Health - kids news and health - kids widget

She seemed to be everywhere. Last fall, actress Jenny McCarthy could be found on a host of American talk shows, including Larry King Live, The View and The Oprah Winfrey Show promoting her book Louder than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism. During the Oprah appearance, she made several controversial claims, including the idea that vaccines had a role to play in causing her son's autism. "The nurse gave (Evan) the shot...

A new anesthesiology study analysis presented at the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, indicates a possible link between childhood exposure to general anesthesia and an increased risk of behavioral and developmental disorders in young children. Recent animal studies have shown that commonly used anesthetic agents may have serious neurotoxic effects on the developing brain.

Some 2.3 million children a year, mostly from low- to middle-income families, have no health care coverage to pay for preventive or other medical needs, even though at least one of their parents is insured, according to a new study supported by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the National Center for Research Resources, part of HHS' National Institutes of health. The new study, published in the Oct.

The American Heart Association (AHA) recently issued its first guidelines for physicians on diagnosing and treating stroke in infants and children. According to the National hospital Discharge Survey, the rate of stroke in children is 13.5 per 100,000 (0-18yrs),(1) making it the sixth leading cause of death among children.(2) The guidelines indicate that the risk factors and presentation of infant and childhood stroke vary greatly from those of adult stroke.

Having a parent with health insurance does not always guarantee coverage of children and teens. Jennifer E. DeVoe, M.D., D.Phil. (Oregon Health & Science University, Portland) and colleagues write in the October 22/29 issue of JAMA that even with at least one parent insured, about 4% of US children are not covered by any health insurance at some point during the year. It is estimated that over 9 million children in the United States do not have health insurance.

Pennsylvania's youngest citizens are benefiting from improvements in the quality of social and emotional supports through an innovative pilot program, according to a report released by the University of Pittsburgh and announced by the Department of Public Welfare.

Enter your child's weight, height and age and see what percentile they are on the US growth charts:

A BYU-Harvard-Stanford research team has identified a molecule that is key to mothers' ability to pass along immunity to intestinal infections to their babies through breast milk. The findings will be published in the Nov. 1 issue of the Journal of Immunology. The study highlights an amazing change that takes place in a mother's body when she begins producing breast milk.

New studies conducted by April Benasich, professor of neuroscience at Rutgers University in Newark, and her colleagues reveal that gamma wave activity in the brains of children provide a window into their cognitive development, and could open the way for more effective intervention for those likely to experience language problems. "Research into the adult brain has shown that gamma activity is the 'glue' that binds together perceptions, thoughts and memories," notes Benasich.

Hawaii state legislators and Hawaii Medical Service Association officials last week criticized actions by Gov. Linda Lingle's (R) administration last week to end funding for Keiki Care, the state's universal health care program for children, the