Set Goals for Better Sleep

Are you tired of your kids being tired all the time? Learn how to set goals to help them rest, relax, and recharge.

From: http://www.webmd.com/parenting/raising-fit-kids/recharge/features/set-family-goals-sleep?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Coca-Cola gets served a lawsuit by 2 pastors

"I'm losing more people to the sweets than to the streets," DC-area pastor says

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/coca-cola-gets-served-a-lawsuit-by-2-pastors/

County struggles to treat 150 synthetic marijuana overdoses in one week

"We're seeing very sick patients, individuals who have very low blood pressure, and they're getting admitted to intensive care," says director of Lancaster Emergency Medical Services

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/synthetic-marijuana-overdoses-lancaster-pennsylvania/

Dust may spur growth of fat cells, study suggests

Could everyday environmental pollution play a role in the obesity crisis?

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/house-dust-may-spur-growth-of-fat-cells/

WHO: Making injections safe, we all have a part to play

From: World Health Organization https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QmvhlG5oIw

Unique continuing education courses await at ADA 2017

Dental sleep medicine. Implant dentistry. Computer-aided design of restorations. All of the above are just some of the diverse continuing education courses being offered at ADA 2017 – America’s Dental Meeting in Atlanta Oct. 19-23.

From: By David Burger http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2017-archive/july/unique-continuing-education-courses-await-at-ada-2017

ADA: Work with us to achieve comprehensive reform of tax code

In response to a June letter from Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, requesting input on tax reform, the ADA sent the Senate Finance Committee a letter on July 14 with a list of recommendations that outlined the Association's views on "tax-related matters that are of the highest importance to dentists and our patients."

From: By David Burger http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2017-archive/july/ada-work-with-us-to-achieve-comprehensive-reform-of-tax-code

FAQ: What To Know About Dangerous Vibrio Bacteria

Understanding the risks, symptoms and treatment for disease bacteria found in saltwater and raw fish can cause.

From: http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20170713/faq-what-to-know-about-dangerous_vibrio-bacteria?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Diabetes Treatment Teaches Rogue Cells to Behave

'Stem cell educator' provided at least 4 years' benefit for some people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, study says

From: http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/news/20170714/diabetes-treatment-teaches-rogue-cells-to-behave?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Mayo Clinic Minute: Rise in tick-related meat allergy

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9_vMWRNx-k

Mother Questions Use of Chemical After Son's Death

EPA has struggled to regulate powerful chemical used to strip paint even after multiple deaths from its use.

From: http://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20170714/mother-questions-use-of-chemical-after-sons-death?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Mom warns of "Pink" drug that killed her son

The drug is "anywhere between 7 to 8 times more potent than morphine," experts say

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mom-warns-of-pink-drug-that-killed-21-year-old-son/

Report: Mac and cheese contains chemicals banned from baby products

A new study raises concerns about phthalates in some popular foods

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/macaroni-and-cheese-phthalates-chemicals-banned-from-baby-products/

Kansas dentist helps professor friend with Neanderthal toothaches

Since graduating from dental school in 1983, Dr. Joseph R. Gatti has seen thousands of patients and performed thousands of procedures at his practice. But, he jokes, what he'll probably be known for the rest of his life is being "the Neanderthal dentist."

From: By David Burger http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2017-archive/july/kansas-dentist-helps-professor-friend-with-neanderthal-toothaches

Despite Warnings, Kids Are Still Dying in Hot Cars

Even on a 60-degree day, a small child's body temperature can quickly rise

From: http://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20170714/despite-warnings-kids-are-still-dying-in-hot-cars?src=RSS_PUBLIC

WHO: Making injections safe, we all have a part to play

From: World Health Organization https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QmvhlG5oIw

Revised Senate Bill Allows Bare-Bones Health Plans

Fate of the GOP measure remains uncertain amid party discord

From: http://www.webmd.com/health-insurance/news/20170713/revised-senate-bill-allows-bare-bones-health-plans?src=RSS_PUBLIC

GOP struggling to rally support for new health care proposal

On Thursday Senate Republicans released the newest version of their plan to replace Obamacare. Two key opponents, Sens. Rand Paul and Susan Collins, said they would vote against it. The only holdout who has gone from no to yes is Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Nancy Cordes reports.

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/gop-struggling-to-rally-support-for-new-health-care-proposal/

This is your brain on alcohol

It’s no secret that alcohol affects our brains, and most moderate drinkers like the way it makes them feel — happier, less stressed, more sociable. Science has verified alcohol’s feel-good effect; PET scans have shown that alcohol releases endorphins (the “pleasure hormones”) which bind to opiate receptors in the brain. Although excessive drinking is linked to an increased risk of dementia, decades of observational studies have indicated that moderate drinking — defined as no more than one drink a day for women and two for men — has few ill effects. (A drink equals 1.5 ounces of 80-proof spirits, 5 ounces of wine, or 12 ounces of beer.) However, a recent British study seems to have bad news for moderate drinkers, indicating that even moderate drinking is associated with shrinkage in areas of the brain involved in cognition and learning.

What the study said

A team of researchers from University of Oxford looked at data from 424 men and 103 women who are participating in the 10,000-person Whitehall Study, an ongoing investigation of the relationship of lifestyle and health among British civil servants. At the beginning of the study in 1985, all of the participants were healthy and none were dependent on alcohol. Over the next 30 years, the participants answered detailed questions about their alcohol intake and took tests to measure memory, reasoning, and verbal skills. They underwent brain imaging with MRI at the end of the study.

When the team analyzed the questionnaires, the cognitive test scores, and the MRI scans, they found that the amount of shrinkage in the hippocampus — the brain area associated with memory and reasoning — was related to the amount people drank. Those who had the equivalent of four or more drinks a day had almost six times the risk of hippocampal shrinkage as did nondrinkers, while moderate drinkers had three times the risk. However, the only link between drinking and cognitive performance was that heavy drinkers had a more rapid decline in the ability to name as many words beginning with a specific letter as possible within a minute.

What does this mean?

The study results don’t come as news to Dr. Kenneth J. Mukamal, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Mukamal and his colleagues reported similar findings in 2001. His team studied 3,376 men and women who were enrolled in the Cardiovascular Heart Study and who had also undergone MRI scans and had reported their alcohol consumption. The Harvard researchers also found that brain volume shrank in proportion to alcohol consumed, and that atrophy (shrinkage) was greater even in light and moderate drinkers than in teetotalers.

Yet the meaning of the MRI scans is still far from clear, Dr. Mukamal says. “There’s a great deal of doubt about whether the atrophy seen on MRI is due to loss of brain cells or to fluid shifts within the brain.” He explains that this type of atrophy shows major improvements within weeks when alcoholics stop drinking, which wouldn’t be the case if it were caused by brain cell death. “The study offers little indication of whether moderate drinking is truly good, bad, or indifferent for long-term brain health,” he says.

What should you do?

If you’re a moderate or light drinker trying to decide whether to cut back for health reasons, you probably want to consider a variety of factors:

• Moderate drinking still seems to be good for your heart. More than 100 observational studies have linked moderate drinking to a reduced risk of heart attack, ischemic (clot-caused) stroke, peripheral vascular disease, sudden cardiac death, and death from all cardiovascular causes.
• Moderate drinking has also been associated with a lower risk of gallstones and diabetes.
• For women, even moderate drinking can increase the risk of breast cancer. If you’re a woman at average risk, a drink per day can increase your lifetime risk of breast cancer from 8.25% to 8.8%
• The social and psychological benefits of moderate alcohol consumption. One thing health statistics haven’t measured is the enjoyment of moderate drinking. It is fine to enjoy a glass of wine as the perfect accompaniment to a good dinner, or celebrate a happy occasion with a cocktail with friends.

The post This is your brain on alcohol appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

From: Beverly Merz http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/this-is-your-brain-on-alcohol-2017071412000

Making Mayo's Recipes: 2 homemade salad dressings to know by heart

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7O1xTFwwVc