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Vaccines

This week on Thrive: June 21- 25

by Tripp Underwood on June 27, 2010

This week on Thrive:

Is Lady Gaga too much for kids? Michael Rich, MD, MPH, is Children’s media expert. This week he talks about music videos’ influence on kids, specifically Lady Gaga. With catchy choruses and an infectious sound, her music is widely popular, even with younger children, but the thinly-veiled sexuality in her lyrics and videos has some parents concerned.

Working parents, please join the discussion! Claire McCarthy, MD, wrote a Thrive post defending working mothers, in response to a study from the UK linking busy schedules to increased rates of childhood obesity. The post generated a lot of discussion and several readers chimed in with some great advice for raising healthy kids while working full-time. What do you think? Here’s one reader’s reaction:

“Thanks Claire for your well-thought out, well-articulated comments. As a FT working Mom, I agree that there are so many factors that can contribute to our children’s health (or lack of). It’s easier to take one correlation and create a scapegoat rather than take a look at all of the contributors. The societal contributions, especially, often seem too daunting or even impossible to change, so we focus on the scapegoats. We all need to take the appropriate amount of responsibility (no more for those already swimming in Mommy guilt and no less for government officials who don’t provide enough funding for all schools to have healthy options and plenty of exercise) and each do our part.” -Michele

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Health headlines: Eczema, triplets and growing pains

by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on March 20, 2010

triplet girlsOther stories we’ve been reading:

Another court case rules that vaccines don’t cause autism. Eczema drugs need tougher warnings. Deep brain stimulation reduces epileptic seizures. [Read one patient’s story of how brain stimulation is keeping her epileptic seizures at bay.]

Kids do outgrow their growing pains. More strides are seen in pediatric orthopedic surgery. Naughty children are more likely to report chronic pain as adults.

Babies are born to dance. There’s a rise in triplet births, but the death rates are high.

The First Lady tells food makers to hurry up on making healthy food. PepsiCo pledges not to sell sugary beverages in school. Kraft plans to cut sodium levels in food products. [Read Thrive’s stories on childhood obesity and healthful eating.]

MTV launches an online “morality meter” to help teens understand the difference between “digital use” and “digital abuse.” [Read whether or not parents are legally responsible when their kids engage in sexting.] Learning may be tougher for the teen brain. [Read about Frances Jensen, MD’s research into why teen brains really are different.]

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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: Deafness, IVF and the new flu vaccine

by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on February 20, 2010

yawning boyOther stories we’ve been reading:

New York’s soda tax could bring in $222 million. [Read Children's obesity expert's take on artificially sweetened beverages.] Chronic health conditions are increasing in children. If your child’s grandparents are babysitting regularly, it’s more likely your kid will be overweight. Bone-anchored hearing aids help kids with single-side deafness.

The best way to keep your kids vaccinations up-to-date is to keep a shot card. [Read about the updated immunization schedule.] Rapid flu tests are most accurate for young children. The new seasonal flu vaccine will contain an H1N1 strain.

Teens might exercise more if they think it’s fun. Video games aren’t the cause for your teen’s headaches. Tired teens are more prone to car crashes. A lack of morning light can cause irregular sleep for teens. {Read how late bedtimes affect teens mental health.]

Preemie twins may face lower risks of certain complications versus single preemie babies. Does an adult’s health differ when they’re an IVF baby? Bilingualism may begin in the womb. The average birth weight in the United States in on the decline.

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Immunization schedule released

by Claire McCarthy on January 28, 2010

Dr. Claire McCarthy is a primary care physician and the Medical Communications Editor at Children’s Hospital Boston. Take a look at her blog archive and follow her on Twitter @drClaire.

Claire McCarthyIt’s that time of year when we think about immunizations. That’s because every January the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issue an updated immunization schedule. The online version is on the CDC’s web site. There are three schedules: one for birth to 6, one for 7 to 18 and a “catch-up” schedule for kids who start late or have interruptions for whatever reason. Full story »

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Health headlines: Iron fortified rice, teen weight-loss surgery and math skills

by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on January 9, 2010

school childrenOther stories we’ve been reading:

The FDA warned Nestle that its health claims on Juicy Juice are against the law. New iron fortified rice reduces anemia. Using kitchen spoons to measure medicine raises risk of dosing errors. Does folic acid during the late stages of pregnancy lead to children with asthma?

Showing kids how fast they eat may help them shape up. When it comes to teen weight-loss surgery, timing is everything. Tiny frogs are causing giant stomach aches in kids. What’s the best way to offer your kids vegetables at dinner?

Kids’ vaccines are making holiday visits less infectious. California has turned up 10 autism clusters in neighborhoods with high concentrations of white, highly educated parents. Abused children are much more likely to develop migraines as adults. When it comes to math skills, gender differences are hard to find.

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Kids' swine flu shots recalled; lost some of their potency

by Matt Cyr on December 15, 2009

cdcIn case you missed it, the CDC today recalled 800,000 H1N1 vaccine doses meant for children, age 6 months to nearly 3 years old because they lost some of their strength after being released to the public. The good news is that there are no risks to any child who was vaccinated and you don’t need to get your child re-vaccinated if he or she got doses from the recalled batch; it just may be that your child isn’t quite as protected from H1N1 as you originally thought.

Check out the CDC’s Q&A on the topic.

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This week on Thrive: Dec. 7 – 11

by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on December 13, 2009

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

Why are suicide clusters more common in teens? Children’s Global Fellow Stephen Sullivan, MD, MPH, addresses the global burden of surgical diseases. KABC in Los Angeles interviewed Children’s Hanno Steen, PhD, about a urine test that quickly identifies cases of appendicitis. Children’s Center for Young Women’s Health youth advisor, Erica, writes a compelling review of the movie, Precious. The HealthMap team gives us our final H1N1 update. David Ludwig, MD, PhD, director of Children’s Optimal Weight for Life Program, just published a commentary in JAMA expressing concern about the widespread use of artificial sweeteners in soft drinks. Our Mediatrician talks about how negative portrayals of black women in movies affects teens. We give a roundup on all of the news this week on the fight for what our children should be eating and drinking.

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