Is your child’s brain development affected by too much screen time? Researchers from Cincinnati, OH would have us believe that it is. In an online study published Monday on the JAMA Pediatrics website, they found that preschoolers age 3-5 who had more screen time, scored lower on cognitive testing, and that it correlated to differences…
Flu shots are available! Flu shots are available! It is that time of year again. Flu season is upon us! Everyone is at risk, but particularly vulnerable to hospitalization and death from the flu are the young, the elderly, the immunocompromised, the pregnant, and those with underlying medical conditions. Here is a link to an…
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men. While it can affect 3 million American men a year, only a small fraction of those will succumb to the disease. That is because prostate cancer is usually slow growing and usually something people die “with” rather than “from”. Still a small fraction…
Bariatric surgery (weight loss surgery) has been around for a couple of decades. It’s benefits in helping to control diabetes and high cholesterol is well established. In an observational study through the Cleveland Clinic and published in JAMA last week, those benefits seem to apply to reducing cardiovascular events (i.e. heart attack and strokes) as…
I was tested about West Nile Virus in medical school. It was an esoteric arbovirus infection mainly in Africa carried by mosquitoes which could cause encephalitis and brain damage. Fast forward a couple of decades and West Nile is now endemic in the United States. Since 2002, West Nile continues to be reported annually in…
Toxic blue-green Algae has been infesting Lady Bird Lake in Austin as well as lakes and rivers around the country. Four dogs have died from exposure to the algae in Austin alone. While no harm has been reported in humans in Austin, there is a potential risk. Blue green algae appears in nutrient rich waters…
Shall we discuss another observational study filled with sound and fury and in the end signifying nothing? Let’s. This article published in the journal Stroke looked at over 140,000 French people over a decade and asked them about their long work hours. Let me first say that I am a Francophile et je peux parler…
It is National Men’s Health Week in the days leading up to Father’s Day. An occasion to reflect on what men can be doing to improve their own health. One good idea is to get a primary care physician and have an annual exam. It is difficult to know what your blood pressure is or…
This story has been getting a lot of “buzz”! Sorry for the pun, but many news outlets are reporting that even 25 cups of coffee daily is fine for your heart. One thing for sure is that the authors of the study know how to grab a headline! First, let’s review the limitations of the…
It is time for summer travel! Most of the time things go well. However, if you end up with a health issue while traveling abroad, it can make the trip a disaster. There are several things you can do to prepare for your trip so that you and your family are safe. The CDC has…
May is Hepatitis Awareness Month and May 19 was National Hepatitis Testing Day. There are several different kinds of viral hepatitis named in order of discovery as Hepatitis A,B,C,D, and E. The first three are the most important. Hepatitis A is spread via fecal/oral transmission and can be found in contaminated foods and can be…
Is breakfast the most important meal of the day? That may be true. In a study published in the American Journal of Cardiology they used data from NHANES between 1984 and 1995 to try and decipher this question. NHANES is the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey where Americans of all walks of life are…
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