Parenting Children

New research finds that stimulant medications commonly prescribed to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children are associated with an increased risk of sudden death. Although rare the researchers in this study sifted through mortality data from 1985 through 1996, and found 564 cases of sudden death that occurred in children aged 7 to 19 and they found 10 sudden, unexplained deaths in children taking stimulant medications.
The study found that children and teens taking ADHD stimulant medications were seven times more likely to die suddenly than their peers.

“What we found — to our surprise — is that even if you take out confounding factors, the association between stimulant use and sudden death was still significant,” said study author, Madelyn Gould, a professor of clinical epidemiology in psychiatry at Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute in New York City. “I’m confident the association is real and significant, but it’s very rare. I don’t want our findings to change prescribing patterns or for a parent to change their willingness to use stimulant medications if they’re called for, but physicians should monitor patients with any new medication you give a young person.”

Results of the study were published in the June 15 online edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
As many as 2.5 million children in the United States take ADHD stimulant medications, such as amphetamine, dextroamphetamine (Adderall), methamphetamine or methylphenidate (Ritalin).
reserchers say that if your child has been on a stimulant for awhile there may be no need to worry and parents should not abruptly stop their child’s medications,. If you are concerned call your pediatrician and go over the risks and side effects of the medication and if necessary have a full physical of your child before taking these types of medications.

ADD, ADHD, ADHD and sudden death, children, parenitng, parenting our children. ADHD medications, adderall, ritalin, teens, school age children

I am one of those people who get bitten by mosquitoes all the time. Not as much as my husband though, they LOVE him. Two of my Aunt’s have never had mosquito bites, I guess it is their skin type, and I am very jealous.
Let’s talk today about how to prevent bug bites and how to make the hurt less when you do get them.

Stop Them
Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. Just a little bit of water is all it takes too, so check around your house for buckets, clogged gutters, pools or water tables and change the water in those frequently.
Mosquitoes like dark colors so dress in light colors and (common sense) wear long pants and shirts.

Repel Them
DEET is the most effective insect repellent, hands down. The AAP says it is safe to use on children and babies over 2 months old.
Do I think it is safe? Not really.
I use more natural repellents like Bug Bam or Don’t Bite Me.
If you do use DEET, you can spray it on clothing, but should not be used under clothing, over broken skin, or on the hands of children who may put their hands in their mouths.

Soothe Them
Hydrocortisone cream is what is the go to in standard bug bite treatments. There are other home remedies that I have heard work such as rubbing and ice cube on the bite, using toothpaste or a paste made from water and baking soda.

Tell me what your go-to bug repellent or bug bite treatment is.

bug bites, mosquito bites, summer, kids, parenting kids, Kids and DEET, bug repellent, home remedies for bug bites, keeping mosquitoes away

In our household we try and be as “green” as we can. From recycling to buying organic and local to buying energy star efficient appliances. We also are culling our cabinets from non eco-friendly cleaning products and bath and body products. One thing I never thought about was my toothpaste. I know the dangers of fluoride like the association of significant health conditions including cancer or dental fluorosis but really only thought about it as it pertained to our children.

CoralWhite toothpaste is the world’s cleanest, natural toothpaste. CoralWhite is free of fluoride, SLS, and all other toxic preservatives, artificial flavors, colors and additives. The structure of the enamel is actually a fine matrix of tubules conveying nutrients from the outside to the inside of the tooth and visa versa. Brushing your teeth with CoralWhite not only helps to prevent cavities, but it also whitens teeth and freshens breath.
Coral is a sea animal that secretes a highly mineralized casing made from ocean minerals. Coral naturally contains every mineral the human body needs to function – in almost the identical proportions found within the human body. The company harvests coral only from above the sea, using ecologically sound practices, which does not harm the ocean or any reefs.

It took my kids some time to get used to the taste as opposed to their sickly sweet, artificially colored and flavored regular toothpaste. They didn’t like the taste and I have to agree, it is not the best tasting toothpaste, but it works. It works without the chemicals and artificial additives and what could be better than that?

CoralWhite, CoralWhite toothpaste, natural toothpaste for kids, toothpaste for kids, Coral Inc., the dangers of fluoride, fluoride for children, parenting

When Mom Central had a blog tour about the American Heart Association and CPR Anytime, I wanted to participate. I am CPR certified but I wanted to brush up on my skills as well as have my husband brush up on his. You never know when or where you will need it, but it is great to know you are ready anytime.

With summer creeping up on us, I know my children will be around pools, lakes and oceans very soon. It makes brushing up on my CPR that more important. I received a CPR anytime kit which contains:
Practice DVD
Mini Anne CPR learning manikin
Choking and child CPR reminder card
Various spare parts and cleansing wipes

The DVD is very thorough and it taught us the Hands only CPR method. The DVD took us step by step through the CPR hands only method, the breathing and hands-on method, The CPR of both an adult and child, how to help choking victims and the use of AEDs.

The first week in June begins National CPR and AED Awareness Week, You can go to their site and find local CPR or emergency aid classes. You ca also order their CPR anytime kit for your home. I think this is great to get for Grandparents, caregivers or even your local church groups. The information you learn may save someone’s life and that someone could be me, or my loved ones.

You can also check them out on Facebook.

CPR Anytime, AHA, American Heart Association, National CPR and AED Awareness Week, reviews, learn CPR, infant CPR, infants, parenting, parenting children, kids, safety, summer safety

All you hear about when you turn on the television or open a newspaper is the swine flu, H1N1. This week, I received an email from our town about swine flu, how to try and prevent it, and what will happen if it appears in any local schools. What I did think was funny was the recommendation, that in addition to handwashing, to use an alcohol based hand sanitizer.

I do not use alcohol-based hand sanitizers in my house because it can be dangerous with small children if ingested. A main ingredient in these sanitizers, Triclosan, is even considered a pesticide by the EPA. There is even a link to Triclosan and cancer- scary stuff!
There are other products that will help you, like CleanWell products- which I LOVE.

CleanWell products kill 99.99% of harmful germs inluding salmonella and MRSA. It is 100% green and 100% poison free. There is NO ingestion risk with small children. It also contains no synthetic chemicals. It can be found easily at shops like Target, Amazon and Whole Foods. The offer hand soaps as well as hand santizers and it will not dry your skin out like alcohol based sanitizers will.

You can check out the FAQ on swine flu here on WebMD. Please refer to the CDC website for daily updates on the outbreak and publication of interim guidance at: http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/

swine flu, flu season, how to prevent swine flu, H1N1, keeping kids healthy, hand santizers, safe hand sanitizers, children, parenting, green products, green hand santizers

I have been writing about spring cleaning a lot lately, can you guess what we have been doing in this house? I have to clean well since I have allergies and dust does not work well with allergies. Today I want to tell you about an amazing product I got to try out in my home, Protect-A-Bed.

Protect-A-Bed is the world’s first ultra thin mattress protector. Their mattress protectors are made from natural cotton Terry toweling with a polyurethane Miracle membrane backing. It’s 100% waterproof, breathable, allergy free, easy to care for and helps make your sleep environment more comfortable.
I know you have seen some story about bed bugs and dust mites and how they are all over our mattresses. Did you know that the human body loses at least a half-litre of body fluids through the skin pores and mouth as well as millions of skin flakes? Well that is what dust mites and bed bugs feed on!
Gross, I know.

The Protect-A-Bed mattress protector helps you fight against these gross creatures. I tried out the Premium Mattress Protector which is their popular mid market model. It’s completely waterproof and repels liquid like urine or sweat. It’s also breathable and allows airflow through the mattress and bedding.

These are the first mattress covers I’ve found to provide waterproof protection that doesn’t make you feel like you are sleeping on a plastic, baby mattress protector. The expandable skirt will ensure they easily fit any mattress depth from 8″ to 20″ and I’m happy to say that all Protect-a-Bed items are tested for harmful substances according to strict Oeko-Tex Standard 100 which makes me feel great about what I am putting on my bed.
Check them out for mattress protectors, crib protectors, pillow protectors and more!

Protect-A-Bed, mattress protectors, pillow protectors, bed bugs, dust mites, spring cleaning, keeping your mattress clean, bed wetting, allergies

I was so excited to try the E-cloth and I was skeptical at first. I have tried microfiber cloths before and they were okay, but not great. They seemed to hold smells and cleaned well, but not great. I am trying to keep my house as green as possible with as little cost as possible- we are all hurting in this economy. The E-cloth is better than any other microfiber cloth I have ever used in the past!

The difference that allows E-cloth to deliver an exceptional level of clean with just water and retain this ability over a lifespan of 300+ washes is derived from using only the highest grades of raw materials and a state-of-the-art manufacturing process.
There are many factories producing microfiber using lower grades of material, especially in China, where up to 75% of inexpensive microfiber are unprocessed resulting in poor cleaning qualities. The E-cloth is woven by proprietary machinery into fabric of 80% polyester and 20% polyamide.
The E-cloth worked wonders on my stainless appliances, the glass shower door, counter tops and windows. It cleaned and left everything streak free! Better yet, I did it all with the E-cloth and just water! No harsh chemicals to breathe in, or left on my countertops.
(more…)

I have to admit, I am in a snack rut. Even with my own archives of snacks for kids, we get bored of them. Now with summer coming up, the kids will be snacking more and their will be much more fresh fruit which is awesome, but I am looking for something new for the meantime. If I share mine, will you share your ideas?
Here are some of our recent favorite snacks:

Peanut Butter Snack Mix

3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons peanut butter
4 cups Chex cereal assorted
2 cups mini pretzels
1/3 cup peanuts or any kind of nuts you would like

Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 175F.

2. Combine honey, butter and peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat until smooth. Combine cereal, pretzels and peanuts in a large bowl. Pour peanut butter mixture over cereal mixture and toss to coat. Spread on baking sheet and bake for 1 and 1/2 hours.

Watermelon-Cucumber SalsaI

1 1/2 cups diced and seeded watermelon
1 cup diced, peeled cucumber
2 tablespoons minced red onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and serve!

Apple Chips

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon (or more to taste)
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of nutmeg
1 large crisp apple, such as Braeburn or Granny Smith
Preheat oven to 200 degrees, then line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

1)Stir together the dry ingredients in a small bowl, then sprinkle half the mixture onto the baking sheet.

2)Cut the apple into slices as thin as possible, up to 1/8 inch. (You don’t need to peel or core it; the seeds will just fall off.) If you have a mandoline, cut the apple vertically into rounds.

3)Arrange the slices on the baking sheet in one layer. Sprinkle the remaining spice mixture over the apples, then bake in the middle of the oven for 11/2 hours. Rotate the pan and bake for another hour, or until the apples are crisp. (If yours aren’t getting crisp enough, try turning off the heat and leaving them in the oven overnight.)

4)Loosen the chips with a spatula, then cool for 10 minutes before removing them from the parchment. They’ll keep in an airtight container for up to one week.

What are your children’s favorite snacks?

snacks for kids, parenting, parenting children, snacks, feeding kids, healthy eating for kids, healthy snacks, toddlers, teens, children, SAHM, food

When a representative from Ecostore contacted me and asked if I would like to try out their products, I was excited. I love finding new Earth-friendly cleaners and soaps. I decided to try the automatic dishwasher powder and the lemon rinse aid. I had not found an environmentally friendly dishwasher soap that cleaned well at all, and it makes me sick thinking about what chemicals were in traditional soaps, so I was eager to give this one a try.

The Auto Dish Powder is a high performance blend of simple mineral salts, citrus and Coconut oils. Stuck on food and grease won’t stand a chance when it comes to the NO NASTY CHEMICAL products from Ecostore USA.
I LOVE this product. I am raving about it to everyone I know, it cleans even better that my regular, chemical ridden soap and doesn’t leave food deposits or streaks. You need so little of the product too, like a tablespoon. Of course I read this only after the bottle was 1/4 gone already and I was putting in at least 2x that!
I will never buy another dishwasher soap again!
My only complaint is the container, I wish it had a different spout. More than one time I have poured out too much and had to scoop some back in.

The lemon rinse aid is a dream, not too fragrant, it leaves my dishes sparkly and no spots! It is the same price as traditional rinse aids too.

I loved these products so much I am excited to try the baby care line, pet lineand other cleaners! Buy now, April is Earth Month - All Orders of $25 or more qualify for FREE Shipping!

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When Connie and Donald McCracken heard about the tragic death of actress Natasha Richardson from a head injury, they thought of their daughter, 7-year-old Morgan.
Two days earlier, Morgan, her father, and brother had been playing baseball in their yard when her father hit a line drive that landed just above Morgan’s left temple. She had a big lump formed, but her parents iced it down and the swelling went down within an hour.
Then for two days she was fine.

But after hearing about Richardson’s death, the McCrackens wondered if Morgan was really okaylike Natasha was immediately after her fatal injury.

That night Morgan complained of a headache. “Because of Natasha, we called the pediatrician immediately. And by the time I got off the phone with him, Morgan was sobbing, her head hurt so much,” McCracken says.
The McCrackens took Morgan to the emergency room and after a CT scan immediately put Morgan on a helicopter to another hospital.

She was whisked into the operating room and her parents were told she had the very same injury as Richardson: an epidural hematoma.

After surgery and five days in the hospital, she’s at home and doing fine. “Dr. Cohen told us that if we hadn’t brought her in Thursday night, she never would have woken up,” McCracken says.

So what does that mean for our kids who fall down, get hit by stuff and hurt themselves all the time? In most cases, it’s pretty clear when someone needs medical attention after a head injury, says Greg Ayotte, a spokesperson for the Brain Injury Association of America and a cognitive rehabilitation therapist. “They’re confused, they’re agitated, or they might be dizzy or unresponsive,” he says.

Here is what you should do after someone has suffered a blow to the head:

Keep an eye on someone who has hit his head, even if the person never lost consciousness
They say even if you are not knocked out, you still need to watch them and look for dizziness, vomiting, headache and confusion.
Look for changes in symptoms and behavior, any change like suddenly being sleepy or a migraine that just appears, should be taken seriously and that person should be taken to the hospital.

Use these precautions when anyone has a bad fall or gets a blow to the head, old or young!

Natasha Richardson, head injuries, head injuries and children, kids, parenting, parenting children, epidural hematoma, sports injuries

We all know high fructose corn syrup is not good for anyone. Of course it is back in the news with the admission that there is mercury in the HFCS. Here is a list of foods that are not known to contain any HFCP:

Baking
· Betty Crocker 7-Layer Bar (mix)
-Betty Crocker Dark Chocolate Brownie mix
-Betty Crocker cake icing
-Bisquick
Beverages· Bolthouse Farms C-Boost Smoothie
· Accellerate Sports Drinnk
· Archer Farms brand Natural Italian soda
· Bawls Guarana Soda (most varieties)
· Blue Sky Soft Drinks
· Bolthouse Farms Vegetable Juice
· Boylan’s Sodas
· Calistoga Juice Squeeze
· Capri Sun ALL NATURAL 100% Juice
· Cheerwine (the glass bottle varieties)
· China Cola
· Cytomax Sports Drinks
· Diet 7up
· Dublin Dr. Pepper (Dr. Pepper from a bottling plant in Dublin, Texas)
· Goose Island
· Hansens Natural Soda
· Honest Kids Juice Pouches
· Horizon Flavored Milks (chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry)
· Jones Pure Cane Soda
· Minute Maid Orange Juice
· Nantucket Nectars
· Nestle NesQuik Chocolate Milk Mix
· Northland Cranberry Juice
· Ocean Spray Grapefruit Juice
· Ovaltine (dry chocolate drink mix)
· Simply Juices
· Slimfast Optima Creamy Chocolate shake
· Sobe Life Water
· Sweet Leaf Tea
· Tropicana OJ
· Virgil’s Sodas (the cream, cherry and root beer varieties)
Bread
· Amana Multi Grain Bread
· Aunt Millie’s Old Fashioned Butter-Top Wheat
· Brownberry’s Arnold Natural Health Nut Bread
· Country Hearth 12-Grain Bread
· Earth Grains 100% Natural 7-Grain Bread
· Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted grain breads (in freezer section)
· Francisco Sour Dough bread
· Franz “McKenzie Farms” Old Fashioned Buttermilk Bread
· Martin’s Breads & Rolls
· Milton’s Wheat and Multi-grain bread
· Nature’s Own -Healthline SugarFree · Nature’s Own -Honey 7 Grain
· Natures Own 100% Whole Wheat bread
· Oroweat Mult-Grain Bread
· Oroweat Whole-Grain White Bread
· Pepperidge Farm Honey Wheatberry
· Pepperidge Farms 100% Natural Breads
· Pepperidge Farms whole grain honey oat
· Pepperidge Farms Whole Grain Wheat Bread
· Rudi’s Organic Bakery Buns
· Thomas Hearty Grain Honey Wheat English Muffins
· Thomas’ “light” english muffins
· Thomas’s Low Carb English Muffins
· Vermont Bread Company breads
· Wheat Montana breads/rolls
Breakfast Cereals
· albertsons brand cheerios
· albertsons brand rice chex
· Cheerios
· Giant brand Instant Oatmeal - most flavors
· Honey Nut Cheerios
· Kashi (most, if not all)
· Kellogg’s Reduced Sugar Froot Loops
· Kix
· Life ceral (regular and cinnamon)
· Life Cereal/Cinnamon Life
· Nature’s Pride Organic (most, if not all, varieties)
· Post Grape-Nuts
· Quaker Oatmeal
· Trader Joe’s Graham Bites Cereal
Candy
· Cadbury - Most Varieties
· Dove - Most varieties
· Hershey’s 100 Calorie Wafer Bar
· Hershey Skor Candy Bar
· Hershey Special Dark Candy Bar
· Hershey’s Symphony
· Lindt Lindor truffles (balls)
Condiments
· Annie’s Naturals Organic Ketchup
· Annie’s Naturals Organic Honey Mustard
· Annie’s Naturals Smokey Maple BBQ Sauce
· Cascadian Farms Sweet Pickle Relish
· Consorzio Bbq Sauce Organic Original
· Farman’s pickle relish
· French’s Mustard
· French’s Worcestershire
· Frenchs Honey Dijon Mustard
· Frontera BBQ Sauce
· Gates BBQ Sauce
· Heinz Organic Ketchup
· Heinz organic tomato ketchup
· Hellman’s Mayonaise
· Meijer Organic Sweet Relish
· Mt. Olive Hamburger dill chips
· Nature’s Best Organic Tomato Ketchup
· Trader Joe’s Hot and Sweet Mustard
· Vlasic Sweet Gherkins
· Woeber Sweet And Spicy Mustard
Cookies and Cakes
· Archway’s Molasses Cookies
· Destrooper Almond Thins Cookie
· Destrooper Butter Crisp Cookies
· Keebler Pecan Sandies Cookies
· Keebler Simply Sandies Cookies
· Lu Le Petit Beurre Cookies
· Lu Scottish Recipe Shortbread
· Mi-Del Snaps Ginger
· Nature’s Best Chocolate Sandwich Creme Cookies
· Newmans Wheat Free Fig Newton Cookies
· Newmans Own Ginger Os Ginger N Creme Cookies
· Newmans Own Alphabet Cookies
· Pepperidge Farms Butter Chessman Cookies
· Pepperidge Farm 100% Natural Varieties
· Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies
· Voortman’s Vanilla Wafer Cookies
Crackers
· Dare Vinta Crackers
· Milton’s (most, if not all)
· Nabisco Original Triscuits
· Pepperidge Farm Goldfish
· WalMart Great Value Saltines
Dairy· Breyer’s
· Brown Cow
· Brown Cow vanilla yogurt
· Cool Whip Sugar Free
· Dannon Activa Yogurt
· Dannon All Natural Coffee Yogurt
· Dannon All Natural Vanilla Yogurt
· Dannon Lite & Fit Vanilla Yogurt
· Dannon Plain Yogurt*
· Great Value Light Nonfat Yogurt (most varieties, if not all)
· Horizon Organic Fat Free Yogurt
· Nancy’s Whole Milk Honey Yogurt
· Nancys Reduced Fat Plain
· Southern Home Nonfat Plain Yogurt
· Stoneyfield Farm Yobaby Yogurt
· Stoneyfield Farm Yogurt
Fruits and Vegetables - Canned
· Motts Natural (No Sugar Added)Apple Sauce
Frozen Dinners
· Lean Pockets Philly Steak and Cheese
Ice Cream
· Ben & Jerry’s (most, if not all, varieties)
· Breyer’s All Natural Ice Cream
· Breyers - All Natural Cherry Vanilla
· Breyers - All Natural Coffee
· Breyers - All Natural Mint Chocolate Chip
· Breyers Pure Fruit Strawberry Fruit Bars
· Dreyers/Edys Strawberry Fruit Ice Cream Bars
· Haagen Dazs Dark Chocolate Ice Cream Bars
· Luigi Italian Ice
· Stoneyfield Farms
Jam, Jelly, Syrup, Spreads
· Bonne Maman Preserves
· Hero Jams & Jellies
· Jif Peanut Butter
· Karo Brown Sugar syrup
· Karo Dark (with Blue label)
· Pretty much any actual maple syrup is devoid of hfcs
· Skippy Peanut Butter
· Smuckers Natural Peanut Butter
· Smuckers Organic Strawberry Preserves
· St Dalfour Preserves
· Trader Joe’s Creamy, Unsalted Peanut Butter
· Trader Joe’s Organic Maple Syrup
· Trader Joe’s Reduced Sugar Organic Strawberry Preserves
Salad Dressings
· Annie’s Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette
· Annie’s Naturals Goddess Dressing
· Blanchard & Blanchard (Country Italian & Caeser Parmesan)
· Blue Plate Mayonnaise
· Brianna’s Blush Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
· Double Dave’s (restaurant) Ranch Dressing
· Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise
· HIdden Valley Ranch Old Fash.Buttermilk
· Ken’s Sweet Vidalia Onion dressing
· Olde Cape Cod Traditional Caeser Lite
Sauces
· Acadia Naturals Tuscan Grill Marinade
· Classico (Most varieties)
· Consorzio Brand Marinades
· Ken’s Steak House Honey Teriyaki Marinade
· Kikkoman Soy Sauce
· Ragu OldWorld Traditional Spaghetti Sauce
Snacks
· Kashi Granola Bars
· Quaker Simple Harvest Bar
Nature Valley Roasted Nut Crunch bars
-Odwalla Bars
· Frito’s corn chips
· Orville Redenbacher’s Smart Cakes Caramel
Soups
· Campbell’s 25% Less Sodium Chicken Noodle Soup

high fructose corn syrup, HFCS, foods, feeding your family, children, foods without HFCS, foods with no HFCS, eating healthy

Mercury is in the news all the time. Whether it is about staying away from mercury-laden foods like Swordfish when you are pregnant or Jeremy Piven’s mercury poisoning. We know that this chemical is one that is toxic to people especially developing infants.
Then why are you probably giving it to your child every day?

Mercury is in high fructose corn syrup according to the results of a new study released by the Institute for Agriculture and Trace Policy (IATP). According to the IATP study, over 30% of products containing high fructose corn syrup tested positive for mercury!
Think it is easy to just take high fructose corn syrup out of you or your child’s diet? Just try to, if you eat processed foods at all it is pretty much all of it. Try finding a wheat bread that doesn’t have high fructose corn syrup in it, I have spent way to much time in bread aisles reading all the ingredients before I could find bread that was acceptable to feed to my kids.

Nutritionists have been telling people to avoid this substance for years, everyone knows that sugar, in any form, is not part of a healthy diet. What is surprising to some people though is that the Food and Drug Administration has known that mercury would put consumers’ health at risk and that it is in high fructose corn syrup since 2005.

The IATP study comes on the heels of another study, conducted in 2005 but only recently published by the scientific journal, Environmental Health, which revealed that nearly 50 percent of commercial HFCS samples tested positive for the heavy metal. Renee Dufault, who was working for the FDA at the time, was among the 2005 study’s authors. In spite of Dufault’s involvement in the study, the FDA sat silent on this one for three years, and in fact last August, allowed manufacturers to call the sweetener “natural.”
How does the mercury get in the HFCS? Caustic soda is one ingredient used to separate corn starch from the corn kernel and most caustic soda has been produced in industrial chlorine plants, where it can be contaminated with mercury then it gets into our HFCS and in turn, into our foods.

When do we parents unite and stand up for our children and demand the government take these poisons out of our vaccinations, our children’s toys and our foods?
When is enough, enough?

[tags] vaccinations, mercury, mercury in our food, mercury poisoning, children’s health, FDA,
Corn Syrup Mercury, Environmental Health, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Institute For Agriculture And Trade Policy, Mecury Corn Syrup, parenting, parenting children [/tags]

When children are stuffy Vicks Vaborub is a long time, quick go to for parents. A new study out now says that Vicks VapoRub may cause airway inflammation that can restrict breathing in infants and toddlers!

The study was conducted after doctors treated an 18-month-old girl who had developed severe respiratory distress after the rub had been put directly under her nose to relieve her cold symptoms. When they stopped the medicine the child got much better.

To test whether Vicks VapoRub could cause respiratory distress, the researchers conducted experiments with ferrets. The animals were chosen because they have airways similar to human airways. The researchers found that Vicks VapoRub increased mucus production by up to 59 percent; the ability to clear mucus was reduced by 36 percent.

Dr. James A. L. Mathers Jr., president of the American College of Chest Physicians, said in an association news release: “Parents should consult with a physician before administering any over-the-counter medicine to infants and young children. Furthermore, the American College of Chest Physicians and several other health-care organizations have concluded that over-the-counter cough and cold medicines can be harmful for infants and young children and are, therefore, not recommended.”

Dr. Daniel Craven, a pediatric pulmonologist at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, said parents shouldn’t use Vicks VapoRub, because it has no medicinal value and may even be dangerous.

The makers of Vicks say that the rub should never be used under the nose and never given to a child under the age of two. What do you think of this latest warning on over the counter medicine for children?

Vicks, Vicks Vaporub, parenting, infants, toddlers, breathing problems in children, cold, flu, sick kids, safe medicine, over the counter medicine, children’s health

I am always looking for an alternative to traditional medicine or over the counter medicines when my children are not feeling well. I never like giving them anything even something as “safe” as Tylenol. Now a new study out of a Penn State College of Medicine research team found that honey may be a better alternative to cough medicine for kids.

The new study found that a small dose of buckwheat honey given to kids before bedtime provided better relief of coughs during the night and sleep difficulty in children, rather than no treatment or dextromethorphan. Dextromethorphan is the DM you see in many over the counter cough suppressants. There are dangerous effects of DM in young children like dystonic reactions, severe involuntary muscle contractions and spasms. Also DM is the drug of choice by some teens.

It also did a better job with job reducing the severity and frequency of nighttime coughs. This randomized study of 105 children was partially double-blinded. parents rated honey as significantly better than DM or no treatment for symptomatic relief of their child’s nighttime cough and sleep difficulty. there were a few side effects that were mild in the children who took the honey like hyperactivity.

This is good to know since the FDA recommended that OTC cold medicines not be given to children less than 6 years old. Honey has antioxidants and antimicrobials, which are good for you anyway. Also note, honey should not be given to babies under 12 months old because it may contain bacterium Chlostridium botulinum.
I bet it will be a lot easier to get kids to take their honey then it was to get them to take their medicine!

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A new recommendation for the flu shot have just been unveiled by three leading U.S. health groups.
The revised 2009 schedule calls for mandated yearly flu shots for children from 6 months through 18 years! The mandate right now in New Jersey is from children from 6 months to 59 months of age.
The new recommendation increases the number of eligible children by approximately 30 million.
These new recommendations come from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

“Vaccination is the best protection against influenza,” Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease, said in a news release issued Wednesday. “This important update to the childhood immunization schedule helps us extend protection from influenza and its complications to all children between the ages of 6 months and 18 years, not just those at highest risk of complications from influenza.”

Recommendations for inoculation against rotavirus (a disease that causes diarrhea in young children) include changes for the maximum ages for vaccination. The first dose should be given by 15 weeks of age. The latest age any dose may be given is 15 months. If the vaccine Rotarix is administered at ages 2 and 4 months, a dose at 6 months is not needed, the news release said.

The revised schedule also has recommendation for the HPV vaccine. Routine dosing intervals should be used for series catch-up, the second and third doses should be administered two and six months after the first dose. The third dose should be given at least 24 weeks after the first dose, the release said.

The problem for me is that I think these mandated vaccinations should work for them to be mandated. Last year’s flu shot was only 44% effective, a new study suggests, the least effective flu vaccine in a decade! The HPV vaccine does not work for every strain of HPV.
What do you think of these new recommendations for this immunizations? Do you feel confident in all the vaccines that are required for your child, or do you delay some vaccinations?

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