Shrinking Your Stomach & Zappa Was Right, Snow Not Good To Eat, Yellow Even Worse
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7:00am Segment Info:
There's nothing like the feeling of being full to help you walk away from the table and stop eating.
Now researchers in London are trying to mimick that feeling by developing new drugs that prevent your stomach from expanding as you eat. The idea is if the stomach doesn't expand, you'll feel full soon after eating a small amount of food limiting the amount of calories you eat. So far, the drug has only been tested in guinea pigs. But it could have the same effect on people.
Could this potentially replace some of those surgical procedures for weight loss?
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Potentially. Right now this drug is in the very early stages. But the idea of shrinking the size of the stomach so that you feel full is not new. With gastric banding, they use a band that wraps around part of the stomach to make you feel full and with gastric bypass, they actually remove a large part of the stomach leaving only a small pouch. So the potential may be there. But there's a lot more research to go on this drug.
In other news, don't eat the snow??
It's kind of a rite of passage for kids, but who hasn't eaten snow at least one time when they were a kid??
I'm talking about white snow, not yellow snow. Experts say clean looking crystal white snow in areas like Montana and the Yukon, let alone long island where i grew up, contains lots and lots of bacteria, and when you add in all the pollutants in the air - it's probably not a good idea to eat snow.
Do we really have to worry about this? First dodge ball banned. Now eating snow?
I wouldn't worry too much. First of all, we are exposed to bacteria from our environment all the time. Just playing in the playground exposes kids to tons of germs. Our bodies are designed to defend against these types of bacteria. Of course there are some kids who have chronic diseases who may be more at risk than others. But if your kids are healthy licking or getting a little snow in your mouth isn't going to kill you. In fact, there isn't a single report in the medical literature. It's better to catch it in your mouth from the air, but it's not a good idea to eat a whole handful of the stuff off the ground.
8:00am Ask The Doctor Segment Info:
1. Lashonda from Somerset, NJ asks: Where do boils come from? What will happen if you don't have them treated by a doctor?
Lashonda boils come from infected hair follicles. They can get pretty big fill with pus rupture and drain. Most boils go away in two weeks. To treat it you should apply warm compresses to the boil for about 10 to 15 minutes every few hours and cover with antibiotic ointment and a dressing. Don't squeeze it or lance it on your own. If left untreated the infection can spread to the bloodstream. Most people get to a doctor because of the pain.
2. Edith, from Brooklyn, NY asks: What is an anxiety attack ?
Edith, an anxiety attack is a panic attack that can develop when you suffer from anxiety disorder or get very anxious or worried about something. You may develop rapid breathing, feel extremely nervous and dizzy, get shaky with a fast heartbeat. If you have frequent episodes like this or you find yourself worrying about everyday things all the time it's probably a good idea to see a psychiatrist or your doctor. There are medications and behavioral therapies that can help.
3. Mike from Staten Island asks: Does acupuncture really work?
Mike, I can tell you from first hand experience and lots of medical research that acupuncture does in fact work. Studies show it can help people manage low back pain, migraines, arthritis, menstrual cramps and nausea.. Many doctors have embraced acupuncture and use it in combination with western medicine. The best part of acupuncture is that it has few side effects. If you're interested make sure you go to a licensed practitioner and get some references. You may also want to check with your insurance carrier. Some actually pay for acupuncture treatments.
