More than 600,000 Americans die each year from heart disease, making it the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S. Our medical system is full of treatments to slow the progression of heart disease or reverse it altogether, including the use of medications and surgeries. [Read more…]
What we know about cardiac rehab
February 26, 2015 By 2 Comments
The evidence on vacations, revisited
February 23, 2015 By Leave a Comment
The weather has been so cold and snowy in Ithaca this winter that the local visitor’s bureau jokingly began promoting the Florida Keys on their web site with a header that reads, “That’s it. We surrender. Winter, you win.”
Unfortunately, my family stayed in frigid Ithaca during last week’s winter break. But all of the hub-bub about escaping the cold weather made me think about the evidence on vacation and positive health effects. [Read more…]
How much sleep you need
February 19, 2015 By Leave a Comment
Sleep is one of the holy grails of feeling good each day. Get too much and you may feel groggy and sluggish. Get too little and you may feel irritable, depressed, anxious, unable to focus and plain old sleepy In fact, a growing body of evidence shows that sleep problems increase one’s risk for chronic conditions such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes. [Read more…]
Looking back at the evidence: Low-fat diets
February 16, 2015 By 1 Comment
In the 1970s, heart disease was the leading cause of death in the United States. A group of U.S. Senators wanted to do something about it.
After a series of hearings, Congress voted to enact the first set of Dietary Guidelines for Americans in 1977. Essentially, the guidelines recommended that Americans reduce their intake of saturated fat found in eggs, milk, meats and cheese, and replace those calories with carbohydrates. [Read more…]
The impacts of military deployment
February 12, 2015 By 2 Comments
Even though Operation Enduring Freedom – the war to combat terrorism in Afghanistan and across the globe – has officially ended, there are still about 15,000 U.S. troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. All U.S. service members who have served abroad will likely feel the effects of their deployment for decades. [Read more…]
New policy: Doctors should encourage early literacy
February 4, 2015 By Leave a Comment
Evidence established long ago that reading to young children – especially if you engage in a dialogue with them while you’re reading – helps them develop language skills and prepare for school.
Now the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a new policy encouraging doctors to talk with parents about reading aloud to children, and providing books to low-income families at pediatric well visits. [Read more…]
