Childhood Sleep Apnea

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Medicine Cabinet Danger

From ABC: We have a warning for anyone with young children. Those child safety caps on medications in your cabinets might not work. Reporter Stephanie Harris took cameras into a kindergarten class for an eye opening experiment with five year olds.

They're supposed to keep kids out - but look. With their parent's permission we let the kids go at it with empty bottles. Walker opened his in just 12 seconds. Walker said, "I just kept turning it like this and then it just came right undone." So did Sophie.

Pharmacist Klista Najewicz said,"That's a little scary." Pharmacist Klista Najewicz says these are the same containers used for prescription narcotics. "like morphine or demerol or anything with codeine." Just a small amount can do a lot of damage to a child. A little more could kill them. Sydnee said, "I pulled it and spinned it at the same time."

(sot: Dr. Kirk Cumpston, Poison Control)
"Mom steps out of the room, dad steps out of the room, comes back find them in a bottle -- pills scattered all over." In our experiment most of the class did not get into the containers. (sot: child) "I wish I would pull it off."

But eight out of 24 or one-third of them did. On average it took less than a minute. "Of all these medicine bottles, the only one the kids couldn't open was this kroger brand ibuprofen where you have to line up the arrows and pop it open." (sot: dr. Kirk cumpston, poison control)
"I believe the standard is that 85% of a group of 200 children in that age group."

That is the Virginia definition of child resistant. It does not mean child proof. This lesson is for parents. (sot: dr. Kirk cumpston, poison control)
"keep them out of their reach." But we made sure the kids learned one too. "So should you get your medicine yourself? No."

They know medicine is not candy and this experiment is not to be repeated. "Your mommies or your daddies are allowed to give you medicine." What does bear repeating, child resistant does not mean child proof.

If you think your child has swallowed anything he or she shouldn't, call Poison Control right away. Dr. Cumpston says in most cases they do not recommend ipicac or any other form of inducing a child to vomit anymore.

He recommends you keep the hotline number near the phone. It's 1-800-222-12-22.

I have been negligent at times and my little one has grabbed a bottle of pills. I was shocked at how high he could climb! He was nowhere near opening the bottle, but it was an eye opener for me. Where do you keep your medication? Is it in a locked cabinet?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Are you having an Acne Emergency? Call Soderstrom Skin Institute at 674 – SKIN… we treat acne seriously. With over 35 years of experience, Soderstrom Skin Institute will provide a personalized program to help you get your acne under control. Untreated acne can result in permanent scarring. Don’t suffer any longer! Evening and weekend appointment are available and in most cases you’ll be seen within one week.

More Cases of Autism

FROM CNN HEALTH:A study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics indicates about 1 percent of children ages 3 to 17 have autism or a related disorder, an increase over previous estimates.

"This is a significant issue that needs immediate attention," Dr. Ileana Arias, deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. "A concerted effort and substantial national response is warranted."

The study used data from the federal government's 2007 national survey of children's health. The survey of parents was conducted by the Health Resources and Services Administration, and by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The results are based on a national telephone survey of more than 78,000 parents of children ages 3 to 17.

In the study, parents were asked whether a health care provider had ever told them their child had an autism spectrum disorder. ASD is a group of brain disorders comprising autism and two less severe disorders: Asperger's disorder and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified.

Children with the disorder show impairment in social interaction and in their ability to communicate. They often display repetitive behavior.

The investigators also asked a follow-up question: Were the children considered to have ASD now? Nearly 40 percent of the parents and guardians said no.

That finding led the authors to question whether some of the children originally diagnosed as having ASD may have been improperly diagnosed, since the disorders are not considered curable.

But Kogan said the two surveys cannot be compared because the earlier investigators did not ask the follow-up question about whether the children were still considered to have the disorder.

Still, based on the findings, lead author Dr. Michael D. Kogan of HRSA's maternal and child health bureau estimated the prevalence of ASD among U.S. children ages 3 to 17 at 110 per 10,000 -- slightly more than 1 percent.

Boys were four times as likely as girls to have ASD, and non-Hispanic black and multiracial children were less likely than non-Hispanic white children.

He estimated that 673,000 children have ASD in the United States.

Monday's findings of nearly 1 in 100 appear to indicate an increase from the average of 1 in 150 that was reported in 2003, the researchers said.

The researchers urged caution in interpreting the change, noting that an increase in diagnoses does not necessarily mean that more children have the disorder. It could simply reflect a heightened awareness of the disorder.

"We don't know whether the change in the number over time is a result of the change in the actual condition, in the actual number of conditions or in part due to the fact that the condition is being recognized differently," Arias said.

She said that preliminary results from a separate, CDC-funded study she is working on also indicate that about 1 percent of children in the United States are affected by ASD. That study is to be published later this year, she said.

"This is a behavioral diagnosis, and it's difficult to make, and it's difficult to make at young ages," said Dr. Peter van Dyck, HRSA's associate administrator for maternal and child health.

Half of the cases were considered mild by their parents, the study reported.

The results underscore the importance of creating policies that will result in early identification and intervention, the officials said.

The reports raise "a lot of questions about how we are preparing in terms of housing, employment, social support -- all the issues that many of these people are going to need," said Dr. Tom Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health.

"It also raises questions about how well we're prepared in the educational system to provide for the special needs of many of these kids."

Insel said the federal government is beefing up the resources it is mobilizing to address autism and related disorders, with $85 million being appropriated by the National Institutes of Health and $48 million for next year by the HRSA.

I just want to mention the reason for the increase does not have to be just one thing. It is most likely a number of factors that come into play. Maybe some kids are misdiagnosed. Maybe some parents are more aware of the symptoms. Maybe more kids are being impacted. All the scenarios may be true. I hope this study leads to more research and programs to help these kids.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Are you having an Acne Emergency? Call Soderstrom Skin Institute at 674 – SKIN… we treat acne seriously. With over 35 years of experience, Soderstrom Skin Institute will provide a personalized program to help you get your acne under control. Untreated acne can result in permanent scarring. Don’t suffer any longer! Evening and weekend appointment are available and in most cases you’ll be seen within one week.

Product Targets Tired Moms

There is new product on the market targeting parents with babies. Enfamil Restfull Lipil claims to "naturally encourage a good night's sleep." The packaging says the product thickens gently in baby's tummy and helps them digest slowly. The company says this product is an alternative to adding rice cereal to formula. It says Enfamil Restfull is more balanced and more nutritional than adding rice cereal to regular formula.

Enfamil RestFull contains a rice carbohydrate that is designed to slightly thicken in the stomach and digests slowly. The rice carbohydrate in Enfamil RestFull is not rice cereal. It's a safe and effective carbohydrate used for many years in infant formula.

Customer reviews of this product are mixed:
"I WAS REALLY IMPRESSED BY HOW THINK IT WAS THE NEXT DAY! I KNEW THAT MENT IT HAD THICKED IN MY SONS TUMMY! HE WENT FROM EATING EVERY 3 HOURS TO ONLY 1 TIME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AFTER JUST 3 NIGHTS OF GIVING HIM THE RESTFULL AT HIS BEDTIME FEEDING!!!"

"Gave my baby a lot of gas. Would not recommend to my patients."

I am nursing my baby. He slept 4 hours straight last and I am thrilled! I think whether a baby sleeps at night has a lot to do with the baby's personality and how much he/she is up during the day. My second son slept 5-6 hours consistently by 7 weeks. My oldest son was 5-6 months old before he did that! WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS PRODUCT?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Are you having an Acne Emergency? Call Soderstrom Skin Institute at 674 – SKIN… we treat acne seriously. With over 35 years of experience, Soderstrom Skin Institute will provide a personalized program to help you get your acne under control. Untreated acne can result in permanent scarring. Don’t suffer any longer! Evening and weekend appointment are available and in most cases you’ll be seen within one week.