Hormone Replacement Therapy and Heart Disease
In recent years I have seen men have their testosterone levels checked more often than their cholesterol profile. What’s more interesting is the amount pharmaceuticals have invested to create testosterone supplements for men with “low T”: there are gels and rubs and various other products. But what about women? The last anyone talked about our…
September Pearls
1. Preventable Adverse Events (PAE) at U.S. hospital are the third leading cause of death behind heart disease and cancer. A new study in the Journal of Patient Safety, conducted by John James of the advocacy group Patient Safety America, estimates that PAEs cause as many as 440,000 patient deaths a year in U.S. hospitals, far…
Public Health Mythbusters: Is there a risk in getting vaccinated?
This is the third round of our Public Health Mythbusters series where we will address another major health concern: risks associated with vaccinations. Flu season is coming up, and you may notice more coverage in the news regarding the ongoing vaccine debate. We will not only tackle the apprehension about the flu shot, but also…
What’s New with Flu (2013-2014) Vaccine?
You’re probably more aware than you care to be that influenza is a highly infectious viral illness. It causes moderate to severe illness in all age groups around the world. Common symptoms of the flu include fever, body aches, fatigue, cough, sore throat and congestion. In recent years, averages of 20,000 preventable deaths and 200,000…
Public Health Mythbusters:Do everyday appliances increase our risk for cancer?
Researched and written by Nisha Puntambekar and Andrea Vaught This is the second round of our Public Health Mythbusters series where we address another major health concern that has been appearing more frequently in the news: cancer risks associated with common household items. We have all read the articles about microwaves and cell phone usage…
August Health Pearls
August Health News 1. Taller women have an increased risk of cancer, Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, 2013; 22(8): 1353-63. As part of the Women’s Health Initiative study, which followed 144,709 women, all postmenopausal, ages 50-74, researchers found that for every 4 inches of height over 5 feet, the risk of cancer rose by 13%. “Height was…
Nutrition and The Brain – Part 3
Over the past few weeks, you’ve read about how the brain benefits from physical activity (Part 1), from adequate sleep and healthy food (Part 2). Now in Part 3, you’ll read about exercise for the brain itself. This part includes information from Dr. Kirk Erickson’s talk at the conference and from Dr. Neal Barnard’s new…
UPDATE ON VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY
Vitamin D Update: VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISKS IN DIFFERENT RACES. (July 10, JAMA) This study, conducted over 8.5 years by Dr. Cassianne Robinson Cohen of the University of Washington in Seattle, showed a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular diseases in white and Chinese…
July Health Pearls
July Health Pearls: 1. Babies Conceived in Spring More Likely to be Born Prematurely: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This study was conducted by Princeton University researchers, on 1.4 million births from NYC, NJ and PA. It showed a 10% higher risk for premature births in these babies. It was thought that by…
Mmm – looks good, but is it worth the calories?
In today’s Local Living section of The Washington Post, there’s a well-written and illustrated article titled Walk away vs walk it off by Gabriella Boston. It gives a visual demonstration of how few calories you burn with various activities relative to how many you can consume by eating a fast food meal. When you’re huffing and puffing at the…