In laboratory tests, a chemical derived from bananas proved as effective against HIV as two currently used pharmaceuticals, according to new research published in the March 19 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Dr. David Markovitz* and colleagues at the University of Michigan found that a lectin, or protein, in bananas may be
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Transferring the care of a patient from one physician to another is a standard—and necessary—part of hospital care. Yet, among trainee doctors, important information often gets overlooked during these hand-offs, according to a new study published in the March issue of the journal Pediatrics. Researchers at the University of Chicago
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Public health officials campaigning to reduce our excessive salt consumption—Americans generally eat twice the recommended amount each day—often point out that a societal approach to change is essential, as most of the salt we consume is already in food before we even pick up the shaker. Dining out isn’t exactly a low-sodium
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This past Monday, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a new policy statement on choking prevention for children, recommending, among other things, changes in government oversight of food choking hazards, and asking food manufacturers to consider redesigning potentially dangerous food products, such as hot dogs and hard …
A comprehensive report from the U.S. Institute of Medicine (IOM) suggests that treating and preventing high blood pressure—which causes nearly half of all cases of heart failure each year in the U.S.—needs to be a higher public health priority. The report highlights some grim figures: roughly one in three American adults has high
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As the L.A. Times health blog reports, the Food and Drug Administration recently issued a warning advising consumers not to use “ear candles”—fabric that is soaked in either paraffin or beeswax, set on fire and deliberately placed in the ear. These candles, which allow wax to drip into the ear canal (if you don’t set your hair on fire
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In light of recent stories of zinc-poisoning among users of several denture creams, and a subsequent wave of lawsuits, pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, the producer of Poligrip products, announced that it will remove zinc from its denture creams, the Associated Press reports. In the meantime, Glaxo issued a press release emphasizing
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Much time and effort has been dedicated to researching the mental health benefits of flexible work environments, but can the ability to leave work early to watch your son’s soccer game, or arrive at the office a bit later in the morning in order to see to some personal errands, have broader physical health benefits beyond making you feel
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Closing the societal gender gap is a noble goal, but there is at least one area where women shouldn’t be striving to outdo men: drunk driving. While, in keeping with historic trends, overall men are still more likely to get into deadly alcohol-related accidents than women, a new study published in the journal Injury Prevention suggests
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Wearing a condom that doesn’t fit correctly—is too big, for example—may increase the chances of the condom breaking, slipping or coming off or being taken off during intercourse, increasing the risk for sexually transmitted infections, according to a study from researchers at the College of Public Health at the University of
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A Texas nurse is on trial this week for reporting a doctor whose practices she believed endangered patients. As Kevin Sack of the New York Times reports, last year Anne Mitchell submitted a report expressing her concerns about Dr. Rolando G. Arafiles Jr.’s prescription and surgical procedures—including sewing a rubber tip onto a
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A moving public service announcement from the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership in the U.K. has quickly become a viral phenomenon—with views in at least 89 countries and a Facebook group of 1,500 members and counting. The “Embrace Life” ad was launched on January 20, and added to YouTube on January 29, where it’s since been seen nearly
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Johnson & Johnson, the company that manufacturers Tylenol, issued a voluntary recall of several batches of Tylenol, Motrin and Rolaids products in light of reports that the pills were giving off “an unusual moldy, musty, or mildew-like odor,” and had been linked to bouts of diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain in a small number of
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