Health Updates: July 2009

Some recent medical updates for our patients:

1. Recent data from a large federal study in the US, The Multimodal Treatment Study of Children, suggest that Ritalin use over 3 years is not effective for symptoms of ADD and can significantly effect growth. (Washington Post, March 29, 2009)

2 .The risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is reduced by 50% in infants who breastfeed even for as little as the first month of life. (March edition of Pediatrics)

3.Children with flat feet experience no disadvantages in sport performance whatsoever, providing the evidence to confirm our suspicions that doing nothing about this problem may be the best treatment strategy of all. (March edition, Pediatrics.

4. Top Ten Air-Filtering Plants: In an effort to identify plants that can filter air in sealed environments, NASA spent 2 years testing common plants to determine the best natural filters. The following list includes plants that perform the best in removing formaldehyde, benzene and carbon monoxide, three common yet toxic contaminants that we regularly find indoors. Bamboo palm (Chamaedorea seifritzii) Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema modestmu) English ivy (Hedera helix) Gerbera daisy (Gerbera jamesonii) Janet Craig (Dracaena) Marginata (Dracaena marginata) Mass cane/corn plant (Dracaena massangeana) Mother-in-law’s tongue (Sansevieria laurentii) Pot mum (Chrysantheium morifolium) Peace lily (Spathiphyllum “Mauna Loa”) (from www.DrGreene.com)

5. Sleep-deprived kids more likely to have problems as teenagers :Sleep problems during childhood may be associated with neuropsychological performance during adolescence. In the study, “Sleep Problems in Childhood Predict Neuropsychological Functioning in Adolescence,” parents reported on their children’s sleep problems at 5, 7 and 9 years of age. Neuropsychological functioning was assessed through testing when the participants were 13 years of age. Data from 720 participants were analyzed and results indicate that children reported to have sleep issues such as difficulties initiating and maintaining sleep may have slightly poorer functioning on certain tasks in adolescence. These tasks tap skills including complex visual scanning. Sleep disturbance in childhood was not associated with many other areas of performance (e.g. verbal fluency). This preliminary research needs replication, but emphasizes the need to invest in and increase understanding of the links between sleep problems and neuropsychological functioning in youth. (From www.aap.org)