Glandular Fever, Chewing Gum & Memory Recall, Ecstasy Warning, Healthy Eating, Left-handedness, Acne, Birth Defects, Asthma, Eczema, Autism and much more...

GLANDULAR FEVER

A report in this week’s British Medical Journal discusses the onset of sudden, severe abdominal pain in patients with glandular fever. Glandular fever is a viral infection caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. You can read about it in our section on glandular fever. Features of the disease include extreme tiredness, swollen glands, a sore throat and an enlarged liver and spleen. It is common in teenagers where it can be caught by close physical contact and is nicknamed the kissing disease. Children also get a dramatic pink skin rash if they are given amoxicillin to treat the sore throat. The case discussed in the BMJ refers to a young man with abdominal pain who was found to have a ruptured spleen which had to be surgically removed to prevent blood loss internally. The spleen is thought to rupture in 0.5% of cases of glandular fever and parents should always be on the lookout for tender or painful abdomens, particularly under the ribcage on the child’s left-hand side. Doctors also recommend that people with glandular fever avoid contact sports (like rugby) or any sport that could result in a fall (skiing and riding) until the spleen has returned to its normal size.

Read Lesson of the week - Abdominal pain in acute infectious mononucleosis.

CHEWING GUM & MEMORY RECALL

Teenagers rejoice, street cleaners groan.

Chewing gum has been given an unexpected boost. A report at the British Psychological Society’s annual conference showed that people who chewed gum ‘had a better memory for word lists and holding information’; it did not, however, seem to increase their concentration. The research was done at the University of Northumbria. The test subjects were divided into three groups: one had nothing in their mouth, one chewed gum and one group had an empty mouth but performed chewing motions; only the group chewing gum showed improved memory recall which was sustained for 25 minutes. The researchers suggested a number of possible scientific explanations including that the body may be expecting food and may release insulin which increases glucose uptake to the brain. It seems hardly surprising that pretending to chew didn’t help your memory – it must be quite an effort to keep going and not easy to do subconsciously at all.

Read ‘By gum, here's something for the memory to start chewing on’ from the Guardian and ‘Chewing gum boosts brain's performance’ from The Daily Telegraph.

Some parents may recall research that said that if you revised after having a drink of alcohol you recalled the information best after having another drink but suggested that this phenomenon decreased after more than one unit of alcohol (half a pint of lager!). Exam rooms beware – could loud chewing and a pre-exam drink be coming?

ECSTASY WARNING

More information that every older teenager should know: reports suggest that taking ecstasy as infrequently as once a month is enough to cause memory loss and lack of concentration which continues for some time after taking the drug. This could affect the estimated one million weekend users. We already know that ecstasy can cause panic attacks months after taking it and I feel that there will turn out to be a lot more long-term health problems from this powerful drug. Like LSD, the drug that could produce flashbacks many years later, sometimes resulting in people dying because they thought that they could fly or walk on water, it is the long-term effects of ecstasy use that will have an effect on society.

Read ‘New ecstasy warning’.

EAT YOUR GREENS!

The University of Bangor revealed an interesting way to get children to eat more vegetables this week. They were prompted into action by the fact that one in 20 children claimed to have eaten no vegetables in the past week, with one in seventeen eating no fruit. Almost all fell below the Government’s recommended intake of five portions of fruit or vegetables a day, and it is known that eating fruit and vegetables helps to prevent heart disease, cancer and obesity in later life. The researchers used videos with cartoon characters – vegetable-loving superheroes who defeat the junk food baddies and get super powers by eating fruit and vegetables. They also rewarded healthy eating with stickers and praise. The increased intake of fruit and vegetables was maintained for at least 15 months after the scheme stopped. The most interesting comment was that ‘there is evidence that if you taste something enough you learn to like it. A lot of children decide that they don’t like things before they have even tried them but if you give them fruit and vegetables to eat repeatedly they find that they like them’. So parents should keep on cooking a variety of vegetables and encourage their children to taste a piece of each regularly – you could dramatically lengthen their lives.

Read ‘‘Food dudes’ persuade children to eat greens’ from the Daily Telegraph.

LEFT-HANDEDNESS – BLESSING OR HINDRANCE?

If the good fairies at Sleeping Beauty’s christening had wished her left-handedness would her parents have been delighted or appalled? There have been reports that left-handedness is increasing, but not long ago being left-handed was seen as a curse, associated with lower intelligence and derogatory labels – cack-handed, sinister – and discouraged by school teachers. The increase may be simply that we are more relaxed about letting children write with their left hands, or, as it is commoner in children of older mothers, that the increasing average age of mothers in the UK has affected it. It is also increasingly recognised that creative geniuses are often left-handed: these include Pele, Michelangelo, Churchill, Joan of Arc and Alexander the Great. Nowadays 13% of men and 11% of women are left-handed. Professor Chris McManus has written a book on the subject called ‘Right Hand, Left Hand’ and he says that there is a greater range of talents in left-handed people meaning more geniuses and more with a low IQ, but the average IQ is similar to right-handers. This refutes the suggestion that left-handedness is a sign of ‘minimal brain damage’. The increase has also been linked to ultrasound scans – but this seems unlikely.

My youngest (age 4) is left-handed and the only problems we’ve had are with scissors – it took me a while to realise why she couldn’t cut out (left-handed scissors can be bought at most stationers) and the school had failed to give her left-handed scissors until I mentioned it. I was advised to encourage her to use her fork in her left hand as it looks better – and that is certainly easy for her although she still can’t cut with a knife, and she has a tendency to twist the paper around when writing. In the future my only (very slight) concern is multiple choice papers – as left-handers have to cover up the question to write the answer, unlike right-handers who can see the question as they fill in the answer, but I’m sure technology will solve that one. Do any other parents of left-handers have any tips? Contact us on our message board.

Read Left-Handers Day - Information, entertainment and left-handed product offers – typical heading ‘Are left-handers more intelligent? – researchers say YES!’ They have a kids club and sell left handed scissors etc.

ACNE

A report in today’s Daily Mail (not available online) discusses a new acne treatment called Zindaclin. This is a combination of an antibiotic (clindamycin) and zinc. Antibiotics are known to help cure acne and prevent scarring but they often have to be taken for several months. One of Zindaclin’s selling points is that it only needs to be applied once a day. It seems to be particularly effective for mild to moderate teenage acne. Alarmingly, Alison Dudley of the Acne Support Group said that 75% of their members felt depressed because of their acne and 15% actually felt suicidal – so any new, easy-to-use preparation is to be warmly welcomed. It will be available by prescription from your GP. Read our section on acne. See the Acne Support Group (ASG) website – you can join to get support and information.

BIRTH DEFECTS

Several newspapers have reported on the alarming increase in birth defects in newborn babies. Figures from the Birth Defects Foundation suggest that one in 16 babies is now born with a defect. Three specific defects are singled out. Cleft lip or palate, gastroschisis (a defect of the abdominal wall) and hypospadias (a defect of the penis).They have no idea why this is happening but do know that taking folic acid (at least 500mg a day in the month before pregnancy and during the first four months) dramatically cuts the incidence of at least two other abnormalities - spina bifida and congenital heart disease. They suggest that pregnant mothers and those preparing for conception should eliminate alcohol and smoking and eat healthily. Professor Michael Patten, head of genetics at St. George’s Hospital in Tooting thinks that oestrogens in the environment may play a part. They are commonly found in soya products. There is also concern that oestrogens in the urine of women on the pill are entering the water supply and affecting the sex of fish – this could account for the rise of hypospadias. Gastroschisis is most common in teenage mothers (who have an increased risk of most defects – this may be due to poor diet or antenatal care). Recreational drug use has also been suggested as a cause. Professor Patten, however, believes that most defects are caused by genetic factors and not the environment.

Read ‘Huge Rise in Babies Born with Defects’ and ‘Male fertility fears over pollution in water supply’ in the Independent. Also contact the Birth Defects Foundation.

Professor Philip Barker, who works in foetal medicine, writes about this in the Daily Mail. He says that the rise is a ‘cause for serious concern’. So what should we do? He suggests special antenatal clinics for teenage mothers and for concerned mothers he suggests giving up smoking, cutting down or eliminating alcohol, not taking cocaine, and other hard drugs. Neither doctor has any suggestions about avoiding oestrogens in the water. Professor Barker does also point out that the birth defects register does include birth defects that are quite mild such as skin blemishes and other minor abnormalities such as extra digits, which are easily removed.

ASTHMA & BREATHING

Some asthma sufferers have found tremendous relief from the Buteykco deep breathing exercises. They were invented by the Russian Konstantin Buteykco. It involves a series of exercises to retrain the brain and lungs to breathe normally again, often reducing the amount of medication needed. Read about it at BIBH: Buteyko Institute of Breathing & Health; also read our guide to controlling asthma and contact the National Asthma Campaign.

ECZEMA

The Daily Mail reports that ozone, a highly active form of oxygen, can help to treat eczema by killing the bacteria that make eczema flare up. Up to 15% of seven year-olds may get eczema. The ozone is applied in cream form and it is currently being tested in the UK. The cream is called ‘Super Oxygen Cream’ and is available from the health food company Hellenia. Always discuss new medication in children with your doctor first. Read our section on eczema and get further information from the National Eczema Society.

Hellenia Healthfoods UK

AUTISM

An interesting report in the Independent this week says that autism may have an identifiable cause in up to a third of cases. The adults tested, all of whom had been diagnosed as autistic, were found to have medical conditions as diverse as foetal alcohol syndrome (caused by excessive maternal drinking during pregnancy) and damage from anti-epileptic drugs taken in pregnancy by the mother to brain damage and chromosomal defects.

Read ‘Scientists dispel the mystery of autism’.

APPLE JUICE & HONEY ALERTS

Apple juice has been removed from the supermarket shelves this week when the Food Standards Agency found that it was contaminated with patulin, a chemical that damages DNA and could damage unborn babies. The apple juice is produced by James White and is called Fresh Dry Bramley Apple juice, sold in 75ml glass bottles, dated best before September 2003.

Honey from China (apparently most of our honey is from China) has also been removed from sale after it was found to contain drugs used to treat animals!!

See the Food Standards Agency site.

FOOD FOR ADOLESCENCE

The Daily Mail lists foods for different age groups – for teenagers it recommends:

• Iron – to prevent anaemia particularly in menstruating girls – good dietary sources are red meat, leafy green vegetables and apricots.
• Zinc – to prevent acne – found in leafy green vegetables and seafood.
• B vitamins (particularly B6), zinc, magnesium and selenium to prevent mood swings -selenium is found in Brazil nuts.
• Calcium for healthy bones and teeth – found in grains and leafy green vegetables.

Teenagers eating a good diet should not need artificial supplements, but watch out for teenage girls with heavy periods getting anaemic. See our section on anaemia.

HEALTH NEWS IN BRIEF

Gum Disease Causes Premature Birth

An American study, reported in the Mirror, showed that pregnant women with gum disease were twice as likely to have premature babies, probably due to the bacteria from the inflamed gums entering the bloodstream. The Government provides free dental treatment for pregnant mothers.

Juggling Can improve Coordination

According to the Mirror, juggling apparently builds concentration, and teaches children how to stick to a task. It also improves dexterity. A company called Positivelymad plans to introduce juggling to schools and has a very interesting website.

One in Five Children Have a Mental Problem

Read ‘One in five children has a mental or behavioural problem’ in the Independent – discussing a report from the UN relating particularly to children in poverty and war zones.

And finally…

A subject that Tigerchild doesn’t usually cover but parents may find interesting:

‘We need more babies’, a discussion of the population decrease in the UK written by Fred Pearce in this week’s Sunday Times Online. We cannot link to the article as you have to register personally - search using the word ‘population’.