Gums Want to avoid cardiovascular disease? One way is to keep your gums healthy. Teeth gnash, bite, rip and shred the foodstuffs that let us live. And the gums that support them are necessary to keep the critters in those foods from making us sick. But gums also become ill. About 30% of adults have […]
Secrets of Statins (6/6/13)
More Secrets Statins are portrayed as the “wonder drugs” of the last two decades. Officially HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, their ability to decrease heart attack and stroke was originally laid down to their ability to decrease cholesterol synthesis. They did lower cholesterol. But that was not the main reason they worked. Statins, like many drugs, were […]
What’s So Bad About Inflammation? (9/12/12)
Friend or Foe? Want to know why you get cancer? According to the national media there’s a clear villain – it’s inflammation. Heart disease? Same cause. Inflammatory bowel disease? Check. Blood clots in the brain? Check. Inflammation is getting such a bad rap these days you have to come to its defense. Because inflammation is […]
Getting healthy through nature (5/14/12)
Getting Well Naturally There are many different ways to get and feel well. One of the simplest is to spend time in nature. But why does it work? Perhaps because we’re hardwired to live and enjoy natural environments. Professor Catherine Ward Thompson recently explained to the BBC that one theory that “our whole neuroendocrine system […]
Do you want your kids getting general anesthesia – for their teeth? (3/14/12)
Teeth and Public Health Lots of kids aged one and a half and above are now getting general anesthesia – for their teeth. It’s more evidence that emphasizing health care treatment solutions over public health can lead to terrible outcomes. More Cavities Starting five years ago, children’s cavities in the US increased in incidence for […]