Homeopathic Teething Tablets May Pose Risk for Children, FDA Warns

From Journal Watch:

"Hyland's Teething Tablets, which are sold over-the-counter and used for relieving symptoms of teething, are being recalled because they contain inconsistent amounts of belladonna, which can be harmful to children in large doses.
According to the FDA, which has been conducting an ongoing inspection of the product's manufacturer, Standard Homeopathic Company, there have also been reports of children consuming too many of the tablets because the caps on the bottles are not childproof.
Symptoms of belladonna toxicity in children can include skin flushing, dry skin and mouth, increased body temperature, dilated pupils, difficulty breathing, excessive sleepiness, disorientation, and seizures. The agency urges consumers to stop giving the tablets to their children; unused portions should be discarded or returned."

Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia CAH: My body isn't making the right steroid.

Steroids are produced naturally in our bodies.   Steroids help us cope with stress, keep the right balance of salts in our body, and help us mature into boys (testosterone) and girls (estrogen). Sometimes children inherit problems with the enzymes that make these steroids.

Where are the steroids made? Some of the steroids are made in the adrenal glands which sit on top of the kidneys.  The adrenal glands look a little bit like scoops of ice cream on the kidneys. The outside of the adrenal glands make steroids.

Think of steroid production like irrigation. If one row is blocked, water will flow to other rows.  If one of the  ways to make specific steroids are blocked, the ingredients get pushed down different rows and make different steroids. 

The most common problem in CAH is one enzyme doesn't work and so too much "boy" steroid is made.  This can lead to little girls' genitals that look male.  This also leads to not enough specific steroid to help that child's body balance salt and stress which can make them very sick.

The way to treat this is to give the child steroids that replace what the body needs and can't make.  This allows the body to get back in balance with managing salt, stress, and "boy" steroids (yes girls have a little bit of boy "steroids" or hormones too).

Note, when children are born in many states the hospitals and doctor's offices screen for these and many other problems.

If you want more info check out CAH at the Mayo Clinic or google CAH and emedicine.

Three Missed Menstrual Cycles = Time for a check up.

Regular cycles mean that the ovaries are working normally. Ovaries produce estrogen. The main estrogen that our bodies produce is Estradiol. Yes, even for men.

When to get a check up?
1. Menses absent for 90 days.
2. Menses not started by 15.
3. No sign of puberty by 13.
4. Menses not started within 3 years of breast development.

So I missed three periods what can that mean? The fancy name is secondary amenorrhea. That means that your periods have stopped. Most stop for 4 reasons: High levels of prolactin, low thyroid, low estrogen because of the ovary, and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS.

High prolactin, low thyroid, and ovary problems lead to low estradiol. The average normal level of estradiol is 100 pg/mL.

Compression-Only CPR by Bystanders Raises Rates of Survival

This is an update from Journal Watch

"Compression-only CPR by lay rescuers modestly increases survival over conventional resuscitation, a JAMA study finds.

Researchers prospectively studied rates of survival to hospital discharge in some 4400 adult victims of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest not witnessed by emergency medical personnel. All episodes occurred over a 5-year period in Arizona during a public campaign to encourage bystander intervention with compression-only CPR.

Among the principal findings:

* The overall annual rate of bystander CPR increased during the 5-year period, from 28% to 40%.
* Compression-only CPR increased from 20% to 76%.
* Overall survival increased from 4% to 10%; survival was 13% in the compression-only group.
* Good neurological status at discharge, however, did not differ significantly between those getting compression-only versus conventional CPR."

Pregnant Women Should Get Flu Shots

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that all women who are pregnant during flu season receive inactivated influenza vaccinations.

Morning Only prep for Afternoon Colonoscopies

Morning-Only Bowel Preparation for Afternoon Colonoscopies

October 1, 2010 | Douglas K. Rex, MD

Compared with split dosing, morning-only preparation offered equivalent cleansing and better tolerability.

Reviewing: Matro R et al. Am J Gastroenterol 2010 Sep 105:1954

Dogs might help protect children from eczema.

Study: Dogs might help protect children from eczema
A study found that children who lived with a dog at age 1 had significantly reduced rates of eczema at age 4 compared with those without a dog, while children who lived with a cat had significantly higher rates of eczema. The researchers also found that living with a dog protected children against becoming allergic to cats.