DadTalk

Doctors’ Attacks on Parents Worried About Vaccines Are not Helpful

Last week I asked whether states should require flu shots. Out of six comments, only one reader supported the mandatory shots.

This week, The New York Times discusses Paul Offit’s book “Autism’s False Prophets,” which defends vaccines. Not surprisingly, the doctor has quickly become a lightning rod among parents who blame vaccines with causing autism and other health problems among children.

Both sides are so inflamed that Dr. Offit refuses to go into a bookstore for signings because he allegedly received death threats.

“When Jonas Salk invented polio vaccine, he was a hero – and I’m a terrorist?” he jokes, referring to a placard denouncing him at a recent demonstration by antivaccine activists outside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

At the same time, the way vaccine supporters dismiss parents with autistic children is equally counterproductive:

Melamine Risks Extend Beyond Eggs and Milk

While all eyes are still focused on the economic crisis facing the world, the Chinese food disaster continues to worsen. Earlier this week, we learned that some eggs coming from China were tainted with melamine, a chemical often used in the manufacture of plastic.

As a result, companies and nations are now checking eggs for the chemical. About 6.5 percent of China’s eggs are exported to North America, reports The Wall Street Journal.

In recent months, we’ve learned that melamine had been added to Chinese-produced milk, which sickened more than 54,000 children and killed at least four babies. But there is more to this story. If eggs became contaminated because melamine was added to animal feed, the question becomes: was melamine added to other animal feeds?

Chinese media outlets are hinting that the answer is yes, reports The Associated Press:

Book Review Just How Many Descendants Will I Have by Year Million?

As a dad, I worry much about what the future holds for my children. Then again, my time frame only runs a few decades ahead, not the millions of years being mulled by some scientists.

Why am I thinking about millions of years from now? Well, my review of Year Million ran in the Los Angeles Times this week. It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to professionally review a book and completing this one was particularly challenging in light of my recent move from Chicago.

Presuming my progeny have two kids every 36 years, which is the rate my family is reproducing at, I think I should have well over a billion descendants by Year Million if I did my math right.

A Simple Plan to Make Most Out of Drugs Found in Drinking Water

By now, you’ve probably heard about The Associated Press probe that found all manner of pharmaceuticals in our drinking water. Since the economy sucks, I was thinking this could be good news for money-strapped Americans:

Doctor: Hello fellow Americans! I’m so glad you could join this little forum! I know the cost of drugs has gotten out of hand, so I’m here to answer all your questions on where to find the cheapest drugs.

John: Doctor, I suffer from epileptic seizures, but my insurance won’t cover “unwarranted” prescriptions. What can I do?

Doctor: Ah, this is an easy one. Just move to Southern California! There is plenty of anti-epileptic medicine in the drinking water there!

Alice: Um, Doctor? My kids keep catching strep throat at school, but I can never get a doctor’s appointment when they’re sick. What can I do?

New Maps Paint Vivid Picture of Ocean Damage

Not to take anything away from the global warming debate, but for the last two years, I’ve been more concerned about the world’s oceans.

More than 40 percent of the world’s waters are severely compromised, according to new ocean maps that chart how human activity has been damaging our ecosystems. The maps were created by researchers from the U.S., Canada and Britain, who spent four years on the project, reports ScienceNow.

How bad are human impacts on water? Writes ScienceNow:

The data suggest, for example, that ecosystems found in rocky reefs and on continental shelves “are being impacted even more” than coastal coral reefs, which get much more attention. But coral reefs are in bad shape themselves: The map indicates that nearly half of global reefs are experiencing serious, multiple impacts, including damage from fishing and ocean acidification.

While the maps are not perfect, they offer a vivid picture of how human activity is damaging an irreplaceable resource. Writes The Washington Post:

Anti-Depressants, New Cholesterol Drugs May not Be All That Great

When it comes to health, I’ve been very fortunate: most of my problems have been limited to colds, occasional stomach bugs and stubbed toes. I say fortunate, because the few times I’ve ever run to the medicine cabinet, I’ve experienced nasty side effects.

Aspirin hurts my stomach. Painkillers dehydrate me. Penicillin causes my shoulders and neck to break out in a rash.

So I rarely take drugs. I even avoid vitamins. Still, it’s good to know that modern science provides a slew of options should I need them. Insulin for diabetes and antibiotics really work.

Because of this, most of us believe that antidepressants and anti-cholesterol drugs work as well.  Perhaps we are mistaken.

It turns out that pharmaceutical companies never bothered to publish the full story about antidepressants, reports The New York Times:

A Trip to the Museum of Science and Industry

On Sunday, we took the kids to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. Because the place was packed, we had to drive into the bowels of the building to find a parking space.

Amazingly, the enormous line for tickets moved quickly. Lael burst into tears every time we reversed directions as the line snaked this way and that through the security ropes.

I handed the credit card to the cashier.

“It’s free day,” she said, handing us a packet of tickets.

“Hummida. Agro pick free a whatzy?

Yeah, I was left speechless. We had no idea. Luck was on our side this day.

Even better, the kids, who started the trip cranky, had a blast. Seth got to “drive” a train at the Pioneer Zephyr exhibit. But he went bonkers (in a happy way)  at The Great Train Story, which is a 3,500-square-foot room filled with model trains. The route travels from a replica of downtown Chicago through the prairies, over the Rockies and into Seattle.

Kids (and adults) can push a button to make a fog horn blow. Another button launches a huge cargo-loading crane.

Seth, who usually never loses sight of his parents, rushed from train scene to train scene like a loco weed-chewing gazelle. I had to hunt him down several times.

Overheard

“Dad, that looks a mushroom that’s on fire.” – Seth looking at the cover of my Scientific American

“It is. It’s a, um, from an atomic explosion.”

“What’s that?”

“A really bad thing.”

I then launch into a limited explanation of what a nuclear bomb is.

Good News, Bad News, Obesity Studies Find

A number of studies are offering mixed messages about obesity. First the good news:

Adult Obesity Growth Rates Stalling

The Centers for Disease Control are reporting that women’s obesity rates have leveled off and remained steady since 1999, reports The New York Times. I’m not sure what that means in terms of all the studies that claim otherwise, but the CDC is the most official source of health data in the United States.

The obesity rate even seems to be stabilizing for men, who may have topped out in 2003. In the glass is half-empty category, researchers are dismayed that the obesity rate has not gone done. More than 72 million – one-third – of Americans adults are overweight.

Click here (pdf) for more details on the study.

Fitness Is Better Gauge of Lifespan

Confirming previous research, seniors who are fit but overweight are more likely to outlive thinner, more sedentary peers, reports U.S. News & Report. This study focuses on adults over 60  years of age.

“Cardio-respiratory fitness is a strong determinate of mortality in older men and women,” researcher Steven N. Blair, a professor at the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health, tells U.S News. “Older individuals need to be concerned about their fitness level. There is perhaps too much focus on body weight, and fitness is only an afterthought.”

Now the bad news:

Girls Kick Butt in Science Contest*

Finally, some good news. Two high school girls – Janelle Schlossberger and Amanda Marinoff – placed first in the Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology, reports The New York Times.

They are the first women to ever win the $100,000 scholarship, which will be split between them. The team created a molecule that stops drug-resistant tuberculosis from reproducing.

Another young lady, Isha Himani Jain, placed first in the individual category for her studies into the growth of zebra fish bones.

Alicia Darnell took second place for her research into Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Perhaps the most interesting research came from three home-schooled girls who figured out that by watching hamburgers shrink can reveal when E. coli bacteria has been safely eliminated. They took fifth place.

Although the finalists are not yet up on the contest website, you can view all the candidate projects here.

Congratulations to all the girls and contestants.

*UPDATED: A commenter points out that girls previously won this contest. The newly-posted Siemens press release (pdf) reveals that it’s the first time girls swept the contest.