Chinese tainted milk scandal widens

I wrote a few guest posts over at BabyLune for a fellow blogger who is having computer problems and one of the posts was on the babies who were affected by the tainted baby formula in China (Chinese baby formula scandal claims a second life). Unfortunately, since I wrote that post, more babies have died and more have been affected - significantly more.

Some recent news reports say that almost 13,000 children have been affected and so far, four have died, so far, but this morning, new reports are coming out that this number may actually be as high as 50,000.

What is the problem? Melamine, a product used in plastics, has been found in the powdered milk. Ingesting this poison can cause kidney stones and other problems in the urinary tract system. Although the problem seems to be wider - melamine has now also been found in some yogurt and other milk products, children are the hardest hit and therefore the only ones affected up to now. This is because of the large amount of milk that infants, babies and toddlers drink compared to most adults.

I can't even begin to imagine how the parents of these children must feel - parents of any child in China, even those not affected because of the fear and worry while they wait to find out if theirs has been made ill.

Today at Help My Hurt:

Children with hay fever more likely to experience headaches, facial pain
Watch how much Tylenol (Paracetamol) you give your babies
International pain resources


Today at Womb Within:

Rising rates of induction in Illinois
High trans fat diet may be connected to miscarriages
Vaccines and pregnancy - do they go together?


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Aggression among nursing home patients widespread
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Introducing work walking!

Ok - picture this. You walk into an office for a meeting and you see people standing at their desks working. But wait - they seem to be moving a bit, and what is that whirring sound you hear? Upon further investigation, you see that the workers are standing at their desks but they're not standing still - they're on treadmills, walking as they work.

Sound impossible? Nope - people are doing it. Some are able to work on their computers while walking, while others take conference calls and do other similar types of work while they walk away their work hours.

While some people may find it hard to do both at the same time, others find that walking helps them ground themselves and be able to concentrate on what their doing. And the benefits? Since you're not walking too quickly, the goal isn't weight loss, but it is a good method of weight maintenance. Such walking can help lower cholesterol and keep blood pressure under control. Maybe it's not such a bad idea.

You can read more about it in this New York Times article: I Put In 5 Miles at the Office

Today at Help My Hurt:

Wii Senior Olympics!
13 Things Your Pharmacist Won’t Tell You
Neurostimulator for chronic pain relief: Teleconference


Today at Womb Within:

Healthy women in premature labor may not need antibiotics
Undereating while pregnant may cause obesity in children
Man with cystic fibrosis beats the odds: is now dad of twins
Men - your sperm may not like your heated car seat in the winter

In Today's News:

China: Fourth baby dies from tainted milk
Oxycontin may hook teens more easily than adults
Almost 1 in 10 Canadians has post-traumatic stress at some point: study
Old meds? Many get conflicting disposal advice

ok folks...help me out here please

When I first began this blog, I posted every day, at least five days a week, sometimes on the weekend. I did that for more than a year. Then, a few weeks ago, my blog was flagged by blogger as spam and I was unable to post for a few days.

Now, I just can't get back into it. Rather than starting my day with something fresh and run to write, a few days go by when I realize I haven't posted. I'm not sure why the spam issue triggered this, but it did. So, do I continue? Part of me would like to. I know I have regular readers - but I'm just not into it any more. Maybe I just need a break? Who knows. All I know is that everything was fine until I was accused of spam. Now I don't know.

Today at Help My Hurt:

Massage therapy may help cancer pain
Back pain at work
Surgeon General: Watch that calf pain, it may be a blood clot


Today at Womb Within:

Celebrity IVF experiences giving false hope?
Back pain in pregnancy
Hey pal, can you spare some sperm?

News for Today:

Early daycare linked to lower asthma risk
China: Tainted milk scandal spreads, 3rd baby dies
Being Born With Congenital Heart Malformation Brings Challenges At School

Halloween - does it affect kids' health?

Halloween is a month and a half away and the inevitable questions and arguments will be popping up again as they do every single year. Questions like what to do with all the candy, how to keep your child from eating all the candy, do you ration the candy, do you take the candy away, do you let your kid go out.... and the list goes on. Oh, and don't forget "at what are kids too old to trick or treat?"

Ok, let's be clear here. A steady diet of candy isn't good for you or your child. Right. Next: eating candy and not brushing and flossing your teeth after isn't good for your teeth. Right.

Now that those facts are out, here are a few Marijke Facts of Halloween Life:

1- Unless you have diabetes, celiac disease, food allergies, sensitivity to additives or some other medical reason not to touch candy or certain types of candy, pigging out once a year is not going to hurt.
2- Kids like to have fun and believe in magic - Halloween is often one of those days when they can do both.
3- Why does there have to be a specific age or cut-off as to when it is permissible to dress up and trick-or-treat and when it isn't?

We all want healthy kids but we have to balance ourselves and allow ourselves and our kids to have some fun. I remember what fun it was to have a bag full of candy that I could eat from when I wanted to, whatever I wanted to for that one time of year. Never, any other time, did I have that freedom to eat these types of candies and chocolate bars. It was reserved for Halloween only.

The freedom to eat anything I wanted from that bag whenever I wanted didn't result in an obese child, a child who craved candy 24 hours a day, or a child who was bouncing off the roof. It resulted in a magical few days and then the novelty wore off. Most years, I ended up throwing away candy months later. After gorging for a while, the rest of the candy wasn't eaten.

So, relax. Make sure your child's toothbrush and toothpaste is nearby and used. Otherwise, remember what magic was like and allow your child some of that magic too.

Today at Help My Hurt:

Making Cancer Less Painful - A Handbook for Parents
Minorities less likely to seek joint replacements

Today at Womb Within:

You’re pregnant - but the flu is going around
Listeriosis hits high-risk groups, causes miscarriages and premature births

News for Today:

Gardasil Approved to Target More Cancers
Listeriosis primer outlines risks, symptoms, treatment
The culprit behind the winter blues