While risk factors such as cigarette smoking and obesity are now widely recognized smoking guns in the growing U.S. cancer epidemic, a new report from the President's Cancer Panel is exposing what I have been emphasizing for years now: Environmental pollutants—including toxic metals, pesticides, and ... Read More ›
webmd
UPDATED:February 8, 2016
UPDATED:February 9, 2016
Are Food Dyes Making Your Child Sick?
Before you feed your child that pack of brightly colored gummy bears, you may want to think again. Your children may love the fun colors of those sweet chewy morsels, but most are laced with toxic synthetic food dyes. According to a recent report from the Center for Science in the Public ... Read More ›
February 9, 2016
Irritable bowel patients should avoid this vicious drug cycle
If you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), your doctor might say, "I think you could use an antidepressant." To which you might say, "I'm not depressed." Well--not yet. You might start feeling pretty low after you've taken a ride on the merry-go-round of "logic" ... Read More ›
UPDATED:April 22, 2016
The link between diabetes and depression
Fitness guru Jack LaLanne once asked, "What's the good of living if you can't have the things that give a little enjoyment?" He was referring to the need to indulge in a bit of junk food on occasion. Perhaps those diabetics who follow their sugarless diet rigorously have fallen victim to Jack's ... Read More ›
February 9, 2016
Overweight…And Oblivious
As Stuart Smalley was fond of saying no matter how badly things were going or how overweight he was, "I'm good enough. I'm smart enough. And doggone it, people like me." Apparently, a fair number of women heard that message, at least based on the results of a recent study out of the University of ... Read More ›
February 9, 2016
BMI and Blood Pressure in Kids
High blood pressure isn't just for adults anymore. Today's epidemic levels of obesity and extra weight among kids make it a real concern for the younger set. In the last three decades, hypertension rates shot up from one percent to five percent among those under 18 years of age. And some ... Read More ›
UPDATED:February 9, 2016
Bone Mineral Density Tests Can Wait
Sticks and stones may indeed break the bones of elderly patients who have osteoporosis, and so doctors have been routinely ordering women over the age of 65 to have a bone-mineral density test every two years. The point of the test is to discover a person's risk for fracture. But new research out of ... Read More ›
February 9, 2016
Cryolipolysis: Freezing Away Fat
I'm not sure why this creeps me out, but a new technique for getting rid of unwanted fat, cryolipolysis, has lately been in the news. A company called Zeltiq markets a high-tech device that sucks in the fat-bearing parts of the skin, mostly at the top of the abdomen and above the hips. It then cools ... Read More ›
February 9, 2016
Red Yeast Rice Lowers Cholesterol
I have a friend who recently had blood work done as part of an annual physical. It came back with slightly elevated LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels. My friend's doctor told him it was nothing much to worry about and that she wouldn't put him on statins (a class of drugs for lowering ... Read More ›
February 9, 2016
8 Steps to Take When Considering Antidepressants
There are several steps you should and shouldn't take when considering whether to start an antidepressant. These apply no matter what kind of attitudes you already have about depression and antidepressants. Find a pro. See a healthcare professional who has a strong background in diagnosing and ... Read More ›
