School Age
The Largest Recall in History
Inexpensive toy jewelry sold in vending machines can pose a significant risk to children. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has determined that many of the jewelry trinkets sold in ve…
The Ghost of Christmas Future
Every day in the United States about 4,400 children try their first cigarette. Look into the future, and about one third of these children are expected to die from their smoking. They've touched their…
Why Do Bones Break In Children?
Kids who have more than one broken bone during childhood should be checked to find out why - especially if the trauma leading to the break was minor. We used to think that these were just very active …
Dieting Causes Kids to Gain Weight?
The more often that children dieted, the more likely they were to become more overweight over the next three years, according to a study of 14,972 children in the October 2003 Pediatrics. Binge eating…
Sticks and Stones, or Soda and TV?
Kids are breaking their bones in unprecedented numbers. From the early 1970's to the early 2000's, broken forearms in children have increased by a striking 40 percent, according to data published in t…
The Organic Lunchbox
Dr. Greene's take on having an organic lunchbox for our kids... I've partnered with Stonyfield Farm (makers of my favorite yogurt) on the Menu for Change, an exciting program to give power to parents …
Pack it with the School Supplies
A list of the top 10 recent research articles in children's health appeared in the August 2003 issue of Pediatric News, the leading newspaper for pediatricians. Number two on the list was about how al…
Back to After-School
As the school year starts up again, more parents are concerned with the hours after school than with school itself, according to a survey commissioned by a national nonprofit coalition of more than 2,…
Finding Migraines
Even though migraines are quite common, they often go undiagnosed and under-treated for years. A technique called ID migraine is a simple set of three questions that can be a powerful way to detect mi…
A Weight and Fitness Report Card
Elementary school children in Cambridge, Massachusetts recently came home with a different kind of report card from school, informing parents of their child's body mass index (BMI) and what it means a…
Sunshine: Too Much, Too Little, or Just Right
Sun exposure during childhood, especially between 6 and 15 years of age appears to protect people from later developing multiple sclerosis, according to a study in the August 9, 2003 British Medical J…
Football, Heatstroke, and Head Injuries
The statistics are in, and happily there were no deaths from heatstroke among U.S. football players during the 2002 season (or so far in 2003), according to the National Center for Catastrophic Sports…
Music and Brain Power?
Music lessons for kids can result in better verbal memory skills, claims a study in the July 2003 Neuropsychology. In this study of 90 boys at a Hong Kong school, half were part of their school's stri…
The Power of Lunch
Most schools offer vending machines and a la carte dining to provide extra food beyond the traditional balanced school lunch. It's not too surprising that, given the choice, many students opt to fill …
Premies in Third Grade
Over the last twenty years, the survival rate for very early premies has increased dramatically. What is life like for them? A study of hundreds of extremely low birth weight (ELBW) babies born in 199…
Let’s Hear It for New York!
A bold move by New York City, home to largest school system in the United States, intends to provide students in New York schools with healthy food designed to taste good. The resolution, passed on Ju…
Snoring and Grades
Did you just get your child's report card? Were his grades lower than you'd like? Does your child snore? If so, one of the best things you can do to help him succeed in school or thrive in preschool m…
Does Paxil Kill Children?
On June 10, 2003 the British government issued a very strong warning about the antidepressant Paxil, called Seroxat in Britain, saying that it "should not be used in children and adolescents under the…
Chubby Babies
Almost every day I hear from parents or grandparents who are concerned because they feel that the babies they love just aren't getting enough to eat. They try to coax them to take just a few more ounc…
Couch Potatoes & Screen Potatoes Unpeeled
There's good news and bad news. Dramatically good and dramatically bad. Duke University announced on May 28, 2003 the results of their 5-year randomized study on body fat. Two kinds of body fat accumu…