It used to be, when I was a kid, my mom would say, “No pop before dinner!” And, of course, no pop with dinner either, but few kids back in the day had anything but milk with dinner. But, ever since I became a chiropractor, I could see Mom’s wisdom about surgery, carbonated drinks not actually being “food” and, therefore, not belonging on the dinner table. But, today’s kids, and teens in particular, face a more significant problem. With American teens chugging energy drinks like there was actually some value in the chugging, fears are growing among health care professionals that the ingredients might be putting some kids (and adults) at risk. These so-called beverages contain a mix-match of caffeine, sugar, and (believe it or not) dietary supplements such as vitamins and herbal extracts. I am a great supporter of vitamin supplementation, but vitamins, like any other non-food addition to the diet, need to be monitored and their  effects well-understood.  But, for the very reason that these beverages are classified as nutritional supplements, they have received much less scrutiny and are under fewer restrictions than both foods and drugs.

In fact, in a  new report issued Monday, Florida pediatricians described cases of seizures, delusions, heart problems and kidney or liver damage in children who had downed one or more non-alcoholic energy drinks.

Common parents, you are the ones who are supposed to know what’s good for your kids. Are you too busy drinking these beverages, and getting the added “zip” from them that could lead to your own health problems that you are not even interested in considering the damage that these energy beverages might be doing to your kids?

The report called for regulatory action, in addition to more research. But, “money talks” and U.S. sales of non-alcoholic energy drinks are expected to hit $9 billion this year, with children and young adults accounting for half the market.
Source: reuters.com

Technorati Tags: childrens health, chiropractor, delusions, energy drinks, heart problems, kidney damage, liver damage, new study, pediatric chiropractic, seizures

A new study shows that short children are no more likely to be depressed, unpopular with their classmates, or have other social and emotional problems than their taller peers. Good news concerned parents! Apparently, the “traumas and dramas” of childhood happen to children of all shapes and sizes.

The study, published in Pediatrics, analyzed data on 712 sixth-graders. Twenty-eight children were classified as having short stature, i.e., they were below the 10th percentile on a growth chart; the remaining children were non-short stature (10th percentile and up). Average height was considered between 25th and 75th percentiles.

The social and emotional well-being of the study group was measured through a number of questionnaires answered by their teachers and the children, themselves. Short children reported slightly higher levels of being victimized or teased by their peers, but there was no difference on other measures of depression, behavioral problems, or popularity.

As soon as a baby is born, pediatricians start monitoring that child’s height and weight by percentile. Although low numbers may create anxiety in parents, that anxiety is likely unwarranted, the researchers write. The short children in the study “reported marginally higher levels of peer victimization … this was not associated with poorer adaptation,” said Joyce Lee, MD, MPH with the department of pediatrics at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and colleagues.

So, listen up parents of short children because the researchers concluded that short children may interpret the everyday teasing as more significant because their parents “verbalize concerns about their child’s height and its possible negative impact on social functioning.” The best thing that any parent can do for their children is to encourage them to feel confident and secure about themselves and to measure their “growth” from the inside out.

Technorati Tags: chiropractor, pediatric chiropractic