Madely Health Headlines Commentary for February 3, 2011

Mother's stroke risk may help predict risk for daughters Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Stroke history of moms can predict risk for daughters

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Familial History of Stroke Is Associated with Acute Coronary Syndromes in Women

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for January 11, 2011

What is the evidence for fluoridation? Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Community Water Fluoridation: Questions and Answers

Preventing Dental Caries: Community Water Fluoridation

With summer approaching, an understanding of summer heat upon the human body can help prevent heat-related illnesses.

Originally published in The Ottawa Citizen Friday, November 12, 2004 Original Title: Infection control for dummies Infection control can be a complicated matter, especially for viruses that spread as easily as the flu. The flu can spread through direct hand-to-hand contact, via airborne droplets (fomites) after a sneeze, and with contact with recently touched surfaces [...]

Originally published in The Ottawa Citizen October 18, 2004 Original Title: The HN factor New information and reports of bird flu have shifted attention to the possibility of a new flu pandemic. The most lethal pandemic in our history occurred from 1917 to 1919 killing an estimated 20 million to 50 million people.

Originally published in The Ottawa Citizen September 20, 2004 Young men rarely see their family doctor (if they have one). There is a tendency to think that nothing can really go wrong in your late teens or 20s. Yet there is one cancer in men that occurs exactly when men avoid their doctor: testicular cancer.

The human body is like a car with its own built-in obsolescence. With proper care and maintenance, we can extend the quality and years of life. Cars are a good example of how benign neglect can lead to numerous breakdown and repair cycles until the car eventually falls apart.

Preparing medical and family history and other details in advance helps a family doctor tune into your needs.

The effects of this current heat wave and high humidity levels are particularly dangerous for children and the elderly. Children have parents who oversee their well-being and protection from the elements. Many elderly people on the other hand do not have this level of care. They remain confined to their residences, nursing homes or apartments, some without the benefit of air conditioning.

As warmer weather approaches, children will be spending more time playing outdoors. So will dogs.

How have society’s changing attitudes about sexual activity and responsibility affected our teenage children?

The Medical Institute for Sexual Health, a U.S. non-profit group promoting sexual abstinence outside marriage, lists the devastating toll laissez-faire attitudes have had on our teens.

A recent front-page story in the Citizen remarked how a Health Canada anti-tobacco campaign using Olympic skaters Elvis Stojko and Josée Chouinard did not have much influence on reducing or quitting cigarette use. Indeed, how effective are health promotion campaigns?

Recent reports of three cruise ship outbreaks of viral diarrheal illness (gastroenteritis) bring into focus how easily infections spread. Each ship had hundreds of passengers who fell ill. Carnival’s cruise ship Fascination, Disney’s Magic and Holland America’s Amsterdam all underwent extensive decontamination procedures.

One area of a family doctor’s job is to prevent disease and injury. A good starting point is during the annual exam. A comprehensive exam asks the patient about their diet, family history of disease, smoking, alcohol intake, drug use and work environment. One question causes many of my patients to respond with querying confused look: Do you use your seatbelt?

Originally published in The Ottawa Citizen October 15, 2002 Original Title: Daycare Part III: A little red in the face Part I – Why children fight one cold after another Part II – Children’s eye diseases spread quickly What are the common childhood rashes seen in the school and daycare setting? Initially, many rashes can [...]

Originally published in The Ottawa Citizen, November 27, 2001 In 1674 Antoni Van Leeuwenhoek, through his new invention, the microscope, looked at his own saliva. His discovery of an unseen world teeming with life led to the development of microbiology. It has also led to the now modern neuroses that “all germs are evil”.

A recent article about parents holding chickenpox parties to intentionally infect their children perpetuates the popular misconception that chickenpox is a benign disease. One of the parents said: “It’s a natural way to deal with the problem, instead of introducing more chemicals into kids.” She was concerned about whether it provided lifelong immunity and erroneously believed that the vaccine had been available for only six years.

Originally published in The Ottawa Citizen July 4, 2001 We know all too well the pain and suffering the victim, their families and friends endure from the scourge of AIDs. Imagine it’s the year 2051 and there is a vaccine for AIDs. AIDs has been virtually eliminated. Small outbreaks continue to occur but for the [...]