I treat many pregnant woman and have many referred to me by their obstetricians. Tylenol (acetaminophen) is the most commonly used drug by pregnant woman. There have recently been studies showing that it is not as safe during pregnancy as previously thought. A new study from the UCLA School of Public Health and published in JAMA Pediatrics showed its use is associated with higher rates of ADHD.

http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/use-of-acetaminophen-during-pregnancy-250121.aspx

A study from the American Journal of Medicine shows that people with more muscle mass are less likely to die prematurely.This is a finding shown in other studies.
The BMI (body mass index) includes muscle and fat which can be misleading. Many NFL football players who have high muscle mass and low body fat of 3-5% would be considered obese if using the BMI!
Has anyone had their body fat percentage calculated?

http://www.stonehearthnewsletters.com/older-adults-build-muscle-and-youll-live-longer-ucla-research/elder-care/

Health myth: Is cracking your knuckles really bad for you?

Here is an article from Fox News with information from a hand surgeon debunking a very common medical myth. The article does not mention that there have been several other more rigorous research studies showing no harm from this habit, including the most recent study using x-rays showing that knuckle cracking results in slightly less arthritis.
Does this surprise anyone?

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/03/13/health-myth-is-cracking-your-knuckles-really-bad-for/?intcmp=features

Article in the Wall Street Journal that discusses possible reasons why woman have significantly higher incidence of chronic pain.
To what would you attribute the higher incidence?

Why Women Are Living in the Discomfort Zone

The musculoskeletal effects of cigarette smoking.

It usually surprises patients when I inform them that cigarette smoking is more of a risk factor than weight for back disorders. The main theory is that it diminishes blood flow to the spinal tissues.
Here is a study from the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery concluding that it also increases the risk of sustaining a fracture or tendon injury, and it increases the risk of post surgical complications such as delayed fracture healing, infections, and soft tissue and would healing.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23636193