Category Archives: Health Facts

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Is Real According to New Study

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Greg Asseff

Some health conditions are difficult to diagnose simply because it’s hard for a doctor to truly understand what a patient is going through. Conditions that involve pain often fall into this trap. For example, despite all the amazing advances in modern medicine, patients and doctors still often rely on a somewhat archaic pain chart in order to communicate pain severity. Because pain is so personal and subjective, the legitimacy of a person’s condition can often be called into question. Sufferers of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) fall victim to this confusion as well, often being labeled as hypochondriacs. The CDC defines chronic fatigue as “profound fatigue that is not improved by bed rest and that may be worsened by physical or mental activity.” However, many believe that the syndrome simply doesn’t exist or that it’s being overly misdiagnosed. Indeed, nobody knows what causes CFS. A new discovery may curb some skepticism, however.

Posted in Health, Health Facts, Medical, Mental Health, Studies | 6 Comments

Gluten Not The Only Protein That Affects Celiac Disease

Posted on November 7, 2014 by Greg Asseff

There’s no denying the increasing popularity of gluten-free products. According to U.S. News & World Report, household purchases of foods labeled “gluten-free” increased from 5 to 11 percent between 2010 and 2013. Also, sales of gluten-free foods are predicted to generate around $15 billion in yearly sales by 2016. The gluten-free option has become so popular that the FDA has had to step in to ensure that such claims on food labels are actually true. Despite this rise, however, the jury is still out regarding whether or not a gluten-free diet actually improves the lives of those who do not suffer from celiac disease. For example, this study shows that non-celiac gluten sensitivity may actually be a myth. Either way, the problem for those who actually suffer from celiac disease has just become more complicated, as a new study suggests gluten isn’t the only culprit in wheat.

Posted in Diet, Food, Health, Health Facts, News, Nutrition, Studies | 2,403 Comments

Study Says Dads Need To Speak Up to Improve Infant Vocabulary

Posted on November 5, 2014 by Greg Asseff

Several studies have shown how a parent influences infant vocabulary. For example, this landmark 1995 study showed that 86 to 98 percent of the words children use by the age of three came from their parent’s vocabulary. Also, infant vocabulary was found to be very similar to caregiver vocabulary in terms of average number of words used, speech patterns and duration of conversation. This may seem like common sense, but it has serious implications when considering what the study also found: the vocabulary knowledge at age three was a predicting factor in language performance at ages nine and ten. In other words, a child’s vocabulary at age three is a good indicator of their language development, vocabulary and reading comprehension many years in the future. Now, a new study is claiming that dads may need to pick up some slack in this department.

Posted in Health, Health Facts, Men, News, Parenting, Studies | 8,313 Comments

Overdoses On Prescription Opioids Way More Common Than Illegal Drugs

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Greg Asseff

According to the Washington Post, drug overdoses have surpassed traffic fatalities as the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. In 2013, the CDC reported that drug overdose deaths had been increasing for 11 consecutive years, and the number of fatal overdoses last year was more than double what it was in 1999. While many people hear the phrase “drug overdose” and immediately assume illegal substances were involved, the truth is that the majority of drugs on which people overdose often include painkillers that were prescribed by a professional. Prescription opioids such as oxycodone and hydrocodone are some of the biggest culprits when it comes to overdoses. Now, a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows just how bad the problem is: prescription opioids are involved in over two-thirds of overdoses.

Posted in Health, Health Facts, Medical, News, Studies | 3,475 Comments

Medication Errors Affect Children Every 8 Minutes

Posted on October 21, 2014 by Greg Asseff

There are plenty of studies indicating that hospital mistakes are far too prevalent. So prevalent, in fact, that the rate at which hospital errors contribute to preventable death is reaching downright epidemic proportions. One study, published in the Journal of Patient Safety last year, says that between 210,000 and 440,000 preventable hospital mistakes contribute to patients’ death each year. This would make medical errors the third leading cause of death behind heart disease and cancer in the U.S. Those numbers are pretty depressing, but a newer study published this week in Pediatrics reinforces the fact that everybody – not just professionals – can be guilty of making medical mistakes. Parents of young children are so bad at administering medicine, in fact, that medication errors have occurred over 200,000 times every year from 2002 to 2012 – that’s one every eight minutes.