Health Updates-May 2010

Pediatrics:

Do swimming lessons reduce drowning risk?

A recent study in Archives of Pediatriac and Adolescent medicine says that the answer in 1-4 year olds is YES by 88%. This was after adjusting for income, education, risk taking, and race. However, swimming lessons were not predictive of drowning risk in the 5-19 year old age group. This article reopens the discussion as whether swimming lessons may make parents less cautious near water and that children this young are developmentally unprepared to learn to swim.

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/123/5/e857

Adult Medicine

are you getting too much folic acid? recent studies have shown that too much of this b vitamin can lead to increase risks of colon, lung and prostate cancer. As medical science continues to evolve, we are learning more and more about the possible dangers of excessive vitamin and mineral supplementation. Pregnant women need 400mcg of folic acid to protect their fetuses against neural tube defects. Doses in excess of this have recently been found to increase the incidences of certain cancers

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35874922/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/page/2/from/ET

Leumit Health Services(Kupat Cholim)-Simply the best medical care in Ramat Beit Shemesh