Dr. Ben Kim's blog

Do you eat tuna fish on a regular basis? If so, you should know about a recently published report on dangerous levels of mercury found in canned tuna fish.

The report was published by an environmental group called "Defenders of Wildlife," which contracted New Age/Landmark Laboratory in Benton Harbor, Michigan to test 164 cans of tuna fish that were produced in Ecuador, Mexico, Costa Rica, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, and the United States. Read more

Before my wife and I got married, I had no idea that some adults maintain very strong attachments to their childhood teddy bears.

It wasn't long before I realized that Margaret had very real feelings of affection for her two favorite bears: Snuffles (a brown grizzly) and Mika (a pink polar bear).

I have to admit, it wasn't long before I started to enjoy having Snuffles and Mika around, especially in the evenings when we would lie in bed and talk about how our day went. As silly as it might seem, Margaret has two distinct voices and personalities for Snuffles and Mika that really bring them to life. Read more

A study published in the July 5th, 2006 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association indicates that taking the maximum recommended dose of Tylenol (acetaminophen) for fourteen consecutive days can cause acute liver damage.

Medical researchers who co-ordinated this study had 106 participants take 4 grams of acetaminophen (the equivalent of eight 500 mg tablets of extra-strength Tylenol) every day for two weeks. Thirty-nine participants received placebo pills. Read more

Ingredients:

1 medium to large pomegranate, seeded
1 apple, chopped
1 small handful of whole or halved walnuts
1-2 big handfuls of field greens
1 rib of celery, chopped
2 tablespoons of orange juice
1 teaspoon raw honey

Directions:

Combine pomegranate seeds, apples, walnuts, greens and celery in a large bowl.

Combine orange juice and raw honey in a small bowl and whisk together with fork. Sprinkle dressing on salad ingredients and toss before serving. Read more

A study conducted at the University of California in Los Angeles and published in the July 1st, 2006 edition of Clinical Cancer Research suggests that drinking an 8 oz. glass of pomegranate juice on a daily basis can significantly slow the progress of prostate cancer. Read more

Ingredients:

1 cup of brown rice
4 teaspoons of finely chopped vidalia or red onion
2-3 tablespoons of chopped walnuts
2-3 tablespoons of dried cranberries
1 large apple, peeled and chopped into small pieces
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt (optional)
2 teaspoons of brown rice or red wine vinegar
4 teaspoons of finely chopped green onion Read more

Ingredients:

1 bunch of asparagus stalks, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 rib of celery, diced
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 cups of vegetable broth or organic chicken broth
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and ground black pepper (optional)

Directions:

Warm olive oil in a soup pot and lightly sautee asparagus, carrots, celery, and onions over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes. Read more

A study published in this month's Journal of the American Medical Association indicates that psychotherapy sessions can be more effective for treating insomnia than a sleeping drug called zopiclone, sold under the commercial name, Imovane. Read more

Although we don't know and may never know the exact causes of Alzheimer's disease, we do know that several food and lifestyle choices are strongly linked to a decrease in one's risk for developing Alzheimer's.

What follows are six important food and lifestyle factors that can dramatically reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

1. Drink Vegetable Juices Read more

From Our Mailbag:

Our doctor is recommending that our teenage daughter be put on birth control medication to remedy anaemia and pain with periods. Can you tell us about the health implications of putting young girls on birth control pills?

- A reader from New Zealand Read more