While croup clearly was the cootie of the month in October (that's generally been our experience), we saw several cases of influenza (flu-like illness) this last week.  Several of our staff got roughed up by the bug!

With the season just barely getting underway, what can parents (and office staff for that matter) do?   Click here for our latest recommendations. 

BTW, our office will be closed on Thursday November 22nd.  We will be open Friday morning the 23rd as well as Saturday morning the 24th. 

The last two winters, several parents reported that they gave elderberry extract to their children on a daily basis.  With all the anti-oxidants, vitamins, and minerals they contain, that wasn't too surprising to hear.  Elderberry extract inactivates H1N1 as well as Tamiflu. 

But it's also been reported that elderberries (in particular the stems, leaves, and unripe fruit) contain cyanide.  That doesn't sound good.  So it's not to surprising to also hear wild edibles experts like Sergei Boutenko caution against daily consumption. 

Three years ago, Wisconsin researchers discovered that daily probiotics reduce fever, cough, and colds in preschool children by 50 to 70%.  (Psst -- don't tell this to anyone -- it could crush our business!).

Last month a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition examined the effect of daily probiotics on 198 students attending Framingham State University.  Half received a blend of Lactobacillus GG and B. Animalis, the others got a placebo.

The authors in this study found that while both groups caught the same number of colds, the probiotic group experienced:

• shorter colds (4 days versus 6 days)
• milder symptoms (34% reduced)
• missed fewer days of class (15 versus 34)

We know that college students don't consistently eat organic, get to bed by 9 PM, or live is spacious, clean quarters.  When paying out $40,000 a year in tuition, adding a few dollars for a good probiotic makes cents! 

A new French study led by Marine Grandgeorge of the Hospital Research Center of Brest suggests that introducing companion animals to autistic children at the right time in life can help with human bonding as well.

Researchers studied a total of 40 children with autism and their families.  They examined whether the family had a pet (most had dogs or cats), when it was acquired, and whether the pet had any influence on the child's ability to bond.

Social impairment was assessed twice using a standardized questionnaire.

The results:  autistic children who grew up with a pet seemed to show no real benefit, but those kids who received a pet at age 4 or 5 showed major improvement in two critical social skills:  sharing with others and comforting people in distress.