Chicago Sun-Times

Teens have sex: What parents can do about it

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 12:03:24 -0500

Teenagers are having sex. Whether we like it, condone it or threaten to lock them in their rooms for the next several years like our parents did, it’s just a part of life.

Scientist Toshio Narahashi, expert on pufferfish toxin

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 02:33:00 -0500

It isn’t every scientist who would cite James Bond’s poisoning by pufferfish toxin in a research paper. But Toshio Narahashi was a scholar with a sense of humor, and both feet in the real world, where “From Russia with Love” is a classic book and film. He described one of the best Bond battles —with Russian spy Rosa Klebb — in a 1967 paper he co-authored, titled “Tetrodotoxin’s Highly Selective Blockage of an Ionic Channel.”

FDA head says menu labeling ‘thorny’ issue

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 10:18:00 -0500

WASHINGTON — Diners will have to wait a little longer to find calorie counts on most restaurant chain menus, in supermarkets and on vending machines. Writing a new menu labeling law “has gotten extremely thorny,” says the head of the Food and Drug Administration, as the agency tries to figure out who should be covered by it. The 2010 health care law charged the FDA with requiring restaurants and other establishments that serve food to put calorie counts on menus and in vending machines. The agency issued a proposed rule in 2011, but the final rules have since been delayed …

University of Chicago study seeks safer treatment for prostate cancer

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 06:12:33 -0500

Men with low-risk prostate cancer have long had to choose between aggressive treatment that had the potential for significant side-effects or active surveillance, with the risk of the disease getting worse. A small, early-stage trial at the University of Chicago could one day offer another option. The “phase I” trial found that focal therapy — described as the “male version of a lumpectomy for breast cancer” — appeared to be effective in burning away only the cancerous cells in the prostate, according to a report in the journal Radiology.

Time for Illinois to pass gay marriage bill

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 17:19:38 -0500

DR. LAURA BERMAN: On Feb. 27, the Illinois House Executive Committee gave the green light to a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in our state. However, the bill must now go for a full House vote — and pass — before Gov. Pat Quinn can sign it. Sadly there are still many misconceptions when it comes to the fight for gay rights.

Make working out something family does together

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 08:47:21 -0500

Mom is a pilot and on the road all the time. Dad takes up the slack when she’s gone. But their work schedule and active kids has taken a toll on their fitness and eating habits. That’s about a time.

Steamed clams deliver big flavor

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 11:41:13 -0500

SARA MOULTON: Certain ingredients — including clams, mussels, rack of lamb, skirt steak and dark chocolate — make meals delicious with very little effort on your part. Really, you’d have to be an idiot to screw them up. Clams and mussels are especially generous, delivering a one-two punch of taste thrills: the succulent bivalves themselves and the deeply flavorful juices that stream out of them when they’re cooked.

Avoid the triggers for ADHD

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 06:01:56 -0500

DRS. ROIZEN AND OZ: It seems like half the kids in my son’s fourth-grade class are diagnosed with ADHD. What’s going on? Am I imagining things?

8 ways to up the calcium in your diet

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 06:01:09 -0500

Here are eight ways to add calcium.

When a coat is a good idea for a dog

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 08:47:21 -0500

ASK DOG LADY: As a general matter I agree that putting a coat on a dog doesn’t make sense. But, it is a great help when you acclimatize your dog to new elements.

How to caregivers — including granny — to follow your parenting rules

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 11:59:05 -0500

Do some rules get broken by caregivers, well-meaning relatives — or even your child’s other parent? Have you thrown up your hands and given up after Grandma’s let the kids stay up late in your absence? The problem is that if some rules become lax (or thrown away altogether), young children figure that all rules can follow.

What to have — and what to avoid — at all-you-can-eat buffets

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 06:03:57 -0500

DR. ROIZEN AND OZ: My family loves to go to the local all-you-can-eat buffet for dinner. But I am really trying to eat better and lose weight. Any tips on how to survive this massive temptation to overeat all the wrong stuff?

‘Biggest Loser’s’ Jillian Michaels: Fad diets don’t work

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 06:06:49 -0500

Jillian Michaels, the fitness trainer with the drill-sergeant style on NBC’s “The Biggest Loser,” says that for those who want to lose weight, her best piece of advice is: Stop following fad diets.

A fast and healthy pear crisp to make any season

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 06:06:43 -0500

SARA MOULTON: Sometimes, even on a weeknight, you really crave a little dessert. But making dessert takes time, and you already are spending time cooking up the main event, namely dinner.

8 ways to up the calcium in your diet

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 06:01:09 -0500

Here are eight ways to add calcium.

Should Westie’s headbanging worry owners?

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 14:09:23 -0500

ASK DOG LADY: The 13-year-old Desmond, a West Highland white terrier, does this headbanging ritual when his stomach’s not right. Why? And, is it harmful?