Hidden hazards in fruits and veggies

If you’ve been in a supermarket lately you’ve seen my type: roaming the produce aisles in a daze, silently debating organic or conventionally grown, local or imported, while weighing taste and health benefits against the often exorbitant price differential. And after all that, I usually end up deciding that eating more fruits and vegetables of any sort is the most important thing, no matter how they’re grown or where they come from. Now comes new research that is causing me to rethink my position and wonder whether I should be concentrating on limiting my family’s exposure to the pesticides often found in trace amounts…

Hidden hazards in fruits and veggies

If you’ve been in a supermarket lately you’ve seen my type: roaming the produce aisles in a daze, silently debating organic or conventionally grown, local or imported, while weighing taste and health benefits against the often exorbitant price differential. And after all that, I usually end up deciding that eating more fruits and vegetables of any sort is the most important thing, no matter how they’re grown or where they come from. Now comes new research that is causing me to rethink my position and wonder whether I should be concentrating on limiting my family’s exposure to the pesticides often found in trace amounts on commercially grown produce. What got me going is a study in last month’s edition of the journal Pediatrics …

Donating bone marrow or cord blood

Thousands of patients with leukemia and other lethal diseases need a potentially life-saving bone marrow or cord blood transplant from an unrelated donor. Here’s how to donate: This Story Mixed and hard to match Donating bone marrow or cord blood Attend a donor drive or complete a consent form through the National Marrow Donor Program. Donors, who must be between 18 and 60 years old and meet certain health guidelines, provide a swab of cheek cells or blood for tissue typing. This information becomes part of a national registry searchable by patients worldwide. Further testing determines a match. Donors who are a match decide…

Donating bone marrow or cord blood

Thousands of patients with leukemia and other lethal diseases need a potentially life-saving bone marrow or cord blood transplant from an unrelated donor. Here’s how to donate: This Story Mixed and hard to match Donating bone marrow or cord blood Attend a donor drive or complete a consent form through the National Marrow Donor Program. Donors, who must be between 18 and 60 years old and meet certain health guidelines, provide a swab of cheek cells or blood for tissue typing. This information becomes part of a national registry searchable by patients worldwide. Further testing determines…

Supplements and herbal remedies may ease migraines

People who suffer from frequent migraines are often drawn to herbal remedies and vitamin or mineral supplements, and understandably so. The headaches themselves can be debilitating, and the prescription drugs sometimes used to prevent them — including certain antidepressants, beta blockers and calcium channel blockers — don’t always work and often cause side effects. Unfortunately, evidence to support the alternative treatments is generally poor, and some of them may pose their own risks. And, as with all dietary supplements, there’s no guarantee that what’s on the label is actually in the bottle, since oversight by the Food and Drug Administration is minimal at best. Look for products labeled “USP Verified,” which have been tested by the U.S. Pharmacopeia for purity and potency…

Quick Study: Immunizations

THE QUESTION Might giving infants a sweet-tasting sugar solution before immunizations make the shots more bearable? THIS STUDY analyzed data from 14 studies in which children 1 to 12 months old were randomly assigned to be given a sucrose or glucose solution, plain water or nothing shortly before an immunization. Youngsters given a sugary solution cried less often and for a shorter time than did the others. A 30 percent solution, for instance, reduced crying by 20 percent. More-concentrated solutions were more effective than less-concentrated ones, and younger children seemed to benefit more than older ones. No negative effects were reported. WHO …

Man with hormonal condition gets strength through Internet links

I was in college when my life changed forever. My doctor told me that I had acromegaly, a serious condition that affects only about three people per million. Acromegaly results when the pituitary releases too much growth hormone, often because of a benign tumor. The symptoms can cause crippling headaches, forms of diabetes, impotence, physical deformities, severe heart problems and more. Meanwhile, I had other issues. Eating disorders caused me to always be hungry. I could spend hours at a buffet, and be starving right after. My sleeping patterns were way off, and I would pass out more than eight times a day. My emotions were like a tornado ripping through a trailer park. In the …

Man with hormonal condition gets strength through Internet links

I was in college when my life changed forever. My doctor told me that I had acromegaly, a serious condition that affects only about three people per million. Acromegaly results when the pituitary releases too much growth hormone, often because of a benign tumor. The symptoms can cause crippling headaches, forms of diabetes, impotence, physical deformities, severe heart problems and more. Meanwhile, I had other issues. Eating disorders caused me to always be hungry. I could spend hours at a buffet, and be starving right after. My sleeping patterns were way off, and I would pass out more than eight times a day. My emotions were like a …

Multiracial patients struggle to find donors for bone marrow transplants

The photographs are counterpoints, underscoring the Web site’s stark message: that 4-year-old Devan Tatlow’s life depends on finding a bone marrow donor by the end of July. One picture features Devan as a toddler, chortling as he hurtles across a green field. In the other he looks touchingly vulnerable as he sleeps in a room bristling with medical equipment at Georgetown University Hospital, where he is undergoing chemotherapy to treat a rare and aggressive cancer. This Story Mixed and hard to match Donating bone marrow or cord blood The MatchDevan site, launched in mid…

Multiracial patients struggle to find donors for bone marrow transplants

The photographs are counterpoints, underscoring the Web site’s stark message: that 4-year-old Devan Tatlow’s life depends on finding a bone marrow donor by the end of July. One picture features Devan as a toddler, chortling as he hurtles across a green field. In the other he looks touchingly vulnerable as he sleeps in a room bristling with medical equipment at Georgetown University Hospital, where he is undergoing chemotherapy to treat a rare and aggressive cancer. This Story Mixed and hard to match Donating bone marrow or cord blood The MatchDevan site, launched in mid-May, is the centerpiece of an unusual international campaign that has attracted …

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