From polio to chickenpox, vaccines run gamut

By MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer

ATLANTA (AP) — Most people don’t think about polio and diphtheria these days because those diseases have been stamped out in the United States, largely because of vaccines.

But a growing number of parents are seeking exemptions so their children don’t have to get those vaccinations and others required by most states for kids to attend school.

Here’s a rundown of the diseases the most commonly required vaccines help prevent:

• Polio, a paralyzing, sometimes deadly disease once seen in terrifying outbreaks, now only occurring in a few developing countries.
• Measles, a once-common illness that causes a rash and in rare cases can be fatal. In recent years, fewer than 100 cases were seen,...

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Hold the salt this Thanksgiving

By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer

WASHINGTON — No need for a salt shaker on the Thanksgiving table: Unless you really cooked from scratch, there’s lots of sodium already hidden in the menu.

Stealth sodium can do a number on your blood pressure. Americans eat way too much salt, and most of it comes inside common processed foods and restaurant meals.

The traditional Thanksgiving fixings show how easy sodium can sneak into the foods you’d least expect. Yes, raw turkey is naturally low in sodium. But sometimes a turkey or turkey breast is injected with salt water to plump it, adding a hefty dose of sodium before it even reaches the store — something you’d have to read the fine print to discover.

From the stuffing mix to the...

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Dr. Jim Sears tells you how to protect your family during the cold and flu season

By Jenny Schafer, Celebritybabyscoop.com

Dr. Jim Sears is an Emmy-nominated co-host of the award-winning talk show “The Doctors.” Dr. Sears has co-authored several books, including “The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood,” ‘’Father’s First Steps — 25 Things Every New Father Should Know,“ ‘’The Premature Baby Book,” ‘’The Baby Sleep Book“ and best seller, ”The Baby Book.”

The father-of-two opens up to Celebrity Baby Scoop about some of the most common myths of how you can catch a cold or flu, healthy food choices to help boost your immunity, and how to safeguard you and your family during the cold and flu season.

Celebrity Baby Scoop: What are some of the most common myths about how you catch a cold or...

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Get kids interested in health during the National PTA’s Healthy Lifestyles Month

With the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity and other health problems, it’s important that parents encourage and teach kids about nutritious food options and physical activity. The National PTA’s (Parent Teacher Association) Healthy Lifestyles Month this November is an opportunity to use creative events and activities to show that living healthfully can be fun.

TOPS Club, Inc. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), the nonprofit weight-loss support organization, provides these tips about how to promote wellness and nutrition at home, and how to get involved with the PTA Healthy Lifestyles initiative:

Physical activity

1. Get moving as a family and demonstrate to kids the necessity of exercise, which can also boost self-esteem and...

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Panel recommends HPV vaccine for boys

By MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer

ATLANTA — A government panel wants young boys as well as girls to get the controversial HPV vaccine, in part to prevent them from spreading the sexually transmitted virus to girls.

The HPV vaccine has been recommended for young girls to protect them against cervical cancer and genital warts for the last five years. But the vaccine has been slow to catch on — only about a third of adolescent girls have gotten all three shots.

Experts say the HPV vaccine could protect boys against genital warts and some kinds of cancers. But they also say vaccinating 11- and 12-year old boys could help prevent them from spreading the human papilloma virus to girls.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices made the...

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Professor collecting data about unhealthy conditions in restaurant play areas

By Bill Ward, Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

If Erin Carr-Jordan were to write a “How I spent my summer vacation” piece, it might be labeled “not suitable for children.”

That certainly is how the Arizona State professor and mother of four would describe the subject matter: play areas laden with dirt, mold and bacteria that she has been checking out at fast-food restaurants throughout the nation’s heartland.

“Kids should not be playing in this,” she said. “This shouldn’t be happening at places that are supposed to be safe havens.

Carr-Jordan has crawled through tubes, taken swab samples and shot video with her phone at scores of fast-food rec areas, including a McDonald’s PlayPlace in south Minneapolis....

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Report: Ohio making little progress on childhood obesity

By The Associated Press

COLUMBUS — A new report finds that in five years Ohio has made no major headway in the fight against childhood obesity.

The Ohio Department of Health study released Wednesday finds more than 30 percent of the state’s third graders were overweight or obese during the 2009-2010 school year, about the same as during the 2004-2005 school year.

Fifteen-thousand students from more than 350 Ohio public elementary school were screened for body mass index, a measurement based on weight and height.

The department says in a news release that weight problems and obesity are highest among Ohio children who watch more TV and drink more than one sugary drink per day. It also found significantly higher rates among black and Hispanic...

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How to cater to your child’s needs when they are sick

By Priscilla J. Dunstan, McClatchy-Tribune

Flu and colds have been particularly unpleasant this year! The bug seems to pass, only to return with a vengeance a week later. These recurrences can make it hard to know when your child is truly sick, and also, what you can do to make them feel better. Each child’s dominant sense influences how they act when they feel unwell, giving you clues to their health beyond runny nose, fever, etc. Knowing what to expect in your sick child’s behavior can boost your tolerance and help you give the child the extra care needed. Never hesitate to visit the doctor if you feel unsure, or if your child is particularly ill.

Tactile children will need cuddles, cuddles and more cuddles. When they are feeling unwell, they become...

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Weight management with children using their dominant sense

By Priscilla J. Dunstan, McClatchy-Tribune

With President & Mrs. Obama’s recent Nutrition bill, I thought it would be a timely to look at obesity and the senses and how we as parents can help our children.

Tactile children are energetic busy little people. Often too busy to eat, they tend to grab snack foods, and prefer the quick meal. Nutrition issues arise if they are unable to be as energetic as they’d like, either because their schedule doesn’t allow it, or they need to spend many hours indoors — it makes it super hard for them ti sit down long enough for a meal. The trick in these situations is to view their nutrition longer term, over the course of the whole day. Keep healthy snacks, and feed them on the go — foods like apple...

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Report: Energy drinks risky for children and teens

By LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer

CHICAGO — Energy drinks are under-studied, overused and can be dangerous for children and teens, warns a report by doctors who say kids shouldn’t use the popular products.

The potential harms, caused mostly by too much caffeine or similar ingredients, include heart palpitations, seizures, strokes and even sudden death, the authors write in the medical journal Pediatrics. They reviewed data from the government and interest groups, scientific literature, case reports and articles in popular and trade media.

Dakota Sailor, 18, a high school senior in Carl Junction, Mo., says risks linked with energy drinks aren’t just hype.

Sailor had a seizure and was hospitalized for five days last year after drinking...

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