The Dr. Leigh Vinocur Show

Twice as many kids are hit and killed by cars on Halloween than any other day of the year.An estimated 41 million children between the ages of five and 14 will be out trick-or-treating on Halloween night. For adults, if Halloween falls on a weekend, Halloween can be a fun time to dress up and throw a party. This could also be potentially dangerous if alcohol and driving are involved.Unfortunately, according to Safe Kids Worldwide, twice as many children are hit and killed by cars between the hours of 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Halloween compared to the same time frame on any other day of the year.What are some tips to keep your child safe during Halloween?The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) suggests that adults follow these tips for a safe and fun Halloween: Make sure your child knows the potential dangers from strangers. Make sure they know never to accept rides from strangers or visit unfamiliar homes or areas. Make sure your child stays on the sidewalks as much as possible (off streets) and obeys all traffic signals. Avoid costumes that could cause children to trip, such as baggy pants, long hems, high heels and oversized shoes. Make sure costume fabric, wigs and beards area made of flame-resistant materials, such as nylon or polyester. Make sure costumes are visible at night: avoid dark colors and add reflective tape to costumes so your child is more visible to motor vehicles. Take a flashlight while trick-or-treating as visibility decreases long before it gets really dark. Listen in as Ryan Stanton, MD, shares the potential dangers of Halloween night and how you can be safe on Halloween.

Why should you meditate?In today's world, it can seem hard to slow down and take a moment for yourself. You may constantly feel rushed and unable to think about anything other than your demanding job.However, by learning to slow your breath and take a moment to feel fully present, meditation can be extremely beneficial to your health.Meditation also increases your blood flow and slows your heart rate. You're able to feel a deeper level of relaxation, reduce your stress, reduce anxiety, decrease your respiratory rate, and also decrease any muscle tension you feel in your body.What are some ways you can focus on your breath and meditate in a highly-stressed career?Listen in as Arnold Raizon, founder of ZIM Meditation, shares why meditation is beneficial and how you can start practicing.

Are there still potential issues with artificial sweeteners?Artificial sweeteners seem like a great alternatives to sugar, since they add the sweetness of real sugar without the added calories and health hazards.However, that's far from the truth. In fact, researchers are also noting that artificial sweeteners might not be that much better for you. Many have criticized artificial sweeteners as the number-one cause for serious health issues including weight gain, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and cancer.A new meta-analysis that was published in the International Journal of Obesity looked at low-energy sweeteners (LES) and energy intake plus body weight.What did the meta-analysis find?Listen in as Karl Nadolsky, DO, and Spencer Nadolsky, DO, share their recent article that discusses the skinny on artificial sweeteners.

With little or no protein, you might be at an increased risk of skeletal health issues.According to a recent study, a protein-restricted diet can decrease calcium absorption, which could later cause skeletal health issues.In one study, researchers looked at 11 women with a mean age of 28, a normal weight, and who had regular menstrual cycles. The first three weeks of the study was a dietary adjustment phase and the six-and-a-half weeks involved protein restriction.Researchers found that by limiting dietary protein to 0.7 g/kg for the six-and-a-half weeks led to a decrease of -0.43% (95% CI -0.77 to -0.09, P=0.02) in intestinal calcium absorption.What else did researchers find and why is protein in your diet so important?Jessica Bihuniak, PhD, RD, joins Dr. Leigh to discuss this study and its implications for women's health.

What is it about the practice of Tai Chi that makes it so beneficial to patients with chronic diseases?According to the American Academy of Pain Medicine, roughly 100 million Americans are suffering from chronic pain.Research has shown that practicing Tai Chi could be useful for older people that have several chronic pain issues.Tai Chi is used to self-heal by the slow and gentle movements that help boost muscle and power, as well as improve balance and posture.Researchers wanted to find out how effective Tai Chi was in patients who had long-term chronic conditions, and they looked at electronic research databases for relevant studies on Tai Chi.The researchers found that Tai Chi was associated with improvement in physical capacity and muscle strength.How else can Tai Chi fight chronic disease?Listen in as Darlene Reid, PhD, BMR, shares how Tai Chi can help improve your physical capacity, as well as how it can help ease chronic pain.

Why is it important to consider rules about the location of marijuana dispensaries and the density of dispensaries within an area?Within the past few years, medical marijuana has been made legal in several states. Even though research has shown the many benefits to medical marijuana, there are still more research that needs to be done on safety. According to a recent analysis conducted by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, people who live in an area with large amounts of marijuana dispensaries have a larger number of hospitalizations. What did the analysis find? Researchers found that hospitalizations with marijuana abuse or dependence codes increased from 17,469 in 2001 to 68,408 in 2012. More than 85 percent of marijuana-related hospitalizations were coded as abuse, rather than dependence, and 99.2 percent were secondary codes, which meant the person was primarily hospitalized for something other than marijuana. What else did the research find? Listen in as Dr. Christina Mair shares her study on marijuana dispensaries and marijuana hospitalizations.

Why is it important to consider rules about the location of marijuana dispensaries and the density of dispensaries within an area?Within the past few years, medical marijuana has been made legal in several states.Even though research has shown the many benefits to medical marijuana, there are still more research that needs to be done on safety.According to a recent analysis conducted by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, people who live in an area with large amounts of marijuana dispensaries have a larger number of hospitalizations.What did the analysis find?Researchers found that hospitalizations with marijuana abuse or dependence codes increased from 17,469 in 2001 to 68,408 in 2012.More than 85 percent of marijuana-related hospitalizations were coded as abuse, rather than dependence, and 99.2 percent were secondary codes, which meant the person was primarily hospitalized for something other than marijuana.What else did the research find?Listen in as Dr. Christina Mair shares her study on marijuana dispensaries and marijuana hospitalizations.

Medical marijuana is shown to have painkilling properties without the harmful side effects of typical prescription pain killers.Within the past few years, medical marijuana has been made legal in several states. Research has shown the benefits of medical marijuana among cancer and chronic pain patients, and now more research is showing that medical marijuana can help lower the amount of prescription overdose deaths. In fact, according to a new study by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, in states where medical marijuana is legal, the number of deaths from prescription drug overdoses is 25 percent lower than in states where medical marijuana is illegal. What else did this research find? Listen in as senior author of this study, Dr. Colleen Barry, joins Dr. Leigh to discuss medical marijuana and how it can help lower prescription overdose deaths.

Medical marijuana is shown to have painkilling properties without the harmful side effects of typical prescription pain killers.Within the past few years, medical marijuana has been made legal in several states.Research has shown the benefits of medical marijuana among cancer and chronic pain patients, and now more research is showing that medical marijuana can help lower the amount of prescription overdose deaths.In fact, according to a new study by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, in states where medical marijuana is legal, the number of deaths from prescription drug overdoses is 25 percent lower than in states where medical marijuana is illegal.What else did this research find?Listen in as senior author of this study, Dr. Colleen Barry, joins Dr. Leigh to discuss medical marijuana and how it can help lower prescription overdose deaths.

Marijuana smoke doesn't contain nicotine, so why would it be harmful?If you're walking down the street and see (or smell) someone in front you smoking a cigarette, your first reaction might be to speed ahead to avoid breathing in the secondhand smoke. According to the U.S. Surgeon General's 2014 report on the consequences of smoking, secondhand tobacco smoke causes an estimated 34,000 premature deaths from heart disease each year in the U.S. among nonsmokers. But, what about medical marijuana? Even though there isn't any nicotine in marijuana, would secondhand smoke be just as bad? Dr. Matthew Springer shares his study on medical marijuana and secondhand smoke.

Marijuana smoke doesn't contain nicotine, so why would it be harmful?If you're walking down the street and see (or smell) someone in front you smoking a cigarette, your first reaction might be to speed ahead to avoid breathing in the secondhand smoke.According to the U.S. Surgeon General's 2014 report on the consequences of smoking, secondhand tobacco smoke causes an estimated 34,000 premature deaths from heart disease each year in the U.S. among nonsmokers.But, what about medical marijuana? Even though there isn't any nicotine in marijuana, would secondhand smoke be just as bad?Dr. Matthew Springer shares his study on medical marijuana and secondhand smoke.

There are over 60 known cannabinoids found in marijuana. Can they be beneficial in treating epilepsy?Epilepsy is a debilitating and sometimes fatal brain disorder that causes repetitive seizures. In some severe cases, you may experience several hundred seizures in a single day. The current treatments that are used can cause some painful and damaging side effects, such as nausea, decreased appetite, dizziness, weight loss, and the inability to sleep. Can medical marijuana help treat children with epilepsy? Dr. Sam Wang joins Dr. Leigh to discuss CPD and if it can help treat pediatric epilepsy.

There are over 60 known cannabinoids found in marijuana. Can they be beneficial in treating epilepsy?Epilepsy is a debilitating and sometimes fatal brain disorder that causes repetitive seizures. In some severe cases, you may experience several hundred seizures in a single day.The current treatments that are used can cause some painful and damaging side effects, such as nausea, decreased appetite, dizziness, weight loss, and the inability to sleep.Can medical marijuana help treat children with epilepsy?Dr. Sam Wang joins Dr. Leigh to discuss CPD and if it can help treat pediatric epilepsy.

What is the risk of potential abuse of marijuana and the exposure to younger children in states where it has been decriminalized?Medical marijuana has been legalized in several states, but at a federal level, it is still criminalized.Back in 2004, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a statement of concern about the risk of potential abuse of marijuana and the exposure to younger children.In a recent study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, researchers looked at unintentional marijuana exposure to children up to the age of nine and call volumes that were reported to U.S. poison centers.What did the researchers find?Researchers found that states where marijuana was decriminalized had increases in the number of children requiring medical interventions.Listen in as lead author of the study, Dr. Sam Wang, shares the research on pediatric exposure and decriminalizing marijuana.

What is the risk of potential abuse of marijuana and the exposure to younger children in states where it has been decriminalized?Medical marijuana has been legalized in several states, but at a federal level, it is still criminalized. Back in 2004, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a statement of concern about the risk of potential abuse of marijuana and the exposure to younger children. In a recent study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, researchers looked at unintentional marijuana exposure to children up to the age of nine and call volumes that were reported to U.S. poison centers. What did the researchers find? Researchers found that states where marijuana was decriminalized had increases in the number of children requiring medical interventions. Listen in as lead author of the study, Dr. Sam Wang, shares the research on pediatric exposure and decriminalizing marijuana.