Your Health

By Janice M. Horowitz

Good News for Sick Kids

Is your child facing surgery? The FDA has just approved Versed Syrup, a sedative that helps kids calm down before a medical procedure. It's taken by mouth--no scary needle--and has the added benefit of erasing most memories of the traumatic event. As for parents, try pacing.

Bad News on Soda Pop

Teens are drowning in soft drinks. The average teenage boy chugs 3 1/3 cans a day--more than 110 gal. a year. Girls aren't much better: they guzzle 2 1/3 cans daily. In fact, kids today drink twice as much soda as milk; 20 years ago the reverse was true. The possible fallout: fat kids, rotten teeth and brittle bones.

Good News on Transplants

Leukemia and other cancer patients who need bone-marrow transplants may now have a larger pool of potential donors. Israeli and Italian doctors say they have vastly improved the odds of a successful transplant between family members whose tissue types don't match perfectly. It's done by transplanting large numbers of stem cells--the bone-marrow cells that make blood. In Japan, doctors report that sophisticated DNA analysis is enabling them to better match donors and recipients who are not related at all.

Bad News on Alzheimer's

High blood levels of homocysteine, an amino acid linked to heart disease, may also be a risk factor for Alzheimer's, according to preliminary research. To drive down your homocysteine levels, eat foods rich in folate and B12--such as leafy veggies and egg yolks--and, of course, don't smoke.

--By Janice M. Horowitz

Sources: FDA; Center for Science in the Public Interest; New England Journal of Medicine; Archives of Neurology