Pediatric health Archive

Research we're watching

Drinking too much alcohol could raise the risk of developing early-onset dementia, says a study published online Feb. 20, 2018, by The Lancet Public Health.

The overuse of antibiotics and antacids can lead to problems regardless of age, but if given to babies it can contribute to allergies and asthma as children grow.

On call

Q. There has been a lot of talk about the severity of this flu season, and I recently heard that influenza also can trigger a heart attack. Should I worry?

A. Influenza is responsible for about 10,000 to 20,000 annual deaths, mostly from pneumonia or internal organ failure. In other situations, influenza infection strains a person's health, which can worsen underlying conditions, such as heart disease.

The way you live, what you eat and drink, and how you treat your body can affect your memory just as much as your physical health and well-being. Here are five things you can do every day to keep both your mind and body sharp.

1. Manage your stress. The constant drumbeat of daily stresses such as deadline pressures or petty arguments can certainly distract you and affect your ability to focus and recall. But the bigger problem is an ongoing sense of anxiety — that can lead to memory impairment. If you don't have a strategy in place for managing your stress, protecting your memory is one reason to get one. Deep breathing, meditation, yoga, and a "mindful" approach to living can all help.

It’s common to repeat ourselves trying to get children to follow our instructions, but how much of what we are trying to convey does a child truly comprehend? Paying attention to context and using words that make clear what we want are likely to get better results.

The health risks of loneliness and isolation have been known for some time, but more recently research has shown the specific effects in the brain. Finding ways to make connections with other people is the best "medicine" to alleviate the mental and physical effects of loneliness.