Now reading The Daily Smell

No, it’s not a fart, but it feels just as good. The Daily Smell is a fun new blog about the sense of smell written by my alter-ego, the Scentinelle, who has a secret power to smell all kinds of crazy stuff. The first post sets up the story. A sneak preview of tomorrow’s post [...]

Pet ownership in Hawaii

On O’ahu pet ownership is higher than the Mainland, with at least 60% of households owning a dog or cat. Higher rates of pet ownership may contribute to a longer life expectancy for people living in Hawaii, on average three years longer than those on the Mainland.

Vaccines for travel to Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paolo and the Amazon

Yellow fever is highly recommended, but not required, along with typhoid, hepatitis A and a tetanus booster. The vaccine against the yellow fever virus must be given 3 weeks before travel to affected areas in order to be effective. The vaccine is a single injection of 0.5 mL of reconstituted virus. In other words, it’s a live virus vaccine so there is a tiny risk of developing the disease from it. The total cost for these vaccines, plus the office visit to review traveler’s health tips, will cost about $500 cash.

Which sunscreens work best?

Strong sun in Hawaii means higher risk for skin problems, but which sunscreens really work, especially on children and people with sensitive skin? The Environment Working Group (EWG) recently released its ratings of beach and sport sunscreens. In addition, the FDA has been hashing out new guidelines for sunscreens since 2007. We could see new rules for labeling sunscreen in the US as early as next year.

Hawaii health hazard: Volcanic air pollution

Newcomers to the Hawaiian Islands may be surprised to learn Hawaii harbors a serious health hazard in the form of air pollution from the actively erupting volcano on the Big Island, called volcanic smog or Vog.