Dr. Ben Kim's blog

Just read a great piece on this topic in today's Washington Post. Here is summary of the main points that I took from it:

1. According to an analysis by a scientist at the Environmental Protection Agency, women living in coastal areas have twice as much mercury in their blood as women who live inland. Read more

A study in the September issue of Biophysical Journal provides an excellent explanation for why high doses of aspirin can cause ulcers and temporary deafness.

Researchers from Rice University in Texas report that salicylate (the active metabolite of aspirin) weakens thin, fatty membranes, including those that make up the lining of your stomach and those that are critical for proper inner ear functioning. Read more

A recent study in the journal Child Development (September 14, 2005) reports that even the mildest hints of anger or hostility in their environment significantly raises the stress level of physically abused children for a prolonged period of time, even if the conflict has nothing to do with them.

The investigators of this study suggest that this heightened response system in physically abused children may explain why many of them are so often distracted at school. Read more

Noise-induced hearing loss is becoming a larger health crisis every year, especially among those who listen to CD and mp3 players on a regular basis.

A recent article on CNN.com takes a close look at this issue, and points out the following:

1. Researchers are finding that growing numbers of students and people in their 30s and 40s are suffering from noise-induced hearing loss, as well as chronic ringing in their ears, a condition known as tinnitis. Read more

This crunchy and tasty salad is best made with a good vegetable shredder called a mandolin. If you don't have a mandolin but want to buy one, try your local asian food supermarket. Almost all Korean supermarkets carry an excellent one for around twenty-five dollars.

Jicama is a white-fleshed root vegetable that is a good source of vitamin C. It adds a great crunchy component to salads.

Ingredients: Read more

According to an article in today's LA Times, a recent study in the journal Pediatrics reports that the rate of spina bifida and anencephaly birth defects in the U.S. has decreased by more than 33 percent since 1998 when the government began adding folic acid to enriched flours, rice and pastas. Read more

A recent study out of the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine reports that very large amounts of a caramel food coloring can suppress the immune system.

You would think that scientists would use this information to warn people about the dangers of eating processed foods that have artificial colours. Read more

Just ran across an article on Yahoo News that provides some sad statistics on junk food in our schools.

The U.S. General Accountability Office reported yesterday that 9 out of 10 U.S. schools offer junk food like candy bars and soda to students that directly compete against school lunches. Read more

If someone you know still doesn't have enough motivation to quit smoking, you may want to let him or her know that the link between smoking and blindness is about as strong as the link between smoking and lung cancer. Read more

To me, there are few health conditions that are more sad than depression, particularly depression among children and teenagers.

A recent study out of the University of Sweden indicates that depression among children and teenagers is strongly linked to the following psychosocial factors:

1. Being shamed and humiliated.
2. Being obese.
3. Having separated parents or unemployed parents Read more