Health and Safety

Keeping Cool

For those of us experiencing extreme heat in our parts of the world right now, two items of note: The Extreme Heat Prevention Guide from the CDC. Includes useful tips on how to keep cool and how to recognize signs of heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and other heat-related ailments. (And don’t forget: Never leave your […]

Overdoing It

Word to the wise: Never work out the day of a marriage-equality defeat. Doubly so if you watched Workout the night before. Creaking to the bathroom to pop some Ibuprofen. . . . Will post again later, if my arms still work.

Hormone Supplements May Carry Breast-Cancer Risks

New findings add to the evidence that certain hormone supplements, particularly those combining estrogen and testosterone, increase women’s risk of breast cancer, strokes, and heart attacks. This week’s Archives of Internal Medicine reports on a study that found post-menopausal women who took such pills more than doubled their risk of breast cancer, even taking other

Free Super Saver Shipping Now at Amazon Baby Store

A weekend penny-saving note: Amazon has relaunched their Baby Store, and for the first time, baby products qualify for free Super Saver Shipping and Amazon Prime. They also have a new Baby Registry. (The registry equitably asks for the gender-neutral information of “You” and “Co-registrant.”) If you’re expecting or adopting a baby for the first

Taking a Stand on Potty Training

Today, I’m happy to provide a field report for all you new lesbian moms out there. I now have proof positive that it is not necessary to have a father in the home to teach one’s son to pee standing up. Despite the assertion of the New York Court of Appeals that “a child benefits

New Federal Policies on School Wellness: Good, But Not Enough

A new federal law that took effect July 1 requires schools to meet certain wellness guidelines in an attempt to reduce childhood obesity. Schools must provide healthier meals, fewer sweets, and more physical activity. At the same time, as the Associated Press notes, the new rules don’t come with any consequences if schools don’t comply.

ADHD Risks for Girls

Researchers have just announced results of the first long-term study of girls with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The scientists noted that although an estimated 4.4 million American children have ADHD, it has often been under-diagnosed in girls because their behavior tends to be less disruptive than that of boys with the disorder. The effects of

American Academy of Pediatrics Says Marriage Equality Will Strengthen LGBT Families

Terrance at the Republic of T points out the incongruity between today’s New York State Court of Appeals ruling and the American Academy of Pediatrics statement this week on children in same-sex families: There is ample evidence to show that children raised by same-gender parents fare as well as those raised by heterosexual parents. More

The Benefits of Breast Milk

Two recent studies offer further support for the benefits of breast milk. One, appearing in this month’s Pediatrics magazine, claims that babies who are breast-fed for more than three months are less likely to become bedwetters. Non-bedwetters had also been breastfed for an average of three months longer than bedwetters. The researchers caution, however, that

Vaginal Births Safe Even After Multiple C-Sections, Study Claims

Blogging Baby points out a new study indicating that vaginal births after C-sections (VBACs), even after multiple C’s, are safer than had been thought. Uterine tears or ruptures from a vaginal birth were only slightly more frequent in women who had more than one Cesarean. The new study, published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynocology,

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