Pregnant? Thinking about getting pregnant – tomorrow, next year, or ten years from now? You need to get the lead out — and ask your public health officials to do the same. Doctors have long known that women who are exposed to high levels of lead during pregnancy are more likely to experience miscarriage, stillbirth, […]
Lead Exposure During Pregnancy – What You Need To Know Read More »
Bottled water is possibly one of the greatest environmental, economic, and health disasters of our time. Public health professionals – the people who were first responsible for widespread water treatment systems and water quality standards – should recognize that. But when it comes to bottled water, most of the people working in public health agencies I’ve consulted with over the years are deaf, dumb, and blind.
Study shows people who drank one sugary beverage per day were 25 percent more likely to develop type-2 diabetes, and 20 percent more likely to develop metabolic syndrome than were to people who drank one or fewer beverages per month.
A Soda a Day Invites Diabetes to Stay Read More »
On Monday, October 18, the American Heart Association (AHA) released new guidelines for performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
New American Heart Association CPR Guidelines: Call a C-A-B Read More »
Being exposed to secondhand smoke may harm genes in the lining of the lungs. These genetic changes may increase the risk of developing lung diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Secondhand Smoke Harms Genes in the Lungs Read More »
Teens who regularly use the popular over-the-counter drug acetaminophen (brand name Tylenol) may be more than twice as likely to develop asthma as those who don’t.
Acetaminophen (Tylenol) Linked to Asthma in Teens Read More »
In a piece published October 13 on Salon, pediatrician Rahul Parikh takes on Robert Sears, fellow pediatrician and author of The Vaccine Book. Parikh’s piece is one of the most important articles to show up in the discussion childhood immunizations. Parikh confronts “Dr. Bob” directly in an e-mail exchange, revealing huge gaps in the logic that underlies Sears’ criticism of conventional vaccine schedules — and huge gaps in the scientific literacy of those who believe him.
Children’s vaccines – tapping into the fears Read More »
I’m not sure about the statistics in the U.K., but in the United States, only about 40 percent of health-care personnel get vaccinated against the flu each year. When health-care workers skip their flu vaccines, they are jeopardizing their patients’ well being – who are likely to be at risk of complications – including death – from a flu infection.
Mandatory Flu Vaccine for Health-Care Workers? It’s About Time Read More »
When the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended against routine mammograms for women 40 to 49 years of age in its revised guidelines for breast cancer screening in November 2009, clinicians and patients alike squirmed with discomfort, and advocacy groups like The American Cancer Society dug in their heels to reject the recommendations. That’s because USPSTF basically said that less might be more when it comes to screening for breast cancer.
Breast Cancer Screening: Why Less Might Be More Read More »
Taking glucosamine and/or chondroitin for arthritis pain? You’re probably wasting your money. That’s the rather disappointing – although not unexpected – conclusion reached by a team of European investigators who carefully analyzed clinical trials of glucosamine and/or chondroitin and osteoarthritis in the hip or knee. Their results were published September 16 in the British Medical Journal.
Glucosamine and Chondroitin for Arthritis Pain? Don’t Waste Your Money Read More »
Atul Gawande tackles some of the most difficult questions in health-care in his recent article for the New Yorker titled “Letting Go”: How do we die, and what role should health-care play in the final moments of our lives? When we become terminally ill (as we all will someday), should health-care providers focus on extending
Atul Gawande on End-of-Life Care Read More »
People with arthritis-related back pain might find relief more quickly — and their route to back pain relief might cost as much as $10,000 less — if physicians were to ignore current guidelines for diagnosing the cause of the pain and instead start treatment immediately. Arthritis-related back pain accounts for about 15 percent of lower
Back Pain: Test or Treat? Read More »
