Parents have a lot to worry about when it comes to their children. From disease, to kidnapping, terrorism, and more, it seem like no matter what parents do they can never be sure their child is safe. Accidents happen all the time. In the United States, a child dies from an unintentional injury every hour. Even though this number seems extremely high, the death rate from unintentional injury has actually plunged about 30% between 2000 and 2009.

A recent report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, found that the rate of child injury death in the United States is among the worst off al high-income countries. Actually, it is more than double that of countries like Canada and France. Ileana Arias, principal deputy director of CDC sates that most of child injury deaths are completely preventable.

I think that pretty much everyone who lives in the north east can agree that winter bypassed us this year. Some of us loved the warm temperatures and lack of snow shoveling, while others are disappointed at the lack of snow and worried about the current climate conditions. Is this a new trend? Are we to never have a white Christmas again? As a dog owner I have to say I loved this winter. It was never too cold to take my pet out for walks, I never had to shovel snow so he can go to the bathroom, all was well. Right now though, I wish this winter had been “normal”. Why? Because it turns out a warm winter brings early ticks. And this means problems for my dog and for me.

Tick season should not yet be in full force. Usually, the peak of tick season comes around May. However, many pet owners have already seen adult black-legged ticks on their pets. Paul Curtis, professor of natural sciences at Cornell University is one of those pet owners. He has seen adult ticks around his house mid-March. Usually, around this time of the year eggs barely begin to hatch. Adult ticks should be nowhere in sight.

Controlling our weight is hard. What we eat, when we eat, and how much we exercise are at the forefront of our minds when we decide we need to lose a few ponds. There are many options to aid us in achieving our goals from gym memberships, to personal trainers, nutrition experts, and diet foods. However, our busy lives and lack of money can impede us from sticking to any plan. So, if it is this hard for us to lose weight with all our options, it makes sense that it is even harder for our pets. According to a recent survey, more than half of our beloved cats and dogs are overweight.

The media and certain campaigns focus on raising awareness about the risks of being overweight for humans. Well, our risks are a lot like those our pets are exposed to if they are overweight. These include breathing problems, type two diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and kidney disease. And if your pet is sick, your wallet is surely going to cry. Vet bills are astronomical and very few pet owners have any type of medical insurance for their animals. Only two pounds overweight for cats can cause complications, and only 5 pounds for dogs.  Pets might be cute and fluffy when a bit overweight but if their weight is endangering their lives, shouldn’t you help the stay healthy and happy?

In this day and age lipstick is pretty much a must in every woman’s makeup kit. I personally do not use much makeup, only some mascara and blush, but I wear lipstick pretty much every day. I find it fun to change my look with just one application. Even as a child, when my mother would prohibit adult makeup, I would try to color my lips by sucking on colored lollipops or red M&Ms. But nowadays as it turns out, my favorite accessory can be dangerous to my health. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) discovered that 400 of the most popular shades of lipstick contain traces of lead.

The FDA did not always worry about lipstick. That all changed in 2007 when a study done by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found traces of lead in most of the 33 lipstick they tested. Upon making this discovery, the organization began pressuring the FDA for tests on all lipsticks available on the market. Now that the tests are done and the results are in, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is pressuring the FDA to set a limit on lead in cosmetics.

Chronic Kidney Disease, or CKD affects more than 10% of United States Citizens over the age of 20. So you’d think all citizens would be aware of the condition and all conditions that can result from having CKD. But last month one of my friends came to me and told me that in order to lose weight he is on a strict calorie counting diet and had stopped drinking water completely and only drinks coffee and soda because it helps him lose “water weight” by making him have to go to the bathroom more often. Water is vital to cleaning our kidneys and proper diet is needed to ensure good kidney function. When I heard what he said I realized many people are still unaware of their kidney health, role of the kidneys and how to avoid damaging the organs. So I started this blog in an attempt to raise awareness about CKD and maybe statements like my friend’s will never be uttered again.

The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs that can be found on either side of the spine. The main function of these organs is the removal of waste and excess water from the blood. Not only this, but the kidneys also produce certain hormones that have important ramifications in the welfare of the whole body. If you take medications, or drink alcohol, or even just eat junk food, the kidneys are what remove all those toxins from the body. 

We all know that if our child has health issues, physical or mental, it affects us as parents as well as the rest of the family. A sick child adds stress to the family as well as can put strains on relationships between parents and among friends. But do not think that if a parent has issues, the child is not affected. A new study shows that depression in fathers is strongly connected to the child’s behavioral problems.

Links had been previously shown between depression in mothers and effects on children especially if the child is young. This study, conducted at the New York University School of Medicine, is the first study to look at, and find, links between the father’s overall mental health and the child’s behavior.

Bread, milk, eggs and an ear infection check-up? One of these is certainly not like the others, but you can get all of these things at your local CVS, Target or Wal-Mart. While not new anymore, retail health clinics have been growing in popularity. But are they a good idea when your doctor isn’t available or just more dangerous in the long run?

 There are currently 1,200 retail clinics in pharmacies, grocery stores, and big-box retailers. The major players are CVS’ MinuteClinic and Walgreens’ Take Care Health System that make up 77% of all clinics. Walgreens says that 40% of its clinic patients say that if not for the clinics, they would end up going to the emergency room or just not get any treatment at all. Industry leaders say that these clinics are indeed a good idea – they can provide a medical resource that is less expensive for when your physician is not immediately available as well as cut down on unnecessary ER visits. While they are not meant to replace your primary care physician (PCP), the clinics do usually have nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants that can provide screenings and vaccinations. If something is beyond their abilities, they will generally refer you to a physician.

Researchers find benefits in pomegranate juice

The U.S. has recently discredited POM Wonderful’s claims that its juices can help with everything ranging from prostate cancer to heart disease, but new research conducted in Israel has found that the  juice may indeed live up to the hype. In a study funded by the Ministry of Health, Israeli researchers, led by Dr. Batya Kristal, of Western Galilee Hospital in Nahariya found that patients on dialysis that had several cups of the juice each week had decreased their chances of infection. Infections are the second leading killer of patients on dialysis with an estimated 350,000 American deaths each year.

Instead of POM, the study used a brand made by Naturafod, one that had the highest level of polyphenol antioxidants. Antioxidants can reduce the cell damage caused by free radicals; the juice was thus chosen because kidney patients have a higher level of free radicals in the blood because it circulates through the dialysis device. In the study, half of 101 patients were given half a cup of juice three times a week for over a year, and the other half were given a placebo. The results showed that those with the real juice made fewer hospital trips as a result of infection- 40% less in the first hospitalization and 80% less in the second. Additionally, the juice drinkers had less inflammatory molecules in the blood. The findings were presented at the American Society of Nephrology’s meeting known as Renal Week in Denver, Colorado.

The health risks associated with coal mining aren’t anything new, but in light of the recent triumph of the rescued Chilean miners, understanding the dangers of being in or around such an environment is unhealthy.

While working directly with coal is risky, the indirect contact from coal and other related excrements can impact public health. According to April's American Journal of Public Health people who living in coal mining countries, have a higher probability of suffering from a range of health problems.

For millions of people the use of glasses and contacts are the norm, but a recent scientific discovery has been made that may change within the next 10 years.

A BBC Magazine article reported that London based scientists have identified a gene that causes myopia, or shortsightedness and are confident that in the future such conditions can be treated with drugs and eye drops, said lead researcher Dr. Chris Hammond.