The Internet has opened up a world of scientific information previously inaccessible to most people. I frequently pour through dozens upon dozens of medical journals that I couldn’t possibly subscribe to, and would otherwise have to access through an academic library. Quite simply, the Internet makes the consulting and written work I do much, much Related posts: Plastic Chemical Danger Plastic Danger Revisited Tea Thyroid Danger Agave Danger! Food Chemistry News

Early research suggests that if a 6-month old baby has "head lag," or weak head and neck control, it may be an early sign of autism or another language/social developmental delay. The test is simple – babies who are lying on the floor are pulled up into a sitting position. If the baby's head is not moving forward as you pull the baby up, it's a sign of weak head and neck control. Researchers already know that head lag could be an early sign that a child's nervous system is not developing correctly. They've seen this in children with cerebral palsy and preterm infants, for example. But so far it had not been documented in children with autism. Researchers at Baltimore's Kennedy Krieger Institute looked at a small sample of babies who were already at high risk for autism because they had a sibling with autism. If a couple already has one child with an autism spectrum disorder there's a nearly 1 in 5 chance that the second child will have autism too. According to the latest CDC estimates , 1 in 88 children in the United States has an autism diagnosis. It's 5 times more common in boys than girls. A group of 40 babies were tested at 6 months. Ten children were later diagnosed with ASD at the age of 3. Nine of those 10 babies had head lag when they were 6 months old. More than half of the children (54%) who were later diagnosed with language or social developmental delays but not autism also had head lag at 6 months, says Rebecca Landa, one of the study authors and the director of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at Kennedy Krieger. In a second study that compared 20 high risk babies to 21 low-risk babies, 75% in the high risk category showed signs of head lag at six months compared to only 33% in the low-risk group. Landa acknowledges that this research, presented Thursday at a meeting of the International Society for Autism Research in Toronto, is very preliminary and needs to be confirmed in larger studies. She also cautions that weak head and neck control doesn't automatically mean your baby will develop autism. But, Landa says, if you already have a child with autism and your baby is showing this kind of problem, you should take the child to see a specialist. "If you don't have a family history of autism, and your child had head lag at 6 months – it might be something else, or might be nothing, but it's important to check it out," she says. The goal is to identify a child with autism as early as possible so therapy can start early. "We don't want to wait until children are 1 or 2 when they are more likely to show symptoms of autism." Alycia Halladay, director of research for environmental sciences at the advocacy group Autism Speaks, says this is a very important study and deserves replication. She says it's too early to consider head lag a diagnostic marker, it's one of many red flags that parents may notice very early in development and something a doctor can easily check out. Halladay, who was not involved in the research, says "this provides something that parents can bring to their doctors beyond just a concern." Landa says she doesn't want to scare every parent into thinking their child may have autism because their little one has poor postural control, especially because in some children the problem goes away. However, this is a simple test that doesn't cost anything, doesn't hurt a child, and – if a child were referred to therapy – doesn't hurt a child but can enrich their development, with or without a subsequent autism diagnosis. Landa says parents can easily be trained to help their baby improve head and neck control. She suggests Googling "tummy time," which can lead parents to a lot of good information on fun and supportive tummy time exercises to help build their baby's neck muscles. She also suggests sitting babies up, holding babies at the hips and slowly rocking them from side to side – just enough so that the baby leans to the center, which she says activates the core muscles so the baby stays balanced. Babies love it, especially if you sing a song while doing this. Filed under: Autism , Conditions Tagged: Miriam Falco – CNN Medical Managing Editor

The notion of sprinkling algae into a protein shake or spreading it on toast probably seems foreign or just plain bizarre to most people. But, fortunately, many fresh and sea water dwellers have no problem using algae as an essential food source. And, in a roundabout way, humans end up deriving some of the benefits Related posts: Astaxanthin Update Chlorella and Spirulina Best of Chlorella and Spirulina Multivitamins in the News CoQ10 News and Research

If you’re a frequent traveler, you know how challenging it can be to remain on a healthy diet. Often times you don’t have control over what time you eat, where you eat or your dining companions. Changes in time zones, exposure to recirculated air on planes and the general stress of being in unfamiliar circumstances Related posts: Anti-Aging Nutrition Travel Nutrition Best Of The Anti-Heart Attack Diet The Anti-Heart Attack Diet Herbal Tips and Updates

A few weeks ago, I was listening to a podcast about natural skin care. One of the callers inquired about products featuring sea buckthorn. “What is sea buckthorn anyway? Is it a seaweed? How is it different than krill oil?”. Whenever I hear this sort of exchange, whether in a health food store or on Related posts: Healthier Looking Skin Coconut Oil, Lactoferrin and Natural Skin Care News Aging Skin and Ellagic Acid Natural Skin Care White Tea, Skin Aging, Prostate & Breast Cancer Updates

The other night we had dinner at a restaurant where you build your own burger. Diners choose the type of meat they’d prefer, an extensive array of toppings and whether they want their burger on a bun or a bed of organic lettuce. You’re even in luck if you have special dietary needs as they Related posts: Healthy Lamb Burger Recipe Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe

Walk down the supplement isles of most health food stores and pharmacies and you’ll undoubtedly see bottles that are seemingly filled with enticing candies. These days, calcium, fish oil, multivitamins and other dietary aids are often being sold in the form of chocolates, gummy bears and even jelly beans. Some of these products are 100% Related posts: Important Add-On Supplements Cancer, Candy and Willpower Top Five Supplements Mind Body Supplements Juice Supplements

For the next few moments, I’d like you to conjure up an image of what you think caffeine does to the brain. Did you come up with negative or positive imagery? When I think of caffeinated beverages such as coffee, hot cocoa or tea, I associate them with the promotion of brain health. I know Related posts: Exercise Your Brain Coffee and Cancer Alzheimer’s Coffee Link The Healthiest Brain Foods? Improved Sleep and Testosterone Levels

Fruit juice isn’t something that I normally recommend. Most bottled and fresh juices simply contain too much sugar – a dietary component that is already too plentiful in many diets. Then, there’s the issue of dietary fiber. The process of making juice removes the fibrous portion of fruits and vegetables, and concentrates the sweet liquid Related posts: Red Beet Juice Power Grape Antioxidants for Heart Health and Diabetes Wheatgrass Juice Research Healthy Potatoes? Spinach Juice and Smoothies

A recent segment on 60 Minutes, the popular news program, examined the health implications of eating large amounts of sugar. According to current estimates, the average U.S. citizen consumes upwards of 130 lbs. of processed sugar per year. Not only is this shocking, but it’s also relevant because experts in the field of nutritional biology Related posts: Artificial Sweetener Research Sugar Free Blueberry Cheesecake Soda Alternatives Luo Han Guo – Another Sugar Alternative Stevia – The Safe and Natural Sweetener