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                        

(more…)

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

Everyone’s heard you should get a little loose and do some slow exercises before you start the real stuff.  But investigators in Norway went way beyond stretching and showed a significant decrease in injuries in teenage, female soccer players (pdf file)  by doing so.  They were concerned there were too many injuries in these young athletes and decided to try a rigid, 20-minute exercise program prior to practices and games, called the 11 Injury Prevention Program.

(more…)

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

The coming holidays turn our hearts and thoughts to family, friends, charity, good will, peace and kids with runny noses.  Check out the column I wrote for Homemaker Barbi on nine ways to keep your kids healthy during the winter. Anything to help, right?

Also, I collaborated with Carole Carson on a post at Basil & Spice titled “Is Holiday Weight Gain Inevitable?” A new study concludes, maybe it is.  Best prevention? Exercise.

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

President-elect Barack Obama says one of his first priorities will be to obtain a First Dog.

His daughter Malia has allergies and a canine club called the Association of Friends of Hairless Dogs of Peru has offered one they say is hypoallergenic.

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology begs to differ, stating there is no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog.  Not only more credible, the AAAI has two less “ofs” in their long name.

Here’s their press release, with my comments and a question below it.

(more…)

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

This new study, relating autism to increased precipitation, is a classic “scare of the day” news story.  You will see it everywhere.  Some people will latch onto it as a factual cause of autism, but you will never hear if it is disproven.  Don’t get me wrong.  The researchers should publish it.  It is interesting, but it is a starting point and nothing more.

We know little about causes or risk factors for autism.  So you have to start somewhere looking for clues.  The researchers started with a hypothesis that there could be some environmental trigger.  They scoured state records in Washington, Oregon and northern California, looking for autistic children 6 to 12 years old.  Then they looked at where the child was living and how much precipitation that area got when the child was under age 3. They found that more autistic children grew up on the rainy side of the states. (In case you didn’t know, it rains a lot on the coastal side of these areas, but much less east of the mountain range in the middle.)

But what does that really mean? Rain causes autism?  Nature is against us?  A few years back researchers found that more men with prostate cancer had undergone a vasectomy.  Later studies found it was just a coincidence.  So why do cross-sectional studies like this in the first place?

(more…)

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

According to the National Institutes of Health the actual diagnosis of bipolar disorder in teens and children has increased by 40 times over the last 10 years. During this same time period, in adults, the diagnosis has doubled. The study was published in the September 2007 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Now the big question is whether the increase of bipolar disorder in children and teens is from overdiagnosing the disorder, underdiagnosing it in the past, or a combination of the two. (more…)

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

These are tips from another good press release I received for Halloween. Anything to make sure those kids stay healthy and safe. Its comes from the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation, to form the Alliance For a Healthier Generation. (Also, scroll down for some healthier Halloween recipes.)

(more…)

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

How do you keep your little tyke with food allergies from missing all the fun?   The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology has some tips.

(more…)

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

It’s dress-up and candy time. Not my favorite holiday, but fun for the kids. Keep it that way by making sure your kids stay safe.

I have received several good press releases regarding the holiday and thought I would share. Below are some tips from www.kidshealth.org on how to have a safe, spooktacular Halloween.

(more…)

by Jill Weisenberger, M.S., R.D., C.D.E.

Unless you’ve been hiding behind a scarecrow, you’ve probably seen the bags of candy crowding the grocery store shelves. And if you’ve shopped with children lately, you’ve likely had bags mysteriously jump into your shopping cart. The junk food season which starts before Halloween and doesn’t end until Valentine’s Day is upon us.

So what’s a parent to do? How do we temper the candy frenzy with our kids? How do we handle it for ourselves? Without a plan, a lot of pounds can be gained before Cupid visits us.

(more…)