ParentDish

New Blood Test for Autism Seems to be On the Way From Dr. Manny

the editors at FoxNews.com — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: In The News, Health & Safety: Big Kids

Credit: Alex Livesey, Getty Images

On June 9, we commented on a scientific study that proved that autism in children can be caused by a random genetic mutation that could occur at any one of hundreds of different sites in the human genome. As I told you in that story, I believe the science because of the significant role that genetics often play in our everyday lives.

I have also previously written about my strong support for early intervention - essentially, how important it is that early diagnosis be made and how early intervention can make a difference in altering the maturity in some of the children with autism spectrum disorders.

Despite the countless studies that have been done on autism and it's dramatically growing numbers, there are still many people who don't believe in the reality of the autism spectrum. Nevertheless, for those parents like me that are seeking answers, there is a need to always keep an eye out for new studies and solutions.

And that brings me to this latest report, which is the product of ongoing research being conducted in Rhode Island at Bradley Hospital. Scientists are doing research based on the idea that autism has genetic origins. Their ultimate goal is to develop a blood test that could diagnose both autism and what the disorder would mean for the specific child it affects in terms of symptoms and treatment.

In order to achieve that goal, they have been mapping out the genetic changes of families with autism. For an earlier study, published in the scientific journal Neuron, the researchers enrolled 1,100 families with autism and drew blood from them in order to sequence their genes. They focused on the families where only one member had symptoms of autism.

The researchers found proof that some of the genetic changes associated with autism are new, which means that they occurred spontaneously in the parent's sperm or egg. In other words, the gene for autism isn't inherited - it's a new genetic event that only happens in one person.

To me, that theory makes sense. During fetal development, certain genes are either duplicated or deleted, but the changes can vary from person to person. So, it does seem that in some families there is a variant gene, which may or may not be duplicated or deleted, that could explain some of the symptoms of autism.

Because the genetic changes seem to be spontaneous, that also explains why family history plays such a small role in linking the autism spectrum to any inherited pattern of genetic defect.

While the unpredictability of autism as suggested by this study may seem daunting, I am actually encouraged by the ongoing research at this hospital as they continue to enroll patients and their families so that they are able to create a better genetic map of these unique changes.

I also agree with their resolution to have a test that would help not only identify where the child falls on the autism spectrum, but more importantly, help to create specific therapies that will help these children continue to thrive in a beautiful way.

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Common Stimulant Drugs Pose Heart Risks

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Amish Parents Mirror Wider Concerns Over Vaccines

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How to Prevent and Treat Poison Ivy

Mary Kate Baumann — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Medical Conditions, Health & Safety: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Health & Safety: Big Kids, Health & Safety: Tweens, Health & Safety: Teens

There's nothing more irritating than a skin rash to set your summer activities back. Poison Ivy is among the most common skin rashes to get while playing outside during the summer. Watch this video on how to get rid of the plants in your yard and how to treat the rash so you can get back to your summer fun!

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Special Dogs Track Allergens to Keep Kids Safe

Associated Press — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: In The News, Health & Safety: Big Kids, Health & Safety: Tweens

In this Sunday, May 29, 2011 photo, Jeff Glazer waits with his allergy-sniffing dog, Riley, to sweep a ball field before his game in Middlebury, Conn. Credit: Jessica Hill, AP

NORTH HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - Boo and Riley are more than affectionate, protective family pets. To their owners, the specially trained dogs are a furry layer of security to sniff out peanut products and other life-threatening allergens.

The dogs' Connecticut owners are among many people nationwide turning to allergy-sniffing service dogs, who accompany their handlers to detect allergens and their residue at school, during social events and in other everyday activities.

As their popularity grows, though, some owners are having mixed success in convincing businesses, schools and those in charge of other public venues that the dogs must be accepted as service animals, just as dogs whose handlers' disabilities are more readily apparent.

They're already specifically recognized as medical service dogs in recent updates to the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, but some parents are taking it a step further by lobbying their local and state officials to update their regulations, too.

"The dog is just one way we can help our daughter have a more normal life," said Pam Minicucci of North Haven, whose 7-year-old daughter, Gianna, is constantly accompanied by her allergy-sniffing St. Bernard named Boo.

Minicucci asked Connecticut lawmakers this year to add allergy-sniffing dogs to the state statutes to mirror the ADA language, but the bill languished in a committee without full General Assembly action.

Gianna's allergy to peanut products, tree nuts and their residue in the air or on surfaces is so severe that even minuscule particles can trigger hives, itching and difficulty breathing that has sent her to the hospital several times. She carries an inhaler, wipes, Benadryl and EpiPen injectors everywhere in case she encounters anything to which she's allergic.

She and Boo get mixed reactions as they go to public venues and school, even though the dog wears a vest identifying it as a service animal.

"Our goal is for the dog to be with her everywhere she goes," Gianna's mother said. "I don't expect people to change their world for us, but I do expect them to allow us to protect our child in the way we need to."

State and federal agencies do not track the number of allergy-specific service dogs in the nation, but handlers and trainers say they're fielding more inquiries and orders in recent years. They attribute it to a growing awareness about the allergy-sniffing dogs and an increase in peanut allergies among many of today's children.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates four of every 100 children have a food allergy, and says rates are highest among preschool-age children. It's also growing quickly: From 1997 to 2007, food allergies increased 18 percent among American children under 18 years old, though researchers haven't conclusively determined why.

Gianna Minicucci's allergies emerged when she was an infant and though she's grown out of some, others have remained so profound that her family decided the allergy-sniffing dog was a necessity.

Depending on the trainer and dog, the animals can cost between $10,000 and $20,000, including the training to teach them how to sniff out particular allergens and alert the handler with a specific signal. Often, that means abruptly sitting in place, often putting their own bodies between the allergic person and the allergen.

Owners tell of almost-daily incidents in which the dogs found something that their young handlers never would have spotted on their own.

In Gianna Minicucci's case, for instance, Boo once was so insistent on blocking her from walking down a non-food aisle in a big-box store that Gianna's mother questioned whether the dog was ill. When Pam Minicucci peered down below the shelves, she found the reason: a minuscule amount of peanut butter on a mouse trap far out of reach, but still close enough to potentially trigger Gianna's allergies.

The training for Boo and other allergy-sniffing dogs is similar to that of police dogs learning to track scents or dogs being trained to sniff out explosives for the military - which, in fact, inspired trainer Sherry Mers to work in the field after seeing a television show on bomb-sniffing dogs.

The Monument, Colo., woman launched Angel Service Dogs after getting a trained dog to help her 10-year-old daughter, Riley, avoid peanut products and residue from cross-contamination. Mers said the dogs may not be the right fit for every family, but that for children like her daughter, they literally can be life-savers.

"It's not just about the dog, it's not just about the allergy. It's about making sure your kid can exist in a world today so they don't have a disability," Mers said. "The reaction seems to be extremes: Either people are so accommodating they can't help but help you more, or they immediately go to this place of feeling that I'm violating their rights by trying to protect my child."

In a few cases, those disputes have attracted widespread attention.

In Indianapolis, for instance, a woman with a potentially life-threatening allergy to paprika got a specially trained dog to sniff out the substance. When she brought the dog to work, though, a co-worker who was allergic to dogs had an asthma attack.

The dog's owner filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after she was asked to leave the dog at home or take unpaid leave. The case is pending.

In other cases, though, the dogs have been welcomed.

In Ansonia, Conn., school officials have been so accommodating of 13-year-old Jeff Glazer's dog, Riley, that they installed special HEPA filters to the schools' air-circulation systems to ensure the yellow Labrador's presence wouldn't cause problems for children allergic to dogs.

Though Jeff's mother says they encounter some people who have concerns about the dog, they say others are supportive.

"Now that I have Riley, I can go to restaurants and movies and my friends' houses and not have to worry about it," Jeff said on a recent sunny afternoon, getting ready to stretch before a game with his traveling baseball team on a Middlebury sports field.

Before Jeff enters the dugout or touches the gear, though, Riley sniffs down everything for lingering residue from previous players who might have eaten peanut butter sandwiches, candy or other items. If Riley finds something, they use sanitary hand wipes -which Jeff and his family carry - to clean the surface thoroughly so he's not endangered.

Other than Riley's red service dog vest, he looks like any other pet accompanying his young master - exactly the kind of normalcy that once seemed out of reach.

"Riley really has changed his life. It's not a perfect world, it's not a perfect solution - we also have to use our heads and be aware of what's going on," said Jeff's mother, Lisa Glazer. "We still read labels, we still ask questions, we still go through the whole thing at restaurants, but Riley is our safety net."

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. This article was written by Stephanie Reitz, Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

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Pesticides on Playing Fields

the editors at FoxNews.com — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Health & Safety: Big Kids, Health & Safety: Tweens

Chemical lawn treatments can linger for many days before the weather and sun begin to dilute their potency. Credit: Corbis

By Deirdre Imus

For millions of kids, the warmer weather means only one thing...the start of spring and summer sport programs. Soon baseball diamonds, golf courses, and soccer fields across the country will be filled with energetic, competitive kids.

Keeping those playing fields in good condition and free of pests, however, requires regular maintenance that includes spraying the grass with a toxic cocktail of chemical fungicides, herbicides and insecticides. Although we have become accustomed to their use, make no mistake these chemicals are poisons and are meant to kill living organisms; weeds, fungus and a variety of insects.

If you think your children are somehow escaping exposure to these harmful chemicals because they are applied outdoors, think again. Chemical lawn treatments can linger for many days before the weather and sun begin to dilute their potency.

As youth sports programs expand, the time between chemical lawn applications and use of playing fields has been shortened. With regular lawn maintenance followed by a packed schedule of practices and games, kids are repeatedly breathing in and picking up pesticide residue on their skin, clothes and shoes.

According to Beyond Pesticides, of the 30 commonly used lawn pesticides, 19 are linked with cancer or carcinogenicity, 13 are linked with birth defects, 21 with reproductive effects, 26 with liver or kidney damage, 15 with neurotoxicity and 11 with disruption of the endocrine (hormonal system).

Children are particularly vulnerable to pesticides. Many lawn care product labels specifically warn that the product can trigger asthma attacks and allergic reactions.

Research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found the residue of numerous pesticides in the bodies of 15 percent of children tested, ages 3 to 7. What's worse, the broken-down products used in organophosphate pesticides was detected in 98.7 percent of children studied.

Some of the chemicals used in lawn "weed and feed" products, such as the herbicide 2, 4-D, can be very toxic even at low doses and may increase the risk of cancer, neurological and reproductive problems. When brought indoors on clothing, 2, 4-D can remain in carpets for up to a year.

Safe alternatives to commonly used chemical lawn care products are available and are often cost effective. Thanks to concerned parents across the country, many states and school systems have already implemented policies mandating integrated pest management (IPM), a toxin-free, pest-control method. Just last month a new state law that would ban the use of pesticides on school playgrounds and sports fields went into effect in New York. Over 400 school districts in 33 states have switched to integrative pest management policies.

What parents can do to reduce playing field pesticide exposures:

1. Following practice or a game, make sure your children remove their shoes before entering the house.

2. Promptly remove practice clothes or game uniforms, and wash them separately.

3. Wash hands immediately and entire body as soon as possible.

4. Parents of children participating in outdoor sport activities should familiarize themselves with the pesticide laws in your area. State and local school pesticide policies are available at http://www.beyondpesticides.org/schools/schoolpolicies/index.htm

5. Join with other parents and bring your concerns to your local officials and petition them to adopt a pesticide-free sports fields program. Municipalities and school districts have the ability to implement their own policies on pesticide use.

Deirdre Imus is the Founder and President of The Deirdre Imus Environmental Health CenterTM at Hackensack University Medical Center and Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Imus Cattle Ranch for Kids with Cancer. Deirdre is the author of four books, including three national bestsellers. She is a frequent speaker on green living and children's health issues, and is a contributor to FoxNewsHealth.com. For more information go to www.dienviro.com.

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10 Ways You're Not as Private as You Think on the Internet

the editors at Common Sense Media — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Media, Gadgets, Health & Safety: Big Kids, Health & Safety: Tweens, Health & Safety: Teens

How much personal information are you really sharing? Credit: Getty

Little Ways You're Leaking Privacy

These days, so much of what you do online actually creates a record of your activities and preferences. You may not realize that you and your kids are creating permanent records that can be accessed by everyone from marketers to future employers. The stakes are high because unintentional public information can last for a very, very long time. Here are 10 ways you may be living much more publicly than you think.

10 Ways You're Not as Private as You Think

1. Allowing yourself to be publicly searchable on Facebook. Have you ever wondered if people can search for you on the Internet and find your Facebook profile? Unless you opt out of Public Search Results, they can. This goes for other social networking sites, too. Help your kids set their Facebook privacy controls.

2. Broadcasting your location. Kids can use Twitter, Foursquare, Loopt, Google Buzz, and Facebook Places to "check in" and tell people exactly where they are. When kids broadcast their whereabouts using these location-sharing programs, it not only makes them vulnerable to unwelcome personal contact, it gives away a ton of personal information to advertisers.

3. Ignoring your YouTube Activity Sharing settings. YouTube's Activity Sharing settings let you restrict all of your YouTube activities, including the videos you upload, to a closed circle of chosen friends. Review your kid's Activity Sharing settings -- and while you're at it, make sure their privacy controls are set to "only friends." And remember, regardless of your settings, anything kids upload could potentially become public, so they should never post anything they wouldn't be comfortable showing to say, grandma.

4. Using Chatroulette. This video chatting site randomly connects you to other users anywhere around the world. Chatroulette requires no registration, so anyone with a webcam can use it and do anything they want -- including tempt your kids to give away private information, take your picture, and record your conversation. Beyond that, these types of programs reduce the time between thought and action and that can be risky for kids.

5. Not talking to your kids about online privacy. Kids create lasting records of their lives whenever they post something. Nothing is private online. Once they post something, it can travel far and wide and be viewed by who knows who. Talk to them about their responsibility in guarding their own privacy.

6. Giving your baby a Facebook page. Really?

7. Neglecting to read a company's privacy policy. When you register for a site or download an app, you are accepting the company's usage of your private information. Many companies say "we won't sell your information," but there are other ways they collect and use information about you. Some children's websites retain the right to send kids as young as 13 email ads and other promotions. Treat the site registration process as you would a store's return policy -- read it, and if you don't like it, don't buy it.

8. Using your real name as your user name in virtual worlds and other online games. Most kids' websites remind kids not to give away personal information, and employ filters and moderators to prevent kids from posting it. But kids who are active in cyberspace may have avatars, game tags, and other identifiers. They need lots of reminders about keeping personal information to themselves. Visit your kid's favorite online world or game and you'll find other users creatively trying to get around the site's filters.

9. Revealing your status. Instant messaging is the easiest way to give yourself up, but every social network allows you to reveal your current status. AIM, for example, makes anyone visible to all their buddies when they sign in unless they mark "invisible." MySpace uses an "Online Now" icon. Why does everyone need to know when your kid is online? They don't. The only people who need to know where your kid is at all times are mom and dad.

10. Letting your kid sign up for anything before you know the facts. Whether it's a new app, a new program feature, or even a ringtone, new things are coming out all the time -- and your kid may hear about them before you do. Do your homework on whatever it is and who's doing the selling. In this 24/7 world where information is constantly being bought and sold, you can never be too careful.

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App for Mobile Phones Helps Diagnose Concussions

Associated Press — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: In The News, Health & Safety: Big Kids, Health & Safety: Tweens, Health & Safety: Teens, Apps

Credit: Eric Risberg

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - The next tool in the campaign against concussions might be your smartphone.

A concussion expert at the University of North Carolina teamed with other head-trauma researchers to develop an application for mobile devices that helps determine whether someone may have suffered a concussion.

Jason Mihalik of UNC's brain injury research center joined Justin Smith of Psychological Assessment Resources Inc. and the Children's National Medical Center in developing the program.

Smith says it's the first observer-based concussion app. After the user answers a series of questions, the app determines the likelihood of a concussion and can email information to a doctor. Mihalik said Thursday that the basis for the app's question flow comes from materials provided by the Centers for Disease Control.

The introduction of the app is just one way to speed the response to possible concussions. One of the key issues discussed during the National Sports Concussion Cooperative's daylong seminar was how to most effectively bridge the communication gap between team doctors and the team athletic trainers, who often are the first to act when players suffer concussion-like symptoms.

"The documentation (of immediate symptoms) is very important, from, 'How did they get hurt?' to the mechanism of injury through those initial signs and symptoms, to 'How did they progress over time?'" said Bill Griffin of the National Athletic Trainers' Association. "It's not only what happens at the time of the injury, but how things change."

The cooperative consists of coaches, doctors, equipment manufacturers and parents, and the group was formed in March to study concussions and brain trauma injuries in an attempt to make sports safer.

"We're trying to do more. We think there is an opportunity to do more," said Art Chou, Rawlings' vice president of research and development. "The caution that we have as manufacturers is, are we ready to draw definitive conclusions? ... There's a balance there, and I think it's up to the research community to determine whether it is ready for prime time or not, because the issue is going to be one of public perception.

"The issue is, have we confused the public? ... I would like to see more consensus from the research community that supports that, because we need more data. We need to move the needle. ... The last thing we need, I think now, as a whole football community, is going back and forth and confusing the issue any more."

Mike Oliver, the executive director of the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment, continued to express a longstanding desire to come up with a safety standard for youth helmets.

But he cautioned that it's dangerous to rush to a conclusion before the scientific research is complete. NOCSEA, a nonprofit corporation, formed in 1969 in response to a need for a performance test standard for helmets.

"You want to have an answer. You want to have a solution to the problem," Oliver said. "You want to be able to say ... 'We do have a solution to the problem and you can have a level of confidence (that) you will have a level of protection. ... But we can't do that until we have the science behind it."

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. This article was written by Joedy McCreary, Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

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Head Lice: How to Get Rid of Those Creepy Crawlers

Jessica Samakow — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Health & Safety: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Expert Advice: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Health & Safety: Big Kids, Expert Advice: Big Kids

When one kid in school gets head lice, you know your kid is likely to be stuck in a hairy situation. It isn't long before your kid is itching and scratching his scalp, too. But, the misery doesn't have to last too long. In this video, pediatrician Dr. Su Laurent explains how to get rid of head lice.

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Saving Precious Skin: Summer Skin Safety

the editors at FoxNews.com — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Health & Safety: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Health & Safety: Big Kids, Health & Safety: Tweens, Health & Safety: Teens

Author Jill Kargman, mother of three and skin cancer survivor, talks to Dr. Manny about how she protects her kid's skin.

Click here for more health tips from Dr. Manny on Foxnews.com.

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ERs Attract Kids With Mental Problems

Tom Henderson — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Medical Conditions, In The News, Health & Safety: Big Kids, Health & Safety: Tweens, Health & Safety: Teens

A number of emergency room visits are for mental reasons. Credit: Corbis

Give kids access to mental health services, and they still bring their psychological problems to the emergency room.

The Wall Street Journal reports researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center thought that was weird.

They looked into it, and, sure enough, at least 71 percent of the kids who came to the E.R. with psychological problems already had their own mental health provider. Among repeat customers, that percentage jumped to 85 percent.

And the emergency room gets a lot of repeat business. According to the Journal, of some 2,903 young patients who visited the E.R. for mental health reasons, 338 were back within six months.

This is a little discouraging for folks who thought community-based mental health services might cut down on emergency room visits more than that.

Emily Frosch, the lead researcher and a pediatric psychiatrist at John Hopkins, tells the newspaper such hopes don't account for certain factors.

Mental health providers might tell their patients to go to the E.R. for after-hours problems, she says. It could also be that parents feel they'll get a quicker response in the emergency room, she adds.

"We need to better understand how the ER is meeting their needs," Frosch tells the Journal.

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Hearing Problems Detected in Kids With a Little Bit of Spit

Tom Henderson — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Health & Safety: Babies, In The News, Health & Safety: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Health & Safety: Big Kids, Health & Safety: Tweens

Hearing problems can now be detected through saliva. Credit: Getty

Spit happens.

Don't knock it. You can learn a lot from a little bit of spit. Doctors may soon use saliva samples to tell if newborn babies have hearing problems.

Bloomberg News reports these samples can be used to detect an infection that is responsible for up to 25 percent of hearing loss in newborns.

Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham identified all babies infected with cytomegalovirus (CMV) using a wet saliva sample and about 97 percent when using a dried saliva sample. Their findings were just published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Bloomberg reports one in 150 children born in the United States (30,000 babies all together) suffer from CMV, the most common infection passed from mother to child.

About 10 to 15 percent of those children will lose some or all of their hearing, pediatrician and lead study author Suresh Boppana tells Bloomberg, adding that the new study could help make testing for the infection routine.

"Most babies with CMV infection won't be identified at birth, unless you screen them for CMV infection, because they look like every other healthy baby," he tells the news service.

Some 20 percent of hearing loss at birth and 25 percent of hearing loss in 4-year-olds is due to CMV, Boppana adds. A screening test for CMV would cost about $2.50 to $3, he tells Bloomberg.

Meanwhile, in a separate study, researchers are currently looking at children with congenital CMV and monitoring their hearing every six months until they are 4 years old.

Bloomberg reports results from the study are designed to give doctors a better understanding of how CMV causes hearing loss, but they won't be available for several years.

"If our results confirm that congenital CMV is a major cause of hearing loss, then there's an impetus on the national agencies to think about considering making a recommendation that every baby needs to be tested for CMV," Boppana tells the news service.

Boppana and his fellow researchers took saliva samples from almost 35,000 babies in seven U.S. hospitals from June 2008 to November 2009. According to Bloomberg, some of the samples were stored in solution and some were air dried.

Then researchers compared their results with another test, called the rapid culture method.

Of 17,662 newborns screened with the saliva samples stored in solution, Bloomberg reports 85 were positive for CMV -- a 100 percent match to the rapid culture method.

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders helped fund the study.

"It's important for us to develop diagnostic tools to screen babies for congenital CMV infection so that those who test positive can be monitored for possible hearing loss and, if it occurs, provided with appropriate intervention as soon as possible," James Battey Jr., the director of the institute, tells Bloomberg.

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Measles Pose Threat to Unvaccinated Infants

Tom Henderson — Fri, 27 May 2011 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: In The News, Health & Safety: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Health & Safety: Big Kids, Health & Safety: Tweens, Health & Safety: Teens, Health

Children and adults who remain unvaccinated and develop measles put others in their community at risk. Credit: Getty Images

The United States has been hit by the worst measles outbreak since 1996, posing a threat to infants too young to be vaccinated against the disease.

Quick! Blame someone!

The Los Angeles Times says you can wave a finger (you choose which one) at travelers to Europe and Asia.

Think of measles as filmmaker Roman Polanski. Although eliminated from the United States, it took up residence overseas. Occasionally, it meets with American visitors, visitors who bring home little souvenirs from their trip.

Bear in mind, the Times reports, "outbreak" doesn't mean the return of the plague. There have been 118 cases (none of them fatal) in the United States reported to the Centers for Disease Control between January and May.

Still, according to the Times, that's the highest number of cases reported during that time period since 1996.

Because infants younger than 12 months old are too young to be vaccinated, health officials' brows are slightly knitted.

Your best defense, CDC officials tell the Times, is to get adults and older kids vaccinated.

"Children and adults who remain unvaccinated and develop measles also put others in their community at risk," the CDC says in an official statement. "For infants too young for routine vaccination and persons with medical conditions that contraindicate measles immunization, the risk for measles complications is particularly high. These persons depend on high MMR vaccination coverage among those around them to protect them from exposure."

Oh, and the next time you go to Europe? Just bring back a T-shirt.

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No Link Found Between ADHD Drugs and Heart Problems

Tom Henderson — Tue, 17 May 2011 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: In The News, Special Needs, Health & Safety: Big Kids, Health & Safety: Tweens, Health & Safety: Teens, Health

WebMD reports kids who take drugs for ADHD are not at a greater risk for heart attacks or strokes. Credit: Getty Images

If you're bombing with your child with meds to control his hyperactivity and short attention span, you might have worried all those chemicals were sending him to an early grave.

Well, relax.

WebMD reports kids who take Adderall, Ritalin, Strattera and all the other trendy drugs for ADHD are no more likely to keel over on the playground than other children.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine looked at the number of people on ADHD meds who have heart attacks, stroke and abnormal heart rhythms and compared them to the rates among the rest of the population. WebMD reports they didn't find any big differences.

Officials at the U.S. Federal Drug Administration announced early last month they are doing their own study that should prove "reassuring," but those results haven't been released yet.

"Until the final FDA results are published, our study should provide some additional reassurance," lead University of Pennsylvania researcher Sean Hennessy tells WebMD. "One of the most important findings was that the risk of death was no higher in kids taking these drugs."

Some 2.7 million children and teenagers in the United States take Adderall, Ritalin, Strattera or other drugs for ADHD, according to WebMD.

Some the drugs increase blood pressure and heart rates in children. Reports of sudden cardiac death in children led to labeling changes for some of the drugs, warning parents of possible cardiovascular risk in patients with heart problems.

But WebMD reports University of Pennsylvania researchers found no connection between heart attacks, strokes and ADHD medications. In fact, they couldn't so much as one cardiovascular incident in the insurance claims they pored over from California, Florida, Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio.

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CT Scans Not Always Best Response to Head Injuries

Tom Henderson — Tue, 10 May 2011 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: In The News, Health & Safety: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Health & Safety: Big Kids, Health & Safety: Tweens, Health & Safety: Teens, Health

It might be a good idea to observe children for awhile before getting them a CT scan. Credit: Getty Images

One of the first things you want to do after a child has suffered a head injury is get him a CT scan. Right?

No, actually.

Reuters reports it might be a good idea to observe children for awhile. If it turns out they don't need a computed tomography (CT) scan, they can avoid an unnecessary dose of radiation.

Lise Nigrovic at Children's Hospital in Boston worked on a study that concludes this is especially true for children who have some risk of a serious brain injury, but aren't showing serious symptoms.

Nigrovic tells Reuters if a child goes to an emergency room very soon after a head injury, "you may just not have had enough time for symptoms to develop."

Or, a child may have some concerning symptoms, she adds, "but you just want a little time."

According to Reuters, Nigrovic and her fellow researchers reviewed data on more than 40,000 children with head injuries who were taken to one of 25 different emergency rooms.

In one case, a child fell off a swing, developed a severe headache and vomited once. Nonetheless, doctors waited before giving him a CT scan. Two hours later, he was a awake and talking and more or less back to his old self.

"We all want to make sure that we use CT scanning in the cases where it's likely to be positive and that we save children from the radiation for those that we know are very unlikely to be positive," Martin Osmond at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario tells Reuters.

Osmond was not among the researchers, but, he adds, "this study adds important new information about who to observe."

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Canadian Kids Waiting Too Long for Surgery, Researchers Say

Tom Henderson — Wed, 04 May 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: In The News, Health & Safety: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Health & Safety: Big Kids, Health & Safety: Tweens

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Twenty-seven percent of children linger too long on government waiting lists for necessary surgeries. Credit: Getty Images

Your child has one of those creatures from "Aliens" growing inside his innards? You might want to consider surgery. Then again, no need to be hasty. He might grow out of it.

This wait-and-see attitude toward disturbing medical conditions doesn't always pan out. Yet, the Vancouver Sun reports the Canadian government keeps hoping: Researchers found 27 percent of children linger too long on government waiting lists for necessary surgeries.

Researchers banded together for the Canadian Pediatric Surgical Wait Times project, publishing their findings in this week's issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Government officials in Canada promised seven years ago to cut down the wait time for surgeries, focusing on hip and knee replacement and cataract surgery. However, the Sun reports, they overlooked children.

While Grandma is getting her hip replaced, her grandkids are waiting for heart, brain and eye surgeries, as well as cancer treatments.

"If you're an adult and you have an arthritic hip, it's been declared that you shouldn't wait more than a certain length of time to have your hip replacement," Geoffrey Blair, a pediatric surgeon at B.C. Children's Hospital and a member of the Wait Times project, tells the Sun.

"If you are a 2-year-old with a painful or potentially dangerous condition, then it should apply just as much, if not more," he adds.

Last week, according to the Sun, Blair operated on several children who had been waiting more than a year for hernia surgery. The nationally agreed upon target for hernia treatment is three months.

"Ninety percent of children in our study had their surgery within six months, but when you begin to talk about some of these diagnoses, like cancer surgery, six months doesn't make any sense at all," study co-author Dr. James Wright, surgeon-in-chief at SickKids and lead of the pediatric surgical wait times project, tells the Sun.

"It may be great that you had your surgery within six months, but what you really needed was to have it within three weeks," he adds.

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Kids May Be Overdosing on Prescription Meds, Report Says

Tom Henderson — Tue, 03 May 2011 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: In The News, Health & Safety: Big Kids, Gear Guides: Tweens, Health & Safety: Teens

Know what, and how much your kids are taking. Credit: Getty Images

Your child could be at risk of overdosing on prescription pain medications.

WebMD reports a lot of prescriptions given to children end up with 53 percent more medicine than they should. That constitutes an overdose.

Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston looked at 149,791 prescriptions for pain meds given to kids up to 36 months old.

They found 14.9 percent of prescriptions qualified as overdoses based on the quantity dispensed by the pharmacist. WebMD reports 61.1 percent of kids 2 months and younger who were prescribed a narcotic drug got an overdose.

The website adds 35 percent of infants ages 3 months to 5 months were overdosed along with 17.1 percent of infants ages 6 months to 11 months and 8 percent of children who were 1 year or older.

"The reasons why children 0 to 36 months old might take narcotics include postoperative or posttraumatic pain or for cough due to respiratory illnesses," lead researcher William T. Basco, an associate professor and director of the division of general pediatrics at the Medical University of South Carolina, tells WebMD. "In fact, the majority of narcotic-containing preparations we valuated were cough and cold medications containing hydrocodone. The drugs are indicated for this purpose, so we do not mean to imply that the drugs are being used improperly."

Nonetheless, Lee Sanders, an associate professor of pediatrics at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, says prescribing narcotics for infants and young children is risky.

"The risks to child safety are real and very concerning because if you overdose on certain pain medications like opioids, there is a risk of respiratory suppression and potentially death," he tells WebMD.

Although there are times when a higher dose is warranted, he tells the website, parents should schedule a thorough medication review with your pediatrician.

"Bring in all of your child's medication and the dosing devices to make sure your child is getting the right medication in the right amount," he adds.

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Safe Kids USA Helps Soothe Parental Fears

Tom Henderson — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Health & Safety: Babies, Health & Safety: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Health & Safety: Big Kids, Health & Safety: Tweens, Health & Safety: Teens

Safe Kids USA is sponsoring a webcast to educate parents about sports injury prevention. Credit: Corbis

Is it safe to sleep with your baby in the bed? Or will you squish him in the night?

When should your child ride in the front seat of the car? How can you have children and firearms in the house at the same time?

These are the questions that often plague parents. Safe Kids USA was founded to answer some of these questions and un-knit a few parental brows.

Surgeon Martin R. Eichelberger and public relations professional Herta Feely started the National Children's Accident Prevention Campaign under Children's National Medical Center in 1987.

One year later, Eichelberger and Feely received money from Johnson & Johnson (the organization's founding sponsor) to launch the Safe Kids Campaign -- the only American nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing unintentional childhood injuries.

Safe Kids USA and Johnson & Johnson are sponsoring a webcast at 12:00 p.m. EST on May 2, to educate parents of children ages 5 to 14 about sports injury prevention.

The webcast will be streamed from the Safe Kids USA Facebook page. RSVPs are being accepted.

Today, Safe Kids USA is a nationwide network of organizations working to prevent unintentional childhood injury -- the leading cause of death and disability for children ages 1 to 14.

Organization officials educate families, provide safety devices to families in need and advocate for better laws to help keep children safe, healthy and out of the emergency room.

There are more than 600 coalitions and chapters in all 50 states bringing together health and safety experts, educators, corporations, foundations, governments and volunteers to educate and protect families.

Safe Kids USA aims to:

· Teach families about child injury risks and prevention.

· Encourage and conduct research on leading injury risks.

· Evaluate solutions for injury risks.

· Work to pass and improve child safety laws and regulations.

· Provide lifesaving devices such as child safety seats, helmets and smoke alarms to families who need them.

· Promote corporate leadership in child safety through effective and sustainable partnerships.

The organization's website includes a series of position papers, offering advice on a wide range of child safety issues.

Related: Safe Kids USA and Johnson & Johnson to Air Webcast on Sports Injuries; Dr. Mom Shouldn't Be the One Diagnosing Sports Injuries

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Safe Kids USA and Johnson & Johnson to Air Webcast on Sports Injuries

Tom Henderson — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: In The News, Health & Safety: Big Kids, Health & Safety: Tweens, Health & Safety: Teens

Johnson & Johnson are sponsoring a webcast May 2 at 12 p.m., to educate parents of children ages 5 to 14 about sports injury prevention. Credit: Getty Images

If your child gets injured playing sports, do you know what to do?

Don't worry. Neither do at least 40 percent of parents, according to a survey by Safe Kids USA and Johnson & Johnson. Only 35 percent say their child plays sports with a certified athletic trainer. And only 29 percent feel the coach knows how to prevent sports injuries.

That's why Safe Kids USA and Johnson & Johnson are sponsoring a webcast at 12 p.m. EST on May 2, to educate parents of children ages 5 to 14 about sports injury prevention.

The webcast will be streamed from the Safe Kids USA Facebook page. RSVPs are being accepted.

The panel includes:

Steve Young, former NFL quarterback
Dr. Angela Mickalide, director of research and programs for Safe Kids Worldwide
Dr. Gerard Gioia, director of the SCORE Concussion Program at Children's National Medical Center
Dr. Douglas Casa, chief operating officer for the Korey Stringer Institute at the University of Connecticut

According to Safe Kids USA, more than 3.5 million children age 14 and younger are treated for sports-related injuries each year, and as many as half of these injuries -- including concussions, dehydration, heat stroke and sprains -- are preventable.

"This epidemic of youth injuries hasn't happened overnight. It's a cultural change," William Levine, a physician and the incoming chair of STOP Sports Injuries, tells USA Today. His organization is made up of physicians who want to make sports safe for kids.

Levine adds that sports have gone from a seasonal activity for kids in the past 10 years to a lifestyle. When one sport ends, another begins.

Jean Rickerson, a mother and founder of SportsConcussions.org, tells the newspaper it will take another movement to eliminate the parents' knowledge gap.

"We're changing a culture and the culture doesn't change overnight," she says.

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Heart Defects in Minority Children Yield Greater Risk of Death, Study Shows

Mary Beth Sammons — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Health & Safety: Babies, In The News, Research Reveals: Babies, Health & Safety: Big Kids, Research Reveals: Big Kids

Black children with heart conditions have a greater chance of dying before age 5 than their white peers. Credit: Getty Images

The results of the study are short and to the point: Black children with heart conditions have more than a 30 percent greater odd of dying before age 5 than their white peers, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Texas Researchers studied the medical records of almost 20,000 black, Hispanic and white infants born with congenital heart defects between 1996 and 2005. They found that black infants were 32 percent more likely to die before age 5 than white babies. Hispanic babies with heart defects also were more likely to die than their white peers.

Researchers from the study published in Pediatrics say the stats point to the need for preventive strategies to reduce radical and ethnic disparities among infants and young children, U.S. News reports.

"When you consider that the numbers of minority children continue to grow and are expected to account for more than half of all U.S. children by 2040, it's clear we need to reduce the racial and disparities that burden the health care system and adversely affect the lives of families," lead author Wendy Nembhard, associate professor of epidemiology at the University of South Florida College of Public Health, says in a university release.

Congenital heart defects are malformations in one or more structures of the heart or major blood vessels that occur before birth. They are the most common of all birth defects and the leading cause of death among infants with birth defects, according to the release.

The new study adds to a growing body of evidence that minority infants with specific types of heart defects have lower survival rates in early childhood than those of non-Hispanic white infants.

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Dr. Mom Shouldn't Be the One Diagnosing Sports Injuries

Tom Henderson — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: In The News, Health & Safety: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Health & Safety: Big Kids, Health & Safety: Tweens

Watch a video on how to avoid children's sports injuries.

Leave it to the real doctors, Dr. Mom! Credit: Corbis

Can you move your arm? Then it's not broken. Can you count how many fingers someone is holding up? Then you don't have a concussion.

Now, the big question: Did you go to medical school? Then you could be a qualified physician. Otherwise, you might want to stop making ballpark diagnoses.

Your child may be able to continue to play after a bonk on the head. However, that doesn't mean he or she doesn't have a concussion.

Parents and coaches admit they lack the information to detect sports injuries, USA Today reports.

According to the newspaper, a survey by Safe Kids USA and Johnson & Johnson reveals that 40 percent of parents feel there is a gap between what they know and what they should know about preventing and responding to sports injuries.

Only 35 percent say their child plays sports with a certified athletic trainer. And only 29 percent feel the coach knows how to prevent sports injuries.

USA Today reports more than 3.5 million children ages 14 and younger are treated each year for sports-related injuries. These include concussions, dehydration, heat stroke and sprains. More than half of these injuries are preventable, according to the newspaper.

"This epidemic of youth injuries hasn't happened overnight. It's a cultural change," William Levine, a physician and the incoming chair of STOP Sports Injuries, tells USA Today. His organization is made up of physicians who want to make sports safe for kids.

He adds that sports have gone from a seasonal activity for kids in the past 10 years to a lifestyle. When one sport ends, another begins.

Jean Rickerson, a mother and founder of SportsConcussions.org, tells the newspaper it will take another movement to eliminate the parents' knowledge gap.

"We're changing a culture and the culture doesn't change overnight," she says.

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Keeping Your Kids Safe Online

Elizabeth Humphrey — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 10:15:00 EST

Filed under: Media, Health & Safety: Big Kids, Health & Safety: Tweens, Health & Safety: Teens

There are several steps to take to keep your child safe online. Credit: Getty Images

So, you're thinking of setting up your kids on a computer -- and possibly letting them invite thousands of strangers into your home. Do you have plans in place to protect your children from the criminal or bully who might be lurking in the Internet crowd?

If not, there are many resources available for parents, so, when you do decide to open your home to Internet strangers, you can take precautions to keep out unwelcome "guests."

Caroline Knorr, digital life editor with Common Sense Media, says there is no reason for children to get online until they are school-age, although a child as young as 3 might want to. Knorr recommends that parents closely guide children on the Internet.

"Little kids should not surf the Web unsupervised," she says.

At any age, parents should always preview sites, determining if they provide age-appropriate games. Common Sense Media rates websites and other media, making suggestions based on age.

Tech-savvy 7- or 8-year-olds start becoming more interested in social networking sites geared toward their age group: Webkinz and Disney's Club Penguin, for example. Parents should check to ensure sites comply with the government's Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

Besides imposing a suggested daily maximum of a one-hour limit on screen time, educating your child about Internet safety is essential. NetSmartz411, Enough is Enough, Carnegie Mellon's MySecureCyberspace and the U.S. government's OnGuardOnline sites offer resources and a starting point for online safety decisions for you and your family. Each site represents a wide range of information, online activities and approaches.

Computer manufacturers provide products specific to the young, tech-savvy learner. If a computer has Internet access, parents should play an active role by placing the computer in a room where the child can be monitored.

Enforce parental controls through setting Web browser preferences to "strict," Knorr advises. Although not "foolproof" and they sometimes may error on the side of blocking everything, Internet Explorer preferences are password-protected.

Many products are available for monitoring a child's use on the Internet. AOL offers a free service with parental controls that incorporates oversight for Web browsing, activity records, e-mails, IM and time limits.

Most importantly, Knorr says, "be involved in your kids' digital life so you know what they like to do online and are aware of good online behavior. Young kids need to develop healthy brains, bodies and social ability, so make sure your kid is getting a good balance of physical activity and real-world experience."

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