News of Interest for Late-in-Life Moms November 12, 2008

News to know:

Young musicians get smarter, study says
Children who study a musical instrument for at least three years outperform children with no instrumental training on non-musical tests of vocabulary and non-verbal reasoning. The findings were detailed in the Oct. 29 issue of the online journal PLoS ONE.

Risk for obese kids: middle-aged arteries
Scientists using ultrasound imaging on obese children and teens detected fatty deposits more typical in middle-aged adults, putting them at risk for early heart attacks, stroke — and death. The findings underscore worries about accelerated risks of heart disease decades earlier than once thought possible.

Popular gas-relief drops for infants recalled
12,000 units of Mylicon drops to relieve gas for infants were recalled Monday because some bottles could include pieces of metal.
The recalled drops were sold in 1-ounce plastic bottles that were distributed to stores and pharmacies after Oct. 5. They were sold over the counter.
The recalled bottles are from lots SMF007 and SMF008. These numbers are printed on the bottom of the box and on the lower-left side of the sticker on each bottle.

Treating acid reflux in kids helps with asthma
If a child has both asthma and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), treating GERD can help the asthma, according to research.
While the connection between asthma and GERD remain unclear, researchers report that antireflux medications can sometimes help asthma symptoms.

Drinking milk may ease milk allergies in kids
Researchers found that giving milk-allergic children milk in increasingly higher doses over time eased their allergic reactions to milk and even helped some of the children completely overcome their milk allergy.
The researchers warn more study is needed and advise parents and caregivers not to try giving milk to children who are allergic to it without medical supervision.