Marijuana for menstrual cramps? One state considers it

Advocates say medical marijuana proposal could make life less painful for women with debilitating menstrual cramps

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/marijuana-menstrual-cramps-new-york/

Color-changing tattoos aim to monitor health stats

Researchers hope the technology, still in the very early stages, "sparks imaginations and opens up possibilities"

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/color-changing-tattoos-aim-to-monitor-blood-sugar-other-health-stats/

Could white bread be better for some people?

One small study suggests it might, but at least one nutrition expert advises sticking with whole grains

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/could-white-bread-be-better-for-some-people/

Man dies after flesh-eating bacteria infects new tattoo

The man went for a swim in the Gulf of Mexico just days after getting inked

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/man-dies-after-flesh-eating-bacteria-vibrio-infects-new-tattoo/

Women's Wellness: Female athletes and their periods

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIjPLF0wKao

Infectious Diseases A-Z: Foodborne botulism basics

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo8LyTjr1HU

Mayo Clinic Minute: Allergies and the cleanliness conundrum

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhGF5CCo1og

Seattle OKs tax on soda and other sugary drinks

Seattle's new tax aims to support healthy food and education programs

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/seattle-soda-tax-energy-drinks-sugary-beverages/

WHO updates Essential Medicines List with new advice on use of antibiotics, and adds medicines for hepatitis C, HIV, tuberculosis and cancer

New advice on which antibiotics to use for common infections and which to preserve for the most serious circumstances is among the additions to the WHO Model list of essential medicines for 2017.

From: http://www.who.int/entity/mediacentre/news/releases/2017/essential-medicines-list/en/index.html

Room sharing with your baby may help prevent SIDS—but it means everyone gets less sleep

Follow me on Twitter @drClaire

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the best place for a baby to sleep is in his parents’ bedroom. He should sleep in his own crib or bassinet (or in a co-sleeper safely attached to the bed), but shouldn’t be in his own room until he is at least 6 months, better 12 months. This is because studies have shown that when babies are close by, it can help reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS.

A study published in the journal Pediatrics, however, points out a downside to this: babies don’t sleep as well, and by extension, neither do their parents.

Researchers found that “early independent sleepers,” babies who slept in their own room before 4 months, slept longer, and for longer stretches, than babies who slept in their parents’ room. At 9 months, these babies were better sleepers, not just compared to those who slept in their parents’ room, but also to those who transitioned to their own room between 4 and 9 months.

This is no small thing for sleep-deprived parents. Even a few extra minutes can make all the difference — and given that research suggests that sleeping well in infancy improves the chances of sleeping well in childhood, the study seems to suggest that getting babies out of their parents’ room from the get-go could be a real sanity saver.

The study also found that babies who shared a room with their parents were four times more likely to end up in their parents’ bed during the night — and more likely to have pillows, blankets, and other unsafe stuff around when they sleep. Interestingly, babies who slept in a different room were more likely to have a consistent bedtime and bedtime routine, something that has been shown to help babies sleep better.

But as with most things in medicine, it’s not that simple.

As was pointed out in a commentary accompanying the study, early “sleep consolidation,” or sleeping many hours at once, isn’t necessarily a good thing. The ability to wake easily is important and may be critical in preventing SIDS. The waking up that happens with room sharing may be the exact thing that protects the baby.

It should be pointed out, too, that infancy doesn’t last forever. As much as it can feel like an eternity of being woken at night, the fact is that over time, most babies learn to sleep through the night and give their parents a break.

Also, having the baby sleep nearby helps with breastfeeding. It’s a simple fact that because breast milk is digested more quickly than formula, breastfed babies tend to eat more frequently than formula-fed babies. When babies are in another room, it’s harder and mothers may give up and switch to formula earlier.

It would be so easy if there were rules for parenting that worked for every family, but that’s just not the case. Every family and every child is different; in every situation, it’s about weighing risks and benefits.

Room sharing can help prevent SIDS and support breastfeeding, that’s clear. Also, room sharing doesn’t mean that babies can’t have a consistent bedtime and bedtime routine; it may be tempting to keep the baby up until the parents go to bed, but it doesn’t have to be that way. But the benefits of room sharing diminish when room sharing becomes bed sharing, or when other rules of safe sleep (like no pillows) get broken. Safe sleep, and good sleep routines, should happen no matter where a baby sleeps.

At the same time, if room sharing means that parents aren’t getting any sleep because they are woken by every baby whimper and squeak, that’s not good for anybody — and if the parents’ relationship is suffering significantly because they don’t feel that they can or should be intimate near the baby, that’s not good for anybody either.

What’s important is that parents know the recommendations, and the facts behind those recommendations. Once they have that information, they should work with their pediatrician to make the decisions that make the most sense for their child’s safety, their sanity, and the overall health and well-being of their family.

The post Room sharing with your baby may help prevent SIDS—but it means everyone gets less sleep appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

From: Claire McCarthy, MD http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-pros-and-cons-of-having-your-baby-sleep-in-your-room-2017060611855

Victims recount suffering at hands of fake plastic surgeon

A Denver surgical assistant posed as a plastic surgeon and performed face-lifts, tummy tucks and other procedures with limited, if any, anesthesia

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/victims-recount-suffering-at-hands-of-fake-plastic-surgeon/

Blood cancer treatment called "revolutionary"

Results of two small studies of a new cell and gene therapy for multiple myeloma are being lauded as unprecedented

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/blood-cancer-multiple-myeloma-gene-therapy-all-study-patients-responded/

Study finds this may boost cancer survival more than many drugs

Speaking up about side effects like nausea and fatigue as early as possible could have a substantial impact on survival, new study suggests

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/quickly-reporting-cancer-side-effects-may-boost-survival/

Gene-Based Therapy May Thwart a Tough Blood Cancer

Researchers attempt to turn immune cells into unerring killers of multiple myeloma cells

From: http://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20170605/gene-based-therapy-may-thwart-a-tough-blood-cancer?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Bitter Divorce May Harm Kids' Immune Systems

More evidence that family stress in childhood might affect lifelong health

From: http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20170605/when-a-divorce-turns-bitter-kids-immune-systems-may-pay-a-price?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Moving Toward a Better Blood Pressure Pill

Combining low doses of multiple drugs might work for some, study finds

From: http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/news/20170605/moving-toward-a-better-blood-pressure-pill?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Gay dads may be more involved in their kids' lives

Here's one way parenting may differ from a traditional heterosexual household

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/gay-dads-more-involved-in-childrens-lives-than-straight-dads-study-shows/

When should babies start sleeping in their own room?

Despite latest guidelines, new research suggests parents and infants "room-sharing" for too long can increase the odds of health risks

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/sharing-bedroom-sleep-with-baby-health-risks/

Gene-Targeted Drugs Fight Advanced Lung Cancers

Medications show promise for non-small cell type

From: http://www.webmd.com/lung-cancer/news/20170605/gene-targeted-drugs-fight-advanced-lung-cancers?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Are Many A-Fib Patients Getting the Wrong Dose?

Study of newer blood thinners finds 16 percent receive too much or too little medication

From: http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/atrial-fibrillation/news/20170605/are-many-a-fib-patients-getting-wrong-doses?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Texas lawmakers fail to act on pregnancy deaths

Key measures didn't make it to a vote even though state has the highest rate of pregnancy-related deaths in the developed world

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-lawmakers-fail-to-address-high-maternal-mortality-pregnancy-deaths/

Woman dies while having cosmetic surgery in Florida

Lattia Baumeister, who was visiting from Chicago, died from plastic surgery complications at Seduction by Jardon's Medical Center in Doral, Florida

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/lattia-baumeister-dies-cosmetic-surgery-florida-seduction-by-jardon/

Obamacare advisor on 3 simple ways to fix insurance problems

Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel warns that the GOP's bill to replace Obamacare has no cost-control measures

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/obamacare-advisor-ezekiel-emanuel-three-very-simple-things-fix-health-insurance-problems/

Americans Buying Less Salt-Laden Foods

Still, study found they eat too much salt for their own good

From: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20170605/americans-buying-less-salt-laden-foods?src=RSS_PUBLIC

New drugs show promise against multiple cancers

For prostate cancer, treatment will change "pretty much overnight," said one expert

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/drugs-fight-breast-lung-prostate-cancers-lynparza-zytiga/

Bad viruses travel fast: Measles vaccine important for travelers

Follow me at @JohnRossMD

The United States was declared free from ongoing measles transmission in 2000. So why are we still having measles attacks? An outbreak of measles is currently raging in Minnesota. In 2015, 125 cases of measles occurred in California, and in 2014, 383 people were infected with measles in an Amish community in Ohio.

How measles outbreaks happen

There are several reasons why we are still at risk for measles outbreaks. Travelers may get infected overseas, and bring the measles virus back into the country with them unawares. The 2015 measles outbreak in Ohio began when two infected members of the Amish community returned home from typhoon relief work on the Philippines. The California measles outbreak in 2014 started at two Disney theme parks, perhaps after the virus was brought there by a foreign tourist.

In measles, there is an unusually long delay between infection and the development of the rash and other symptoms, typically about two weeks. Measles virus is also highly contagious; patients start to spread the virus to other people about four days before the rash develops. These features make it possible for measles to spread quickly through an unsuspecting population.

The final component to measles outbreaks is inadequate immunity. Many American adults have only received a single dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, which is only 93% effective at preventing measles. Since 1989, the recommendation has been to give two doses of MMR, which is 97% protective against measles. Vaccination rates have been low among patients in recent US outbreaks. In the current outbreak in Minnesota, most measles cases have occurred in unvaccinated Somali-American children, probably due to the success of anti-vaccine activists in pushing a debunked connection between autism and the MMR vaccine.

Measles infection can still be lethal

So, what’s the big deal about measles? For most people, measles makes for a miserable week of high fever, cough, runny nose, watery eyes, and an impressive total body rash. But for others, it can be a life-threatening, even fatal, condition. One out of every 20 measles patients develops pneumonia, which may be severe. Infection of the brain, or encephalitis, occurs in one out of 1,000 cases. Brain damage, deafness, intellectual disability, or death may result. Before the measles vaccine was available, measles killed 500 people in the US every year, most of them children, and led to 1,000 cases of brain damage per year.

Measles has an especially horrifying late complication known as subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE). In SSPE, children recover from their initial measles infection, only to develop progressive brain infection with a mutated form of measles virus in their teenage years, leading to a persistent vegetative state.

Many outbreaks of measles could probably be prevented if more travelers received MMR prior to foreign travel. According to a study done in US travel clinics, 16% of pre-travel patients were eligible for measles vaccine, but only a minority of patients received it. The authors of the study cited many reasons that patients didn’t receive the vaccine, with patient refusal being the most common. Next time you plan to travel overseas, think about protecting your community by asking your doctor if you are a candidate for the MMR vaccine before you leave.

The post Bad viruses travel fast: Measles vaccine important for travelers appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

From: John Ross, MD, FIDSA http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/bad-viruses-travel-fast-measles-vaccine-important-travelers-2017060511833

Drug Helps Some Kids With Rare Type of Leukemia

Dasatinib prolonged survival in chronic myeloid leukemia patients, study says

From: http://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20170605/cancer-drug-helps-some-kids-with-rare-type-of-leukemia?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Video Q&A about HPV-related Tongue and Tonsil Cancer

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esXhSpNJfHs