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Sweets and sour news for kids

Certain Candies Are as Acidic as Battery Acid on Kids’ Teeth Peering into kids’ mouths every day, pediatric dentists have noticed an alarmingly widespread problem of late. Something is eating away at the chewing surfaces of children’s back teeth. Turns out, its worms – gummy worms, that is – along with assorted other sweet-and-sour candies,…
Kristi Yamaguchi speaks out on influenza

Should you get a flu vaccine? Less than half of the U.S. population actually gets the annual flu vaccine. While vaccinations are recommended in late summer or early fall, it’s still beneficial even in the middle of winter. During many flu seasons, influenza activity doesn’t peak until winter or early spring. In fact, virus activity…
Making choices that lower your risk

How African-Americans Can Avoid High Blood Pressure Hypertension (or high blood pressure) is a heavy weight that the African-American community has been destined to cope with. While no one is immune from high blood pressure, it is a proven fact that the African-American population has a 40 percent higher rate over any other ethnic group…

The Heart of the Matter: Recommendations from the USPSTF for low-dose aspirin use

LOW-DOSE ASPIRIN has long been a therapy for those with a risk of cardiovascular disease, and studies have shown it to be effective at lowering the risk of colorectal cancer as well. However, aspirin also has been shown to have health dangers, such as increasing the risk for bleeding in the stomach and intestines and…
Healthy Cook: Adding on calories when your senior loved one is too thin

BEING A FEW POUNDS overweight can be a pain in the patootie. That can often be solved by using the simple food equation: calories in versus calories out. On the other hand, people who are too slim and can’t gain weight often have no patootie to speak of. Their challenge of putting on a few…
Surgery Facts: Answering the question: ‘Doc, do I need my gallbladder?’

AS A SURGEON, I am asked this question all the time, usually right after I inform a patient that their abdominal pain is due to gallstones. There is an aura of mystery surrounding this little green organ, with a lot of folks unclear as to its exact role in our bodies and our health. Gallbladder…