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During last July’s 5.8 earthquake, 3-year-old Bronwyn told her 1-year-old sister, “We’re going for a wiggle.” READ MORE
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Sun days 7 easy ways to protect kids from UV rays Sunshine is a source of vitamin D, which helps build strong bones. But excessive exposure to UV rays can cause skin and eye damage, and possibly skin cancer. The deadliest form, melanoma, can be acquired by persons as young as 20 years old. Nearly 80% of a person’s lifetime sun damage occurs by age 18, so it’s crucial that kids learn appropriate sun-safety measures: > Wear sunscreen. Choose one with an SPF of at least 30. Apply about 30 minutes before exposure and reapply often. > Avoid sun during peak hours. Limit sun time from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Most sun damage occurs during day-to-day activities. > Cover up. Wear a hat, sunglasses and protective clothing. Find shade. > Keep babies out of the sun. Infants have thinner skin and under-developed melanin, so their skin burns more easily. > No tanning oils or tanning beds! Tanning increases the risk of melanoma and accelerates skin’s aging. > Stay cool. A long day in the sun can make kids irritable, and can cause heat exhaustion or heatstroke. Drink plenty of water. > Sun safety starts with you. If learned early on, these precautions can stick with your children for a lifetime. Dr. Leonard Sender is medical director of The CHOC Cancer Institute. Doc Talk With Dr. Daphne Wong Q: I live near the 5 Freeway and am concerned about the quality of air that my 16-month-old breathes at home. I heard there could be long-term respiratory health issues for kids who live, or go to school, within 500 yards of freeways. Since I’m on the ocean side of the freeway, is my child’s air intake better than that of inland areas? And what options are there for maintaining the quality of air inside my home? George, 43, of San Clemente A: Last year, Lancet published a study that showed a poorer air quality in areas that were less than 500 yards from a freeway; children 10-18 years old living that close had decreased lung function. However, you’re right to assume that since there’s usually a nice breeze on the ocean side of the freeway, the air quality would be better than the air in inland areas. If you’re looking for ways to improve your indoor air quality, here’s what you can do before buying an air purifier: > Don’t smoke indoors > Keep pets out of bedrooms > Remove carpeting and other dust-mite harbors > Open windows whenever possible > Use outdoor-venting fans in the bathroom and kitchen > Maintain heating equipment There are many air purifiers on the market, including the HEPA filter, ozone-producing filters and ionizing air cleaners. If no one in the family has asthma or allergies, you probably don’t need an air purifier. But if you choose to purchase one, I’d avoid using a purifier that produces ozone and recommend a HEPA filter. Dr. Daphne Wong is on staff at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC). She serves as CHOC’s assistant director of the Pediatric Residency Program and is medical director of the Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect Program. Click here to submit your question to Dr. Wong. Just listen! Does your child roll her eyes when you ask about her day at school? Keep asking anyway. Not only do we need to keep those lines of communication open, but new research from Vanderbilt University reveals that kids learn the solution to a problem best when they explain it to their mom. “We knew that children learn well with their moms or with a peer, but we did not know if that was because they were getting feedback and help,” says Bethany Rittle-Johnson, the study’s lead author. Rittle-Johnson believes the new finding can help parents better assist their children with schoolwork, even when they aren’t sure of the answer themselves. Mercury and the brain Amalgam tooth fillings don’t adversely affect children’s brain development and neurological status, says a report in the Journal of the American Dental Association. The study looked at possible neurological effects of dental-amalgam tooth restorations. Dental amalgam contains mercury combined with other metals – such as silver, copper, tin and zinc – to form a safe, stable alloy. Dental amalgam has been used for generations to fill decayed teeth that might otherwise have been lost. After seven years, the kids tested didn’t differ in the presence or absence of symptoms. Safer surgery for obese kids Obese children, when compared to normal-weight children, have a significantly higher prevalence of pre-existing medical conditions and experience more problems during and after surgery, according to researchers at the University of Michigan. Researchers found that obese kids came to surgery with higher rates of asthma, hypertension, sleep apnea and diabetes. The study’s results will help alert physicians to potential problems in obese children, such as difficulty ventilating the patient’s lungs when using a mask airway, obstruction of the airway and difficulty ensuring adequate oxygen content in the blood. Recognition of these potential problems will encourage doctors to use pre-emptive therapies, such as supplementary oxygen and postoperative respiratory monitoring. “It has been estimated that more than 15% of children and adolescents in the United States are obese. This is an approximate three-fold increase over the last 30 years,” says Dr. Alan R. Tait, the study’s lead researcher. Although children classified as obese in this study experienced more anesthesia-related respiratory problems, none of them experienced serious, long-term complications. Parents want docs to talk to teens When parents bring pre-teen and teenage children in for routine checkups, many are hoping their child’s doctor or nurse practitioner will also talk with their kids about issues related to sexuality, diet, drug abuse and tobacco use, according to a report from the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll. The poll found that diet/nutrition, exercise/sports and the physical changes of puberty were the overall, top three issues parents want discussed, followed by drugs, tobacco, sexually transmitted diseases and depression/suicide. Doctors have heard it all, and they know how to talk with adolescents about these potentially touchy topics. So if there’s something on your mind that you’d like your child’s doctor to discuss during an upcoming office visit, feel free to speak up. Vitamin D cuts diabetes risk Giving kids vitamin D supplements may help ward off the development of type 1 diabetes in later life, according to a new analysis of multiple studies. The results were published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder in which insulin-producing cells in the pancreas are destroyed by the body’s immune system. It is most common among people of European descent, with around two million Europeans and North Americans affected. Its incidence is rising at roughly 3% a year, and it is estimated that new cases will have risen 40% between 2000 and 2010. The results of the studies showed that children given supplemental vitamin D were around 30% less likely to develop type 1 diabetes compared with those not given the supplement. Levels of vitamin D and sunlight, from which the body manufactures the vitamin, have been implicated in the risks of developing various autoimmune disorders. There is a striking difference in the incidence of type 1 diabetes according to latitude and levels of sunlight exposure, with a child in Finland being 400 times more likely to develop the disease than a child in Venezuela. Your child’s doctor can advise you about the right daily amount of any vitamin supplements. |
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