From the Headlines

Here are a few interesting health related articles that made the news this week:

1)Narcolepsy and H1N1:

I mostly find this interesting because it underscores how little we still know about an individual's genetic makeup. We don't know who's going to have the (very odd) vaccine reaction or the medicine side effect. And really, wouldn't that be the next frontier? To know these things before we prescribe and administer meds? I had a teenage girl tell me she wouldn't take birth control pills unless I could tell her which one wouldn't make her gain weight. And I said, "Oh darlin', if I could predict that, I probably wouldn't be sitting here right now." Did I really call her darlin'? Or do I remember all my anecdotes with a southern twang? Hmmmm... Anyway, she should ask me that question again in 20 years, because maybe by then we'll be able to do just that.

2)Speaking of Nutrition:

Yikes! The researchers found that the diet of a 3 year old is paramount. And even if the diet was changed when they got older, the IQ difference stuck to those who'd had lousy diets as toddlers. As if we didn't have enough mommy guilt! I think Tiny
Dancer eats a pretty good diet overall, but you know, she's a toddler. And of course this article had to come out during girl scout cookie season. ;) You know what kills me? Lil Drummer (at 9 months) will eat pureed spinach, broccoli, sweet potatoes, bananas, apples..and even rutabegas! Anything, basically. It's all baby food to him. So, why oh why does this have to change?
Why do kids so effortlessly age out of such accepting palates? My friend, Sunny, is trying more of the 'deceptively delicious' route, which seems like a good idea. Anyone have experience with this?

3)Dangerous Diet Sodas:

But, really people, do we need a study to tell us that diet sodas probably aren't good for us? I guess the question is simply how bad. No, it's not a perfect study. Nor was the one that came out last year possibly linking heavy intake to pancreatic cancer. But when you start to see several studies pointing to possible bad outcomes, you start to take notice. It causes me to wonder what's coming down the pipeline. But the main reason I like this article, is that I like to see these industries get all hopping mad when science like this comes out. They point out every flaw in the study, they say it overreaches in its conclusions, etc., They can't STAND to think that the bad press might affect their bottom line. But since I don't really trust the food industry to have my best interests at heart, I sort of love that this information can be out there for people to read and analyze for themselves.


Oh...and Happy Valentine's Day! I know I'll be claiming temporary amnesia from aforementioned nutritional advice, and eating lots of chocolate! (And, one could argue that maybe some chocolate is part of good nutrition anyway!) MUAH! :)