Air pollution is a growing problem in many urban areas. Many people may not realize that over the last five years there is a lot of new research proving more serious health effects at lower levels than we had previously thought.… Read the rest
Food Allergy in Kids: Are We Over-Diagnosing?
Food allergies in children, as a diagnosis, are more common than before. But are we over-diagnosing? The main issue is that the tests we perform, especially the blood tests for allergens, may show a positive “in vitro” allergy but “in vivo”, AKA in real life, there may not be a clinically significant allergy.… Read the rest
Vitamin D: Miracle or Hype?
Just a couple weeks ago I posted an article discussing the trendiness of vitamin D. Since then, there is even more press about this; last week I reported how sales of vitamin D are jumping. Now, the New York Times also reviews the literature, with a cautionary note (The Miracle of Vitamin D: Sound Science, or Hype?… Read the rest
Air Quality: Games For Kids
It’s a bit, um, difficult to make air pollution a cool subject for kids. Even my recent slide show on air pollution left a few high-schoolers eyes glazed. Fortunately, I spread out a couple fun internet games to perk up the group.… Read the rest
Deafness in Children: Cochlear Implants Really Work
People may not realize that there have been amazing advances in technology that can help deaf children hear again. It’s called a cochlear implant, a surgical implant that amplifies sound waves directly into a child’s brain — and allows them to hear again.… Read the rest
The Top Supplements of 2009
One of my favorite consumer websites is from ConsumerLab.com; they perform independent testing of the common supplements, herbs and vitamins that most of us use. Consider it the Consumer Reports of supplements. They charge to use the site but they have a free weekly newsletter, which this week had the following survey results of the most common supplements of 2009:
… Read the rest
Fish oil/omega-3 supplements were used by 74.0% of respondents (up from 71.6% in 2008), followed in popularity by multivitamins, which were used by 72% (down from 73.8% in the prior year).