July, 2012

Although we do need some salt daily for normal health, we end up getting far more than the recommended amount. This excess can have devastating consequences to overall health, as indicated in several studies.

Many people are well aware that salt is not good for them, and they turn to sea salt as what they perceive as the healthier option. Manufacturers sprinkle it on chips and pretzels and throw a “natural” claim on the label. We’re spending lots of money getting various colors of sea salt. Chefs tout it as one of the best ways to “salt” your foods.

We’re eating it all up — literally. But what makes it better than regular table salt?

For an interview with Kristin Kirkpatrick, a Cleveland Clinic registered dietitian, please contact Joe Milicia, milicij2@ccf.org, 216.636.5873.

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If a child is allergic to an egg, typically it goes away as they get older. But for some children it’s not that easy.

A new study finds that oral immunotherapy may work to desensitize the majority of children with egg allergy. Brian Schroer, M.D., did not part take in the study, but is a pediatric allergist at Cleveland Clinic.

“Children who generally have no real therapy at the moment besides avoidance of the eggs were able to tolerate larger doses of eggs while on the treatment. Once the treatment was stopped, they were able to tolerate the eggs just as any other child would be able to,” says Dr. Schroer.

University of North Carolina researchers studied 55 children between the ages of 5 and 11. Forty of them were prescribed to take egg-white powder pills for four to six weeks as a part of an immunotherapy program. After 22 months, 75 percent of the children receiving oral immunotherapy were desensitized.

For an interview with Dr. Schroer, please contact Joe Milicia, milicij2@ccf.org, 216.636.5873.

It’s never a good feeling to get a call from your doctor’s office telling you about an abnormality on your Pap test. But most of the time, there’s not much to worry about.

Paps can pick up subtle abnormalities in the cells of the cervix. Officially, a Pap is looking for cervical cancer and its precursors, but sometimes it will find other conditions, such as yeast or infection. Even if your Pap shows a “pre-cancerous” result, you should know that very few actually go on to become cancer.

For an interview with Elisa Ross, M.D., an obstetrician and gynecologist in Cleveland Clinic’s Women’s Health Institute, , please contact Joe Milicia, milicij2@ccf.org, 216.636.5873.

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Have you ever wondered about the health benefits of seeds? Amy Jamieson-Petonic, R.D., a registered dietician at Cleveland Clinic, says people do not realize certain seeds have a variety of health benefits.

Hemp seeds, for example, can be a great source of vitamin E.

“Vitamin E is an antioxidant in our body,” says Jamieson-Petonic. “It helps to reduce free-radicals — these harmful chemicals that can increase our risk of diabetes, heart disease, and some types of cancer.”

For an interview with Jamieson-Petonic on other types of seeds and their health benefits, please contact Joe Milicia, milicij2@ccf.org, 216.636.5873.

By age 1, children typically are in the habit of pointing at something interesting — like a squirrel running up a tree or a funny face.

Children with autism may not point, and they may not be able to recognize a funny face. A lack of pointing is just one of many possible early warning signs as a child develops, and it relates in part to how people with autism perceive things differently.

For an interview on this topic with Aletta Sinoff, PhD, Director of Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital Center for Autism, please contact Joe Milicia, milicij2@ccf.org, 216.636.5873.

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A blood test may one day be used to predict who will have to battle memory and thinking problems later in life.

The test looks for high levels of a certain fat in the blood that has been linked to the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Brian Appleby did not part take in the study but treats patients with Alzheimer’s disease at Cleveland Clinic.

“What they found actually was that of a very specific type of lipid called ceramide was increased in people that converted to dementia, but especially those who converted to Alzheimer’s disease dementia,” says Dr. Appleby.

John Hopkins University researchers took blood samples from 99 women between the ages of 70 and 79. They were free of memory and thinking problems when the study began. Over the next nine years, 27 of them developed dementia, and 18 women developed probable Alzheimer’s. Results show women with higher levels of ceramides were 10 times more likely to develop the disease than those who had lower levels. Researchers say additional, larger studies are needed to confirm the link.

For an interview with Dr. Appleby, please contact Joe Milicia, milicij2@ccf.org, 216.636.5873.