“Give the lifetime gift of nature to your grandchildren! Take them for walks, teach them gardening, talk with them under a tree, teach them how to respect and care for nature and to have fun in it.

“Nature nurtures, decreases stress, reduces depression and increases skills and joy just by being in it. It is a gift that lasts a lifetime and they can teach their children. Your grandchildren will love these times and you are creating wonderful memories for them.”

—Donna LaMar, Ph.D., Psy.D., clinical psychologist, The Farm: Where Living Things Grow Inc., using nature in therapy, Fremont, Mich.

What are your favorite active things to do with kids? Please share in the comments section.

by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

Summertime comes with lots of tips on how to stay cool. But for you how-stuff-works buffs out there, here’s the science behind why those tips work.

First, some basics on your body and heat.

• Heat is energy and is generated.  Cold is not generated, but is the absence of heat.
• Your body generates heat from metabolism even while you’re at rest (called the basic metabolic rate or BMR).  In fact, it usually creates more than you need.  Mechanisms explained below regulate you around 98.6 F.
• You generate as much as three to six times more heat with exercise.
• Just resting in the hot sun can increase your BMR 50 percent more than resting in the shade.
• Stimulant drugs like amphetamines and cocaine also cause you to generate more heat.

Now, here are the whys behind some of the dos.
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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

I still remember when a sweet, smiling little girl came into my office a few years back. She had injured her wrist. I did my usual exam which includes palpating areas of tenderness. Well I hit a sore spot; she let out a yelp and sobbed “why did you hurt me?” I felt so bad, but was tempted to tell her that’s what doctors do (not really). Instead I explained I needed to know what specific area was injured so I would know where to look on an x-ray. I don’t think she bought it.

At any rate, I thought of this when I read an Academy of Emergency Medicine study concluded the Ottawa Ankle Rules could be applied to as young as 6 years old and up. What are these rules? (more…)

Dr. Hubbard recently wrote about X-ray radiation—how it can add up. Today, we’re featuring a guest post from board-certified radiologist Helene Pavlov, M.D., F.A.C.R., on how to keep it from adding up more than necessary in your kids. Dr. Pavlov is radiologist-in-chief at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.

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Imaging Studies, Radiation and Children
Things to Think About When Your Child is Having an Imaging Study Done

by Helene Pavlov, M.D., F.A.C.R.

Outdoor sports sometimes lead to injuries and fractures, which can land children in hospital emergency rooms and doctors’ offices. Many of these injuries will require imaging examinations to help identify the problem and determine treatment.

Recent media coverage regarding high levels of ionizing radiation associated with frequent use of CT (computed tomography) scans has heightened fear and concern regarding imaging examinations.

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H

Can your own perceptions of your child’s health affect it?

Dr. Tracy Lieu, author of a study in the October 8, 2008, Pediatrics, thinks so.  She surveyed parents of 700 asthmatic children and found parents’ low expectations led to more poorly controlled asthma.

In a Science Daily interview, Dr. Lieu said: (more…)

I write on my top, must read, recent medical news stories about children at the Homemaker Barbi website.  They include:

1. Kawasaki disease
2. Vitamin D
3. Cough and cold medicines
4. Bisphenol A (BPA)
5. Influenza vaccines

by  James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

The headlines read, “Study shows virginity pledgers as sexually active as peers,” or, “Virginity pledges don’t work.”  OK, I thought, I’m not too keen on public pledges myself.  They were probably done in the emotion and peer pressure of the moment.  I wish all programs would undergo similar scrutiny.

But, then, I read an interview with the study’s author and found ”the rest of the story,” to quote Paul Harvey.  I didn’t take my own advice and believed a headline without reading the details.

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

Many people use nutritional supplements, herbs, vitamins to try to boost immunity and ward off colds.  It is only natural (pun intended) since we don’t have a cure for the annoying and frequent set of viruses that cause colds.

A few days back, I wrote about some general tried and true methods to increase your immunity that have good studies to back them up and don’t cost money.   They should be your base for protection.  Only implement other methods after you have put the base in place.

Good, reliable studies of herbs, vitamins and supplements that prove efficacy and safety are harder to find.  Although many people swear by their home remedy, the mainstream medical world has not taken these seriously, in the past.  We are now trying to catch up but have a long way to go.

The reason I reneged on my promise to post this information, on boosting your immune system with herbs, supplements and vitamins on yesterday, was I wanted to wait on access to the information at www.naturalstandard.com, where they utilize a group of medical experts and scientists to review all of the reliable data we have on alternative medicines.  Their mission is ”to provide objective, reliable information that aids clinicians, patients, and healthcare institutions to make more informed and safer therapeutic decisions.”

Here is what they say about specific supplements, herbs and vitamins fighting the common cold.

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

No one should have to bury their child.  A universal truth that will never be cliche.  There is nothing worse than the death of your son or daughter.  It haunts you forever.

I know from second-hand experience after my parents had to do just that when my sister died in an auto accident in her twenties.  The Travoltas know first-hand.  You can only try to cope.  But how?  What common lessons can be learned from such an unthinkable tragedy?

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

Whenever there is a public tragedy such as the death John Travolta and Kelly Preston’s son, Jet, we are all sad, and some of us worry how it might relate to us. At least, I do.  It is a realty check. Don’t we all, sometimes, fear the worst for our children or is it just me?

We don’t know the cause of his death yet, but we do know that both parents have talked about their son getting Kawasaki disease when a child.  So, for now, if our own child gets sick we think, could it be Kawasaki Disease?  What if I, or the doctor miss the diagnosis?  How serious a threat is it to my family? 

Knowledge and perspective may help a little.                                 
                                                                                                            photo CDC.strawberry tongue                        

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