This is the second of three posts that I plan to write about essential oils. In the first, I discussed the dangers of using essential oils in place of proven medications for serious medical conditions. My goal today is to discuss everything except the evidence that is available. (I’ll cover that in a later post.) Before you continue, if you … Read more
One of the first challenges that new parents encounter is feeding their baby. It can be tough. It’s an emotionally charged topic for many moms–one that’s prompted a constant stream of “mommy wars.” People on both extremes can get downright nasty towards those who disagree. New mothers often realize quickly that, while breastfeeding may be “the … Read more
Earlier today, a group called “Clean Label Project” released the results of a study that they say found dangerous contaminants in infant formulas and baby foods. It’s been going around on social media and various news outlets, and, as is often the case, it has benefited from some pretty irresponsible reporting. (My favorite tagline was “The … Read more
Teething gets a bad rap. It always has (apparently, for thousands of years), from parents and healthcare providers alike. In fact, I’m fairly confident that there isn’t a single pediatric symptom that hasn’t, at some point, been ascribed to teething. I’ve always been skeptical, partially because it’s my nature, and partially because it just didn’t make sense that … Read more
About a year ago, I was surprised to read that one of the two elephants at our local zoo had to be euthanized after a prolonged episode of colic. That news was shocking to me because I’ve taken care of lots of babies with colic, and I don’t tend to think of it as a life-threatening diagnosis (unless you count … Read more
First, I’d like to thank you for taking the time to read this; I know you’re busy fund-raising and campaigning, so I’ll try to keep it brief. It’s recently become quite apparent that several of you have some serious misconceptions about our immunization program. That’s unfortunate for people seeking such a prominent position. (It’s especially disappointing that the … Read more
Maybe breastfeeding didn’t work out for you. Or maybe it was going well until you went back to work. Maybe you were never really interested. Whatever that case, you’ve decided to feed your baby formula. You don’t have to apologize, feel guilty, or justify your reasons to anyone. While breast milk is the ideal … Read more
Earlier this week, Newsweek published an article about a possible link between fluoride in water supplies and ADHD. It seems to have caused quite a stir. Just three weeks ago, Newsweek published another article (by the same author) about a potential link between water fluoridation and thyroid disease. If you read the comment threads–which I wouldn’t recommend, you’ll see … Read more
Recently, safety concerns related to placenta encapsulation made headlines when the CDC released a case report about a baby in Oregon that suffered from Group B Strep sepsis–not just once, but twice. For many of you, this may have been the first time you realized that people eat placentas. But yes, placentophagy (as it’s technically known) … Read more
Dear Anti-Vax Parents, In the wake of the Disneyland measles outbreak, there’s been a lot of heated talk about parents who choose not to vaccinate their children. It seems like the medical community is now protesting even louder than the anti-vax groups were a couple years ago. But I want to take a moment and … Read more