C-Section Births Rising in the U.S.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cesarean section (C-section) births are on the rise in wealthy nations. In 1965, the U.S cesarean birth rate was 4.5 percent.2 Since then, the national cesarean birth rate has increased seven-fold. In 2009, the rate peaked to 32.9 percent and dropped slightly to 32.2 percent in 2014.2 Currently, one in three women give birth via C-section…
Breast Milk Provides Vital Immunologic and Physiologic Benefits for Babies
With nearly 80 percent of mothers in the United States now choosing breastfeeding over formula feeding for their babies, there clearly is widespread agreement that mothers’ milk is the ideal food for the very young. This source of nutrition is also perfectly species-specific: Cow’s milk is best for rapidly growing bovine calves, whale milk is uniquely suited to the high-fat…
Chronic Illness and the State of Our Children’s Health
Approximately 27 percent of U.S. children live with chronic health conditions that can affect their daily lives and normal activities. These maladies often contribute greatly to school absenteeism and require continual medical attention. Many studies suggest chronic health problems…
U.S. Maternal Mortality Rate Unusually High and Rising
Part of a new study recently published as an article in the British medical journal, The Lancet, finds that the maternal mortality rate (MMR) in the United States has gone up by 64 percent since 1990 and is now higher than most “high-income” countries. Part of a new study recently published as an article in the British medical journal, The Lancet, finds…
Babies May Benefit from Co-Sleeping
In most of the world, it is common practice for parents and babies to sleep together. In the United States and several other countries, including Britain, Germany, and parts of western Europe, parents tend to put babies in their own beds and usually in a separate room. This custom is largely due to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) warnings about…
EpiPen’s Notorious Marketing Model
It’s a great business model: Start (or find) a life-threatening trend, develop (or acquire) a product absolutely necessary to counteract that trend, then gradually raise the cost until you find the highest price the market will bear. No wonder Mylan, the company that owns the EpiPen, is being compared—and unfavorably yet—to Turing Pharmaceuticals and its former chief executive Marti Shkreli, the man…