John C Kim and International Adoption Video

Friday, May 29, 2009

Less Weight Gain for Pregnant Women - Well Blog - NYT bodes for sicker children in near future as the number of overweight pegnant women is rising dra

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/28/less-weight-gain-for-pregnant-women/

Warning Signs That Flu Is Serious - Well Blog - NYTimes.com

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/28/signs-that-flu-is-serious/

Work Starting on Flu Vaccine ; this is very good news, possible shipping out in October which is extremely fast, and demonstrates the prioritization

  By REUTERS
Published: May 28, 2009
Companies are starting preliminary work on a vaccine for the H1N1 flu, or swine flu, and should begin clinical trials soon, but the new vaccine will not be ready for widespread use until October, United States health officials said. Dr. Anne Schuchat of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the agency shipped virus samples for making vaccines to manufacturers several days ago. Dr. Schuchat said that in coming weeks companies would start making "candidate lots" of vaccine that will be used for clinical trials over the summer
 

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Why I am concerned about the impending fall winter season of H1N1 influenza A aka "swine flu". IT IS WILD.

Why I am concerned about the impending fall winter season of H1N1 influenza  A aka  "swine flu". The CDC centers disease control calls it a novel or new strain. It is also than described as triple reassortment, or wild type virus.

The importance of these descriptions as emotional and cognitive triggers are weighty.

Focusing on the wild description, it is predicated on the notion of novel virus. This is critical in terms of understanding the mutability of the virus.

Influenza viruses have persisted throughout human history partly because they are so adaptable. They are so adaptable because they mutate fairly abundantly and relatively rapidly. In addition, they persist because they don't kill off all their hosts.  In the parlance of infectious disease, they don't annihilate their vectors, namely humans. If they did, they would die off.

Moreover they are particularly adaptable because we are not their only vectors and they seem to hide and mutate, and reassort  themselves in pigs or swine as well as birds.  Hence the concern for avian or bird influenza which has caused huge pandemic influenza fears in recent years. For good reason, mortality rates for  avian or bird flu recently have been extraordinarily high, up to 80% of the people who became ill died. When mortality rates are that high, the virus has a much more difficult time passing from host to host. This is the reason why we rarely see Ebola virus even though it is horrifically fatal, because it is so efficiently homicidal, it does not get out of its outbreak zone very easily.

Circling back to the lexical category of wild type virus, this notion of wildness I think is quite accurate. Consider the analogy of wild zoo animals. These wild zoo animals often seen somehow tame and more safe because they are caged physically. This virus because it has a very strong genetic and clinical analogue, namely seasonal influenza which we see every year seems I think to the public mind relatively tamed and thereby understandable.

But like the wild zoo animals, they can be inexplicably cantankerous, aggressive and even homicidal. Insert link to chimpanzee.

Because the virus is in a fairly early and unstable version of itself, it is significantly more likely to shift and change.  It is important to understand that the virus is exciting and threatening, because most humans have relatively little resistance to it. Therefore, the virus replicates very rapidly relative to seasonal influenza, because most of us have some resistance to seasonal influenza.

Basic virology

When the virus spreads rapidly, it is what we call an RNA virus and as such is relatively primitive. However  primitive, it is a highly industrious, and highly efficient replicating machine.  However, it is not very precise. RNA viruses use up all their energy replicating and not trying to get it just right therefore they make lots of bad copies of themselves. Other living organisms make copies, but have self-regulating mechanisms to fix themselves. Influenza  viruses typically don't spend much energy trying to fix itself.

They make lots of not quite right viral copies. However, the emphasis is on lots. And in the case of novel influenza, probably the make significantly more copies faster than we would typically see in regular seasonal influenza. This is probably part of the reason why the virus is spreading quite rapidly. This also means that the virus mutates quite rapidly. It makes lots of different copies, and the ones that are effective in terms of replicating are the genetic variants that survive and pass from host to host. Lots of mutations.

Likely this virus's personality and character are in it's infancy. This has been the pattern for previous pandemic influenza outbreaks, particularly the 1918 influenza pandemic.. And when it reaches adolescence, unpredictable things can happen...

Examining, the 1918 influenza outbreak, there was a relatively mild summer outbreak and then the catastrophic fall and Winter . There was second, third, and fourth wave of infection.  The wild new virus had transformed.  It mutated from from  being a relatively ill mannered cousin of the  pedestrian and tame seasonal influenza virus to a stark raving homicidal maniac. It transformed the world. Ultimately, estimates of its wake range from 50 to 100 million people dead. We will never know. is the case in many disease outbreaks, the vast burden of human casualties came in  the poorest places of the world. Then as now, it is difficult to track the dead. 

The catastrophic aspect of this are not necessarily captured in this number. These kind of numbers I think, blow the mind. In general, the virus came in such brutal and horrific ways that it was like an angel of death. In some areas like Philadelphia 20 to 30% of the entire population was seriously ill always within a few days. In some Indian tribes, such a high percentage of the population became so critically ill, that there was no one left to take care of them even if they could recover. They died easily and in droves. 

1918 to 1918 influenza outbreak may be something akin to a worst-case scenario, just as 1929 to 1939 a.k.a. the Great Depression may be akin to a worst-case economic scenario. But our great recession reminds us that financial pandemics  are not footnotes in history.  It teaches us that predictions about inherently complex and wild things are really hard.

This fall and winter I think will be really hard, even if it is hard to predict.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Friday, May 15, 2009

vitamin D deficiency AAP statement

Vitamin D Deficiency Clinical Report

Patient FAQs

Here are some commonly asked questions and answers on the recommendations in the AAP Clinical Report, "Prevention of Rickets and Vitamin D Deficiency in Infants, Children and Adolescents."

1. Q. Why do babies and older children need vitamin D?

A. Vitamin D is needed to help your body develop strong bones.

2. Q: Why is it necessary to give vitamin D supplements to my breastfeeding baby?  Doesn't human milk have all the essential nutrients for babies?

A. The AAP recommends breastfeeding of infants for at least 12 months and for as long thereafter as the mother and infant desire. However, human milk does not contain enough vitamin D to prevent rickets. Sunlight is the usual source of vitamin D production in the skin.

3. Q: If my baby goes out in the sunlight every day or every other day for an hour or so, isn't that enough?

A: It may be enough sunlight exposure in some parts of the country throughout the year, but sunlight exposure is difficult to measure. Factors such as the amount of pigment in your baby's skin and skin exposure affect how much vitamin D is produced by your body from sunlight. In the more northern parts of the country during the winter, the amount of sunlight is not enough for any baby. Exposing infants and children's skin to sunlight has been shown to increase the risk for skin cancer later in life. We now recommend that infants and young children not be in direct sunlight when they are outside, particularly infants younger than 6 months of age. Sunscreens should be used on all children when in sunlight but it prevents vitamin D formation in the skin.

4. Q: Do I need to give vitamin D supplements to infants who are fed infant formula?

A. No. All formulas sold in the United States have a sufficient amount of vitamin D that infants need as long as they are given 27 to 32 ounces of infant formula per day.

5. Q: When I take my baby outside, I always cover all of his skin with sunscreen, just as the AAP recommends. Isn't that enough to protect him from cancer and yet give him vitamin D?

A: No, the sunscreen prevents the skin from making vitamin D.

6. Q: How do I give vitamin D to my infant?

A: Liquid multivitamin drops with vitamin D are available. If you give your baby the recommended amount from the dropper in the vitamin drops bottle, the baby will get all the vitamin D needed to prevent rickets.

7. Q: When should I start giving the vitamin D drops?

A: You should start during the first few days of life.

8. Q: How often do I give the vitamin D drops?

A: You should give the drops once a day, every day. But, if you forget one day, it is all right. The vitamin D is stored in the baby and there will be enough in the baby's body to prevent rickets.

9. Q: If I give the vitamin drops to the baby, will the baby not want to breastfeed?

A: No, the drops will not interfere with breastfeeding. The amount is very small and giving a few drops from the dropper in to the corner of the baby's mouth toward the cheek will not give the baby any problem with breastfeeding.

10. Q: Don't the vitamin drops taste bad?

A: Some vitamin drops do have a strong taste, especially the ones that contain vitamin B, but the triple vitamin drops that contain only vitamins A, C, and D taste all right.

11. Q: Do babies need vitamins A and C also?

A: Breastfed babies do not need vitamins A and C, but giving them these additional vitamins in this dosage is not harmful. In some parts of Africa, there is deficiency in vitamin A and those babies may also need the vitamin A.

12. Q: How long do I keep giving the vitamin D drops?

A: You should keep giving it until your child has weaned from breastfeeding and is receiving 27 to 32 ounces of infant formula every day. The AAP recommends that "infants weaned before 12 months of age should not receive cow's milk feedings but should receive iron-fortified infant formula". Once your child begins drinking at least a quart of vitamin D-fortified milk after 12 months of age, he/she does not need additional vitamin D drops or a tablet. If, however, your child drinks less than one quart of regular milk, you should give him/her vitamin D drops or a tablet. This recommendation applies to children of all ages and even to adults.

13. Q: How will I know if my baby or child has rickets from vitamin D deficiency?

A: Rickets is a disease of the bones and is difficult to diagnose clinically without an X-ray before your infant begins to walk, at which time there will be excessive bowing of the legs.  There may also be swelling of the wrists and ankles.  Many infants with vitamin D deficiency will have slow growth.  Some may have breathing and heart problems.

14. Q: My older children do not drink any milk. How can they get extra vitamin D?

A: There are the same concerns for protecting the skin of these children from direct sunlight exposure to prevent skin cancer later in life. Vitamin D-fortified milk is the  sole dietary source of vitamin D. Any child who is not consuming at least 32 ounces of vitamin D-fortified milk should receive vitamin D as part of a vitamin drop or pill to ensure adequate vitamin D intake. It is now recommended that even adults consume vitamin D in milk or vitamin pills.

February 2009


--
John C Kim MD
www.kiddoc.ORG
www.wholefamilyjoy.com

847-346-0846 FAX
773-321-8183 (best number)

NYTimes article on SPF, the curr of marketing . 30 is a good wholesome number for kids .

Confused by SPF? Take a Number 

By CATHERINE SAINT LOUIS
Published: May 13, 2009

LAST year, Coppertone rolled out two easy-to-use sprays with its highest-ever sun protection factor: SPF 70+. Not to be outdone, Neutrogena offered its Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch lotion in SPF 85 strength, that year's big gun.

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Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

HOT ITEMSPFs reach triple digits, but the benefit is marginal.

This sun season, Banana Boat is retaliating with a pair of SPF 85 sprays, which it trumpets on its Web site as "our highest SPF level in a continuous spray formula."

But now, SPF creep has hit the triple digits with Neutrogena's SPF 100+ sunblock, leading some dermatologists to complain that this is merely a numbers game that confuses consumers.

The parade of stratospheric SPFs is "crazy," said Dr. Barbara A. Gilchrest, a dermatology professor atBoston UniversitySchool of Medicine. "For a normal person who is fair-skinned and concerned about skin damage and photoaging," Dr. Gilchrest said, "it's really in my opinion tremendous overkill."

A sunscreen's SPF, or sun protection factor, measures how much the product shields the sun's shorter-wave ultraviolet B rays, known as UVB radiation, which can cause sunburn. It used to be that SPF topped out at 30. No more. These days, a race is on among sunscreen makers to create the highest SPF that R&D can buy.

If adequately applied, sunscreens with sky-high SPFs offer slightly better protection against lobster-red burns than an SPF 30. But they don't necessarily offer stellar protection against the more deeply penetrating ultraviolet A radiation, or so-called aging rays.

In 2007, theFood and Drug Administrationproposed capping SPF at 50+, but it still isn't set in stone. So in the cap's absence, a marketing battle is raging, fought on the turf best understood by beachgoers.

"It captures the consumers' attention, the high SPF," said Dr. Elma D. Baron, an assistant professor of dermatology at Case Western Reserve University who sees patients at hospitals in Cleveland. "Just walking down the drugstore aisle and seeing a SPF 90 or 95, they assume, 'This is what I need.' "

But that's not necessarily the case. No SPF, not even 100+, offers 100 percent protection. What's more, both UVA and UVB radiation can lead to skin cancer, which is why dermatologists now advise using sunscreens with an SPF of at least 15 and UVA-fighting ingredients like an avobenzone that doesn't degrade in light or Mexoryl SX.

The difference in UVB protection between an SPF 100 and SPF 50 is marginal. Far from offering double the blockage, SPF 100 blocks 99 percent of UVB rays, while SPF 50 blocks 98 percent. (SPF 30, that old-timer, holds its own, deflecting 96.7 percent).

A sunscreen's SPF number is calculated by comparing the time needed for a person to burn unprotected with how long it takes for that person to burn wearing sunscreen. So a person who turns red after 20 minutes of unprotected sun exposure is theoretically protected 15 times longer if they adequately apply SPF 15. Because a lot of sunscreens rub off or don't stay put, dermatologists advise reapplication every two hours or after swimming or sweating.

"As you get higher and higher, it's not really a practical difference," said Dr. David M. Pariser, the president of the American Academy of Dermatology.

That message isn't trickling down to the likes of Erica Bigio, a graduate student in Tucson. When told of Neutrogena's 100+ lotion, Ms. Bigio worried that the sunscreen she always wears when rock climbing and bicycling to work isn't enough. "It makes me feel like SPF 45 is inadequate," she said.

Consumers should worry more about wearingenoughsunscreen, several doctors said, rather than how high their SPF is.

Skimp and you lose. To get the SPF advertised, you must use a full shot glass on your body. That's an ounce, which means a three-ounce tube should last, at most, a few outings.

Considering that slim tube could cost roughly $10, careful sunscreen use is a significant investment for park-going parents, beachgoers or daily joggers.

That may be part of the reason most diligent folks use only about half the recommended ounce; slackers as little as one quarter, according to a multiyear randomized study of about 1,600 residents of Queensland, Australia. "If people are putting on about half, they are receiving half the protection," said Yohini Appa, the senior director of scientific affairs at Johnson & Johnson, of which Neutrogena is a subsidiary.

Dr. Appa, who has a Ph.D. in organic chemistry, said Neutrogena's SPF 100+ lotion provided for real-world under-application. With it, she said, "you can bring the least diligent ones up to the level of the most diligent ones." In fact, Dr. Appa sees its latest offering as a matter of corporate responsibility. "SPF 100 is not just an escalating numbers game," she said. "It's a responsible thing to do as a manufacturer."

Banana Boat has a similar rationale for its SPF 85 sprays, which provide "an extra layer of insurance for consumers," said Beth St. Raymond, the director of sun care at Energizer Personal Care, of which Banana Boat is a brand.

But that logic may be flawed. It has long been assumed that applying half the recommended ounce meant half the SPF protection. But a small 2007 study published in the British Journal of Dermatology found that under-application made SPF coverage fall much more steeply.

"It turns out that if you apply half the amount, you get the protection of only the square root of the SPF," said Dr. Darrell S. Rigel, a clinical professor of dermatology atNew York University, who has done efficacy testing for Johnson & Johnson and the Procter & Gamble Company.

So applying a half-ounce of SPF 70 will not give you the protection of SPF 35, but 8.4, Dr. Rigel said.

Or, "the higher the SPF, the more rapidly the protection falls off with under-application," said Dr. Gilchrest, who consults for Schering-Plough Corporation, which makes Coppertone.

That's a problem if an SPF north of 50 lulls consumers into a false sense of security. Put SPF 100 on your kids at dawn, and you might think, "Great, they are covered all day," said Sonya Lunder, a senior analyst at the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit in Washington that reviewed nearly 1,100 sunscreens in 2008. With the less-impressive-sounding SPF 30, "you might think, let's put on a sun hat, or let's get a T-shirt on."

Phillip Drake, 31, who lives in Honolulu, said he wore the highest SPF possible, so he could forgo reapplication. "I am one of those people who like to put it on one time, and not think about it," he said. "If I am going to apply it, then I figure why not go for the higher number?"

What if high-SPF products allow beachgoers to dawdle without turning a telltale red? "It could actually be a negative thing," Ms. Lunder said, "because it allows you to stay in the sun longer." And, she added, "You could be getting other sun-related damage."

On a cloudless day, couples lounging on the grass don't give much thought to long-term damage — be it crepey, sunspotted skin or skin cancer.

But they should. And that's another benefit of wearing a UVB-UVA sunscreen with the highest possible SPF, Dr. Appa of Neutrogena suggested. Blocking an extra percent of UVB rays makes a significant difference over a lifetime, she said.

UV radiation also impairs the skin's immune system in alarming ways, Dr. Baron said. Sun exposure reduces the number of watchdog cells that help recognize and respond to antigens, and alters their function so they are as effective as dozing prison guards. "This effect on immune suppression can set in even before a sunburn," she said.

After getting so burned and blistered decades ago that her face stuck to her pillow the morning after, Cynthia Spence, 40, does not take the sun lightly. Yet Ms. Spence, a graphic designer from Brooklyn, hasn't rushed out to buy a broad-spectrum cream with an SPF higher than 50.

Why not? "I reapply very often with 30 because SPF numbers can't possibly factor in a predisposition to burning, application amount and the sun's intensity," she wrote in an e-mail message. So, "I just slop a lot on, all the time."

This dermatologist's dream even wears wide-brimmed hats.

Read more: "wholefamilyjoy's posterous - Home" -http://wholefamilyjoy.posterous.com/#ixzz0FbkergHV&A

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[Dial2Do from John Kim] Very busy with allergies this time of

Very busy with allergies this time of year (?) lots of other symptoms including sore throats, viral sore throats, mono and strep sore throats. Also with a little bit of fever confused with sinus infections...

John C Kim MD
773 321-8183

I sent this email using my voice. Listen to it here: http://dial2do.com/1oseqz2

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sent on behalf of John Kim with http://www.dial2do.com - Send Text Messages, Emails and more - just phone and talk.

re sleep apnea comment on Obstructive Sleep Apnea

The Voices of Sleep Apnea - Well Blog - NYTimes.com Notice all sorts of body types.

May 14, 2009, 10:36 am — Updated: 10:36 am -->

The Voices of Sleep Apnea

INSERT DESCRIPTION(Photo credits: Jennifer S. Altman, Ryan Collerd, Beatrice de Gea, Steve Kagan and Axel Koester for The New York Times.) The faces of sleep apnea.

Getting a good night's rest is essential for good health, but people with sleep apnea aren't able to succumb to slumber. Obstructive sleep apnea causes episodes of stopped breathing during sleep, and the result is a fragmented, restless sleep that leaves sufferers exhausted and drowsy during the day.

Sleep apnea is common, affecting more than 12 million Americans. But most people with the problem haven't been diagnosed. The problem is more common in men, and associated with being overweight and over 40. Untreated sleep apnea has been linked with high blood pressure, memory problems, weight gain, headaches and car crashes.

To learn more about life with sleep apnea, listen to the latest installment of the Patient Voices series from New York Times Web producer Karen Barrow.

You'll meet Ursula Forhan, 54, of Chicago, who says constant tiredness is the worst part of having sleep apnea.

"It's a grinding kind of fatigue," she says. "It's a fatigue that makes you ration what you'll do….You don't have enough energy for everything."

And you'll meet Eric Ramme, 54, of Manhattan, who thought his sleep problems were linked to his pillow, mattress or even the traffic outside his window. After his diagnosis, he ultimately underwent surgery to correct the problem.

"When you have a good night's sleep you attack your day," he says. "You're happier. So many things are related directly to the quality of sleep you have."

Listen to all the voices of sleep apnea and then please, join the discussion below.

Comments (0)
May 15, 2009

John Kim said...
Way way under diagnosed, I see this all the time with parents when I asked the kids if they snore, the kids say I don't snore but mom or dad snores. the parents look slightly embarrassed but acknowledged yes this is true. Then I asked for followup question, are they grumpy? Uncomfortable silence. They often are. Stressed out, overtired, moody and their kids think their parents are no fun to be around. The parents are irritated by their spouses, their bosses ,and bad drivers. They get evaluated eventually for sleep apnea, and lo and behold they have a medical condition ,then when they are treated changes their whole family's life trajectory . No more grumpy dad, yeah, Awesome. This is part of what my book is about.
Read more: "The Voices of Sleep Apnea - Well Blog - NYTimes.com Notice all sorts of body types. - wholefamilyjoy's posterous" -http://wholefamilyjoy.posterous.com/the-voices-of-sleep-apnea-well-blog-nytimesco#ixzz0FbSDgO8v&A

--
John C Kim MD
www.kiddoc.ORG
www.wholefamilyjoy.com

847-346-0846 FAX
773-321-8183 (best number)

Thursday, May 14, 2009

PhysOrg Mobile: Achieving Fame, Wealth, and Beauty are Psychological Dead Ends, Study Says. Consistent with a great body of literature both sacred and

http://pda.physorg.com/_news161516559.html


 

re adoption via nyt

May 13, 2009, 6:14 PM

Adoption: Ideology and Reality

By THE EDITORS
(Photo: Olivier Asselin for The New York Times)Children from an orphanage in Gomoa Fetteh, Ghana.

In our discussion about international adoptions, we received numerous comments from readers who shared their stories on the choices they made and the difficulties they’ve encountered. Below are excerpts of their comments.


An Adoptee’s Conflicted Identity

I am a Korean-American adoptee. My adoptive family is Caucasian. I am grateful that my parents are sane. You may be surprised to learn how many people adopt who are in fact verbally abusive, physically abusive, neglectful…

Would you be surprised to hear that, now that I am an adult, if I go out for dinner alone with my father, people give us disgusted looks? They think we’re dating.

Despite my experience with loving parents, the experience of adoption has left me with a conflicted sense of identity and a feeling of continual guilt.

I have no ties to my Korean heritage. I look Korean on the outside, but am a white American on the inside. I am continually treated as a foreigner in the States because of my outward appearance. I currently live in Korea. I am treated as a foreigner here (which I am) because I can’t speak Korean. I feel like an outsider in both the U.S. and in Korea.

There are so many misconceptions about adoption … with words like “lucky,” “save,” “unfortunate” being tossed around. Can you imagine growing up and continually hearing statements like, “You should be grateful we saved your from your unfortunate life overseas. You’ll have a much better life here.” Whether true or not, the emotional impact this has on a child needs to be carefully considered.

— An International Adoptee


My Child and I Needed Each Other

I adopted my daughter from Peru in 1990. Was she an orphan? Her birth mother signed papers relinquishing her rights, and the father did not even wish to acknowledge that the child was his. Extended family? Maybe, but none who could afford to take in another child. Why did I adopt from Peru? Because I wanted to have a child of my own and I could not give birth. My daughter is my child and I love her with all my heart and soul. She plans on doing a year of international study in Peru as she wishes to be a Spanish teacher. What chance would she, the birth child of a Quechua farm worker, have had to graduate from grade school, let alone go to college? The fact is I am not rich nor famous but I did adopt a child who needed me just as I needed her.

— kelly


Leave the Agenda Behind

I am the mother of two children who were adopted internationally. I did not adopt them to save them. I adopted them because I wanted to be a mother. Both were in orphanages; neither were orphans. One was tossed in the trash when he was 4 months old. The other was left for days on her own at 6 months old. They were placed in orphanages where they languished and grew slowly and were never visited by families. Yes, they have families. They were offered to others in their country for adoption. No one wanted them.

When they came home to me, they were not fat-cheeked cherubs. They were sick, developmentally delayed and unused to people touching them. Now, they are healthy and thriving. They wake me with kisses. They are loving brother and sister and they have futures. I believe all children are born citizens of the world, not possessions of their countries. Sacrificing a child’s life to promote an agenda is unconscionable. If someone is “selling babies,” crack down on them and put them in jail. Don’t pretend these isolated instances are the rule just so you can bend policy to reflect your philosophies. Understandably, our family does not donate to Unicef.

— Oranacco


Children in the U.S. Need Champions

I am a social worker who has been working in the field of child welfare for 7 years. I can tell you that in New York State alone, there are hundreds of children in need of a loving home. If we are ready to talk so extensively about international adoption because of Madonna, why haven’t we chosen a celebrity who has chosen to adopt domestically and highlight him or her. There are so many children in this country who are abused, neglected or orphaned that need a stable home where they can heal from the chaos that has dominated their lives. We have champions for children oversees, where are the champions for all the adoptable children right in our back yard?

— Julie


Cultural Imperialism? Hardly.

The argument that international adoption is cultural imperialism is the height of first world pretension and indulgence, almost bordering on racism and certainly conflating issues that are only tangentially related. It is the same sort of argument that opposes industrial development in the third world on the ground that cultures will be lost and families destroyed.

Meanwhile, children languish in institutions. This is bad for kids, a fact well-documented in the professional literature. I cannot see much harm to this social experiment, but surely it can be conducted without maligning people who chose to adopt.

— Valerie


A Single Woman’s Ordeal

A friend of mine is a single woman who wanted to adopt a child. She wasn’t looking for a baby, she just wanted a child under 6. Private U.S. adoption was out, public adoption was a nightmare, so she decided to adopt from Russia. Russia really does have orphans, and those raised in orphanages face a very bleak life. So she found an agency, saved up $30,000 for the adoption costs and learned Russian. Nine months later, after the home study was completed, the agency said the costs would be closer to $40,000, plus the cost of a doctor to consult referrals in the country. Travel costs to Moscow could be over a grand a night for 2-3 weeks.

Eventually, my friend decided the nearly $50,000 she’d saved for her adoption would be better used educating her children. She spend $600 on a vial of sperm from a sperm bank and she now has healthy twins.

At some point, the experts have to realize, if you make adoption such a nightmare to protect the children, there will be no parents to adopt them. Working single women don’t have the time to deal with the foster care system. International adoption could be a good alternative, but if they make it as bad as domestic, why will anyone bother?

— Adrienne


Inside View of the System

I was adopted as an older child from Korea (the veritable birthplace of international adoption for North Americans) to a Caucasian family. I think it is far too easy to paint in broad strokes about the issues.

People have spoken about the motives of adoptive parents with wealth enough to buy a child from another country. My parents are blue-collar and struggled to make ends meet every day. They chose international adoption and an older child because, in their words, there were so many children already in this world. Domestic adoption had long waits and a lot of red tape. International adoption was more expensive because they had to sponsor me for years and hire two attorneys for each country. International wasn’t easier, it just made more sense for them and their situation.

I understand the heart-breaking stories about the greed motive that tears children away from their families. I do think, however, that we need to separate the issues from the people. Yes, the desire to adopt children creates the demand, but it does no good to vilify each individual who does want to adopt.

— Jong Sook

Posted via email from wholefamilyjoy's posterous

On the neurophysiology of daydreaming. Like sleeping lots going on in the nearly inexplicable places of brain creativity

http://www.livescience.com/health/090513-daydream-brain.html
 
 
John C Kim MD
Sent telepathically from imind. A man So cutting edge,he sometimes falls off.
Www.kiddoc.org

Posted via email from wholefamilyjoy's posterous

On the neurophysiology of daydreaming. Like sleeping lots going on in the nearly inexplicable places of brain creativity

http://www.livescience.com/health/090513-daydream-brain.html
 
 
John C Kim MD
Sent telepathically from imind. A man So cutting edge,he sometimes falls off.
Www.kiddoc.org

Posted via email from wholefamilyjoy's posterous

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Parenting, Children and Parents - Motherlode Blog - NYTimes.com

May 13, 2009, 10:01 am — Updated: 12:16 pm -->

When Dad Doesn’t Want to Co-Sleep

By Lisa Belkin
SleepSleep
(Illustration by Barry Falls)

Duane, a Motherlode reader, asked a question in the comments that I would like to pose to all of you. It came up during our latest conversation about co-sleeping, and Duane wrote that he is about to become a Dad, and is finding that he and his wife don’t have the same views on the subject. Or, perhaps more accurately, he has doubts that she doesn’t share. He says:

As a father-to-be with a wife who really wants to co-sleep with our coming baby, I’m struggling with the idea. I have been though 100s of web sites and 98% are written by women saying how great it is and how happy it makes them. So far no one is really taking the father into consideration. From what I see, the father is left to deal with whatever the mother wants and is left to the wayside. I feel that our bed is just that — our bed, for me and my wife. How do you not lose intimacy with each other when you have a baby/toddler between you? Does the father’s opinion and feelings matter, or should I just shut up and do what my wife wants? Some fathers advice would be nice!!!

In addition to the specific questions Duane raises — How do men feel about co-sleeping? What about the loss of intimacy? Where are the website’s with a Dad’s point of view — there is the more over-arching one that he raises: What do couples do when they disagree on something fundamental about parenting?

I know will be tempting for some of you to paint Duane as merely a guy concerned he won’t get enough sex with a baby in the room. But let’s look at him as a nervous Dad instead — one who needs some reassurance (either that he has a good point, or that it will be okay), and some pros and cons of co-sleeping, and some advice on how to navigate sensitive subjects with your spouse.

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Parenting, Children and Parents - Motherlode Blog - NYTimes.com

May 13, 2009, 10:01 am — Updated: 12:16 pm -->

When Dad Doesn’t Want to Co-Sleep

By Lisa Belkin
SleepSleep
(Illustration by Barry Falls)

Duane, a Motherlode reader, asked a question in the comments that I would like to pose to all of you. It came up during our latest conversation about co-sleeping, and Duane wrote that he is about to become a Dad, and is finding that he and his wife don’t have the same views on the subject. Or, perhaps more accurately, he has doubts that she doesn’t share. He says:

As a father-to-be with a wife who really wants to co-sleep with our coming baby, I’m struggling with the idea. I have been though 100s of web sites and 98% are written by women saying how great it is and how happy it makes them. So far no one is really taking the father into consideration. From what I see, the father is left to deal with whatever the mother wants and is left to the wayside. I feel that our bed is just that — our bed, for me and my wife. How do you not lose intimacy with each other when you have a baby/toddler between you? Does the father’s opinion and feelings matter, or should I just shut up and do what my wife wants? Some fathers advice would be nice!!!

In addition to the specific questions Duane raises — How do men feel about co-sleeping? What about the loss of intimacy? Where are the website’s with a Dad’s point of view — there is the more over-arching one that he raises: What do couples do when they disagree on something fundamental about parenting?

I know will be tempting for some of you to paint Duane as merely a guy concerned he won’t get enough sex with a baby in the room. But let’s look at him as a nervous Dad instead — one who needs some reassurance (either that he has a good point, or that it will be okay), and some pros and cons of co-sleeping, and some advice on how to navigate sensitive subjects with your spouse.

Posted via web from wholefamilyjoy's posterous

When Dad Doesn’t Want to Co-Sleep - Motherlode Blog - NYTimes.com

May 13, 2009, 10:01 am — Updated: 12:16 pm -->

When Dad Doesn’t Want to Co-Sleep

By Lisa Belkin
SleepSleep
(Illustration by Barry Falls)

Duane, a Motherlode reader, asked a question in the comments that I would like to pose to all of you. It came up during our latest conversation about co-sleeping, and Duane wrote that he is about to become a Dad, and is finding that he and his wife don’t have the same views on the subject. Or, perhaps more accurately, he has doubts that she doesn’t share. He says:

As a father-to-be with a wife who really wants to co-sleep with our coming baby, I’m struggling with the idea. I have been though 100s of web sites and 98% are written by women saying how great it is and how happy it makes them. So far no one is really taking the father into consideration. From what I see, the father is left to deal with whatever the mother wants and is left to the wayside. I feel that our bed is just that — our bed, for me and my wife. How do you not lose intimacy with each other when you have a baby/toddler between you? Does the father’s opinion and feelings matter, or should I just shut up and do what my wife wants? Some fathers advice would be nice!!!

In addition to the specific questions Duane raises — How do men feel about co-sleeping? What about the loss of intimacy? Where are the website’s with a Dad’s point of view — there is the more over-arching one that he raises: What do couples do when they disagree on something fundamental about parenting?

I know will be tempting for some of you to paint Duane as merely a guy concerned he won’t get enough sex with a baby in the room. But let’s look at him as a nervous Dad instead — one who needs some reassurance (either that he has a good point, or that it will be okay), and some pros and cons of co-sleeping, and some advice on how to navigate sensitive subjects with your spouse.

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Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Cases - Do Everybody a Favor - Take a Sick Day - NYt. What I see are kids so stressed that they are more stressed about missing school. I remember being relieved that I could stay home and rest when I was a kid

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/health/12case.html?ref=health
 
 
John C Kim MD
Sent telepathically from imind. A man So cutting edge,he sometimes falls off.
Www.kiddoc.org

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Vital Signs - Childhood - Order of Vaccinations Helps With Pain - NYTimes.com; bottom line give dtap-hib first for decreasing pain, what is the reason?

Childhood: Order of Vaccinations Helps With Pain

By NICHOLAS BAKALAR
Published: May 11, 2009

The amount of pain infants feel when they undergo vaccinations may depend on the order in which the shots are given.

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Order of Vaccine Injection and Infant Pain Response (The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine)

Typically, infants receive DPTaP-Hib (for diphtheria, polio, pertussis, tetanus and Haemophilus influenzae Type B) and PCV (for pneumococcal disease) at the same visit. Researchers assigned 120 infants, average age 4 ½ months, to receive the two shots in random order.

The procedures were videotaped and scored for pain by independent observers on a 10-point scale that measured facial expression and body movement. Parents rated the infants’ pain using a 10-point scale from “no pain” to “worst possible pain.” Finally, the researchers noted the presence or absence of crying. The results appear in the May issue of The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

By all three measures — pain scale, parents’ observations and infants’ crying or not — giving the DPTaP-Hib vaccine first caused significantly less pain.

The lead author, Dr. Moshe Ipp of the University of Toronto, said that giving the shots in the right order was simple and effective. “It doesn’t cost anything,” he said, “and it’s easy to incorporate into a doctor’s practice.”

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Hospitals Begin to Move Into Supermarkets - NYT ; whether this is good or not, depends on perspective of whether relationships matter in the longitudinal care of pts, the sore throat that wasn't because you see them all the time for the same thing ,and it

Hospitals Begin to Move Into Supermarkets

Published: May 11, 2009

As walk-in clinics at stores like CVS and Wal-Mart offer convenient alternatives to doctors’ offices and hospital emergency rooms, some hospitals are fighting back — with walk-in clinics at some of those same retailers.

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Laura Pedrick for The New York Times

At a health clinic in the King’s Market in Allentown, Pa., Fred Bartholomew was seen by Janelle Sharma, a nurse practitioner.

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Laura Pedrick for The New York Times

The clinic at the King’s Market is run by two regional medical providers, Lehigh Valley Health Network and Geisinger Clinic.

Around the country, hospitals are now affiliated with more than 25 Wal-Mart clinics. The Cleveland Clinic has lent its name and backup services to a string of CVS drugstore clinics in northeastern Ohio. And the Mayo Clinic is in the game, operating one Express Care clinic at a supermarket in Rochester, Minn., and a second one across town at a shopping mall.

Many primary-care doctors still denigrate the retail clinics as cheap, unworthy competitors. But hospitals see the clinics as a way to reach more patients and expand their business. And they argue that as President Obama and Congress warn of a shortage of primary-care physicians, the hospital-linked retail clinics are filling a vital public need.

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Seafood Selector - Environmental Defense Fund , now struggling with eco sashimi guilt

Seafood Selector

Make Smart Choices When Eating Seafood

Choose fish that are good for you and the ocean, and use our list on the go.

Also try our downloadable mobile seafood guide [PDF] and downloadable sushi guide [PDF], for when you're not connected to the Web.

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Personal Web site for John C Kim: KIDDOC.ORG

I am a pediatrician specializing in General Pediatrics, International Adoption Medicine, and in the diagnosis and coaching of families pursuing joy.