Booster Shots

Booster Shots is apparently late to the "pine mouth" issue. Our apologies. And our thanks — to reader Kirsten for alerting us to the potential hazard of eating pine nuts — no small matter, this being pesto season (we very much like pesto here at Booster Shots). Apparently many people have registered some measure of alarm (or concern, mild curiosity or passing reference, depending on their appreciation of pignoli) about pine mouth, a bitter metallic taste in the mouth that develops after eating pine nuts and lasts for several days.

Booster seats save lives, and so do state laws requiring young children to ride in them, according to a new study . Booster seats are aimed at kids who are too big for traditional car seats but too small to be properly restrained by seat belts alone. The seats boost these kids up so that a car's shoulder belt secures them in a safe way. But their use is far from widespread: Only 48% of 4- and 5-year-olds use them, along with 35% of 6- and 7-year-olds, according to a 2008 survey by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA.

Here are two recalls that might not have consumers rushing to get their money back. One is for a weight-loss supplement, the other for a sex enhancer. The Food and Drug Administration announced today that a lab analysis of Joyful Slim Herb Supplement was found to contain desmethyl sibutramine. Most people know sibutramine as Meridia, a prescription weight-loss drug. This month, the agency similarly announced that some batches of Good Health's Vialipro had been found to contain sulfoaildenafil, a cousin of sildenafil.

Annual flu vaccination was recommended for preschool-age children in the United States beginning in 2006. A new study shows the idea has produced the intended result by lowering flu complications in toddlers and in older children. The study, published Monday, compared the impact of the 2006 recommendation to flu complication rates in Canada, which did not make the recommendation to vaccinate preschoolers until last year. Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and McGill University looked at 114,657 emergency room visits for flu-like illness from 2000 through 2009.

You can't say Alzheimer's researchers aren't trying really hard to make progress in preventing and treating the disease. A team of researchers is cycling across the country to raise awareness of the need for more funding for the study of Alzheimer's. The Alzheimer's Breakthrough Ride will pass through Los Angeles on Thursday. Members of the Alzheimer's Assn.'s California Southland Chapter will meet from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in front of the Kodak Theatre, at the corner of Hollywood and Highland, to cheer on the riders.

There is no question that a patient's medical records belong to the patient. Patients can ask for copies of everything health professionals enter into their files. Patient records, however, are meant to help the doctor or other health professional organization obtain information and treat the patient safely and effectively. So what would happen if patients had much easier access to the doctors' notes? The answer to that question should become clear later this year. Researchers led by a team at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Massachusetts have launched a pilot program called the OpenNotes Initiative.

Some women spend months — nay, years — looking for the right sports bra. The list of must-have features is often long: chafe-free, straps that stay up, easy to put on and take off, good support and hold, no digging into the skin, no embarrassment when worn in the locker room. The right sports bra is so elusive that even scientists are looking into what makes the best one . What's usually not on the required list is bling. But the designers of a new bra probably thought that's what women wanted.

Many people undergo a nuclear stress test to look for signs of heart disease. The test involves giving patients a radioactive material and stressing the hearts, either by exercise or with drugs. Measurements looking at blood flow to the heart are then taken twice, after five minutes and at the 60-minute mark. If no changes are seen between the pictures taken from the resting phase and the exercise phase, then doctors conclude heart disease isn't present. But a change between the two images may mean a heart blockage.

Columnist Rosie Mestel is on vacation. Booster Shots will return next week.

Psychologists disagree vehemently about the significance of dreams. Some believe dreams are simply the neurological detritus of the previous day while others suggest that dreams represent unconscious thoughts and feelings. Science may not have settled the question, but according to a new study, many people favor the Freudian theory. That is, they believe their dreams reveal hidden truths. A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology analyzes previous research that asks people what they think about their dreams.

Before newborns leave the hospital, they should receive a simple, pain-free test to check for signs of congenital heart disease, one of the most common types of birth defects, according to a recommendation by a federal advisory panel. In a report published online Sunday in the journal Pediatrics, the doctors propose nationwide screening for critical congenital heart disease using pulse oximetry, a probe placed on a hand and a foot that uses a light source and sensor to measure oxygen in the blood.

More than 1,000 people in California have been infected with whooping cough this year, and health officials have encouraged the public to get immunizations against the bacterial disease. A new law goes into effect July 1 requiring middle school and high school students to show proof that they have received a whooping cough booster shot, known as Tdap, before the start of the new school year. Authorities on Friday urged parents to make sure their children get the vaccine early in the summer to avoid a rush of vaccinations in August and September.

First a massive earthquake and a devastating tsunami. Now a battle with an out-of-control nuclear reactor facility. How much can one people take? Though there's obviously a limit to what anyone can bear, cultural features of a society can clearly influence psychological resilience, experts say. As the tragedy drags into a second week, they warn that prolonged stress will lead to heightened trauma for many Japanese people and that levels of sadness...

Booster Shots blogged Thursday about Nature's look back at the human genome, published 10 years ago.  Now let's note the journal's look to the future.  Leaders of the National Human Genome Research Institute on Thursday published their strategic plan for the next phase of human genome research. The paper, "Charting a Course for Genomic Medicine From Base Pairs to Bedside," sets up five "domains" for the future of genome research: understanding the structure of genomes, understanding the biology of genomes, understanding the biology of disease, advancing the science of medicine, and improving the effectiveness of healthcare.

Tony and Jimmy, the "Two Guys Lose Weight (or Try To)" writers on Booster Shots, think they can lose 20 pounds or more in just six weeks. If you've been reading their daily blog posts on Booster Shots, you know what they're eating (if they're telling the truth), how many squats they're doing (ditto) and how many pounds they hope to lose. Now it's time to meet them -- electronically speaking. Los Angeles Times writers Tony Pierce and Jimmy Orr have been blogging about their Tootsie Roll-to-carrots lifestyle make-over.

The dramatic surge in whooping cough in California in 2010, in which 10 infants were killed by the bacterium and more people were sickened than in any year since 1947, has scientists looking for answers. Researchers are focusing on a surprising trend: 7- to 10-year-olds are getting the disease at higher levels than doctors would have suspected. Public health experts are concerned that children in that age group may not be protected by the final booster in a series of five shots that begin when they are 2 months old. The last booster is given between the ages of 4 and 6. "The big question for the vaccine is, how long does it protect you for?"

Call her super-talented or super-insane, there's no denying that Lady Gaga has a magnetic effect on young girls, inspiring thousands of young fans to don blond wigs, sheer lace leggings, yellow caution tape and even sunglasses made out of cigarettes. But, the latest Gaga trend — circle lenses, has got not only fashion critics worried, but eye doctors as well. Circle lenses were available before the Gaga explosion, and in fact their popularity originated in Japan, Singapore and South Korea where many young women wear them to accentuate their eyes to resemble Japanese anime characters.

Next fall, seventh-through12th-grade students in California will be required under a new state law to get a whooping cough booster shot before starting school, health officials said this week. Before Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Assembly Bill 354 last week, California had been one of only 11 states that did not require middle school students to get a booster shot against whooping cough, or pertussis. The legislation had been stalled for several years amid concerns that California would have to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for vaccinations for children on Medi-Cal, the government insurance program for the poor.

There are simple ways to rate charities and keep a watch on your wallet when it's tugging at your heart this October. Here's some advice from the American Institute of Philanthropy: No news is bad news: Expect all products and charities to explain whom they donate to and where the money goes. Do not give in to pressure to donate on the spot if the charity can't offer you the information you request. The 60% rule: Any charity that steers less than $60 out of every $100 raised toward its mission is not being careful with your money.