Infection caused by the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis (also called meningococcus) is a very serious illness. It can cause meningitis, which is an infection of the lining of the brain and spinal cord, and can also cause infections in the blood, and can result in death or serious disability. This infection often occurs suddenly, without warning,…...

I was a formula-fed baby myself, which is not surprising considering the year that I was born. In the late 50’s two "modern" baby formulas were introduced, Similac and Enfamil, both of which were aggressively advertised with exaggerated and unsubstantiated claims of health benefits for babies. These ads even subtly insinuated that breast feeding was…...

Last article we talked about some of the beneficial ingredients in breast milk, and some of the benefits that breastfeeding provides for babies. I thought that this week, we would focus more on moms. In the early 1960's formula was being aggressively marketed to new mothers and their doctors. Women trusted the claims that formula…...

There has been significant press coverage recently regarding lead poisoning.  I thought this might be an interesting topic for our Health Tip this week. What is lead poisoning? Lead poisoning is the result of lead build up in the body.  Once lead is taken into the body, it distributes throughout the body.  It can damage…...

I'm sure that most of you have heard of shingles, but you may not actually know that much about it.  Shingles is a rash which is a concentrated area of blisters that typically scab over in 7 to 10 days.  The rash then slowly clears up completely over the next 2-3 weeks.  This rash is…...

Most of you have heard of shingles.  It is a painful, blistery rash caused by a virus.  Did you know that shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox?  When you have chicken pox, although the infection seems to go away completely, the virus actually stays in your nerve cells, alive but…...

Getting too little sleep, called sleep deficiency, can lead to some serious physical and mental health problems, and can also put you at higher risk for injuries, and even a higher risk of death.  Sleep, just like breathing, eating, and drinking, is a basic human need.  Sleep plays a very important role in your health…...

Last article we learned some of the basics of sleep, including what makes us sleep.  Today I thought we could talk about why sleep is so important, and how much sleep we really need. Why is sleep so important? The truth is that we don't really know enough about why we sleep.  However, we do…...