Pediatricians Warn Parents About Use of Over-the-Counter Medications

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued an advisory strongly recommending that over-the-counter cough and cold medications not be given to infants and children under two years old because of the risk of life-threatening side effects.  The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) supports this recommendation and urges parents to seek safer ways to soothe infants and young children suffering from colds and coughs.

Studies have shown cough and cold products are ineffective in treating symptoms of children under six years old, and may pose serious risks. A variety of rare, serious health problems have been associated with use of these medications in children, including death, convulsions, rapid heart rates and decreased levels of consciousness.

Click here to read more about the AAP warning.

Pedometers Help Peel Off Pounds

Pedometers do a good job of getting people to walk more, and this results in weight loss, though it might be modest, according to new research.

The findings are published in the January/February issue of the “Annals of Family Medicine,” and the study lead author was Dr. Caroline R. Richardson, assistant professor in the department of family medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School.

Richardson and her team analyzed data collected in nine pedometer-based walking studies held between 1995 and 2006 in which previously sedentary or overweight participants got motivated to start walking programs with pedometers.  They found “remarkably consistent” results showing nearly all ended up losing some weight by the end of the study.

Read the complete HealthDay news story by clicking here.

Amalgam Fillings Don’t Affect Children’s Brain Development, Says Study in ADA Journal

Dental amalgam tooth fillings do not adversely affect children’s brain development and neurological status, researchers report in the February issue of “The Journal of the American Dental Association.”

The authors of the report–members of a joint team from the University of Lisbon, Portugal, and the University of Washington, Seattle–studied the possible neurological effects of dental amalgam tooth restorations. Dental amalgam contains elemental mercury combined with other metals such as silver, copper, tin and zinc to form a safe, stable allow. Dental amalgam has been used for generations to fill decayed teeth that might otherwise have been lost.

Read more by going to the ADA website.

Shots May help Allergy Symptoms

Those who suffer from allergic asthma, rhinitis, conjunctivitis or stinging insect allergies may be good candidates to receive immunotherapy, also known as “allergy shots,” according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI).

“Immunotherapy is a form of treatment that aims to decrease sensitivity to substances called allergens,” said Linda Cox, M.D., FAAAAI, Chair of the AAAAI’s Immunotherapy and Allergy Diagnostics Committee. “Allergens, like pollen, mold or animal dander, are substances that trigger allergy symptoms when an allergic person is exposed to them.  Patients who receive immunotherapy are injected with increasing amounts of an allergen until the target therapeutic dose is reached, in an effort to build resistance to specific allergens.”

Read more by clicking on the AAAAI website.

Key Kids Health Issues for 2008

Bullying has been a big issue for kids for what seems like forever, and it is not going away anytime soon. It is one of the 10 issues that the experts at KidsHealth.org say will be issues to watch in the new year.

Some of the others include the over training of young athletes, “the growing reach of retail health care,” food allergies, lost childhoods and obesity.

Click here to read about other issues on the list at the KidsHealth.org website and to find out ways for parents to help.

Test Your Caffeine IQ

Here are some things that you might not know about your morning cup of joe. According to researchers at Duke University, it takes 10 to 15 minutes for caffeine to appear in the bloodstream and 60 to 90 minutes for it to reach peak levels.

In addition, it takes three to five hours for the body to reduce caffeine levels by half, and 10 to 12 hours to clear caffeine out of the system, researchers said.

To learn more about caffeine and its impact on the body, click here and go to the Duke University website.

Kids and Young Adults Abuse Cough and Cold Medicines

About 3.1 million people in the U.S. aged 12 to 25 (5.3 percent of this age group) have used over-the-counter (non-prescription) cough and cold medicines to get high at least once in their lifetimes, according to a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Newly analyzed data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) show the number is comparable to those who say they have used LSD (3.1 million), and is significantly greater than the number who reported having tried methamphetamines (2.4 million).

Read more about the report on the SAMHSA website.

Americans Still Not Sun Savvy

Americans may know about the dangers of skin cancer, but a new study by the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia claims most still are not doing enough to protect themselves when in the sun.

Even though skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the U.S., most Americans continue to engage in risky behaviors for skin cancer  including infrequent use of protective clothing, infrequent use of sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher, staying in the sun when outside on a sunny day instead of seeking shade, use of indoor tanning devices and having a history of sunburns.

The riskiest age group included those aged 18 to 29. Click here to read m0re from this HealthDay news story.

Tips for a Healthy New Year

Good health is at or near the top of most families’ wish lists for the new year.  The trick is finding new and interesting ways to achieve it.

The Des Moines Register newspaper has a list of 52 useful suggestions, ranging from divvying up snacks into smaller portions and giving boring lunches a healthy boost to making a grocery store trip an adventure or using friends as resources for new, healthy recipes.

Click here to read the complete story.

Wash Your Hands, Your Computer Can Make You Sick

If you need one more reason to wash your hands, this may be it. U.S. health officials say the highly contagious norovirus–stomach flu–can be spread via commonly shared items such as computer keyboards and computer mice. (Common in winter, the virus often is picked up at schools, work and on cruise ships.)

Researchers with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have reported that tests done at a Washington, D.C. elementary school in 2007 revealed some victims picked up the virus from computer equipment. This was the first time they identified keyboards and computer mice as a transmission source for norovirus.

Click here for more information.