Fuzzy Math
Submitted by Boys and Schools Blog
I am not super-great at math. I’m certainly not bad at math either. I took calculus in high school and college, and I understood it. Mostly. (It was about curving graphs and stuff, right?) And I got decent, if not spectacular grades in it. And my standardized tests for math were always very respectable, if not exactly genius level. It has been known for quite some time that when math assessments are done of American students, there is little in the way of a math gender gap, and the recent data confirming this has received a lot of play in the press lately.
This is all good news, but it does leave a supposed contradiction in some of the things that I’ve said about boys’ development–specifically, the common claim that boys’ brain development gives them slightly more facility with spatial relationships and certain abstract mathematical problems. Like all generalizations, this has a million exceptions and qualifications–except when it doesn’t. Certainly it doesn’t mean that there are no brilliant female mathematicians (there are), that girls aren’t capable of doing as well as boys in math (obviously, they are), or that all boys are innately good at math (they’re not). It’s just a tendency; an explanation as to why some things seem to come easier to most boys than others. (Like math versus language skills.)
What I didn’t expect to hear was to have my mom asking me why, if this study was true, she always struggled with math. My mom’s study habits aside (based on dimly remembered childhood lectures, I believe she always had her homework done ahead of time and never ever sassed her mother), she seemed a little disappointed to lose the myth that helped explain for her why advanced math was so tough. Not to let my mom completely off the hook, but there is a little more to the story than you can get in a 15-second news brief. Check out this story in the Wall Street Journal. Apparently, while there is little overall difference between boys and girls in math scores, boys’ scores are a lot more variable than girls, with more boys scoring extremely poorly or extremely well (as in the top 1% of scores). Interesting stuff.
It’s incredibly tempting to take that one detail and turn it into some big, sweeping theory about gender and education and so on. But I think we all know that giving into that temptation is a good way of looking spectacularly wrong and more than a little foolish at a later point. So I’ll just say that it’s some interesting stuff. I don’t know what future studies on this subject might turn up, but I am curious. (I also really wish they’d start looking a little more closely at the big gap that has opened up between boys and girls in literacy scores. It seems like there’s a lot less interest in the question of why boys have fallen behind.)
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Sanity Check: Aren’t all skin things cosmetic?
Submitted by Dr. Gwenn Is In
When I read this article by the NYT titled “The Price of Beauty: As Doctors Cater to Looks, Skin Patients Wait”, I was stunned on many levels. The article described a “typical” dermatologists office that almost seemed so surreal it could have been a scene from a movie or a TV show such as “NipTuck”: two waiting rooms, two types of procedure rooms, for two types of patients.
There was a luxurious waiting room with a very comfy and soothing procedure room for the “cosmetic” patients, such as the botox patients in one area of the office. On the other side of the hall, so to speak, was the more clinical waiting room with comfy furniture but nothing special and a treatment room that was, well, clinical, for patients coming in for “noncosmetic” issues like acne or psoriasis.
According to one dermatologist interviewed for the story, Dr. Richey from California:
“Cosmetic patients have a much more private environment than general medical patients because they expect that….We are a little bit more sensitive to their needs.”
I stopped at this point scratching my head. Aren’t all “skin things” cosmetic? Just look at a patient with an intense and disfiguring case of acne or a widespread case of psoriasis or eczema, are you going to tell me, Dr. Rickey, these patients do not have a “cosmetic” problem? I would argue those patients, the “skin patients” as he called them, require even more TLC than the cosmetic patients. For some, I can only imagine the silent pain of looking in the mirror wondering when they will look like themselves again.
Beauty may be in they eye of the beholder but what Dr. Richey is missing is that all skin is cosmetic and all patients walking into his office are after the same goal: to look more beautiful to themselves and the outside world. Sure, he won’t get rich for “skin things”, but he’ll have a much more satisfied patient than the ones coming in for botox seeking the fountain of youth.
The system has gotten so out of hand that people with true skin conditions are having more and more trouble getting into see a dermatologist. I used to think it was because there were just not enough dermatologists so not that many appointments…then I read this in the NYT article:
“In some dermatologists’ offices, freer-spending cosmetic patients are given appointments more quickly than medical patients for whom health insurance pays fixed reimbursement fees….In other offices, cosmetic patients spend more time with a doctor. And in still others, doctors employ a special receptionist, called a cosmetic concierge, for their beauty patients.”
This is truly troubling on so many levels! But, thankfully, the tides are changing.
Not all dermatologists agree with this out of control system such as Dr. David Pariser, the president-elect of the American Academy of Dermatology who told the NYT:
“The message is that the cosmetic patient is more important than the medical patient, and that’s not a good message.”
There seems to be a tide changing to delineating better the type of practice that a dermatologist has to help patients find a “medical” dermatologist vs. a more cosmetically focused one. As the NYT article points out, one way you can find a dermatologist more medically oriented is to go to a group based in a large hospital or medical center. Those groups may practice cosmetic dermatology, too, but will have dedicated medical dermatologist as well.
Remember, all “skin things” are cosmetic. If you have a skin problem, make sure you find a doctor who truly believes that. Otherwise, get a second opinion.
BTW, for kids, there are pediatric dermatologists. You can find them at most children’s hospitals.
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Toy Law Aimed to Make Toys Safer
Submitted by Dr. Gwenn Is In
This is good news after all the recalls and concerns of the past year with so many toys.
The proposed law would ban the use of the chemicals in toys we have been most concerned about recently: lead and phthalates. Assuming the law doesn’t get vetoed by President Bush, it would take effect in 6months. Even without this law, WalMart, ToysRUs and BabiesRUS have gone on record stating they will no longer stock toys with these chemicals as of January 1, 2009.
What is the concern with phthalates? Reproductive issues in males and cancer. While some argue that the safety data is inconclusive to support such a ban, too many health expert disagree citing cumulative exposure as the risk the issue that current studies don’t do a great job assessing. For this reason, many European countries already ban phthalates as well as California, Vermont and Washington state.
I tend to agree with the cumulative exposure argument. We already have studies citing a potential risk to our kids - a risk with considerable health consequences. Removing the risk is the only way to protect our kids. I don’t buy the argument that removing phthalates will only then expose our kids to something equally dangerous. I would hope that the toy makers would use some common sense and judgment to find a safer alternative. In fact, they have a huge moral and ethical responsibility to do so.
Regardless of whether this law gets vetoed, the future of toy safety seems brighter for our kids. The tides are clearly moving in that direction and a veto won’t be able to stop that - how refreshing for a change.
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One Word: Plastics
Submitted by Boys and Schools Blog
As frequent readers know, I can occasionally be a bit of a pain about certain scientific studies–especially the correlate-the-everyday-substance/behavior-with-the-horrifying-result studies. (Of course, I prefer to use the word “skeptic” to describe this tendency. And my husband has his own set of highly descriptive words for it when employed in family arguments.) And I’m not a health panicker at heart. I mean, I was staying in Europe during the first Mad Cow Disease scare, and I still went to a local English pub for a hamburger. (In my defense, I really, really, really wanted a hamburger. Also, in retrospect, I’m pretty sure that the gristle–er, beef– that went into that burger had been in a freezer since long before the Mad Cow scare. Or the Truman administration for that matter.) My point here being that my leap onto the anti-pthalates bandwagon is a bit of a departure from my ordinary mode of doing things.
If you’re new to the pthalate controversy, I should clarify that I’m talking about a chemical used in the production of plastic (especially clear plastics) that has been linked to endocrine dispruptions and reproductive problems in children (especially in boys). There have been various measures to ban pthalates in hospital plastics, and it has been banned from toys in Europe. Now there are indications that Congress will act to ban pthalates in children’s products–and it’s quite a load off of my mind.
To give you an idea of how ubiquitous these chemicals are, consider that they are present in most forms of flexible plastic , and seem to pass into our systems pretty easily. Apparently, one FDA study found traces of pthalates in every single one of its 1000 subjects. It can be found in children’s toys and even baby bottles. (There are some specialty bottles that advertise themselves as safe, and the Playtex Drop-Ins nursing system is also free of these chemicals. Alas, Playtex did not offer to pay me for that mention–I found out while trying to find some BPA-free bottles for my daughter. Though if any Playtex executives out there feel moved to donate for this shout-out, I certainly won’t stop them.)
To be fair, those who oppose the ban cite studies that claim no firm link between pthalates and harm to children. Though I wouldn’t exactly expect them to say anything else. I’m definitely not moved by their argument that banning pthalates would put children in even greater danger because they (the pthalates, not the children) could be replaced with even more dangerous chemicals. Hmmmm. Really? That strikes me as more than a little dim on the part of the plastic manufacturer. What is the logic there? “We’re in trouble for adding a potentially dangerous chemical to children’s toys. Let’s show them what dangerous really means.” If they get in trouble for those chemicals, what’s next? Individually punching each customer in the mouth? (Note: this is not a general criticism of plastics companies–I realize that there are many things they manufacture that make our lives easier, save puppies and babies, etc. I’m just saying that the spokesperson who made this particular claim wasn’t helping his case.)
Alright, I’m rambling here. And I haven’t even had the opportunity to say, “But please, somebody, think of the children.” So let me sum up: I’m not a panicker, but I am glad that Congress is finally acting on this. If you agree (or even if you don’t), this is a good time to call or write your Congressman and let him/her know how you feel on this issue.
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The Last Lecture Professor’s Legacy: Embrace Life!
Submitted by Dr. Gwenn Is In
Professor Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon Professor we all got to know for his famous “Last Lecture”,died last Friday, leaving the world a bit emptier in some ways but much fuller in others. He left a gift behind that is truly remarkable - a road map of how we should be living and parenting.
It isn’t often these days that people truly have the power to inspire. It isn’t often that we find someone who “gets it”. What is remarkable is that while most people would have retreated and dealt with their pain privately, this man turned outward and worked to leave his family a legacy of grace, gratitude and love, and shared that message with the world. While not intended as inspiration for the world, that is basically the result his “Last Lecture” has had. Clearly we have all needed someone like Professor Pausch to wake us all up in a positive way - to get us moving and living again.
On ABCNews.com, you only have to read a few of the comments on any of the stories about Professor Pausch to understand the inspiration he has had in people’s lives, whether they have had cancer or not. Read this page on ABC’s story of Professor Pausch’s life for a few amazing examples. I particularly love the story of the lawyer dad who handed his daughter a pencil and told her to go to town on her walls in whatever way she wanted. After all, why not!!
And, that is the legacy he leaves for us all. We all have to learn to live and not wait to be handed our own fatal diagnosis. Now is the time to embrace our kids. Now is the time to truly learn to love our families and be good friends to our friends. Now is the time to take steps to live that dream we have always had and learn to do whatever it is we have always wanted to do. We can’t keep saying “I”ll do it next year”.
One woman, a cancer survivor, took up singing after having a dream to do so for many years. She told ABC:
“I think so many people relate to Randy because every one of us has some sort of dream they want to make real, or some sort of passion that they want to tap into if they’re not already thinking that way. … I think people are just drawn to that. It’s very magnetic to see someone positive not just about the big things but the little things.”
After Randy died, his wife Jai issued a statement that Good Morning America posted. This line jumped out at me:
“Randy was so happy and proud that the lecture and book inspired parents to revisit their priorities, particularly their relationships with their children….”
My sympathy goes out to Professor Pausch’s family. The world has lost an amazing man but his legacy will be felt for generations as we all finally learn to realize those dreams we have been putting off - for ourselves and our kids.
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Try Baby Massage to Calm Your Infant
Submitted by Childn’Parent
It may seem that massage is a technique used only for adults who lead stressful and demanding lives. With so many ailments that strain both our minds and bodies, it is no wonder that parents benefit so much from the comforting and healing power of massage.
What about babies and even infants? It may seem strange to think that these small little bundles of joy could have any reason to feel stress or pain of any kind, but that is not the case. While somewhat new to the United States, infant massage and baby massage are making their mark and proving just how important massage is to the care and development of all babies and especially infants.
Not only will massage provide the needed touch and care that your baby’s needs and desires, but it will build a close relationship between you and your child. Experts emphasize that getting Dads. Moms, and even Grandparents involved in baby massage is a great idea.
The benefits of infant massage are exciting, and most parents would not trade the short time that they spend each day massaging their infant for anything. Infant massage contributes so much to the growth, development, and overall happiness of the child and parents.
Some of the benefits of baby or infant massage:
~Relaxation- Helping to calm your baby and their muscles, while teaching them how to relax and the importance of relaxation in life.
~Relief from pain- An infant with colic can be a strain on the entire family. Certain massage techniques can help to relieve the gas and spasm that the infant exeriencenes, and can help the digestive system to work more efficiently.
~Bonding- Spending one on one time with your infant and creating a special bond that may be hard to find in our busy lives.
~Sleep- Massage helps the baby to be relaxed and pain free, helping them sleep better, and in turn helping you sleep better.
~Health- Massage is good for your infants overall health. It promotes proper blood flow as well as increased sensory awareness and normal brain development.
There are many important techniques involved in infant massage, and likewise there are many resources available to help parents know how to properly perform infant massage.
Books, instructors, and even instructional videos are available to help you get the most out of the time you spend massaging your baby. In the meantime, get your infant in the habit of spending this relaxation time with you each day.
The environment in which you perform your infant’s massage is vital. A room that is cool and well lit does not promote the same calming effect as one that is at a comfortable temperature with dimmed lights and soft music playing. Try to create an atmosphere that would be appealing to you if you were to receive a massage. Experts suggest using a vegetable or plant oil to massage your baby rather that mineral based baby oil, which may not absorb as well.
Any way that we can start our children on the path to health and happiness in life is so helpful to both them and us as their parents. Spending the short amount of time needed to massage your baby each day will benefit them for years to come, and the bond that you will form will be priceless.
Details on infant massage techniques
Naptime help for your toddler at Child N Parent
By: Vanessa Lee
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So What’s the Deal with these Videos?
Submitted by Boys and Schools Blog
Over the last few weeks, I have the chance to preview a few videos from our You Tube site. These videos are actually the start of a new public service campaign we’re doing called,”Let Boys be Boys.” The purpose of the campaign is to offer some information and insights into boys’ learning and developmental needs, so that parents, educators, and activists learn more about how to help boys to better in school. I also wouldn’t mind a bit if they helped spread more awareness about the Boy Crisis and boys’ problems in general. And it would be pretty nifty if they helped bring more people into our site and our cause as well. I stop short of the hope of winning an Oscar for them, however. That would be silly. I don’t think they’re long enough for the short subject category.
We’d like to see people use these videos to help raise awareness of boys’ issues, and we welcome those who want to embed them in their own site, forward them to others, or use them in their own programs and presentations. So far, we have four videos up on You Tube, and we’ll be adding more regularly. Here are our latest editions, both of which deal with issues related to literacy and reading:
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Where food is concerned, everything in moderation is best for kids
Submitted by Dr. Gwenn Is In
At the movies the other day, I saw an odd sight. A mom and her two young kids sat down near us before the movies. The mom was carrying one large popcorn and a very large drink which I learned from the kids’ clamoring was lemonade. The mom was barely in her seat with the popcorn and drink on the table before the kids began to claw at each other to gain control over the snacks. I’ve never seen kids eat popcorn or swig down lemonade so fast in my life! I could think of only one likely explanation for this food behavior: these kids likely don’t get such snacks very often.
Many parents these days have funny views of what it means to “eat healthy”. Instead of teaching kids to eat a balanced diet that includes some treats and snacks, they actually create more of a problem by banning many foods at home so that when the kids do have the banned items - at the movies or at a party - they begin to gorge themselves. That’s what I witnessed these kids doing at the movies the other day. And, I’ve seen similar behaviors in parties my kids have been invited to. Contrary to what many parents want to believe, helping kids learn to eat sweets and junk as part of a normal diet keeps them more healthy overall. It is when a food is banned that problems often develop when kids are away from home.
The key is moderation and helping kids understand portion control and exercise are part of preventing the few sweets we eat from making a dent in our waist lines. So, in addition to helping kids figure out how many fruits and veggies they can eat a day, we also have to help them figure out the junk food world, too. Here’s my strategy for helping kids incorporate the more sinful food items into an overall healthy diet:
1. No food should ever be banned. All foods are ok in moderation.
2. Don’t make your home sugar free or junk food free. Again, moderation.
3. Teach kids portion control so when they have the food in front of them, they don’t gorge
4. Find some sweet foods kids can have that don’t have a lot of calories. Low sugar cookies, frozen yogurt, adding low-sugar or low-fat whipped cream to berries.
5. Allow a “real” dessert during the week once in a while but control the portion size - one cookie or one brownie after a healthy meal
6. Make sure kids are exercising routinely so any sweet they have will not have an impact on their health and weight in the big picture
7. If you have a part coming up where the food won’t be the healthiest, help kids eat extra healthy for a couple days leading up to the party
8. Have movie nights at home with microwave popcorn and flavored water or sugar-free soda as a treat (caffeine-free) so kids are used to the taste and don’t gorge at the real movies
In many ways, we need to teach kids that food is food - for all foods. But, that we can eat some foods in bigger quantities and more often than other foods. It can be done - one bite at a time - and it has to start at home.
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We Have a Newsletter! (Also, Thoughts on HPV)
Submitted by Boys and Schools Blog
Before I begin, I wanted to let you know that we will be starting a regular e-newsletter very soon. While our resident internet geniuses work on creating an easy way to sign-up, however, I am forced to resort to sadly low-tech methods. So, if you want to make sure that you receive our newsletter (which will be only slightly less awesome than a boys-oriented e-newsletter penned by a committee consisting of Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Dave Barry), please be sure to send us an email at schools@menshealthnetwork.org. (Just put the word “subscribe” in the subject line or text–nothing else is necessary.)
Now, on to the main event.
In the grand scheme of crunchy parenting, I’m really not that crunchy. Sure, I only use unbleached organic baby wipes made from cotton that grew myself and wove into a re-usable pad using a specially-purchased Mayan baby wipe loom. But other than that, I’m a pretty mainstream parent. (If you are a crunchy parent, that’s cool–I only tease out of love, I swear. I do think that a lot of the things that are considered “crunchy” in parenting reflect some great changes in parenting philosophy in general.) The reason that I start with this disclaimer is to make it clear that, in general, I don’t have any issues with immunizations or the usual childhood vaccine schedule, or anything like that.
However, for the past several months, I have been watching the growing debate over requiring the HPV vaccine for boys, and as a result, I want to run in yelling, “Whoa, let’s just hold on a sec here.” Now, I don’t mean to suggest that it isn’t a great thing that they’ve found a way to prevent HPV and some forms of cervical cancer. And I have no intention of entering the moral debate, which is beyond the scope of my objection and also tends to provoke a lot of angry mail. I’m not even going to weigh-in on whether it should be required for girls to enter school. My concern is mostly that we don’t allow our exultation at this treatment to override our care for boys’ health. At present, the FDA has not yet fully tested the vaccine on boys and men, and we know next to nothing about the possible long-term side effects for boys. Now, it may well turn out to be nothing but beneficial, and I certainly hope that will be the case. But until we get some actual, you know, scientific research on the issue, I think we should be cautious about passing any mandates about boys and the vaccine.
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College Campus Cultural Change; also, Musical Fluff
Submitted by Boys and Schools Blog
We’re going to take a break from the serious today, but for some interesting commentary on the gender gap in college, be sure to check out Richard Whitmire’s blog. Whitmire speculates on the possible social consequences of the growing lopsided gender balance on college campuses–especially related to how it might affect marriage and courtship on a broad scale. To be honest, courtship on college campuses had already greatly eroded by the time I was in school–though I suspect it was related more to the sexual revolution than anything else. The new question is how the shortage of men on college campuses might affect the search for “marriageable mates.”
And now for the fluff, wherein I will describe a frivolous behavior of my own son and expand it wildly into a larger statement about boys. So, without further ado, here are the top 5 songs that my four-year-old insists on listening to when they come on the radio on the way to the grocery store:
5. “Sabotage” by the Beastie Boys. I want to blame the video game Rock Band for this, since I know it’s in the playlist, but my husband almost never plays it, so I’m not really sure where this is coming from. My son is not allowed to watch MTV (though that’s really irrelevent to the question of whether he can watch music videos) but perhaps he has some sort of ESP about cool cop show spoof videos? In any case, I have to admit that it’s kind of hilarious to hear insistent requests to listen to, “Sam-a-tage.”
4. “All the Small Things” by Blink-182. Well of course he likes this one, the lyrics include about two minutes of, “Na na na na na.” And when you’re four, life really is all about the na na nas.
3. “Hey Ya” by OutKast. Probably the least surprising of the bunch. I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t like OutKast’s “Hey Ya.” It’s quite an accomplishment to create a song that can win over DJs, investment bankers, and people who occasionally put their shoes on the wrong feet.
2. “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden. This is definitely the fault of Rock Band, seeing as it’s one of the few songs that my husband can play on drums on expert. And it is slightly disturbing to hear your preschooler demand that you let it play. I thought about forbidding it on the grounds that it has a creepy video and morose lyrics, but I couldn’t begin to tell you what those lyrics mean. And my short internet search has revealed that no one else can either. Including the writer, apparently.
1. “What I’ve Done” by Linkin Park. I know, I know. It’s not something I’m proud of, believe me. But let me explain. You see, this song is prominently featured in the Transformers live action movie. Transformers is, of course, a marketing and merchandising juggernaut about good robots who can turn into vehicles that fight bad robots that turn into planes. I don’t know if there is anything on earth more interesting to a small boy than a robot fight that includes planes and trucks, and I’m pretty sure that this is what my son thinks this song is about. And considering how expensive an Optimus Prime toy is, I’m happy to confine the robot battles to the imagination with only a little accompanying soundtrack.
So what have I learned? Well, little boys like guitars, drum solos, and emulating their daddy. It’s always a little disconcerting to see how your smallest habits get picked up by your kids, and sometimes it takes repeated requests for a Linkin Park song to hammer home how pervasive that influence can be. So take it from someone who would be happy if she never had to listen to “Black Hole Sun” ever again, be aware of how pervasive pop culture can be and how easily your tastes can be absorbed by your children–especially if you’re not a big Soundgarden fan.
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Wear Baggy Pants or Pay the Fine!
Submitted by Dr. Gwenn Is In
I was at the movies with my family the other day when a teen walked by wearing overly baggy pants. Not only was he showing off the top of his his undies but his back pocket was ripped so deeply you could see a more of his undies than any of us should have to see. Honestly, why do people wear pants like this? Do they really think they are looking cool? I think it looks silly…if not plain stupid. And, I’m not alone. So many people are tired of this look that actual laws are emerging coast to coast with Lynwood, Illinois being the latest to pass such a law.
I’m with Lynwood! It is time that plain old decorum be put back on our streets and in our public places. If parents can’t enforce it in their kids, than let’s go for the law. Illinois is just the latest of States to take a stand against this rather outrageous fashion don’t. CNN ran a story last year where laws were passed in a Georgia and New Jersey. And, Dr. Phil devoted an entire show to the issue of the “droopy drawer”. Check out the show’s home page. Those are not pants being worn; they are pants falling down!!
Critics of these laws argue that the laws are racist, targeting “men of color”. I disagree. You just have to walk in any mall in any town to realize this fashion trend impacts all teens - and even both genders. We have a generational issue on our hand. Perhaps it is more prevalent in some races in some areas but it would be unfair to classify it just on that level.
Who do we blame for this fashion don’t? Sadly, it is multifactorial. The media shows images in starts that young people aspire to. Parents by the clothes to keep their kids happy and trendy. And, as a society, we’ve let it go on too long. Many schools do have dress codes but how many actually enforce them?
We have to start young in instilling in our kids how to dress properly and we have to be quick to say “no”. We control the purse strings and have to not give into mood swings of kids or temper tantrums. We also have to set better examples of how we dress as grownups. Too many parents are dressing inappropriate for their ages and that doesn’t help kids learn how to dress. The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree - if we want our kids to dress appropriately, we have to dress more appropriately ourselves.
So, even if your town doesn’t have a law, create a law of how to dress in your home and enforce it. Underwear and certain body parts are meant to be private and hidden under properly fitting clothes. It’s time we helped our kids to have a certain amount of self-respect and modesty. Remember, your kids become posters of your family when they step outside your front door - is the baggy/saggy pant look the one you want representing you??
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Basic Reproductive Facts Can’t Be Altered Despite What the Governement Says
Submitted by Dr. Gwenn Is In
Some biological facts are irrefutable. One such fact is that conception occurs when an egg and sperm join together. Without that biological fact occurring to form an embryo, there has been no creation of life. We can argue for days about what point after that true life has begun but there isn’t a woman out there who won’t agree that you need the moment of conception first.
So, this plan by the Bush administration is beyond shocking and, as Senator Clinton stated last weekend, insulting! The Bush administration is putting forward a new plan that would define birth control as a form of abortion. The implication with this plan is that any act that could result in conception is now life. Come on! That is beyond a stretch.
Beyond fuzzy biology, however, the domino impact here would be devastating to woman of all walks of life because it would change the landscape of reimbursement for birth control from health insurance. If the Bush plan goes forward, commonly used birth control such as the birth control pill would now be classified as a form of “abortion” and wouldn’t be covered by many health insurance plans. Woman used to paying $10 a month for their pill would now pay much, much more. Many would no longer be able to afford their pills and many woman would find themselves with unwanted pregnancies and have to face even tough decisions: true abortions or raising a baby they either didn’t plan on, want or couldn’t afford.
Senator Clinton and other powerful Democrats such as Speaker Pelosi are planning on fighting this very hard first by trying to get the Bush administration to rescind this plan but if that doesn’t work they are planning on exploring legislative action to block this plan from moving forward.
We can help Senator Clinton battle this cause for us by providing a voice in support of stopping this madness. Senator Clinton has put up a petition on her website, HillPac, to help us help her. If this is something you feel as strongly about as I do, click here to sign.
Just to reiterate, here are the true definitions of conception and abortion compliments of the Merriam-Webster online dictionary:
conception: “the process of becoming pregnant involving fertilization or implantation or both”
abortion:“the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus”
In a nutshell, there can be no abortion if there is no pregnancy. Sex acts that do not result in conception do not count. And, a woman can not be penalized for wanting to prevent a pregnancy and be responsible. It honestly is that simple.
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Measles On The Rise Because People are Not Immunized
Submitted by Dr. Gwenn Is In
Measles is again on the rise - 127 people in 15 states have been confirmed to have measles. And, all of them were unimmunized against measles. Foreign travel was the initiator of the outbreak - people acquired the measles in other countries and brought it back into the US, according to Reuters UK. This is the biggest measles outbreak reported since 1997.
According to the CDC, the following States are involved: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, New York, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin and Washington state, as well as Washington, D.C.
And, the CDC reported that travel to the following countries have been implicated in the spread of measles so far: Switzerland, Israel, Belgium, Italy, India, Germany, China, Pakistan, Russia and the Philippines.
This measles outbreaks highlights the need for people to be immunized properly against vaccine-preventable illnesses. It highlights that travel between countries is a risk factor and that the only way to keep our global societies and our children protected is to be sure each and every individual is protected against vaccine-preventable illnesses such as measles. We have to remember that these diseases used to wipe out people on epidemic proportions and that multiple studies have demonstrated the vaccines to be safe and to not be linked to autism.
As noted by Reuters UK, in countries that still don’t have immunization programs, measles kills 250,000 people globally. That number will go higher if we back off on wide-spread vaccine programs. Measles, like other vaccine-preventable illnesses, has no cure - but does have a path to prevention via vaccination.
BTW, the CDC did issue a warning about this outbreak being on the horizon. In fact, in that warning, the head of the CDC’s immunization program did note that traveling to Europe was a risk factor for contracting measles. The surprise to many of us was that it only took two months for their prophetic works to become reality.
How is it our society can become so advanced in every way but for the ability to reason and really act for the global good? We may be advanced on paper, but we are truly falling behind in the ways that matter for the health and well being of our children’s futures. It’s time we stopped questioning and worrying about every little thing and started to proactively work on keeping our society healthy again. Our current path will be our own undoing.
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Good Parent, Good School, Good Kid (Duh)
Submitted by Boys and Schools Blog
How exactly does one measure parenting skills, I wonder? I mean, I have taken three children under the age of 5 to the grocery store and am simultaneously able to fend off requests for cookies while protecting the well-being of the eggs and chips. Don’t tell me that doesn’t take some skill. But I think that when researchers are talking about levels of parenting skill, they’ve got something else in mind–at least one hopes that it’s something more sophisticated than, “has never handed a two-year-old a cigarette and bottle of Jack Daniels and told them to, ‘keep on truckin.’”
Of course, good parenting skills, however they’re defined, are pretty consistently correlated to the kinds of things we want to see in our kids. Though I confess that I do think that they lead to the regrettable tendency to lay any fault or problems that a kid may have at the feet of their parents rather than looking at other influences. But it’s hard to understate the importance of being on top of things, parenting-wise–not that I see anyone about to make the attempt. I bring this up because the recent Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children took a look at what helped keep kids from high-risk backgrounds from engaging in dangerous or antisocial behavior (e.g. smoking, arson, carrying weapons, underage drinking, and so on), and their results indicate two significant influences in keeping boys away from such behavior: good parenting (surprise) and a positive school experience.
Well, I’m pretty sure that we’re all aware of what it takes to produce good parenting, even if we may fall a little short from time to time. (Note to self: confirm that baby powder container is closed before allowing infant daughter to hold it, especially when near navy blue upholstery.) But providing boys with that positive school experience is the real challenge. An atmosphere where boys feel demotivated, where their natural bent for activity is too constrained, or where their interests and inclinations are ignored can quickly turn into an unpleasant experience, leading to the behavioral problems mentioned above. It’s one of those things that seems so simple that I can’t believe we need as study to tell us, but if we can keep boys feeling good about themselves at school, we can keep them out of trouble.
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Drug Companies and The AAP: The Real Truth
Submitted by Dr. Gwenn Is In
Last week’s American Academy of Pediatrics‘ (AAP) recommendation over Statin drug use in kids is still creating a firestorm. Over the weekend, Tara Parker-Pope at the NYT posted about her thoughts on why the AAP came up with such an extreme recommendation and wrote this:
“The new guidelines have raised questions about the pharmaceutical industry’s ties to both the A.A.P. and the members of the group’s nutrition committee that made the recommendations. But the A.A.P. asserted last week that “there is no involvement by any commercial entity in the development of any statement or report” it issues.
Reports filed with the Internal Revenue Service and provided by the A.A.P. show that the academy has received contributions from several companies with ties to statins, including $433,000 from Merck, $835,250 from Abbott Laboratories’ Ross Product Division and $216,000 from the Bristol-Myers Squibb company Mead Johnson Nutritionals. The biggest statin maker, Pfizer, is not listed as a contributor. The A.A.P. reported a total of $81 million in revenue in 2007.”
Let me address these criticisms and shed light to the facts of how the AAP interacts with pharmaceutical companies:
1. It is not unusual for pediatricians to consult to pharmaceutical companies. That is not big news. And, as she points out, pediatricians do disclose when they have financial ties to a company so that people are comfortable. I consulted the American Academy of Pediatrics about this issue, and here is what they sent me by email:
“All AAP committee members working on an AAP policy statement, clinical or technical report sign a conflict of interest disclosure form and voluntarily recuse themselves if a potential conflict exists. They are asked again at each meeting to disclose any conflicts related to the agenda.
Policy statements and clinical and technical reports are generally initiated by one or two authors and reviewed by the related committee(s), senior staff and AAP Board of Directors. This comprehensive review process can take up to a year to ensure accuracy and impartiality. Once approved by the Board of Directors, these documents represent the views of the AAP and not just those of the contributing authors.
There is no involvement by any commercial entity in the development of any statement or report emanating from the AAP.
2. Pharmaceutical companies do make contributions to the AAP at times but those are for educational purposes. And safeguards are in place to ensure appropriate use and no conflict of interest. For example, donations used to defray the cost of educational meetings are strictly regulated by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.
3. As the AAP email to me makes crystal clear, there is never any influence between pharmaceutical money and outcome of AAP recommendations. To do so would be unethical and cause harm, which violates our oath as physicians “to do no harm”.
I can understand Ms. Parker-Pope’s objection to the use of Statin medications in children based on her personal principles. But, to accuse highly trained physicians who are this country’s top experts in their fields of any wrong-doing is going too far. That is akin to accusing the other team of cheating because you don’t like the outcome of a ball game.
So, disagree with the AAP, Ms. Pope. But, give credit to the the pediatric experts involved for trying to make recommendations that they feel are in the best interests of the future health of children. Like you and many of my pediatric colleagues, some of whom you’ve interviewed, I’m also not entirely sold on these recommendations but I have nothing but the highest regard for my colleagues who worked on these recommendations and came to the conclusions they made public last week. My clinical experience is what is driving me to respectfully be cautions of their conclusions but nothing more. I would ask you to show these highly regarded experts the same respect. The deserve at least that from all of us.
5:30pm Update:
Dr. Bryan at Parening Solved posted about this issue today as well. He makes some great points so be sure to check out his post.
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More Video Fun, Competition-Style
Submitted by Boys and Schools Blog
I’ve got another sneak peek from our new “Let Boys Be Boys” videos for you today. This time, we’re emphasizing how boys’ innate drive to compete can actually be used as a motivation device. I think that a lot of people aren’t really sure what to do about the competitive nature of boys outside of sports and other contests. But in fact, there are plenty of examples of teachers and schools that have taken this inclination and turned it into a way to get boys working harder at their studies, whether it be through challenging them to better their own performance or by creating challenges and contests. (My favorite may be the all-boys school that divides all students, Harry Potter-style, into different groups from the very beginning of their time there and rewads teams for its members accomplishments, academic or otherwise.) Anyway, enjoy:
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Chelation Therapy for Autism?
Submitted by Dr. Gwenn Is In
You may have heard recently that some parents are pushing for a controversial therapy for autism called chelation therapy. Chelation therapy isn’t a new therapy - it is a therapy currently used to remove heavy metals from the body, such as lead.
If a heavy metal such as mercury were to be a cause of Autism, in theory chelation should be helpful. However, currently we do not understand Autism to that level of detail and have no proof that heavy metals are the cause. There in lies the problem.
MomLogic asked me Dr. Cara Natterson to weigh in on this controversial treatment. You’ll find our comments on MomLogic. BTW, Dr. Cara and I did not confer before giving our opinions to MomLogic -we came to our conclusion independently.
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Ramblings on Hypocrisy and Drug Use
Submitted by Boys and Schools Blog
Of the many, many things I do that doom me to uncoolness–and not even the kind of uncool where you don’t care and end up cool after all; the kind where you really are just a dork–right up there at the top (along with using coupons) is the fact that I go on and on about alcohol and drug use. Like most adults, I am in the uncomfortable position of having to advocate against something that I don’t have entirely clean hands on myself, and that just increases the awkwardness of it all. I know that something has happened in the last 50 years or so that has made hypocrisy the unforgiveable sin of the modern era, and I find it incredibly annoying. I sometimes wonder if the average person would rather be called a thief than a hypocrite. It certainly does seem like popular culture has embraced a sort of teenage ethics, where nothing could be worse than to advise against something that you yourself have done. Of course, as a matter of logic, the whole thing is absurd, since it’s really a matter of enjoying self-righteousness over wisdom, and taken to extremes, means that we can disregard the murderer’s admonition not to murder others, since that would make him a hypocite.
Sorry, I get a little carried away sometimes. I shudder to think about the angry letters I’ll be writing to TV Guide in my golden years.
So, as I was saying, it’s ever so fun to be an adult lecturing about teenage alcohol and drug use. But, since we’re the ones paying for mortgages, and tuition, and clothing that is despressingly reminiscent of what we wore in high school (only now it’s ironic), and video game systems that cost about the same as a mortgage, I think it’s time that we erased the little voice in our head that goes, “I learned it from watching you,” whenever the subject comes up. Life makes hypocrites of us all, if we’re lucky. And in the meantime, there is actually a serious issue at stake.
Consider the recent research that has resurrected the much maligned concept of the gateway drug. It seems that there is a strong correlation between teens who begin drinking alcohol early (like, say, at 14 as opposed to 20) and the use of illicit drugs. The usual reaction to that kind of information is to point out that you know plenty of people who drank as teens and never turned to drugs, or to decide that any kid who starts drinking at 14 has a lot of other problems that will help lead him to drugs. But while that may be true, it is also a way of avoiding the issue and dismissing the problem. Statistics show that boys are more likely to drink alcohol or do drugs (along with other high-risk behaviors), and not all of those boys come from troubled homes, nor do they all escape unscathed. I could wish that popular culture wouldn’t glamorize and trivialize alcoholism and drug use. I could also wish that I lived in a house made of solid gold, surrounded by chocolate truffles and free babysitters, where all celebrities who agree to do a reality show about their “everyday” life instead find themselves in a real life Running Man game. The truth is, it’s up to us parents to ignore the awkwardness, the silly claims of hypocrisy, and so on, and do our best to safeguard our sons from alcoholism and drugs. Better to be a hypocrite than to be part of an intervention.
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“Kid-Sickness” Strikes Helicopter Parents as Overnight Camps Begin
Submitted by Dr. Gwenn Is In
Over night camps are in full swing and many of our kids are either there having a blast or counting the days until they get to go and join their summer friends. While homesickness is an anticipated problem for some kids at camp, that is not nearly as much of an issue lately as a new parent phenomenon called “kid sickness”.
There’s been a few good articles about this recently, like this one on MSNBC, or this one from the Boston Globe, and neither paint these parents in a very good light, and for good reason. This is really just another example of helicopter parenting - a need for some parents to be overly involved in every aspect of their children’s lives to the point they simply can’t let go and allow their children to have some parent-free time and enjoy childhood as it was meant to be explored: without parents predetermining every aspect of every day.
These lines from the Boston Globe say it all:
“In the age of instant gratification, where parents can contact their children almost whenever they want via cellphones, text messages, and e-mails, it is Mom and Dad, not their little campers, who are struggling to let go.
“”It kills them not to know that Johnny’s on the basketball court right now, or in the bathroom, or changing his shirt,” said Bette Bussel, executive director of the New England chapter of the American Camp Association. “
Having dropped my 13 year old daughter at her bus for an overnight camp in Maine a few years going now, I can tell you the kids are beyond excited and most parents do just fine. I was a bit teary, I’ll admit, the first year, eons ago. But nowadays, knowing she is having fun and having experience with the camp, the counselors and the directors, all of us do just fine. Sure, we miss her but the separation is good for all of us. This particular camp also has amazing communication with families and we trust they will use that if needed for whatever comes up we need to know about.
Trust is the issue here. There is a leap of faith involved in sending your child away from home but you must have that leap of faith for everyone to get through the experience. To hover and become over involved from afar just diminishes the experience for our kids and becomes an issue fore the camp. Think about it - the camp directors and counselors are supposed to be watching our kids and making sure their summer is the best ever. That is where their time should be - not holding our hands!!
The MSNBC article has some great tips for dealing with Kid-Sickness:
1. remember this is good for your child because camp is a growth experience
2. do your homework on the camp so you have all your questions answered. I personally found this helpful when our daughter went away her first summer!
3. keep communication upbeat. I love this one! Your child is having a blast - any weird feelings you have are your issue so don’t dump that on your child.
4. Keep your self busy. Your child likely isn’t that homesick because of how busy the camp keeps the kids. Follow suit with that model and you’ll be fine.
5. Ditch the internet! Most camps have either a webcam or posted pictures. Don’t get caught up in that.
It is healthy of kids and parents to have some time apart. Instead of wasting the time by obsessing too much on what’s happening at camp, make the most of the time by doing things for yourself - things easier to do when kids are not at home. Some parents travel when their kids are away or take a class or spend time with friends they haven’t seen for a while. Your child is off having a blast, you do the same! Think of all the great stories you all will have to swap when the homecoming day arrives.
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We Have Video!
Submitted by We Have Video!
For awhile now, I’ve been planning to create a series of video clips to bring more attention to boys’ issues. So consider this as something in the light of a sneak preview, as we have finally posted the first of that series on You Tube. I’ve taken to calling it the, “Let Boys be Boys,” campaign, as I think that expresses the essence of what we’re really about. Future clips will highlight topics like the literacy gap as well as other boys’ health and education issues. Of course, I will let you all know when we get more up there (and you can always subscribe to the You Tube channel as well), but in the meantime, enjoy:
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Protect Your Baby from Heat Exposure in the Car
Submitted by Childn’Parent
The hot sweltering months of summer are upon us. We moms’ pull out the artillery and arm ourselves with air conditioning, sun screen, ice cream cones, slushies and more than a few trips to the pool. When traveling by car, the heat can really take its toll.
With these important safety tips you can protect your baby or tot from heat exposure in the car.
1. Use a stuffed animal toy as a visual reminder that your child is in the back seat. Position the stuffed animal toy in the passenger seat or in a safe spot on the console. Take the toy and put it in the empty car seat after taking your child out of the car. When you put your child back into the car seat, switch it back to the front to remind yourself that your child is again in the back seat.
2. Never ever leave your baby or tot in a parked car. According to the NTSA “Cars parked in direct sunlight can reach internal temperatures up to 131 F- 172 F.” The NTSA goes on to say that even at lower temperatures with the windows slightly rolled down, a car will still reach a high internal temperature in a matter of minutes.
3. Cover the car seat. Dr. John Chiles of Pueblo Pediatrics recommends that you protect your child from temperature absorbing car seat fabrics by covering an empty car seat with a white dishtowel or sheet. Dr. Chiles also recommends that you position a frozen water bottle on the metal buckles of an empty car seat to protect your child from nasty metal buckle burns.
4. Get tinted windows or use a sun shade. Tinted windows can cut summer heat by up to 60%. Check your local state laws regarding tinted windows on automobiles. A well designed sun shade will keep your baby comfortable and help prevent heat stroke.
5. Keep plenty of drinking water and formula on hand when traveling. Dr. Chiles says that babies 4 to 6 months need an intake of 36 ounces of either formula or breast milk a day. Newborns to six months do not need extra water. If you are breast feeding, drink extra water so that you will have an adequate supply of milk to keep your baby hydrated. He also recommends that babies and tots over six months have small 4oz servings of juice three times a day. Pear, apple, and white grape juice are great for keeping kids hydrated.
More help to keep you and your child safe and cool through the hot summer months.
The American Academy of Pediatrics Summer Safety Tips for Children.
The CDC’s official guide on protecting yourself and your child from extreme heat.
Health and safety tips for your child from Dr. John Chiles of Pueblo Pediatrics.
By Debby Hoffer
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Trying to shed some pounds? Keep a dairy!
Submitted by Dr. Gwenn Is In
Summer time is a great time to try and get into shape - for all of us, including our kids. But, many people, including kids, find that diet and exercise alone don’t always work. A new report offers a suggestion that may be the key to the weight loss lock many have been seeking: a food log or diary.
This isn’t a new idea. Many weight loss programs have a food diary or log as a key feature. What makes this report compelling to me is the lack of gimmicks or association with a formal, national weight loss program. And, the results of this study are eye opening: the diary dieters lost 2x the weight compared to the non-diary keepers.
The study, published in the August American Journal of Preventive Medicine, followed 1685 adults. According to USA today, the best results were seen in people who kept their diaries for at least 6 days a week. Attending group meetings and exercise were also important factors. The average amount of exercise was only 117 minutes a week - that averages only to about 20minutes a day!
So, what does this mean for any of us?
- write down everything you eat and drink
- have good social supports: a weight loss program or a family member
- exercise daily
This would work with kids, too, or teens, who need to lose weight. Partner with your pediatrician who can help you follow any medical problems that may need to be addressed such as blood pressure or cholesterol. If you are going to do this type of program at home with a child or teen, you have to be honest with your approach and make it a family affair. This isn’t something you can do on the sly. I’ve talked about this before - the need to be open and honest with overweight kids about their weight problems. In fact, the child is the one who already knows! If you need help talking to your overweight child, click here. There are many good ways to approach that difficult topic.
Good luck with your weight loss goals! I know you can get to where you want to be and with the help of your new food diary. Start small: portion size and places with empty calories. And, before you know it the pointer on the scale will start inching down. Oh, by the way, only weight yourself once a week - more than that is too much. The loose fit of your weight line will be the motivation you need that your new approach is working.