Health Pearls

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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, …

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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,…

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