Safety

How can I prevent food poisoning?

DEAR DOCTOR K: I recently suffered through a miserable bout of food poisoning. How can I protect myself in the future?

DEAR READER: There are few things less fun than food poisoning. I speak from experience, and not just experience as a doctor. Abdominal cramping, vomiting and diarrhea -- clearly not an experience you want to repeat. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to protect yourself.

How can I protect my child from lead poisoning?

DEAR DOCTOR K: What are the risks of lead poisoning? How can we protect our daughter from it?

DEAR READER: Lead is poison. Although major strides have been made in the past 50 years, lead poisoning is unfortunately still a problem. All of us are exposed to lead, but kids are most vulnerable to it.