by Jennifer Lance on December 2, 2009 · 4 comments
Photo by
richardmasoner
Traffic contributes to childhood respiratory problems.
As a parent, there is nothing scarier than when your child has respiratory problems. Coupled with the inability of young children and infants to accurately describe their symptoms because of language development, wheezing causes a lot of anxiety in families. Even more frightening is that “wheezing at age 3, is an early warning sign of asthma and other pulmonary conditions,” according to UPI. New research published in American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine from the University of Cincinnati (UC) has found that bacteria in dust from traffic and indoor air pollution causes persistent wheezing.
[read the full article...]
Renowned researcher Michael Kramer, who has advised the World Health Organization and Unicef, said that he was misquoted after being interviewed regarding supposed benefits of breastmilk.
You may remember the post regarding feminist Joan Wolf, who believes there are very few benefits of breastfeeding, very much in the same style of Hanna Rosin.
In the same Times article, Dr. Michael Kramer was “grossly misrepresented”. He said that the Times completely misquoted him and that he still very much believes in the benefits of breastmilk. He is quite angry at being put on the other side of what he sees as part of his life work. From the Independent:
There really isn’t any controversy about which mode of feeding is more beneficial for the baby and the mother, but when you read the article in The Times it sounds like there is. I’m not aware of any studies that have observed any health benefits of formula feeding. That’s important, and any mother weighing the benefits of breastfeeding vs formula feeding needs to know that.
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[read the full article...]
A Mayo Clinic study shows that kids who got the flu shot–especially those with asthma– are 3 times as likely to require hospitalization as those who did not receive the shot.
All kids in the study had lab-confirmed influenza, but the ones who got the shot ended up at the hospital more. And not because they had better health insurance, either.
As you may know, the CDC now recommends that all children, up to age 18, receive the flu vaccine. Because, as a Harvard study showed last year, kids carry germs. Adults who live in a population more concentrated with kids are more likely to get sick.
Get the flu shot; don’t mind the mercury.
While everyone is waiting impatiently (or quite patiently, in my case) for the swine flu vaccine, there is something y’all should know: the seasonal flu vaccine isn’t all that effective. And for kids, it just might increase the chances that you get a bonus trip to the hospital.
[read the full article...]
A Swedish study found that the rate of autism is higher for children in houses that have PVC vinyl flooring. The children in the study were apparently affected by the phthalates that are emitted from the material.
Infants and toddlers who had vinyl floors in their rooms were twice as likely to develop autism spectrum disorder (ASD) than those with wood or aluminum floors.
[read the full article...]
A student research project funded by the EPA is looking in the most unlikely places for triggers to diseases like asthma: furniture cushions.
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Jon McKinney, a junior at Missouri University of Science and Technology, is helping to develop the science of building forensics by identifying the chemical fingerprints of foam components present in common furniture items. [read the full article...]
If your child watches more than two hours of television a day, his or her risk for asthma is doubled, according to a study published in the journal Thorax.
The UK study monitored over 3,000 children from birth until nearly twelve years old. Beginning at the age of 3 and a half, researchers questioned parents annually on television viewing habits and symptoms of wheezing.
Those children who watched more than two hours of television a day were twice as likely to have been diagnosed with asthma at age 12 than those children who watched less, prompting the researchers to suggest that “breathing patterns associated with sedentary behavior could lead to developmental changes in the lungs and wheezing illnesses in children“. [read the full article...]
by Derek Markham on February 15, 2009 · 0 comments
New research suggests that pollution from traffic can ‘reprogram’ genes in the womb, increasing the risk for asthma. The study is the first to link pollution to genetic changes, although researchers say that more studies are needed to confirm the findings.
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The study, published in PLoS ONE Journal, looked at ACSL3, a gene expressed in the lung, and its association with asthma in children at or around age 5. The mothers’ exposure (while pregnant) to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was recorded, and the umbilical cord blood from their children was examined for the modified gene.
“Our data support the concept that environmental exposures can interact with genes during key developmental periods to trigger disease onset later in life, and that tissues are being reprogrammed to become abnormal later.” – Dr Shuk-mei Ho, study leader and director of the Center for Environmental Genetics at the University of Cincinnati.
[read the full article...]
by Derek Markham on January 11, 2009 · 1 comment
Children and cars both tend to idle around schools, and that is a noxious mix. Car exhaust, including exhaust from idling engines, is closely related to childhood asthma.
Hybrid cars and all-electric vehicles are the solution of the future, but right now they are beyond reach for many of us. Let’s read on to check out some no-cost and low-cost ways you can help reduce the impact of idling on children’s health.
[read the full article...]
