Vitamin D intake has been associated with a lower risk for diabetes since the 1980s. It's theorized that Vitamin D helps regulate insulin sensitivity. In Iran, scientists decided to put the theories to the test. As Iran becomes increasingly industrial, diabetes and obesity rates are on the rise. The Iranian experiment showed that extra Vitamin D improved blood sugar levels in a small population with diabetes.
Temperatures in the Seattle metro area are dipping into the low 20s today and throughout the weekend. Hit by unpredictable snow this week and located in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, some of our QuickMedical staff had a hard time making it into the office. Though the Subaru girls managed to have no problem getting into work, and on time!
Obviously, Spring has not yet arrived. Despite the relatively mild, wet February in the Northwest this year, winter is never a good time to be without shelter.
That's why this Wednesday QuickMedical made a donation to the Seattle Union Gospel Mission. CEO Scott Hanna reports, "We bought 15 winter rescue kits for those in need."
The Seattle Union Gospel Mission works to address the complex issues surrounding the homeless, while meeting the ever-changing needs of men, women and children in the community. The mission operates a variety of programs which can truly save lives. You can donate money here directly. Every $1.92 donated can feed one hungry person. You can also help out as a volunteer, in a variety of different, quite necessary jobs. Contact the Mission to learn more.
"It's cold out tonight and hopefully we can make a slight difference for someone out there," says Hanna.
The Brave New World is here. It's no longer necessary to eat food, just inhale it, getting all the taste and almost none of the calories. The new Le Whif device debuted in France this month. For a video click ahead.
"If you threw a party and invited everyone you knew; you would see the biggest gift would be from me, and the card attached would say: 'Thank you for being a friend.'"
Those immortal lines were sung almost 20 years ago, but the truth behind them rings truer than ever. The Golden Girls probably lived so long because they had active friendships and social lives.
"Social activity has long been recognized as an essential component of healthy aging, but now we have strong evidence that it is also related to better everyday functioning and less disability in old age," lead researcher Bryan James, postdoctoral fellow in epidemiology of aging and dementia at Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, said in a university news release to Yahoo.
Staying active has also kept one 95 year old woman out of the nursing home and in the record books. Click ahead for a video report.
Yesterday was President's Day. While Presidents take on a larger than life status in the public eye, they are also, by law, just citizens-- average people with above average responsibilities. And just like you and me, they get sick sometimes and need to see the doctor. Sometimes they even have surgery. If you click ahead you can read some of the strangest facts about a few of our presidents' interesting health lives.
About 6% of surgeons reported having suicidal thoughts in the last year, but were reluctant to seek help because they feared it would affect their medical license, according to a new study in the Archives of Surgery. A survey of 8,000 surgeons by researchers at the Mayo Clinic found that of the 6% who reported having suicidal thoughts in the previous year, only 26% sought help.
We've reported stories like this one before. The human body can be pushed to some incredible limits. Patrick Lawler had a nail in his head for almost 24 hours before he realized there was a problem. But according to the Daily Mail in Great Britain, Li Fu from Yunnan Province, China had a knife blade in his skull for 4 years! Pictures after the click!
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Kids can get scared of the doctor. Kid friendly products put children at ease and lessen the stress of visiting the doctor. Pediatricians love QuickMedical's medical Equipment and supplies for Pediatricians including our papoose boards, child themed exam tables, cabinets, tongue depressors and room signs, all designed with the child's comfort in mind.
Did you know there is a St. Sugar Cancer-Sniffing Dog Training Center in Chiba, Japan? There, dogs are trained to detect cancers in patient breath samples, by scent alone.
Recently, a dog was able to accurately identify colorectal cancer, simply by sniffing.
"Canine scent judgment even appeared to be highly accurate for early-stage colorectal cancer," Dr. Hideto Sonoda, from the department of surgery at the Postgraduate School of Medicine at Kyushu University in Fukuoka, told HealthDay.
The goal isn't to have a bunch of dogs in white lab coats sniffing patients instead of doing colonoscopies, although that would be pretty cute. I bet Riester could make a pretty cool canine-headlamp, too.
The video was removed today due to a copyright claim by CBS, but here is ABC's report on the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ4shANmIN8
This clip from a local LA news report on the Grammy awards Sunday night is making its way around the Web.
While some people were laughing, we weren't. It appears that Serene Branson had a mild to serious stroke, on-air. According to the American Heart Assocation, a sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body, sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding are all symptoms of a stroke.
It's American Heart Month, and strokes are caused by cardiovascular disease. Knowing the warning signs and symptoms of strokes and heart attacks can aid in their proper treatment and prevention.
Following up on Branson: She was examined by EMTs outside the Staples Center after she was cut. A KCBS reporter tweeted last night that "station is looking into if there was a problem."
Yesterday, KCBS released a statement saying: "Her vital signs were normal. She was not hospitalized. As a precautionary measure, a colleague gave her a ride home, and she says she is feeling fine this morning."
A very strange story; we wish her well.
