Quitting Smoking & Food Allergy Info

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7:00am Segment Info:
It's never too late to quit smoking. A new study finds smokers who quit today...can live longer.

New research suggests the risk of dying from smoking drops significantly within just a few years after kicking the habit. This is even true for long-term smokers.

Within just five years of quitting, study participants lowered their overall risk of dying by 13%.

VIDEO & MORE AFTER THE JUMP...

And you can get free nicotine replacement patches.. Gum or lozenges by calling 3-1-1 or you can go to http://www.nysmokefree.com/newweb/default.aspx. So start today.

And alcohol use is up among women... Particularly white and hispanic women born after 1945. A new study finds drinking among women is up while alcohol use among men is stable. Experts are concerned because women metabolize alcohol differently than men. They're more vulnerable to its effects. The same of amount of alcohol will cause a higher blood alcohol level in women compared to men.

8:00am Ask The Doctor Segment Info:

1. Lisette from Elizabeth, NJ asks: My daughter keeps getting ringworm. How can I prevent it from coming back?

Lisette, if the ringworm is in a large area or doesn't completely resolve with over the counter creams your daughter may need a prescription medicine. But first, make sure she's not reinfecting herself. Make sure she washes her hands often, buy her a new hairbrush if it's ringworm on the scalp and get your pet checked if you have one. Animals can sometimes spread ringworm to people.

2. Joey from North Plainfield, NJ asks: When I turned 13 years old (I’m now 32), I became allergic to shellfish. Will I be allergic to it for the rest of my life?

Joey, allergies to shellfish are pretty common, affecting about 2% of the population. While some food allergies like milk, eggs, soybeans and wheat can be outgrown when you get them as a child. It's rare that people outgrow shellfish allergies or peanut allergies. Why that is, we simply don't know.

3. Linda from Manhattan asks: I’d like to know how do I know if I’m dehydrated or not?

Linda, I’m assuming you mean if you're hydrated enough because just about everyone knows that if you're dehydrated you get thirsty, have dry mouth and can get tired, weak and have a headache. To know if you're hydrated enough, check your urine. If you're otherwise healthy and you're going regularly and your urine is light yellow in color, you’re probably well hydrated. Contrary to what you may have heard you don't need to drink 8, 8-ounce glasses of water a day.