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Another Reason to Take a Day Off
Written on byThe BBC is reporting that stressful jobs negatively affect the body. The study, from the European Heart Journal, was met with a collective “duh” from anyone who has ever had a stressful job. “Stress appeared to upset the part of the nervous system which controls the heart, telling it how to work and controlling the […]
Defibrillation Delays in Hospitals
Written on byA new report in the New England Journal of Medicine says that almost one-third of patients do not receive the necessary defibrillation within two minutes of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). The chances of survival diminish with each passing minute. The lead author, Dr. Paul S. Chan of St. Luke’s Mid-America Heart Institute in Kansas City, […]
Good Eats
Written on byIf you’ve ever gone out to eat and looked at the kid’s menu, you would quickly understand why we have an obesity epidemic. The staples are chicken fingers, breaded and deep fried; cheeseburgers; pizza; mac and cheese; grilled cheese; and hot dogs. All are served with french fries and your choice of high fructose corn […]
Oranges and Medical Applications
Written on byIt’s clementine season, which means that we’re going through boxes of small citrus fruits each week. Now that we have a little guy, there are always pieces of food that go uneaten, and clementines are no different. But this has prompted me to do some real thinking about orange peels. Picture it: you peel an […]
Autism and Fever
Written on byYou can hardly turn on the radio or read the news this week without hearing something about the study that indicates that fever seems to relieve the symptoms of autism. When I first heard the news, I was fascinated. What is it in the human brain that gets “fixed” by fevers? It’s absolutely amazing news, […]
Chimps Have Better Memories
Written on byThis seems especially appropriate this time of year when your brain is strained to the limit. Japanese researchers report that young chimpanzees have better memories than adult humans. Does that let us all off the hook for the little details that we forget as the holidays approach?
Nutrition Scoring
Written on byNow that I’m a mother, I have a low-grade obsession with food labels. While I’m generally familiar with key elements — hidden sugars, high-fructose corn syrups, fiber, sodium, protein and fat — it can still be a real hassle to read through a complicated and lengthy ingredients list, especially when I have a howling toddler […]
Off-Label Use
Written on byThe Wall Street Journal reported today that the FDA is developing a proposal that will allow drug companies to present clinicians with peer-reviewed studies discussing off-label use of a drug or device. While it appears that members of Congress aren’t pleased with the idea, it makes perfect sense. Off-label use is rampant, whether legislators are […]