Archive for February, 2005

The “Iron Test” Fails

Friday, February 25th, 2005

Many children in the United States get a simple screening blood test to check for iron deficiency . but the test doesn’t work! The test does identify anemia (not enough red blood cells) by measuring either the hemoglobin level (hgb) or the hematocrit (hct). But parents are often told that if the test is low, […]

Dark Chocolate and Coughs

Wednesday, February 23rd, 2005

You.ve heard of DM cough syrups. How about DC cough remedies? DM is an abbreviation for an over-the-counter cough suppressant called dextromethorphan. What is DC? It.s the nickname given by members of the DrGreene.com community to dark chocolate. Codeine is stronger against coughs than DM. Could DC be even more effective? And if so, how […]

Canada Bans Adderall XR.

Monday, February 14th, 2005

.and the United States does not. Adderall XR is a popular drug for treating ADHD. The active ingredients are amphetamines and dextroamphetamines. When used for ADHD, this drug has been linked to 20 known sudden deaths and 12 known strokes; 1/6 of the strokes and more than 2/3 of the sudden deaths were in children. […]

Breathing for Two

Monday, February 7th, 2005

What happens when women with asthma get pregnant? Does their asthma get better or worse? Should they use more asthma medicines when pregnant? Or less? How does the asthma itself affect their babies? The current state of evidence appears in the January 2005 Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Asthma is more common in pregnant […]

Outgrowing Asthma

Thursday, February 3rd, 2005

Some kids with childhood asthma will outgrow it completely; for some the asthma will improve, but not go away; for others, the asthma will get worse. Do allergy shots make a difference in which kids will be which? And is there a way in childhood to look into the future and see what is likely […]

Nuts! Allergies, Omega-3s, and Yogurt

Tuesday, February 1st, 2005

We.re just beginning to learn about how diet in pregnancy affects asthma, eczema, and allergies in children. We know that over 90% of food allergies in young children are to one of five food: milk, eggs, peanuts, soy, or wheat. Some speculated that mothers