Dr. John's Health Matters
Welcome to Dr. John's Health Matters blog.
The articles posted here are from various sources who are duly acknowledged. I would appreciate being immediately notified, if any copywritten material needs to be removed. This blog is not intended to replace the qualified advice of a licensed health practitioner. Readers should exercise their own judgment. Enjoy, subscribe, participate and tell others :)
Following:
Navigate
COMING SOON!
Expand all | Collapse all 
Search
Click Tags under Articles
NOTE: SEARCH BY KEYWORD FUNCTIONS BELOW ARE TEMPORARILY MALFUNCTIONING. USE AT OWN RISK.
Or Display Full Article by
Posts tagged "exposure"
Tuesday, Sep 1st, 2009 ↓Heart Suffers From Just a Few Whiffs of Smoke →
Sept 1, 2009 (Therapytimes.com)—Just a few whiffs of tobacco smoke or dirty air can have a profound negative impact on your heart’s health.
Study results released today by the American Heart Association suggest that exposure to even a small amount of smoke — whether it’s from your own cigarette or someone else’s — greatly increases your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. The same goes for breathing in air polluted with carbon monoxide emissions.
“It doesn’t require extreme exposure to have significant cardiovascular effects. Even passive exposures to ambient air pollution and secondhand smoke contribute to significant increases in cardiovascular mortality,” study author C. Arden Pope III, PhD, says in a statement.
For full article, see link above.
Tags: heart cardiovascular risk disease smoke tobacco risk danger exposure cigarette breathing air pollution
How Cigarettes and Smoking Impact Your Pet’s Health →
Sept 1, 2009 (Mercola.com)—A growing body of research shows there are no safe levels of exposure to secondhand smoke — for humans or for animals. And one new study shows that nearly 30 percent of pet owners live with at least one smoker — a number far too high given the consequences of exposure to secondhand smoke (“SHS”)
An estimated 50,000 Americans lose their lives to secondhand smoke annually and 4 million youth (16 percent) are exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes. A number of studies have indicated that animals, too, face health risks when exposed to the toxins in secondhand smoke, from respiratory problems, allergies and even nasal and lung cancer in dogs and lymphoma in cats. In addition, the ASPCA, one of the largest animal rights groups in the U.S., lists tobacco smoke as a toxin that is dangerous to pets.
“Nicotine from secondhand smoke can have effects to the nervous systems of cats and dogs,” said Dr. Sharon Gwaltney-Brant, Medical Director of the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center. “Environmental tobacco smoke has been shown to contain numerous cancer-causing compounds, making it hazardous for animals as well as humans.
In order to better protect dogs, cats or other pets, the foundation and ASPCA recommend that smokers—who often consider their domestic pets a part of the family—“take it outside” when they are smoking.
For full article, see link above.
Tags: cigarette second hand smoke smoking pet risk tobacco exposure nicotine nervous system cancer toxin
Thyroid Cancer on the Rise →
Aug 20, 2009 (Mercola.com)—Even as overall cancer rates fall, thyroid cancer rates are still rising. Diagnoses of thyroid cancer are increasing about 6 percent a year. There are several possible reasons why, including:
Radiation: Radiation exposure, especially in childhood, can increase thyroid cancer risk. Increased radiation exposure from medical scans and other sources may be contributing to the overall increase.
Obesity: Some early studies suggest it might be a factor — and researchers know it’s increasing.
Diet: Some studies suggest diets low in fruits and vegetables or with iodine levels that are too high or too low might play roles.
Sources: 
USA Today August 17, 2009
Tags: thyroid cancer risk diet lifestyle radiation exposure obesity fruit vegetable iodine medical scan
Most parents ignorant of children's eye protection →
Aug 19, 2009 (Presstv.com)—The latest findings show 75 percent of parents are risking their children’s eyesight by exposing them to sun without appropriate protection.
Experts from the College of Optometrists ran a poll of 2,000 people to find out the level of parents’ concern over the harm sun can do to children.
The researchers said 75 percent of parents had told them their children do not always wear glasses with UV protection.
The shocking number comes alongside of poll results saying 76 percent of the participating parents apply sun cream to their children to protect them.
Sun exposure can damage the skin and cause dryness, wrinkles, rashes and blisters. Doctors suggest individuals stay out of the sun as much as possible and use sunscreen on all areas exposed to the sun.
Researchers say prolonged sun exposure in childhood and early in life can cause gene mutations later in life that are linked to the deadliest form of skin cancer, melanoma.
The survey shows 29 percent of parents never buy sunglasses for their youngsters and if they do, only 25 percent buy a trustworthy brand and 46 percent put the price before the level of protection.
Tags: child children kid eyesight exposure sun eye protection sunlight uv ray sunscreen sunblock damage skin wrinkle rash blister skin cancer melanoma sunglasses
Milk May Be Safe, Even Encouraged, For Some Children After Treatment For Milk Allergy →
Aug 18, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Some children with a history of severe milk allergy may be able to safely drink milk and consume other dairy products every day, according to research led by the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and published in the Aug. 10 online edition of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
Investigators followed up with a subset of children who were part of an earlier Hopkins Children’s-led study published in 2008 in which patients allergic to milk were given increasingly higher doses of milk over time. For many of them, continuous exposure to milk allergens – the proteins that trigger bad reactions – slowly and gradually retrained their immune systems to better tolerate the very food that once sent those systems into overdrive.
The follow-up of 18 children ages 6 to 16 whose severe milk allergies had eased or disappeared found that all children were able to safely consume milk at home, and that reactions, while common, were generally mild and grew milder and milder over time. The follow-up varied from three to 17 months, depending on how long it took patients to increase their milk intake.
These findings also suggest that regular use of milk and dairy foods may be needed for children to maintain their tolerance.
“We now have evidence from other studies that some children once successfully treated remain allergy-free even without daily exposure, while in others the allergies return once they stop regular daily exposure to milk,” says Robert Wood, M.D., the study’s senior investigator and director of Allergy & Immunology at Hopkins Children’s. “This may mean that some patients are truly cured of their allergy, while in others the immune system adapts to regular daily exposure to milk and may, in fact, need the exposure to continue to tolerate it,” he adds.
For full article see link above.
Tags: milk dairy allergy child children treatment exposure allergen trigger immune system food
Sun Exposure May Trigger Certain Autoimmune Diseases In Women →
July 30, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight may be associated with the development of certain autoimmune diseases, particularly in women, according to a study by researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health.
“This study found that women who lived in areas with higher levels of UV exposure when they developed an autoimmune muscle disease called myositis were more likely to develop the form known as dermatomyositis, which weakens the muscles and causes distinctive rashes, instead of the form called polymyositis that does not have a rash,” said Frederick W. Miller, M.D., Ph.D., chief of the Environmental Autoimmunity Group, Program of Clinical Research, at NIEHS. “Although we have not shown a direct cause and effect link between UV exposure and this particular autoimmune disease, this study confirms the association between UV levels and the frequency of dermatomyositis that we found in a previous investigation,” said Miller.
For full article see link above.
Tags: sun exposure UV ray ultraviolet risk autoimmune muscle disease myositis dermatomyositis weakness rash women woman
Anesthesia in Young Kids Leads to Learning Disabilities →
July 30, 2009 (NaturalNews.com)— Exposure to anesthesia more than once before the age of three appears to significantly increase a person’s risk of developing learning disabilities in childhood, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Mayo Medical School and published in the journal Anesthesiology.
The researchers examined the medical records of all children born in one of five towns in Olmstead County, Minn., between the years of 1976 and 1982. They compared data on anesthesia exposure before the age of three and the diagnosis of a learning disability before the age of 19 in the 5,357 of these children who had lived in Olmstead County until at least the age of five.
Among children who had been exposed to anesthesia once before the age of three, the risk of learning abilities was the same as among children who had never been exposed. Two anesthesia exposures, however, increased the risk of learning disabilities by 59 percent, while three or more exposures increased the risk by 160 percent.
For full article see link above.
Tags: exposure anesthesia infant child learning disability development risk behaviour halothane
Emphysema Severity Directly Linked To Coal Dust Exposure →
July 23, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Coal dust exposure is directly linked to severity of emphysema in smokers and nonsmokers alike, according to new research from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
“In this study we have shown that coal mine dust exposure is a significant predictor of emphysema severity,” said Eileen Kuempel, Ph.D., a senior scientist at NIOSH and lead author of the study.
The findings, which were reported in the August 1 issue of the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (AJRCCM), highlight a health problem related to a growing industry. In the past 25 years, coal production has nearly doubled worldwide.
For full article see link above.
Diet May Contribute Significantly To Body Burden Of Flame Retardants →
July 15, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)— A new study suggests that diet is an important route of exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). PBDEs are a class of flame retardants that are commonly found in consumer products such as polyurethane foam, electronics and textiles.
PBDEs have been measured in dust, air and both animal- and plant-derived foods. Dust has been thought to be the foremost route of exposure to PBDEs, but the new findings of this study suggest that diet also may play a significant role. Serum levels of PBDE congeners were associated with consumption of fat from poultry and red meat but not with consumption of fish or dairy products.
Although it is not known how flame retardants get into commercial animal products, possibilities include the contamination of animal feed, contamination during processing or packaging and general contamination of the environment. PBDEs accumulate in fat tissue and resist degradation in the environment.
“Our study offers the first large-scale look at the effect of the American diet on PBDE body burdens showing significant associations with poultry and red meat consumption,” wrote the team of authors from the Boston University School of Public Health. “As PBDE-containing products continue to degrade and enter the waste stream in larger amounts, future exposure to PBDEs may begin to shift more heavily from the indoor environment to the outdoor environment and, consequently, the diet.”
For full article see link above.
Tags: environment diet nutrition animal plant food dust PBDE exposure serum flame retardant
New Research: Nitrates and Nitrites May Cause Alzheimer's, Diabetes and Parkinson's Disease →
July 7, 2009 (Naturalnews.com)—According to a new study by scientists at Rhode Island Hospital, millions of Americans could be at risk of serious and even fatal diseases because of chemicals used to fertilizer and to preserve food. Scientists have found a strong link between increasing levels of nitrates and nitrites in our food supply and increasing death rates from Alzheimer’s, diabetes mellitus and Parkinson’s disease.
The research, just published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, investigated trends in death rates due to diseases associated with advancing age. They found convincing parallels between age adjusted rises in mortality from certain illnesses — Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and diabetes — and the steadily increasing human exposure to nitrates, nitrites and nitrosamines through processed and preserved foods as well as fertilizers.
Suzanne de la Monte, MD, MPH, of Rhode Island Hospital, and her research team suggest that the exposure to these chemicals is playing a direct role in the cause, development and effects of the pandemic of these diseases. “Because of the similar trending in nearly all age groups within each disease category, this indicates that these overall trends are not due to an aging population. This relatively short time interval for such dramatic increases in death rates associated with these diseases is more consistent with exposure-related causes rather than genetic changes,” Dr. de la Monte explained in a statement to the media. “Moreover, the strikingly higher and climbing mortality rates in older age brackets suggest that aging and/or longer durations of exposure have greater impacts on progression and severity of these diseases.”
For full article see link above.
Tags: parkinsons diabetes alzheimers fertilizer nitrate food processed preserved nutrition diet nitrite nitrosamine exposure chemical disease aging
Too Much TV in Early Childhood May Elevate Asthma Risk →
GLASGOW, Scotland, March 3 09 (medical news) — Young children who watch more than two hours of television a day may have an increased risk of developing asthma in the coming years than those who watch less TV, a study showed. Action Points
- Explain to patients that this study found that kids who watched more than two hours of TV a day — used as a proxy for sedentary behavior — had a higher chance of developing asthma than more active youngsters.
- Point out that this study cannot determine causality.
Kids who watched the most TV as 3-year-olds were nearly twice as likely as those who watched less than two hours a day to have asthma when they reached 11 (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.2 to 2.6), Andrea Sherriff, Ph.D., of the University of Glasgow, and colleagues reported online in Thorax.
For full medical article, see link above.
