Narcolepsy – extreme bouts of sleepiness that can strike at any time – affects around 1 in 2,000 people in the US. A new study raises concerns about its diagnosis in adolescents, after it identified marijuana in the urine of some teenagers who had symptoms consistent with narcolepsy.

The researchers say their findings indicate that marijuana use may be linked to EDS in some adolescents, and that urine drug screening should form a part of clinical evaluation for narcolepsy.

Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

Low-fat, plant-based vegan diet ‘may reduce heart disease risk’ in obese children

The Journal of Pediatrics.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/289453.php

This is just another example of how this plant-based nutrition think-tank is full steam ahead. The China Study certainly tells a very compelling and riveting story of how plant-based nutrition is an essential part to living a healthy life. I applaud the plant-based nutrition movement helping individuals reverse serious health concerns and emphasizing a mission promoting wellness over disability!

http://www.newsobserver.com/2015/01/30/4516906/during-american-heart-month-take.html

http://www.thechinastudy.com/the-china-study/about/

We know now that the current measles “outbreak” started at an amusement park in California-Disneyland and that this outbreak accounts for 92% of the known cases as of January 30, 2015.  What we should do as a country is take this unfortunate event and raise public awareness about the importance of preventative vaccinations. With falsified data from Dr. Andrew Wakefield , a London physician, and a subsequent publication that linked MMR vaccination to autism in a 1998 Lancet journal article we have seen a wave of anti-vaccine activists and skeptics who do not vaccinate their children.  We need to take this opportunity to ramp up public education efforts on successful vaccination programs on all fronts and clearly show how they have overwhelmingly benefited society at large. In addition, many case reports and disease specific rates for decades at historically low levels now have begun to rise for whooping cough and chickenpox just to name other highly preventable diseases through vaccination. Folks, these are real life examples of natural disease occurrences that are on the rise in our country and with potentially terrible consequences.  As physicians and healthcare providers, we need to educate our patients based upon our incredible knowledge base filled with scientific data to help improve our communities’ pediatric vaccination rates.  In addition, we need to also listen to our parents and our patients to allay any unrealistic fears or to dispel any myths about vaccines.  We have to continue to tell our story, using facts from scientific discovery and study, that the benefit to risk ratio for vaccination is more compelling than ever. Further, making false claims or promoting activism against vaccinations against all the evidence makes one complicit in contributing to the increase of disease burden within our communities that can and will lead to unnecessary and unfortunate death.

http://www.cdc.gov/measles/cases-outbreaks.html

http://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.c7452

Unfortunately, concussions, or traumatic brain injury, are a common occurrence in individuals that are actively involved in sports at all levels of play, particularly high school athletics.  Learning more about these unfortunate events through well designed studies will help us educate parents and educators about the management and outcomes of these unfortunate traumatic brain injuries. We, as physicians and healthcare providers have a good understanding how to properly diagnose concussion injuries but we need more evidence based data on “when and how” to re-introduce a concussed person back into academics and sports.

“This study showed that kids with immediate signs of concussion, such as loss of consciousness or amnesia, tended to do a bit better with rest, while those with symptoms such as headache tended to do worse with rest, although this wasn’t statistically significant, said Dr Thomas.”

The following are some symptoms and signs you should look for if your child may have a concussion:

• Observed and documented disorientation or confusion immediately after the event;
• Impaired balance within 1 day after injury;
• Slower reaction time within 2 days after injury; and
• Impaired verbal learning and memory within 2 days after injury.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/837710?src=emailthis

Do not smoke or dip tobacco, or inhale (vape)- many cancer-causing chemicals included in the smoke and smokeless varieties including E-cigarettes (do not be fooled by the tobacco companies transformation into E-cigarette companies).

Eat healthy- eat more plant-based than animal-based nutrition (folks, that means give up your dairy as casein is a pro-inflammatory protein and you can gain back the calcium through other more healthy choices)

Regular physical activity- exercise for heart health, 4 times a week for 30 minutes each occurrence. Some examples of heart healthy exercise may include (ie elliptical machines, treadmill machines, speed walking, swimming, or bicycling.

Create a balance- fine tune your work and include plenty of “down time” that includes family and social events.  “Stress” destroys health!

Recognizing the symptoms and signs of asthma: See an expert!

Shortness of breath with activity

nighttime awakening with “fits of cough”

chest tugging or retractions between the ribs

increase in respiratory rate

nasal flaring

Remember the ABCDE’s when examining your child’s moles: Get Evaluated!

Asymmetry: Is one side of the mole different than the other?

Border irregularity: Are the edges ragged or irregular?

Color variation: Is the mole getting darker? Is part of it changing color or does it contain several colors?

Diameter: Is the mole bigger than ¼ inch?

Evolution: Is the mole growing in width or height?

Take the offensive and take control of your health!

http://www.dresselstyn.com/resolving_cade.htm