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Archive for October, 2008
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Friday Links: LABA Adverse Effects (Again), Smoke & Kids (Again), Magical Plunger, Extreme Pumpkins
But first, if you missed the final debate here’s SNL’s Weekend Update Thursday version instead. It gets truly bizarre with Joe’s magical plunger around 6:00: Formaterol Linked to Serious Side Effects Like Serevent and Advair (salmeterol), Foradil (formoterol) is a long-acting beta-agonist. You might remember the concern and review of Serevent and Advair last year [...] -
Health Care in the Final Debate, in Paraphrase
If you missed the debate last night, it was way more heated and engaging than the previous two, with Bob Schieffer asking these questions, among others: On the current ($455 billion) and projected ($1 trillion possible by next year) budget deficit: “Aren’t you both ignoring reality? Won’t some of the programs you are proposing have [...] -
Weird Health Wednesdays – Brains
Alcohol and the Incredible Shrinking Brain The more alcohol people drink, the more likely they are to have a decrease in brain volume. Apparently that’s not news. According to this study, though, brain shrinkage can happen even with lower doses of alcohol. No one knows why, but dehydration is a likely culprit. Brain shrinkage in [...] -
Reform Your Own Health Care, Sort Of
I read an article recently that sums up what I’ve been thinking about the health care problem and the next president. Namely, before even attempting reform, the new president will have to work on this pesky worldwide economic meltdown first. Since everything I read lowers my expectations for A)a fast recovery from the financial crisis [...] -
Friday Links: Parent Expectations, Race & Asthma Severity, Fact Checking & Politics, Halloween
New Research: If You Think You Can Attain Good Asthma Control In Your Kid, You Probably Will Medical researchers at Harvard and Boston U. talked to 700 parents of persistent asthmatics between ages 2 and 12. They discovered that parents with high expectations for treatment results and a set routine for their kids’ asthma medication [...] -
When Kids Fight Meds
Back when you guys sent me great feedback (which you can still send, btw) for the yet-to-be-announced new feature, an Asthma Mom reader whose child has asthma, allergies, and reflux emailed me a really thorough, thoughtful reply that included this sentence: I want to know (PLEASE TELL ME) how to get so much medicine into [...] -
Weird Health Wednesdays: Coke Spermicide, Lightning Strike, Baby Food Costumes
Ig Noble Awards: Coke as Birth Control? The Annals of Improbable Research give Ig Nobel (get it?) awards to research that’s weird but practical. This year, working on the basis of an urban legend, Boston U. ob/gyn professor Deborah Anderson discovered that yes, Coke acts a spermicide but Diet Coke works best. (I’m guessing the [...] -
In Defense of Unapologetic Politics on Non-Political Blogs
In spite of what recent political posts would have you believe, this is still an asthma/children’s health/environmental/air quality/parenting blog. Here’s the thing about non-political blogs, though: I sort of want to beat my head against the wall when some of my favorite “regular” bloggers write this: I don’t normally post about politics, but. . . [...] -
Friday Links: (Monday Edition), Colds & Asthma, Obesity & Steroids, Halloween
Cold-Induced Wheezing = High Asthma Risk in Kids Almost 90% of young children who wheezed with a cold before they turned three developed asthma by age six, according to a new study. Why is that significant? Here’s why: [m]uch attention has been focused on another common infectious agent, known as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Young [...] -
Friday Links: Asthma Mom Blogaversary & Self-Promotion
Whew. (wipes forehead) What a week, huh? The news of my little blog’s anniversary sure pales next to all the bailout coverage and the VP debate last night. (Love you, Joe Biden, and the Ultimate Bridge to Nowhere.) A 5K tax credit for health insurance? AG can rack up that amount in her sleep. Literally. [...]
