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Healthedia Health News and Commentary Group Blog

Healthedia Health News and Commentary Group Blog
The healthedia news and commentary blog is a unique group blog brought to you by Healthedia.com- providing unique and informative health content from qualified experts. In this blog, doctors and other top health bloggers have been brought together to

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Articles

Don't touch that Dora!
2007-08-03 00:56:00
A huge Fischer-Price toy recall was announced yesterday. Over 1 million toys made in China may contain excessive amounts of lead paint which as you know is toxic to small children and infants. The toys were sold between May and August, 2007 and represent Nickelodeon and Sesame Street characters. Here are the key links to sort out if you have the toys being recalled: Mattel Recall Information Page List of Nickelodeon and Sesame Street Toys with the Lead Paint Hazard The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all kids get screened for lead between the ages of 1-2. Some kids may get screened again if they live in older homes depending on their risk. If you have these toys at home, and your kids have not played with the toys, you have little to worry about. However, if your kids have been playing with these toys, there still may be nothing to worry about. If your kids have been playing with the toys properly, there is little risk to them. The risk comes when they ingest t...
More About: Touch , Dora

Meeting Your Doctor: What are You Thinking, What is the Doctor Thinking?
2007-07-27 00:58:00
This topic was suggested by a woman who had been my patient years ago. We continue to communicate regularly and she recently told me of the thoughts and feelings that she brought into my office at the first visit. She told me that she had a number of beliefs that made her at first very uncomfortable. They had nothing to do with me as she had them before we met. I was surprised by what she now said, and I explained that her assumptions were really off the mark, but she insisted that she was not alone in her thoughts. So let s see what you think. She thought: 1) She felt that she was going to be a burden on me. She figured I was really busy doing important things, and seeing her was just an interruption to my demanding day. 2) She was worried I was going to make her feel foolish. 3) And of course, if she were to foolish, she would by default go on to feel guilty for being a fool. I thought: 1) I probably checked my schedule a week in advance to see who was coming to see me. I...
More About: Doctor , Thinking , The D , Meeting

Shrinking Vacation Syndrome - it could happen to you!
2007-07-13 19:45:00
Talking to people about their summer plans, I've come up with a new term that I think could become a new diagnosis if the trend continues: Shrinking Vacation Syndrome , or SVS. Sadly, people do not seem to put a priority on family vacations any more.The answers are always similar variations of the same few themes: no time, no money, kids too young, kids too old. Work needs me too much. (I love that one!) No one to watch the kids. We earn vacation yet don't take it, unlike every other country in the world. At the same time, we are also the only civilized country that doesn't guarantee vacation to employees. No wonder we are all so stressed. Vacation is as vital to our beings as breathing, eating and sleeping. Vacation is how we regroup as individuals and family. Vacation is not frivolous or a waste of time. In fact, vacation is how we sharpen our senses so we can become more efficient when we do work. For families, vacations allow for reconnection which is so important with ...

The Latest on Selenium Supplements
2007-07-10 19:24:00
If a little is good, more must be better, right? Unfortunately too many people believe this when it comes to taking dietary supplements. Some vitamins and minerals are actually harmful when taken at high dosages. Take selenium for example. Sele nium functions as an antioxidant in the body, working with vitamin E and thyroid hormone. The daily requirement for adults is 55ug per day, however toxicity can develop with intakes over 400ug per day. Toxicity symptoms include loss and brittleness of nails and hair, irritability, fatigue, nervous system disorders and garlic breath odor. You can also add increasing the likelyhood of developing Type 2 diabetes to the list if results of a recently published study prove to be accurate. I'll spare you all the details of the study (however if you are interested, click here), but essentially what these researchers found was that long term doses of 200ug per day of selenium raised a person's chances of developing Type 2 diabetes. As in...
More About: Supplements , Selenium , Elen

The Latest on Selenium Supplements
2007-07-10 19:24:00
If a little is good, more must be better, right? Unfortunately too many people believe this when it comes to taking dietary supplements. Some vitamins and minerals are actually harmful when taken at high dosages. Take selenium for example. Selenium functions as an antioxidant in the body, working with vitamin E and thyroid hormone. The daily requirement for adults is 55ug per day, however toxicity can develop with intakes over 400ug per day. Toxicity symptoms include loss and brittleness of nails and hair, irritability, fatigue, nervous system disorders and garlic breath odor. You can also add increasing the likelyhood of developing Type 2 diabetes to the list if results of a recently published study prove to be accurate. I'll spare you all the details of the study (however if you are interested, click here), but essentially what these researchers found was that long term doses of 200ug per day of selenium raised a person's chances of developing Type 2 diabetes. As in...
More About: Supplements , Elen

Miscarriage and the Immune System (antibodies)
2007-07-06 02:16:00
As many of you have noticed, I have been avoiding this one. It s just too controversial. Actually, there are many known facts but very little data. Let s start with what we know. We know that there are people out there who have high levels of antibodies who have miscarriages. Who are these people? They have the anti-phospholipid syndrome . Which is? A condition whereby the body makes antibodies against its own cells. We all have antibodies that help us fight disease and none of us would be here if it were not for antibodies. Some, probably many of us, have extra antibodies that don t fight disease, but rather fight ourselves. These are auto-antibodies. Probably the most common are the thyroid antibodies; antibodies that the body makes that attack the thyroid gland. Up to 10% of women have thyroid disease, and the vast majority is due to antibodies against the thyroid that slowly destroy the gland making it under-active (Hashimoto s Thyroiditis). Grave s Disease is th...
More About: System , Immune System , Bodies , Miscarriage , Dies

Mr. Orszag's Surprise
2007-07-04 00:02:00
by Brian Klepper Over at the always excellent and entertaining Health Care Blog last week, my pal Matthew Holt pointed out a new report on the nation s health care spending dynamics by the Director of the traditionally non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Peter Orszag. Unlike political appointees on the right or left, Mr. Orszag appears to be, as you d hope, a straight shooter who is deeply appreciative and fearful of the impending impact of publicly-financed health care s runaway spending practices. Part of what makes his message so compelling is that it is absent partisanship. He's clearly interested simply in what is good for America. In addition to the obvious trends that are breathing down our pocketbooks the graying and plumping of America he focuses particular attention on the cost explosion and one of its principle drivers: rampant, huge practice variation. For example, he notes: Over the past four decades, Medicare s and Medicaid s costs per...

Deciphering Organic Food Labels
2007-07-03 18:24:00
Its no secret that sales of organic foods are booming. In 2004 alone, $20 billion was spent by American consumers for organics, and this figure is expected to rise to $30 billion in 2007. Its no secret that organic foods cost more than their non-organic counterparts, but apparently consumers are willing to pay more for the perceived benefits of these foods. What seems like a secret is how to read organic food labels. What does the Certified Organic seal actually mean? Any food that bears the seal must meet certain criteria. First of all the seal guarantees that the food grower has been inspected by a US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) - accredited agency. This ensures that no synthetic herbicides, pestic...
More About: Food , Labels , Organic food , Abel

Deciphering Organic Food Labels
2007-07-03 18:24:00
Its no secret that sales of organic foods are booming. In 2004 alone, $20 billion was spent by American consumers for organics, and this figure is expected to rise to $30 billion in 2007. Its no secret that organic foods cost more than their non-organic counterparts, but apparently consumers are willing to pay more for the perceived benefits of these foods. What seems like a secret is how to read organic food labels. What does the Certified Organ ic seal actually mean? Any food that bears the seal must meet certain criteria. First of all the seal guarantees that the food grower has been inspected by a US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) - accredited agency. This ensures that no synthetic herbicides, pestic...
More About: Food , Labels , Organic food

Believing In Wellness
2007-07-02 18:08:00
Getting ready for work the other day, my 12 year old developed an ear ache. I knew it was nothing serious given her age and the fact that only minutes before she was fine. Yet, the temptation was too great to not take a quick peek. That is the blessing and curse of being a doctor-mom! So, peering in I confirmed what I already knew: nothing was going on. True, she had a tad of fluid from allergies but I didn't need an otoscope to know that since she was a known hay fever sufferer and the pollen count was through the roof that week. A touch of over the counter ibuprofen and allergy meds later, she was on the road to feeling better and without a real doctor's visit. It occurred to me as I was driving to work that my day would likely be filled with similar complaints, as typical. Despite the fact that most kids truly are well, parents often have times believing in that wellness and come in very quickly at the first sign of trouble, or perceived trouble. You may think t...
More About: Wellness , Ving , Well

Phthalates and Sexual Development
2007-07-01 06:57:00
The shampoos, lotions, and deodorants you are using may be eroding the health of your children and of yourself. Research continues to mount regarding the harmful effects of phthalates on male development. Phthalates have been shown to: Increase the incidence of cryptorchidism (failure of testicles to descend) Increase the incidence of hypospadias (an abnormal condition in males in which the urethra opens on the under surface of the penis) Increase the incidence of testicular cancer Decrease fertility The effects of phthalates are most pronounced when exposure occurs to the fetus. Phthalates are a group of chemicals used primarily as a preservative in personal care products such as deodorants, shampoos, lotions, and creams. Most often, phthalates are listed in the ingredients of these products. Reducing your exposure is very simple do not buy any products containing phthalates (if the word phthalate is in the ingredients section, do not buy it the word will ofte...
More About: Development , Sexual , Thal , Develop

Building a Better Brain
2007-07-01 06:39:00
Memory is a skill that most of us would like to sharpen. In addition to providing us with convenience and confidence, memory is a sign of our overall health. Your brain is not separate from the rest of your body it is totally integrated with each and every one of the ten thousand trillion cells that make up your body. All of the same strategies that help to develop our memory develop the rest of our brain function as well; our ability to learn new skills, assimilate new information, and to make better decisions can all be improved with effort. There are several crucial factors that result in excellent memory, here are the major ones: Excellent Blood flow is essential for optimal memory. Much of what we know to be senile dementia , or forgetfulness due to aging, is do to tiny obstructions in blood flow. In fact, we now know that even in people over 50 with normal memory, nearly half have silent brain infarcts . These are small areas of the brain that hav...
More About: Building , Brain

Three Reasons to Buy Organic
2007-07-01 06:30:00
Investing in organic foods is a choice that benefits you, your children, and the planet.Setting aside the environmental and planetary reasons for choosing organic, consider the following: Organ ic foods are higher in nutrients, far higher. Putting theory aside and actually testing produce for its nutritional content is the only way to settle the question, is organic food higher in nutrients? Over and over again researchers who perform such tests come up with the same answer; YES! Consider the graph below[i]: Other research has confirmed these findings, and more recent findings demonstrate higher levels of health-giving nutrients in addition to vitamins and minerals. Total Phenolic (TP) content of food has demonstrated a beneficial role on human health. Researchers recently reported Statistically higher levels of TPs were consistently found in organically and sustainably grown foods as compared to those produced...
More About: Reasons

Antioxidants: What and Why
2007-07-01 06:24:00
What s all the buzz about antioxidants? What s a free radical? What s oxidation? Why should I care and what should I do about it? This article will answer these questions. The number one reason you should know about antioxidants, free radicals, and oxidation is that you will sound extremely intelligent at dinner parties. The number two reason is that oxidation is involved in the major epidemics of our time cancer, heart disease, and dementia. Learning how to combat the oxidative process will allow you to make excellent decisions about your health! We ll begin with oxidation. Oxidation can mean several things the scenario we re concerned with here is the process whereby a molecule either contains oxygen or is combined with oxygen, and the oxygen loses an electron. When the oxygen loses an electron it becomes an unstable substance known as a free radical. This unstable molecule tries to steal an electron from another molecule. This can set up a ...
More About: Antioxidant , Antioxidants

Curcumin for Scleroderma
2007-07-01 06:10:00
Recent research shows that curcumin, a component of turmeric, may benefit people who suffer from scleroderma. Scleroderma is a disorder where the body produces excessive amounts of connective tissue called collagen. This fibrous tissue builds up in the skin and other organs and can disrupt their function. Researchers in South Carolina found that curcumin causes cell death in scleroderma lung fibroblasts--the cells that produce too much collagen in the lungs, but not in normal fibroblasts. This means that the herb interferes with the bad fibroblasts, but not the normal ones. The researchers concluded curcumin may have therapeutic value in treating scleroderma . This is especially appealing as a treatment modality because curcumin is extremely non-toxic and is beneficial for a host of other disorders including many cancers, heart disease, and Alzheimer's disease. Many people with scleroderma also suffer from Raynaud's syndrome, and can greatly benefit from taking a hig...
More About: Cumin

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