Bacteria do, and will, end up in food. Everyone eats – intentionally or unintentionally – millions to billions of live microbes every day. Most are completely harmless, but some can cause serious illnesses in humans. Because of these potential pathogens, there is a long list of foods to avoid, including uncooked eggs, raw fish and […]
5 min read
Every year, about 20% of Americans will get hives – those itchy, red bumps or welts that can appear after a day in the garden, taking medication, being bitten by a bug or for no apparent reason at all. Patricia A. MacCulloch is a nurse practitioner and professor of nursing who teaches about hives, among […]
4 min read
The pursuit of a cure for Alzheimer’s disease is becoming an increasingly competitive and contentious quest with recent years witnessing several important controversies. In July 2022, Science magazine reported that a key 2006 research paper, published in the prestigious journal Nature, which identified a subtype of brain protein called beta-amyloid as the cause of Alzheimer’s, […]
4 min read
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued a recommendation statement in June 2022 on the use of over-the-counter vitamin supplements. Based on its independent panel of experts’ review of existing scientific evidence, the task force recommended against using beta carotene or vitamin E supplements for the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease, the two leading […]
5 min read
Scientific studies and media coverage are rife with warnings on how sugar, carbohydrates, saturated fat and lack of exercise contribute to obesity. And tens of millions of Americans are still overweight or obese in large part because of the classic Western diet and lifestyle. As an educator, researcher and professor of medicine, I have spent […]
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For the Laudick family of Greensburg, Indiana, life forever changed on Aug. 5, 2013. That was the day 4-year-old Leah Laudick told her mom, Shelly, that she had a bad headache. Two days later, Leah was hospitalized nearby with worsening headaches and a slightly elevated white blood cell count. She slept for most of the […]
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