Prebiotics, probiotics may have some health perks for children

A new report evaluates the health benefits of probiotics- or prebiotics-enhanced infant formula and kids' foodstuff by examining previous research studies.

Read my article at Suite101: Prebiotics, Probiotics May Have Some Health Perks for Children 


(Photo by StewC on Flickr)

CDC study: cancers often detected late, early screening a must

Though screening tests are available, cancers are still diagnosed at the late stage, leading to treatment difficulties and lower survival rates, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Read my complete article at Suite101: CDC Study: Cancers Often Detected Late, Early Screening a Must 

(Photo by Rhoda Baer for National Cancer Institute)

Child health: common eye problems in children

Young kids are often unaware that they have an eye condition. Parents must look for signs of visual impairment that, untreated, could lead to blindness.

Read my complete article at Suite101: Child Health: Common Eye Problems in Children 


(Photo by Danuqui on Flickr) 

Laptops can scorch scrotums, may cause fertility problems

Men who position the laptop on their thighs for long periods of time can overheat their scrotum and impair the quality of their sperm, says a new study.

Read more at Suite101: Laptops Can Scorch Scrotums, May Cause Fertility Problems 

(Photo by bbaunach on Flickr)

Exercise a simple way to prevent colds, says study

New research finds that physical activity cuts the number of times a person catches a cold and makes the symptoms less pronounced.

Read my complete article at Suite101: Exercise a Simple Way to Prevent Colds, Says Study 


(Photo by Warrren Long on Flickr.)

Marathon runners risk temporary heart damage

Long-distance runners can suffer short-term but reversible heart injury if they are unfit or ill-trained for the rigors of a marathon, warns a new study.

Read more at Suite101: Marathon Runners Risk Temporary Heart Damage 


(Photo by Free Photos of Spain on Flickr)

Halloween street safety tips for parents and drivers

Parents will keep Halloween a safe tradition by teaching kids street smarts, and drivers can keep roads danger-free by practicing safe driving.

Read more at Suite101: Halloween Street Safety Tips for Parents and Drivers 


(Photo by Anastasiavixen on Flickr)

American Heart Association simplifies CPR guidelines

The 2010 guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation make it easier for passersby to help save the life of a heart attack victim.

Read my article at Suite101: American Heart Association Makes CPR Simpler


(Photo by Kyz on Flickr) 

Rapid growth seen for urgent care centers

After a dip in the '90s, urgent care clinics are enjoying renewed popularity as an alternative medical venue for non-emergency health problems.

Read my complete article at Suite101: Rapid Growth Seen for Urgent Care Centers


(Photo by A. Drian on Flicker) 

Why urgent care clinics are getting popular

Banking on convenience, speed, and affordability, urgent care clinics are gaining adherents in patients who want quick access to medical treatment.

Read my complete article at Suite101: Why Urgent Care Clinics are Getting Popular 


(Photo by Colourise on Flickr)

World Mental Health Day calls for integrated care

World Mental Health Day on October 10 focuses on the need to give people with chronic illnesses comprehensive treatment that includes mental health care.

Read my complete article at Suite101: World Mental Health Day Calls for Integrated Care 


(Photo by Andrea Castelletti on Flickr)

Toasted Skin Syndrome – growing health hazard for laptop users

Placing a laptop on the thighs can lead to toasted skin syndrome, a reaction to constant, low-level heat that can cause permanent skin darkening.

Read more at Suite101: Toasted Skin Syndrome – Growing Health Hazard for Laptop Users 


(Photo by garryknight on flickr)

Bras Play Supporting Role in Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Activities lined up for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October 2010 include bra chain campaigns, and bra auctions in both the real and virtual worlds.

Read more at Suite101: Bras Play Supporting Role in Breast Cancer Awareness Month 


(Photos by WishUponACupcake on Flickr)

Rabies protection for your pet and family

Rabies is a global health menace that strikes close to home. Here are practical tips for keeping yourself, your children, and your pets safe.

Read my complete article at Suite101: Rabies Protection for Your Pet and 
Family 




(Photo by Stefan Tell on Flickr)

Rabies symptoms, prevention and treatment

Rabies is a viral disease transmitted through animal bites. Know how to protect yourself from this infection that leads to a painful death if not treated.

Read my article at Suite101: Rabies Symptoms, Prevention and Treatment 




(Photo by Harlequeen on Flickr)

5 ways we burden a healthy heart

A healthy heart allows us to live full, productive lives, so avoid the bad habits that lead to heart disease and heart failure - before it's too late.

Read my complete article at Suite101: Heart Health: 5 Ways We Burden a Healthy Heart 


(Photo by Seyed Mostafa Zamani)

World Heart Day Is September 26

Employers and employees should work together in promoting workplace wellness, which is the theme of the World Heart Day 2010 celebration this September.

Read my complete report at Suite101: World Heart Day Is September 26 


(Photo by Tanakawho on Flickr)

The downside of being popular

Popular individuals often get the flu ahead of their friends, and monitoring their health can help predict outbreaks of contagious diseases in an area.

Read more at Suite101: Friendly People Catch Flu Earlier, Says Study 


(Photo by Claus Rebler on Flickr)

Sickening People

The man who twirled with rose in teeth
Has his tongue tied up in thorns
His once expanded sense of time and
Space all shot and torn
See him wander hat in hand -
“Look at me, I’m so forlorn -
Ask anyone who can recall
It’s horrible to be born!

-Bruce Cockburn, from song “Shipwrecked at the Stable Door.”

I found the discussion around my recent post about treating colds very interesting.  Sick people come to the office to find out how sick they are.  Most people don’t want to be sick, and when they are sick they want doctors to make them better.

Most people.

Some people want to be sick, and some doctors want to make people sick.  I am not talking about hypochondriacs – people who worry that they may have disease and become fixated on being sick.  I am not talking about malingerers – people who pretend to be sick so they can get medications.  I am talking about the slippery slope of defining disease.

Are Sesame Street characters mental cases?

ZDoggMD, a hospitalist in California, gives us Diagnosis: Sesame Street, contending that our favorite childhood friends suffer from a “cluster of mental illness, all on one urban inner-city avenue."

Hand washing catches on

Researchers find that more American adults now remember to wash their hands after using the bathroom, but women continue to score higher than men when it comes to cleanliness.

Read my latest article at Suite101: Public Restroom Users' Hand Washing Habits Improve – Study

Why women fall for dancers

A new study by British researchers suggests that how attractive a man is to women is directly proportional to how well he performs on the dance floor.

Read my complete article at Suite101:  Study Identifies Male Dance Movements Most Attractive to Women.

(Photo by Chris Willis on Flickr)

How long should grief last?

She looked down toward her feet at the end of her visit. “I’ve got one more question, doctor,” she said, hesitating.

I turned toward her and waited for her, letting her ask on her own time. Clearly this was something difficult for her to ask.

“When will I get over the death of my husband? It’s been ten years, and I still wake up each morning thinking he’s there. I still come home wanting him to be there. Am I crazy?”

Her face showed the shame that was so clear in her words. I had been along with her during the death of her husband, and she handled that period with much grace and strength. Now the silence at home is deafening. People around her, on the other hand, are far too quick to tell her how to grieve.

“If you lost an arm or if your legs were paralyzed, when would you get over that?” I asked. “You wouldn’t. You never live without the reality of your arms or legs being missing. You just adjust to their absence.”

“But people are telling me I should find a ‘special friend,’ and I have no desire to. I just miss my husband.” Her already moist eyes now let go of their tears. “Sometimes I want to be with people, but other times I just want to be alone.”

I handed her a tissue and laid a hand on her shoulder. “Nobody can tell you how to grieve. No one knows what your loss feels like, and there shouldn’t be a penalty for loving your husband so much. Everyone handles things differently. If I as a doctor lost the use of my legs, I’d probably adjust much quicker than a professional athlete. Some people are married for fifty years, and yet have an independent relationship with their spouse. Others are so invested in them that the loss is so much greater.”

She thanked me for my words and gave me a hug as she left. As she walked away I wished I could talk with the people around her. She has not shut herself off from the world. She has continued to go to church, spend time with family, and go out with friends. She just can’t get rid of the feeling of loss, which is not a wrong way to be.

There is no rule book on grief. Is it better to move on quickly, or does it show the person is self-centered enough that they don’t feel it as much? Is it better to grieve for a long time and deeply, or is a sign of pathological dependency? People want to make rules for which there can never be rules. People don’t like the messiness of life, and don’t want to be made uncomfortable when others remind them of that messiness. But pain and loss are as much a part of life as joy and love (in fact, you could argue they are more a part of life for many people). This woman’s grief shows the depth of love she had. It is a memorial to that love.

She will never get over her husband, and I think that’s OK.

This blog first appeared at Musings of a Distractible Mind.

(Photo by Lisa Cee on Flickr.)

Prevent falls: Health and home safety tips

Jokes abound about people slipping on a banana peel. But taking a fall is no laughing matter; it can lead to serious disability, even premature death. Read my full article here.


(Photo by Gerbil on Wikimedia Commons)

World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10

It's a tradition in the Philippines to light candles in front of our homes if we can't visit our lost loved ones on All Saints' Day. This shows the departed we remember and pray for them even if we can't be at the cemetery physically.

The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) is also asking everyone to light candles near a window at 8 p.m. of September 10, 2010 to mark World Suicide Prevention Day. Some 3,000 people worldwide are said to take their lives every day, and the Philippine Daily Inquirer reports that about five people commit suicide daily in our country. 

To know more about upcoming World Suicide Prevention Day activities around the world and what we can do to help prevent the tragedy of suicide, read my article here. 

(Photo from the International Association for Suicide Prevention)

DOH launches D.E.N.G.U.E. strategy

Manila, Philippines—The Department of Health (DOH) says not all dengue cases require hospitalization; mild cases may be managed at home.


Health Secretary Enrique Ona says that “instead of confining patients in a hospital facility, parents and caregivers can practice the D.E.N.G.U.E. strategy.” D.E.N.G.U.E. stands for the following:

D – Daily monitoring of patient’s status should be done.

E – Encourage intake of oral fluids like oresol (oral rehydration solution), water, and juices.

N – Note any dengue warning signs like persistent vomiting and bleeding.

G – Give paracetamol for fever and not aspirin, because aspirin induces bleeding.

U – Use mosquito nets.

E – Early consultation is advised for any warning signs.

The new D.E.N.G.U.E. strategy aims to educate the public on home treatment for mild dengue cases and help decongest hospitals, now overcrowded with dengue patients.

Records show that the number of dengue cases nationwide reached 62,503 from January to August 21, which is 88.8% higher than last year’s 33,102 for the same period. So far, 465 deaths have been recorded this year compared to 350 deaths for the whole of last year.

The 4-S strategy

Ona reiterates that the most effective way to prevent and fight dengue is still by practicing the DOH’s 4-S strategy:

• Search and destroy.
• Self-protective measures.
• Seek early treatment.
• Say no to indiscriminate fogging.

 “There is still no cure or vaccine for dengue and that is why we must focus on other cost-effective interventions, the most important of which is source reduction – destroy the dengue-carrying mosquitoes,” says Ona.

He also reminds the public that dengue, although a year-round disease, is more common during the rainy season when there are more breeding grounds for the Aedes aegypti mosquito that carries the dengue virus. To prevent dengue, Ona advises destroying all possible mosquito breeding sites like old tires, soft drink bottles and tin cans, and using mosquito nets and protective clothing. Read the complete article here. Read the complete article here.

Photo by Anjo de Batalha on Flickr.