Daily Health Tips: Trusted Medical Information, Health Tips and Advices

Consumer Group Says Dangerous Toys Can Still Be Found on Store Shelves Though progress has been made in recent years in making playthings for children safer, far too many toys remain on store shelves that pose serious risks to America's kids, a consumer watchdog group says in a new report. Some toys contain toxic chemicals and many are choking hazards, according to the report by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG). "We've made a lot of progress, but dangerous toys can still be found among our children's playthings," says Liz Hitchcock, U.S. PIRG public health advocate and lead author of the organization's 25th annual Trouble in Toyland report. "U.S. PIRG's report and the resources we offer will help consumers identify and avoid the worst threats and keep their children safe this year." Toxic Substances in Toys The report says many toys contain lead or other toxic substances, pointing to six toys as examples as po

Proton-Pump Inhibitors Do Not Cause Birth Defects When Used in First Trimester The popular over-the-counter and prescription acid-blocking drugs proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) do not appear to increase risk of birth defects when taken during the first trimester of pregnancy, a study shows. In the study, 2.6% of more than 840,000 live births occurring in Denmark from January 1996 through September 2008 involved major birth defects. The study showed that 3.4% of 5,082 infants whose mothers took PPIs during the four weeks before conception through first trimester were diagnosed with a major birth defect. By contrast, 2.6% of 835,886 infants whose moms did not take these acid-reducing drugs during the same time period were diagnosed with a major birth defect. The study is published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers did an analysis of the study data on PPI use limited to the time period during the first trimester of pregnancy. Statistically speaking,

Proton-Pump Inhibitors Do Not Cause Birth Defects When Used in First Trimester The popular over-the-counter and prescription acid-blocking drugs proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) do not appear to increase risk of birth defects when taken during the first trimester of pregnancy, a study shows. In the study, 2.6% of more than 840,000 live births occurring in Denmark from January 1996 through September 2008 involved major birth defects. The study showed that 3.4% of 5,082 infants whose mothers took PPIs during the four weeks before conception through first trimester were diagnosed with a major birth defect. By contrast, 2.6% of 835,886 infants whose moms did not take these acid-reducing drugs during the same time period were diagnosed with a major birth defect. The study is published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers did an analysis of the study data on PPI use limited to the time period during the first trimester of pregnancy. Statistically speaking,

You'll be fitting into those skinny jeans in no time if you adopt this simple habit: pay with cash. Yep, when you hit the grocery store, just leave your credit card  and debit card  at home. A recent study revealed that paying with cash instead of plastic seriously quells the temptation to load up the shopping cart with belly-padding junk food. Pain Points The reason people buy less junk food with cash? More pain. Seems they feel it in their wallets a little more sharply when handing over Benjamins versus bank cards. In fact, shoppers who used cash to fill their grocery carts in a recent study purchased far less unhealthful, fattening foods than the credit- and debit-card users did.    More Slimming Strategies Now, check out this surprising figure: Only 14 percent of people use cash to grocery shop. And researchers suspect this could be one of the many factors behind the current obesity epidemic. Somehow, paying with plastic is less emotionally charged than th

Ginseng, Fish, Berries, or Caffeine? Listen to the buzz about foods and dietary supplements and you'll believe they can do everything from sharpen focus and concentration, to enhance memory, attention span, and brain function. But do they really work? There's no denying that as we age chronologically, our body ages right along with us. The good news? You can increase your chances of maintaining a healthy brain -- if you add "smart" foods and beverages to your diet. Caffeine Can Make You More Alert There's no magic bullet to boost IQ or make you smarter -- but certain substances, like caffeine, can energize and help you focus and concentrate. Found in coffee, chocolate, energy drinks, and some medications, caffeine gives you that unmistakable wake-up buzz -- though the effects are short term. And more is often less: Overdo it on caffeine and it can make you jittery and uncomfortable. Sugar Can Enhance Alertness Sugar is your brain's preferr

Whip up a fabulous holiday feast in a hurry I don't know how this happens every year, but before I know it, it's the Tuesday before Thanksgiving! Suddenly, I'm stressing about how many side dishes to make, the appetizers that no one really needs, thawing the turkey, making pumpkin pie for the traditionalists plus "something else" for the dessert rebels ... But remember, the important part of this holiday is enjoying the company of loved ones and taking time to reflect and be thankful. It's not about spending hours making countless Thanksgiving dishes. You know the saying, "choose your battles"? It works for Thanksgiving dinner, too. When your time is limited, choose which dishes you want to make yourself and which you can pull together using convenient products from the supermarket. Dressing Up Store-Bought Products Here are some tips and tricks for dressing up store-bought products so that they'll taste and look special to your

More than 60 percent of U.S. households include pets, and while almost every pet owner will tell you that their animal companion enriches their life in countless ways, it turns out that pets actually help prolong their lives, too. Countless studies have shown that having pets helps to lower our stress levels, decrease blood pressure, benefit our cholesterol, improve our mood, and boost our immunity -- in other words, lengthen our life span! While the majority of the studies below focus on dogs and cats, it is true that any animal companion can offer some form of emotional wellbeing. The heart-healthy benefits of animals Our animal friends often warm our hearts, but apparently they also protect them. A study reported in the Medical Journal of Australia found that pet owners, in general, have lower blood pressure, triglycerides, and cholesterol levels than people who do not own pets. And having a cat companion could cut your heart attack risk by nearly one third! Accordin

Debating whether to take a second helping of together time with friends or family today? Go ahead, go back for more. Research shows that being socially connected is about as good for your body as quitting smoking would be if you smoked. That's some pretty powerful bonding! Keep Your Friends Close Yep, researchers reviewed more than 148 different studies and found that the more socially connected people had double the survival odds of less social folks. Their analysis compiled data from more than 300,000 older adults and the results helped prove that supportive relationships are like good medicine for heart, body, and soul.    Friends with Benefits Having good friends and close family in your corner helps you live longer by making it easier to blow off stress and weather tough times (assuming those relationships are solid and not toxic). What's more, feeling more invested in relationships often motivates people to take better care of themselves.

Take an extra helping of this sauce as it heads around the dinner table today: cranberry relish. Your mouth and stomach will thank you. Yep, not all holiday fare has to be an unhealthy affair. Cranberry relish is made of one of the most antioxidant-rich fruits on earth, and studies show these bright red beauties may reduce both stomach ulcers and tooth decay. Holiday Healer Cranberries have a long list of antioxidant superstars to their credit -- more than 150 different health-promoting phytochemicals in fact. And these compounds are probably responsible for the multitude of amazing health benefits cranberries confer, including: Fewer tummy troubles. Cranberry nutrients make it harder for Helicobacter pylori -- a bacterial culprit in stomach ulcers -- to adhere to cells lining the stomach. (Here's an oil that also helps fend off H. pylori .) Healthier teeth and gums. Nutrients in cranberries help reduce plaque by fighting the buildup of bacteria-harboring bi

Keeping your spirits up through the winter may be as simple as popping a multivitamin. Just be sure yours contains B6 and B12. Research has shown that these two nutrients in particular may help reduce the risk of blue moods. Who knew that popping a pill could help keep a smile on your face? Some Kind of Synthesis In a study tracking the health and lifestyle habits of more than 3,000 older adults for 7 years, researchers found that as people's intake of B6 and B12 went up, their risk of depression took a more southerly turn. And with every 10-milligram increase in B6 and 10-microgram increase in B12 intake, risk for depression dropped another 2 percent. Researchers suspect that because B6 is involved in the synthesis of neurotransmitters, it assists in production of mood-lifting serotonin. And B12 deficiencies have been linked to depression and increased cognitive decline in other research.    B on the Brain Although intake from both food and supplements was mea

Researchers Say Weight Loss and Physical Activity Are Keys to Prevention of Prediabetes and Diabetes More than half of all Americans may develop diabetes or prediabetes by 2020, unless prevention strategies aimed at weight loss and increased physical activity are widely implemented, according to a new analysis. These efforts could in theory also save about $250 billion in health care costs in the next 10 years, suggests the analysis published by UnitedHealth Center for Health Reform & Modernization, a specialized center within UnitedHealth that focuses on health care reform issues. "We need a sense of urgency. There is a lot of money and human suffering at stake," says Deneen Vojta, MD, senior vice president of the UnitedHealth Center for Health Reform and Modernization, which is based in Minneapolis. "The good news is that we know what works, and if we work together in a concerted national way, we can win." Weight Loss and Exercise For exam

In Study, Heavy Drinkers Had Nearly Twice the Risk of Heart Attack or Death From Heart Disease Heavy drinking or binge drinking a couple of days a week may be worse for the heart than drinking a moderate amount of alcohol throughout the week, new research indicates. Researchers in France and in Belfast, Northern Ireland, say that middle-aged men in both places drink about the same amount of alcohol per week. But in Belfast, people tend to go on binges, drinking in one or two days about the same amount of alcohol that French men drink in a week. Alcohol Use in Belfast and France Jean-Bernard Ruidavets, MD, of Toulouse University, and colleagues studied alcohol drinking patterns of 9,758 men in France and Belfast over a 10-year period. For the study, scientists divided participants between the ages of 50 and 59 without ischemic heart disease into four distinct groups -- never drinkers, former drinkers, regular drinkers, and binge drinkers. Drinkers were interviewed

Xgeva Reduced Fractures, Pain in People With Advanced Cancer The FDA has approved Xgeva (denosumab), an osteoporosis drug reformulated to reduce the risk of bone fractures and bone pain in patients with cancer that has spread throughout the body. The FDA based its approval on three clinical trials involving more than 5,700 patients with various cancers, including breast and prostate cancer. The trials compared Xgeva with a similar drug, Zometa. Researchers looked at groups of cancer patients on one of the two medications and measured the time until occurrence of skeletal-related events such as a bone fracture or spinal cord compression due to their cancer or until surgery or radiation was needed to alleviate severe bone pain. The clinical trial results showed Xgeva was more effective overall than Zometa in preventing skeletal-related events; among men with prostate cancer, the median time to developing a bone fracture or cancer-related bone pain requiring treatment wa

Study Shows Depression May Raise Risk of Diabetes and Vice Versa Depression and diabetes may be linked, according to new research in the Archives of Internal Medicine . "People usually think of these as two isolated conditions, but there is growing evidence that they are linked behaviorally and biologically," says study researcher Frank Hu, MD, PhD, MPH, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. "This data provide strong evidence that we should not consider these two isolated conditions any longer." About 23.5 million Americans have diabetes, and about 14.8 million Americans have major depressive disorder in a given year, according to statistics in the new report. Of the 65,381 women aged 50 to 75 in 1996 who were study participants, 2,844 women were newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and 7,415 women developed depression in the ensuing 10 years. Depression and Diabetes Risk Depression increased

Ready to be a super-steadfast sleeper? Then it's time to get physical. In a study of people with insomnia, those who broke a sweat by adopting an upbeat exercise program saw a greater improvement in their sleep than the folks with less-active hobbies. Something About Sweat The key to the better sleep results? Perspiration. The exercisers in the study didn't just take a couple of strolls in the park. They trained for several weeks until they were able to do four 30-minute workouts a week at about 75 percent of their max heart rate. That means jogging, brisk walking, or riding a stationary bike at a good clip -- anything that gets the heart rate up and makes talking tough. The vigorous exercisers also reported less daytime sleepiness and fewer symptoms of depression as a result of their efforts. Feeling Good, Feeling Sleepy The other group in the study spent comparable amounts of time on nonathletic activities, like going to museums or attending classes.

Study Shows Foods Rich in Antioxidants May Reduce the Risk of Death Eat your veggies and you may live longer, a study suggests. The study shows that eating foods rich in antioxidants, like vegetables and fruits, fights disease and may prolong life. Researchers found that people with the highest levels of the antioxidant alpha-carotene in their blood had a 39% lower risk of death from any cause, including heart disease and cancer, than those who had the lowest levels of the antioxidant during the 14-year study. "These findings support increasing fruit and vegetable consumption as a means of preventing premature death," write researcher Chaoyang Li, MD, PhD, of the CDC and colleagues in the Archives of Internal Medicine . Alpha-carotene is part of a group of antioxidants known as carotenoids, which also includes beta-carotene and lycopene. Vegetables particularly high in alpha-carotene include yellow-orange vegetables, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpk

Study Shows Dangers for Women Who Are Overweight but Consider Themselves to Be Normal Weight Nearly one in four women who is overweight perceives her weight as normal, according to a new study. The study also shows 16% of the normal-weight women studied had weight misperceptions, considering themselves overweight, says researcher Mahbubur Rahman, PhD, MBBS, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology and a senior fellow at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Women's Health at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston. There were dangers with both groups of what he terms "misperceivers," he tells WebMD. "Overweight women who were misperceivers are less likely to have healthy weight-loss behaviors." Those of normal weight who thought they were overweight, likewise, had unhealthy behaviors, such as using diet pills or smoking . The study is in the December issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology. "The fact that people mis

High Waist Circumference in Kids Increases Risk of Heart-Related Disorders Children with higher levels of belly fat have higher pulse pressures, which puts them at risk for heart-related disorders, a new study finds. Gangadarshni Chandramohan, MD, of Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, says doctors should measure children's waist circumference to judge their level of obesity , rather than the commonly used body mass index, which is a ratio of weight to height. Chandramohan and colleagues studied data on 4,667 children between 6 and 17, all part of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which is done by the CDC in Atlanta. Body Mass Index Doesn't Correlate to Higher Pulse Pressures "We found the children's body mass didn't correlate to higher pulse pressures," Chandramohan says in a news release. "This study suggests pediatricians add waist measurements to their routine screeni

Controversial Painkiller Sunk by Dangerous Heart Side Effects The FDA has at last banned Darvon, Darvocet, and other brand/generic drugs containing propoxyphene -- a safety-plagued painkiller from the 1950s. New proof of heart side effects, in studies of healthy people taking normal doses of the drug, prompted the FDA to act. An estimated 10 million Americans are taking Darvocet and other propoxyphene painkillers. They should NOT immediately stop taking the drugs, as there is danger of serious withdrawal symptoms. Patients taking the drugs should instead immediately contact their doctors for help switching to different methods of pain control. "Don't delay," warns Gerald Dal Pan, MD, MHS, director of the FDA's office of surveillance and epidemiology. The FDA action comes nearly six years after the drug was banned in the U.K., and nearly a year and a half after the European drug agency banned it. The public interest group Public Citizen petition

Ditching belly fat may be a simple matter of choosing the right rice or bread. And the choice to make? Whole grain. You probably already love whole grains for their heart-healthy, disease-defying superpowers. So new research on their belly-fat-busting abilities should vault whole grains to the top of your grocery list. A One-Grain Guy In fact, the more whole grains you add to your diet in place of refined grains, the better off your waistline will be. In a new study where scientists reviewed the diets of close to 3,000 men and women, they found a strong correlation between belly fat and grain choice. The whole-grain lovers tended to have less belly fat than refined-grain buyers -- and had smaller waists, too. But eating more whole grains had a fat-curbing effect only when it was combined with a low intake of refined grains. So eating that whole-grain cereal at breakfast doesn't mean you can slack off and have the white-bread sandwich at lunchtime.  The Magic Number Just how many

The risk of a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer could be cut by over a third with this side dish: a tossed salad. In a study, eating lots of raw salad veggies dropped HER-2-positive breast cancer risk by nearly 35 percent. HER-2 is a rare but aggressive form of the disease. Time to hit the salad bar! Produce-Aisle Protection The study compared a Western diet -- high in meat and potatoes -- to other diets, and the women who ate not only the most salad veggies but also the most olive oil had the best protection against HER-2 breast cancer. So ask for an olive-oil-based vinaigrette if you don't see one on the salad bar.    Something About Folate Researchers think the antioxidant- and folate-rich salad veggies help with HER-2 cancer because those nutrients are best at thwarting cancer-causing oxidative damage to DNA. And oleic acid, found in olive oil, may hinder the production of HER-2 cancer cells. For some reason, there was only a benefit to HER-2 br

When you are overweight, not only does it cause obvious health implications, but also depression, weakness, fatigue and tiredness often comes with it. Reading this may not exactly cheer you up, since you think you have tried a good many points of attack in the years past - you have tried various diets and given them up again since they made you feel hungry, dizzy and not quite present in your life, or since they simply were time consuming and tedious, making you think of nothing but your meals. The end result was that you gained even more weight. Your depressed state of mind took you to the doctor’s office, where you got some medication prescribed, and you feel perhaps a little better, but the medication has made you even hungrier, and on top of that you don't sleep very well any longer (SSRI preparates frequently have that side effect). Not sleeping makes you even more tired, and being more tired makes your body crave easy energy in the form of food - and not very

Diabetic  Retinopathy Defect in either the secretion and or the action of insulin causes diabetes  mellitus  that is primarily characterized as hyperglycemia.  Insulin, a hormone produced by the beta cells in the pancreas, is required to regulate the blood glucose levels that are produced due to carbohydrate, lipid and protein metabolisms. Based on the onset and the insulin action, diabetes  mellitus  presents as type 1 and type 2 diabetes  mellitus . Though diabetes can be controlled, long term complications of the disease -  nephropathy ,  retinopathy ,  neuropathy  and atherosclerosis are common. Health Problems Related to Diabetic  Retinopathy Eye disorders are common in diabetics and can range from mild to severe in nature. Diabetic  retinopathy , cataract and glaucoma manifest as diabetic eye diseases in chronic diabetics of which diabetic  retinopathy  is the most common. Diabetic  retinopathy  is the damage to the retina caused by changes in the blood vessel

Did you know that your body produces something when you sleep at night with the lights off? The "hormone of darkness" or melatonin is produced by the pineal gland in your brain when you sleep at night with the lights off. It is important that the lights are off because light stops your pineal gland from producing this  hormone while darkness activates its production . This hormone is also partly responsible why you feel drowsy at night. Researches found out that good amounts of melatonin in the body can prevent breast cancer for women. It can also stabilize sleeping patterns. Melatonin also is considered as an antioxidant and can lower down free radicals which causes aging in the body. Furthermore, adequate amounts of it help promote improved learning and good attention span. Lastly, it minimizes the effects of jet lag and some chronic headaches. There are available liquid melatonin supplements in pharmacies at the moment. Scientists haven't found any