Author: Editor

Probiotic use can result in a significant accumulation of bacteria in the small intestine that can result in disorienting brain fogginess as well as rapid, significant belly bloating, investigators report. in a published study of 30 patients, the 22 who reported problems like confusion and difficulty concentrating, in addition to their gas and bloating, were all taking probiotics, some several varieties. When investigators looked further, they found large colonies of bacteria breeding in the patients’ small intestines, and high levels of D-lactic acid being produced by the bacteria lactobacillus’ fermentation of sugars in their food, says Dr. Satish S.C. Rao, director of neurogastroenterology/motility and the Digestive Health Clinical Research Center at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. D-lactic acid is known to be temporarily toxic to brain cells, interfering with cognition, thinking and sense of time. They found some patients had two to three times the normal amount of D-lactic acid in their blood. Some said their brain fogginess — which lasted from a half hour to many hours after eating — was so severe that they had to quit their jobs. The report in the journal Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology appears to be the first time the connection has been made between brain fogginess, bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine, high levels of D-lactic acid in the gut and probiotic use, Rao says.

For the millions of students who will be starting college for the first time, they will be exposed to new things, including challenges with their health and weight. In a study published in the journal BMC Obesity, researchers shared their findings regarding the “freshman 15,” the idea that new college students gain about 15 pounds. They found that two-thirds of college freshmen gain weight, which is about five times higher than that of the general population. Furthermore, they report that adolescent weight gain is highly linked to overweight and obesity in adults, making it even more crucial that the freshman 15 (and beyond) be avoided. In the same study, researchers pointed out several factors linked to weight gain during freshman year. These include stress, drinking alcohol, unhealthy eating, and poor physical activity. Dr. Russo offers the following tips to combat each of these pitfalls:

Tackling stress. With the onset of new responsibilities and challenges, college freshmen can become stressed. It’s important to find ways to keep stress in check, such as doing meditation, exercising regularly, joining support groups, getting help when and where it is needed, doing yoga, or journaling. There are many ways to help reduce stress, so find the ones that will appeal to you and that you enjoy. Make them a regular part of your life.

Curbing alcohol drinking. According to the National Institutes of Health, alcohol consumption can cause weight gain due to its high caloric and zero nutritional value. Compounding the problem, many people make poor food choices when they are consuming alcohol. A regular beer has 150 calories, a glass of wine 100 calories, and a pina colada around 500 calories. College freshmen are typically not even of legal age to be drinking alcohol, so avoiding it will help avoid weight gain and can help keep you out of trouble.

Focusing on healthy eating. Eating an average of three meals per day creates many opportunities to make decisions about what foods to eat. Consuming healthy foods regularly, or at least most of the time, will help you stay healthy and avoid weight gain. Opt for eating lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean sources of protein. Keep the amount of carbohydrates and sugar being consumed in check so that it doesn’t add to weight gain.

Keeping physically active. The college years are a great time to establish lifelong physical activity habits. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week, or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity, in addition to two or more days per week of strength training exercises. It’s important to find ways to keep active either alone or with a group. Look for sports to join, exercise classes, find an activity you enjoy doing and stick with it, or look for an exercise partner to hold each other accountable.

By: Ashmar Mandou

There is a myriad of ways mothers are excepted to care for their newborn, especially how to care for newborn skin. Mothers receive information from online sources, friends, and family, which can be quite overwhelming. Baby Dove Pediatric Dermatologist Dr. Mercedes Gonzalez carved out time in her busy schedule to talk with Lawndale Bilingual Newspaper about how mothers can care for their newborns and tips to ensure healthy newborn skincare.

Lawndale Bilingual News: New mothers receive an overwhelming amount of information on how to care for their newborn that it becomes increasingly difficult to apply what works best for them.  What tips can you share with new mothers about how to stay on top of their child’s skincare? 
Dr. Mercedes Gonzalez: Parents should always build good skin care practices into their daily routines. For example, keep your baths short, less than five minutes, using warm water. Gentle products are always best, like Baby Dove Rich Moisture Tip to Toe Wash, or Baby Dove Sensitive Moisture Tip to Toe Wash for babies with sensitive or eczema-prone skin. You should always wash gently with soft wash clothes or your fingertips. Afterwards, within three minutes of coming out of the bath, pat the skin dry and apply Baby Dove Rich or Sensitive Moisture Baby Lotion to trap and replenish moisture on babies’ skin.

In young newborns, it is important to protect the skin under the diaper and the skin of the body folds such as the axillae and the neck.  All these areas are constantly moist and occluded, which makes the skin more sensitive and prone to breakdown. For the axillae and the neck, be sure to regularly soak up any excess moisture such as bath water, sweat, drool or milk that may get trapped in these body folds.  To keep the skin under the diaper protected, change the diaper frequently, and use a barrier ointment each time the diaper is changed.  Avoid aggressive use of baby wipes – use gentle patting motion when using wipes in the diaper area and use baby friendly wipes.

A newborn’s skin is constantly changing, are there signs that mothers should be cognizant of as they check their child? 
There are many skin changes that are normal in the first few weeks of life.  For example, most babies’ skin will peel lightly in the first couple of weeks, especially if they were born past 40 weeks gestation. If the skin becomes pink or red and stays this way for more than a day, or if blisters or pus bumps develop, you should check with your pediatrician or pediatric dermatologist to assure that no further testing or treatment is needed. Roughness of the skin could indicate that the skin is excessively dry making it prone to eczema breakouts and possibly infection. 

What are the best products to use and what products, or ingredients, should parents stay away from for newborns? 
The best products for baby skin are those that are designed specifically for babies. I recommend Baby Dove products because of the strong science behind the baby specific line made for both sensitive and normal skin.  Baby Dove’s Tip to Toe Wash uses the gentlest surfactants at low levels and have the brand’s ¼ moisturizer that not only gently cleanses the skin, but also replenishes the moisture that is often stripped away when bathing.  Liquid cleansers that are appropriately formulated for babies and that are neutral pH, such as the Baby Dove cleansers, do not alter the natural process of the maturing skin barrier function in healthy full‐term newborns.  

By: Ashmar Mandou

On Wednesday the Chicago Department of Public Health announced that President Donald Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has been forced to restore $2 million in federal funding to Chicago’s Teen Pregnancy Program as a result of a class-action lawsuit joined by the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) and 62 other organizations. This funding was abruptly cut by HHS, eliminating funding for the five-year program after only three years; restoration of the funding will help Chicago to continue making historic strides in reducing teen births. “Chicago has achieved historic low teen births and after nine consecutive years of decline, continues to see a downward trajectory,” said CDPH Commissioner Julie Morita, M.D. “Restoring this funding is the right thing to do. As a data driven organization we need to evaluate prevention programs or risk reversing the historic gains our young people have made. We are pleased by this decision and will continue to ensure that every teen in Chicago has access to the resources they need to decide if or when to become a parent.”

Chicago has made historic strides in reducing teen births; the teen birth rate has declined for nine consecutive years. In 2015, the most recent year for which data is available, there were 27.5 births per 1,000 females aged 15-19 years old. This represents nearly a 68 percent drop from the 85.2 rate in 1999. Restoration of this funding allows CDPH to continue to evaluate these critical prevention programs. Early promising results of Chicago’s teen pregnancy prevention initiative include increases in youth knowledge and access to health care services. Since Planned Parenthood of Illinois began providing services on behalf of CDPH via a competitive bid process in March 2015, Chicago Healthy Adolescents and Teens (CHAT), Chicago’s on-site sexual health education and STI screen program, has provided sexual health education to more than 47,000 youth and sexually transmitted infection screening services to over 25,000 youth in CPS and charter high schools, local colleges, and youth-serving community-based organizations across the city. “Planned Parenthood is hopeful that with this funding continuation, we’ll be able to extend the benefits of this data-driven work to more Chicago youth,” said Jennifer Welch, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois.

Eating carbohydrates in moderation seems to be optimal for health and longevity, suggests new research published in The Lancet Public Health journal. The observational study of more than 15,400 people from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (ARIC) in the USA found that diets both low (< 40% energy) and high (>70% energy) in carbohydrates were linked with an increase in mortality, while moderate consumers of carbohydrates (50-55% of energy) had the lowest risk of mortality. The primary findings, confirmed in a meta-analysis of studies on carbohydrate intake including more than 432,000 people from over 20 countries, also suggest that not all low-carbohydrate diets appear equal — eating more animal-based proteins and fats from foods like beef, lamb, pork, chicken and cheese instead of carbohydrate was associated with a greater risk of mortality. Alternatively, eating more plant-based proteins and fats from foods such as vegetables, legumes, and nuts was linked to lower mortality. “We need to look really carefully at what are the healthy compounds in diets that provide protection,” says Dr Sara Seidelmann, Clinical and Research Fellow in Cardiovascular Medicine from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, USA who led the research.