Health Headlines

May 22, 2009

Kava for Anxiety: Is Short-Term Use Safe?

A water-soluble extract of the plant kava was found to be safe and highly effective for the short-term treatment of anxiety in a new study. But […]
May 22, 2009

About one-third of people unwisely don’t wear sunscreen. Should you?

Absolutely! Sun exposure can cause sunburn, wrinkles, age spots, and contribute to skin cancer. But despite that, 31% of Americans say they NEVER wear sunscreen, even […]
May 22, 2009

Supposed ‘miracle drug’ for autism called ‘junk’

Desperate to help their autistic children, hundreds of parents nationwide are turning to an unproven and potentially damaging treatment: multiple high doses of a drug sometimes […]
May 20, 2009

Pacifiers for Babies – What are the Risks and Benefits?

Family physicians and pediatricians are often asked for guidance about pacifier use in babies and children. We’re also asked when to appropriately wean a child from […]
May 20, 2009

Choosing Baby’s Playpen – Safety suggestions to help avoid injury

A playpen can help parents get things done with the knowledge that baby can’t wander off or get into some sort of mischievous. But it’s no […]
May 20, 2009

Congressmen Challenge President Obama on Abortion-Conscience Clause Promise

Color me stunned. Either our President is actually open to allowing pro-life healthcare professionals to practice medicine based upon their deeply held moral and religious beliefs […]
May 18, 2009

Is Alzheimer’s Disease in Your Future? New Tool May Answer Question

It may soon be easier to predict which patients 65 and older will develop Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, researchers said – at least compared with […]
May 18, 2009

Obama Pulls Report Calling Pro-Life Advocates Extremists

The Obama administration has officially pulled a Department of Homeland Security Report that claims pro-life people may engage in violence or extremism. The document, which has […]
June 8, 2011

Cotton swabs linked to ruptured eardrums, study shows

A new study has found a direct association between using cotton swabs to clean the ears and ruptured eardrums. The good news is that almost all of […]
June 9, 2011

Caution about ‘ear candles’

After my blog, “Cotton swabs linked to ruptured eardrums,” a reader wrote, “Dr. Walt, what do you think about ear candles?” I thought I had blogged […]
June 9, 2011

Daycare centers purposely flout TV guidelines

A shocking study has reported that media, such as just turning on the TV, is used far too often as a replacement for adult-child interaction. In […]
June 12, 2011

Prolonged bottle feeding boosts kids’ obesity risk: study

Nearly one-quarter of 2-year-old babies who are still drinking from a bottle at 2 years of age may be prone to obesity by the time they […]
June 12, 2011

Breast-feeding reduces later behavior problems

A recent British study finds more behavioral issues among kids who were formula-fed, as compared to kids who are breastfed. In fact, breast-fed children are significantly […]
June 13, 2011

Breastfeeding protects against SIDS

According to a review (meta-analysis) of 24 studies in the journal Pediatrics, breastfeeding substantially reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), especially when breast milk […]