Monthly Archives: December 2009

“Christmas Firsts” – A Christmas story from “Bryson City Seasons”

Posted on December 24, 2009 by Walt Larimore

My most popular books, at least based upon sales and letters, are the Bryson City series, made up of: Bryson City Tales: Stories of a Doctor’s First Year of Practice in the Smoky Mountains (read a chapter here) Bryson City … Continue reading →

Posted in General Health | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

How to begin a personal relationship with God

Posted on December 19, 2009 by Walt Larimore

One of the joys of being a Christian family physician is being able to discover where my patients are on their personal spiritual journeys. I’m delighted when I can pray with and for them. And, it is a special privilege, … Continue reading →

Posted in General Health | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Pack Right for the Holidays to Avoid the ER

Posted on December 19, 2009 by Walt Larimore

HealthDay News reports “there may be nothing wrong with stuffing your turkey full to bursting, but you might not want to do the same thing with your suitcase as you pack for holiday trips.” They go on to say: More … Continue reading →

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How to help kids follow a healthy diet even over holidays

Posted on December 16, 2009 by Walt Larimore

The AP is carrying a very well done story on how we, as parents, can help our children with more healthful nutrition during the holidays: Pam Vetter’s 15-year-old son balked when she told him she was opting for a healthier … Continue reading →

Posted in Children's Health, Parenting | 1 Comment

Tips for Avoiding Holiday Back Pain

Posted on December 16, 2009 by Walt Larimore

Planning on shopping ’til you drop? CBS News reports that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that over 50,000 people every year sustain some sort of winter-related back injury, and 5,800 of those are holiday decorating-related. Your back could … Continue reading →

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Head of Christian Doctors Group Quits AMA Over Pro-Abortion Advocacy

Posted on December 16, 2009 by Walt Larimore

I received an announcement this morning from my dear friend, David Stevens, MD, announcing something that is coming as a surprise to many — his resignation from the AMA. Resignations from the AMA are not really the fodder for news … Continue reading →

Posted in Bioethics | Tagged , | 4 Comments

MEDIA ALERT: Dr. Walt and Barb to be featured on Focus on the Family Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Walt Larimore

Barb and I have just learned that an interview we did with Dr. James Dobson for his daily international Focus on the Family radio broadcast has been selected among “The Best of 2009.” The broadcast was titled, “Differences That Strengthen … Continue reading →

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Join Dr. Walt and Barb in saying thanks to our military in Iraq

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Walt Larimore

Hundreds of you joined Barb and me last Christmas in sending “Thank You” post cards to our military men and women overseas. The program, sponsored by Xerox, is starting once again. If you go to this web site, you can pick … Continue reading →

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Holiday Eating Without the Guilt – or the Pounds

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Walt Larimore

If you love those holiday smorgasbords, but are already stressing about the added pounds you’ll have to sweat off come Jan. 1, help is at hand from a report on Health on the Net: It’s possible, say nutrition experts, to … Continue reading →

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Breastfeeding offers women long-term protection against metabolic syndrome, diabetes, cancer, and osteoporosis

Posted on December 11, 2009 by Walt Larimore

We all know that breastfeeding has myriad benefits for the baby. Breastfeeding reduces babies’ risk of these diseases by these percentages: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS):  36% Type 1 Diabetes:  19-27% Type 2 Diabetes:  39% Leukemia (acute lymphocytic) :  19% Leukemia … Continue reading →

Posted in Cancer, Children's Health, Nutritional Health, Parenting, Woman's Health | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Study shows no link between increased cell phone use and brain cancer incidence

Posted on December 11, 2009 by Walt Larimore

The first week of December, most new outlets reported, as did NBC Nightly News on 12/3, “There’s been speculation for years that there’s been a link between” cell phones and brain cancer, but “the results of a very large, very … Continue reading →

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My Recommendations for Eliminating Nausea and Vomiting (Morning Sickness) in Pregnancy

Posted on December 9, 2009 by Walt Larimore

I had the privilege of caring for pregnant mothers for over 20 years (delivering over 1500 babies). During that tenure, I would tell moms, “I do NOT want you to experience ANY morning sickness during your pregnancy.”And, following the advice … Continue reading →

Posted in Woman's Health | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Nicotine patches and gum likely safe during pregnancy

Posted on December 9, 2009 by Walt Larimore

Nicotine patches and gum seem to be safe and effective in pregnant women, according to a new study. Such patches and gum have been shown to help non-pregnant adults stop smoking, study co-author Dr. Geeta K. Swamy told Reuters Health. … Continue reading →

Posted in Woman's Health | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Nicotine Patch Plus Lozenge Best Therapy for Smoking Cessation

Posted on December 9, 2009 by Walt Larimore

MedScape is reporting “An important head-to-head study of smoking cessation therapies shows that combination treatment with a nicotine patch plus lozenge almost doubles the rate of abstinence at 6 months compared with placebo, new research suggests.” “This is the first … Continue reading →

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Larimore Family Newsletter – December 2009 Edition

Posted on December 8, 2009 by Walt Larimore

Here is the Table of Contents for the December edition of our Family Newsletter: Family Update Great Christmas Gift Ideas Personalized and Autographed Books Available Several Books on Clearance Sale for $4.99 (plus shipping) TSI: The Gabon Virus – Copies … Continue reading →

Posted in General Health | 2 Comments

Doctors Not Giving Clear Advice on Infant Sleep Positions

Posted on December 8, 2009 by Walt Larimore

A HealthDay News report led me to some new research that has found that although far more caregivers now place babies on their backs to sleep — a practice that reduces the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) — … Continue reading →

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Chelation therapy for autism not only potentially harmful, it’s based on faulty premise

Posted on December 8, 2009 by Walt Larimore

No treatment is more emblematic of the world of alternative therapies for autism than chelation. The influential autism recovery group, Defeat Autism Now, calls removing metals from the body “one of the most beneficial treatments for autism and related disorders.” … Continue reading →

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Many autism therapies are unproven and risky

Posted on December 8, 2009 by Walt Larimore

In a gripping series exploring autism and its treatments, the Los Angeles Times reports that “after reviewing thousands of pages of court documents and scientific studies and interviewing top researchers in the field, an investigation by the Chicago Tribune found … Continue reading →

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The Essential Role of the Father (and a Doula) in Childbirth — “Let my people go!”

Posted on December 5, 2009 by Walt Larimore

In the 1990s, I published a number of papers in the medical and birthing literature to help birthing families design and experience safer and more satisfying birthing experiences. On of the articles I published was for a midwifery journal on … Continue reading →

Posted in Marriage and Family Health, Men's Health, Mental Health, Parenting, Woman's Health | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Should dads be in labor and delivery?

Posted on December 5, 2009 by Walt Larimore

Ten years ago I published an article for a midwifery journal on the issue of whether the father of the baby should be in the delivery room or not  (Larimore WL. The Role of the Father in Childbirth. Midwifery Today. … Continue reading →

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How to Keep Normal Labor Normal – Part 13 – Summary

Posted on December 5, 2009 by Walt Larimore

This blog series is designed to help women who are developing a birth plan join together with like-minded birthing professionals so as to have a shorter and safer labor and birth. In past blogs we’ve looked at my 10 “P’s” … Continue reading →

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If safer toys are on shelves this year, how can you find them?

Posted on December 2, 2009 by Walt Larimore

In general, parents shopping for children this holiday season can be confident that toys on the shelves are safer than they have been in the past, at least according to a report by ABC News. The Consumer Product Safety Commission … Continue reading →

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NOW the healthcare reform debate begins

Posted on December 2, 2009 by Walt Larimore

Healthcare Reform that Most Americans Support Christian Medical Association Labels House Healthcare Bill an “Overdose” That Threatens Patient-Physician Relationship Yesterday, the United States Senate began debating Harry Reid’s 2,074-page healthcare “reform” bill. Declaring that the nation is facing a “real … Continue reading →

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Newly released test show most Milk Thistle supplements are substandard

Posted on December 2, 2009 by Walt Larimore

White Plains, New York — December 2, 2009 — A recent review by ConsumerLab.com of ten milk thistle supplements showed that only one met ConsumerLab.com’s quality standards.  Two products failed to properly list the part of the milk thistle plant … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Medicine, Nutritional Health | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments