Welcome to “Weekly Highlights”, our weekly post that recaps important child health and safety news, research, and recalls from the previous week and other great reads we’ve come across in our internet travels.
In the News:
Cell Towers Going up in School District Despite Parent Objections - Is this the beginning of a new trend? School districts in the market for new sources of revenue signing contracts with cellphone businesses to put up towers on school campuses. Is this really a good idea?
Group Urges Johnson & Johnson Boycott Over Baby Shampoo Chemicals - The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has been campaigning J&J for over 2 years now to remove two controversial chemicals from its baby shampoo formulation – Quaternium-15, a formaldehyde-releasing preservative, and 1,4-dioxane, a byproduct of a process for making chemicals more soluble and gentler on the skin. J&J already makes a safer alternative for other countries, so why the double standard for the U.S.? Time to ratchet up the pressure.
Parents Order Chicken Pox Lollipops Over the Internet – Well, “pox parties” are out, and now “pox pops” are in? Moms in a Facebook group have been found offering to send lollipops that have been infected with chicken pox by mail. Aside from being illegal, doctors say it’s not likely to work as the virus would not survive; however, other more dangerous disease germs just might. And requests were also found on the FB page for measles, mumps, or rubella. Really??
New Research:
The Prevalence Puzzle: Autism Counts
Are increasing rates of autism due to increased awareness and shifting diagnoses or increasing exposure to toxins and genetic factors? This article provides an excellent summation of some of the key research addressing this question and the direction that autism research is moving.
Second Thoughts on Medicines for Babies Who Spit Up
Prescriptions for acid reflux medications are on the rise, with 11- and 16- fold increases documented in some medications. Dr. Hassall, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Sutter Pacific Medical Foundation in San Francisco, is concerned that these medications are being over-prescribed. Some studies have shown that these medications work no better than placebos in treating infants with reflux because many of these children don’t truly have reflux. In many cases, the symptoms may just be part of normal infant development. Before attempting prescription drugs, he suggests changes in maternal diet for breastfeeding mothers, namely elimination of dairy, soy, and/or wheat, or hypoallergenic formulas for bottle-fed infants.
Good Reads:
Top Doc Reveals 8 Fertility Misconceptions from CNN Health - Some of the more common mistakes and misconceptions couples may have about fertility. I learned a few things about IVF and infertility I hadn’t known before.
Recalls, November 1 – November 7:
CPSC Child Product Recalls
- Boy Scouts of America Recalls Cub Scout Wind Tech Jackets Due to Strangulation Hazard
- Dutailier Group Recalls Drop-Side Cribs Due to Entrapment and Fall Hazards
- Battat Recalls Magnetic Sketchboards; Magnetic Pen Tip Poses Choking Hazards
- Kiddieland Recalls Disney-branded Fairies Plastic Trikes Due to Laceration Hazard
Child Safety Seat Recalls
No child safety seat recall announcements this week.
USDA/FDA Recalls
- Quirch Foods Co. Issues Alert on Uneviscerated Salted Smoked Split Herring, Packed in 18lb Wooden Boxes, Due to Possible Clostridium Botulinum Health Risk
- FDA Confirms Salmonella on Sunrise Commodities’ Turkish Pine Nuts
- Rice-A-Roni Issues Voluntary Recall on a Small Quantity of Specific Family Size Rice-A-Roni Rice Pilaf Flavor Product Due to Undeclared Milk Allergen
- Pure Italian, LLC Recalls Bio Gaudiano Brand Stuffed Olives With Almonds Because Of Possible Health Risk
- FDA Warns Consumers Not to Eat Certain ASSI Brand Frozen Oysters
- Badia Spices Recalls Pinenuts Because of Possible Health Risk
- Foremost Foods International, Inc. Issues Recall On Certain Pangasinan Smoked Seafood Products Due To Possible Health Risk
- Hawaii Candy Urgent (Food) Recall
- California Firm Recalls Chicken Pot Pie Empanadas That May Contain Foreign Materials
- Texas Firm Recalls Beef Jerky Products Due to Possible Salmonella Contamination
If there’s anything you see and think we should feature, please send it our way to jasmine@purebebe.com. We hope your week is off to a great start!
XOXO,
Jasmine & Heather
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Love seeing the article on the meds for reflux in children. I don’t claim to have all the details at my fingertips, but I have listened to presentations and read articles about digestion that show that what many people think of as reflux or too much acid in the stomach is actually not enough acid in the stomach. Apparently, there is a valve in the stomach that only opens to allow the contents of the stomach to continue on its way through the digestive system AFTER the contents of the stomach achieve a certain level of acid. That prevents food that hasn’t yet experienced the level of digestion the stomach is supposed to provide from getting into the intestines where it cannot be treated properly. Therefore, most people with acid problems need more, not less. However, they’re popping antacids all the time, reducing stomach acid which leaves rotting food in the stomach on an almost continuous basis. And the pharmaceutical companies don’t mind at all that people view this as the problem. Many adults eventually figure it out on their own and solve their problem with doses of raw apple cider vinegar daily or before meals, etc. Of course, handling infants and children is much more difficult, but it’s heartbreaking to consider. At one presentation, a member of the audience said he knew someone whose infant had been on antacids since she was about 6 weeks old. The lecturer had no answer but to sigh. Most kids don’t actually have reflux, but parents like getting reflux medication because it has a strong sedative effect. A good night’s sleep is awfully tempting. But over time, you can only hope that parents will do some research — particularly with the help of certified nutritional counselors — to solve the REAL problem with REAL solutions — which are more often than not nutritional rather than pharmaceutical. Just sayin’ I can make references to excellent nutritional counselors if anyone is interested.