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You may have known certain fruit pits and seeds contain a form of cyanide, but could someone really have a toxicity from eating them? A recent news story about cherry pits has brought concern to the public. A man reportedly ate three cherry pits and was hospitalized for cyanide poisoning. He apparently cracked open the pit and ate the seed inside. While this is extremely rare and unlikely to occur from an exposure like this, cherry pits do contain a small amount of a toxic substance.

Have you seen the new trend in food and cosmetics for 2017? For decades, charcoal was the “go-to” antidote in the emergency department for poisonings. Recently, it has fallen out of favor as research studies show it may not work as well as we thought. But, charcoal is making a comeback as a trendy product for use as a detoxifier. Many people are now buying activated charcoal powder or capsules at their local health food store or online.

Poison centers across the country have noted a significant increase in calls about essential oils. Because the oils are derived from natural sources, it leads users to think they are safe, but natural does not always equal safe.

You cannot believe your eyes! You find your tween playing with a friend and neither of them has a phone or electronic device in their hands. They are actually screen-less, yet they are having FUN, up to their elbows in gooey slime.

Novel forms of vaping have hit YouTube and internet forums. “Dripping” is one such method. With traditional vaping, the “juice” passes through a filter where some of it gets trapped before each inhalation. With dripping, the filter is bypassed and a few drops of the “juice” are dripped directly onto the heated coils or atomizer of the device which produces a thicker vapor cloud.

How does your body know when it’s time to sleep? Your brain makes its own sleep hormone when darkness falls, and stops making it in the morning when the light returns. This hormone is called melatonin and has been sold as a dietary supplement to promote natural sleep cycles for …

With names like K2,Spice, Bliss, and Cloud Nine, and hundreds of others, the drugs often called “synthetic marijuana”, are – in reality – very different from marijuana.  They contain powerful chemicals called cannabimimetics and can cause dangerous health effects.  The drugs are made specifically to be abused. A recent synthetic …

A recent study involving three pediatric clinics tried to determine the best dosing tool for giving liquid medication to children.  Each participating adult received a medication cup and a syringe.  They were then asked to measure out liquid medications in a variety of doses.   The accuracy results were surprising! …

This Thanksgiving season, keep your loved ones safe by following these food safety tips for preparing your holiday meals.

The Zika virus has been in the news with alarming pictures of infants with tiny, soft-ball sized heads, and reports of the mysterious paralytic illness, Guillain-Barré. The virus is carried only by certain types of mosquitoes, which are here in the United States. Right now, there is no Zika virus …

The hot days of summer are often quenched by a refreshing swim in the backyard or community swimming pool. Many pools are treated with chemicals to prevent unwanted bacterial growth. Exposure to these chemicals can happen to pool owners during routine maintenance or to those just wanting to enjoy a …