Wish your internist was a little less boring and a bit more telegenic, like the brilliant and often venomous Dr. Gregory "Crankypants" House? In the real world, it's far safer to rely on a trained medical professional to treat real health problems, like seizures.

Canadian researchers came to that very logical conclusion after screening more than 300 episodes of medical dramas aired on American TV (Grey's Anatomy, House, M.D., ER and Private Practice) over the past five to seven years for the proper treatment of seizures, a popular problem that cropped up 59 times (all but eight occurring in a hospital setting). Most were of the tonic-clonic variety (also referred to as grand mal seizures) that many associate with epilepsy and affect the whole body.

Nearly half the time, a doctor or nurse improperly treated seizures, either by holding patients down or putting something in their mouths. In the real world of medicine, however, both options have the rare potential to be far more harmful, as in patients breaking bones or choking on blood or a broken tooth. Only about a quarter of the time was a seizure properly treated.

A reality check from Dr. Lisa Sanders, a New York Times columnist, faculty member at the Yale University School of Medicine and technical adviser for House, M.D., as told to CNN: It's very clear to anybody who watches House and has ever been in a hospital that House is not a close representation of the truth at any level.

So, the next time a relative or co-workers tries to "cure" you based on a medical license they've earned by proxy after watching years of TV shows like House or ER, you have my permission to tell them to cut it out. For good...

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CNNHealth February 15, 2010

The Vancouver Sun February 15, 2010

ScienceDaily February 15, 2010

Image source: NBC Universal

Being a computer geek -- especially a lover of all things Apple -- I'm acutely aware of the great and sometimes ridiculous lengths Steve Jobs and his Cupertino crew take to protect their brand, namely actions that often generate the kind of irresistible buzz that make people want to empty their pockets to buy their products, if not shake their heads in abject wonder. Even in my dual identity as an Apple "true believer" and a health blogger, I'm a bit surprised and somewhat skeptical to learn that my iPhone may be able to treat acne via an application called, rather inelegantly, the AcneApp.

For $1.99 too.

The use of light therapy to treat acne is nothing new, medical experts say, although the results have been inconsistent. Yet these same experts are quick to point out the light emitted from an iPhone screen isn't nearly as intense as the kind generated in a doctor's office (that requires a patient to protect his or her eyes) to do much good. There's been talk of clinical studies to be conducted at Houston's Baylor College of Medicine too, but no action so far. Because I'm a firm believer in the slightly revised adage, "seeing is believing -- or not," watch this YouTube video and judge for yourself...

ABC News February 9, 2010

WebMD February 12, 2010

New York Times December 30, 2009

Cancer isn't the only serious health problem worsened by the presence of obesity. The more pounds you pack on, the more you elevate your risk of stroke, a problem that occurs across race and gender lines, and regardless what unit of measure (waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio or BMI) is used, according to a new study.

Over the course of the 19-year study, researchers tracked the health of some 13,500 middle-aged patients living in four American cities who were cancer-free and had no cardiovascular problems at the outset.

At first, the numbers seem a bit misleading, because the rate of risk varied greatly by ethnic group and gender, with black men and women experiencing a greater incidence of stroke overall. For example, the rate of stroke among black women in the lowest and highest BMI categories was more than three times greater than that of white women.

What didn't change, however, was the correlation between the increased incidence of stroke and bigger waistlines. Generally, the risk of stroke among men and women in the highest obesity category nearly doubled in comparison to those in the lowest BMI group.

Stroke January 21, 2010

Medline Plus January 21, 2010

EurekAlert January 21, 2010

A good deal of science news we've discussed lately in this space has dealt with simple things we too often take for granted -- for one, having a good sense of humor -- that can have a valuable effect on our health.

Much has made about variations of the Mozart Effect, specifically, how exposure to classical music may benefit the health of babies and even adults. To be sure, there's been plenty of debate on both sides about the positive effects humans, especially babies, may or may not experience when surrounded by music, and no clear consensus.

Just to muddy the picture on the plus side, however, a number of reports have surfaced lately about just how music triggers these benefits and they appear to be connected to one's emotions. One study, conducted at the Cleveland Clinic, showed how music lessened activity of individual neurons in the brain and calmed Parkinson's patients during their surgeries.

Another paper suggested a link between a favorite song and one's emotions may actually protect the heart by releasing endorphins from the brain that, in turn, release nitric oxide, a chemical produced by the inner lining of blood vessels called the endothelium that reduces inflammation and allows blood vessels to dilate.

In fact, one expert believes so much in the power of music that he suggests listening to your favorites tunes for up to 20 minutes a day may be as healthy for your body as eating the right foods and exercising.

It certainly can't hurt...

PLOS One October 16, 2009 Free Full Study

Medical Hypotheses, Vol. 73, No. 5, pp. 636-639, November 2009

healthfinder.gov January 28, 2010

Time October 13, 2009

Considering a recent study that found Michiganders were more motivated to give up smoking for the sake of their pets than their own health, you shouldn't be surprised to learn why a British pet expert concluded pet owners were better off walking their dogs than having health club memberships.

Based on a study of some 5,000 patients, including 3,000 dog owners, the proof is all about the numbers. Only 16 percent of the respondents polled enjoyed exercising in a gym, while some 70 percent considered going to one a chore.

Conversely, only 22 percent of the dog owners polled felt walking the dog was work, a far cry from the 86 percent who enjoyed daily walks with their furry companions. What's more, non-dog owners generally exercised far less on their own or in a gym (90 minutes every week) as compared to folks who walked their canines about eight hours a week on average. Even more revealing, 47 percent of all non-pet owners admitted they did no exercise at all.

Learn more about the impact of pet ownership on your health, via the Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) program launched two years ago by our sister organization, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, that uses our four-legged friends to ease the anxiety, pain, discomfort and stress felt by cancer patients and their loved ones in this awesome feature.

And, if you're not too tired of watching everyone else playing and exercising with their own four-legged family members (think the Cable TV mainstay Animal Planet), watch this video from Better.tv for a first-hand look at the range of health benefits connected with pet ownership.

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UPI.com January 1, 2010

Telegraph.co.uk November 27, 2009

Without question, this latest report from the Washington Post underscores why the EPA has been lobbying for major reforms in the Toxic Substances Control Act passed into law some 35 years ago.

The number of potentially toxic chemicals under the EPA's jurisdiction has grown over the years to an estimated 84,000. We're using the adjective "estimated" here because nearly 20 percent of the chemicals under the EPA's tissue paper-like jurisdiction have been kept secret by law from almost all federal regulators and the public, thanks to a federal policy crafted in 1976 to protect big business from pilfering trade secrets from each other, and the public who would like to know what toxic substance is poisoning our water.

Although very few folks really know how many of the "estimated" 17,000 chemicals being kept under wraps by the EPA are truly harmless, the percentages reported by the Government Accountability Office don't look encouraging.

For one, of the 700 chemicals introduced every year on average in America, 95 percent of their manufacturers asked for some level of secrecy. More importantly, a March 2009 review of federally mandated substantial risk reports found that more than half of the 65 filed were connected to chemicals whose origin and composition are kept secret by the EPA. Even worse, 151 of these secret chemicals are produced in quantities exceeding 1 million tons every year, and 10 of them are used to make products targeted for kids.

To the good, more than 530 chemicals were declassified by an Obama administration appointee last summer during his first week as an assistant administrator. But the effect may be incremental at best: Many of those once "secret" chemicals had already appeared in trade journals and on Web sites.

Washington Post January 4, 2010

Washington Post: Short Stack December 9, 2009

Attracting sellout crowds around the world, James Cameron's Sci-Fi spectacle Avatar is fast approaching the all-time record for a domestic movie release, thanks to the countless revolutionary breakthroughs in 3D technology that allowed the Oscar-winning director to create an immersive world that blends computer-generated imagery and "the real world" seamlessly.

No surprise, Avatar's box-office success (now speeding past the $1 billion mark) has spurred companies whose incomes are driven by the need to feed fresh entertainment constantly to the masses -- from digital TV makers to satellite network providers to ESPN -- to bring that NEXT BIG THING, the 3D world, to the small screen, with the new wave cresting at the most recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Watching Cameron's world of Pandora -- with visions of upside-down mountains straight out of 70s album covers painted by Roger Dean -- on a 3D, high-def TV in your living room certainly sounds appealing. That is, however, if you can enjoy it without hurting your eyes or head...

Headaches and nausea were among the chief reasons films like House of Wax that used older 3D technology -- two film projectors projecting left- and right-eye images -- never took off in the 50s. Tech experts believe newer digital technologies using a single digital projector that switches between left- and right-eye images overcome some of these past problems.

But for a good many folks who have problems with depth perception, even newer 3D technologies may not help a lot. As much as 8 percent of the population is stereoblind (some have an inability to perceive stereoscopic depth by comparing images seen by both eyes), so 3D is useless to them. Additionally, up to 30 percent more suffer from a lesser degree of stereoblindness, that diminishes a patient's ability to see 3D images or makes these images very uncomfortable to view.

That's why some experts recommend folks get their eyes checked first before diving head-first into the world of Pandora and 3D TVs.

Reuters January 11, 2010

Physorg.com January 6, 2010

Slate April 2, 2009

Psychology Today: Eyes on the Brain January 18, 2009

Among the first things racing through my mind after hearing about the devastating 7.0 earthquake that killed an estimated 50,000 Haitians and left some 3 million more homeless in Port-au-Prince earlier this week is something you are probably struggling with too: Where can my family make a donation to a legitimate charity that will do the most good?

Not surprisingly, the FBI, national security experts and the various media have already reported signs of Haiti relief scams to come, many of them requests you'll be receiving in your e-mail boxes and cell phones texts in the coming days. If you feel the need to help, here are three safe havens that will ensure your donation helps the needy, not the greedy:

* The only problem you'll have with TisBest Philanthrophy -- an organization that carefully vets the fiscal and social footprints of the charities it represents -- is to pick just one. For those of you who live in a time-starved world -- who doesn't -- TisBest does the leg work for you.

* If you'd prefer to do your own research, Charity Navigator and the American Institute of Philanthropy tracks some 6,500 charities combined based on a plethora of criteria. For those who like reading financial statements, Charity Navigator provides a wealth of detailed data.

Reuters January 15, 2010

ABC News.com January 14, 2010

Choosing fruits and vegetables from organic sources over those grown conventionally (often tainted with health-harming pesticides) isn't the only way to ensure you're enjoying the most nutrients from your whole foods.

Because cooking in high temperatures and boiling water can remove as much as 50 percent of the nutrients in vegetables, knowing how to prepare whole foods the best way possible in order to preserve as much of their nutritional content is just as important to your health as selecting between organic and conventional.

Some smarter ways to protect the nutrient content in the fruits and vegetables you eat every day:

* Turn down the heat and stir-fry your vegetables in a small amount of oil.

* Turn up the heat a bit on your whole foods more gently by steaming them in boiling water.

* Regulate the heat electronically by preparing whole foods in your microwave, in a specially made container and with a minimum amount of water to prevent them from becoming overcooked or burned.

* Consider mixing fruits and vegetables in a blender with some juice or low-fat yogurt.

For more information about whole food nutrition, I urge you to read The Declining Nutrition of Fruits and Vegetables in this month's CNCA Newsletter.

ConsumerReports.org November 18, 2009 Free Podcast

No matter how many New Years resolutions you've made about incorporating exercise into that healthier lifestyle you're wanting to lead, there's just something about waking up early on a pre-dawn, winter morning to make that icy trip to the gym that makes most of us want to forget about the whole thing and hibernate until spring time.

Excuses, however, are a-dime-a-dozen. So if it's not the cold today, it'll be a lack of time tomorrow, or your child's Little League practices three months from now. No question, making the most out of exercise means being prepared to work it, and getting started in the winter time requires more prep time than usual, particularly if you want to do it outdoors.

What follows are a few of the best tips we've found to make that transition to a winter exercise program an easier one for you (hit the links below for the complete lists).

1. Consult with your doctor before undertaking any exercise plan on your own. And, don't be surprised if you receive a detailed exercise prescription from your doctor either.

2. Dressing for cold weather means protecting your extremities (a painful lesson I learned long ago walking nearly two miles a day, 12 months a year in downtown Chicago).

3. A winter workout begins the same way all others do, by warming up your muscles.

4. Maintain your intake of fluids, even when it's cold.

5. Because you may be able to finish your outdoor exercise during the day, wear reflective clothing.

6. Be mindful of your surroundings, for example, taking wind chill factors into consideration.

American Fitness Professionals & Associates

The Mayo Clinic November 1, 2008

If you were concerned about old-school antibiotics losing their ability to fight infections, no doubt, you'll be alarmed to discover that ordinary disinfectants may be making one specific bacterium impervious to a common antibiotic in addition to the chemicals used to get rid of them.

When Irish researchers exposed Pseudomonas aeruginosa to greater amounts of disinfectants in the lab, thanks to a DNA mutation, the bacterium adapted to survive exposure not only to these chemicals but the often prescribed ciproflaxcin.

Even worse, when the DNA-altered bacterium was exposed to very tiny amounts of disinfectant, it was more likely to survive. And, researchers worry that environmental factors may promote resistance to antibiotics too.

The huge problem: P. aeruginosa is considered an "opportunistic" bacterium, meaning it may ignite a great range of infections among patients with weak immune systems, such as those with diabetes and cystic fibrosis.

Microbiology, Vol. 156, No. 1, pp. 30-38, January 2010

LiveScience December 28, 2009

EurekAlert December 27, 2009

Image source: Dr. Lucille George, CDC

If you enjoyed our recent tip list for making healthier choices during the holiday season, consider these top notch suggestions from Jennifer Ventrelle, a nutritionist and certified personal trainer at Chicago's Rush (University Medical Center) Nutrition and Wellness Center.

To be sure, taking the necessary steps to improve your health requires a lot of effort and even greater patience. So, if you've been trying to lose weight without success since Thanksgiving, your efforts may be better spent maintaining your current weight. Because most Americans gain between 1-4 pounds between Thanksgiving and the New Year, rather than launch a diet that's doomed to fail, maintaining your current weight may be a more realistic goal.

And, it's achievable if you pay attention to the numbers, as in calories, that can add on the pounds bit-by-bit. There's nothing easier than adding pounds in "stealth mode" via liquid calories, like the average artery-clogging cup of eggnog that amounts to 350 calories and 20 grams of fat, or that 6-ounce glass of your favorite dessert wine weighing in at 280 calories.

Another common-sense reminder as you navigate the many and varied food troughs at work and elsewhere during the holiday season: The real number of days spent celebrating -- as little as three and no more than eight -- are way fewer than the entirety of the season... about six weeks. Extending your food cravings beyond those special days makes it even more tempting to postpone any New Years resolutions about improving your health for the long haul.

Rush University Medical Center News Blog December 8, 2009

The Harvard Heart Letter, published by Harvard University Medical School, recently joined the growing ranks of expert publications touting the benefits of vitamin D supplementation, particularly higher amounts of this fat-soluable substance.

Although a daily dose of sunshine can boost your vitamin D levels naturally, a daily supplement of 800-1,000 IU (International Unit) is the simplest means to get it, the Letter says, not to mention the safest and easiest.

What makes taking a vitamin D supplement so vitally important to your health? At least a third of all Americans are deficient in vitamin D. The percentages grow to an alarming 75 percent among adults suffering from the various classes of cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke, two of the top three leading causes of death for men and women, not to mention, among the most preventable.

All the more reason to consider being screened for vitamin D.

Harvard Heart Letter December 2009

NutraIngredients-USA.com December 10, 2009

You can certainly read the headline of today's blog more than one way, but if you live in the Eastern and Southeastern U.S. chances are better than good that you're more tired than most of your fellow Americans, according to the first CDC report polling more than 400,000 folks in 2008 about their sleep problems.

West Virginia earned the dubious distinction of leading the nation with 19.3 percent of its citizens reporting sleep problems, followed by Tennessee (14.8 percent), Kentucky (14.4 percent) and Oklahoma (14.3 percent). In fact, every state save Wisconsin (8.6 percent) east of the Plains states reported sleep problems above 9.7 percent, which may explain why the overall average of sleeplessness nationwide was 11.1 percent. And, women experienced more sleep issues than men, an unhealthy repeat from other studies.

All that said, however, it doesn't take much effort to improve your sleep habits, as our recent list of tips to improve your waking health demonstrates. Here's a few hints to get you started on the path to better, more relaxing sleep.

* When you're ready to go to sleep, don't try to finish that book first. Just do it.

* Keep all electronic devices, save for an alarm clock, out of your bedroom. And, that means pets too!

* Keep your bedroom cool, even as the temperatures drop.

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report/CDC October 29, 2009 Full Free Report

USA Today October 29, 2009

Just like drinking an antioxidant-rich glass of wine daily helps female breast cancer patients, consuming a diet chock full of vitamins C and E may protect your muscles as you age.

Scientists surveyed more than 2,000 patients in their 70s about their eating habits over the long haul, in addition to measuring the strength of their grip at the beginning of the study and two years later. The latter measurement was important, researchers say, because muscle strength begins to wane for folks in their 40s and dramatically declines after age 60.

Seniors who consumed higher amounts of vitamins C and E in their diets over the course of the study enjoyed improved muscle strength, despite a patient's initial strength measurements.

Interestingly, among those who participated in the study, a patient's average intake of vitamin E (11 milligrams) was lower than the average RDA, prompting experts to urge folks to include more vitamin E-rich foods in their diets.

Sutter Health November 24, 2009