Parents, doctors, and researchers have long wondered how children who have greater exposure to potential pathogens seem to have less infections and less allergies. Living on a farm, playing in the dirt, and hand-washing dishes seem to strengthen kids’ immunity in a variety of immune studies. The idea that ongoing infectious or antigen stimulation keeps…
With a mainstream medical world harping about the importance of following CDC and consensus guidelines for the treatment of COVID 19, lets revisit some ancient history of 2013 to see how well pediatricians follow guidelines. Researchers from Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York measured the compliance of pediatric specialists with the “American Academy of…
With the growing number of children developing autistic features in today’s world, researchers are on the hunt for the causes of autism. In a complex and multifaceted condition like autism, this hunt rarely ends an “aha” moment with the one answer suddenly appearing out of the research. Instead, research inches forward in fits and starts. …
Given the past research indicating a correlation between air pollution and the rates of pediatric lower respiratory tract infections, this Memphis (TN) based study offers only a few surprises. Researchers utilized a variety of environmental assessments of pollution levels as compared to rates of pneumonia in different Memphis neighborhoods in order to connect the dots…
Correlation does not equal causation. We hear that often in medicine. For example, we know there are correlations between maternal illness during pregnancy and autism. We know that these two conditions, maternal illness and infant autism, travel together, but we don’t have a mechanism of action to prove that the former causes the latter. We…
The hunt for autism’s trigger continues. The reason for its long continuance likely lies in that it is not one homogenous disease, but a mixture of different triggers culminating in a similar pattern of brain dysfunction and life disruption. The role of the immune system probably runs second only to genetics in terms of research…
Many parents come to our doors seeking help for their child whom they suspect has PANS or PANDAS. These parents have either heard of the possibility from their doctor or come to suspect it after some reading online or in a parenting group. Others have never heard of these acronyms but just know that something…
With the growing epidemic of autism spectrum disorder in children, countless researchers are searching for the genes and pathways which lead to what we call autism. This paper describes how two proteins, Cullin 3 and Plastin 3 contribute to the failure of certain brain cells to find their destination in brain development. In the mouse…
While individual studies have given inconsistent results, the meta-analysis big picture suggests that air pollution plays a role in the increasing rates of childhood high blood pressure. With high blood pressure considered as one of the top ten contributors to global disease (1) public health went looking for answers, as these children with high blood…
Questions abound concerning who is at risk for COVID 19 infection including whether children or the immune compromised of our society are at higher risk. With time, we have learned that the elderly and those with metabolic diseases like hypertension and diabetes are at higher risk. In contrast, children seem to be relatively spared from…