Is This Common Kitchen Appliance Harming Your Health

By now, you probably know that what you eat has a profound impact on your health. The mantra, "You are what you eat" is really true.

But you need to consider not only WHAT you buy, but how you cook it.

Eating much of your food raw is ideal. But most of us are not going to be able to accomplish a completely raw diet, and we'll end up cooking some percentage of our food.

Smart food preparation starts with high quality foods and food preparation and that means saying sayonara to your microwave oven. Need to sterilize a dishcloth? Use your microwave. But zapping your casserole is a BAD idea if you are interested in preparing healthy food.

Why the no nukes policy?

When it comes to microwave ovens, the price for convenience is to compromise your health. In this article, I will review what we know about the effects microwaves on your food and on your body.

Docs Told To Avoid 1 Flu Shot Brand For Small Kids

A government panel is recommending doctors steer clear of giving one brand of flu vaccine to young children this year because of convulsions and fever in kids who got the shot in Australia and New Zealand.

At issues is the flu vaccine made by CSL Biotherapies, an Australian company. CSL is one of five manufacturers supplying the U.S. this fall but it only accounts for a small portion of the 170 million doses.

On Thursday, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices said doctors should avoid using the CSL vaccine in children ages 6 months through 8 years.

Committee members were concerned about the unexplained higher rate of fevers and related seizures seen in young children who got the vaccine earlier this year in Australia and New Zealand. In kids under 5, the rates were roughly 10 times that of other flu vaccines. No deaths have been linked to the problem.

The panel said the vaccine could be used in children older than 5 if they were at greater risk of flu complications and no other vaccine was available.

The committee provides vaccine advice to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which usually adopts its recommendations and sends the advice to doctors and the public.

Australian investigators have been unable to find anything in the CSL vaccine that might explain why it would cause more fevers and convulsions in children.

But a CSL spokeswoman said the company agreed with the U.S. committee's decision.

"We support the precautionary approach," said spokeswoman Sharon McHale.

Should Patients Be Paid for Medical Compliance

A June 13th article in The New York Times discussed a pilot program in Philadelphia where patients on anti-clotting medications such as Coumadin can win a small sum of money if they take their medication. Insurers and government agencies are also looking at innovative ways to create an incentive for patients to follow their doctor's orders. According to Pam Belluck in The New York Times article, at least one-third to one half of all patients do not take medication as prescribed and one quarter never even fill the prescription. Think of that!

As a physician I find that degree of non-compliance stunning. As all parties look desperately for ways to cut down on the enormous costs of health care in the U.S., it is not surprising that paying patients to stay healthy has become an option. By encouraging patients to stay healthy, it may be possible to avoid emergency room visits, eliminate surgeries or other expensive interventions, cut down or avoid hospitalizations and maybe eliminate some of the unnecessary trips to the doctor. Some insurers are paying for membership in health clubs and gyms. Can paying for healthy food choices be far behind?

While any program that succeeds where others fail, especially in the fraught area of soaring health care costs, should be applauded, there are possible unintended consequences for this novel approach of offering carrots to wayward patients. The "big brotherish" overtones of this program makes me wonder where we lost the concept of individual responsibility. For those patients who are mentally handicapped or those who are incapacitated by poverty or illness, any outreach and support makes sense. But do we really want to assume such a proactive stance when it comes to the majority of our citizens? We now have nurses going to homes, giving weekly telephone outreach, and transporting patients with chronic medical problems to doctor visits. Again, for those patients who are unable to access the medical system, this makes sense. But as with any program with good intentions, the risk of creating a passivity and childlike dependency is real. All these outreach efforts have enormous administrative costs.

Be Your Own Health Advocate: 5 Body Signs Women Should Heed

Hair sprouting in undesirable places, especially on the face and chest (hirsutism), often signals a hormonal imbalance from such conditions as Cushing's syndrome and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). In fact, PCOS affects 6 to 8 percent of women of childbearing age, and is a major cause of infertility. Other signs of PCOS include acne and being overweight.

Cushing's is a much rarer condition that usually strikes women (and sometimes men) between the ages of 20 and 50. Weight gain, fat on the upper back (aka buffalo hump) with thin arms and legs, round face, irregular periods and fatigue are other common signs. Depending on the cause, various treatments can help correct the hormonal imbalances for both PCOS and Cushing's. Having some facial hair is also fairly common during menopause, when estrogen decreases and androgen increases. However, a lot of facial or body hair in postmenopausal women can signal ovarian cysts or even ovarian cancer.