Vaccines Linked to Asthma

I have often wondered if the best defense against devastating diseases is to be surrounding by people who have been vaccinated, but not get the vaccine yourself. That way you would be able to take advantage of herd immunity, but wouldn't have the side effects from immunizations. That wouldn't work for everyone for obvious reasons. Anyway, here's the latest on a link between DTP and asthma.

From Mail Online Health: A vaccination given to babies has been linked to asthma. Experts believe the diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough jabs might provoke an immune system response which predisposes the body to the lung condition. But delaying the vaccines by two months from the recommended age dramatically reduces the risk, doctors found.

They set out to test a theory that the timing of the triple jab affects the development of childhood asthma.

Vaccine: Is it too early?

For the study, 11,531 children received four doses of the combined DTP jab. Babies are supposed to have their first dose by the age of two months. It was found the likelihood of developing asthma by the age of seven was halved if this initial dose was delayed by two months.

Of nearly 5,000 babies studied who had the jab at the scheduled age, 13.8 per cent developed asthma. This compared with a rate of 5.9 per cent in babies who were four months or older at first DTP immunisation. The second, third and fourth doses of DTP were to be given at four months, six months and 18 months.

Researchers at Manitoba Institute for Child Health and the University of Manitoba, in Canada, also found a decreased likelihood of asthma if the other doses were delayed, but the strongest evidence was seen in relation to the delay of the first dose.

Only five per cent of children who had delays in all of their DTP jabs went on to develop asthma. This figure jumped to 12 per cent among children who followed the immunization schedule, it was reported in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. The UK has the highest prevalence of asthma in children aged 13 and 14 worldwide. One in 11 children is affected.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Methodist Medical Center's new online healthcare program, MyMethodist eHealth, is a proud sponsor of this blog post. MyMethodist eHealth is the secure link to your doctor's office that lets you request appointments, order prescription refills, update your personal health record, and more. Sign up for MyMethodist eHealth here.

Tetanus Vaccine Injury

We have talked a lot about the risk versus benefit of getting our kids vaccinated on this blog. I recently interviewed a local woman who won a vaccine injury lawsuit. I also talked to a doctor about tetanus. I thought you might be interested!

Here's the story we ran on HOI:

When is the last time you got a tetanus shot? Most people don't remember. So when a local grade school teacher was asked to get an updated tetanus shot, she did so without hesitation. But now she says it's one of the biggest mistakes she has ever made.

In an HOI 19 News Fact Finder report, we looked at your chances of getting a debilitating disease from the vaccination. Beth Jones is no longer bitter about what happened to her five years ago, she has accepted her body will never be the same. She said, "The pain was just unbearable. and i couldn't hardly breath because it hurt my chest to move it to take a breath. It's killing me. I was actually writhing on the floor in tears. This is hurting so bad I can't stand this."

Beth got a tetanus shot in 2003 and that week started getting symptoms of Bracheal Neuritis--the nerves in her shoulder where she got the shot were so inflamed they were dying. Beth said, "I couldn't lift my arm to the steering wheel of my car. I couldn't lift it past my trunk. I literally had to lift up my hand."

Beth had to quit her job as a teacher and couldn't take care of her two kids. She suffered for years, spent thousands of dollars seeing doctors all over the country and still had little relief.

Beth said, "Everything changes. Your hobby's change. You can't do the things you want to do anymore. You lose your career. It's all gone in a heartbeat."

Beth has had four surgeries now. She says she's running at around 50%. The good news-a federal judge ruled in her favor. She will get more than half a million dollars. Is that fair?

Beth said, "Not when both arms are injured for life and I will be in pain for the rest of my life.There's no cure for this." So we wanted to know what are your chances of having a severe side effect from a tetanus vaccine?

Dr. Rogers from Methodist Medical Center said "Brachial Neuritis is known to be a serious adverse effect from a tetanus shot. but to put it into context it is literally one in millions that it happens to, but it does happen."

So what is tetanus? Is it really that big of a deal? Dr. Rogers said, "It's just a horrible disease." That's where the term lock jaw comes from. You start to develop muscle spasms in the face and the jaw muscle and then it progresses downward. It starts to affect the other parts, you lose the ability to eat, to breath, go into a coma."

20% of people who get tetanus die from the bacteria, which is found in common places like soil-- and on rusty metal. Dr. Rogers said "Actually it isn't caused by rust, but metal is a really good medium for the spores to stay. And the spores they can hang out for years." Dr. Rogers says for most people the benefit of getting a tetanus shot every ten years far outweighs the risk of having a severe side effect.

In Beth's case, she wonders if she had an unknown medical problem that may have put her at higher risk, something that would have been her red flag to say no to this immunization. People with weak immune systems and those who are allergic to components of the vaccine are typically more at risk for side effects.

I have no idea when I last got a tetanus shot. You are supposed to get one every 10 years. I don't know if I would ever be that vigilant. However, if I got a cut or an infection from something that was old and dirty, I would certainly think about getting one. I am glad to know the side effects and to have met Beth. She has had a really rough time and I don't blame her for being angry. She says this incident has changed her feelings about routine immunizations. She says her kids were given most of the routine childhood vaccinations, but if she could do it all over again she would be more picky about which ones they got.

What are your thoughts on vaccine injuries?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Methodist Medical Center's new online healthcare program, MyMethodist eHealth, is a proud sponsor of this blog post. MyMethodist eHealth is the secure link to your doctor's office that lets you request appointments, order prescription refills, update your personal health record, and more. Sign up for MyMethodist eHealth here.

Scrimping on Health Food

With America's economic crisis getting more pronounced by the hour, something's gotta give. Since most bills are unavoidable, many people say one of the only things left to "cut" or "skimp" on is food.

From CNN: Many families have changed their ways to keep food budgets under control. Some have cut the number of trips they make to the store, admitting that, once they're steering the shopping cart, they now focus more on their bottom line, than on nutrition.

"We're trying to go healthy, but it's just unbelievable, the organic everything is way too much, and with the cost of living you can't go healthy as much as you want to you know?"

"I like to eat healthy, but the foods are really expensive so I go around the store and look for um bargains but I don't find it that healthy, they've got too many contaminants and chemical and stuff, so I don't really like it, but you know it's the way I have to live now."

Most of the people say they'd love to be able to buy more fresh fruits and vegetables for their refrigerators, but after looking at the prices they usually end up in the canned food aisle buying fruits and vegetables they know won't be as healthy for them.

But Registered Dietitian Nancy Dell says canned vegetables are better than no vegetables at all. Your canned vegetables still have lots of nutrients if you want to get rid of the sodium, rinse them off, or buy ones that have no salt added. Dell says, if you're willing to do the research, it is possible to eat healthy on a budget. "If you look in the fliers for this week, you can get grape tomatoes 2 for $4.00. I went shopping today, I got carrots 69 cents a pound," said Dell.

Remember two sayings:

1. You are what you eat. If you eat poorly, you're spending more on co-pays, you're spending more on sick days.

2. Without my health, I have no wealth.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Methodist Medical Center's new online healthcare program, MyMethodist eHealth, is a proud sponsor of this blog post. MyMethodist eHealth is the secure link to your doctor's office that lets you request appointments, order prescription refills, update your personal health record, and more. Sign up for MyMethodist eHealth here.

What are Zing Bars?

I am ALWAYS on the hunt for a new health bar for the kids. Life is too stressful to cook from scratch everyday, but I don't like processed food. That poses a problem!

This is from the health company Medstar:

If you're a fitness enthusiast or a parent looking for a healthy snack for your child, you might opt for an energy bar. But they don't always taste good and sometimes they don't deliver on what they promise.

At custom smoothie in Seattle, the drinks are all healthy and so are the snacks. "The bars that we carry are very different, each one represents some different diet or lifestyle, whether it be a higher protein bar, a bar that has low fat in it, or a bar that has more carbs in it than protein in it," said the store's manager.

So what's best for a healthy boost? Don't expect the label to do the talking.

Registered Dietician Sandi Kaplan said, "Actually there are no labeling requirements, that people can call their bars whatever they like. So you can be called an energy bar, a nutrition bar, a protein bar."

Adding to the problem… "Many of the other bars out there will have either too many carbohydrates or to be too high in protein or too low in fat and really don't work well as a snack option for people whether they are trying to lose weight or maintain weight," said Kaplan.

Bars fortified with vitamins and minerals can have a metallic after taste. Kate Schenk said,"I think nutrition bars taste synthetic, there's always a chemical after taste." If you're worried about calories, you should know a well-balanced nutrition bar is about the same as a candy bar, roughly 200 calories.

Kaplan said"many of the bars have way too much refined sugar." Sandi is one of four registered dietitians who teamed up to design an all-natural alternative, called Zing Bars.

Kaplan said, "Because it's using wholesome high quality ingredients and because we don't supplement with vitamins and minerals, it's a perfect snack option for kids of any age."Sandi says the best way to pick a nutrition bar is to look past the advertising on the label and go straight to the ingredients list.

Flavorings, colorings, and preservatives can contribute to kids being either too energized or not energized enough, so check the label for that, too. If you want to try Sandi's Zing Bars, they're available online at Zingbars.com.

Fast Facts:

• Americans purchased 42 million pounds of nutrition bars in 2004.


• A nutrition bar can be a good choice for someone who is occasionally pressed for time or misses a meal.


• Some nutrition bars are no better than a glorified candy bar. Consumers must read package labels to determine if the bar meets their needs.


• Zing® Bars are a new line of nutrition bars made with natural ingredients and a balance of carbohydrates, whey protein and healthy fats.

The big question? Will my kids eat these. I haven't decided whether to spend the money to try some. I wonder how big the nuts are in the product. My kids won't go near the Kashi granola bars. The fruit/nuts are way to big.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Methodist Medical Center's new online healthcare program, MyMethodist eHealth, is a proud sponsor of this blog post. MyMethodist eHealth is the secure link to your doctor's office that lets you request appointments, order prescription refills, update your personal health record, and more. Sign up for MyMethodist eHealth here.

Down Syndrome Awareness Month

I got an email from a local mom who had an emotional story to tell. It's something most moms thought about while they were pregnant, but probably never dealt with. Brandee did. She worried her unborn baby would have something wrong with him and that little boy was born with Down Syndrome. But Brandee quickly learned, her son's extra set of chromosomes did not mean there was something wrong with him. It was a blessing in disguise.

Here's Brandee's story:

My name is Brandee and my son, Terry, is 4 1/2. He has Down syndrome. Statistics are showing that with the increased availability of prenatal testing for Down syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities, 85-90% of women are terminating their pregnancies once they find out their baby has Down syndrome.

Many do not realize that these children will and can grow to be productive members of society. They have developmental delays but are still able to walk and talk and dress themselves. There are individuals with Down syndrome who have graduated from college and live in society with minimal assistance.

Recent legislation has been passed that doctors have to give parents both the positive and negative sides of Down syndrome (where the negatives were really the only side presented) and provide resources and referral to the community Down syndrome support groups when giving a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome.

Times have changed, and no longer are parents encouraged to send their children to institutions and to pretend like they died. These kids are included in regular classrooms and are excelling. Their peers are experiencing the joys of having them as classmates and friends. Acceptance and awareness is becoming more the norm, and this improves the lives of all involved.

I have not met one person who has met Terry who doesn't instantly love him. He is lively and funny and so open with his emotions and his love. He finds the joys in the everyday things in life. He doesn't hold grudges. He laughs and loves and cries and gets mad. He is just like any other boy his age. He plays ball and wrestles with his dad, snuggles on the couch to read a book, tells us no, and gives hugs and kisses. I cannot imagine my life without him.

October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Methodist Medical Center's new online healthcare program, MyMethodist eHealth, is a proud sponsor of this blog post. MyMethodist eHealth is the secure link to your doctor's office that lets you request appointments, order prescription refills, update your personal health record, and more. Sign up for MyMethodist eHealth here.

The Parent Trap-Family or Couple?

From Guest Blogger Kelly Kilpatrick:

They say that two’s company and three’s a crowd, and while I wouldn’t go so far as to say parents consider their children intrusions into their privacy, there are times when most moms and dads yearn for quality time for themselves. The kids have been keeping them on their toes ever since they were born, and what with cooking and cleaning for them, driving them to baseball games, dance classes and the like, helping them with homework, taking them out and keeping them entertained on weekends and holidays, and other such activities, there’s no time at all for husband and wife to be alone, leave alone time for romance.

Most parents forget that they were ardent lovers before the kids came along, and even if they wish to remind themselves of those passionate days, there’s always the guilt that comes along and orders them back into the realms of the family. While doing things together as a family is fun, there are times when moms and dads ache to step into the adult world, go out for a bite to eat with friends, take in a movie or two without the kids, or attend the theatre. Now none of these is even remotely possible with squirmy, loud and attention-seeking children around, so most parents just skip the time-for-ourselves excursions.

Spending time with the kids is good, but then it also has its downsides:

• Husband and wife start to drift apart as man and woman – while they may interact regularly as the mother and father of the same children, they’re often too tired to do more than fall asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow. This situation could cause a marriage to deteriorate, slowly at first where the signs are not visible, and faster and faster as each day comes and goes.






• The kids become too dependant on their parents, they want them by their sides day in and day out. And when mom and dad try to break out of this routine by hiring a sitter and going out on a date together, they rebel and throw tantrums and lay the biggest guilt trip ever on their parents.

You need to be good parents to your kids and bond as a family, but then you also need to find time for yourselves as husband and wife to keep the embers of marriage glowing bright as ever. It’s a fine balancing act, but when there’s love and commitment, it can be worked out. Maintain a sense of stability in your children’s lives by going out on a certain day of the week rather than as and when you please. So when Saturday comes around, they’re not going to feel too resentful if you leave them with a sitter and their favorite movie.

Being your spouse’s best friend and lover all your life and being a good parent are not mutually exclusive events – they’re just two sides of the same coin. You’ve jut got to keep it rolling so that both sides have an equal chance of shining.

This post was contributed by Kelly Kilpatrick, who writes on the subject of dating sites. She invites your feedback at kellykilpatrick24 at gmail dot com.

My husband and I are going on three dates next weekend! We have three weddings on the same day. I think I will just try and make it to two of them. What an expensive weekend! I guess I am not supposed to think about that and just enjoy a night out with my husband. Although I did go to Mamma Mia this weekend with the girls. I think girl's night out is important too!

Have you had a good date night lately?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Methodist Medical Center's new online healthcare program, MyMethodist eHealth, is a proud sponsor of this blog post. MyMethodist eHealth is the secure link to your doctor's office that lets you request appointments, order prescription refills, update your personal health record, and more. Sign up for MyMethodist eHealth here.