Not All Pets and Children Are Compatible (Part 2)

The risks of having these pets are real. In 2003, there was an outbreak human monkey pox that was traced back to imported African Gambian rats that had infected many prairie dogs and were sold as pets. Small turtles that were kept as house pets were responsible for approximately 103 cases of salmonella during the second half of last year, mostly in young children. In just last week, an Iraqi dog was shipped to the United States as part of an international rescue effort for animals and was found to have rabies. Twenty-four other animals were in this shipment and had already been distributed to 16 states. According to the October 3rd issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that these other animals were also potentially exposed to the rabies.

The new review by AAP details a number of the diseases that could be potentially transmitted by these more unusual house pets. The reptiles have a very high rate of carrying different strains of salmonella, as do turtles, baby poultry (including chicks), and our friendly hamsters. Plague is a disease which is carried by wild rodents and is transmitted to human that are handling infected animals. This group also includes the common house cat that has been bitten by fleas. The herpes B virus has been said to be carried by the macaque monkey. These animals don’t have to be in a household to pose a risk. More than 55 outbreaks of the diseases in humans, including the infection with E. coli bacteria, have involved animals that were in public settings between 1991 and 2005.

The report is recommending that we wash our hand frequently to help minimize these risks. Children that are under the age of 5 are at particular risk, in part because their immune systems are still developing. Adults that have weakened immune systems, including women who are pregnant and the elderly, are also at a greater risk.

Dr. Jonathan Field, emeritus director of the pediatric allergy and asthma clinic at the New York University/Bellvue Medical Center, stated that our normal allergies are typically associated with dogs and cats than with nontraditional pets. The real problem seem to lie with the people who have weakened immune systems and are exposed to a virus form or a bacteria from one of these pets.

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When we were young we enjoyed our furry companions, but in today’s society exposing your children to the joys of owning their own pet, in some cases, may also mean exposing them to injuries and infections. Parents need to be very aware of the dangers—which include salmonella infection and even monkey pox—of owning a nontraditional pet such as rodents, reptiles, monkeys, and more.

The most recent report on this subject was published in October by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in the most recent issue of Pediatrics. The study’s co-author Dr. Robert Frenck, a pediatrics professor at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and a member of the AAP committee of infectious diseases, said that this report is the first comprehensive statement on this particular topic. “Nontraditional pets are becoming more traditional, and nontraditional pets can expose kids to disease they otherwise might not be exposed to…. If parents are thinking about having these nontraditional pets, they may want to talk to a veterinarian and/or pediatrician first to see if there is any real concern.”

The number of exotic animals that are in the United States has nearly doubled since 2002. For example, approximately 40,000 households in America now harbor hedgehogs, while 4.4 million homes have reptiles, according to the new report. A professor of the pediatric infectious diseases at the University Of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Dr. Charles Miller, added that from the standpoint of public education and from the standpoint of both family practitioners and pediatricians, this subject of owning exotic pets is very important.

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Simple Air Circulation Could Help to Prevent SIDS (Part 2)

The AAP has made several recommendations for preventing SIDS. They are listed below and further information in regards to SIDS prevention can be found on their website at www.healthychildcare.org.
1. Healthy babies should always sleep on their backs. Side sleeping is not as safe as back sleeping and is not advised.
2. Get a physician's note for non-back sleepers that explains why the baby should not use a back-sleeping position.
3. Use safety-approved cribs and firm mattresses (cradles and bassinets may provide safe sleeping enclosures, but safety standards have not been established for these items).
4. Keep cribs free of toys, stuffed animals, and extra bedding.
5. Place the child's feet to the foot of the crib and tuck in a light blanket along the sides and foot of the mattress. The blanket should not come up higher than the infant's chest. Another option is to use sleep clothing and nothing else in the infant's crib.
6. Keep the room at a temperature that is comfortable for a lightly clothed adult.
7. Visually check on sleeping babies often.
8. No smoking around babies. Make sure babies are being watched when you go outside to smoke. Child care providers who smoke should do so outside, with an overcoat on. The overcoat will be removed when they return to work. Never allow smoking in a room where babies sleep, as exposure to smoke in a room where babies sleep, as exposure to smoke is linked to an increased risk of SIDS.
9. Have supervised "tummy time" for awake babies. This will help babies strengthen their muscles and develop normally.
10. Sleep only 1 baby per crib.

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Simple Air Circulation Could Help to Prevent SIDS (Part I )

When preparing the nursery for your new arrival, adding a fan to the list of necessities may be beneficial. A fan could help to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the number one killer of infants from one month to one year old. When placing a box fan in both of my boy’s rooms, to help drown out background noise, I didn’t realize I was helping to prevent SIDS, but thank goodness, it may have aided in the prevention of the very scary infant killer.

Researchers with Kaiser Permanente in California recently reported on their study, which involved interviews with mothers of 185 babies who died from SIDS, and 312 other infants, from 11 counties around California. According to the study, recently published in the latest issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, babies who slept with a fan in their room reduced their chances of dying from SIDS by 72 percent. Researchers feel fans may help to circulate fresh air and prevent babies from suffocating by re-breathing exhaled carbon dioxide, one of the culprits many doctors feel causes SIDS. The fans seemed to provide greater protection for babies who slept in warmer environments, over 69 degrees. Opening a window and allowing fresh air to circulate around a baby’s room may also help to prevent SIDS, but it could be just coincidence, according to the study.

Since the early 1990s, infant deaths from SIDS have been cut in half, mostly due to the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations of babies being placed to sleep on their backs rather than their bellies, a firm mattress be used, and to avoid loose bedding in a babies crib. For many years, parents were told to place their babies to sleep on their tummies, but after extensive monitoring and research, doctors and researchers feel it is better to place babies to sleep on their backs, which helps prevent babies from suffocating with their faces being pressed into the mattress. Pacifiers also seem to aid in preventing SIDS, due to the handle keeping infants faces from pressing against their mattress.

Dr. De-Kun Li, the lead researcher of the study and a reproductive and perinatal epidemiologist with Kaiser Permanente's research division, explained that young babies have weak neck muscles, which limits their ability to turn their heads and sometimes may prevent them from breathing fresh air. Even though the key step in preventing SIDS is still placing a baby on their back to sleep, extra steps such as using a fan in a baby’s room to prevent SIDS, and several other steps should be followed.

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Hormones May Help Women with Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia usually affects more men than women, and women usually develop symptoms around five years later than men. Thus far, the treatment for both men and women has been the same.
During her psychiatric training, Jayashri Kulkami, MBBS, PhD, spoke with many schizophrenic women who kept telling her "It's my hormones, Doc." They also told her "No one takes any notice when I say it's to do with my hormones." Dr. Kulkami took notice and she and her colleagues have now completed a series of small studies which shows that estrogen can have a noticeable effect in reducing symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, and disordered thinking. The findings were from a four-week study of 102 women of childbearing age with diagnosed schizophrenia.

Kulkami and her colleagues at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia used a patch containing estradiol, the most common form of estrogen, for half of the women. They continued to take the normal medications prescribed for their illness. The other half also had a patch, but it contained no active medication.
During the 28 days of the study, the symptoms and feelings of the study subjects were recorded on a weekly basis, and those on estrogen reported less negative changes in their condition.
More than a century ago it was recognized that there was a link between estrogen and mental illness, but it was only recently considered as a possible treatment. The exact affect of hormones on schizophrenia isn't understood, but the researchers said that it might have a swift effect on blood flow in the brain, or the way sugar is used as fuel for the brain. There is also the possibility that the way brain cells communicate with each other was affected. They said that there was a possibility that the hormone might have uses in other mental illnesses in women.

Estrogen has effects throughout the body, including promotion of hormone sensitive breast and cervical cancers. This means that continuing research using estrogen must be done with some caution. Kulkami's team is exploring the use of drugs called selective estrogen receptor modulators or SERMs. They want to see if these drugs exert the same antipsychotic effect as estrogen without the side effects.

The researchers did a brief study treating schizophrenic men with estrogen, and the therapy also seemed to reduce their acute symptoms. Though men do have some natural estrogen introducing too much would bring out effeminate characteristics. The researchers plan a larger study using SERMs in men. SERM trials on women are also planned. At present, Kulkami is focusing on a three-site study of estrogen patches in women of childbearing age with schizophrenia. This study is designed to ensure that the findings of the previous study were not a fluke.

Kulkami said she treats women with estrogen therapy but insures their continued health with Pap smears, breast exams, and blood pressure checks.
Other professionals warn that estrogen therapy appears useful, but much more work is needed before it can be considered safe and effective.

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Index Of Health And Beauty

Vision Care,Women's Health,Aging & Geriatrics,Alternative & Natural Medicine, Dental Care, Health Conditions Health Education & Medical Training, Health Foundations & Medical Research, Health Insurance, Medical Devices & Equipment, Medical Facilities & Services, Medical Literature & Resources, Men's Health, Mental Health, Nursing, Nutrition, Occupational Health & Safety, Pediatrics, Pharmacy, Reproductive Health, Substance Abuse.

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