Obese Third Grader Taken From Mom, Placed in Foster Care

A Cleveland third grader who weighed more than 200 pounds was taken from his mother after officials reportedly said she did not do enough to help the boy, who suffered from a weight-related health issue, to lose weight.

“They are trying to make it seem like I am unfit, like I don’t love my child,” the boy’s mother, who was not identified, told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “It’s a lifestyle change and they are trying to make it seem like I am not embracing that. It is very hard, but I am trying.”  - Yahoo! News

WHO links child mortality to economic crisis

The World Health Organisation warned on Saturday that only a stronger political commitment to child health could prevent a dangerous rise in mortality rates at a time of global economic turmoil.

WHO Director General Margaret Chan told the opening of a maternal and child health event in the Uzbek capital Tashkent that mortality rates had reached their lowest levels in more than a generation in the past decade.  - Yahoo! News

Energy Drinks Send Thousands to the ER Each Year

Young adults, usually men, were most likely to get into trouble using energy drinks, the report shows.

Furthermore:

• More than half of all ER visits linked to energy drinks were in college-age adults ages 18 to 25.
• Adults ages 26 to 39 accounted for almost a third of the visits.
• Teens 12 to 17 and adults over 40 each accounted for 11% of visits.
• Men accounted for nearly two-thirds of all visits.

Read more...

Related articles:

• Sharp rise in hospitalizations tied to energy drinks - Health - msnbc.com
• ER Visits for Energy-Drink Ills Soar in U.S. - US News and World Report
• Study Shows Nearly a Tenfold Increase in the Number of Hospital Emergency Department Visits Involving Non-Alcohol Energy Drinks Between 2005 and 2009

Did you know: More than 1 in 5 U.S. children poor, Census says

In 2010, when the Census survey was conducted, 21.6 percent of children across the country were poor, compared to 20 percent in 2009.

That was mainly due to a rise in the number of children living below the federal poverty threshold, defined as an annual income of $22,314 for a family of four, to 15.7 million from 14.7 million in 2009. | Reuters

Related articles:

• Child poverty: 1 in 5 American children now living in poverty | Mail Online
• More Than 1 in 5 US Children Living In Poverty | Economy Watch

Johnson & Johnson, amid activists’ push, starts removing toxic chemicals from baby products

Two weeks ago, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics was emboldened after finding the health care giant had removed the two chemicals from products in several other countries. But in the U.S., the products contain trace amounts of potentially cancer-causing chemicals.

Johnson & Johnson now says it expects to remove formaldehyde-releasing preservatives from baby products within about two years and is reducing traces of the other chemical.  - The Washington Post

Medical Mafia fascism forces parents to hide their children

From Africa there are stories of mothers being hunted down and forced by gunpoint to have their children receive vaccinations known to produce adverse reactions. This might be expected in third world countries. But the same essential tyranny has also been occurring in America.  Read more...

Congress pushes back on healthier school lunches

Who needs leafy greens and carrots when pizza and french fries will do?

In an effort many 9-year-olds will cheer, Congress wants pizza and french fries to stay on school lunch lines and is fighting the Obama administration's efforts to take unhealthy foods out of schools.

The final version of a spending bill released late Monday would unravel school lunch standards the Agriculture Department proposed earlier this year. These include limiting the use of potatoes on the lunch line, putting new restrictions on sodium and boosting the use of whole grains. The legislation would block or delay all of those efforts.  - Yahoo! News

Six reasons to homeschool your children

There are over 2 million home-educated children in this country, and this number is growing at 2% to 8% per year. This is not surprising, given the dismal track record of the public school system. If you have ever considered homeschooling your children (or even if you have not), here are six reasons to do it.

1. Academic excellence by homeschoolers is greater than you might think.
2. Social skill excellence by homeschoolers is greater than you might think.
3. There are more resources to help than you might think.
4. The legal hurdles are lower than you might think.
5. The benefits to your children are greater than you might think.
6. It is more important than you might think.

Read report in detail

High-Powered Magnets + Swallowing by Kids = Deadly

They are intended to be desk toys and stress relievers for adults, who can use them to create patterns and build shapes. The products are often sold in sets of 200 or more and are labeled for ages 14 and older. It is extremely difficult for a parent to know if a magnet is missing from a set.

They are not intended to be used to mimic teenage body piercings.

Here’s what you can do to avoid a magnet swallowing injury:

• Keep small magnets and small pieces containing magnets away from young children who might swallow them.
• Look out for loose magnet pieces – regularly inspect toys and children’s play areas for missing or dislodged magnets.

If you suspect that magnets have been swallowed:

• Seek immediate medical attention.
• Look for abdominal symptoms such as abdominal pains, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
• Note that in X-rays, multiple magnetic pieces may appear as a single object.

Read more....

Teen to Teen: Magnet Talk

Doctors: Test all kids for cholesterol by age 11

Every child should be tested for high cholesterol between ages 9 and 11 so steps can be taken to prevent heart disease later on, a panel of doctors urged Friday in new advice that is sure to be controversial.

Until now, major medical groups have suggested cholesterol tests only for children with a family history of early heart disease or high cholesterol and those who are obese or have diabetes or high blood pressure. But studies show that is missing many children with high cholesterol, and the number of them at risk is growing because of the obesity epidemic.  - Yahoo! News

Related article:

• Children Should Get Cholesterol Tests, Panel Says - ABC News

White Kids Abuse Drugs and Alcohol at Twice Rate of Blacks

Racial myths are slow to die, because they serve the purposes of those who rule through mechanisms of racial oppression. Black mass incarceration, which has been public policy of the United States for four decades, is underpinned by assumptions of Black criminality – especially drug abuse. “A new study, however, shows that Black and Asian kids are, in fact, much less likely than their white counterparts to abuse or become dependent on drugs and alcohol.”   | Black Agenda Report

'Father's Day?' Film Addresses Issues of Fatherless Homes

Actresses Ashley Shante and Squeaky Moore are hoping their new film "Father's Day?" will encourage discussion about what they call "the elephant in the room," namely the absence of black fathers from an alarming number of African-American homes.  'Father's Day?'

PSA "64" promo for short film "Father's Day?"

Hip Hop Heals

Brief: Artists join to educate students on healthy eating and lifestyles. (Season 2011)