MEDIA ALERT: Dr. Walt interviewed on Focus on the Family today
An interview with Dr. Walt, on "Common Questions Parents Have About Their Children's Health" was featured on the national Focus on the Family radio program today. (more…)
Study finds no link between children’s cell phone usage, brain tumors
There are 300 million cell phones in America, almost as many phones as people, but there are still some concerns about their safety -- especially in younger people. Are they safe? (more…)
Food prepared away from home harmful to children
The Time "Healthland" blog reported, "In the first study to examine the relationship between where food is prepared and increased calorie consumption, researchers report that eating commercially made food can lead children to take in more calories than if they had eaten similar meals at home." (more…)
Spiritual talks boost hospitalized patients’ perceptions of care
HealthDay reports that hospitalized patients who are "able to talk about their religious and spiritual concerns are more satisfied with their care," according to a study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. (more…)
Channel surfing shortens life
Not only are hours spent in front of the television hours you'll never get back, they may be hours actually taken off your lifespan, researchers found. (more…)
Some physicians warn against hot dogs
Can hot dogs "wreck your health"? Could they be "as dangerous as cigarettes?" Can it be? Some physicians think so. (more…)
Study shows flu vaccine is safe for children
A new study involving over 60,000 children published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine reports that "the trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV) does NOT seem to be associated with serious adverse events." (more…)
Kids benefit from flu vaccine via shot or nasal spray, study finds
Children younger than 3 years old receive roughly the same amount of protection from the flu vaccine regardless of which method (injection, nasal spray, or one of each) is used to give the two recommended doses to them, according to a new federal study. (more…)
Serious dangers for pregnant women who do NOT get the flu vaccine
The AP reports, “Federal health officials are warning of serious dangers for pregnant women who get the flu." And the good news is that these dangers are preventable. (more…)
Pregnant women less likely to have premature infants after flu vaccine
Expectant mothers who received the influenza vaccine were less likely to have premature or smaller infants, according to a new study released in PLoS Medicine. (more…)
Egg allergy no longer a contraindication to influenza vaccination
MedPage Today reported, "Having an egg allergy is no longer a contraindication to influenza vaccination, according to new guidance for the upcoming flu season from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices." Under the new ACIP recommendation, "individuals with a history of allergic reactions to eating egg can receive the vaccine, with certain conditions." (more…)
CDC: Flu vaccine is out and it’s for almost everyone
It's time for your influenza vaccine. This week I'll be sharing a number of blogs on the flu vaccine, especially for healthcare professionals, children, and pregnant women. Today we'll start with an overview of this year's recommendations. Although the influenza strains included in the upcoming season's flu vaccine are unchanged from last season, the CDC is still recommending that EVERYONE older than 6 months get vaccinated this year. (more…)
Flu shots in pregnancy help newborns
When pregnant women receive an influenza vaccination they might be providing protection that extends to their babies after they are born, researchers found in a recent study. (more…)
Vaccinations should be required
In an opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times, Author David Ropeik writes that the government should regulate and require vaccination. (more…)
Rising Costs Complicate Vaccine Guidelines
The group that advises the U.S. government on vaccination thinks some new vaccines may NOT be worth the cost. (more…)
US government declares marijuana of no use medically
The Los Angeles Times reports, "Marijuana has been approved by California, many other states and the nation's capital to treat a range of illnesses, but a decision announced the federal government ruled that it has NO accepted medical use and should remain classified as a highly dangerous drug like heroin." (more…)
Survey: 38 million US adults turning to alternative therapies
WebMD reported, "Most Americans believe that prescription medications are the most effective treatments for many common illnesses, but a Consumer Reports survey of more than 45,000 people finds that three-fourths of us are turning to alternative therapies like yoga and acupuncture." (more…)
For frequent UTIs, antibiotics work better than cranberries
The Los Angeles Times "Booster Shots" blog reported that, according to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, "women who have recurrent urinary tract infections will find more relief from antibiotics" than from eating cranberries, although women who took antibiotics experienced significantly more antibiotic resistance than those who took cranberry capsules. (more…)
Spider bites are not nearly as common as believed
WebMD reports, "Spider bites aren't as common as most people and most doctors think, according to a new analysis" published in the The Lancet. (more…)
Baobab: the newest ‘superfruit’
A new “superfruit” recently entered the U.S. market and is starting to show up in supplements, cereal bars, and drink powders. (more…)
New EU herbal medicine regulations
Once again the European Union (EU) is far ahead of the US when it comes to protecting consumers from unsafe natural medicines (herbs, vitamins, or supplements). (more…)
ConsumerLab.com announces test results of supplements for menopause
Women looking for relief from hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms often turn to supplements containing estrogen-like isoflavones (from soy or red clover), the herbal remedy black cohosh, or creams containing progesterone. A new report from ConsumerLab.com provides quality ratings for over 20 such products and identifies those providing amounts of compounds shown to be effective in clinical studies. (more…)
FDA Report: Abortion drug kills 14 Women, injures 2,200
The Food and Drug Administration has quietly released a new report about the deaths of and injuries to women from the dangerous RU 486 abortion drug and the Obama administration has done nothing to make the information available to women. (more…)
Florida measles cases increasing as parents have children exempted from vaccinations
The St. Petersburg (FL) Times reports that so far this year in Florida that this year more cases of measles "have been reported" than in the last 14 years. Why? Parents choosing to not vaccinate their kids ... harming both their kids and the kids of others. (more…)
Satisfaction with life seems good for the heart
Being satisfied with your life can be good for your heart. That's the finding of a new study that included almost 8,000 British civil servants, average age 49, who were asked about their satisfaction in seven areas of their lives: romantic relationships, leisure activities, job, family, sex, standard of living and one's self. (more…)
Shock: Thousands of UK abortions of disabled and Down syndrome babies
In a past I blogged in the past on the contention that “More than 90% of women carrying a child with Down Syndrome choose abortion.” Readers seemed shocked by this information. But, now new statistics have been produced in England after a pro-life organization won its bid to make some abortion numbers public that the government had failed to disclose concerning abortions on disabled babies. (more…)
Late talking toddlers tend to do fine as they grow up
This study will be as reassuring to parents as the “picky eaters do fine as they grow up” studies did. A new study in the journal Pediatrics is reporting that late talking does NOT predispose toddlers to behavioral and emotional disturbances later in childhood and adolescence. (more…)
Healthy lifestyle leads to a 92% reduction in sudden cardiac death in women
Adherence to a healthier lifestyle was significantly associated with a lower risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in a new analysis from the Nurses' Health Study. (more…)
Vitamin D3 may improve survival among women
Vitamin D3 may improve survival among older women, particularly those who are institutionalized, according to a meta-analysis published in the Cochrane Review. (more…)
Magazine photoshopping linked to eating disorders
ABC World News reported, "Just about every magazine in the world does it – tweaks those cover photos and glamour shots to perfection." But, ABC correspondent Linsey Davis explained, "The most respected medical organization in America, the AMA, is weighing in to say all this photo shopping is actually bad for your health." (more…)