Yoga has long been touted for its healing powers. It’s been said to reverse aging, increase flexibility and improve your mental health. But can yoga fight eating disorders? Some yoga practitioners seem to think so and there are even yoga classes geared toward people with eating disorders. A recent study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health suggests that yoga is a successful tool in fighting eating disorders. [click to continue…]
From the monthly archives:
November 2009
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Here’s a quick look at what Thrive was up to last week.
An expert weighs in on whether New Moon, the latest Twilight movie, influences about how teens view romance. Minnie Ortiz, a patient at Children’s Optimal Weight for Life Program, is featured on a new PBS Web video series called Living with My Type 2. The federal government recalls 2.1 million cribs; find out how to protect your child. The Origin of Species was published 150 years ago, but it remains as relevant as ever, particularly when it comes to our health. Injury prevention specialists say it’s up to parents and other gift-givers to make sure the toys are safe and age-appropriate. NECN tells the happy story of a family’s Thanksgiving reunion. Is there anything wrong with letting an 18-month-old watch the episode of Sesame Street that he loves?
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Other stories we’ve been reading:
Children who attend home-based day care are watching twice as much television than previously thought. The Surgeon General declared Thanksgiving Day “Family Health History Day,” and recommends families use this free online tool to gather important health history.
New guidelines on the use of Pap smears to detect cervical cancer recommend that young women delay getting their first test. The New York Times blog, Motherlode, examines the challenges of raising vegetarian children.
Diarrhea and pnemonia are found to kill an estimated 3. 5 million kids under 5 each year globally.
WHO says Tamiflu still works against swine flu.
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Media expert Michael Rich, MD, MPH, director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Children’s Hospital Boston, answers your questions about media use. Last week, he discussed what to do if your child imitates inappropriate dance moves.
Here’s this week’s question:
Q: I am the mother of a very active 18-month-old little boy who loves one particular episode of Sesame Street. Other than this one particular episode, he does not watch TV and for the most part, he’s uninterested even if the TV is on. My question is, although I know children under 2 should be discouraged from watching TV, is it harmful for him to watch Sesame Street? This program does not have any commercials and seems harmless. Please let me know your thoughts; any information is much appreciated.
-Uncertain about Sesame, Norristown, PA
A: Dear Uncertain,
Pediatricians recommend limiting screen media before the age of 2 because young children learn little from screens. [click to continue…]
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New England Cable News shares the story of an 11-year old Children’s patient who got to go home to spend Thanksgiving with his family after being discharged from the hospital.
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- David Mooney talks to NECN about summer safety
- Children's doc talks on NECN about how easily H1N1 spreads
- Obsession and risk-taking: What New Moon tells us about how teens think romance should be
- One mother's story: shaken baby syndrome
- One patient's story: Why a rare disfiguring disease won’t stop me
News stories ranging from high-profile government hearings to celebrity scandals point to an increasing trend in the abuse of prescription opioids, such as OxyContin. But is the media merely reporting these news stories, or is it possible that their coverage of opioid abuse is piquing the public’s curiosity and subtly (if unintentionally) encouraging them to give the drugs a try?
A retrospective study by John Brownstein, PhD, of the Children’s Hospital Informatics Program (CHIP) and Children’s Division of Emergency Medicine, compares data from Google News Archives with death records from the National Center for Health Statistics. The natural assumption, Brownstein says, is that increases in deaths from opioids would be followed by increases in media coverage of the problem, reflecting reporting on issues of social concern. But statistical analysis showed that the reverse was true — within two to six months after major media reporting, opioid-related deaths increased. [click to continue…]
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Lois Lee, MD, MPH works in Children’s Emergency Department Injury Prevention Program
The holiday season brings to mind visions of children excitedly tearing into wrapping paper, eager to see if they got the present they wanted. Parents look on, sharing in the moment of joy. But to make sure this is truly a happy time for the whole family, it’s up to parents and other gift-givers to make sure the toys given are safe and age-appropriate. (Read Trouble in Toyland, the 24th annual survey of toy safety by MASSPIRG, the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group.)
Choking hazards from small parts, balls and balloons continue to be a leading cause of toy-related deaths and injuries. [click to continue…]
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By Aaron Bernstein, MD, MPH, physician in Medicine at Children’s and faculty, Center for Health and the Global Environment
One hundred and fifty years ago today, The Origin of Species was published. At more than 500 pages, Charles Darwin’s occasionally dry and stodgy tome is hardly the page-turning and catchphrase-coining stuff of today’s New York Times bestsellers list. Be not fooled. Even if the revolutionary sheen has faded from its imprint, the ideas Darwin wrote about in The Origin of Species remain as relevant as ever, particularly when it comes to our health. Here’s how.
Several children I recently cared for at Children’s Hospital Boston were diagnosed with H1N1 influenza. In most cases, we presume that children who develop flu-like symptoms have H1N1. However, when a child is admitted to the hospital we test for the virus using a technique known as the polymerase chain reaction or PCR. [click to continue…]
Related posts:
- Health headlines: H1N1 news, yoga for kids and peanut-sniffing dogs
- Does my child have the common cold, seasonal flu or H1N1?
- A new eco-perspective on preventing an epidemic: How H1N1 compares to SARS and the Nipah virus
- H1N1 (swine flu) weekly updates: Sept. 23 to 29
- Should my asthmatic child get the H1N1 vaccine?
