Dr. Dave Hnida's Blog

Saints Trinket

Its one thing to paint your face or wear your favorite team's gear- but are you fan-enough to swallow their jewelry? Not wear... swallow.

Thats just what one New Orleans Saints fan did last week. She woke up and reached for her morning vitamin. Unfortunately, it was  this thing, not a vitamin. And you can see where it wound up.

Kind of pointy. Kind of dangerous. But was removed easily through a scope, just in time for the fan to cheer her team to a win. Id just be careful when you ask her to pass the nachos.

If youre like me and trying to keep your waist within human proportions, the first thing you look at when you buy some food is the number of calories. Even when I decide its treat time and eat a Kit Kat (ok, my weakness but I love them, especially at 445 pm), I look at the calories and say, what the heck, it doesnt look to bad.

But all too often I forget to look at the fine print, as in "number of calories per serving."  You see, that number often doesnt look that bad until you realize some small little tasty treat contains a trillion servings... and the 100 calories you think youre eating is actually 300,  400, or 500 calories if you eat the whole thing.

Its the same thing with chips. Usually its 150 calories per serving, then you see that one serving equals five chips. Ohhhhh, painful.

So the Feds are getting ready to change the rules so the serving size is more in line with what grownups actually eat, not what a mouse might fill up on. It means that "safe, low cal" food will wind up reflecting a more realistic, and much higher calorie count.

Just warning you. But I think Its actually a good idea. Maybe the way to deal with the new sticker shock is to eat half, and save the rest for later. (Right.)

By the way, what about calorie counts and serving sizes for foods that dont typically come all neatly wrapped up with a pretty label? Here's a nice tool from WebMD to determine portion sizes:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthtool-portion-size-plate

A new study says while we grownups do a fairly good job making sure our kids are up to date on immunizations, we're so great at making sure we're protected.

The study shows one in three adults who should get a pneumonia shot, get one.

36% get a flu shot

2% get a diptheria, pertussis, tetanus shot

Pneumonia is certainly a killer, and all adults age 65 and older should get this simple vaccine. Younger people with asthma, heart problems, etc should be vaccinated as well.

Flu shots, as youve heard, are a vaccine that needs to be given every year. So far this season seems fairly mild- its not unusual for flu cases to kick in during March and hang around until May.

And the tetanus shot is one that should be given every ten years- and its most effective if its given before you cut yourself

The message- roll up that sleeve. Protect yourself as much as you protect your youngsters.

So Im looking at my son's toothbrush the other day- it looked like it had spent the better part of the afternoon on I-25, run over by a trailer truck or ten. Name a direction, and the flattened bristles went that way.

It begs the question: when do you need a new toothbrush? Here are the general rules.

Adults- every 3 months or so. Every 4-6 weeks if you have gum disease.

kids- every 6 weeks

All- after every illness whether it be a cold, flu, or strep.

Otherwise for care:

Rinse thoroughly with hot water after using, then let air dry. Soaking in mouthwash may or may not help. Microwaving or running through the dishwasher not a good idea since they mess up the structure and function of the bristles.

Finally, dont keep your toothbrush out in the open in the same room as the toilet, (Warning! Gross-out alert!) Everythime you flush, microscopic droplets fly into the air and park themselves on a variety of objects, including your toothbrush if its just sitting out.

BTW, I bought my son a new toothbrush- the pancake look is out.

Youve probably heard that its not a good idea to wash down certain medications with a glass of grapefruit juice, since an ingredient in the juice (or an actual grapefruit) can cause the levels of the medication to go whacky in your bloodstream. The big question is how long to wait between the juice and the drug. We always thought 2-4 hours... or maybe 6 or 8. A new study has a different answer: 24 hours, which means dont drinbk grapefuit juice at all if you are on certain medications.

This is a no-kidding-around situation: a new study from the Mayo Clinic says, for excample, that combining grapefruit juice with a statin drug can drive the blood levels of the statins to 3-4X normal- thats certainly toxic.

So what are some of the drugs that are a dangerous mix with the fruit of the grape:

Statin drugs

Anti depressants (many, not all)

Calcium channel blockers (for blood pressure)

Blood thinners

ALLERGY PILLS (the caps are on purpose to get your attention)

There are several more- the point is: ask your pharmacist whether any drug you take is ok with grapefruit or a no-go.

Interesting tidbit in the New York Times today which looks at people dropping dead from the stress of the Super Bowl--- which is different from the stress of the Broncos not making the Super Bowl or for that matter, watching the Pro Bowl before the Super Bowl (which actually wasnt that bad a game, for the first time in decades.)

So, if youre team is playing, whats your chances of having the big H.A. from the excitement? Frankly, that actually is the key: excitement. There have been a few studies, most notably one that found the rate of heart attacks took a sharp jump not only during the game, but for two weeks after the game... but it was during exciting games when the lead changed hands numerous times and went down to the wire.

Blow-outs, on the other hand, seemed to produce very little in terms of heart stress, Maybe the losing fans just wallowed in beer and bowls of bean dip.

Studies in other sports, notably soccer, show the same thing: big game with lots of excitement= bad for the ticker. Big game thats a one sided romp= no increased risk.

So if you care about Sunday's match up and your heart says "Who dat?" --it must be a good game.

Here's some new baby boomers will want to hear: remember all of those warnings about how loud music back in out teenage years would make us deaf? Well, it looks like it didnt happen to as many of us as predicted.

A new study finds a drop in age-related hearing problems for our generation compared to our parents. In other words, our hearing is better then when they were our ages. In fact, as each decade goes by, since the 1930's, hearing has improved... and at this point is the best ever for any age group, including those of us over 40.

The reasons: less smoking, use of antibiotics for ear infections, better ear protection, less environmental or occupation noise exposure etc etc.

Now this doesnt mean you can pop in your iPod and crank up the tunes to eardrum shattering levels. But then again, maybe you wont have to crank them up since you can already hear them just fine.

You know those running shoes you just dropped $150 on? They may be making you more prone to injury than cheap shoes or... no shoes at all.

Thats right, a new study in the journal Nature finds running barefoot may actually be the safest running of all (that is, as long as youre not running on sharp stones or broken glass.)

It all has to do with the way your foot strikes the ground as you pound the pavement. It seems that with most running shoes, you tend to hit your heel first. But go barefoot, and its the outer ball of the foot, or the so-called forefoot strike, that takes place, and is easier on the foot, ankle, and legs.

Hitting the heel first is not so good for the body, and runners naturally avoid it-- at least if they arent wearing good shoes. Thats because the padding allows you to land on the heel without pain, which sounds good but isnt good for everything thats connected to the heel.

If you decide to make the change to natural, do it gradually. A fast transition can itself cause problems but over time, barefoot makes the ride a little smoother and more comfortable.

If youd like more info, and a debate in the issue, take a look at this months issue of Runner's World. Or you might be interested in book on the joys of barefoot running: http://borntorun.org/

When you hear cholesterol, you think of grownups. But what about kids? According to a new report from the CDC, about one in five kids have high cholesterol or some other fat in the blood. And we're not talking mild elevations here- but levels that could clog up those arteries pretty quickly.

So what do you need to know about cholesterol screening in children? According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, screening can start as early as age two. Thats right: two. (and no later than age 10)

Chidlren who should be screened:

Parents with high cholesterol

Family history of heart disease age 55 or younger, i.e. parents, grandparents

Kids who are overweight (we say about the 85 percentile on their growth chart)

In years past, heredity and unusual genetic disorders were the main reasons for children having high cholesterol. And then, it was pretty unusual. Not now, poor diet and big waistlines are sending those blood fats sky high, which is a ticket to a heart attack when these kids hit their 20's and 30's. Get those numbers checked. If high, a change in diet and more exercise is the remedy. In some cases, we're even using statins in youngsters.

How would you like to add 40 years to your life? The American Heart Association has released a seven step fountain of youth- seven steps that could add forty years to your life if youre a fifty years old, more if youre younger. They say these seven steps to a healthy heart turn back the hands of time.

Here they are:

1. Never smoked, or have quit at least one year ago

2. Body mass index or BMI 25 or under

3. 150 minutes of moderate exercise every week

4. Total cholesterol less than 200

5. Blood pressure less than 120/80

6. Fasting blood sugar less than 100

7. At least 4 and a half cups of fruits and vegetables every day, going light on the salt, easy on the fat, and keeping the snacks to a minimum

If youd like to take an on-line quiz to assess your heart risk- check  out this link: http://mylifecheck.heart.org/

Heres to a long and healthy life.