Answering seems simple enough. For many people however, the need to avoid criticism and seek praise causes them to respond in a manner consistent with expected norms. Self-reports of dietary intake can be biased by these tendencies, tainting consumption data collected by the health community. Everyone knows they should eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day, so that’s what they say when they’re asked — many even really believe it to be true.
Health Highlights – July 10th, 2008
Health Highlights is a biweekly summary of particularly interesting articles from credible sources of health and medical information that we follow & read. For a complete list of recommeded sources, see our links page.
- Five Best And Worst Sunscreens: Not Just For Summer Anymore | The Patient Report
The Patient Report.com provides a news brief on the Environment Working Group’s second annual sunscreen report. Does your sunscreen offer adequate protection against the sun’s rays?
- Going Buggy? Go Green! | Healthbolt
Liberty suggests some natural green alternatives to keep the mosquitos at bay.
- How does Chocolate protect the Heart? | Dr Shock MD PhD
Dr. Shock covers a recent review article discussing the possible underlying mechanisms of the cardioprotective properties of chocolate.
- When Benign Isn’t Better and Malignant is Preferred | Doctor David’s Blog
Everyone that has cancer wants their tumor to be benign, right? Not necessarily. Dr. David explains.
- Can the Wii Replace Regular Exercise? | NPA Think Tank
Can the Wii replace traditional exercise? Eric Robertson writes about a recent study evaluating energy expenditure while playing video games.
Exactly What are Stem Cells?
The ethical and moral debate over the use of stem cells has taken center stage over the past decade. Stem cells are of great medical interest, since they have the potential to develop into almost any type of cell in the body. Regenerative medicine focuses on the potential uses of stem cells in medicine and how they can provide effective treatment for a range of diseases.
Stem cells have the capacity to divide indefinitely to replenish other cells in the body. When a stem cell divides, each daughter cell can remain a stem cell or become a more specialized cell, such as a red blood cell, a muscle cell or a nerve cell. An increasing body of evidence also suggests that molecular pathways and properties associated with normal stem cells is relevant to cancer development [1].
Warfarin Dosing Accuracy and Genomic Medicine: A Helix Health CliniCast
Warfarin, also known under the brand names of Coumadin, Jantoven, Marevan and Waran, is an oral anticoagulant used worldwide for the treatment and prevention of thromboembolic disease. However, warfarin therapy can be difficult to manage because there is a wide variability in patient response and the drug has a narrow therapeutic index. Taking too small a dose can lead to a blood clot while too much can cause life-threatening bleeding.