Friday, August 30, 2013

Grilling and Carcinogens



Labor Day is around the corner, and according to health officials, you need to be aware of certain risks when you're grilling. The problem is the fine balance between cooking burgers long enough to protect against bacterial contamination, and not cooking them long enough to produce high amounts of HCAs, or heterocyclic amines. HCAs are human carcinogens. If you cookout this could be a risk, but there are ways to cut down on the harmful HCAs. One option, marinate the meat first in a sugar, oil, vinegar mixture. Another idea is a tart cherry. They reduce heterocyclic amines. But be aware of tomato based marinade which can increase the carcinogens. Once again if you cook out every now and then, you don’t have to be overly concerned.

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Over-Consumption of Junk Food Can Trigger Addiction-Like Responses in the Brain



We have suspected this for quite some time, but a study in rats reported in the journal Neuroscience has found that over-consumption of high-calorie food can trigger addiction-like responses in the brain, and that junk food can turn rats into compulsive eaters in a laboratory setting.  When the researchers regularly offered rats a choice of high-calorie foods such as bacon, sausage, cake, and chocolate in addition to their regular food choices, the animals over-consumed calories and gained weight rapidly.  The study gets even more interesting, the team trained their rats to expect painful foot shocks when seeing a light signal.  Although normal rats stop eating even the most delicious junk food when the light comes on, the obese rats used to the high-calorie diet just keep feeding.  The desire for junk food overcame the fear of pain.

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What is Glaucoma and How to Detect It



It has been called by some ‘high blood pressure of the eye,’ but it exacts a terrible toll. Glaucoma is the leading cause of permanent blindness in the world. Now certainly, it affects over 3 million people in the United States alone. Although the condition is most severe in the elderly, glaucoma affects all ages, including the newborn. Once vision is lost from glaucoma, it is lost forever. Unfortunately, many individuals who have glaucoma won’t know it until it’s too late. As the population ages and we live longer, glaucoma and it’s devastating consequences are expected to reach near epidemic levels. Now, a regular visit to your ophthalmologist can help detect a problem early and lead to treatment. It is not painful. It’s an easy test. In a sense, what they do is take a little ‘poof’ which hits your eye. If you’ve ever had it, it’s annoying, but it does not hurt and it can save your vision.

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Thursday, August 29, 2013

Update on Ovarian Cancer



Ovarian cancer is not that common of a form of cancer but when it hits, it is extremely aggressive. There are about 16,000 to 17,000 new cases in the United States each year. The problem is that it can also run in families, but for some, it occurs sporadically. We don’t really have great warning signs for ovarian cancer. There are certain things that can tip it off like feelings of the stomach being bloated and distention. But those types of things can occur for other reasons as well. That’s why we have to be so careful.

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Sophisticated Social Skills in Toddlers



There is a fascinating report in the journal Science which comes from a study out of Duke. According to the research, higher social skills are uniquely human. Toddlers have more sophisticated social learning skills than this innate proficiency, which is important for learning. It also allows them to excel in both physical and social skills as they progress through life. Two and a half year-old children were compared with chimps and orangutans. It’s interesting, all three groups scored about the same in spatial relations and cause-and-effect, but in social skills, obviously, the humans had the edge.

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Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Biking May Cause Handlebar Palsy



It is being called handlebar palsy, and if you’re a bike rider, beware. The problem is particularly serious in mountain bikers. If you like to exercise on mountain bikes, you probably have days when your wrists ache. Well, here’s the problem. When you grip the handle bars, the repeated shocks that occur when you bounce over rocky terrain can cause this so-called handlebar palsy. The name accurately describes the problem. Handlebar palsy has several symptoms: numbness, tingling, pain in the arms and wrist, even the little finger. The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Prevention says that prevention is the key. They recommend the following steps. First, make sure your bike is the right fit for your size, wear padded gloves and pad your handlebars. Sit in a more upright position. The goal is to put less weight and pressure on your hands and wrists. Two other suggestions? Take rests on long bike trips. Change your hand position on the handlebars frequently.

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Understanding Carpal Tunnel Syndrome



It's called carpal tunnel syndrome and there is no doubt that carpal tunnel syndrome is one of the most frustrating and perplexing problems that people have.  It does cause difficulty and it is not something that people make up.  Carpal tunnel is actually when you do a repetitive motion, and when you use that wrist and flex it, you can get pain and that pain an actually cause tingling, and it causes tingling into the fingers.  I think the thing you have to realize about carpal tunnel is that carpal tunnel syndrome is something that can be treated with splints and other therapies.  You just have to have it evaluated. 

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Addressing Acute Pain



Acute pain gets a great deal of attention. That’s the kind that makes us yell and scream because we’re frustrated and in severe pain. Acute pain can be dealt with, and one of the ways we deal with it is to realize that it should not last a long time. It is chronic pain that can be more frustrating. If you have acute pain, you want to find out the source and then deal with it. You want to try to find out how to minimize the time you have it. Sometimes you need medication. Other times you may need to be seen and to have the problem evaluated.

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Tuesday, August 27, 2013

The Miracle of Wine



It is called the miracle of wine, and we are learning, especially beginning about 25 years ago in Europe, about how people who drink red wine, maybe a glass or two a day at the most, actually have a decreased risk of heart disease. We learn more and more now about flavonoids, which are chemicals in the wine that can make this possible. The key thing to understand here is that you can drink, but it’s in small doses, not a lot. If you have a lot, that can actually work against you and cause problems with alcohol abuse.

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Prevalence of Brain Tumors



The numbers are startling. Over the next year, more than 200,000 people will be diagnosed with a brain tumor, and the toll is high. Brain tumors are the leading cause of solid tumor cancer deaths in children and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in people during their twenties. One of the most difficult things about brain tumors is that they can dramatically affect the lifestyle of people saddled with them. That’s because tumors can press upon parts of the brain that control everything from our emotions to our ability to walk and talk. Unfortunately, the cure rate for brain tumors is lower than other types.

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Jewelry and Nickel Allergies



Nickel allergy is one of those things that we don’t see a lot of. Obviously, people aren’t putting nickel and holding it to their skin. However, some jewelry actually has nickel as a part of it, and the jewelry that does, actually, can cause problems with allergies. One of the things with people who have nickel allergy is to make sure they check their jewelry and see what it’s made of. Sometimes, it’s very impossible. You’re obviously not going to melt it down, but what you need to do is figure out if it’s a constituent by whether it causes irritation or not. Then you have to look into it.

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Monday, August 26, 2013

Dealing with Nerve Root Irritation



Nerve root irritation can be severe because not only does it affect the nerve root, but it can actually transfer out to the entire path of the nerve, and if it does, that can be downright annoying.  If there is a nerve root problem, you do what you can to try to reverse it, but you may not always be able to do so that easily.  One thing is to talk with a physician who is a pain management expert.  They'll be able to go over it with you and talk about the various options.

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Importance of Sleep Hygiene



Sleep problems can be associated with what we call poor hygiene. Now, we’re not talking about hygiene related to staying clean. It’s hygiene associated with sleep, and by that it means taking the weird habits that you have and trying to relax them. For instance, you don’t want to be doing work in the bedroom. You can read a little bit but you don’t want to have pressure, excess stimulation, TV, Radio. Those types of things can affect the work you do. Sleep hygiene, like good skin hygiene is very important.

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Controlling Diabetes During Pregnancy



Diabetes is a very important medical issue, especially when it's associated with pregnancy.  Women who suffer with diabetes during pregnancy actually have a greater risk of developing diabetes when they get older.  It's very important that diabetes be controlled during pregnancy, because in that period of if it's not, it can affect the unborn child.  Children who are born to mothers with uncontrolled diabetes tend to be bigger babies and babies with other serious health issues.  Again, it should be evaluated and it should be taken care of. 

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Saturday, August 24, 2013

Can Smart Phones and Other Electronic Devices Damage Your Hearing?



It is a controversy out there as smart phones and electronic devices get more popular. Can they damage your hearing? What you need to realize is if you’re going to listen to your smart phone or electronic devices like iPods and iPads, make sure that you keep them at various levels that are good for your ears. Now, the best and simplest way to tell this is if someone else sitting next to you can hear the smart phone or electronic device, it’s on too loud. You have to protect yourselves in the long run. It’s a relatively new phenomenon, and it is one that we’re going to have to watch very closely.

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Addressing Pain During Sex



This is an embarrassing one, not one that many people want to talk about, but pain during sexual activity can actually be a very problematic experience for both partners involved.  When you are talking about this, the number one thing you can do to deal with it is not pain medicine, it's not therapy, it's not any specific treatment.  It’s communication.  The first step is you have to talk with your partner about the problem and let them know there are difficulties.  Then it can be dealt with medically. 

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Friday, August 23, 2013

Eating Disorders Can Go Unnoticed


Eating disorders are often portrayed as dramatic problems that are impossible to miss, leading to disastrous outcomes.  There is no doubt that there are many cases like this, but in most cases, eating disorders go unnoticed for prolonged periods of time.  Both anorexia and bulimia can be hidden until there are large changes in body weight and muscle wasting.  In fact, in the case of bulimia where a person binges and then purges themselves of food, it can be totally missed.  A major point to understand about eating disorders is that they are psychological problems.  They're not necessarily all about weight.  There is a distorted body image that takes control and it can affect behavior, but the important thing to realize here is that each case is individual and we need to get help, sometimes at the psychiatric level.

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Causes of Breast Tenderness



Breast tenderness is certainly an issue that plagues women, but it plagues them at different times of the month than others on a typical basis.  Normally, what we find is breast tenderness is worse as we approach the menstrual cycle.  That period of time right before the menstrual cycle is when the breasts can be more tender, especially for women who suffer from fibrocystic changes.  These are lumpy breasts that actually can become more problematic at that time.  Breast tenderness also can be averted in many cases with hormonal support and also staying away from caffeine.  

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A Discussion about Spider Bites



Spiders frighten most of us, probably because of the images from the movies, but spider bites are more common than you might think.  With 30,000 species of spiders, there are more than 50,000 exposures each year in the U.S.  The most common spiders that attack are recluse spiders.  Most of the bites occur in the early morning whenever bed linens, bed clothes, or other garments squeeze the female spider between fabric and the victim's skin.  These bites cluster, they often lead to ulcers, and they can take weeks to heal.

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Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Controlling Type One Diabetes



Type One Diabetes used to be called Juvenile Diabetes. The condition occurs early in life, and it’s a result of the pancreas not making enough insulin to control the blood sugar. It’s extremely important to control the blood sugar with insulin. If this isn’t the case, there can be both short and long-term effects. This is easier said than done, because it’s important to find the correct dosage of insulin, as well as encouraging a person to take the medicine faithfully. That’s why a new study is so interesting. Researchers at the Nemours Clinic looked at this, and they found that clearly, controlling it with insulin is critical.

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Why are Women More Likely to Suffer From Depression?



Studies have shown that women are more likely to suffer from clinical depression. When women are down in the dumps, they often think they should snap out of it, but it’s not that easy. Depression is on the rise in women. Women are two to three times more likely than men to experience the problems of depression. It’s a serious health threat, and at times when women are supposed to be happiest, during and after pregnancy, that’s a time when depression can really rear its ugly head. You have to realize, this is a risk, and think about it, and get help.

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Colorectal Cancer Screening Rates Are Still Low



Colorectal screening rates are still low.  A new study looked at surveys of 13,480 adults aged 50 and older and they found that only 50% had been screened for colon cancer in 2005.  That was an improvement from 43% in 2000, but the authors say the rate needs to increase even more because screening tests have been proven to reduce deaths from the disease.  One of the factors involved may be health insurance coverage.  Of those who are uninsured, only 24.1% were screened compared with more than 50% of the insured.  Other factors that influence the screening rate are education, income, and frequency of physician contract.  The bottom line is this...we strongly recommend colonoscopy as a screening tool.  We know it's embarrassing; we know you're afraid of it, but the bottom line is it's a lot easier to deal with than colon cancer. 

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Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Toys and Safety Hazards



Toys can come from parents or well-meaning family members, but one of the things you have to be realizing is that they can be dangerous. The most important thing to look for are small parts that can break off or easily detach, that they can become a choking hazard. Another cause for concern are pointy objects that can be part of a toy. Another leading cause of problems with young children is a string or a rope. It can also be a choking hazard. The tricky part is that many dangerous parts are not easy to find. You really have to look over toys and be very careful.

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Reducing Heartburn Pain



Heartburn is very frustrating because one of the problems is it is hard to distinguish from actual heart pain. The thing about heartburn that you have to realize is there are certain things that make heartburn worse; acid, alcohol, caffeine, tobacco. All of those things will build up stomach acid, and as they do, it can make that heartburn worse. One of the things I believe that’s very important in dealing with heartburn is you also elevate the head of the bed. If you go to bed, make sure you actually have your head a little higher. Gravity will help you deal with it. That certainly will help with the symptoms.

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Monday, August 19, 2013

Bacterial vs. Viral Throat Infections



Throat infections occur quite a bit and they do occur commonly.  When we look at someone with a throat infection, we try to find out if there some underlying etiology to be concerned about; for instance, strep is a bacteria which can cause a throat infection.  If it's a virus as a cause, physicians don't get nearly quite concerned because we know that with gargling and with watching the temperature you can make a big difference.  It's when people actually are in a situation where they have serious throat infections with bacterial origins that can be a concern. 

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Preterm Delivery May Be Linked to Depression



A study of approximately 800 pregnant women found that their risk of preterm delivery was higher if they were depressed and it increased with the severity of their depressive symptoms.  Women with severe depression had more than twice the risk of delivering their babies preterm compared to their non-depressed peers.  Ninety-eight percent of women were not taking antidepressants.  Preterm delivery was defined as less than 36 weeks gestation.  It's the leading cause of infant mortality and morbidity.  The women's mental status was determined in points ten weeks into their pregnancy.

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People Can Be Allergic to Sunlight



There are rare people who are allergic to sunlight. Again, this is a very rare case, but it’s something that is worth mentioning. Some people are allergic to sunlight in the sense that they’re more likely to burn. But, in cases where there are severe sunlight problems, people can actually have DNA issues associated with it. On a more simple level, however, if you’re someone who goes out in the sun and gets burned regularly, you may not have an allergy. You may just have a sensitivity, but down the road, that can cause long-term skin damage.

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Sunday, August 18, 2013

Fever Phobia



Do you have fever phobia?  The American Academy of Pediatrics says this is a problem in this country.  Fever is one of the most common clinical symptoms in children.  Certainly, if the temperature is elevated, it can be a warning sign there are other problems.  The fever is really the body's way to fight infection and sometimes a low-grade fever is not a bad thing.  However, due to advertising and the ready availability of many medications to control fever, there are patients who will turn to medicine every time a temperature is over 99.5 and that is a mistake. 

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NFL Players Have Similar Heart Risk Profiles as Men in the General Population



Despite their large size, NFL players have similar heart risk factors to men in the general population.  A study of 500 football players in the National Football League finds that they have heart risk profiles similar to men in the general population despite their overall bigger size and heavier weight.  The football players were compared to men in the same age group, 23 to 35 years old.  Overall, the football players had lower levels of fasting blood sugar, 6.5% versus 15.5%, but a greater rate of high blood pressure, 13.8% to 5.5%.  Cholesterol levels were about the same for both groups, however, the football players were much less likely to smoke, 0.1% versus 30.5%.  Researchers say the physical activity of the football players likely does much to offset the risks they might have from weight and size.

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Friday, August 16, 2013

Weekend Warriors



They are called weekend warriors.  The thing you have to understand about weekend warriors is that many of us, many of us who exercise, are in a situation where we believe that we can exercise and do very well any time we want.  The bottom line is weekend warriors run into a little bit of trouble.  What they actually do is they find that what they're essentially doing at least is putting themselves in a position where they can run into trouble because they are not giving themselves the time off and training that's necessary to prepare. 

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EpiPens Can Be Used for Emergency Allergy Treatment



It is called the EpiPen.  It is a short term for Epinephrine.  Epinephrine actually is a medication which can be given to help reduce the allergic response, especially some of the more dangerous ones.  EpiPens can be purchased and used as a medication that's given in one simple dosage that can be released by the pen.  So, if you're looking for a way to treat allergies in an emergency situation, EpiPens are an option. Your physician can prescribe one for you.

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Children Are Under Too Much Pressure



Our children are under greater stress than we ever thought. One of the problems with stress is we now put pressure on children. Children are always in a situation where they should do better in school, they have to do better in work, they have to do better in just about everything…even sports. What we need to do is find a way for our children to relax. We have to be in a situation where our kids are able to spend time with family doing things that are not putting them under the microscope. Children need time to grow and also not to be scheduled. Try to remember, over-scheduling is not good.

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Thursday, August 15, 2013

The ACE Cough



It happens so often, it has a name. It’s called the ACE cough. The ACE cough is actually a problem where people take anti-hypertensives, or blood pressure medications, called the ACE antagonists. These Angiotensin Converting Enzyme antagonists actually have one big side effect. They can cause people to get a staccato cough, in a way where they repeat it over and over again. If you’re on a blood pressure medication and have that cough, you should check it out with your doctor. You may have the ACE cough.

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Is Being Fat Just as Bad as Smoking Cigarettes?



Could being fat be just as bad as smoking cigarettes?  A very interesting study from Sweden reports that men who were obese at age 18 had the same risk for premature death as those who were heavy smokers (more than ten cigarettes a day).  Those who were overweight at age 18 had the same risk for premature death as those who were less heavy smokers (that's 10 or fewer cigarettes per day).  The study followed 46,000 men from age 18 to roughly age 56.  Compared to those who were a normal weight at age 18, those who were obese had more than double the odds for premature death.  That's similar to heavy smokers.  Those who were overweight increased their risk by about one third.  Being obese and a heavy smoker increased the odds of premature death by five times.  This was statistically the same as being a heavy smoker or obese at age 18.  

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Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Exercise Helps Us Deal with Stress



Trying to find the time to exercise may be one of the most difficult things for a woman to do.  That's because it's often easier to sit back and rest than go out and jog, ride a bike, or hit the gym.  But in stressful times, it may be more important than ever to get out there and get the heart rate up and build a sweat.  There are studies that show that exercise helps us deal with stress, but all you have to do is think about how much energy you gain from a workout to realize it.  In addition, if the exercise is made part of a sport or competitive game, it helps you forget worries and concerns for a while.  

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People Can Be Allergic to Alcohol



There are people who are allergic to alcohol, believe it or not. There are also people who are hypersensitive to the effects of alcohol. Many people who have these problems actually can have the feelings of euphoria or depression that are associated with alcohol, and they have it at lower levels of the alcohol. The other thing is that many people could be allergic to the by-product in the distilling of the alcohol.. It’s something that a lot of people don’t think about, and the only way they know is when they relate it to the times they have been drinking.

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Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder



This is not one of those medical topics that people talk about openly, but perhaps they should.  It's called hypoactive sexual desire disorder, or HSDD.  According to its medical definition, it's the lack of sexual desire or fantasies which cause the individual to be stressed enough to have personal or relationship issues as a result.  HSDD is going to become a more widespread term over the next five years because a great deal of money is being spent studying this phenomenon in women shortly before and after menopause.  This could be a good and bad thing.  The good thing is women will be included in the conversation in much the same way men have been as a result of marketing medications for erectile dysfunction.  The negative point is it can also be embarrassing through the advertising. 

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Daily Pressures and Anxiety



All of us face anxiety but for some women it can be a particularly serious problem…especially if it causes what we call emotional paralysis. Some people become so tense and so anxious about the pressures of daily life that they aren't able to seriously evaluate the pros and cons of certain things, and they ultimately don’t make any decision. There are medications for anxiety. If you find that you are under the continuous strain of anxious feelings and anxiety, check with your doctor.  It could make a huge difference in your quality of life!

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