Unhappy meal

Does any good deed in this country go unpunished by a lawsuit? Two McDonald’s restaurants are giving up trying to cater to the Muslim population of Dearborn, Michigan, by serving food prepared according to Islamic code, apparently in response to a suit alleging that much of what had been advertised as “halal” was no such thing. Rumor has it the litigants became suspicious when they saw a preview menu featuring the Halal McRib. Unnamed sources report that, chastened by the experience, the fast food chain has also shelved plans to roll out the McKosher Bacon Double Cheeseburger.

Cat nip

Why can’t we use the Hollywood press to get doctors all on the same page? Kim Kardashian names her child North West, and everyone knows before the ink is dry on the birth certificate. But for years we’ve known head CTs are about as likely to cause brain tumors as to diagnose them in otherwise normal kids with headaches, and apparently the word is still not out. My vote for Kardashian’s next child’s name is “Don’t CT Normal Kids’ Brains West.” What? It’s no worse than “North.”

Researchers publishing in Pediatrics examined insurance claims for nearly 16,000 children aged 3-17 years who saw doctors at least twice for headaches, finding that over a quarter of them underwent at least one CT scan. Scan rates varied by medical specialty: The doctors most likely to order a head CT were the ones least likely to own a reflex hammer. The longer a child had been suffering from headache, the less likely he was to get a CT, which makes sense only in a world where brain masses start big, then shrink, like celebrities’ reputations.

The researchers expressed disappointment that, since the American Academy of Neurology, American Academy of Pediatrics, and American College of Radiology released headache guidelines in 2002 explaining that head CTs should not be performed on children without other neurologic symptoms or findings, there has been essentially no change in how most doctors practice. A pessimist would say evidence-based medicine doesn’t stand a chance against doctors' fear of lawsuits. I prefer to believe that we’re hoping that if we just subject enough children to enough ionizing radiation, at least one of them will develop superpowers.

Running on fumes

I keep trying to tell my kids that when they argue, they can both be right. Just because my daughter interrupted my son while he was trying to tell a story at dinner does not necessarily mean that he does not always leave his wet towels on the floor. This is more and more the shape of the debate over the causes of autism. Is it genetic? Does it result from having older parents? Is it caused by environmental toxins? Yes, yes, and yes; now finish your peas and get a shower before bed.

This week’s big autism news was picked up from the side of the road, literally. In the first comprehensive nationwide study, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (perhaps you’ve heard of it?) demonstrated that autism rates correlated directly and strongly with mothers’ exposure to air pollution, specifically diesel exhaust and airborne mercury. Researchers could not pinpoint exactly which pollutant was to blame, since it’s hard to find one without the other, but suffice to say if you’re pregnant and live next door to a cement kiln, you might consider renting a cabin in the woods for 9 months.

These findings finally help me understand why legislators in my state are pushing so hard to simultaneously weaken environmental regulations and access to health care. The only way giving more children lifelong debilitating medical conditions pays off is if we don’t cover their medical expenses. And I just thought they were wrong!

Heavy-lidded

Sometimes a story that makes some people laugh makes other people wince. My guess is that about half of the folks who read this next one will laugh and the other half will wince. See which half you’re in: Emergency departments are seeing more crush injuries from toilet seats falling on penises. If you winced and laughed, give yourself a point for whichever came first.

A team publishing in the British Journal of Urology International tracked the number of U.S. emergency department visits attributed to penile injuries from falling toilet lids between 2002 and 2010. The total number of injuries, for those of you who are keenly interested, was 13,175, reflecting an increase of around 100 injuries per year over the study period. Most of the victims were toddlers working on toilet training, many of whom presumably suffered a setback. Some were adults, which raises the question, “How...?”

The authors point out that toilet lid technology exists that could essentially eliminate these injuries, but these slow-lowering hinges are expensive. There is, of course, an all-American solution to the problem: Someone needs to sue.

David L. Hill, M.D., FAAP is the author of Dad to Dad: Parenting Like a Pro (AAP Publishing, 2012). He is also vice president of Cape Fear Pediatrics in Wilmington, N.C., and  adjunct assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He serves as Program Director for the AAP Council on Communications and Media and as an executive committee member of the North Carolina Pediatric Society. He has recorded commentaries for NPR's All Things Considered and provided content for various print, television and Internet outlets.

Does any good deed in this country go unpunished by a lawsuit? Two McDonald’s restaurants are giving up trying to cater to the Muslim population of Dearborn, Michigan, by serving food prepared according to Islamic code, apparently in response to a suit alleging that much of what had been advertised as “halal” was no such thing. Rumor has it the litigants became suspicious when they saw a preview menu featuring the Halal McRib. Unnamed sources report that, chastened by the experience, the fast food chain has also shelved plans to roll out the McKosher Bacon Double Cheeseburger.

Cat nip

Why can’t we use the Hollywood press to get doctors all on the same page? Kim Kardashian names her child North West, and everyone knows before the ink is dry on the birth certificate. But for years we’ve known head CTs are about as likely to cause brain tumors as to diagnose them in otherwise normal kids with headaches, and apparently the word is still not out. My vote for Kardashian’s next child’s name is “Don’t CT Normal Kids’ Brains West.” What? It’s no worse than “North.”

Researchers publishing in Pediatrics examined insurance claims for nearly 16,000 children aged 3-17 years who saw doctors at least twice for headaches, finding that over a quarter of them underwent at least one CT scan. Scan rates varied by medical specialty: The doctors most likely to order a head CT were the ones least likely to own a reflex hammer. The longer a child had been suffering from headache, the less likely he was to get a CT, which makes sense only in a world where brain masses start big, then shrink, like celebrities’ reputations.

The researchers expressed disappointment that, since the American Academy of Neurology, American Academy of Pediatrics, and American College of Radiology released headache guidelines in 2002 explaining that head CTs should not be performed on children without other neurologic symptoms or findings, there has been essentially no change in how most doctors practice. A pessimist would say evidence-based medicine doesn’t stand a chance against doctors' fear of lawsuits. I prefer to believe that we’re hoping that if we just subject enough children to enough ionizing radiation, at least one of them will develop superpowers.

Running on fumes

I keep trying to tell my kids that when they argue, they can both be right. Just because my daughter interrupted my son while he was trying to tell a story at dinner does not necessarily mean that he does not always leave his wet towels on the floor. This is more and more the shape of the debate over the causes of autism. Is it genetic? Does it result from having older parents? Is it caused by environmental toxins? Yes, yes, and yes; now finish your peas and get a shower before bed.

This week’s big autism news was picked up from the side of the road, literally. In the first comprehensive nationwide study, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (perhaps you’ve heard of it?) demonstrated that autism rates correlated directly and strongly with mothers’ exposure to air pollution, specifically diesel exhaust and airborne mercury. Researchers could not pinpoint exactly which pollutant was to blame, since it’s hard to find one without the other, but suffice to say if you’re pregnant and live next door to a cement kiln, you might consider renting a cabin in the woods for 9 months.

These findings finally help me understand why legislators in my state are pushing so hard to simultaneously weaken environmental regulations and access to health care. The only way giving more children lifelong debilitating medical conditions pays off is if we don’t cover their medical expenses. And I just thought they were wrong!

Heavy-lidded

Sometimes a story that makes some people laugh makes other people wince. My guess is that about half of the folks who read this next one will laugh and the other half will wince. See which half you’re in: Emergency departments are seeing more crush injuries from toilet seats falling on penises. If you winced and laughed, give yourself a point for whichever came first.

A team publishing in the British Journal of Urology International tracked the number of U.S. emergency department visits attributed to penile injuries from falling toilet lids between 2002 and 2010. The total number of injuries, for those of you who are keenly interested, was 13,175, reflecting an increase of around 100 injuries per year over the study period. Most of the victims were toddlers working on toilet training, many of whom presumably suffered a setback. Some were adults, which raises the question, “How...?”

The authors point out that toilet lid technology exists that could essentially eliminate these injuries, but these slow-lowering hinges are expensive. There is, of course, an all-American solution to the problem: Someone needs to sue.

David L. Hill, M.D., FAAP is the author of Dad to Dad: Parenting Like a Pro (AAP Publishing, 2012). He is also vice president of Cape Fear Pediatrics in Wilmington, N.C., and  adjunct assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He serves as Program Director for the AAP Council on Communications and Media and as an executive committee member of the North Carolina Pediatric Society. He has recorded commentaries for NPR's All Things Considered and provided content for various print, television and Internet outlets.

Does any good deed in this country go unpunished by a lawsuit? Two McDonald’s restaurants are giving up trying to cater to the Muslim population of Dearborn, Michigan, by serving food prepared according to Islamic code, apparently in response to a suit alleging that much of what had been advertised as “halal” was no such thing. Rumor has it the litigants became suspicious when they saw a preview menu featuring the Halal McRib. Unnamed sources report that, chastened by the experience, the fast food chain has also shelved plans to roll out the McKosher Bacon Double Cheeseburger.

Cat nip

Why can’t we use the Hollywood press to get doctors all on the same page? Kim Kardashian names her child North West, and everyone knows before the ink is dry on the birth certificate. But for years we’ve known head CTs are about as likely to cause brain tumors as to diagnose them in otherwise normal kids with headaches, and apparently the word is still not out. My vote for Kardashian’s next child’s name is “Don’t CT Normal Kids’ Brains West.” What? It’s no worse than “North.”

Researchers publishing in Pediatrics examined insurance claims for nearly 16,000 children aged 3-17 years who saw doctors at least twice for headaches, finding that over a quarter of them underwent at least one CT scan. Scan rates varied by medical specialty: The doctors most likely to order a head CT were the ones least likely to own a reflex hammer. The longer a child had been suffering from headache, the less likely he was to get a CT, which makes sense only in a world where brain masses start big, then shrink, like celebrities’ reputations.

The researchers expressed disappointment that, since the American Academy of Neurology, American Academy of Pediatrics, and American College of Radiology released headache guidelines in 2002 explaining that head CTs should not be performed on children without other neurologic symptoms or findings, there has been essentially no change in how most doctors practice. A pessimist would say evidence-based medicine doesn’t stand a chance against doctors' fear of lawsuits. I prefer to believe that we’re hoping that if we just subject enough children to enough ionizing radiation, at least one of them will develop superpowers.

Running on fumes

I keep trying to tell my kids that when they argue, they can both be right. Just because my daughter interrupted my son while he was trying to tell a story at dinner does not necessarily mean that he does not always leave his wet towels on the floor. This is more and more the shape of the debate over the causes of autism. Is it genetic? Does it result from having older parents? Is it caused by environmental toxins? Yes, yes, and yes; now finish your peas and get a shower before bed.

This week’s big autism news was picked up from the side of the road, literally. In the first comprehensive nationwide study, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (perhaps you’ve heard of it?) demonstrated that autism rates correlated directly and strongly with mothers’ exposure to air pollution, specifically diesel exhaust and airborne mercury. Researchers could not pinpoint exactly which pollutant was to blame, since it’s hard to find one without the other, but suffice to say if you’re pregnant and live next door to a cement kiln, you might consider renting a cabin in the woods for 9 months.

These findings finally help me understand why legislators in my state are pushing so hard to simultaneously weaken environmental regulations and access to health care. The only way giving more children lifelong debilitating medical conditions pays off is if we don’t cover their medical expenses. And I just thought they were wrong!

Heavy-lidded

Sometimes a story that makes some people laugh makes other people wince. My guess is that about half of the folks who read this next one will laugh and the other half will wince. See which half you’re in: Emergency departments are seeing more crush injuries from toilet seats falling on penises. If you winced and laughed, give yourself a point for whichever came first.

A team publishing in the British Journal of Urology International tracked the number of U.S. emergency department visits attributed to penile injuries from falling toilet lids between 2002 and 2010. The total number of injuries, for those of you who are keenly interested, was 13,175, reflecting an increase of around 100 injuries per year over the study period. Most of the victims were toddlers working on toilet training, many of whom presumably suffered a setback. Some were adults, which raises the question, “How...?”

The authors point out that toilet lid technology exists that could essentially eliminate these injuries, but these slow-lowering hinges are expensive. There is, of course, an all-American solution to the problem: Someone needs to sue.

David L. Hill, M.D., FAAP is the author of Dad to Dad: Parenting Like a Pro (AAP Publishing, 2012). He is also vice president of Cape Fear Pediatrics in Wilmington, N.C., and  adjunct assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He serves as Program Director for the AAP Council on Communications and Media and as an executive committee member of the North Carolina Pediatric Society. He has recorded commentaries for NPR's All Things Considered and provided content for various print, television and Internet outlets.