04Oct 2010 by Walt Larimore

The Blessing of Anastasha – Part 14 – Day of Life 228

Children's Health, Marriage and Family Health, Mental Health, Parenting, Woman's Health
Anastasha is yet-to-be born, yet she has already blessed many of us who have been following the lessons she is teaching her parents and siblings. Here’s the latest update from her daddy, family physician Craig DeLisi: Dearest ones. This week, some local friends will be having a prayer time for Tonya and I in honor of Anastasha. This is in leui of a baby shower, since we obviously don't need diapers and onesies. But what we do need is for the Body of Christ to lift our weary arms. Even though most of you who are reading this live hundreds of miles away, would you consider joining us by praying for us during that time as well? You are our most loved "family," both by blood and through Christ. Tonya…
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04Oct 2010 by Walt Larimore

Loud Music Causing More Teens to Lose Hearing, Experts Say

Children's Health, Parenting
A new study is highlighting the need for teens to turn down the volume that goes into their ear buds. Here are the details from ABC News: Brooklyn Miller is a 13-year-old who has a lot in common with other girls her age. She enjoys socializing with her friends and likes to dance. She also wears hearing aids because of a mild to moderate hearing loss her mother says was caused by chronic ear infections when she was an infant. That hearing loss is something she has in common with an increasing number of children her age across the country. Researchers used data from a national heath and nutrition survey done between 1988 and 1994. They compared the number of children ages 12 to 19 with hearing loss in those…
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04Oct 2010 by Walt Larimore

Problems Persist With Ginseng Supplements

Alternative Medicine, Men's Health, Woman's Health
Long-time readers know of my fondness for ConsumerLab.com. Their independent testing of natural medications (herbs, vitamins, and supplements) guides my teaching and my prescribing. Now, a review by ConsumerLab.com finds 45% of ginseng products don’t provide the full amount of the ingredient indicated on the label, or worse, are contaminated. ConsumerLab.com is now reporting that five out of eleven of the most popular ginseng supplements in the U.S. were selected for testing and contained less ginseng than expected from their labels or were contaminated with lead and/or pesticides. Problems with the quality of ginseng supplements have been reported by ConsumerLab.com since 2000. Ginseng is a popular herb with U.S. sales last year of $83 million according to Nutrition Business Journal. "Consumers need to be wary of the quality of ginseng…
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04Oct 2010 by Walt Larimore

Common acne treatments linked to bowel problems

Children's Health, Parenting
Acne is a difficult enough burden for a young person to bear. Now there's evidence that antibiotics commonly prescribed to help control severe breakouts may, in a very small number of patients, lead to inflammatory bowel disease. Here are some details from Reuters Health: Bowel disorders linked to acne treatment are "a rare outcome," cautioned Dr. David Margolis, a dermatologist and lead author of a study in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, in an interview with Reuters Health. Nonetheless, previous studies have suggested that the acne drug isotretinoin, known commonly by the brand name Accutane, might be the cause of inflammatory bowel disease in a small number of patients being treated for severe acne. Noting that most people given isotretinoin have already been taking antibiotics for months, if not years,…
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