Health Warnings

Parents and child caregivers should be aware that unexplained vomiting, abdominal pain, and fever can sometimes be caused by ingestion of small, high powered magnets. Canadian pediatricians discuss this issue at length in an early 2013 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Read more »

In a suburb of Ottawa, there's a river that mostly freezes over in the winter and becomes a trail for snowmobiling enthusiasts. As this river runs past the backyard of a friend of mine, it narrows substantially, which translates to faster water flow, making it less able to transform into solid ice. Read more »

If you're around incense on a regular basis, you should know that a study published in the September 2001 issue of the Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology indicates that burning incense can expose people to dangerous levels of cancer-causing chemicals. Read more »

If you use synthetic air fresheners in your car and/or living space, you should know that you're likely increasing risk of developing a variety of health problems. Headaches, earaches, depression, an irregular heart beat, and diarrhea in babies are just a few of many health challenges that have been linked to regular use of synthetic air fresheners. Read more »

Just a reminder that it's never a good idea to leave a young child in a car, even for a minute. Children are not able to regulate core body temperature and tolerate heat and cold to the same extent that grown-ups are; if left in a car in warm weather, young children are at risk of quickly experiencing hyperthermia - stroke, seizures, and even death can occur if hyperthermia is severe enough. Read more »

Note from Ben Kim: Many thanks to Mario Vittone for graciously giving me permission to share this valuable article with our readership. Please read through Mario's article below and consider sharing this information with family and friends. Read more »

On January 12, 2007, a 28-year old Californian wife and mother of three children died from drinking too much water. Her body was found in her home shortly after she took part in a water-drinking contest that was sponsored by a local radio show. Entitled "Hold Your Wee For A Wii," the contest promoters promised a free Wii video game machine to the contestant who drank the most water without urinating. Read more »

A story at cbc.ca highlights the importance of being cautious in giving acetaminophen to youngsters, as overdosing is "the most common identifiable cause of acute liver failure in children," reports researcher Dr. Rod Lim of the Children's Hospital in London. Read more »

A study that was published in a 2006 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology suggests that exposure to loud noises over many years can increase your risk of developing a non-cancerous tumour called acoustic neuroma, which can cause hearing loss. Read more »

Most parents don't realize that not getting enough food can be the cause of unexplained vomiting in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning.

Where there is no fever, stomach flu, or any other common cause of vomiting in younger children, vomiting is often caused by low blood sugar. Most typically, this happens to children between 8 months and 4.5 to 5 years of age. Read more »