Check out one industrious mom’s attempt to keep her child flu-free. While the message here applies to seasonal influenza, there’s still too little H1N1 vaccine available to make it relevant to swine flu. Most folks can’t currently protect their kids from H1N1 simply by getting vaccinated right now! For the time being, we’ll have to trust in preventive measures like hand washing, getting plenty of rest, eating well, and staying home if we get sick.
Archive for the ‘Prevention’ Category
Influenza Moon Landing …
Friday, November 13th, 2009Maclaren USA Strollers Recalled
Monday, November 9th, 2009
I don’t report every recall I hear about, but this one involves lots of products, and a potentially serious consequence.
Following a dozen reports of children’s fingertips being amputated by the hinge mechanisms in their strollers, Maclaren USA today announced it is recalling about one million of its products. Models being recalled include Volo, Triumph, Quest Sport, Quest Mod, Techno XT, TechnoXLR, Twin Triumph, Twin Techno and Easy Traveller. The strollers were sold at Babies “R” Us, Target, and other retailers from 1999 through this month. The recall is voluntary.
The company is advising anyone who has one of these strollers to stop using it immediately and contact them for a free repair kit. Call 877-688-2326 or visit www.mclaren.us/recall for information.
More than 100,000 Cancer Cases Caused By Obesity
Friday, November 6th, 2009
Few diseases strike terror into the hearts of Americans the way cancer can. And a report released yesterday by the American Institute for Cancer Research suggests one way that a growing number of people can help prevent it: Maintain a healthy body weight.
Here are their estimates of the number of cancers in the U.S. linked to overweight and obesity:
- 49% of endometrial cancers = 20,700 cases/year
- 35% of esophageal cancers = 5,800 cases/year?
- 28% of pancreatic cancers = 11,900 cases/year ?
- 24% of kidney cancers = 13, 900 cases/year?
- 21% of gallbladder cancers = 2,000 cases/year?
- 17 % of breast cancers = 33,000 cases/year?
- 9% of colorectal cancers = 13,200 cases/year?
TOTAL: 100,500 cases/year
The nonprofit organization, founded in 1983, is dedicated to research that shows how everyday actions can reduce cancer risk.
Learn more about their research …
Do the “Dracula” Just Like Dr. Sears
Thursday, November 5th, 2009
Dr. Bob Sears shows a few friends the "Dracula sneeze."
Wherever you turn these days, you’re likely to run into a runny nose – or someone else’s sneeze. Seasonal flu shots are available, but H1N1 vaccine is still scarce and we’ve got no vaccine at all for the common cold. How’s a family to stay healthy?
Pediatrician Bob Sears, M.D., of the renowned Sears medical family, says he’s noticed families focusing on preventive measures to keep illness at bay. And when they do get sick, they’re embracing more natural remedies. “Americans are getting tired of just popping a pill and turning to pharmaceuticals to fix things,” says the co-author of the Sears Parenting Library series. Here are a few things Dr. Sears recommends:
- Wash those hands. We just can’t say this enough. Teach kids to wash their hands several times a day at school, especially before eating, and after using the bathroom or doing a big group project. Younger kids can sing the ABCs while they wash as a way to measure the 20-30 seconds it takes to do it right.
- Master the “Dracula sneeze.” And teach the kids, too. If you’ve got to ahhh-choo it, your elbow is the place to do it.
- Humidify. Dry air dries out the sinuses, so consider buying a humidity gauge at your local hardware store to monitor the level in your home. You want to keep humidity at around 40%, and you might need to use a humidifier to do this.
- Cut down on sugar. This will help keep your immune system strong. “Spread out the sugar,” Sears suggests. “Make that Halloween candy last.” At his house, the rule is just one treat a day. If you keep the candy out of sight, they might eventually even forget about it, he says.
- Eat a breakfast with antioxidants. Put blueberries or other berries – fresh or dried – on your child’s cereal. Or just let the kids graze on berries any time. “That would be a great snack idea,” Sears says.
- Keep up your exercise routine. That’s especially true for moms and dads. “Stress and lack of exercise definitely will lower your immune system,” Sears says.
- Supplement up. Sears recommends that families consider supplementing their healthy diets with extra vitamin C and D, and zinc.
- Go natural. Dr. Sears is big on Echinacea this time of year, and has also been promoting a product called Sinupret. This natural herbal blend is designed it keep the sinuses healthy and boost the immune system, and Sears says he tends to recommended it for anyone with sinus trouble. “It’s been a good way to keep my patients’ sinuses healthy,” he explains. (They’ve sent us a sample. We’re checking it out.)
None of these measures is guaranteed to keep your family from falling victim to this year’s cold and flu season, but they can help. And good habits like these are worth keeping all year.
One More Study On Mercury In Vaccines
Monday, November 2nd, 2009
Even as the new H1N1 vaccine has revived fears about vaccine safety, one more study was released last week showing that use of the mercury-based preservative thimerosal in shots does not translate into elevated mercury levels in children’s blood.
Amid heated debate over whether or not thimerosal – used to prevent cross-contamination in vaccines packaged in multi-dose vials – is linked with autism, its use in childhood vaccines was reduced or eliminated in the U.S. in 2001. But it is still used in some forms of seasonal flu vaccine, including the new vaccine against H1N1. The pandemic flu has proven especially dangerous to children, who are on the priority list to receive the vaccine.
In their study, supported by the National Institutes of Health and reported in the Journal of Pediatrics, researchers from the Rochester General Health System in New York found that the blood levels of mercury in even premature and low-birthweight infants were exceedingly low after vaccination. They tested the blood of 72 newborn infants in Argentina (where vaccines are purchased through the World Health Organization, which has categorically rejected the notion that thimerosal is unsafe) both before and after vaccination. Their blood levels of mercury rose very slightly, and then returned to pre-vaccination levels within 10 days.
Previous studies by the same researchers involving full-term newborns and 2- and 6-month-old babies showed similar results. Even so, parents who want their children to receive thimerosal-free flu shots can choose the inhaled version of the vaccine, or shots packaged in single-dose vials, neither of which contain the preservative.
“Fall Back” and Check Your Home’s Smoke Detectors
Friday, October 30th, 2009At 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, Daylight Savings time comes to an end. Set your clocks back one hour before turning in Saturday night and enjoy the extra hour of sleep.
But before you do, take a few minutes to check the smoke detectors in your home. (And if you don’t have any, shame on you! A trip to your local hardware store this weekend is a must.) If your detectors are battery operated, change the batteries even if they’re still working. And push that little test button to make sure the unit is functioning properly.
The U.S. Fire Administration says that more than 3,000 people die in house fires in the U.S. each year, and more than 16,000 are injured. Kids under age 5 are especially vulnerable. Protect your family, and you’ll enjoy that additional 60 minutes of shuteye even more on Sunday morning.
Youngest Kids Still At Risk For Burn Accidents
Tuesday, October 6th, 2009The first time I ever burned myself in the kitchen I was about 5 years old. I was helping my great grandma take something out of the toaster oven, and made the mistake of touching the hot oven door with my thumb. That was a long time ago, but a new 17-year study from Nationwide Children’s Hospital shows accidental burns are still an all-too-common experience for little kids.
About 120,000 each year are still injured from burns, and children younger than 6 account for more than half of burn-related injuries, says the study, which appears in the November issue of Pediatrics. Part of the reason: Parents underestimate the reach and speed of little kids, say researchers. So do the following:
- Set your water heater thermostat to no higher than 120 degrees
- Keep kids away from the stove
- Lock up chemicals and cover electrical outlets
- Don’t let kids under age 6 use the microwave, or prepare hot food or drinks
- Don’t let small children play near you in the kitchen when you’re working with hot foods
Parents Underestimate H1N1 Risk
Friday, September 25th, 2009
Even as the newly approved H1N1 vaccine makes its way toward a pediatrician’s office near you, one new survey shows more than half the nation’s parents plan not to take advantage of it. And the director of the poll – the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health, released yesterday – believes it could be because parents don’t understand the risks.
While seasonal flu is still the more serious of the two illnesses, with rates of complications and deaths higher in the elderly, the CDC reports that rates of illness and hospitalization due to H1N1 are higher in kids. Yet nearly half the 1,678 parents across the U.S. participating in the poll believe H1N1 and seasonal flu pose about the same risk for children.
“Health care professionals and public health officials need to help parents and the community at-large understand that children are one of the groups at greatest risk for getting H1N1, and for getting very sick from the disease as well,” said Matthew Davis, M.D., in a statement released with the poll.
In fact, few parents seem to be planning on getting their children any sort of flu shot. Just 40% of those surveyed by C.S. Mott say they will get their kids vaccinated against H1N1, and only 54% say they will get their children a seasonal flu shot. Around 46% of those foregoing the H1N1 vaccine say they aren’t worried about their children getting H1N1, while 20% don’t believe it is a serious illness. And about half say they are worried about side effects of the vaccine.
Suicide Prevention: Know the Signs, Support the Cause
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
Did you know that 20% of us will have a family member who dies by suicide, and 60% of us will know someone who dies by suicide? Sad statistics, yes. But there is plenty you can do to help. Here’s some info from Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services:
Educate yourself. Understand the nature of suicide and its causes. Ninety percent of people who die by suicide suffer from one or more psychiatric disorders, such as depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia. Alcohol or substance abuse frequently plays a role – 50% of people who attempt suicide are intoxicated at the time.
Understand the warning signs. They are present in four out of five suicides.
- Making statements of hopelessness and helplessness
- Threatening suicide
- Giving away possessions and putting one’s affairs in order
- A decrease in the ability to function
- An increase in risk-taking behaviors
- Social or emotional withdrawal
- Writing or drawing about suicide or death.
If someone you know is exhibiting any of these signs, don’t wait – ask for help. Call the Didi Hirsch Crisis Line at 877-727-4747.
Support research and treatment. Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services is hosting it’s 11th annual Alive & Running 5K Walk/Run for Suicide Prevention Sept. 27. The event kicks off at 8 a.m. at West 88th St. and La Tijera Blvd. in Westchester, just north of LAX. More than 1,000 runners, walkers, spectators and volunteers from all over Southern California will join together to raise awareness and funding for suicide prevention services.
Registration fee for the 5K is $30 (a tax deductible donation), but for L.A. Parent readers it is $20 (please use promotion code LAPARENT where it asks for a discount code). A “Kiddie-K” (1K) will also be held following the start of the 5K and registration for that is $10. For more information or to donate, visit www.aliveandrunning.org. On site registration begins at 6:30am.
With more than 60 years of experience, Didi Hirsch provides mental health and substance abuse services in Los Angeles County, regardless of ability to pay. Their nine sites serve more than 44,000 clients a year, from Pacoima to Venice to South Los Angeles to the Downtown area, and many points in between. Visit www.didihirsch.org for more information.
Emergency Preparedness: Get A Kit
Friday, September 18th, 2009
In my post-wildfire quest to prepare my family for the next emergency that hits my area (which in my case could be either mud slides/flooding or an earthquake), I’ve been working with the wonderful resources at www.Ready.gov. And I’m now entering the “Get a Kit” phase of my preparation, which I’ll admit has always been toughest for me. Click here to see the list of needed items.
First on the list are water and food. Last time I tried to put together a kit, I made the mistake of storing it in the garage, where rodents chewed through the plastic storage bins, bit into the water jugs, and made a mess of the whole thing. So I think we’ll be keeping the new set of supplies inside the house!
By my calculations our family should keep about 12 gallons of water on hand. That’s a three-day supply for each of us (including our dog). We’re also supposed to store a three-day supply of nonperishable food – a much tougher challenge, as our family tries not to eat out of cans and packages. Looks like already I’ve got some shopping to do!
Fortunately, Becky Marquis, director of FEMA’s Ready Campaign, says I (and you!) can take this one step at a time. “You don’t have to do it all in one day,” she insists. “Just starting the process is a big step.” Click here to see how I got started!
