Infant ear infections can be a source of frustration for parents and babies alike. But there are steps to lessen them and, when they do occur, “less is more” is a better way to treat them. A typical infection can begin with bacterial growth. Inflammation can lead to fluid buildup behind the eardrum. The eustachian… read on >
Caesar salad fans, rest easy: It’s safe to eat romaine lettuce again. Just be sure to check the label, to avoid any chance of E. coli, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration now says. In a statement released late Monday, FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb announced that the agency was lifting its advisory against eating… read on >
Few people entrusted with making difficult health care decisions for older loved ones actually know what the patient would want, a new study contends. “Advance care planning cannot focus on the patient alone. The health care agent has to be brought into the conversation,” said study leader Dr. Terri Fried, a professor of medicine at… read on >
A new government study finds that roughly 1 in 40 American children has autism, a huge jump from the previous estimate of 1 in every 59 children. The survey asked parents of more than 43,000 children between the ages of 3 and 17 whether or not their children had ever been diagnosed with autism or… read on >
The wheezy lung disease asthma is yet one more problem linked to excess weight in childhood, a new study suggests. The research contends that as many as 10 percent of pediatric asthma cases in the United States could be avoided if childhood obesity were eliminated. “There are very few preventable risk factors for asthma —… read on >
Wondering if having a second child will affect your marriage even more than baby number one did? There’s no doubt that having a baby and changing from a couple into a family requires a lot of adjustment. But research shows that the adjustment period that follows a second child typically isn’t as long. For most… read on >
How quickly children pick up language skills may help predict their IQ in middle age, a new Danish study suggests. The researchers found a significant association between IQ test results at age 50 and the speed at which participants achieved a number of developmental milestones in childhood. “Most studies of the relationship between the speed… read on >
When a child gets the flu, it usually doesn’t require professional medical treatment, but the illness can make your child very uncomfortable. Here are suggestions on how to ease the flu’s misery, courtesy of the Nemours Foundation: Make sure your child drinks plenty of liquids. To encourage her to drink, offer her frozen fruit drinks… read on >
You can do certain things before becoming pregnant to create a safe and healthy environment for your baby, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development says. First, you should pay attention to the foods you eat, the vitamins you take and the amount of alcohol you drink, the organization advises.… read on >
Does your teenager’s personality actually predict how long he or she will live? Yes, claims new research that finds high school students who tend to be calm, empathetic and intellectually curious are more likely to still be alive 50 years later than their peers who are less so. The finding does not prove that certain… read on >
