News
A new committee opinion from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) now recommends delayed cord clamping for both term and preterm newborns. The previous recommendati... Read more
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has updated its 2014 guidelines for immersion in water during labor and delivery. The guidelines recommend that “birth oc... Read more
Migraines are a frustrating, painful problem affecting over 6 million children in the U.S. In children who have them frequently, daily medications are sometimes given to try to prevent them.... Read more
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued a new report on environmental control of allergies in the treatment of asthma. Most children with asthma also have allergies to indoor or... Read more
The American Academy of Pediatrics and other safety groups have long recommended against the use of crib bumpers because of links to suffocation and infant death. Now, the Consumer Product S... Read more
The USPSTF has issued a draft update of its 2010 guidelines for obesity screening in children. In both the old and the new guidelines, obesity screening is recommended. The new guidelines cl... Read more
In yet another large study, investigators examined birth data to determine if there was any association with Tdap vaccine given during pregnancy and any birth defects, including microcephaly... Read more
The CDC has published flu vaccine recommendations for the 2015-2016 flu season. This year there are again two very different types of flu vaccines, one with three strains and one with four.... Read more
The act of breastfeeding is known to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease in women, but it has been unclear how it decreases the risk and what risk factors it alters. A recent study s... Read more
Newborns, who are too young to receive pertussis vaccine until 2 months of age, also have the greatest risk of severe or fatal whooping cough disease. Most newborns catch pertussis from fami... Read more
The duration of breastfeeding was associated not only with childhood intelligence but adult intelligence, education, and income as well. Read more
Many children with ADHD also have sleep problems; there are likely many reasons, including common behavioral patterns, perhaps common brain pathways, the effect of stimulant medications, as... Read more
I did not know this, but U.S. News and World Report ranks not just colleges and hospitals; apparently, it ranks diets, too. Maybe this is new; I don’t know. They rated diets in an overall ca... Read more
Researchers examined data on lifestyle from the large (88,000 women) Nurses’ Health Study II. Healthy lifestyle criteria included being a nonsmoker, having a health weight (normal body mass... Read more
In recent years, evidence has been growing showing the health benefits of whole grains. Current dietary recommendations and expert guidelines recommend eating whole grains as much as possibl... Read more
Miralax is a very effective and popular laxative in children and adults; it even became available over-the-counter in 2006. It is the same type of laxative that is used for bowel preparation... Read more
The best treatment for children with concussion is still somewhat unclear. Guidelines exist but many of the recommendations are based on expert opinion, not research. Current guidelines sugg... Read more
A large study of multiple studies already published (a meta-analysis, one of the best ways to determine the validity of study results) shows that most diets result in similar weight loss, wh... Read more
In a large population-based British study, there was no increase in adverse pregnancy outcomes due to giving pertussis vaccine during pregnancy. In order to protect newborn infants from pert... Read more
The FDA has issued a warning about serious reactions to common, over-the-counter acne medications. (These medications are also in most of the common prescription acne medications). Some peop... Read more
Already this year, the FDA has approved three oral immunotherapy tablets for ragweed and grass allergies. In a new study of daily oral immunotherapy for house dust mite allergy, the treatmen... Read more
I was not aware that doctors are prescribing lidocaine for teething pain, but apparently it is still going on. Lidocaine is a dangerous drug that not only causes numbness (it is used to numb... Read more
It almost seems like this is from a parody news site like The Onion, but it’s not. The American Medical Association has voted at its annual meeting that cheerleading is a sport. Silly me; I... Read more
In a very worrisome early release article from the AAP journal Pediatrics, an analysis of children and emergency room visits shows that while prescriptions for codeine in children have dropp... Read more
Starting this year, Georgia schools will be testing children’s weight and whether they are overweight, underweight, or at a healthy weight. Actually, the state is having healthcare providers... Read more
Delivery of twins is associated with greater risks for both mothers and babies. Previous studies have looked at deliveries that have already happened (retrospective studies), and these studi... Read more
The CDC has published updated data on the prevalence of obesity in the United States. The latest data is from 2011-2012. The most encouraging fact, which is all over the news, is that the ob... Read more
The American Dental Association has changed its guidelines and now recommends fluoride toothpaste in all children, including infants and toddlers who are too young to spit out the excess too... Read more
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued an update on its first policy statement, in 2006, on children and retail-based clinics (clinics in drug stores and other retail locations)... Read more
The American Academy of Otolaryngology (ENT doctors) has updated its 2006 guidelines for treating acute otitis externa (AOE, including swimmer’s ear). The guidelines are essentially unchange... Read more