Rickets Makes a Comeback

A NYTimes article out yesterday reports cases of rickets showing up in infants and toddlers recently. While rickets is a common childhood disease in many developing countries [1], in the US it is not often heard of.

Rickets is defined as a softening of the bones in adolescence. This can lead to fractures and deformities such as bow-legs and wrist widening. However it is easily preventable with proper nutrition- specifically vitamin D.

And here enters the recent problem- doctors are suggesting that infants aren't getting enough vitamin D, even with proper diet. Dr. Catherine M. Gordon, director of the bone health program at Children’s Hospital Boston, says

"I completely support breast-feeding, and I think breast milk is the perfect food, and the healthiest way to nourish an infant... However, we’re finding so many mothers are vitamin D deficient themselves that the milk is therefore deficient, so many babies can’t keep their levels up. They may start their lives vitamin D deficient, and then all they’re getting is vitamin D deficient breast milk."

Dr. Frank Greer, chairman of the committee on nutrition of the American Academy of Pediatrics, adds that, “Historically speaking, we probably got it from the sun, but now we’re afraid of the sun and we don’t go out as much.”

While rickets is still rare in the US, the number of cases has been cropping up in recent years. Talk to your pediatrician about possibly adding supplements over the wintertime when sun exposure is down and make sure when breast feeding that you are getting adequate amounts of vitamin D yourself.

Congress Agree to Regulate Phthalates in Toys

House and Senate lawmakers agreed yesterday to permanently ban three types of phthalates from children's toys. They will also outlaw three other phthalates from products after studying their effects in children and pregnant women.

If passed, the ban would take effect in six months- that is unless President Bush vetos it. Many have said that the President opposes the ban, but it is still to early to know what he will decide. Many companies are opposing the ban, arguing that the research against phthalate exposure is not strong enough. The biggest opposition to the ban is Exxon Mobil. They manufacturers diisononyl phthalate which is the most commonly used phthalate in children's toys.

It certainly would not be the first ban of its kind however. The EU and more than a dozen other countries have banned phthalates from children's products as early as 1999. Even major US retailers Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, and Babies R Us that said will no longer carry products containing the phthalates as of Jan. 1, 2009.

Bad News About Nuts During Pregnancy

A new study just published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine suggests that pregnant women who eat nuts or nut products like peanut butter daily during pregnancy increase their children's risk of developing asthma by more than 50 percent over women who rarely or never consume nut products during pregnancy.

Don't worry just yet. Research in the area of allergenic foods during pregnancy has been contradictory and inconclusive. The main thought behind it being that the allergens present in foods like nuts cross the placenta and cause fetuses that are exposed to become sensitized to certain allergens.

John E. Heffner, M.D., past president of the American Thoracic Society made a statement in response to the research, "These findings emphasize the critical important of additional investigations into the environmental exposures for both mother and child that underlie the pathogenesis of asthma... It is important, however, to emphasize that such associations do not confirm a causative linkage."

For more information:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114901.php
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7505682.stm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25687224/

Hospitals Drop the Ball on Breastfeeding

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released it's findings yesterday in the first national report to include breastfeeding practices in hospitals. The results had some surprising statistics. The CDC found that one in four medical centers gave healthy newborns formula or supplements even when their mothers were willing and able to breast-feed.

They looked at 2,700 birth facilities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico and rated them based on labor and delivery, breastfeeding assistance, mother-newborn contact, postpartum feeding, breastfeeding support after hospital discharge, nurse/birth attendant breastfeeding training and education, and structural and organizational quality.

Western and New England states performed the best. Vermont and New Hampshire tied for the highest scores, followed by Maine and Oregon. The lowest scores were seen in 7 southern states: Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and West Virginia.

What to do if you are looking to breastfeed your infant:
- Ask beforehand if lactation consultants are available at the hospital you plan on delivering at
- Let your doctor and the nurses on call know that you want to breastfeed and ask that they not give your child any formula or supplements
- If lactation consultants aren't available at the hospital, try La Leche League staff or a doula
- Look for breastfeeding classes in the area to take before birth
- Remember that breastfeeding isn't easy off the bat and may take some time and practice. Be patient, stay motivated and get the help you need.

Salmonella Tomato Warning

Careful all you pregnant moms when ordering your hamburger/veggieburgers. Salmonella is not something you want to get while pregnant.

From WebMD:
The CDC reports that at least 167 people in 17 states have been infected with Salmonella Saintpaul, the salmonella strain involved in the current outbreak.

Those 17 states are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

The FDA says it's fine to keep eating the following types of tomatoes from any source: cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes sold with the vine still attached, and homegrown tomatoes.
Because of the salmonella outbreak, the FDA advises consumers not to eat raw red Roma, raw red plum, and raw red round tomatoes, or products containing those types of tomatoes.

Dry Drowning in the News

Many of you may have heard of the dry drowning case in South Carolina. A 10-year-old died more than an hour after he had gone swimming. So what do parents need to know when it comes to dry drowning?

What it is:
Dry drowning occurs after removal from water when there is a small amount of water still present in the lungs. This can cause result in laryngospasms reflex- a spasm of the vocal cords. Laryngospasms can then cause asphyxiation, leading to an inadequate supply of oxygen in the blood, cardiac arrest, and eventually death.

When it occurs:
Usually within an hour to 24 hours of swimming.

Are some children more likely to dry drown?
Yes. Dry drowning is more likely of child is not a good swimmer or a first-time swimmer and if the child has underlying lung problems like asthma.

What should parents look for?
After swimming, if the child has swallowed a lot of water or had an accident at the pool, keep an eye out for these signs:
- persistent coughing or pain in chest
- difficulty breathing
- extreme tiredness
- changes in behavior
If a child coughs for a minute, then calms down -- that is much different than if the child keeps coughing or complaining of pain.

What do I do if I suspect dry drowning?
Call your doctor or bring the child to an emergency room if there are any signs of dry drowning following a swimming incident. If it is caught early, dry drowning can be treated by inserting a breathing tube and having oxygen supplied under pressure to the lungs.

Water safety is a big topic in summer months. According to the CDC, 4,000 people drown each year and 1,400 of these are children. Always watch kids at all times when in the water and enjoy your time safely!

Breastmilk good, Iron Supplements bad?

In headlines this week we learn something that many of us already knew- breastmilk boosts intelligence, and something that we have not known: iron Supplements might harm infants who already get enough.

The breastmilk study, while not the first of its kind, claims to be "the most blatant evidence to date that prolonged and exclusive breast-feeding makes children more intelligent,". The study came out of Canada's McGill Univeristy and is the largest study ever conducted on a random sample- looking at 14,000 children over six and a half years.

The studies author notes that they can't guaruntee its the breastmilk itself, as oppose to the physical nature of breastfeeding, "As for me, I prefer to think that the physical or emotional contact between the mother and the child is what counts, because it takes more time to nurse a baby than to offer him a bottle of milk".

Meanwhile, at the University of Michigan, researchers found that extra iron for infants who don't need it might delay development. This has a huge impact on those who use formula with extra iron added. The study looked at nearly 500 infants. Those that were adversely affected by the extra iron scored 11 points lower in IQ and 12 points lower in visual-motor integration, as well as lower on spatial memory and other visual-motor measures.

Bad Message Overall...

My attention was recently drawn to a book titled My Beautiful Mommy. The synopsis:

"My Beautiful Mommy” is aimed at kids ages four to seven and features a plastic surgeon named Dr. Michael and a girl whose mother gets a tummy tuck, a nose job and breast implants. Before her surgery the mom explains that she is getting a smaller tummy: “You see, as I got older, my body stretched and I couldn’t fit into my clothes anymore. Dr. Michael is going to help fix that and make me feel better.” Mom comes home looking like a slightly bruised Barbie doll with demure bandages on her nose and around her waist.

The book doesn’t explain exactly why the mother is redoing her nose post-pregnancy. Nonetheless, Mom reassures her little girl that the new nose won’t just look “different, my dear—prettier!”

Dr. Michael Salzhauer, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Bal Harbour, Fla. says he got the idea for the book after seeing his patients bring their small children with them to appointments. "Parents generally tend to go into this denial thing. They just try to ignore the kids' questions completely." He is concerned that children "fill in the blanks in their imagination" and worry when they see "mommy with bandages".

So what is the message here?
1. don't worry kids Mom will be fine after her operation- ok, that's fair, but unfortunately you can not separate it from point number two.
2. Mom wasn't happy with her appearance and felt she needed to change it. Women need to look pretty.

I guess since we can't stop people from feeling they need to surgically enhance themselves, we can't condone a book that is just trying to ease the inevitable questions that follow...?

Got Milk Worries? Just Drink It

Wal-mart announced recently that it would be adding milk that comes exclusively from cows free of artificial growth hormones. This sparked a big debate.

The argument against:
- Some believe that it causes early sexual maturity in girls, though the scientific research here is not necessarily clear.

The argument to keep on trucking:
- Americans routinely don't get enough in their diet and drinking any brand is more important than drinking a specific kind
- Milk is still the top dietary source of calcium, which we all need all day. You can only adsorb 500 mcg at a time, so getting it all at once doesn't help as much as spreading it out through the day.
- All milk has vitamin D, which helps you absorb calcium and it is one of the few places you can easily find vitamin D.

What can you do?
- Drink skim! The hormones in milk reside mostly in the milk fat, drinking skim would greatly reduce the amount of exposure

Hush Little Baby, Get Your Rest!

A new study out finds a connection between quantity of infant sleep and likelihood of being obese at age three. While many studies have confirmed the link of lack of sleep and lbs gained in adults, this is the first study to link the two in infants.

The study came out today in The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Researchers report that infants who got less than 12 hours of sleep had a doubled increase of being obese at age three, and the effect was even stronger in infants who watched two or more hours of television daily. The researches took into account birth weight, the mother’s age and body mass, breast feeding duration and other variables.

So what can you do? Many experts agree on the following:
1. No TV in the bedroom
2. Establish a good nighttime routine (bottle, book, bed)
3. Have a consistent schedule and bedtime
4. White noise such as a fan, humidifier may help

Remember that babies sleep habits are determined more by individual temperment and you can' t always get them to sleep when and as long as you'd like. Technically 'sleeping through the night' is 5 hours of continuous sleep, so if they are getting naps, they can easily reach the 12 hour mark.

National Child Abuse Prevention Month

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. The first federal child protection legislation was passed 34 year ago in the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, and has been updated several times since, but children out there still need help and protection.

Four children die each day in the US from child abuse. If you worry about a child you know don't hesitate to call.

The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline, 1-800-4-A-CHILD®, operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about Childhelp call 480-922-8212 or visit www.childhelp.org.

EPA Ruling on Lead Paint

The EPA announced a new ruling that will take effect April 2010 that will require contractors to take special precaution when renovating homes built before 1978, child-care facilities and schools occupied by children under 6 or pregnant women.

James Gulliford, the EPA's assistant administrator for prevention said, "Our goal is to eliminate childhood lead poisoning as a major health concern by the year 2010".

But lead paint is found in more than an estimated 38 million homes and is not easy to deal with- the dust that is made from removing the paint is a major concern and when removing paint off the outside of the house, lead getting into the soil is another issue that must be handled very carefully. To properly deal with this tedious messy task, builders, painters, electricians and others will have to be trained and certified in lead abatement procedures.

Contractors will be prohibited from using sandblasters, torches or other power tools that stir up lead dust. Warning signs to keep residents out of the area until all dust and debris is cleaned up will also be required.

If you have lead paint in your own home consider removing it before you have children. If you are going to remove it yourself, read up on ways to reduce your own exposure. Try to avoid sanding at all costs and always always wear a mask.

The IR paint stripper is a wonderful tool to use in removing lead paint. It heats up and the paint softens and can easily be scrapped off without producing dust and without the use of chemical strippers. The solid lead paint chips are easily swept up and can be disposed of properly. Also look for HEPA vacuums for when you are cleaning any areas that could be affected with lead dust.

Check out The Silent Paint Remover.com for the IR paint stripper and attachments as well as HEPA vacuums, organic paint and organic cleaning products.

Vaccines In the News

Rueters reports that a vaccine is on the way for strep throat. A research team at the University of California, San Diego, has altered the bacteria that causes strep throat and rheumatic fever to make it safe to use as a vaccine.

Meanwhile, the debate on whether vaccines can cause Autism is still quite a buzz. For the latest on the case in Georgia click here.

New Study Out on Phthalate Exposure

The February issue of Pediatrics contains a study that suggests baby lotion, baby powder, and baby shampoo may be exposing babies to potentially harmful chemicals called phthalates. Since U.S. manufacturers are not required to list phthalate contents on products' package label it is extremely difficult for parents to know what they are buying.

"At this time, we do not know what the potential long-term health effects might be, but there is a large body of animal studies to suggest developmental and reproductive toxicity (from phthalates) and a few human studies with changes in health outcomes as well," Dr. Sheela Sathyanarayana, one of the researchers, is quoted in Reuters Health.

Phthalates are controversial because high doses of many phthalates have shown adverse affects in rodent studies, such as damage to the liver, the kidneys, and the lungs. Recent study findings also include a joint Swedish-Danish research team found a very strong link between allergies in children and the phthalates in 2004.

The state of California is already taking steps against phthalate exposure. Any product made for young children that contains more than 0.01% of phthalates cannot be made, sold or distributed in California beginning in 2009.

Rest assured that there are companies out there trying to make the safest, most natural products they can for babies. Burt's Bees states on their website that their fragrances and products, "not have harmful ingredients, like phthalates". Check out some of Burt's Bee's Baby products here.

Reconsider 'Childproof' Packaging

US News and World Report writes an interesting article today on childproof packaging. Their outlook? Don't trust it.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that each year over 4500 children get into medication and treat themselves to too much, requiring treatment for an overdose. While all of the children studied survived the accidental overdoes, one quarter needed activated charcoal to neutralize the toxic effects. The majority of the children were between ages 2 and 5.

Melissa Schaefer, a physician in the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion at the CDC and the study's lead author said chances of children going after the OTC meds increase when they are sweet and fruit-flavored.

Her advice for keeping pesky hands out of the medicine cabinet:

• Keep medicines locked away from kids, even if the drugs have child-resistant packaging.
• Never tell a child that medicine is candy.
• Don't let children see you take medicine. They love to imitate grownups.

You may also consider ditching all your children's OTC cold medicines soon anyway, with the new FDA warning that was released this month.

FDA Says No to Cough Meds

Back in October, drugmakers voluntarily pulled several children's cold medicines off the market based on the FDA investigation that was pending about their safety. Today reports are out that the FDA has made a decision. They are issuing a stern health advisory- to not to give babies under two years of age over-the-counter cold and cough medicine because of potentially "serious and life-threatening side effects." This includes decongestants, expectorants, antihistamines and cough suppressants.

The FDA is looking into OTC meds for children aged 2-11 and should come to a decision on safety by this spring.

Until then try these remedies. NPR asked doctors and reports:

- Always encourage a child by telling him or her that colds are usually short-lived, and that they will feel better in a few days.

- Products containing acetaminophen, such as Tylenol; or products containing ibuprofen, such as Motrin or Advil, can make a sick child more comfortable, when given in the proper dose.

- Saline nose drops or warm steam from a shower can help ease decongestion. Of decongestants and cough medicines on the market, Benjamin says, "There is not anything out there that is effective."

- Ensure the child drinks plenty of fluids.

- If the child is not getting better or is getting worse, reevaluate his or her condition.

- Doctors emphasize the importance of reassuring the child by providing affection, comfort, and understanding.

US Baby Boomlet

The United States is experiencing a small baby boom, reporting the largest number of children born in 45 years CNN reports. The 2006 fertility rate is reported at 2.1 children- the highest since 1971.

What is contributing to this jump? One thing is the fertility rate among Hispanics is now at 3 children per woman the highest rate for any group. Another increase is in teen births. The rate of teenage pregnancies rose for the first time in 15 years.

Australia's Baby Breath Tax

There has been more and more talk of downsizing the human population as the Earth's natural resources are recently straining to keep up with the growth- but Australia is the 1st that I know of to propose a tax for the carbon footprint the new family addition will add. The proposal basically says that the first two kids you don't have to pay for, but any kids after that will cost you a $4,400 tax at birth, plus $350 to $700 per year "for the life of the child."

What is the justification? From a letter to the Editor of The Medical Journal of Australia,

Every newborn baby in Australia represents a potent source of greenhouse gas emissions for an average of 80 years, not simply by breathing, but by the profligate consumption of resources typical of our society.

Does that seem unfair? I'm not sure what I think yet. But on the opposite side of this proposal- people should get carbon credits for using contraceptives, intrauterine devices, diaphragms, condoms and sterilization procedures. Likewise, family planning clinics and hospitals that provide greenhouse-friendly services should also receive a tax benefit.

This will be an interesting topic and trend to follow.

Anorexia Risk Determined In Utero?

Previous studies have shown that shared family environment has little effect on the development of anorexia, so researchers are now looking at shared intrauterine environment. A new study out this month from researchers in Sweden in The Archives of General Psychiatry suggests that female sex hormones exposure in the womb may have an affect on predisposition to anorexia.

The study looked at twins, same sex twins and opposite sex twins. Researchers observed 51 cases of anorexia among the female twins, 3 among the male twins and 36 among the opposite-sex pairs. What is interesting is that among the opposite-sex twins almost half the cases were in males- a greater number than we normally see as females in general have a 10 times higher risk than males for anorexia. So what does that mean?

"the male member of a male-female twin pair had a risk for anorexia statistically no different from the risk among females... Female sex hormones may influence neurodevelopment and later risk for anorexia, they suggest, and males in that uterine environment would be similarly affected."

For help on anorexia, try AnorexiaHelp.net, HealthyPlace.com, or Anorexia Treatment.

Not Sure? Test Your Toys!

An AP report on MSNBC today says that after tests by a coalition of environmental health groups found that of the more than 1,200 children’s products tested, 35% contained lead. Of those items, items deemed with "excessive lead levels" included a Hannah Montana card game case, a Go Diego Go! backpack and Circo brand shoes.

The Consumer Action Guide to Toxic Chemicals in Toys is available at
http://www.healthytoys.org

To buy lead tester kits try:
http://www.leadinspector.com/

For information on how to properly check toys for lead try:
http://www.leadtesttoys.com/howtotoys.aspx