MiamiHerald.com: Health

Oscar Robertson dishes on LeBron, the Heat, beating cancer

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:32 EST

Pro basketball legend Oscar Robertson opens up about his recent prostate cancer surgery and sounds off about today’s NBA. A preview: The Heat is still a piece short of greatness.

Pound exercise class at Crunch Gym marries drumming and fitness

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:59 EST

Sweat Equity looks at fun ’n’ funky classes that get South Floridians in shape. First up, Crunch’s new Pound class, using weighted drumsticks to beat back the fat.

Friend’s breast cancer journey is not as fortunate

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:43 EST

A 33-year-old graduate student has Medicaid instead of private health insurance, making her options more limited.

Oscar Robertson dishes on LeBron, the Heat, beating cancer

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:32 EST

Pro basketball legend Oscar Robertson opens up about his recent prostate cancer surgery and sounds off about today’s NBA. A preview: The Heat is still a piece short of greatness.

Pound exercise class at Crunch Gym marries drumming and fitness

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:59 EST

Sweat Equity looks at fun ’n’ funky classes that get South Floridians in shape. First up, Crunch’s new Pound class, using weighted drumsticks to beat back the fat.

Is perfume making us fat?

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00 EST

The causes of obesity are many. The most significant are overeating, genetics and inactivity, heightened by an abundance of sedentary activities such as television viewing, video gaming and computer use. Some researchers are delving into environmental factors that could be minor but controllable contributors to this growing public health issue.

Chronic pain: 1 in 3 suffer, study says

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00 EST

Persistent pain that lasts weeks to years is an overlooked medical problem that affects more than 116 million people nationwide and needs to be the focus of a public health campaign, doctors said this week.

Friend’s breast cancer journey is not as fortunate

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:43 EST

A 33-year-old graduate student has Medicaid instead of private health insurance, making her options more limited.

New vending machines offer healthier options

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00 EST

Schools and fitness centers are rolling out machines that sell pita chips, yogurt and other more nutritious items.

READ MY LIPS

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00 EST

By age 6 months, babies begin to watch people’s mouths when somone speaks to them, helping them learn how to talk

There’s a boom in smart baby monitors

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00 EST

The cry has been heard: After 20 years with little change to baby monitoring devices, new designs premiered in January at the Consumer Electronics Show promising Wi-Fi connectivity and high-definition video that streams live to a smartphone.

Dr. Oz’s health effort nets 1 million participants

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:48 EST

Television already has The Biggest Loser. Dr. Mehmet Oz is looking for the biggest number of losers.

Study tallies toll of chronic heath conditions

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00 EST

The sunny fact that Americans are living longer, more productive lives has a dark side: More of us than ever live with chronic health problems that are not only a drag on sufferers’ time and energy, but on the nation’s pocketbook.

Is perfume making us fat?

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00 EST

Teasing adds to burden of childhood obesity

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:00 EST

A recent news item described how a 200-pound 8-year-old was placed in foster care because the state of Ohio did not believe his parents were taking appropriate measures to reduce his weight.

Study shows small changes add up to big improvement in health

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 00:00 EST

It’s a familiar message from nutrition professionals: The road to a healthier lifestyle is paved with a series of small changes. It seems a no-brainer that this would be a good strategy, but until a recent article in the British Journal of Nutrition, it wasn’t clear how beneficial each change is when added to previous modifications.

Time for a new strategy in the battle of the bulge?

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:54 EDT

What is the best tactic in a losing war? Retreat and regroup or continue marching forward with slight modifications to the battle plan? That was the question at the “War on Obesity” debate at the recent American Dietetic Association meeting.

A new name and a running argument

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:00 EDT

Last month was the final annual meeting of the American Dietetic Association. We will still be gathering once a year, but a new banner will be flying: As of January, the largest association of food and nutrition professionals will be known as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Don’t rely on pills to address stomach-acid issues

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 00:00 EDT

There’s a television commercial in which a sparerib hits a man across the face and an announcer advises: “If your food is fighting you, it might be time to fight back.”

Mushrooms a boon for your taste buds and immune system

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:00 EDT

Producers of myriad foods designate specific months to promote and celebrate their wares, and September belongs to mushrooms. Our favorite fungi have more going on in the nutrition department than you may realize.

Prunes can be a plum good idea

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:00 EDT

There is a new wrinkle in the prune story. Long acknowledged for their laxative effect, and now known by the more descriptive name dried plums, another important benefit is emerging. Dried plums appear to be an important food in the quest for strong bones.

Blood pressure: Balancing sodium and potassium is key

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 00:00 EDT

Aren’t we all looking for balance? Work-life, income-expenses and food intake-energy output are a few equations that come immediately to mind.

Early facelift leads to scarring

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:00 EST

What were you thinking having a facelift at 34? More importantly, what was your surgeon thinking doing your surgery at such a young age?

Importance of FDA approval

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 00:00 EDT

The reality, for my practice, is that it does not make much of a difference. Many pills, injectable products and medicines are being used “off label.” This is when a medication is used without the exact specifications of the Federal Drug Administration (FDA). That does not mean it is being used incorrectly, or for that matter, correctly. It means that some physicians have found that the drugs may be used in humans for a different purpose than FDA studies recommended. While many times the physicians are ahead of the FDA, sometimes they are not.

Simple procedure fixes problem

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:00 EDT

Your problem is one that patients often don’t talk about because they feel that there can’t be a solution. But there is — the surgical procedure is a nipple reduction. It’s not a complicated procedure when done properly by a Board-certified plastic surgeon. It may be done with local anesthesia or sedation to alleviate anxiety.

Too young to improve eyes?

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 00:00 EDT

On the surface it appears that it would seem ridiculous, but looks can be deceiving. While you may be chronologically young, your eyes are physiologically old. The good news is that it’s just your eyes. Large baggy lower eyelids are generally passed down from parents. The puffiness makes people look tired and older. The good news is that surgery can fix this, and the even better news is that once you have your eyes fixed you generally do not have to redo them.

Avoiding surgery for skull defect

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 00:00 EDT

I can certainly understand your daughter’s viewpoint. The condition she had occurs when the bones of the skull close prematurely and the skull does not grow normally. Surgery to open the skull may leave asymmetry in the forehead region. There are surgeries that can permanently improve this area and there are minimally invasive injectables that can be used to enhance and camouflage the forehead/ temporal area.

Caught in mom's trap again

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 03:01 EDT

Q: Every vacation, I visit my mother for several days and spend the rest with my partner. Mom's always trying to get me to stay longer and attend parties with her friends, which I do NOT enjoy. This year, when I told her no, she got very quiet. She always does this when I disappoint her. Now I feel guilty. Should I?

Russians alarmed by rash of teenage suicides

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:56 EST

A rash of teenage suicides in Russia has set off alarm bells and experts are urging the government to take immediate action.

For pregnant women with cancer, chemo possible

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:11 EST

Researchers have encouraging news for women who find themselves in a very frightening situation: having cancer while pregnant. Studies suggest that these women can be treated almost the same as other cancer patients are, with minimal risk to the fetus.

For pregnant women with cancer, chemo possible

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:11 EST

AP sources: Obama revamping birth control policy

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:06 EST

Rushing to end a political uproar, President Barack Obama on Friday will announce that religious employers will not have to cover birth control for their employees after all, The Associated Press has learned. The administration instead will demand that insurance companies will be the ones directly responsible for providing free contraception.