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John Blok
Host of “Prime Time Florida”
Weekdays 4-5 p.m.
Moody Radio Florida
Where You Turn. For Life.
Listen live online at: www.MoodyRadioFlorida.fm

The AP is reporting new research linking low vitamin D levels with deaths from heart disease and other causes. In fact, patients with the lowest blood levels of vitamin D were about two times more likely to die from any cause during the next eight years than those with the highest levels, the study found. The link with heart-related deaths was particularly strong in those with low vitamin D levels.

My Take?

WebMD is reporting on the CDC’s latest diabetes statistics – and, the results are gruesome. Nearly 24 million people in the U.S. have diabetes — including almost 6 million who don’t know they’re diabetic — and at least 57 million have prediabetes.

Diabetes is the No. 7 cause of death among U.S. adults. Researchers reported last year that type 2 diabetes hastens heart disease and shortens lives by about eight years.

My Take?

WebMD is reporting the FDA approval of a new five-in-one vaccine. This is great news as it will mean fewer shots are needed to protect babies and toddlers from potentially dangerous or fatal infections.

The vaccine is named Pentacel and it’s the first combination vaccine to protect children against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) infections. Hib infections include meningitis and pneumonia.

My Take?

HealthDay News is reporting that oral cannabis (a form of medical marijuana) was ineffective in treating certain types of acute pain and actually increased sensitivity to some other kinds of discomfort.

My Take?

This small study, from researchers at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, is among many others that you’ve seen me report that are slowly driving a nail in the concept of safe or effective medical marijuana. You can read more about this in my series on marijuana here on this blog. Or, pick up a copy of my book, Alternative Medicine: The Christian Handbook.

The BBC is reporting that a safety checklist designed to cut the risk of surgical complications is to be circulated to doctors world-wide.  The list has been drawn up by the World Health Organization (WHO), which says half of complications resulting from major surgery may be preventable.

Preliminary results from patients at eight pilot sites - including London, Seattle and Toronto - indicate that the checklist has nearly doubled the likelihood that patients will receive proven standards of surgical care, leading to a significant cut in complications and deaths.

My Take?

The Miss America winner was reputed to have become permanently deaf because of a bad DTP vaccine, but this story was totally false. Her deafness actually occurred after she contracted bacterial meningitis caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), a bacterium for which a vaccine has since become available. Fortunately, the Hib vaccine has virtually eliminated Hib meningitis and its resulting deafness. 

You can read more about vaccines and vaccine myths in my book God’s Design for the Highly Healthy Child.