According to a recent German study of nearly 9,000 children from birth up to age six, having a pet dog present in the home while growing up appears to train the immune system to be much less sensitive to potential triggers for allergies. In fact, children who shared a home with a dog were 50% less likely to become sensitive to allergens! This may possibly hold true for cats as well as for children growing up on farms with continuous exposure to farm animals. Although some studies have concluded the opposite when it comes to our furry feline friends.

Scientists believe children may benefit greatly from very early exposure to germs. If things are too clean, infants’ immune systems may not develop normally. Thus, the dirt and germs carried inside by dogs may actually assist in developing small children’s immune systems and lessen the risk of developing asthma, hay fever and even eczema as the child gets older. That’s the theory behind the latest findings from this new 6-year study.

Lead researcher, Dr. Joachim Heinrich of the National Research Centre for Environmental Health in Munich stated, “Our results show clearly the presence of a dog in the home during subjects’ infancy is associated with a significantly low level of sensitization to pollens and inhaled allergens.” On the other hand, children who merely had frequent contact with dogs- but no dog living in their own home- did not have the same protective effect. Also, the earlier infants have a dog in the home, the better. This way, the immune system is affected as it develops and children are off to a healthy start in life. Keep in mind, if you have children who already have developed allergies, resist the urge to head for the nearest human society to adopt a dog. Exposing children to pet dander from dog’s coats will only make existing allergies much worse.

There have been many previous studies conducted on this very subject, but the majority of those studies were based almost entirely on retrospective questioning of subjects about their pet exposure. This specific study included detailed questionnaires, but also blood samples to test for common allergen antibodies. According to Dr. Heinrich and his colleagues, the blood of children who were raised in households with dogs contained fewer allergy markers, such as antibodies to pet dander, pollen and dust mites. More tests are planned for when the children reach the age of ten. The study’s findings were published in the European Respiratory Journal.

There’s been a dog present almost continuously in our home and not one of my five children have pet allergies. I believe there must be something to the pet dog theory. I have heard being licked by dogs can be beneficial for similar reasons: due to the germs in their saliva. Although you can’t stop an overly-excited dog from sneaking in a lick to the face every-now-and-then, I have no plans to allow our 116-pound dog to give my children a bath with his giant tongue anytime soon.

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Glass baby bottles are making quite a comeback, in fact many retailers who carry them are selling out. Due to customer demand for glass bottles, manufacturers are coming out with new versions of the old-fashioned favorites. In addition, numerous retailers are no longer selling plastic bottles. Even Wal-Mart announced its plans to halt sales of certain baby bottles by early next year. The reason for this is simply because glass alternatives have been found to be more safe for babies. A chemical commonly found in plastic baby bottles has been found to migrate to the liquid inside the bottle. This toxic chemical, bisphenol A (or “BPA“), is used to make polycarbonate plastic. Many bottles and sippy cups we feed our babies from everyday are made of this clear shatter-resistant, hard plastic material, as well as water bottles many of us drink from ourselves. Our babies are at most risk for health problems because the amount of toxin ingested is large in comparison to their body weight, as well as the fact that their systems are all in development.

Researchers have tested dozens of brand-name baby bottles sold in both the US and Canada, including popular brands such as Evenflo, Gerber, Avent and Playtex. Heated to 175 degrees F, every single bottle leached BPA. Here’s another good reason to never heat your baby’s bottle or sippy cup in the microwave and to always wash them by hand rather than in the dishwasher. Researchers also suggested BPA may migrate more into fatty or acidic drinks, such as juice or milk, rather than water alone. Scratched or worn bottles and sippy cups should be thrown away, as they may leach BPA more easily.

The chemical BPA has been linked to a wide range of hormonal problems because it tends to mimic the hormone estrogen. In laboratory studies, even with low exposure levels, BPA has been shown to have a wide range of sex-hormone imbalance effects. Possible effects include: breast and prostate cancer, low sperm count, early puberty, hyperactivity, urinary tract problems, miscarriage and immune-system changes.

There is presently a big debate raging between the chemical industry, who claims the BPA levels found in humans are very low and the products are, in fact, safe and many scientists, medical experts and environmental experts, who disagree with those claims. “At this point, the writing is on the wall for bisphenol A. Major retailers and governments all across the country and the world are now recognizing that this chemical is extremely toxic at very low levels of exposure,” said Michael Schade, with the center for Health, Environment and Justice. Many experts are in agreement that parents should reduce babies’ exposure to BPA. California’s Senate just passed a bill that would prevent the sale of bottles, sippy cups and formula cans that contain BPA. If this measure ends up becoming law, California would be the very first state in the US to ban BPA in any consumer product. According to Canadian Health Minister Tony Clement, He alth Canada (basically the equivalent of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration), intends to ban the import and sale of BPA-containing baby bottles in their entire country.

Whether everyone is in agreement or not about the safety of BPA, why take the chance of possibly putting your children in harm’s way? I’m already in the process of buying an alternative for my baby who I just weaned to a bottle within the past month. If you’re worried about glass bottle breakage, it’s not hard to find retailers who sell special bottles with a silicone skin over them. That way, if your baby drops or throws the bottle, it won’t crack or shatter. There are also BPA-free plastic bottles, but they tend to be on the expensive side. These BPA-free bottles are rapidly becoming available by almost every major retailer. The other option to help keep your baby’s BPA exposure to a minimal is breastfeeding for as long as possible.

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In addition to rotting your children’s teeth out, contributing to obesity, causing hyperactivity and simply not being a nutritious beverage, soft drinks are now linked to serious cell damage! It wasn’t all that long ago when the possibility of causing cancer was brought to the public’s attention, either! The common preservative sodium benzoate (also known as “E211”) which is found in most soft drinks (as well as other drinks and condiments) can form a carcinogenic substance called carcinogen benzene when mixed with vitamin C.

According to a study conducted by Sheffield University in the UK, the preservative -used to prevent mold in soft drinks- damages an important part of DNA. Alarmed by findings from laboratory tests conducted with sodium benzoate on living yeast cells, Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology and biotechnology at the university said, “These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactiv ate it: they knock it out altogether.” He went on to say, “The mitochondria consumes the oxygen to give you energy and if you damage it - as happens in a number if diseased states - then the cell starts to malfunction very seriously. And there is a whole array of diseases that are now being tied to damage to this DNA - Parkinson’s and quite a lot of neurodegenerative diseases, but above all the whole process of aging.” The World Health Organization reviewed sodium benzoate back in 2000, concluding it was safe, but also noting that the available science supporting its safety was “limited”.

Professor Piper advised parents to think twice before buying drinks containing preservatives, especially in large quantities, until they have been proven safe by new, more rigorous safety tests. Several brands of soft drinks have already been taken off the market due to the high levels of carcinogen benzene in them. My children drink very limited amounts of soft drinks as it is, but now I think I need to take a look at my own consumption. I’m not much of a water-drinker, but bottled water is sounding better to me all the time!

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