What Everybody Ought to Know About Plastics

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA Information circulating about the dangers of plastic containers has created fear and confusion. Are plastic containers toxic?  Do harmful chemicals leach out into its contents?   Do we need to discard all plastic containers? Recently, I interacted in a live health chat on MedHelp about the safety of plastics.  Scientist, Joe Schwarcz, PhD, Director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society talked about “The Real Truth About Plastics: What…

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Egg Recall Tied to Salmonella, List of Recalled Eggs, How to Read Carton and What to do to Stay Safe

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA Latest egg recall update Health officials urge consumers to throw away contaminated eggs or return them to the retailer. Salmonella, the name of a group of bacteria, is the most common cause of food poisoning in the United States. Usually, symptoms last 4-7 days and most people get better without treatment. But, salmonella can be more serious in older adults, infants, and persons with chronic illnesses. [Source] Wright County…

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What Moms Ought to Know About Pouring Their Child’s Medicine

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA A Spoonful of Medicine:  Not a good thing A recent study in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that people who use a kitchen spoons to pour liquid medicine aren’t getting the right dosage. Here’s what to use to get it right. Measuring Precisely is Vital Ask any pastry chef or professional baker, and they’ll tell you that using exact measurements in baking is critical for a successful end…

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Medical Experts Respond to Swine Flu: H1N1 Flu Vaccine – Who Should Get It, Who Shouldn’t Get It and Is It Safe?

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA In a recent post, Swine Flu:  H1N1 Flu Vaccine – Who Should Get It, Who Shouldn’t Get It and Is It Safe, a Healthin30 reader, Doriorio posted a comment and questioned the safety of the H1N1 Flu Vaccine. Doriorio writes: “Hi. Thanks for a great post. My pediatrician expressed concern to me about potential adjuvents in the H1N1 vaccines, saying that there are six manufacturers and potentially a wide…

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Swine Flu: H1N1 Flu Vaccine – Who Should Get It, Who Shouldn’t Get It and Is It Safe?

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA In April I co-authored, “Swine Flu Vs. Soap:  Our bet’s on the soap!” with pediatrician, Dr. Gwenn O’Keefe, founder of Pediatricsnow.  We gave a brief overview about the swine flu H1N1 and discussed preventative measures. While the information remains the same in our post, I’d like to now add a little info about the the H1N1 flu vaccine. Health information about H1N1 is circulating the web faster than tweets…

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