A Cure For Peanut Allergy?

1.8 million people in the United States suffer from peanut allergy. Up to 200 deaths are attributed to food allergies each year. It is the first evidence that recently came out that life-threatening peanut allergy could someday be cured, at least that's what Duke researchers say. They have used the technique called oral immunotherapy to deal with the allergy. Here's how it works. Twenty-nine severely allergic children spent a day in the hospital swallowing minuscule, but slowly increasing doses of peanut flour until they had a reaction. The children were then sent home with a dose of peanut flour after 8 months to 10 months of gradual increase. At that point, most of the children could not eat the equivalent of 15 peanuts, but they could try, and they didn't stop there. They slowly built. According to new research, 4 children in the initial report and a 5th that had finished testing just a week ago actually stopped treatment. The bottom line here is we don't have a cure, but we may be able to, in controlled situations, possibly desensitize.

Invisible Friends Can Be Normal For Kids

They are called invisible friends. A lot of parents get upset if their child has an invisible friend, wondering when it’s going to go away and when they’re going to forget about it. Here’s the bottom line, there is nothing wrong with having an invisible friend. It’s actually a normal phase of development and it shows that imagination is actually working well. If your child has an invisible friend, let them know that they’re using their imagination, but don’t tell them they can’t do it. Again, bring them back to reality to let them know there is a reality.
For more information check www.mymedicalreports.com

Stress and Pain

Can stress cause pain? Well, in many ways it can. It’s the pain of dealing with the stress and trying to find ways to handle it. As someone who often counsels patients who are dealing with pressure, it’s very important that they learn to understand that stress can occur, but it’s not a reason to let it overwhelm you. What you need to do, more or less, is to take the time to evaluate these things without getting overly concerned. Take the stress. Find ways to relieve it. Find ways to avoid it if you possibly can.

Breast Cancer Awareness: Things To Know

I have a question for you? What is the most common form of cancer in women? Well, it’s breast cancer. Approximately 225,000 new breast cancers are diagnosed every year. Almost one in every eight women will develop breast cancer during her lifetime. The risk of getting breast cancer increases with age. Therefore, the risk of an 80-year-old is greater than that of a 60-year-old, and it takes a toll. About 45,000 women will die of breast cancer this year. Any woman can get breast cancer, but there are certain risk factors. The most important is family history. The greatest risk is in women who have a mother, daughter or sister with the disease, especially if they develop breast cancer before menopause, or if both breasts were affected. Families with a history of male breast cancer, or relatives with ovarian cancer are also at increased risk. Breast cancer genes can be detected in about 5% of breast cancer patients.
For much more information check www.mymedicalreports.com.

Endurance Athletes: Please Read This

Are you an endurance athlete, or on the path to running that first marathon, or participating as a tri-athlete? Or are you a person who runs that daily 5k? At first glance, you are to be commended because you are clearly doing all you can to stay in condition and keeping your heart healthy, but there is a down side. You know the phrase, "Everything in moderation?" Well, that phrase is very true. Endurance athletes are definitely going beyond moderation and there are concerns. For instance, you are more likely to have overuse injuries; things like tendinitis, patello-femoral pain syndrome, plantar fasciitis, and stress fractures. You get the idea. A lot of wear and tear. Many of these sections can be treated by rest. Necessary rehab can help as well, but you need to make sure you train and go over it with your physician. It's essential.

It's The Moors.....It's The Moops

The classic Seinfeld Bubble Boy episode may have been funny but for children with deficiencies in their immune system like those with SCID or "bubble boy" disease there is a real risk of dying from common infections. Now there is news that a treatment could cure people of the problem that causes this condition.
This is the case of work being done against an orphan illness. In other words a condition where there is not a great deal of money to be made. But, for the person with the condition it is the only one that matters.

Cutting Calories and Something Called CRP

It is another case of people learning more over time. We all know about losing weight by cutting calories. We also know quite well it's very difficult to cut calories for one major reason. Hunger. But there may be a very simple solution out there and it's worth looking into. According to a Penn State report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the key to losing weight and maintaining heart health could be by taking advantage of healthy grains. Researchers found those who trimmed calories and increased their whole grain intake shed more belly fat and lowered their blood levels of C-reactive protein, or CRP. Now, why is CRP important? It's a marker of chronic low-level inflammation in the blood vessels and both abdominal fat and CRP in excess are linked to heart attack and stroke.
For more information check www.mymedicalreports.com

Exercise and Stress

Trying to find the time to exercise may be one of the most difficult things to do for many of us because it is often easier to sit back and rest than to go out and jog, ride a bike or hit the gym. But in these stressful times it may be more important than ever to get out there and get the heart rate up and build up a sweat. There are studies that show that exercise helps us deal with stress, but all you have to do is think about how much energy you gain from a workout to realize this. In addition, if the exercise is made part of a sport or competitive game it can help you forget worries and concerns for a while. I know that I am always recommending exercise for the long term benefits...and yes there are many long term benefits. But, the simple fact is that exercise can help you every day and there are immediate effects. Just check out www.mymedicalreports.com for the latest on exercise benefits.

Stress and The Working Mom

It is an issue that gets very little attention but it should. We all know that stress..or too much stress...can play a very dramatic role on our health. Whether it is something that happens fast, like a major loss, or something that has to be dealt with over time, it can have a role in raising blood pressure, lead to tension headaches or potentially affect the aging process in a wide variety of ways. For many women the responsibilities of a full time job combined with the traditional role and expectations of being a mother can be an overwhelming stress that can lead to pressure day after day. Certainly the combination of duties can be difficult, but the psychological pressure of feeling that you are not completing each job to personal satisfaction can be a strain. If you feel this way, you should talk about it with others. Certainly most 9-5 jobs can be demanding but any full time Mom will tell you there job is never done. Don't put unrealistic pressure on yourself. For more information check out http://www.mymedicalreports.com/