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Having a big barbecue this holiday weekend? Treat your food right! The CDC estimates that as many as 1 in 6 Americans (48 million people) suffer from foodborne illness (food poisoning) in the U.S. every year. These illness send 128,000to the hospital, and around 3,000 die. And even a mild case of bad potato salad is just plain no fun.
What is fun? These handy little videos that will help you keep the important points in mind as you feed your flock.
Sunburns happen. Case-in-point: my fair-skinned, red-headed teenage girl is spending part of her summer working on a movie set. She knows – thanks to much harping by her health-writer mom and generations of sunburn survival (her grandma and I are also pale and prone to burning) – how to protect herself. She loaded up her bag with sunscreen and made it through several days of an outdoor shoot without a hint of scorching.
But yesterday two on-set emergencies got in the way of her good sun hygiene. (These were legit. An actor had a stroke, and a stunt man broke his leg so severely the bone came through the skin.) She got home late and her shoulders were burned.
Yes, we preach prevention. Sunburns are serious stuff, and the sun’s UV rays are the leading cause of skin cancer in the U.S. So apply sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher) at least every two hours and avoid mid-day sun exposure if you can.
But if you do get burned, here are some helpful tips from Darla Porter, R.N., a nurse practitioner with Covenant Health System in Texas (where the sun is also strong):
Clean it: Porter recommends an antiseptic skin cleanser like Betadine or Hibiclens to help prevent infection in serious sunburns. Rinse with cool water.
Soothe it: Vinegar can help take the sting out of a sunburn. Or try peeled cucumber slices to cool delicate areas like the face and neck. Follow that up with a dose of acetaminophen (Tylenol) or other pain relievers such as Aleve or Advil.
Heal it: Creams containing aloe vera, cocoa butter or lidocaine are on Porter’s list for burn relief. I like to use aloe vera straight from the plant I keep growing in my kitchen.
Drink plenty of water to help prevent fatigue (and moisturize your skin from the inside) and stay out of the sun until your burn heals. If you get dizziness, fever, chills, nausea, headaches, swelling, purple blotches, excessive itching or blisters with a sunburn – or if the burn isn’t healing – you need to see a doctor.
Click here to test your sun safety IQ with a quiz from the American Cancer Society …
All surgery comes with some risk. And for young children, there is increasing evidence that part of that risk is the impact of anesthesia on developing brains. At a May conference in Vancouver, a number of experts presented studies that suggest infants and young children exposed to anesthesia could experience higher rates of learning difficulties than those who are not.
Studies included:
• Research from the National Center for Toxicological Research showing that a single 24-hour episode of anesthesia with ketamine caused long-lasting brain function impairment in nonhuman primates.
• A Mayo Clinic study that found multiple exposures to anesthesia before age 2 are a “significant risk factor” for developing Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Those younger than 4 who were exposed for 120 minutes or longer at least twice had the highest ADHD risk.
• A UC San Francisco study that found that among rats, the ill effects of anesthesia on brain function can be overcome through environmental enrichment.
That study, led by Greg Stratmann, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of clinical anesthesia at UCSF, built on research published in 2003 that found that common anesthetics caused massive damage and long-lasting impairment in learning and memory in the brains of young rodents.
Stratmann says we still do not know how closely these animal studies match what might be happening in human children. “We developed a behavioral test of recollection in rats and humans and we are getting the same results in both species [a cognitive deficit after anesthesia],” he says. “These results are preliminary, unpublished and need to be repeated.” If further studies produce the same results, Stratmann says the risk that anesthesia produces similar damage in humans and animals is high.
The Mayo Clinic research has led some experts to suggest putting off elective surgery until after age 4 where possible. But Stratmann says there isn’t yet enough data to guarantee that will help. “Deferring surgery past age 4 is by no means proven to reduce the risk,” he says. “The types of anesthetics and the length of exposure have been studied in animals but not humans.”
The needed research could cost up to $40 million, and Stratmann says it could be five to 10 years before there is enough data to guide experts in providing the safest possible anesthesia for young children.
Parents eager to help the research along can consider donating to SmartTots, a collaboration between the International Anesthesia Research Society and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Their mission is to fund research on anesthesia-induced neurotoxicity and 100% of all donations are allocated to research.
Meanwhile, all parents of infants and toddlers who need surgery can do is to ask their doctors whether the operation can wait, or whether their child’s time under anesthesia can be minimized. Post-op, Stratmann’s study suggests that exposing children to plenty of social interaction, exercise and a complex and enriched environment can help ease anesthesia’s effects on the brain.
Find out more at www.SmartTots.com.
Courtney writes: My son is 7 and not circumcised. At a recent checkup his doctor seemed pretty alarmed because his foreskin hadn’t yet detached. She prescribed a steroid cream to help dissolve the connecting skin, but the pharmacist’s warnings (Don’t use too much!) have us spooked. And some Internet research suggests the foreskin could normally detach on its own as late as age 10. What should we do?
I took your question to Robert Adler, M.D., Senior Vice Chair of pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Here’s what he had to say:
Although it is true that the foreskin can detach later in childhood, the older that the child is the less likely it is to happen spontaneously. Although the retraction of the foreskin is important for hygiene; as long as the child is not experiencing any problem, I would not recommend or encourage any forceful mechanical attempt to force the foreskin back. Watchful waiting is the best course, but a trial of steroid crèmes would pose no harm to your child.
Got a question about your family’s health? Click here, and we’ll find an expert to answer it!
It’s easy to bring home a portable pool from the grocery store and set it up for the kids. Kid-proofing that pool to protect little ones from drowning isn’t so simple. During the summer in the U.S., a child dies every five days in a portable pool, according to the first national study on the subject. Most were under 5 years old.
Parents often pick up these pools without much thought, even though they pose about the same drowning risk to young children as in-ground pools. “Often, there’s not a lot of premeditation,” says study author Gary Smith, M.D., director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio. Smith’s study found 209 drownings and 35 near-drownings connected with portable pools from 2001 to 2009, and though those don’t sound like huge numbers, Smith says drowning is different from other types of injury risk.
“If you fall from a piece of playground equipment, you usually get a second chance,” Smith says. But drowning is quick, silent and final. And there are few practical ways parents can make portable pools safer.
The most effective pool-safety measure, isolation fencing (completely enclosing the pool area in a non-climbable four-foot-high fence with self-closing, self-latching gates), isn’t an option for many parents using portable pools, because installing the fence would cost many times more than the pool itself. Emptying larger wading pools when not in use isn’t convenient or environmentally sound.
Since no one safety measure is a guarantee, Smith recommends that parents take as many precautions as they can to create “layers of protection” for their children:
• Take your pool seriously. Smith’s study of U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission injury and fatality reports found that 39% of children who drowned or nearly drowned in portable pools were unsupervised, and in 18% of the remaining cases the caregiver reported napping, socializing, doing chores or answering the phone or the door while kids were in or near the pool. “Supervision is vital when children are in and around water,” says Smith
• Fence if you can. Isolation fencing would have prevented at least 48 drownings in the present study.
• Prevent easy access. Around 88% of children studied by Smith and colleagues entered the pool using the pool ladder or by climbing on a nearby object. Keep chairs or other objects out of the pool area. If you can, remove or block your pool ladder when the pool is not in use. If the pool is small enough, consider emptying it when you are not using it.
• Teach your kids to swim. Smith says swimming lessons have been proven to help protect children against drowning. They are, of course, no substitute for supervision.
You should also follow the standard swim-safety rules. Children should only swim when supervised by an adult who is giving their full attention. No chatting, phone calls, reading, etc. And keep CPR instructions, a telephone and emergency numbers, and life jackets or other lifesaving devices poolside.
The Nationwide Children’s Hospital study appears in today’s online edition of Pediatrics, and in print in July. You can find more injury-prevention information at www.InjuryCenter.org.
Researchers studying obesity have found a new, more efficient way to fatten their lab rats: feed them the type of snack foods we humans love most.
During a 15-week study, rats with free access to tasty junk foods such as cookies, chips and processed meats (which the researchers dubbed the “cafeteria diet”) ate more food and gained more weight than those on the lard-based high-fat diets usually used to make them fat. And they gained almost double the weight of those on standard rat chow.
In fact, the snacking rats took in about 30% more calories than the rats eating a high-fat diet, eventually ending up showing warning signs of diabetes. The rats on the high-fat chow actually dropped their food intake by the second week of the study, so that they were taking in the same level of calories as the rats on a healthy diet.
Authors of the study, conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and published in the June issue of the journal Obesity, say they can’t pinpoint what component of the snack foods is causing the pre-diabetes conditions, but that their effect on the snacking rats mimics what is happening to humans who eat these foods regularly.
So next time you find yourself reaching for that bag of chips, maybe consider leaving it for the rats.
EDITOR’S NOTE: HERE IS A GUEST POST FROM RONNA MANDEL, ASSOCIATE EDITOR OF L.A. PARENT AND MOTHER OF TWO. I SENT HER AND HER DAUGHTER TO CHECK OUT A LOCAL ADVANCED DRIVING COURSE FOR TEENS …
At Drivers Edge teens learn essential driving skills for free.
As far as I was concerned, my baby had only just grown out of her purple convertible Crazy Coupe. Feet propelled by a sippy cup wielding 3-year-old, this auto need never leave our driveway. Not so when you’re talking about a two-ton vehicle
Well, at last I can breathe a sigh of relief and stop hiding under the covers. My 17-year-old daughter is now driving with one great advantage under her seatbelt. She recently participated in defensive driving workshops with Driver’s Edge, a non-profit organization whose mission to teach life-saving driving skills for free to teens around the country. Their national tour recently rolled into Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, shiny Beemers and all, and I don’t know who was more excited, me or my daughter, Gemma.
Rule number one is to remember that you are doing this as much for yourself as you are for your teen. So selfishly sign up your child the minute you get word from Driver’s Edge that they are coming to town because classes fill up very quickly and you don’t want to miss out. Simply ‘like’ them on Facebook to keep up-to-date on events or visit their website to get the tour schedule, register and find frequently asked questions. Your goal as a parent is to preserve all those precious memories and provide your teen with all the necessary tools they’ll need so you can see your grandchildren ride that Crazy Coupe you have stored in your garage. Read on …
Toxic chemicals and metals like BPA and lead are not sexy or fun. Neither, for me (and I know I’m in the minority here), are awards shows. Somehow, the folks at Physicians for Social Responsibility (whose name, let’s face it, also doesn’t sound like a party) have managed to mash these two not-fun things into something worth a giggle.
“The Toxies,” taking place June 16 at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, spotlight “bad actor” chemicals present in common products and elsewhere in our environment via an awards show parody. If you’re in the neighborhood, visit toxies.com to RSVP for the 4 p.m. red-carpet arrivals and the 5 p.m. awards ceremony (both free). For $50 you can hang around for after-party festivities (6-8 p.m.) including refreshments, entertainment and photos with the actors. Fans in other locations can watch the awards online.
The Hollywood-style fun dresses up a serious issue. Perchloroethylene (receiving a Toxie for “Worst Dressed”), for example, is used in more than 80% of the dry cleaners in the U.S. even though it presents hazards to the central nervous and reproductive systems, kidneys and liver. And even though safer alternatives exist. Triclosan (“Most Washed-Up” Toxie winner) is found in an array of antibacterial personal-care products even though the chemical – no more effective than plain soap and water – has been tied to thyroid harm and the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Also recognized at the event will be:
You can get the lowdown on all these “bad actors” at toxies.com, and do your best to help put them out of work by asking your congressional representative to co-sponsor the Safe Chemicals Act of 2011 and signing a petition to support safe cosmetics legislation in the “Action Center.”
Are your kids ready to head off to camp? Here’s a great guest post from JJ Levenstein, M.D., a pediatrician with a private pediatric practice in Encino. She also serves as president and co-founder of MD Moms, maker of Baby Silk, a personal care line for babies.
For most kids, swimming and s’mores are all they need to have fun at summer camp. Traveling away from home, however, takes much more planning and preparation on a parent’s part to ensure a safe and fun experience for the child. Preparing a fuss-free summer camp experience is a little easier with these steps.
Choose the best camp for your child
When choosing a camp, consider your child’s whole experience. For example, if your child hates swimming, do not choose a beach camp. If your child enjoys sports, consider sending her to an athletic camp.
Camping with children who have similar health conditions may also help your child feel at ease with her peers. At specialized camps, daily routines of medicines and treatments are commonplace – not a source of differentiation or embarrassment.
Separately, if your child has a health condition such as diabetes or asthma, you may consider a camp that frequently hosts children with these conditions. You’ll have extra peace of mind when your child is in the hands of experienced camp staffers and knowledgeable health personnel.
Schedule appointments in advance
Once you’ve chosen a camp, check its medical requirements in advance. Many camps require a physical exam before enrollment. This doctor’s visit is a great time to ensure your child is up-to-date with vaccines, prescriptions, dietary restrictions and allergies.
Note schools often require physicals, and most insurance policies only cover one annual exam per child. Think strategically about medical check-ups. In addition to camp medical requirements, know what your child’s school needs for next year’s enrollment so you won’t have to revisit the doctor. Read more of Dr. JJ’s tips …
Current screening methods can detect ovarian cancer – just not early enough to save women’s lives. That’s the finding from a study scheduled to come out in the June 8 issue of JAMA, which looked at more than 78,000 women. Those who were screened with blood tests called CA-125 and transvaginal ultrasound weren’t less likely to die of ovarian cancer, but were more likely to have invasive surgery due to false-positive results.
The women in the study, all ages 55 to 74, were divided into two groups and either underwent annual ovarian cancer screening or usual medical care without screening. Doctors found more cancers (212 vs. 176) in the screening group, but a similar number of ovarian cancer deaths (118 in the screening group vs. 100 in the usual care group), suggesting that detecting the cancers at that stage wasn’t enough to save lives. “We weren’t finding them at a really early stage, which was very disappointing,” says Christine Berg, M.D., chief of the Early Detection Research Group at the National Institutes of Health’s division of cancer prevention and one of the study’s authors.
Ovarian cancers, Berg explains, can occur on the surface of the ovary or on the lining of the fallopian tubes. Cancerous cells can then detach, float around in the abdominal cavity, and spread to other parts of the body. Keeping these cancers from spreading means detecting them while they are still attached to the ovary, and some experts estimate this means detecting tumors as small as 4 millimeters.
That won’t happen, Berg says, until imaging techniques improve. She is optimistic, because that technology is advancing rapidly. “We’re just not there yet.”
While the ovarian cancer screenings in the study didn’t save lives, they did result in more than 3,200 false-positive results and more than 1,000 surgeries to remove one or both ovaries – necessary to biopsy the tumor. And around 15% of these women experienced surgical complications ranging from blood clots to infections to problems with wound healing. “These are not minor complications,” says Berg.
Ovarian cancer screening isn’t common. Berg says just 1-3% of women are being offered these tests now, “and I think that it will become even less common based on the results of this study. People think, Oh, I’ll just have a blood test, without thinking what comes next. You don’t want to be chasing something that isn’t worth going through the complications for.”
To create ovarian cancer screening that saves lives, Berg and colleagues are focused on advances in imaging and other detection technologies and on more accurately pinpointing who is at risk. (BRCA1 and 2 gene mutations are shown to increase a woman’s risk of ovarian and breast cancer, but those mutations are rare, found in just 1 in 700 women in the U.S.) “We’re coordinating in all these research avenues, hoping that we can move things forward,” Berg says.
Meanwhile, she reminds all women to keep their risk as low as possible by not smoking, watching what they eat, keeping their weight healthy and exercising. And she advises postmenopausal women considering hormone replacement therapy to stay on it only as long as absolutely necessary, as HRT has been shown to increase risk of ovarian cancer.
Finally, she reminds us all that, thankfully, ovarian cancer remains an uncommon disease. “Most women in the U.S. are going to die of heart disease in old age,” Berg says.
