Children's Health

Mothers somehow know when we've been bad, but when times are tough, they also have our back.

Health & Safety

Mom's X-Ray Vision Also Sees The Best In Us

2:10pm May 11, 2013

by Scott Simon

Mothers know us better — sometimes better than we know ourselves. As any child will tell you, they really do have eyes in the back of their heads. When times are tough, they also have our back.

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Parents can minimize the negative impact of their arguments on their children using a few simple techniques to calm down.

Health & Safety

How To Turn Down The Heat On Fiery Family Arguments

10:54am April 30, 2013

by Patti Neighmond

Psychologists say kids who get entangled in their parents' arguments often suffer shame and low self-esteem. So some are trying to teach parents who feel they just can't stop arguing when they get angry how to "get to calm."

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Health & Safety

The Doctor Trying To Solve The Mystery Of Food Allergies

2:05pm April 15, 2013

Nearly 15 million Americans have a moderate to severe food allergy. In kids, the rate is one in 13. Kari Nadeau, who studies food allergies at Stanford, is currently testing a technique to desensitize children who have multiple severe allergies to foods like nuts, soy, milk, wheat and shellfish.

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Researchers say that aggressive people tend to interpret ambiguous faces as reflecting hostility.

Health & Safety

Would Angry Teens Chill Out If They Saw More Happy Faces?

9:59pm April 08, 2013

by Alix Spiegel

Since most of the faces we encounter are emotionally ambiguous, we're forced into interpretations. And in the case of troubled teens, the perception of hostile faces all around can lead to aggressive behavior. In an experiment, researchers tried to retrain the way those kids interpreted faces.

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The anthrax vaccine has been given to more than 1 million adults in the military. But no one knows how well it would work in children.

Health & Safety

Bioethics Panel Warns Against Anthrax Vaccine Testing On Kids

10:42am March 19, 2013

by Rob Stein

Anthrax has long been considered one of the most likely weapons a bioterrorist might use. Some researchers think the vaccine should be tested on children to find out if it would be safe to use in an attack. But a presidential bioethics commission says that first, researchers will have to show that children would face no more than "minimal risk."

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Maria Texeira-Gomes holds a photo of her 5-year-old son, Matheo, who has struggled with asthma nearly all his life.

Health & Safety

To Control Asthma, Start With The Home Instead Of The Child

10:36am March 19, 2013

by Richard Knox

Because dust, mold and pests can trigger asthma attacks, addressing these triggers in the home can keep kids from winding up in the hospital. In the past seven years, the Community Asthma Initiative in Boston has counseled more than a thousand families on how to prevent attacks.

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Emily Rapp is also the author of Poster Child, about a congenital birth defect that led to the amputation of her leg when she was a child, and about how she subsequently became a poster child for the March of Dimes.

'Still Point': A Meditation On Mothering A Dying Child

1:26pm March 18, 2013

In 2011, Emily Rapp's baby was diagnosed with Tay-Sachs disease, a genetic, degenerative condition with no cure. He died just shy of his third birthday. In her new memoir, The Still Point of the Turning World, Rapp writes about what it's like to care for a terminally ill child.

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Genetically modified to be enriched with beta-carotene, golden rice grains (left) are a deep yellow. At right, white rice grains.

In A Grain Of Golden Rice, A World Of Controversy Over GMO Foods

10:44am March 08, 2013

by Dan Charles

A rice enriched with beta-carotene promises to boost the health of poor children around the world. But critics say golden rice is also a clever PR move for a biotech industry driven by profits, not humanitarianism.

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Good advice, but strict rules at mealtime may backfire.

Health & Safety

Selling Kids On Veggies When Rules Like 'Clean Your Plate' Fail

5:14pm March 06, 2013

by Patti Neighmond

Involving kids in preparing dinner may be a better way to get kids to eat their vegetables than strictures like "no dessert until you eat your vegetables." But health experts say there's nothing wrong with an occasional treat.

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The Brown-Spencer family gathers for dinner at their home in Mechanicsville, Va. This family of eight manages to eat together nearly every weeknight, but they've had to cut back on many after-school activities to make it work. From left: Doug Brown, Laura

Health & Safety

Family Dinner: Treasured Tradition Or Bygone Ideal?

3:06pm February 28, 2013

by Allison Aubrey

We'd all like to live the Norman Rockwell scenario, but for some families, the hectic pace of modern life means dinners are often more likely to channel The Simpsons. Studies suggest that regular family meals contribute to healthy eating habits. So what to make of this tradition in transition?

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