Elevated Exposure to Chemicals Weakens Immune Response to Vaccines

A new research study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggests that perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) may reduce the effectiveness of common childhood vaccines. Researchers working on this study, headed up by Dr. Philippe Grandjean, chair of environmental medicine at the University of Southern Denmark, studied children born in the Faroe Islands due to reports of increasing amounts of PFCs in the drinking water and fish located within close proximity to the Islands. Children in the study received the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTaP) vaccine at 3 months, along with the recommended booster at age five. The researchers tested the immunity of the children, at age five and seven years, and drew some blood to test PFC levels. What they found wasn’t good. Higher levels of PFCs in the blood correlated with much lower immune responses. In fact, by the age of seven years, children with a twofold increase of bodily PFCs were up to fours times as likely to have an immune response that was no longer even clinically active. Basically, children with the highest PFC levels weren’t as protected or weren’t protected at all against disease, even though they’d been vaccinated.

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USDA Kicks Off First Major Healthy School Lunch Changes in 15 Years

We’re not huge fans of the USDA school lunch program. Not only has Congress attempted to keep school lunches unhealthy, to the point of declaring pizza a vegetable, but overall, school lunches contain some horrid stuff. From pesticides to too much fat and sodium to flavored milk, fizzy fruit and fast food, school lunches throughout the last decade have become nightmarish in quality at most schools. Your child, thus far, has been better off with a sustainable healthy packed lunch. Now though, thankfully, there’s hope on the horizon. Thanks to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act championed by the First Lady and signed by President Obama, the USDA is making the first major changes to all school meals in 15 years. Hopefully these changes will stick and result in a healthier generation of children.

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Phthalates in Body Care Products Linked to Childhood Obesity

Researchers from the Children’s Environmental Health Center at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York have recently found a link between exposure to phthalates and childhood obesity in young children. Researchers working on this study measured phthalate concentrations in the urine of 387 children plus recorded body measurements including BMI, height, and waist circumference one year later. Urine tests revealed that shockingly, more than 97% of all the children were, at some point exposed to phthalates and the researchers guess that body care products may be to blame. Children exposed to the highest concentrations of chemicals also had larger BMI results and larger waist circumference results. BMI and waist circumference are both likely to be higher in overweight or obese children. The study’s lead author Susan Teitelbaum, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, notes:
“Research has shown that exposure to these everyday chemicals may impair childhood neurodevelopment, but this is the first evidence demonstrating that they may contribute to childhood obesity. This study also further emphasizes the importance of reducing exposure to these chemicals where possible.”

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Protect Baby’s Eyes in Style with Rubber Babiators Sunglasses

If the name of the company alone doesn’t make you smile, maybe this will help: Babiators‘ line of baby aviator sunglasses offers 100% protection from the full spectrum of UV rays and are made our of rubber instead of plastic. The sunglasses are also BPA and phthalate-free (so no worries if they end up, like most things, in Baby’s mouth), and they carry a one-year Wear and Tear Guarantee. Buying a pair of these bendable …

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Wakefield Who Claimed the Vaccine-Autism Connection Sues His Critics

In 1998 a study published in the The Lancet by Andrew Wakefield, MBBS, regarding a link between childhood vaccines and autism, that changed what parents everywhere thought about vaccines. The report, which claimed a possible link between a triple vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) and autism, caused a huge uproar among parents and health care professionals. Various medical experts claimed there was no way Wakefield’s paper could be correct, while some researchers backed him up. Most importantly though, parents backed Wakefield up. Once this report was published, many parents in Britain, and consequently the rest of the world, became alarmed that vaccinating their child might cause autism, and vaccine rates plummeted to new lows. Then in February of 2010, The Lancet fully retracted the 1998 paper from the published record, claiming that they were “Acting in the light of an ethics judgment by Britain’s General Medical Council against Andrew Wakefield.” The Medical Conuncil claimed the report was a fraud, and that Wakefield conducted research sans approval by the ethics committee and worse completed invasion and unnecessary procedures on the children involved. Overall Wakefield’s paper is likely behind one of the biggest debates regarding children’s health that we’ve seen in the last few decades. Now Wakefield is upset that his reputation and work have been attacked so he’s filed a defamation suit against BMJ, its editor, and an investigative journalist regrading a series of anti-Wakefield articles published last January.

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Many Parents Push Academics Over Play Which May Harm Kids’ Health

Yet another new study shows that parents, not external sources are likely behind a growing lack of childhood free play. The new study, published in the journal Pediatrics, shows that many preschool children are sitting sedentary most of the day, in part due to unrealistic demands on the part of parents. The researchers on this study looked at 34 various child care centers serving 3, 4 and 5 year-old kids, including inner-city, suburban, Head Start, and Montessori and found that children in these centers aren’t meeting recommended levels of physical activity for their age group. Researchers discovered three common barriers to children’s physical activity,  including injury concerns from parents, small budgets that don’t allow for playgrounds and pushing from parents and state to focus on “academics” vs. play. We’ve seen before how playgrounds can become too safe, and yes boring, due to dumbed down designs, and the researchers agree, saying in their report that boring playgrounds don’t entice preschoolers to play or get enough exercise. In this case, newer stricter safety playground licensing codes and low school budgets are to blame. Changing playgrounds for the better will take major nation-wide work. However, the other issues such as fear of safety and pushing for extensive academics are issues that parents are responsible for and should take control of.

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HOW TO: Make Homemade Organic Yogurt

Recently, I shared a healthy granola recipe, and today I get to share an organic yogurt recipe to go along with your granola. Yogurt and granola is not only a great, quick, and healthy breakfast it is also a quick and healthy snack, or even a quick and healthy dessert. Once you know how to make yogurt you'll be well on your way to make yogurt cheese and creamy frozen yogurt, imagine that. Yogurt is a great source of protein, specially for vegetarian tots. And the best part is that homemade yogurt is easy to make.

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FDA Finally Agrees to Make Decision About BPA in Food Products

According to Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has finally committed to making a decision about the dangers (or not) of Bisphenol A (BPA) in food and drink packaging. NRDC and other sources report that the FDA has agreed to a final BPA decision by March 31, 2012. Personally, I’m not holding my breath for a positive response, or any response at all for that matter. NRDC originally sent a petition to the FDA asking it to ban the use of BPA as a food additive about three years ago. Although legally the FDA is required to respond to petitions within 180 days, it took them 41 months, along with an NRDC lawsuit to respond. On top of that, even though countless organizations have asked for a BPA ban in baby bottles and sippy cups over the last few years, the FDA failed to respond to those concerns as well, that is, until the American Chemistry Council (ACC) asked them to. It’s quite obvious that the FDA couldn’t care less about your opinion if you’re an environmental or health organization or a concerned parent. The only way to make headway with the FDA is if you’ve got a hefty bankroll and some major marketing clout.

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Sticking to Your New Year’s Fitness Resolutions With Your Kids

Staying fit without a gym and with kids?  Sounds pretty tough, huh? New Year’s resolutions are tricky to stick with in general, and a lifestyle change can be intimidating, especially when you have to consider the effect it will have on your family’s meals, schedules, etc. While certain gyms have excellent childcare, others don’t offer any respite for healthy-aspiring moms and dads… and it seems a little soul-crushing to pay a babysitter to go exercise. So, include your kids in your healthy living plans. You’ll be setting them up for a lifetime of healthy habits, and they are likely to remind you that staying fit is fun. Read on for ways to keep the whole family fit during the winter.

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Do Public Nurse-ins Raise Awareness About Breastfeeding Rights?

If you’re a mama, you’ve likely already heard about the Target breastfeeding scandal. To sum up, a mama attempted to breastfeed her 5-month-old son while seated on the floor of the women’s clothing department at Target and it didn’t go well. The mother, Michelle Hickman, of the Houston-area, reports that even though she was feeding her baby under a blanket cover-up, several Target employees told her to relocate to a fitting room and one employee even said that she could be cited for indecent exposure if she didn’t stop. After complaining to Target’s corporate headquarters, Time magazine reports that Hickman was told by guest relations, “Just because it’s a woman’s legal right to nurse a baby in public doesn’t mean she should walk around the store flaunting it.” Hickman, who was rightfully outraged, told some friends, one of which launched a Facebook group about the Target events. Last Wednesday, breastfeeding mamas staged “nurse-ins” at Target stores across the country in order to raise awareness about public breastfeeding rights. This is far from the first time a breastfeeding mama has been attacked in public. It’s also not the first time nurse-ins have been staged, but a Time magazine piece about the nurse-ins raises an important question – do nurse-ins help change public perspective about breastfeeding in public, or not?

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Is the “Cry it Out” Method Healthy or Unhealthy for Babies?

Crying babies… all parents have been there and all parents have their own ways of dealing with the sometimes seemingly ongoing onslaught of tears and wailing. Still, as a parent, you may be wondering if there is one right way to deal with baby crying. What do the experts say about baby tears and is ‘crying it out’ really a useful method, especially if you’ve tried everything else? This was a recent topic of discussion posted on Shine, and if the 3,000+ comments are any indication, this is a topic near and dear to most parents.

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Environmental Health Strategy Center Report Finds BPA in Plastic Toys, Baby Rattles, Formula

The state of Maine has decided to take matters into its own hands while the Federal Government wavers on updating the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976. The state has now released its own commissioned report, Poison in Paint, Toxics in Toys, which found that hundreds of brand name consumer products including Playmobile Toys and Chicco baby rattles contain bisphenol-A (BPA), a hormone-disrupting chemical already banned in baby bottles and sippy cups. The report also found another class of hormone-disrupting chemicals known as NPEs in household paints, cleaners and wood finishes. Read on to discover which toys contain BPA.

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Pong™ iPhone and iPad Cases Reduce Exposure to Cell Phone Radiation

We’ve reported on cell phone radiation, especially with regard to the dangers of childrens’ exposure to iPhones and iPads on multiple occasions over the past year. Most readers have admitted they think iPhone apps are a lifesaver when it comes to keeping tots entertained. But that doesn’t change the fact that studies show that kids’ brains absorb twice as much cell phone radiation as adult brains, and we’d be remiss not to take precautions or avoid letting children play with these devices full stop. Lucky for diehard fans, young and old, of the iPhone and iPad, there’s a new case on the market which drastically reduces a user’s exposure to cell phone radiation. Pong Research, Inc. is a new health technology company founded by a team of PhDs from Princeton, Harvard, UCLA and MIT, that offers the only solution proven in FCC-certified labs to protect consumers significantly (up to 95% below FCC limits) from wireless device radiation.

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Should Doctors be Allowed to Refuse Treatment if Parents Won’t Vaccinate?

NPR recently broadcast an interesting discussion – Treating Families That Don’t Immunize. This NPR opinion piece asks the question: Is it okay, or even ethical for pediatricians to refuse routine care to families who refuse to vaccinate their children? The piece features commentary by New York Times Ethicist, Ariel Kaminer, who also recently posted this question to readers at The New York Times. The opinions are very interesting, especially if you read the reader comments on both. Many parents commented that a doctor dismissing a patient due to vaccine non-compliance isn’t fair. Yet, to play devil’s advocate, on the flip side, research shows that parents want their own freedom of choice when it comes to vaccine arrangements, such as many parents want to delay vaccines, have alternative schedules or not vaccinate altogether. It’s a little strange to want freedom of choice yourself, yet deny some doctors the same rights.

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Consumer Reports Agrees: Too Much Arsenic in Apple Juice and Grape Juice

Way back in July of 2011, we first told you about told you about the the extremely high levels of arsenic found in Mott’s Apple Juice. Then in September Dr. Oz and his team, ran their own tests and found that it was true; most apple juice brands contained more arsenic than the EPA deems safe in drinking water. Those first two rounds of tests encouraged Consumer Reports to run their own testing and just this week they found that, yet again, far too many juice brands contain unsafe levels of arsenic. Consumer Reports notes that this newest round of testing has prompted the organization to call for government standards to limit consumers’ exposure to these toxins. Right now, there are set federal limits about how much arsenic and lead can be in both bottled and drinking water but there are absolutely zero limits set when it comes to juice. Consumer Reports is concerned because a recent poll they conducted showed that juice is a mainstay of many children’s diets.

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More U.S. Parents Becoming Vaccine Skeptics and Not Meeting School Requirements

An Associated Press analysis found that more and more parents are becoming skeptical of vaccine safety, either opting out of school required vaccines entirely or opting into an alternative vaccine schedule. According to the report, more than 1 in 20 public school kindergartners in eight different states are not getting all the vaccines required for attendance. For its review of kindergarten exemption rates, the AP used figures from state health departments along with other previously reported data to the federal government. The survey found that Alaska children had the highest vaccine exemption rates in 2010-11, at nearly 9%. Colorado followed closely behind, with an exemption rate of 7%. Other states with higher exemption rates included Minnesota (6.5%), Vermont and Washington (6%), with Michigan, Oregon and Illinois not far behind. The lowest vaccine exemption rate was Mississippi at about 0%.

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