Pediatric Snippets

children with diarrhea need Zinc
Adding zinc hydrates children with acute diarrhea restores solid stools, and helps fight diarrhea. Journal pediatrics, September 9, 2010

Baby bacteria
A baby gets his eyes from his dad and his hair from his mother but where does the bacteria babies get come from? At birth, babies have a sterile intestinal tract. Within a few days, bacterial colonies established themselves in the gut and outnumber human cells tend to one. They aid digestion and also protect against harmful pathogens to the baby. Each baby has a different set of bacterial species. This suggests that genetics and environment work together to shape the bacterial population in a reproducible way. By one year of age, the baby already has a profile close to that of his parents.

Genetics and ADHD
 15% of children with ADHD have a genetic link as compared to 7% of Children without ADHD. a copy number variants (CNV) as seen in these children and has shown some linkage between ADHD and autism. Researchers conclude that there is a new rule developmental disorder in these children rather than purely a behavioral problem. Lancet, September 30, 2010

Sleep positioners for babies linked to infant deaths
The FDA issued a warning against using wedges to raise the baby’s head, and other risers to hold a baby in place during sleep. These were used to prevent bird and flat head syndrome a deformity of one side of the baby’s head. The risk of death far outweighs any potential benefits from these positioners. These positioners prevented the baby from rolling during sleep, which happens between two and four months: however a baby can rollover at any time. The advice is to have your baby sleep on his or her back. The warning includes putting anything soft, as pillows, blankets, or comforters beneath your baby in the crib.


 emergency rooms flooded with sick children
because the general practitioner has a long day, parents of sick children rushed to the emergency rooms. 96% of them have general practitioners, but 60%don’t know their hours, and 25% don’t even know their names. 45% of these visits were considered avoidable and non-emergency visits. No one knows how to avoid this type of behavior, since the parents all feel their sick children have a life-threatening illness. American College emergency medicine, September 28, 2010

BPA plastic baby bottles
Many parents have thrown out their plastic baby bottles over concerns about bisphenol A, or BPA, an estrogen-like chemical used in polycarbonate plastic. concern" that the chemical alters development of the brain, behavior and the prostate gland in babies, both before and after birth. Bottle makers have recently begun offering BPA-free alternatives -- and prominently labeling them The Food and Drug Administration singled out metal liquid formula cans as a significant source of exposure.
BPR is also used in epoxy linings for metal cans to prevent corrosion.
Perhaps parents should either breastfeed or use powdered formula, whose containers aren't made with BPA.
Source;The National Toxicology Program

KIDS & DRUGS FOR MENTAL DISORDERS
Why more U.S. kids take drugs for mental disorders?
Could U.S. children be far more prone to mental disorders than kids in Germany and the Netherlands? Or are doctors in the U.S. just more likely to diagnose children with mental health problems and prescribe psychiatric drugs?
U.S. children and teens are about 2 to 3 times more likely than European kids to be prescribed psychotropic drugs such as antidepressants, antipsychotics and stimulants. Overall, about 7% of American kids were prescribed psychiatric medication compared to 3% in the Netherlands and 2% in Germany.

For example, American kids were about 6 times more likely than children in Germany to get prescriptions for stimulants like Ritalin. In the U.S., children were 13 times more likely than young Germans to receive antidepressants, and more than 5 times as likely as kids in the Netherlands. Overall, about 4% in the U.S. received prescriptions for stimulants, and about 3% were prescribed antidepressants. 1 out of 5 young Americans given prescriptions for psychiatric drugs takes more than one medicine. That far outstrips the number on multiple drugs in Europe, she adds.

Stricter government cost restrictions limit prescribing in Europe. Plus, European countries don't have the direct-to-consumer advertising we have in the U.S., and their professional journals don't have promotional ads on drugs,. That could curb the drumming up of interest in psychiatric medicines among lay people and doctors.
In this country we hold that behavior and mental health problems are illnesses like physical illness, and they need to be treated with drugs That is less accepted in Europe and explains why children receive fewer prescriptions for psychiatric medicine
Source; Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health

ADHD runs in the family
Children with ADHD are 24 times more likely to have mothers who also the condition, and 5 times more likely to have fathers with ADHD. This leads to marital conflict and only adds stress to the child. Source: Tuscano, Univ.

BPA AND BABY BOTTLES
 Although the FDA has said that BPA doesn't pose a health hazard, another government agency, the National Toxicology Program, has concluded there is "some concern" that the hormone-like chemical may harm children and fetuses. Natural Resources Defense Council filed a petition about bisphenol A, or BPA, commonly found in plastic water bottles and the linings of metal cans, including cans of liquid infant formula. The chemical industry says the amount of BPA to which people are exposed every day is too small to pose harm. -

"When parents prepare their infant's bottle, pour their toddler's juice, or make their family dinner with a can of soup or vegetables they shouldn't have to worry they are feeding their children dangerous chemicals" The FDA must do its job and safeguard our food supply." Canada has already declared BPA to be toxic and has announced plans to remove it from baby bottles.
 Source;The Natural Resources Defense Council

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