http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-11204884

A study on children has found further evidence that ME, or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, could be caused by a virus. Scientists at the University of Dundee study found abnormalities in the white blood cells of children with ME/CFS, suggesting they had been fighting off infection. ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis), also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), causes debilitating tiredness. About 150,000 people in the UK have ME/CFS, 15,000 of whom are children. The condition is characterised by physical and mental exhaustion following normal activities. Symptoms can include muscle pain, sore throat, tender lymph nodes, multi-joint pain and headaches.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/200028.php

Many youths appear resistant to treatment from the onset of a severe asthmatic condition. Why? Simply put, many have been wrongly diagnosed or caretakers have not followed asthma treatment guidelines properly. There is no one cure-all for this condition that is a chronic, or long-term lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways. Although treatment techniques have advanced considerably, a review in this week’s European Respiratory Society meeting special edition of The Lancet, plainly states that the best method of successful management of asthma is via a multidisciplinary approach that can be handled with standard well-known therapies in more than 50% of children having trouble breathing.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE68250M20100903

Wearing a programmable wristwatch could help children manage their daytime bladder control problems, a new study suggests. For children with urinary incontinence, the first approach to treatment is usually behavior modification – sometimes called bladder training or “urotherapy.” Tactics like changing drinking habits and taking scheduled trips to the bathroom can be effective, but often the challenge with children is getting them to stick with a routine. When it comes to scheduled bathroom breaks, many children simply forget. So for the new study, Danish researchers looked at whether outfitting kids with a sports watch timed to go off at regular intervals would help.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11154244

School lunches can tempt fussy eaters to try new foods, a survey for the School Food Trust has suggested. Researchers found that four out of five children in England who ate school lunches had tried food at school that they had not tried at home. Half of parents questioned said their children had asked for foods they had eaten at school to be cooked at home. The survey, of about 1,000 parents, found the most popular vegetables were carrots, sweetcorn and peas. Aubergine, chickpeas and spinach were among the least popular. Of the parents questioned, 628 had children who ate school lunches.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1308143/A-hug-sugar-free-way-ease-babys-pain.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Giving newborn babies sugar does not help ease the pain of injections – and a cuddle from mum would perhaps do the job better, it is claimed. Very young children are often given sugary water before they have a jab or give a blood sample. But the sweet drink has no effect on the amount of pain they feel, a study has found. The British researchers believe the sugar merely serves as a distraction, and a hug would work just as well.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1307550/Ban-TV-protect-childs-health-psychologist-urges-European-politicians.html

TV should be banned for toddlers and severely rationed for other youngsters to protect their health and family life, a leading psychologist will tell MEPs today. Dr Aric Sigman claims that millions of children spending hours slumped in front of TVs and computers is ‘the greatest unacknowledged health scandal of our time’. He says it is linked to ills ranging from obesity and heart disease to poor grades and lack of empathy.  Some British children spend as much as seven-and-a-half hours a day in front of a screen  -  the equivalent of a full year of 24-hour days by the age of seven. Dr Sigman, an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, believes that the youngest children, whose brains are undergoing massive development, should not watch any TV at all.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1307809/The-porky-pies-mums-tell-meal-times-coax-children-eat-healthily.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Millions of mothers admit to telling white lies to their children to coax them into eating healthy foods, a study has revealed. Eight out of ten regularly wheel out old classics such as ‘carrots will help you see in the dark’ or ‘crusts will make your hair curl’, according to the poll. Other favourite food fibs include ‘eating spinach will give you muscles like Popeye the Sailor’, ‘fizzy drinks turn your teeth to jelly’ and the cruel claim that the ice cream van only plays music when it has run out of lollies. On average, they tell their children two such fibs a day to coax them to eat fruit and vegetables or to put them off sugary soft drinks, the poll found.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7970315/Man-disabled-by-MMR-vaccine-awarded-90000-after-13-year-fight.html

A man who suffered severe brain damage after being given the MMR vaccine as a baby has been awarded £90,000 in a landmark ruling expected to pave the way for thousands of similar compensation claims. Robert Fletcher, 18, was a healthy 13-month-old baby when he was given the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. He now suffers from frequent epileptic fits, is doubly incontinent and is unable to stand, talk or feed himself. The Department of Health denied any link between his disabilities and the controversial jab, but a medical assessment panel ruled last week that Mr Fletcher became severely disabled as a direct result of the MMR. It is thought to be the first compensation award in an MMR case since the vaccine became a focus for controversy in 1998, when the now discredited Dr Andrew Wakefield claimed it could be linked to autism.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE67T2TJ20100830

Kids who suffer concussions should be cleared by a doctor before they start playing sports again, and parents and coaches should be aware that young athletes take longer to recover than college and professional athletes, according to a new report in Pediatrics. The recommendations come from the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness and emphasize the physical and mental recovery period necessary for all young athletes after a head injury.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11111519

Many parents are incapable of giving their children the correct dose of liquid medicines, claim Australian researchers. Using household spoons to measure them out could mean a potentially dangerous overdose, they say. Children under five are at the highest risk of accidental overdose. The study, presented in Lisbon, tested 97 adults and found 61% measured the wrong dose – 17% measured an overdose and 44% did not give enough.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1306806/Mothers-breastfeed-slash-risk-diabetes.html

Mothers who do not breastfeed are twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes in later life, according to a study. Breastfeeding helps shift fat remaining around the abdomen after pregnancy, one of the factors behind the disorder, say scientists. They believe that declining rates of breastfeeding in the western world may help explain the explosion in type 2 diabetes among middle-aged women.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11120853

The government has confirmed it is planning to scrap the NHS Direct telephone service in England and replace it with an alternative service. A new 1-1-1 helpline is already being piloted in north-east England. It was previously reported that the new service may replace NHS Direct, but now the Department of Health has confirmed it will definitely do so. The move comes as the government curtails public spending, even though it has promised to protect the NHS. The change will not affect existing NHS helpline services in Scotland and Wales.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7960177/Bird-song-may-calm-children-receiving-injections.html

Bird song may help relieve anxiety and needle phobia in hospital patients and now scientists are to test how effective it could be in treating children. A project at Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool has involved an art project that plays the sound of the dawn chorus to patients and visitors. It was found that children were less anxious about their treatment when the song was playing and now the idea is to be researched further. It is thought the calming sounds affects parts of the brain involved in emotion and can distract patients from the medical treatment about to happen. Some believe that play bird song may result in patients requiring less pain relief which could help them recover sooner after treatment.