Folic acid in flour 'would potentially save HUNDREDS of babies from spina bifida'
Professor Sir Colin Blakemore is a former chief executive of the Medical Research Council. He insists that flour be infused with folic acid. (Source: the Mail online | Health)
Source: the Mail online | Health - December 20, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Spina Bifida
(Source: eMedicineHealth.com)
Source: eMedicineHealth.com - November 11, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Source Type: news
Plymouth toddler who had spinal surgery while still in the womb takes her first steps
Frankie Lavis, from Plymouth, was diagnosed with spina bifida - which caused her spine to not develop properly. She became the first baby in Britain to have spinal surgery while in the womb. (Source: the Mail online | Health)
Source: the Mail online | Health - October 5, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Seeing Phoenix
It seems like people have been looking at our son Phoenix — without seeing him, without talking to him — since before he was born.
When I was pregnant and the ultrasound showed severe spina bifida and kyphosis (an excessive forward curve in his spine), the specialist told us he had never seen a spine like Phoenix’s. He wasn’t sure how it could be treated and recommended terminating my pregnancy.
My husband Mike and I chose not to.
Phoenix was born on June 29, 2009, with a lesion at the base of his spine. His spinal cord and nerves were exposed, so his first surgery was a skin graft to cover the lesion. On top of sp...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - October 3, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Megan Reuwer Tags: Our Patients’ Stories clubfoot Dr. Benjamin Warf Dr. Lawrence Karlin Dr. Nedda Hobbs Hydrocephalus kyphosis spina bifida Spina Bifida Clinic Source Type: news
In the Loop: Spina bifida doesn't keep Ty from competition
Having Olympic withdrawal? Us, too. That's why we were excited to find out the competition in Rio isn't quite over yet. The 2016 Summer Paralympics will take place Sept. 7 –18, and from the looks of this promotional (and toe-tapping) trailer, the games will feature athletes every bit as inspiring as their Olympic counterparts. (Trust us, [...] (Source: News from Mayo Clinic)
Source: News from Mayo Clinic - September 5, 2016 Category: Databases & Libraries Source Type: news
Mayo Clinic Minute: Does Folic Acid Prevent Childhood Obesity?
Health care professionals have known for decades that women of childbearing age should take folic acid, because it reduces a baby's risk of being born with the neural tube defect, spina bifida. New research shows there may be another good reason for mothers-to-be to take the mineral — it may prevent obesity in children. In [...] (Source: News from Mayo Clinic)
Source: News from Mayo Clinic - August 21, 2016 Category: Databases & Libraries Source Type: news
Teen with spina bifida and service dog walk a path to independence
If picture is worth a thousand words, then how much is this picture worth?
For Debbie Paul, who received the above photo in a text from her son, it is priceless. “It was a turning point in my mind,” she says.
That turning point took place on July 7, nearly two weeks following her son Adam’s graduation as a service-dog handler. Adam, who is 14, going on 15, has spina bifida, a birth defect that involves the incomplete closure of the spinal cord. He was profiled in an October 2015, Boston Children’s Hospital Thriving blog.
Euro is Adam’s mobility-service dog, companion and what Adam calls his “counter balance....
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - August 10, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Emily Williams Tags: Our Patients’ Stories Center for Spina Bifida and Spinal Cord Conditions service dog Spina Bifida Center Source Type: news
Pregnancy supplements 'don ’t help, just take vit D and folic acid'
Conclusion
This report aimed to assess the current UK guidance for vitamin supplementation in pregnancy and the evidence on which it is based.
Overall the findings are in line with the current recommendations. However, this study cannot be assumed to be a comprehensive systematic review on the effectiveness and safety of vitamins during pregnancy. There is lack of detail on any formal methods and we don't know if the researchers assessed all available evidence on the supplements or whether they have cherry picked ones that fit in with the recommendations.
The researchers suggest a further limitation that many of the...
Source: NHS News Feed - July 12, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child Medication Source Type: news
Pregnancy supplements 'don’t help, just take vit D and folic acid'
Conclusion
This report aimed to assess the current UK guidance for vitamin supplementation in pregnancy and the evidence on which it is based.
Overall the findings are in line with the current recommendations. However, this study cannot be assumed to be a comprehensive systematic review on the effectiveness and safety of vitamins during pregnancy. There is lack of detail on any formal methods and we don't know if the researchers assessed all available evidence on the supplements or whether they have cherry picked ones that fit in with the recommendations.
The researchers suggest a further limitation that many of the...
Source: NHS News Feed - July 12, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child Medication Source Type: news
Patch may allow spina bifida repair before birth, study says
Stephen FellerHOUSTON, July 12 (UPI) -- A patch made of cryopreserved human umbilical cord could be applied to fetuses with spina bifida to prevent them being born with the condition, researchers say. (Source: Health News - UPI.com)
Source: Health News - UPI.com - July 12, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Umbilical cord patch could be method for fetal spina bifida repair
A patch made from cryopreserved human umbilical cord may be a novel method for treating spina bifida in utero, according to scientists. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - July 12, 2016 Category: Science Source Type: news
UTHealth researchers: Umbilical cord patch could be method for fetal spina bifida repair
(University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston) A patch made from cryopreserved human umbilical cord may be a novel method for treating spina bifida in utero, according to researchers at McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). The findings were published today in Obstetrics & Gynecology, the journal of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - July 11, 2016 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news
My sister, my inspiration
Listen to Colton and Lena talk about their relationship.
My little sister, Lena, was born in Denver, Colorado, on Feb. 24, 2000. My recollection of that day and the weeks that followed is hazy — not only because I was just six years old, but also because I was being shuttled between several relatives while my parents attended to some “medical problem” my sister had, which I couldn’t really understand.
The words spina bifida didn’t mean much to me, but between my parents’ solemnity and the fact that — as it was explained to me — the doctors needed to cut into my sister’s back with a laser, I starte...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - July 6, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Colton Williamson Tags: Diseases & Conditions Our Patients’ Stories Dr. Carlos Estrada Dr. Lawrence Karlin Dr. Mark Proctor spina bifida Source Type: news
A Different Way To Look At Public Health In The United States
Public health in the United States is far from perfect. Outbreaks of measles, a disease previously held in check, are making a comeback despite the unequivocal safety and efficacy of the MMR vaccine. Each day, many adolescents and young adults start smoking for the first time even though the health consequences of tobacco use have been drilled into their heads from a young age.
Of course, the root causes of these problems are too complex to be thought of simply as failures of public health. After all, a teenager doesn't start smoking because they mistakenly think it's a perfectly healthy thing to do. And parents who choos...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - June 15, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Womb surgery hope for spina bifida baby
The parents of a baby with spina bifida say they hope that pioneering surgery he received while still in the womb will help him to walk. (Source: BBC News | Health | UK Edition)
Source: BBC News | Health | UK Edition - June 7, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
