Wow! What a front page article for the Wichita Eagle today. 29.6% of Kansans were obese in 2011. Obesity is considered a BMI (basal metabolic index height versus weight) more than 30. Check yours! http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/
Obesity increases your risk of cancers, heart disease, diabetes, and joint pain… just to name a few bad complications. Let’s go Kansans… turn this around! Watch your diet and pump up your exercise!
Did you know that more than half of American teens have been asked to send a “sext.” This information is from nearly 1000 high school students.
Sexting is sending explicit electronic messages. In all, 28% of the teens reported sending photos of themselves naked via text or email. 31% reported asking others to send a sext. More boys than girls ask someone to sext them. More girls than boys report having been asked to sext.
Those who send sext messages are more likely to be engaging in sex. 82% of boys who sext are engaging in sex compared to 77% of girls.
I discuss this issue with my teenaged patients. What is sent by email/text may go where the sender does not intend. “Go viral” or “go to future employer”– Don’t both of these sound frightening?
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In November we, Wichitans, have the opportunity to vote. The question is should fluoride be added to the water. Here is a link to some interesting information which has been fact-checked.
You have two choices. Will you research the question of fluoridation? And, will you vote come November?
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This is an interesting overview on an article in Nature which addresses older men having children.
Hope this helps.
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Try running. A Nurses Health Study with 116,000 patients showed that the most physically active patients decreased their risk significantly of getting psoriasis. But, interestingly, other forms of vigorous activities such as bicycling, swimming and playing tennis did not decrease psoriasis risk.
The mechanism that running as a vigorous exercise reduces psoriasis is not yet known. . . but it is thought that maybe exercise could “modulate a state of chronic inflammation and/or immune activation that predisposes women to develop psoriasis”—per the investigators. I read that as. . . there are more benefits than just heart-health to keep running.
Consider running more than one hour per week or 4 hours per week or aerobics to help (with cardiac health, of course) and to decrease psoriasis.
Bacterial vaginosis is a non-STI (sexually-transmitted infection) affecting the vagina with discharge and odor. Women who used a probiotic vaginal suppository had fewer recurrences of bacterial vaginosis. The suppositories contained Lactobacillus rhamnosus, L acidophilus, and Steptococcus thermophilus. Women who ate L Acidophilus yogurt had fewer episodes of bacterial vaginosis, but not of vulvovaginal candidiasis.
So, if you are a vaginosis sufferer, consider supplementing at the grocery/health food store.
Hope this helps.
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Once-daily application of an emollient from birth until age 6 months shows promise to significantly decrease eczema. This was considered to be a treatment when it was found that “skin barrier dysfunction” presents before eczema starts.
Risk factors for eczema are one or more first-degree relatives with a history of
Emolient reduced eczema by 67% in infants! Lube them up, parents.
(The researchers used Cetaphil with 96% patient satisfaction). The next study looking at the relative effectiveness of different emollients is the next study… I’ll stay tuned in.
Lots of people are on levothyroxine (name brand Synthroid) to replace a sluggish thyroid. Many like taking too much thyroid—as it may help you lose weight, feel more energetic, need less sleep. But, there is a downside. You may feel anxious, have insomnia, and have an irregular or fast heart rate.
TSH is a lab test that should be repeated once a year. This yearly blood work will confirm if your current dose is the right dose. If the TSH is low, this shows the strength of your pill is too high. Getting too much thyroid replacement has been shown to increase risk of coronary heart disease deaths and atrial fibrillation (an irregularity in heart beat). Too much thyroid was not shown to increase cancer or stroke mortality.
My advice: Get yearly TSH lab work. Take the correct dose of thyroid replacement. It’ll do your heart good and you may live longer.
Research about irritable bowel syndrome is turning us away from an “old friend” and instead to two different types of medicine. A compilation of 56 randomized controlled trials (read this: really good research studies) showed that there is better treatment for intermittent bouts of abdominal pain, constipation, gas and boating than fiber.
Antispasmodic medicines AND a special type of antidepressant help with abdominal pain. Fiber has been found to help lower cholesterol, but antispasmodics and antidepressants may help IBS symptoms.
So, if you suffer from IBS… talk to your doctor now!
Dr. Leslie Greenberg's Blog 
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