When we first started Rational Moms, I had this idea to do a weekly post called “Ask Harriet,” in which we would take advantage of the fact that Harriet Hall from Science Based Medicine offered to be a resource for us and answer random questions we might have.  She still does answer questions for us, but the regular post thing sort of went out the window.  Between working and having a kid, and actual writing deadlines that don’t have to do with this blog, I’m really happy if I have regular laundry.  Or dinner.  Plus, most of the questions Jessie and I have asked Harriet ended up being synthesized into longer posts that really were our writing.

But in this case, I think it’s best to just post Harriet’s answer.  So here is the first, and possibly only, “Ask Harriet.”

From me:

Why do kids need two flu shots?  And how much immunity is conferred, if any, from the first shot? » Continue reading “Ask Harriet! Why two flu shots?”

The folks at ScienceBlogs.com have put up a great flowchart to help one decide which religion to follow. It’s pretty hilarious.

[Via AbsurdIntellectual.com]

Maggie Koerth-Baker at BoingBoing wants to know if your toddler has a science question:

I’m hoping to answer a Science Question from a Toddler once a month, though that depends on me getting questions. Which brings me to this request: If a smallish child you know has a science question–on any topic–send it to me. I’ll do my best to answer.

What a great idea! Here is the first entry: “Do Turtles Have Eyelashes?“

I’m a little late in posting this, so it may be a story many have already read. However, for those who didn’t see it, this is the experience one pregnant woman had with H1N1. It’s horrible, and should serve as a reminder for all pregnant women to get vaccinated. Not only did the young Florida woman, Aubrey Opdyke, lose her 26-week old baby, but:

In the four months she was hospitalized, she spent five weeks in a coma, suffered six collapsed lungs and a near-fatal seizure. High-pressure ventilation blew her up like a molten balloon until “she looked like she weighed 400 pounds,” her husband, Bryan, said, and she has stretch marks from her neck to her ankles. Her muscles and lungs are still so weak that she uses a walker.

Aubrey’s flu came on slowly, and she never developed a high fever. She became delirious after about a week of being exhausted. So, it’s not what you think of as a typical flu response. This may have something to do with the suppressed immune system due to pregnancy. Regardless, it’s scary.

Also included in the article is a disturbing exchange that took place right in front of the reporter.

…Ms. Opdyke was doing her daily physical therapy, struggling to lift one-pound weights. Her therapist interrupted to announce that she opposed flu shots.

“Have you ever read the labels?” she asked. “They’re so full of toxins.”

Asked if she realized that a shot, had it existed in June, might have saved her client and her baby, she frowned and went back to her clipboard.

So, the therapist–a health professional–is opposed to flu shots because they’re full of toxins. I guess you can find ignorance anywhere.

The enormously long line

Our pediatrician’s office won’t have the vaccines in until early November, and with a kid who’s already been to the ER twice with croup, I was getting a little antsy.  Keeping him home from daycare would mean that we’d lose a bit of income, so I dragged the family to one of the LA County Public Health clinics.  (Click the link for a full schedule and information.)  They’re open from 9-5, in most cases.  We got there at exactly 9 and were out by a few minutes after 11, in spite of the ridiculously long line.  My husband and I took turns entertaining the lad and holding our place in the line.  Husband was none too pleased to be awakened early on a Sunday, but I don’t think I would have had a very good time dealing with the kiddo and the line simultaneously.  It really turned out to be a two parent job, especially because just parking the car took a while, so I nabbed us a spot while the husband drove around for twenty minutes looking for a space. » Continue reading “We got our H1N1 shots today.”

So cute, but who would buy their baby the red shirt?

Star Trek Onesies

I expect most mothers will not be surprised by the following admission from the Walt Disney Company:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/24/education/24baby.html?hp

I spent a lot of time staring into my son’s eyes when he was born, and that’s how I noticed his left pupil was bigger than his right pupil. In dim light, the left pupil was more dilated. In outside light, there was no difference between them. I wasn’t really alarmed, until I mentioned it to my doctor, who said he should see a pediatric ophthalmologist, just to rule out a “growth.” Um, what? Did you just say my baby might have a brain tumor?

We had to wait a month for the appointment. But it wasn’t a growth; it was a normal variant. My son has physiologic anisocoria, which basically means one pupil is bigger, it’s genetic, and it’s no big deal. Apparently this affects tons of people. I’ve read ten percent and even twenty percent estimates. But I had never, ever met anyone who had one larger pupil. Or so I thought.

The day I took my son to the ophthalmologist, I came home and was telling my husband about anisocoria, and we were sitting in the dim light of our living room. I have known my husband since we were in college, but for the very first time in a couple decades, I noticed that his left pupil is larger than his right pupil. The proof is in the photo above.

Genetics, man.

Our daughter started wearing glasses when she was a year and a half. We’ve had a long road of patching, drops, surgery, and eye examinations to treat her amblyopia. There was a steep learning curve for my husband and myself about her condition and eye health in general. Mommy Mythbuster has a great article on the myths and facts of children’s eye health.

Some of the myths discussed include sitting too close to the television, eating carrots, and contact lenses. My favorite nugget of information:

“If a child is sitting too close to the TV or computer screen, it is probably because he needs glasses to see well. Sitting very close to the screen will not cause them to need glasses,” said Dr. Borchert.

To make your child’s computer station more comfortable, make sure the screen is at eye level. Reduce screen glare by using a desk lamp with a dimmer so there isn’t a big contrast between the brightness of the screen and the room. Make sure your child can’t see her own reflection on the screen.

The HPV vaccine has been in the news a lot lately, when a British girl died shortly after being vaccinated. (The vaccine was ruled out as a cause for her death.) So, how safe is the HPV vaccine? Safe. But, to see how safe, check out this great visualization chart by the folks at Information is Beautiful.

How Safe is the HPV Vaccine