling but the realistic time tends to be 2…