Monday, July 28, 2008
Bad Parenting: Underage Sex and ADHD Edition
Analysis of survey data from American teens suggests that overbearing parents may actually be encouraging their kids towards underage sex'n'drugs'n'rock'n'roll (Journal of Adolescent Health 43(2), 2008). Even though it's a retrospective, secondary analysis, this is an interesting result, not least because it fits with my own casual observations.
Many parents also tend to keep the TV on when their kids are around, even if it's not something the kids are watching. Besides exposing the kids to whatever bad influences will cause their kids to possibly-but-if-they-haven't-proven-it-yet-they-ain't-gonna grow up to be demented and immoral, it seems that having the TV on in the background disrupts kids' play, and screws with their attentional development. Is this the missing ADHD link? It's probably part of the story.
Many parents also tend to keep the TV on when their kids are around, even if it's not something the kids are watching. Besides exposing the kids to whatever bad influences will cause their kids to possibly-but-if-they-haven't-proven-it-yet-they-ain't-gonna grow up to be demented and immoral, it seems that having the TV on in the background disrupts kids' play, and screws with their attentional development. Is this the missing ADHD link? It's probably part of the story.
Labels: ADHD, development, health, jailbait, kids, parenting, play, sex, TV
Monday, September 17, 2007
Probably Not Good For Your Children
Parents are big on protecting their kids from all kinds of (real and imagined) threats, but they don't always have complete control, and they don't always get it right when they do.
Most parents would agree that sugary sodas are bad for you, and that their kids probably should drink few, if any, of them. The Washington Post reports that school vending machines have been selling fewer and fewer sodas to kids in the last couple of years; this is great news and a triumph for parents and kids health advocates, except for that last nagging detail: what kids are drinking instead.
Parents often substitute fruit juice for sodas, on the logic that fruit is good and natural and has vitamins in. The problem, of course, is that in the US at least, most commercial juices as packed every bit as full of high-fructose corn syrup as are sodas. Even no-sugar-added juices are still, for the most part, just empty high-glycemic-index calories - they have negligible amounts of real vitamins that kids don't get elsewhere (vitamin C is everywhere, and Americans get plenty of it), and no fiber or protein to speak of.
Even worse is the diet soda issue. HFCS is terrible for kids, but aspartame and sucralose can't be much better (aside from the dubious record of sweeteners for general health, there's evidence that they also screw up the body's ability to 'count calories'). So kids should probably stick to water and limited amounts of 100% juice. Which is fantastic news for the beverage people, since the profit margin for bottled water has gotta be off the charts, even compared to soda.
On the topic of hyper children, a second study has found that French maritime pine extract Pycnogenol appears to alter stress hormone levels and help control ADHD in kids. This is really interesting news, but one wonders about the long-term effects of suppressing your kids endocrine system. Also, I wonder if it might also be helpful in treating depression, which involves many of the same hormones.
Most parents would agree that sugary sodas are bad for you, and that their kids probably should drink few, if any, of them. The Washington Post reports that school vending machines have been selling fewer and fewer sodas to kids in the last couple of years; this is great news and a triumph for parents and kids health advocates, except for that last nagging detail: what kids are drinking instead.
Parents often substitute fruit juice for sodas, on the logic that fruit is good and natural and has vitamins in. The problem, of course, is that in the US at least, most commercial juices as packed every bit as full of high-fructose corn syrup as are sodas. Even no-sugar-added juices are still, for the most part, just empty high-glycemic-index calories - they have negligible amounts of real vitamins that kids don't get elsewhere (vitamin C is everywhere, and Americans get plenty of it), and no fiber or protein to speak of.
Even worse is the diet soda issue. HFCS is terrible for kids, but aspartame and sucralose can't be much better (aside from the dubious record of sweeteners for general health, there's evidence that they also screw up the body's ability to 'count calories'). So kids should probably stick to water and limited amounts of 100% juice. Which is fantastic news for the beverage people, since the profit margin for bottled water has gotta be off the charts, even compared to soda.
On the topic of hyper children, a second study has found that French maritime pine extract Pycnogenol appears to alter stress hormone levels and help control ADHD in kids. This is really interesting news, but one wonders about the long-term effects of suppressing your kids endocrine system. Also, I wonder if it might also be helpful in treating depression, which involves many of the same hormones.
Labels: ADHD, artifical ingredients, diet, endocrinology, health, hormones, kids, obesity, Pycnogenol, soda, sugar
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Artificial Ingredients; Sex
A study published in the Lancet suggests that the common food preservative, sodium benzoate, may be causing or exacerbating kids hyperactivity. That this kind of chemical has harmful effects should surprise no one, but they do highlight how important it is to watch what your kids (and you, since it's likely to have some effect in adults too) eat.
Diacetyl, another problematic food additive which has spawned numerous lawsuits, also still remains on the market. Previously, it was thought only to be dangerous to people working in manufacture (thus the whole remaining on the market bit...don't you miss effective labor unions?), but now doctors report a case of a consumer with bronchiolitis obliterans. He really liked microwave popcorn, and would inhale its delicious fumes a few times a day. Now he has a fatal lung disease. There's a lesson here, somewhere.
A chemical that people take more intentionally is Viagra; recreational use of the drug is as prominent as on-label treatment. Now it seems that this may come with a hilariously ironic side effect: all that rampant sex seems to carry with it the thing playing men fear most - LOVE! It appears that Viagra (and similar drugs) increase oxytocin, known for its role in social bonding. This makes me very happy.
And finally, speaking of love and sex, why are we gays fighting so hard to get married again? Live-in boyfriends do more housework than husbands. Another reason not to fully commit!!
Diacetyl, another problematic food additive which has spawned numerous lawsuits, also still remains on the market. Previously, it was thought only to be dangerous to people working in manufacture (thus the whole remaining on the market bit...don't you miss effective labor unions?), but now doctors report a case of a consumer with bronchiolitis obliterans. He really liked microwave popcorn, and would inhale its delicious fumes a few times a day. Now he has a fatal lung disease. There's a lesson here, somewhere.
A chemical that people take more intentionally is Viagra; recreational use of the drug is as prominent as on-label treatment. Now it seems that this may come with a hilariously ironic side effect: all that rampant sex seems to carry with it the thing playing men fear most - LOVE! It appears that Viagra (and similar drugs) increase oxytocin, known for its role in social bonding. This makes me very happy.
And finally, speaking of love and sex, why are we gays fighting so hard to get married again? Live-in boyfriends do more housework than husbands. Another reason not to fully commit!!
Labels: additives, ADHD, artifical ingredients, drugs, food, gay marriage, health, kids, oxytocin, science, sex, Viagra
Friday, January 26, 2007
Good for You: Arsenic, Carbon Monoxide, Brain Damage
But stress is still bad: women who were more stressed out while pregnant have kids who are more likely to develop ADHD, lower IQ, and other developmental/behavioral problems. The effect seems to be modulated by amniotic cortisol, and so it could be possible to block it, even if the moms won't chill.
Lots of good news for what's bad for you today. Mice with a model condition for Multiple Sclerosis showed a significant reduction in symptoms when exposed to carbon monoxide. It's not clear if the researchers tested for side effects here (there must have been a few!), and certainly the method used in mice would be lethal to humans, but it's an interesting step. It seems to work by blocking free radical production, but I wonder why then high doses of, say, vitamin C isn't effective as well. Hmm.
Patients with an rare, deadly form of cancer - acute promyelocytic leukemia - seem to do very well on a combination of radiation and chemo with arsenic trioxide. I wonder if old lace helps?
And finally, a new way to quit smoking: brain damage!!! Neuroscientists found that many patients with damage to the insula spontaneously lose the urge to smoke. The thing is that not all of them do, and it's not clear why. Also, discussion of surgical smoking-cessation techniques is frankly a bit scary: yes, smoking is amazingly bad for you, and yes it's hard to quit, but the risks (not to mention the costs!) of any kind of brain surgery is way too much to even consider, I think.
Lots of good news for what's bad for you today. Mice with a model condition for Multiple Sclerosis showed a significant reduction in symptoms when exposed to carbon monoxide. It's not clear if the researchers tested for side effects here (there must have been a few!), and certainly the method used in mice would be lethal to humans, but it's an interesting step. It seems to work by blocking free radical production, but I wonder why then high doses of, say, vitamin C isn't effective as well. Hmm.
Patients with an rare, deadly form of cancer - acute promyelocytic leukemia - seem to do very well on a combination of radiation and chemo with arsenic trioxide. I wonder if old lace helps?
And finally, a new way to quit smoking: brain damage!!! Neuroscientists found that many patients with damage to the insula spontaneously lose the urge to smoke. The thing is that not all of them do, and it's not clear why. Also, discussion of surgical smoking-cessation techniques is frankly a bit scary: yes, smoking is amazingly bad for you, and yes it's hard to quit, but the risks (not to mention the costs!) of any kind of brain surgery is way too much to even consider, I think.
Labels: ADHD, arsenic, brain damage, cancer, carbon monoxide, cigarettes, development, health, leukemia, mice, MS, pregnancy, smoking, stress
