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 [...]
Want to hear the latest on babyproofing your house? Click on this New York Times article HERE. There are some surprises. Using plug-in outlet covers? Most adults don’t plug them back in. Video monitors? There are reports of kids getting strangled on the cords. But some old suggestions are still valid. The best way to [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Every few years, the CDC surveys the rate of ADHD in American children. Last week, in the edition of MMWR dated 11/12/10, the CDC reported that 9.5% of American children under 18 had been diagnosed with ADHD in 2007, a 22% increase since 2003. (Apparently it took 3 years to collect and report the data.) [...]
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) [...]
It’s not just “selective hearing!” True hearing loss in teenagers has become 30% more common. A survey performed back in 1988-94 found that 15% of American teens suffered hearing loss, even if slight. Bu a repeat study in 2005-6 showed that the percentage has risen to almost 20%, a 1/3 increase. Hearing loss is 50% [...]
