October 5 is National Child Health Day, a federal observance started nearly 90 years ago to encourage Americans to focus on the health and well-being of children of all ages. That includes helping expecting mothers plan for a healthy arrival of their soon-to-be little ones. If you’re an expectant mother, you’re likely already making your…

From the nursery to the playroom, playtime should be safe and fun. But experts say that beyond these considerations, these spaces should incorporate elements that promote early childhood development. “Infancy and preschool years are a crucial time of children’s lives, when they are developing new motor, cognitive, language and social skills,” says Dr. Lise Eliot,…

Harmful alcohol use is linked with increased risk of alcohol-related cancers, injury and death in many countries, but the threat appears worst in lower income countries, where harmful alcohol use is more common, a study published in The Lancet today has found. “Our data support the call to increase global awareness of the harmful use…

The addition of a daily outdoor activity class at school for three years for children in Guangzhou, China, resulted in a reduction in the rate of myopia (nearsightedness, the ability to see close objects more clearly than distant objects), according to a study in the September 15 issue of JAMA.   Myopia has reached epidemic…

Yeah, yeah. You heard all about the “worst allergy season ever.” You know the “pollen tsunami” swept through and left everyone sneezing and wheezing in its wake. But you want to know why the end of summer is almost here and you’re still miserable. “Although spring, summer and fall have different sets of allergens to…

Elementary and middle school students who are given at least 25 minutes to eat lunch are more likely to choose fruits and consume more of their entrees, milk, and vegetables according to a new study released in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Each day, over 30 million U.S. students receive a…

A debilitating disease such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, takes a devastating toll on the people who suffer from it as they lose their ability to walk, dress, write, speak, swallow and breathe. But it also can wreak havoc on their families, says Marylee MacDonald (www.maryleemacdonald.org), a caregiver advocate and writer whose debut novel,…

As we grow older, we lose strength and muscle mass. However, the cause of age-related muscle weakness and atrophy has remained a mystery. Scientists at the University of Iowa have discovered the first example of a protein that causes muscle weakness and loss during aging. The protein, ATF4, is a transcription factor that alters gene…

The growing trend of parents’ shunning vaccines has crept into another area that has physicians recommending caution — forgoing vitamin K shots in newborns. Avoiding the shots, which are given to prevent internal bleeding in the brain and intestines, can result in dire consequences for newborns, says DeeAnne Jackson, M.D., medical director of the UAB…

Labor Day is just around the corner and plenty of outdoor events are happening to make this holiday a memorable one. So, while you catch a little backyard football, prepare the home for fall, or just hang with friends, staying hydrated is still important. “Our bodies are made up of 45-75% water and that’s why…