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The evidence on check-ups for kids

May 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

With a one- and a three-year-old, I find myself at the pediatrician’s office fairly frequently – and not because my kids are sick. In the first two years of their lives, they visit the pediatrician every 3 months for well visits.

As a new mom, the visits provide a welcome opportunity to ask questions and make sure you’re not making any major mistakes. But the second time around, they can seem unnecessary. So I went out hunting for some evidence to determine whether well-visits are good for kids.

It turns out that they are essential.  A systematic review published in the Journal of the American Medical Association examined the found that primary medical care in the first three years of life promotes optimal development for children.

The review evaluated 47 studies published from 1979 to 1999 that looked at how activities in primary care settings such as counseling about children’s sleep habits, temperament and behavior encourage healthy development.

The review found behavioral counseling for parents with fussy infants and poor sleepers is effective in helping both parents and babies. It also found that soliciting parents’ concerns about their children’s development helped identify problems. And that structured and systematic approaches to asking about parents’ concerns are most effective.

The review did find some areas for improvement. Among them, efforts to identify developmental problems in young children need to be more methodical and identifying psychosocial risk factors can be improved by using questionnaires and parent-child assessments.

All in all, the evidence makes me feel better about our frequent trips to the pediatrician.

Filed Under: Evidence-Based Living, Health and Wellness, Youth Development Tagged With: , , ,

A roadmap: How to use research to help people

May 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The idea of translational research initially sprung out of the field of medicine, where doctors and scientists have teamed up to move laboratory discoveries more rapidly into clinical settings to help patients improve their health and recover from ailments.

Since its beginnings several decades ago, researchers working in other disciplines have latched onto the idea of translation. Now a new book offers models for social and behavioral scientists who want to transfer their findings into real world settings.

The book – “Research for the Public Good: Applying the Methods of Translational Research to Improve Human Health and Well-Being” – includes chapters by experts in the fields of psychology, child development, public policy, sociology, gerontology, geriatrics and economics that offer road maps for translating research into policies and programs that improve the well-being of individuals and communities. It  is co-edited by Cornell professors Elaine Wethington and Rachel Dunifon.

The book grew out of second Biennial Urie Bronfenbrenner Conference on translational research held at Cornell and attended by leading experts in the social sciences and medical fields.

“Translational research has gained prominence in biomedical research, where there’s an emphasis on speeding lab findings into practice,” Wethington told the Cornell Chronicle. “It also goes back to the work of Urie Bronfenbrenner and his colleagues, however, who were ahead of their time with an ecological approach to human development that brought together research, policy and practice. This book defines the term in that context and provides practical insights for doing translational research.”

Graduate students and early-career scientists unfamiliar with translational research methods should find the book valuable, Wethington said. “There is a surge of interest in the field right now, so the book should be a great resource,” she said.

Filed Under: Evidence-Based Living, The Learning Center Tagged With: ,

Exaggerating neuroscience in the news

May 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The 1990s were proclaimed the “Decade of the Brain” by President George W. Bush – an action that bolstered neuroscience research and continues to spur discoveries about one of the most important human organs.

Neuroscience researchers have made strides in a myriad of realms – personality, economics, human develop and medicine, to name a few.  Of course, these discoveries have been reported and discussed across news channels and the Internet, including here on EBL.  (We’ve written about the impact on video games on the brain and the benefits of meditation, to name a few.)

Now a new study in the journal Neuron calls into question how well the media have explained neuroscience research. The study reviewed articles publishes in six major British newspapers from 2000 to 2010. The study found three ways that the brain is commonly portrayed in the media.

The first is the idea of brain as a resource that needs to be protected an optimized through, for example, doing crossword puzzles or avoiding television.  This concept makes it seems like “exercising” the brain is as simple a strengthening a muscle, which is an inaccurate simplification.

The second is the idea of the brain as a way to quantify the difference between people – the idea that gender, sexual orientation and conditions like substance abuse and obesity show up in our brains. While differences in our personalities and behaviors certainly do show up in our brains, it doesn’t mean that women, or gay people or alcoholics are the same.

The third idea is that the brain provides biological proof of our experiences. While it’s true that our experiences do show up in our brains, the review found that media stories often overextend brain research. For example, a study showing that informational overload can crowd out empathy was presented as evidence that social networking websites like Twitter rob people of compassion, even though there’s no proof that the evidence extends that far.

“You can do without a lot of your body parts – but without your brain, you just aren’t you,” said Barbara Ganzel, a researcher at Cornell’s College of Human Ecology who studies the impact of trauma on the brain. “The mystery of the connection between your brain and ‘you’ is exciting and scary and complicated. While we’re beginning to better understand the connection, there is a long road ahead before we will fully comprehend the answers to many of these questions.”

The take-home message: While we’re making great strides in neuroscience research, the media often extends the actual evidence in ways that may not be completely accurate. The brain is the most complex organ in the human body, and one we’re not likely to understand fully for a very long time.

Filed Under: Evidence-Based Living, Health and Wellness, In The Media Tagged With: , , ,

Probiotics and antibiotics: A good combo?

May 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

If you have taken antibiotics or cared for a small child taking them, you have likely seen first-hand the effects the medicines can have on the digestive system.  The problem comes from the antibiotics – which are designed to kill bacteria – wiping out the productive bacteria that help the digestive system function properly.

One treatment doctors have explored is using probiotics – live microorganisms that can be consumed – to replenish the body’s productive bacteria. But what does the evidence say?

A systematic review this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association compiled data from 82 randomized, controlled clinical trials to come up with the best advice we have on using probiotics together with antibiotics.

The review concluded that probiotics do reduce the prevalence of diarrhea associated with taking antibiotics, but the data available didn’t provide additional details.

An article in the publication Family Practice News did note that most of the studies included in the review did not demonstrated a significant benefit from using probiotics when looked at on their own. But the complication of data show a benefit.


The review also noted that, on the whole, the quality of the research on probiotics is considered low. Many of the studies lacked enough evidence to evaluate the risk of probiotics and did not report on adverse events related to them.

The bottom line: Probiotics are a good avenue for treating diarrhea associated with taking antibiotics, but much more evidence is needed to develop solid clinical guidelines. Sometimes a systematic review serves the purpose of spotlighting areas that need additional research. That seems to be the case here.

Filed Under: Evidence-Based Living, Health and Wellness Tagged With: , , ,

Zinc lozenges to treat a cold? Worth a try

May 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The phrase on the front of the packaging for Cold-Eeze zinc lozenges says it all: “Clinically proven to reduce the duration of the common cold.”

While I always give them a try when I feel a cold coming on, I’ve always wondered if the package is referring to one small study, or if there’s conflicting evidence.

So this week, I was excited to see a systematic review on zinc for the treatment of the common cold.  The authors found 17 randomized controlled trials comparing orally administered zinc with placebo or no treatment. And those studies included more than 2,000 patients.

The results?  Zinc did shorten the duration of cold symptoms in adult patients compared to those given placebo by a little over a day. No effect was seen for children taking zinc. The lozenges did cause some bad taste and nausea in study participants.

The authors also called for more extensive research solidify recommendations and  take an in-depth look at adverse effects.

For the time being, I’m going to keep up the zinc. A day or two without sniffles and body aches seems well worth it to me.

Filed Under: Evidence-Based Living, Health and Wellness Tagged With: ,

Energy drinks: Bad for kids, bad for your teeth

May 8, 2012 By 3 Comments

Brightly-colored, sugar-filled energy and sports drinks are everywhere – in vending machines, cafeterias and gas stations.

While they may seem like a healthy alternative – athletes drink them, after all – most lack nutritional value, and many contain caffeine. The evidence actually shows these drinks can be detrimental to kids and harmful to teeth.

First off, a systematic review commissioned by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that sports drinks – which don’t contain caffeine, but do have a lot of sugar – lead to obesity and tooth decay among children. And energy drinks – which do contain caffeine – can interfere with sleep, lead to anxiety and cause dehydration.

A more recent study published in the journal General Dentistry and covered by National Public Radio found both energy and sports drinks contain high levels of citric acid, which erodes tooth enamel, leaving teeth more prone to cavities and decay.

There’s certainly a place for sports drinks – specifically to replace electrolytes and energy stores in both children and adults who exercise vigorously for more than an hour at a time. But for the public at large, these drinks are essentially empty calories.

So help to discourage children from downing sports drinks unless they’re actually playing a sport.  And the next time you’re picking up a beverage to go with that sandwich or need to quench your thirst on a long drive, stick with water.  It’s the healthier choice.

Filed Under: Evidence-Based Living, Health and Wellness, Youth Development Tagged With: , , , ,

The link between happiness and health

May 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment

A positive mood can certainly make for a brighter day, but now there’s new evidence that is also makes for a healthier heart.

A systematic review by researchers at Harvard University looked at more than 200 studies on cardiovascular risks and emotional state – the largest ever reviewed in one paper. They found that patients who reported a positive mental state were less likely to suffer from heart disease and stroke.

Feeling such as optimism, happiness and hope seemed to protect against cardiovascular disease independently of risk factors like smoking and obesity.

While the link provides an interesting insight, it is difficult to tell whether happiness produces health, or whether healthier people are, by nature, happier. In either case, it’s prudent to cultivate a positive mindset.

At Cornell, psychologist Anthony Ong’s research focuses on how people maintain a positive attitude, even when they experience stressful events like the loss of a loved one. His work has shown that social connectedness – having a supportive relationships with those around you – contributes these daily positive emotions, and leads people to be more resilient in the face of adversity.

The take home message: Get out in your community and cultivate some good feelings!

Filed Under: Evidence-Based Living, Health and Wellness Tagged With: , ,
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