Surgery begins to separate conjoined twin girls

Long and difficult operation aims to give twins a chance at separate lives

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/surgery-begins-to-separate-conjoined-twin-girls-in-texas/

Zika concerns in the U.S.

Health officials are warning of a potential Zika outbreak in the U.S.

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/zika-concerns-in-the-u-s/

New fruit tops list of most contaminated produce

The Environmental Working Group is out with its annual ranking of pesticide levels in popular fruits and vegetables

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-fruit-tops-dirty-dozen-list-of-most-contaminated-produce/

Doctors Often Overestimate Promise of New Drugs

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From: http://www.webmd.com/news/20160412/doctors-often-overestimate-promise-of-newly-approved-drugs?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Teenage Girls Now Try Alcohol Before Boys Do

When it comes to drinking, the gender gap is disappearing, experts say

From: http://teens.webmd.com/news/20160412/teenage-girls-now-try-alcohol-before-boys-do-study?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Can I Get Neurostimulation for My Cluster Headaches?

It’s still experimental, but neurostimulation might hold promise if other treatments for cluster headaches don’t help. WebMD explains what it is and how it works.

From: http://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/features/neurostimulation-cluster-headache?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Could This Nerve Transform Medicine?

Tapping into a nerve in the neck is transforming medicine. WebMD tells you how stimulating the vagus is helping treat epilepsy, obesity, and maybe even asthma, PTSD, and more.

From: http://www.webmd.com/brain/news/20160412/vagus-nerve-stimulation-treatment?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Mayo Clinic Minute: Robots in the Operating Room

From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl2H0Lpw3hw

4 “must dos” for kids with seasonal allergies

Follow me at @drClaire

It’s always wonderful when winter ends and spring finally appears…unless you have hay fever.

Hay fever, or seasonal allergies, is very common — and can be really uncomfortable. While it’s not always easy to tell a cold from allergies, it’s more likely to be allergies if there’s no fever, if eyes are itchy, if there’s lots of sneezing…and if it lasts longer than a few days.

The good news is that there are some simple things that you can do to make your child — and anyone else in the house that has hay fever — feel better.

1. Close the windows. After a long winter it’s tempting to open them, but don’t — because that lovely fresh air brings pollen in with it. If you have an air conditioner, run it.
2. Wash up and change when you get home. Speaking of bringing pollen in, you also do a good job of that when you come inside. The allergy sufferer should definitely change clothes and wash his hands and face when he comes in, but it’s not a bad idea for everyone to do the same, as you all could be pollen-carriers. Try to keep your house as pollen-free as possible. The room where this is particularly important is the bedroom, as that’s where your child spends the most time. If possible, try to keep your child out of his bedroom during the day (move the fun toys somewhere else) and have him bathe before bed.
3. Be thoughtful about outside time. As a pediatrician, I absolutely want my patients to be outside; I want them to be active, and to get the sunshine that helps their bodies make vitamin D. But if you have an allergy sufferer, you need to think before you send your child outside. Dry and windy days are the worst, and places with lots of plantings are tough. Many weather sites and apps have local pollen counts; check them as you make your outdoor plans. But since you can’t keep your child in a bubble until allergy season is over, you may need to use medication. When you do…
4. Use medication the right way — and talk to your doctor if it’s not working. When it comes to taking a medication to relieve symptoms, like the itchy eyes or sneezing of allergies, we tend to think that we should take it when we have the symptoms, and not take it when we don’t. But it turns out that allergy medications work best when you take them consistently — and can take a while to kick in. So while it’s understandable that you would want to hold off on medications until things get bad, and skip them on good days, your child will actually do better if you get them started at the first sniffle — and continue until allergy season is over (check with your doctor as to when you should stop).The medications we most commonly use for allergies include antihistamines taken by mouth, nasal sprays to help stuffiness and sneezing, and eye drops to help itchy eyes. These days, most of these medications are available without a prescription, so it may not occur to families to call their doctor when allergy season hits; they just head to the pharmacy. If what you buy is working, great. But if not, give your doctor a call — because sometimes changing to a different medication or dose, or using it a bit differently, can make all the difference. Your doctor can also be sure that there isn’t something else besides allergies going on.

If you follow the above suggestions, chances are your allergy-sufferer will feel better — and when kids feel better, parents do too. Enjoy the spring!

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The post 4 “must dos” for kids with seasonal allergies appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

From: Claire McCarthy, MD http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/4-must-kids-seasonal-allergies-201604129511

ADA asks Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to exempt dentists from proposed rule

The ADA filed comments April 11 in response to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's proposed rule to expand federal regulations regarding the confidentiality of patient records associated with substance abuse.

From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2016-archive/april/ada-asks-substance-abuse-and-mental-health-services-administration-to-exempt-dentists

NASHP Medicaid webinar set for April 29

The National Academy for State Health Policy, an independent academy of state health policymakers, will host a webinar April 29 featuring policymakers from three states that administer Medicaid benefits through managed care contracts that include both medical and dental services.

From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2016-archive/april/nashp-medicaid-webinar-set-for-april-29

ADA urges lawmakers to reexamine McCarran-Ferguson

The ADA submitted written testimony April 12 to the Senate Judiciary subcommittee urging committee members to reexamine the antitrust exemption.

From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2016-archive/april/ada-urges-lawmakers-to-reexamine-mccarran-ferguson

Dental plans offering enhanced benefits to bolster oral and overall health

More third-party payers are designing benefit plans that connect a person’s oral health to the rest of his or her body.

From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2016-archive/april/dental-plans-offering-enhanced-benefits-to-bolster-oral-and-overall-health

Is your gym as germy as a toilet?

You don't want to know what treadmills, exercise bikes, and free weights have lurking on them; but will it make you sick?

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/is-your-gym-as-germy-as-a-toilet/

Are you washing your hands wrong?

Two rival methods go hand-to-hand in a wash-off

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/are-you-washing-your-hands-wrong/