Adding folic acid to tortillas and other products can reduce the risk for birth defects, says a new petition recently filed with a federal agency.  A petition filed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) argues that fortifying corn masa flour products with the B vitamin folic acid can help reduce serious birth defects of the brain and spine. The groups behind the petition believe that mandating folic acid fortification of the products will especially help prevent birth defects in one high-risk group: Hispanic babies. Since 1998, when the FDA started regulating folic a...

Ever wonder why some kids fight and some kids don’t? There are exceptions to every rule, but parental attitudes towards physical violence plays a role in kid’s fighting behavior. A recent study asked why some children fight while others walk away. Results suggest that kids learn a lot about fighting from their parent’s examples and beliefs. Talk to your kids about conflict resolution instead of fighting. Rashmi Shetgiri MD., Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and her team studied 65 teens from the Dallas Independent ...

California needs to clean up its act. Air quality findings by the American Lung Association (ALA) saw California cities dominating the top of the lists for three significant categories.

The use of opiate drugs among pregnant women has more than quadrupled from 2000 to 2009 - which has led to approximately one baby being born every hour with signs of drug withdrawal. The rate of babies born in 2009 with neonatal abstinence syndrome is approximately three times the rate in 2000, and the increase has had even greater impact because of increased costs associated with the condition, according to a recent study. Ask a therapist about drug addition programs. Neonatal abstinence syndrome is a complex condition in newborns that includes a range of problems resulting fro...

Cancer screening guidelines and recommendations are utterly confusing. For example, if you're a woman in your 40s , do you have mammography or not? A review of a massive amount of data may help you have a more informed discussion with your doctor about what's best for you. In looking at the benefits and harms of breast cancer screenings in women aged 40-49, a group of researchers has determined that two risk factors are most important to consider - the type of breast tissue a woman has and her family history. For women who have these risks, every-other-year screening may be a go...

Patients are still receiving blood transfusions more often than needed, and a new study suggests premature or unnecessary transfusions could be leading to worse outcomes.

Doctors may have found a new marker capable of suggesting a teen suffers from high blood pressure. Abnormal levels of uric acid, a build-up associated with gout attacks, may act as a mechanism for hypertension. Though a cause and effect link between uric acid and hypertension was not found, researchers said the findings suggest uric acid may act as a biomarker of high blood pressure. Avoid smoking to maintain healthy blood pressure. Lauren Loeffler , MD, MHS , lead investigator and a nephrologist at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, noted that high blood pressure is no longer...

Knowing what pesticides are used around you or on the food you eat may not always be possible. But knowing the effect they can have on unborn children may help you decide how to shop. Chlorpyrifos ( CPF ) is a widely used pesticide that has been used in agriculture since 1965. Although use of it in residential areas was phased out by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2001, it was commonly heavily used in cities and continues to be used today away from urban areas. Avoid pesticide exposure and consider organic food while pregnant. Virginia Rauh , ScD , an epidemiol...

If money is always low and stress or depression is always high, moms may be overfeeding their babies - and thereby increasing their kids' risks of obesity. A recent unpublished study being presented at a conference found that the unhealthy practice of adding cereal to babies' bottles tends to occur more often among low-income mothers who are single and/or showing symptoms of depression or high stress. Don't add cereal to your baby's bottle. Lead author Candice Taylor Lucas, MD, a an associate professor of pediatrics at New York University School of Medicine and Bellevue Hospital...