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what's up, doc?What's Up, Doc?The latest medical studies explained.12195759whatsupdocfalsefalsespacernotembeddedwhat's up, doc?Crib NotesSydney SpieselIs sharing a bed with your baby a good idea?noCrib NotesIs sharing a bed with your baby a good idea?noQuestion: Pediatrics has its share of issues that always give rise to strong emotional responses. No matter what position you take on, for instance, breast-feeding, pacifiers, or vaccines, someone is bound to come after you with a pitchfork. Exactly where the baby sleeps is another such topic. For years, most pediatricians have gently (or vigorously) urged parents to let their infants sleep in a crib, a bassinet, or, indeed, almost anywhere but the parents' bed. Parents—especially in the last few years—have pushed back against doctors, arguing that it is both natural and beneficial for babies to co-sleep with parents. The people who favor bed sharing believe that it promotes successful breast-feeding, strengthens mother-child bonding, and may even allow parents to detect and halt Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. But is there any evidence to support these claims—and the overall safety of co-sleeping?truenotochyperlinkno20092470043AMWednesdayFebFebruary72/4/2009 12:00:43 PM63369327643000000020092470043AMWednesdayFebFebruary72/4/2009 12:00:43 PM633693276430000000what's up, doc?The State of the STDSydney SpieselThe CDC's updated stats on sexually transmitted diseases.noThe State of the STDThe CDC's updated stats on sexually transmitted diseases.noQuestion: About this time every year, the CDC issues its annual statistical report about sexually transmitted diseases in the United States. The surveillance report for 2007 has just come out (it takes about a year to compile and process the statistics). It is long—almost 170 pages—and, as usual, disquieting. Our uncomfortable feelings about sexuality have caused STDs to be stigmatizing and, for that reason, often concealed. Hiding infectious diseases and delaying treatment almost always has bad consequences: The untreated STD may silently do terrible damage to the body of the victim, and keeping contacts in the dark promotes spread. So, what does the report say is new with STDs?truenotochyperlinkno2009116114142AMFridayJanJanuary111/16/2009 4:41:42 PM6336770290200000002009116114142AMFridayJanJanuary111/16/2009 4:41:42 PM633677029020000000what's up, doc?Breathing TroubleSydney SpieselThe FDA's new restrictions on some asthma medications.noBreathing TroubleThe FDA's new restrictions on some asthma medications.noQuestion: In a dramatic move, an FDA advisory panel has recommended the elimination or restriction of a group of asthma medicines—long-acting beta-agonists—that many patients with severe asthma have come to depend on. While "controller" drugs like steroids stop the inflammation that leads to asthma attacks, patients use short-acting ("rescue") beta-agonists like albuterol for immediate relief of the tightness and wheezing of acute attacks. For more severe cases of asthma, patients are often given long-acting beta-agonists, like Serevent and Foradil, that relieve the sense of tightness throughout the day (though they aren't intended for use in an acute attack). These are the medications addressed by the FDA panel's nonbinding (but usually followed) recommendations. Why do they want to restrict the use of medicines that seem so effective for treating this chronic disease?truenotochyperlinkno20081217122149PMWednesdayDecDecember1212/17/2008 5:21:49 PM63365113309000000020081217122149PMWednesdayDecDecember1212/17/2008 5:21:49 PM633651133090000000what's up, doc?Nothing To Sneeze AtSydney SpieselWeekly allergy shots might be history.noNothing To Sneeze AtWeekly allergy shots might be history.noProblem: As many of us are reminded every spring and fall, the allergies that cause weepy red eyes, a stuffy nose, and even trouble breathing are quite common. It's estimated that about 35 percent of people in Westernized countries are affected by allergies—and, for completely unclear reasons, the rate has been increasing. There are basically three ways to treat allergies. You can eliminate exposure to allergens by removing them from the patient's environment—give away the cat, encase the mattress in impermeable plastic to trap and seal away dust mites, get rid of carpeting, and damp-mop instead of vacuuming. But sometimes that's not enough. Even after you give away the cat, he leaves behind tiny particles of the very allergenic protein from dried cat saliva—and it may be months or even years before the house is decontaminated. Because we can't completely eliminate allergens from our environment, allergy sufferers often continue to have some symptoms. , but they often have significant side effects and don't work for everyone. When drugs aren't enough, allergists often turn to immunotherapy. In immunotherapy, patients are repeatedly injected under the skin with small amounts of the allergen in doses that are slowly increased over time. Typically, the course of treatment requires about three to five years of injections administered in 50 to 70 doctor visits. The shots are painful and sometimes cause severe or even dangerous reactions. Many patients put up with allergies rather than deal with the nuisance and expense of immunotherapy, though a life-threatening allergy to, say, bee stings might make it worthwhile. Unfortunately, immunotherapy is not always successful. Perhaps 25 percent of patients will fail to get relief from their allergies, which is pretty annoying after five years of uncomfortable injections and as many as 70 doctor visits.truenotochyperlinkno20081126121935PMWednesdayNovNovember1211/26/2008 5:19:35 PM63363298775000000020081126121935PMWednesdayNovNovember1211/26/2008 5:19:35 PM633632987750000000what's up, doc?Shots All Around!Sydney SpieselThe case for immunizing everyone against the flu.noShots All Around!The case for immunizing everyone against the flu.noProblem: Influenza is a common viral disease. Because it's so common (in any one year, somewhere between 5 percent and 20 percent of Americans will get the flu) and because people tend to call any illness with fever, sore throat, vomiting, or diarrhea a "flu," it is often taken casually—more a fact of life than a cause for anxiety. Many of these misnamed infections are pretty minor, but true influenza is often quite a serious disease, leading to more than 200,000 annual hospitalizations in the United States and about 36,000 deaths every year. Unfortunately, catching the flu doesn't guarantee immunity—the virus's unstable genetic makeup changes frequently, and the immunity stimulated by an infection or a shot probably won't be helpful in the next year if even a minor change occurs and a new strain emerges. And sometimes those new strains are exceptionally dangerous. The "Spanish flu," the worst of these varieties, appeared in 1918 and is thought to have killed somewhere between 50 million and 100 million people worldwide—between 2.5 percent and 5 percent of the world's population—during a two-year period.truenotochyperlinkno2008111970530AMWednesdayNovNovember711/19/2008 12:05:30 PM6336267513000000002008111970530AMWednesdayNovNovember711/19/2008 12:05:30 PM6336267513000000002008722122207PMTuesdayJulJuly127/22/2008 4:22:07 PM6335232612700000002008722122207PMTuesdayJulJuly127/22/2008 4:22:07 PM633523261270000000falsetruetruetruetruetruetrue2008722110023AMTuesdayJulJuly117/22/2008 3:00:23 PM6335232122300000002008722110023AMTuesdayJulJuly117/22/2008 3:00:23 PM633523212230000000