There is a lot of discussion in the press about the safety of vaccines in children, says Kellen Glinder, M.D., a pediatrician at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. And the question often comes up in his practice. “In the United States vaccines are very well studied and very safe,” the doctor advises in this video on the topic.
“One thing is very clear: When we don’t vaccinate our children, the diseases we are protecting against reappear,” he says.
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MyLifeStages.org is one of the few places online where you’ll find Northern California practicing physicians answering questions, blogging and talking about the very topics that matter most to you.
What is MyLifeStages? It’s Sutter Health’s wellness portal that connects women and their families with Sutter-affiliated doctors for health information, tools, expert tips and more, all for free. Serving more than 360,000 visitors in 2011, this site is loaded with its interactive features and health resources designed to support women on their journey toward good health at every stage of life.
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Body Mass Index (BMI), which is a measure of weight proportionate to height, is a standard used around the world to figure out when someone is overweight or obese. BMI is an estimate of body fat and a good gauge of your risk for diseases that are more likely to develop with excessive amounts body fat.
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Most holidays can be traced back to an important transition in the seasons, or life. Birth (spring), harvest/success (fall), coming of age (summer), and death (winter).
We live with the same rhythm: The coming of morning, daytime, evening, night, and this rhythmn provides structure and support, as well as connection with others.
We all need that connection – just look at the social networking boom. We tend to look for people who are similar to us, experiencing something with us, who have kids the same age as ours, or who enjoy the same things we do. I cannot help wondering if this search for connection is a consequence of not focusing on the most obvious things (the rhythm) we share with everyone on this planet.
Feeling connected lends itself to appreciating others and ritualizing their role in our lives — this includes special occasions. When possible, it’s nice for special occasions to include each member of the family contributing something to the food, music, and an activity focused on whatever is being celebrated. A special meal, greens or flowers from the yard, a house filled with a favorite music, and kind words make each person feel special, and most importantly, appreciated.
This blog post is contributed by Nancy Brown, Ph.D., a nationally-recognized health educator and adolescent development expert at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF).
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Dr. Arnold Aigen, M.D., FACS, PAMF Urology
In this blog post, Dr. Arnold Aigen, a urologist at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation’s Mountain View Center, addresses the common rule-of-thumb that we all need to drink eight glasses of water every day. He’s a surgical subspecialist who treats a variety of urological medical problems from infections to cancer and kidney stones.
“A day rarely goes by without me seeing a patient who is experiencing the discomfort of needing to urinate too often,” Dr. Aigen says. “While many medical issues, such as prostate or bladder problems, can cause this disorder, I also always ask my patients about their fluid intake.”
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Did you know that South Asians are more susceptible to heart attack, stroke and diabetes? Compared to other ethnicities, South Asians are at a heightened risk to develop these chronic illnesses up to a decade earlier. Consider these facts:
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Behavioral and lifestyle factors have been implicated in poor health quality and the development of chronic diseases. Palo Alto Medical Foundation researchers are introducing an opportunity to participate in the Lifestyle Influences on Fitness and Energy (LIFE) study, where they hope to learn about how diet, physical activity, and sleep influence health.
This study will involve answering some questions about diet, physical activity and sleep habits. Participants in this study will also be asked to wear a small, lightweight activity monitor for one week. Participants will receive valuable information on their dietary, physical activity, and sleep habits.
Information from this study may inform future research and clinical guidelines to improve patient health.
If you are interested in participating, please contact the PAMF Research Institute study coordinator at lifestudy@pamfri.org or 650-691-6228.
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Flu season is upon us once again. Each year, 5 to 20 percent of Americans get the flu, and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The good news is that getting vaccinated is a safe way to help prevent the flu.
Getting a flu vaccine is one of the best ways to avoid the flu and stay healthy. If you haven’t yet gotten your flu vaccine, now is the time to do it.
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Selecting a good primary care physician is one of the best things you can do for your health. Think of your primary care physician as a partner focused on keeping you healthy for life. This is the person who knows your personal health history and schedules routine screening tests that frequently help prevent and detect diseases such as heart attack, cancer and diabetes.
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Summer equals fun – whether it’s a trip to the beach, a hike among soaring redwoods or firing up the barbecue with friends in your backyard. In this blog post, Terry Hollenbeck, M.D., from PAMF’s Scotts Valley Urgent Care Department, shares his top tips for staying healthy and safe while enjoying your favorite summer activities.
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