The problems of childhood obesity are not exclusive to American soil. Both the U.S. and many European countries face this crisis. Various solutions have been proposed and executed. Everything from promoting exercise to teaching children about the origin of their food to banning candy or sweets on school campuses.

Now the European Commission has put forth a new initiative. A recent BMJ article, European Commission plans free fruit and vegetable scheme in schools, highlights the commission’s desire to get kids off to a strong start regarding healthy eating habits. Read more →

Do you remember the dreaded sex talk given to you by your parents? Most likely you fall into one of two camps. You belong in the first camp if your only memory of this talk is the recollection of a flushed, burning face staring at the carpet hoping-no, praying-that this moment would mercifully end… like two seconds ago. You belong in the second camp if you have absolutely no recollection of THE TALK. And the reason for this? This would be because it never happened. Read more →

In the 11th Report on Carcinogens, the US government added Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B, and certain papilloma viruses to their list of substances known to be carcinogenic. This represented the first time ever that viruses were included.

At the sixth annual International Conference of the American Association for Cancer Research, Dr. Andrew J. Dannenberg stated, “I believe that, conservatively, 15 to 20% of all cancer is caused by infections, however, the number could be larger, maybe double.” Read more →

Do you remember a time when most people on the roads just drove their car? Let me be more explicit. Do you remember a time when the main activities drivers engaged in were talking to a passenger, singing, and eating or drinking something?

Today it’s not often that I simply see someone driving; a good third or so of the people are talking on their cell phones. Now I realize that my percentage is far from accurate data but the fact that a large number of people talk (via cell) and drive is common knowledge. Read more →

A recent study in JAMA reported that patients treated for type 2 diabetes are at risk for developing depression. The study also reported that patients with depression are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

The study confirmed what other studies have reported, and clinicians have seen in practice, that symptoms of depression place patients at an increased risk for developing diabetes. Depressive symptoms including being overweight, poor eating habits, smoking, and a sedentary lifestyle are all known risk factors for developing impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes. However, lifestyle factors only partly explain the association between depression and diabetes. Read more →

Try and grasp this statistic: the number of people who commit suicide in the EU is larger than the number of people who die in road collisions. And so you can put it in perspective: 50,000 people die from road collisions in the EU.

This has caused the EU to take notice. On June 13th, the European pact for mental health and wellbeing was signed. Several initiatives comprise their plan some of which include: raising public awareness, support for people who have attempted suicide, identifying mental health problems in school-aged children, and making accommodations that will allow older people to work during their later years. Read more →