Posts tagged as:

heart disease

Second hand smoke has deadly consequences

by Claire McCarthy on March 9, 2010

Dr. Claire McCarthy is a primary care physician and the Medical Communications Editor at Boston Children’s Hospital. Along with her blogs here on Thriving, you can find her at the Huffington Post and Boston.com. Follow her on Twitter @drClaire.

Claire McCarthyIf your adolescent child has been exposed to secondhand smoke, he may already have heart disease. That’s the message of a new study published this month.

Researchers in Finland followed around 500 children from age 8 to 13. Every year they did a blood test that measured their exposure to tobacco smoke in the previous few days. At age 13, they looked at the arteries of the children using ultrasound, to measure their thickness and health, and measured their levels of Apolipoprotein B, which gives a direct measure of the lipoproteins that can cause heart disease. Full story »

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Health headlines: Binge drinking, Wii workout games and CPR

by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on March 6, 2010

young girl playing WiiOther stories we’ve been reading:

Read one father’s story on how he became an advocate for safer teen driving. Check out these safe driving tips for your teen. [Read about the dangers of drowsy driving.]

Advertising guilt doesn’t curb binge drinking. Teen alcohol and marijuana use is on the rise. [A recent teen drug survey predicted this.] Young people who smoke marijuana for long periods of time are more likely to risk psychosis. Full story »

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Health headlines: Fitness supplements, ecstasy use and tongue-powered wheelchairs

by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on January 30, 2010

Other stories we’ve been reading:

Multi Vitamin MadnessMore high school athletes are using fitness supplements with knowledge of their harmful effects. Parents don’t have to be fit in order for their kids to be fit – supporting your kids’ physical activity is what motivates them to be physically fit.

Scheduling recess before lunch is helping students and teacher alike. Menus with calorie listings have parents picking healthier options for their kids but not necessarily for themselves.

Parents who feel burned out at work are more likely to have kids who feel burned out at school. If parents use complementary or alternative therapies, their children are more likely to use them too. [Read our blog post on insurance coverage for alternative therapies.] Did you know that your child is more likely to have a mental disorder if you –as a parent – are bipolar?

cigarettesHigh cholesterol is putting 20 percent of teens at risk for heart disease. Healthy kids are more likely to die from ecstasy use than regular drug users. If your child smokes cigarettes, it’s much more likely that pot is next.

Toilet seat dermatitis is on the rise. Vaccinating babies against rotavirus could save two million lives a year. [Read our blog post on this year’s updated immunization schedule.] Female teachers might pass on math anxiety to girl students.

Teen pregnancies and abortions are on the rise. Parents shouldn’t be concerned if their children hear voices. There’s a new wheelchair that powered by the user’s tongue.

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Exactly how dangerous is secondhand smoke to children?

by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on January 11, 2010

Mom smoking cigarette around childby Lawrence Rhein, MD, director of the Center for Healthy Infant Lung Development

Most people know that smoking is bad for the people who light up a cigarette and inhale. And most non-smokers know that inhaling someone else’s smoke can be unpleasant. But is it dangerous?

High in toxic chemicals, secondhand smoke causes or contributes to many health problems, including heart disease, cancer, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). A new study, out this month, adds to the growing evidence that exposure to secondhand smoke is especially concerning for children. Full story »

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This week on Thrive: Jan. 4 – 8

by Kristin Cantu on January 10, 2010

Here’s a quick look at what Thrive was up to last week.

Children’s obesity expert gives tips on how to change your eating habits for the better. Mark Alexander, MD explores the question of whether or not high school athletes should be screened for heart disease. Children’s injury prevention expert gives tips on how to avoid a winter sports injury. Claire McCarthy, MD lists great resolutions for your family to live by. Do later bedtimes increase risk of teenage suicide and depression? A group of doctors is pushing for routine circumcision. Our Mediatrician discusses teenage boys and first-person shooter video games.

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