General Health

There is ample research which should give parents pause when considering whether to let the TV babysit their kids. One study even suggests that too much tube time can lead to poor bone health later on.
I don’t like to bash TV. A decade ago, I worked with teen moms and their babies in a group-home setting, and nothing seemed to calm the little ones quite like Baby Einstein videos. Those videos also had a soothing effect on my nieces and nephews when they were babies.

Hopefully, before you head to the beach, you’ve already looked for some safe sunscreens for your body. But if you’re not reading labels, and if you don’t understand what the ingredients on those labels are, studies show the product you’re lathering on your skin could actually pose a grave threat to the ocean environment. These sunscreens are especially not safe for coral reefs.

The symptoms of autism generally begin to emerge in a person between 12 and 18 months of age. Oftentimes, babies develop normally until this age, but then they start regressing and lose skills. Now, a recent study suggests it may be possible to spot autism on an MRI scan months before symptoms start. [1]
Geraldine Dawson, a clinical psychologist and autism researcher at Duke University who was not involved in the new work, says:

While it’s true that making the right personal choices to stay disease-free may not be bulletproof, making these ‘right choices’ is still the way to go to avoid cancer and other diseases. What we as a collective need to consider, though, is that cancer prevention isn’t totally an individual effort. A good example of this can be seen with pollution, where a study outlines how some of the highest incidences of cancer rest among the most polluted areas in the US.

Researchers say they’ve uncovered a link between gut bacteria and the onset of Parkinson’s disease. The findings suggest a new way of treating one of the world’s most debilitating diseases.

I am not a morning person, and coffee is my best friend. Sometimes afternoons don’t work for me either, so it’s back to the coffee pot. Some of you are probably the same way. But a new study shows that 10 minutes of walking could be more effective than caffeine at perking you up … at least temporarily.

Chagas disease, or “kissing bug disease,” could have a higher mortality rate than previously thought. Why? Because it often goes unreported, and more than half of the U.S. is reporting new cases. [1] [2]
Source: Good Housekeeping

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is recommending that fruit juice should not be given to children under 1 year old. [1]
The new guidance replaces the group’s previous recommendation of no fruit juice for children under 6 months. The AAP has also recommended limits in the past for older infants and children.

You shouldn’t take one doctor’s word for it when they diagnosis an illness, as 88% of patients who seek a second opinion receive a new or revised diagnosis. Another 21% of patients receive a “distinctly different” diagnosis, meaning the first doctor’s diagnosis wasn’t even in the ballpark, a recent study says. [1]

No matter where you go, you probably see people leaning over looking at their cellphones. Chances are, you’ve seen it in your own house. Hey, you might even do it yourself.