Let's Make Our Day Harder - By Walking, Taking the Stairs, Parking Further Away, etc. (video)

From DocMikeEvans:

A review of some of the science around how our typical days have shifted with technology and culture and the impact on our health. It is also a call to action about how to "Tweak your Week" and make small changes to improve your health.

Don't forget to check the rest of the videos from DocMikeEvans' YouTube channel.

Are toddlers taking on too much technology?

iPads are (almost) a part of the natural childhood development according to the book author Patti Summers:

"Welcome to the world of the Digitods: the young children born into the era of mobile technology. These kids are learning faster and better than any generation that has come before them. Take a look at toddlers using an iPad. They are pictures of concentration. Have you ever tried getting a Digitod's attention when he is working with an iPad? It is not easy. Often, the child is so fixated on the work that he protests when he has to move on, even to something as interesting as a snack. Good learning is addictive: the more you get, the more you want."

Why are some researchers on the topic sending their own children to "no digital allowed" schools then?

Watch the CNN interview below for Patti Summers' side of the discussion:

Commonly used diabetes drug metformin smells bad and this may explain why many patients stop taking it

According to a new study, the diabetes drug metformin smells like fish or dirty socks to some people and this could account for the well-known side effects of the drug, which can make people nauseated.

But the problem could be solved by coating the pills so they do not smell or release the odor into the stomach, where it can be burped up.

Metformin. Image source: Wikipedia, public domain.

References:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61E54H20100215

Taking charge of your toddler's vaccination record is the best way to ensure they don't miss any shots

From Reuters:

"In our country, we think the doctor should have all the medical records," said Dr. James McElligott, a pediatrician at the Medical University of South Carolina who worked on the study. "I like the idea of putting the ownership back in Mom's hands and empowering her a little bit."

When parents kept a so-called shot card, their child's odds of being up-to-date on vaccinations rose by more than half.

40 percent of the toddlers had a shot card, and 84 percent of these had up-to-date vaccinations. By contrast, only 79 percent of the children without a card had all their shots.

Use the card: it doesn't have a downside and it's cheap."

References:

Want kids' vaccinations up to date? Keep the record | Reuters, 2010.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61E37I20100215