I didn’t know this, but apparently in 2008 South Los Angeles enacted an ordinance to regulate or limit fast food sales. It was an attempt to lower obesity rates in some of the poorest and unhealthiest neighborhoods.
Now, seven years later, a study has been published that says the intervention didn’t work. It not only didn’t work, but the obesity rates were higher.
… read onAs for the health of
The measles has gotten a lot of media attention lately. And that’s a good thing—I hope it’s increased awareness of the importance of the measles vaccine.
Related post: Measles—A Disneyland souvenir
But I just read about another serious disease outbreak that can also be prevented by vaccine—bacterial meningitis: 6th student in Oregon infected with meningitis bacteria
Last year, there was a significant meningitis outbreak at Princeton University, and one student … read on
I love the British chef Jamie Oliver. He’s funny and he’s passionate about food.
He’s also the father of several small children, and he’s made it a personal crusade to improve the health of children, through food, in his country as well as ours.
A few years ago, he did a reality series, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution
With the news that the Disneyland measles outbreak continues to spread, I was happy to run across this YouTube of the magic comedy duo Penn and Teller. They use a simple but effective game of grapefruit bowling to get their pro-vaccination point across. Enjoy! (Oh, warning, they use a couple of bad words…)
Related posts:
Sláinte,
Frugal … read on
School lunch is importantSince the school year began last month, I’ve been watching and listening with some bemusement to the furor over the new school lunch standards in this country. Kids and parents are Tweeting and Instagramming (is that a verb?) pictures of some pretty unappetizing fare.
Cupcakes are banned! Kids who share their lunch get detention! What, no pizza?
Well, I can afford to be … read on
Last week there was another warning in our local newspaper that a person diagnosed with measles had traveled through our airport. The article advised anyone who was at the airport during that particular time frame, and who might not be vaccinated and/or might be pregnant, to talk to their health care provider.
Measles is very contagious and can be especially dangerous to pregnant women.
In light of continuing misinformation about … read on
More outbreaks of preventable diseasesAlways disturbing to me are the news stories about outbreaks of deadly, crippling diseases—pertussis, measles, polio—that can be safely and effectively prevented by vaccination.
The most recent measles outbreak is in Ohio.
… read onThe Ohio outbreak, like ongoing outbreaks in California and elsewhere, has been linked to unvaccinated travelers bringing the measles virus back from countries where the disease remains common. In Ohio, all of
Last week I posted about first aid for concussions, which is important because head injuries in kids are a growing concern in the medical and public health communities.
Of particular importance is avoiding the potentially fatal “second impact syndrome”; if a young athlete suffers a “mild” concussion and then sustains another within a few weeks, “diffuse cerebral swelling, brain herniation, … read on
Rest, rest and more restGone are the days of the middle school football coach telling a player to “Shake it off and get back in the game.”
Proper first aid and treatment of concussions has received a lot of attention in recent years, mostly due to the alarming increase in long-term neurological problems—memory loss and behavior changes—suffered by professional athletes and soldiers.
Concerned pediatricians and public health officials … read on
Educating patients and doctorsI’m a big fan of the Choosing Wisely® campaign sponsored by the ABIM Foundation, a non-profit group established by the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Why? Because the campaign’s objective is to reduce the number of unnecessary and potentially harmful (not to mention expensive) medical procedures being done in the US.
… read onChoosing Wisely® aims to promote conversations between physicians and patients by helping patients choose