by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

If you are not stressed in these economic times, you should be, or so it seems if you listen to the media long enough these days.  The holidays are coming up also, and here’s the thing: There is good stress and bad stress but your body treats it the same.  It adds up quickly.  Ever heard of the Holmes-Rahe Live Inventory Scale (PDF download)?

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

These are tips from another good press release I received for Halloween. Anything to make sure those kids stay healthy and safe. Its comes from the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation, to form the Alliance For a Healthier Generation. (Also, scroll down for some healthier Halloween recipes.)

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

How do you keep your little tyke with food allergies from missing all the fun?   The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology has some tips.

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

It’s dress-up and candy time. Not my favorite holiday, but fun for the kids. Keep it that way by making sure your kids stay safe.

I have received several good press releases regarding the holiday and thought I would share. Below are some tips from www.kidshealth.org on how to have a safe, spooktacular Halloween.

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

A new study concludes that many physicians prescribe placebos to their patients.  The news, which made headlines all over the place late last week, was surprising to me.  But I think the study is a tad weak and misleading.

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by Leigh Ann Hubbard, Managing Editor

We’re excited to announce the Twitter contest nominees!

On Tuesday, we asked you to tweet the answer to, “What small steps are you taking for your health?” You gave some amazing responses. It was so hard to narrow them down.

Now, we’re giving away 24 subscriptions! (more…)

by Jill Weisenberger, M.S., R.D., C.D.E.

Unless you’ve been hiding behind a scarecrow, you’ve probably seen the bags of candy crowding the grocery store shelves. And if you’ve shopped with children lately, you’ve likely had bags mysteriously jump into your shopping cart. The junk food season which starts before Halloween and doesn’t end until Valentine’s Day is upon us.

So what’s a parent to do? How do we temper the candy frenzy with our kids? How do we handle it for ourselves? Without a plan, a lot of pounds can be gained before Cupid visits us.

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

Want to give your baby the best?  Feed him/her only mother’s milk for the first 12 months.  An added incentive is it helps the mother’s health, also.  I thought everybody knew breastfeeding was the ideal until a woman asked me if the new report from the Annals of Internal Medicine , which reiterates this, was accurate.  October’s Annals updates previous recommendations by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force that health-care providers should do all they can to actively support breast feeding.

Why do they feel the need to call for more support?

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by Leigh Ann Hubbard, managing editor

What small steps are you taking for your health?

Answer that question today (Tuesday) on Twitter, and you might win two subscriptions to James Hubbard’s My Family Doctor! JHMFD is written by health-care professionals. If you like this blog content, you’ll LOVE the magazine.

The contest runs all day, and you can tweet as many answers as you like. Be sure to include #step in your tweet. (more…)

by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

Recently, I took my update on Advanced Cardiac Life Support.  What I learned that everyone should know is:

• If you find someone unconscious, shake the person to see if he or she responds.
• If not, listen for breathing, look to see if the chest is moving, and check for a pulse.  Do this quickly.
• If there is any question, call 911 or yell for someone to, and start chest compressions immediately.  It is the most important thing you can do to save a life.  Put the base of your palms together, place on the chest mid-between nipples, and push down firmly and quickly (one-and-a-half to two inches deep).
• Continue until the ambulance arrives.
• Don’t worry about the mouth-to-mouth if you’re not trained.  It’s the compressions that count most.

They stressed you should do the compressions at a rate of 100 per minute.  That is the most efficient and is important.  We used a metronome for guidance.  I expect you won’t have one when you need it.  I wondered how I will remember the rate in such a critical situation.  Then I read a post at the Health Blog in The Wall Street Journal.  Simplicity is genius.

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