Most mornings, my faithful dog and I are up with the sun and out on the trail. But this morning, like so many of us living in the San Gabriel Valley, I stepped outdoors to a haze of smoke. My scratchy throat and stinging eyes told me a hike was not a good idea, but I still grabbed up the newspaper to see whether there was a health advisory.
Yep, there was. People were advised to limit time outdoors, and especially not to exercise. I understood, of course, that walking around in the smoke would be a little uncomfortable, but what was the harm really?
To find out, I called up Colleen Callahan, Manager of Air Quality Policy at the American Lung Association and fellow Southern Californian. “Yes, canceling your hike this morning was a good idea,” she immediately told me. Find out why …
While H1N1 still has the potential to get serious, thus far it has stayed pretty mild. In fact there’s evidence that most cases of H1N1 so far have been so mild people didn’t even know they had it. There have been more than 150,000 laboratory confirmed cases worldwide, and 1,100 deaths. But the CDC estimates that in the U.S. alone there have been more than a million cases, most of which have gone undetected.
Pregnant women in labor can now have more than the standard cup of ice chips if they’re thirsty, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said Aug. 21. For decades, laboring women haven’t been allowed so much as a glass of water in the delivery room in case they needed to be anesthetized for an emergency cesarean. Under anesthesia, there’s a chance that anything left in the stomach could be drawn into the lungs – which could be fatal. But experts have now decided that improved anesthesia techniques, along with continuing to restrict solid food during labor, offers enough protection. The new recommendation states that women in uncomplicated labor can have small amounts of water, fruit juice without pulp, carbonated beverages, clear tea, black coffee or sports drinks. And even women preparing for a planned cesarean delivery can drink clear liquids up to two hours before they have anesthesia. 
Clinical trials are underway to test the first vaccine against H1N1 flu. So far, things look good, and health officials expect the first batches of vaccine for public distribution in mid-October. They expect some delays, with the full order of vaccine not delivered until December, and it’s possible that people will be lining up to get their dose.
Alcohol advertisers have pledged to stay away from television programs that draw audiences with mostly kids. But anyone with teens at home can tell you they don’t just watch “children’s” programming. This means there are plenty of programs targeted at adults that draw a substantial underage audience.
You know about the flu that comes around every fall. You know about H1N1 (unless you’ve been living under a media-free rock). Here are four things you need to know about them both.
A colleague’s children visiting their grandma in New Mexico have been stuck indoors a bit because of the mosquitoes – and the threat of West Nile Virus. The news that it’s World Mosquito Day probably won’t be much consolation, but maybe a bit of info will prove helpful.
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) affects 1.3 million Americans, causing pain and sometimes long-term joint damage. Research hasn’t yielded a cure – or even very good treatment. Anti-inflammatory drugs and powerful “disease-modifying agents” can produce unpleasant side-effects while still not completely relieving symptoms. (One drug prescribed for my mom’s RA landed her in the hospital.) Now a study published in yesterday’s issue of Annals of Internal Medicine 
I’ll admit it. About 16 years ago I took my baby to a Pink Floyd concert. And yes, I worried about the impact of all that rock ‘n’ roll on her tiny ears. (The impact went far beyond her ears, and my baby is now in a garage band.) “It’s outdoors,” my husband reassured me. “And we’ve got awful seats. It won’t be too loud.”
If your child is unlucky enough to be among the 18% who fracture a bone some time before age 9 (it’s one of the most common childhood injuries), pay attention to what the doctor prescribes for pain. A study published today in the online edition of the Annals of Emergency Medicine 
