This week’s Sunday New York Times Magazine contains an article about treatment for ADHD (click here). It is written by a well-known psychologist, L. Alan Sroufe. Dr. Sroufe has published research about treatment for ADHD for many years; he is now about 70, and is Professor Emeritus of psychology at the University of Minnesota’s [...]
New data shows that the chicken pox vaccine (Varivax®) prevents illness even better than we knew. Death from chicken pox declined 88%, from 4.1 in ten million people to just 0.5 per ten million. The study by the CDC was published in the August 2011 issue of the AAP journal Pediatrics, comparing death rates in [...]
At this time of year, kids start getting colds and coughs. Parents don’t like it! For decades, cough and cold medications were sold freely, over the counter. Drug stores and pharmaceutical companies sold brands like Dimetapp, Pediacare, Delsym, Robitussin, and many others; there was a huge market for these medications, and companies competed fiercely. They [...]
On March 2, the FDA removed about 500 cold and cough prescription medications from the market. The move is aimed at prescription medications that contain Chlorpheniramine, Brompheniramine, Phenylephrine, Dextromethorphan, Guaiafenesin, Pseudoephedrine, and a couple of similar ingredients. I have prescribed these medications for my patients for many years, and never heard of any serious problems. [...]
A new study shows that parents can protect their infants from getting sick, by getting flu shots themselves. Over a thousand mothers and their infants on an Indian reservation were studied. Infants whose mothers received flu vaccines were 40% less likely to catch influenza themselves, and 40% less likely to be hospitalized for it. The [...]
A new study links regular diet soda use with strokes and heart attacks. A study presented this week at the American Stroke Association International Stroke Conference (ISC) suggests a 61% increase in stroke for people who drink diet sodas regularly. (Click here to read more.) Does diet soda cause stroke? Or does the association merely [...]
An arm of Congress has investigated herbal supplements, and found that most are contaminated. The Government Accountability Office investigated commonly available supplements, and found heavy metals — including lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic — in supplements available at drugstores and health food stores. The FDA’s authority to regulate such supplements and treatments was rescinded during [...]
Have you heard that we need more Vitamin D? There have been several reports published in the past couple of years, recommending Vitamin D supplements. (Click here to read my previous comments.) But now, we read in the news that the Institute of Medicine is about to publish a rebuttal to some recommendations for super-high [...]
Up to one in 8 toddlers in America are iron-deficient. According to a new statement from the AAP: “Iron deficiency is one of the most common problems among children, but it’s frequently not detected, and it has long-term health implications for children’s development and behavior.” We test kids for iron deficiency anemia (and lead poisoning) [...]
What would your family life be like, if the TV weren’t blaring all the time? You can find out! Next week (Sept. 19-25, 2010) is “National Turn Off the TV week.” The idea is to unplug all the TV’s in your house for 7 days. Check out the AAP’s website, or the Center for Screen-Time [...]
