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Preventive Medicine Stories and Local Doctors
Immunity
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The Dangers of Infections During Travel
Dr. John Cahill discusses about how traveling abroad has become very easy - it's relatively cheap, readily available, enjoyable, and a click away on the internet. But many people don't seem to realize there are health risks involved when traveling, particularly when traveling to the developing world or to the tropics. Travelers need to think about being vaccinated for diseases that might not occur in the United States. (Read more about The Dangers of Infections During Travel)
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The Concept of Herd Immunization
Dr. John Cahill explains that though Infectious Disease specialists would like to vaccinate everyone, getting a large amount of people vaccinated can provide a barrier for most of the group. If enough of a population gets vaccinated then the potential for disease to travel across the globe, or even within U.S., is greatly diminished. In the event of a serious outbreak, we would start by vaccinating the health care providers. We would then vaccinate people serving sectors valuable to society infrastructure like police officers and firemen. (Read more about The Concept of Herd Immunization)
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All Types of Alcohol Linked to Breast Cancer Risk
A recent study by Kaiser Permanente Researchers has found that the effects of alcohol on breast cancer are the same, regardless of whether a woman drinks wine, beer, or liquor. The ethyl alcohol found in those drinks and the quantity consumed are the factors that weigh heavily on breast cancer risk. Researchers believe the increased risk from three or more drinks a day is similar to the increased breast cancer risk from smoking a pack of cigarettes a day or more. They claim that "Population studies have consistently linked drinking alcohol to an increased risk of female breast cancer, but until now there has been little data, most of it conflicting, about an independant role played by the choice of beverage type." (Read more about All Types of Alcohol Linked to Breast Cancer Risk)
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Air Conditioners and Allergies
The summer heat is on, but we're still suffering terribly from our allergies. And so a lot of us are spending time indoors to escape the heat and the pollen.
But are we jumping from the allergy frying pan into the fire?
You might be if your air conditioner isn't clean!
It’s amazing at how some of the simplest things can cause the biggest problems. But fortunately, the simple things are simple to fix.
So if you'’re suffering from terrible allergies, and you haven’t cleaned your air conditioning filter lately, the answer to your health problems might be quite an easy one: clean the filter! (Read more about Air Conditioners and Allergies)
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Health Wrap: Reports on Snoring, Fetuses and Pain, Forgetfulness and Baseball
A new study finds that habitual snoring in women is strongly tied to body mass index—a marker of fatness-- and age.
Overall, 7.6 percent of women snore.
The frequency of snoring reaches its peak in women ages 50 to 59.
Frequent snoring was found to increase with alcohol dependence, smoking and physical inactivity.
-- (Read more about Health Wrap: Reports on Snoring, Fetuses and Pain, Forgetfulness and Baseball)
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Vaccine Autism Controversy
Just last week, a respected international, independent consortium of scientists called the Cochrane Review published a huge paper saying once and for all, there's no credible evidence behind the theory that autism is triggered by the measles-mumps-rubella, or MMR vaccine.
This was the conclusion after reviewing 31 studies.
But still, not everyone is convinced.
The group gets together to evaluate, with good sound science, medical research, to determine whether certain treatments indeed work and are safe. (Read more about Vaccine Autism Controversy)
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HAND GEL STUDY
Here’s a question for you- how often do you wash your hands? And how often do your kids wash their hands?
Given how easily infections travel from one person to another, probably not enough.
A new study out of the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that we should be using hand sanitizers to help keep us clean and safe from infections.
Ten year old Monica Mannguard is all ready for the first day of school. She’s always armed with an alcohol based hand sanitizer. “I always make sure I have some kind of hand sanitizer with me, no matter where I am,” says Monica. (Read more about HAND GEL STUDY)
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Immunity - How the body defends itself
The human body is exposed to billions of foreign bodies or antigens each and every day. If an antigen enters the body, the immune system goes to work to destroy it. (Read more about Immunity - How the body defends itself)
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The Thyroid
The thyroid gland lies in front of the neck and has two lobes connected by an isthmus. It is an endocrine organ whose responsibility is to secrete a hormone that controls the body's growth and metabolism. (Read more about The Thyroid)
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EXERCISE REDUCES DEPRESSION
“It’s just like getting a caffeine kick. I don’t need my coffee because exercise is my caffeine,” says exerciser, Rodney George.
“When I come here in the morning, I’m depressed and tired. But once I start I don’t feel like stopping, they have to kick me out!” says Irene Petrakis.
Rodney’s and Irene’s obsession with exercise might have something to do with the connections between exercise and depression, specifically, the positive effects of exercise on depression. (Read more about EXERCISE REDUCES DEPRESSION)
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