30Sep 2011 by Walt Larimore

TV watching as dangerous as smoking and lack of exercise

General Health, Health Headlines
Researchers in Australia say smoking "can shorten of life expectancy by more than four years after the age of 50. That represents 11 minutes of life lost for every cigarette and that's the same as half an hour of TV watching." Said another way, for every hour of TV watched "after age 25, lifespan falls by 22 minutes." Ouch! Time to turn off the TV, snub out the cigarettes, and begin walking 15 minutes a day to increase the quality and quantity of your life! (more…)
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25Sep 2011 by Walt Larimore

FDA and ABC slam Dr. Oz; say apple juice is safe

Children's Health, Nutritional Health, Parenting
The Boston Globe "Daily Dose" blog reports that in response to "Oprah fave Dr. Mehmet Oz" telling viewers that there "are dangerous amounts of arsenic lurking in ... apple juice," the "US Food and Drug Administration took the unusual step of issuing a statement" that "'small amounts of arsenic can be found in certain food and beverage products, including fruit juices and juice concentrates,' and that 'there is no evidence of any public health risk from drinking these juices.'" The blog points out that "the FDA has been testing such products for years to make sure they don't fall above the allowable levels." (more…)
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22Sep 2011 by Walt Larimore

Think you have sleep apnea? Here’s an inexpensive way to predict.

General Health
Sleep testing (polysomnography or PSG) to diagnosis obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is expensive and inconvenient, and may not be easily available to patients in rural or under-resourced settings. Is there another option? A new study is reporting a simple, practical approach for primary care diagnosis of OSA. It involves four questions and a simple, inexpensive test. (more…)
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20Sep 2011 by Walt Larimore

Early blood test for baby’s gender accurate and extremely controversial

Bioethics, Children's Health, Parenting, Woman's Health
On its front page, the New York Times (Subscription Publication) reported that according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), "a simple blood test that can determine a baby's sex as early as seven weeks into pregnancy is highly accurate if used correctly." For some couples, this is good news. For unborn children, I predict it means more death. (more…)
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18Sep 2011 by Walt Larimore

More American children eating high fat, fast-food lunches

Children's Health, Nutritional Health, Obesity, Parenting
HealthDay reported that children's "fast-food lunches, often offered as rewards, accounted for up to 51 percent of most children's daily caloric needs and more than 50 percent of their recommended daily sodium intake (100 percent of recommended sodium levels for preschoolers) meals," according to a study in the journal Childhood Obesity. (more…)
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