Conversations… | with Dr. Greene

When young children refuse to poop on the potty, they have often fallen in to what I call the D-D-D cycle, for Discomfort > Dread > Delay. They might enter the cycle from any point, perhaps from waiting to poop because they don’t want to interrupt playing, or perhaps from fear of the potty itself.

Throughout childhood and the teen years, kids are building bones to last for a lifetime. The symptoms of osteoporosis usually don’t start until later in life, but the issue has often been settled by the quality of bones girls build before they ever leave home. Between the ages of 12 and 16 girls, on average, add more density to their bones than the amount they will lose during the last 4 decades of their lives.

More children than ever before are expected to get the flu vaccine for the 2004-2005 flu season, both because of new recommendations and because last year’s rough flu season still lingers in many people’s memories. Preservative-free flu vaccine is available — for those who ask for it before the supply is already committed.

Because of the high rate of caesarean sections in Latin America, researchers thought they might be able to reduce the c-section rate by 25 percent (without any additional complications) by instituting a policy requiring a mandatory second opinion based on the best existing scientific evidence before every c-section.

Because West Nile virus has made preventing mosquito bites more important in the United States, and because some insecticides are toxic, people have become increasingly concerned with finding gentle and effective solutions at preventing mosquito bites.

The recommendations for kids. using insect repellants containing DEET have changed, allowing higher concentrations than before. Within the last year, the Committee on Environmental Health of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) concluded that products containing DEET at a concentration of 30% are as safe as products containing only 10% when used as directed.

Along with nice weather, West Nile virus is arriving for the summer. On June 8, the first 2004 case of West Nile virus in California was reported. Other cases had already been found in people in Arizona and New Mexico, and in flocks of birds from New York to Florida to California. Last year, almost 10,000 people are known to have been sick with West Nile virus in the United States, and 262 of them died.

A change in eating that is as strong as attention deficit drugs?! Researchers at the University of Southampton studied over 1800 three-year-old children, some with and some without ADHD, some with and some without allergies. After initial behavioral testing, all of the children got one week of a diet without any artificial food colorings and without any chemical preservatives. The children’s behavior measurably improved during this week.