We all love our digital devices to help us stay connected, but unfortunately not all screen time is created equal. And too much screen time, can play a negative role in your child’s eye health.

Treehouse Eyes specializes in myopia care just for kids. Learn more about Treehouse Eyes here

The rate of childhood myopia is on the rise, with 1 in 3 children now affected in the U.S. To make matters worse, recent studies show that half the world will be myopic by 2050.

This eye disease, where the eyeball grows too long, is becoming more common in children, showing up at earlier ages and progressing more rapidly. Many factors, including genetics, can contribute to myopia. Researchers believe that reduced outdoor time coupled with an increase in screen time on devices may be part of the problem.

Myopia causes blurry distance vision, making it hard to see images and objects in the distance—from a clock on the wall to the TV across the room. Among other signs, you may notice your child holding a book close to his face, squinting more frequently or complaining of headaches. While glasses and contacts can help a child see clearly, they don’t treat the underlying issue or prevent vision from continuing to worsen.

If left untreated, children with myopia may be at a significantly higher risk for retinal detachment, cataracts, glaucoma and other serious eye-health complications as they grow. But don’t panic if you’ve resorted to screen time more than usual during the pandemic. There’s good news: early intervention is key and it makes a difference!

Head to a nearby Treehouse Eyes location near you for a free consultation!

With the school year winding down and summer on the horizon, now is the perfect time to proactively get your child’s eyes checked at Treehouse Eyes. The first eye care provider dedicated exclusively to treating myopic children, the Treehouse Vision System treatment plan is non-invasive, includes overnight customized lenses, day-time soft lenses and special prescription eye drops—proven to slow or stop the progression of myopia in children.

The leading provider of myopia management treatments for children in the U.S., Treehouse Eyes doctors utilize the latest equipment and clinical training to diagnose myopia and recommend a customized treatment plan for your child. Children treated by Treehouse Eyes doctors using the Treehouse Vision System (the Treehouse Eyes patent-pending protocol) show on average a 78% decrease in the progression of their myopia. Treehouse is also one of the first organizations to adopt ACUVUE® Abiliti™ Overnight Therapeutic Lenses that are specifically designed to match your child's eye based on its unique corneal shape, to temporarily reshape the cornea.*

There are even more benefits to your kiddo’s well-being once they start treatment. Children have reported better focus at school, increased performance in activities and more self-confidence. Now that’s the kind of trifecta parents like to see (pun intended!).

 

Learn how Treehouse Eyes can help your child preserve their best vision now, and reduce their risks for myopia-related eye diseases in the future. Book a free consultation at a location near you!

*ACUVUE® Abiliti™

Reach deep and dust off your second grade genetics unit, because you’re going to want to follow along, here. Identical twins Briana and Brittany, 35, married identical twins Josh and Jeremy Salyers, 37. Each couple has had a baby, and the cousins are so genetically similar that they’re technically brothers.

Verbiage around different types of twins can get particular. “You’ve heard the term Irish twins and you’ve heard identical twins and fraternal twins,” Briana Salyers told TODAY Parents. “But we have quaternary twins.” Don’t bother looking it up in Wikipedia. It’s not in there.

Jett, who turned 1 in January, and Jax, who will turn 1 in April are cousins, but they’re also genetic brothers. “They were born to identical twin parents less than nine months apart,” Brittany Salyers explained. And since identical twins share the same DNA, the parents of both Jett and Jax—who are different—each have the same DNA as one another.

Not surprisingly, the sisters had hoped for overlapping pregnancies. “We thought it would be really cool,” Briana said. “There’s only 300 quaternary marriages known in the history of the world.” And naturally, you can follow along on this genetic journey via the couples’ joint Instagram page

The couples married in a joint ceremony at the 2018 Twins Days Festival in Twinsburg, Ohio, after meeting their respective spouses at the Twins Days Festival the year before. TLC recognized a good thing when they saw it and captured their joint weddings on camera. Both families live under one roof in Virginia and run a wedding venue site together.

“It was something we all four wanted and when we got engaged, we all wanted it that way,” Brittany told TODAY. “(Josh and Jeremy) understand the twin bond like we do. We get to have a lot of together time.”

“We try to ignore sociopathic stalker comments and just focus on the positive,” Brittany said of the sometimes critical commentary that pops up on their social media feed. “Some people think we are really strange and others think it’s really amazing.”

And like most young parents, “We are debating if we should go for one more pregnancy each or not,” Briana said. “We will make a decision pretty soon. The babies are still pretty young (and) we are trying to wait a little longer to see what to do.” Which means that they’re still up to their eyeballs in diapers and bottles, so tap the breaks, y’all. These four need a little space.

—Shelley Massey

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No one can deny that pregnancy is an exciting time, but it can come with a lot of emotional stressors too. Growing a life isn’t easy!

Now pregnant moms can take one thing off their list of worries thanks to a new study published in BMC Magazine. In a nutshell, the study reveals that a woman’s higher weight while pregnant does not mean their child will not have a higher BMI in their own lifetime.

On the contrary, children studied with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 25 or higher were found to be of that weight more so due to environmental factors and not related to their mother’s weight while pregnant.

To perform the study, researchers used data from “Children of the 90s” and “Born in Bradford” UK long-term studies. They analyzed the BMI at various intervals from birth to 15 years old and while there was a tiny link between a newborn’s weight and mom’s BMI at birth, by the time kids were in their teens researchers found any weight factors were more likely influenced from lifestyle and genetics.

So what’s the secret to raising healthy kids? Mostly what we parents already know: lots of healthy food, keeping kids active, and making sure we prioritize body acceptance.

––Karly Wood

Feature photo: Stocksnap via Pixabay

 

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Did you know that more than 40 percent of Americans have myopia (also known as nearsightedness)1? This vision problem can develop and worsen over time as a child grows and can even be influenced by factors such as genetics2, increased screen time, and less time playing outdoors3. CooperVision’s Brilliant Futures™ Myopia Management Program with MiSight® 1 day contact lenses are the first and only soft contact lenses FDA approved* to slow the progression of myopia in children age 8-12 at initiation of treatment.†4 To find out if MiSight® 1 day contact lenses are a fit for your child, talk to your Eye Care Practitioner (ECP) and learn more about myopia management at coopervision.com/myopia-management!

 

*Indications and Important Safety Information. Rx only. Results may vary.

ATTENTION: Reference the Patient Information Booklet for a complete listing of Indications and Important Safety Information. Indication: MiSight® 1 day (omafilcon A) soft (hydrophilic) contact lenses for daily wear are indicated for the correction of myopic ametropia and for slowing the progression of myopia in children with non-diseased eyes, who at the initiation of treatment are 8-12 years of age and have a refraction of -0.75 to -4.00 diopters(spherical equivalent) with ≤ 0.75 diopters of astigmatism. The lens is to be discarded after each removal. Warnings: Problems with contact lenses could result in serious injury to the eye. Do not expose contact lenses to water while wearing them. Under certain circumstances MiSight® lenses optical design can cause reduced image contrast/ghosting/halo/glare in some patients that may cause difficulties with certain visually-demanding tasks. Precautions: Daily wear single use only. Patient should always dispose when lenses are removed. No overnight wear. Patients should exercise extra care if performing potentially hazardous activities. Adverse events: Including but not limited to infection/inflammation/ulceration/abrasion of the cornea, other parts of the eye or eyelids. Some of these adverse reactions can cause permanent or temporary loss of vision. If you notice any of the stated in your child, immediately have your child remove the lenses and contact your eye care professional. †Compared to a single vision 1 day lens over a 3 year period.

References:
1.Holden BA, et al. Global Prevalence of Myopia and High Myopia and Temporal Trends from 2000 through 2050. Ophthalmology. 2016;123(5):1036-42.
2.Mutti DO, Mitchell GL, Moeschberger ML, Jones LA, Zadnik K. Parental myopia, near work, school achievement, and children’s refractive error. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2002;43(12):3633-3640. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2020.0412
3.Huang HM, Chang DS, Wu PC. The Association between Near Work Activities and Myopia in Children-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. PLoS One. 2015;10(10):e0140419. Published 2015 Oct 20. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0140419
4.Chamberlain P, et al. A 3-year randomized clinical trial of MiSight® lenses for myopia control. Optom Vis Sci. 2019; 96(8):556-567.

Your mother may have had four girls and no boys, but does that mean you are destined to only have daughters? A recent study says no. Researchers have found that whether a family is strictly made up of boys or girls or has an equal mix is simply a matter of chance.

sisters

“If you have a lot of boys in your family, or a lot of girls, it’s just a lucky coincidence,” said Dr Brendan Zietsch, co-author of the research from the University of Queensland.

These new finding debunk the long held theory that the sex ratio of siblings is not random, rather it is based on genetics.

“In some other animals, such as wasps, sex ratio is clearly not random, and scientists thought human offspring sex ratio may be subject to similar evolutionary forces,” said Zietsch. But, he added, the idea had problems. “Most theories were about the type of sperm men make, but no one had a good idea of a biological mechanism that would create tendencies for having more boys or girls,” he said.

An international team of researchers reported in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, how they looked into records for all people born in Sweden in 1932 or later and had at least one child before 2014. The study included more than 6.7 million individuals.

The team then carried out an analysis to explore whether first cousins tended to be of the same sex. The findings revealed that there was no link, even when researchers only based their evidence on firstborn children. 

“Siblings are genetically similar. Therefore, if offspring sex ratio is heritable – ie influenced by genetic differences– siblings should have similar offspring sex ratios,” said Zietsch.

The team found that within a family unit, families with only two children tended to have a boy and a girl. This split occurred more often than could be attributed to chance. Families who had more than two children did tend to have more of one sex than the other. 

The researchers deduced that this occurred due to the parents choosing to add onto their families in an attempt to achieve the balance they desired by continuing  to have children until they reached their goal. 

The team says that the sex ratio of offspring is completly random and not inheritable. 

“To be honest it is a bit surprising,” said Ralf Kuja-Halkola, a co-author of the research from the Karolinksa Institute in Sweden, noting that almost all other complex traits in humans show some degree of heritability.

The researchers found that the findings overturn a number of theories. Fisher’s principle, suggests the approximately 1:1 sex ratio in a population is maintained by an equilibrium effect operating through natural selection. If the sex ratio skews one way, children of individuals with a predisposition to have offspring of the rarer sex will be more in demand, and hence have more children themselves, such that the imbalance becomes redressed.

Kuja-Halkola recognizes there may be environmental factors that influence whether an individual will tend to have offspring of one sex, but feels it is improbable based on links to other inheritable traits. 

Although not involved in the research, Professor Stuart West of the University of Oxford, said, “It is interesting that offspring and parent sex ratio don’t correlate, but that could be because nothing is going on with the sex ratio – as the [authors] suggest– or because something is going on, such as sex ratio being adjusted in response to any of the things not measured.”

Professor Ben Sheldon, also of the University of Oxford, was not involved in the study but welcomed the results. He said, “The authors show here that there is really no hint of heritable variation in the sex ratio in their dataset, and this seems a really robust finding.  We know that there is very good evidence for heritable variation in the sex ratio in some animals – though these are typically living in quite different situations from humans.”

—Jennifer Swartvagher

Featured photo: Juliane Liebermann on Unsplash

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The second a sibling arrives home, the family dynamics are forever changed. How these developing humans get along with each other significantly depends on several factors including genetics, the environment they are raised in, role modeling of parents, and the general likes and dislikes of the siblings.

Think of your family as a team. Each individual plays a unique and vital role in maintaining the family dynamics. Having siblings that get along with one another vastly improves the health of the family unit. On the other hand, siblings who bicker and fight constantly add additional and unnecessary stress to family dynamics.  

Building strong sibling relationships among your children not only brings peace of mind to parents, but it also yields adults who understand how to compromise and work as a team with almost anyone.

That being said, even the most proactive parents who work feverishly to create a nurturing environment for their children sometimes have kids who just don’t like each other. That’s life. Nevertheless, parents can provide their children with opportunities to learn and practice positive life skills such as being able to demonstrate respect for someone with a different point of view.  

So how can you be proactive in building team spirit between siblings?  

1. Even If You Do Have a Favorite, Do Not Be Obvious: It’s inevitable, sometimes a parent is lucky enough to have a child who (to them) feels easy and fun and who they connect with more often. It’s wonderful when that happens! Just make sure you are aware of any unconscious or conscious favoritism.  Kids can smell preferential treatment from a mile away. If you want siblings to be tight, don’t wedge yourself in between them with favoritism.  

2. Don’t Compare Apples to Oranges: Such an easy concept to grasp, but not so easy to implement. Even if your children share many similarities, don’t compare them. This will ultimately lead to unnecessary competition. Siblings need to know that home is a safe place where they can develop at their own pace without sibling comparisons.  

3. Facilitate Shared Experiences: When people who don’t usually get along are put into a situation where they share a common enemy, they are usually able to put their differences aside and work together to defeat this shared foe. Instead of sharing an enemy, offer your kids a shared positive experience (*Note: Sometimes during the teenage years siblings unite against their parents in order to be able to successfully break and push family rules). Ask your children to participate in an activity such as volunteering at an animal shelter together or offering to teach classes at their local recreation center.

For younger siblings, help them make cookies to give to neighbors or make a meal for a family in need. Remember, your main goal is to offer a shared experience they can talk about and relate to with one another. This provides a space outside of the home where the siblings may want or need to lean on each other for support without parental intervention. These types of activities also build the bond between siblings and tend to decrease bickering and fighting.

4. Model Respectful Behavior at Home: This one seems simple but it’s not easy to implement 24/7. Why? Because we are all human and fallible. However, we can’t use this as an excuse to not try our best, especially with family members. When you and your significant another start to argue be mindful of who’s around and possibly table that conversation (if possible) for another time if you think you may lose your temper. If you both are in control I encourage you to model for your children how to have a civil discussion wherein the parents remain calm and in control and model compromise and respect.  

5. Don’t Vent about Your Kids in Front of Siblings: Every parent needs to vent their frustrations once in a while, I get that. But try to do it out of earshot of the kids. You may think your words don’t have an impact on your son because you are speaking in front of your daughter. Wrong. Your daughter will hear how you talk about her brother and she may even take on some of your feelings toward him (i.e. She gets mad when he leaves dirty clothes on his bedroom floor because it makes you mad. This issue shouldn’t even concern her yet she’s taken on your feelings about it.)

6. Tell Them You Love Them Every Single Day: Children thrive in environments where they feel safe and loved. This “dugout” within the world provides them the space to build their confidence to explore their world, their emotions, their inner demons in a loving and supportive environment. Children need space to practice things like manners. They need to learn how to accept responsibility for their actions and apologize when they mess up without fear of retaliation or punishment. Making your children feel loved is one of the greatest gifts of emotional support. 

Sometimes all a family’s team players fit nicely into their specific role in the family. Other times family members have to work harder to build those strong bonds. Regardless of whether it’s easy or difficult, promoting positive relationships between siblings is important to the health of the family unit but also society as a whole.

This post originally appeared on mom.com.

I am a 42-year-old biological mother of two young children in a same-sex relationship, a clinical psychologist with a specialty in neuropsychological assessment, a music therapist, a trainer of therapy dogs and ex-communicated Mormon from Indiana with a wicked sense of humor. 

A new study recently published in Brain, A Journal of Neurology, may have found a genetic link to left-handedness.

Not only did these researchers, from the University of Oxford, find a possible genetic link to handedness, but they may have also uncovered a connection between left-handers and increased verbal skills.

photo: mentatdgt via Pexels

The study included DNA data from 400,000 people from the UK Biobank, 38,332 of which were lefties. After analyzing brain imaging from 10,000 of the people studied, the researchers found a possible connection between genetics, handedness and language abilities.

Even though the study revealed a potential connection, Gwenaëlle Douaud, joint senior author of the study and a fellow at Oxford’s Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, told CNN, “We need to assess whether this higher coordination of the language areas between left and right side of the brain in the left-handers actually gives them an advantage at verbal ability. For this, we need to do a study that also has in-depth and detailed verbal-ability testing.”

Before you start wishing you were a leftie, the study also found some not-so-great news. The genes responsible for left-handedness are also implicated in the development of Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia. This possible connection doesn’t necessarily mean all lefties will develop these diseases. The researchers note that this is a correlation, and not causation at work.

Dominic Furniss, joint senior author alongside Douaud and a fellow at Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology, and Musculoskeletal Science, said in an interview with CNN, “It has long been known that there are slightly more left-handers amongst patients with schizophrenia than the general population. By contrast, there are slightly less left-handers with Parkinson’s disease than the general population.”

—Erica Loop

 

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As much as we might try to plan our families, as Bob Ross would say, sometimes a “happy little accident” can happen. If a happy accident has happened to you or someone you know, human error isn’t necessarily at fault. New research published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology may have found a reason for why birth control fails for some women.

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus studied 350 women who had had a contraceptive implant in place for 12 to 36 months. Five percent of the participants had a gene called CYP3A7*1C—and it’s that gene that put women at greater risk for hormonal birth control failure, according to the researchers.

photo: ecooper99 via Flickr

So what does a gene have to do with unintended pregnancy? The CYP3A7*1C is typically only active in fetuses. After birth the gene switches off—or at least it should. If the gene, which manufacturers the CYP3A7 enzyme, continues to work after birth, it can contribute to the breakdown of the hormones used in some birth control methods.

So what does this mean for you? In theory, if you have the gene in question, your hormonal birth control could fail. But unless you have a full genetic workup, it’s not likely you’ll ever know you have an active CYP3A7*1C. The research is a starting step towards a better understanding of the influence our genes have on what we put into our bodies.

According to the study’s lead author, Aaron Lazorwitz, MD, assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, “When a woman says she got pregnant while on birth control the assumption was always that it was somehow her fault. But these findings show that we should listen to our patients and consider if there is something in their genes that caused this.”

—Erica Loop

 

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If you’re wondering whether your baby will grow up to be right- or left-handed, the answer could be in the way infants are fed. New research has linked hand preference to whether or not babies are breastfed or bottle-fed.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Washington, found that bottle-fed babies are more likely to be left-handed. The study looked at data from about 60,000 infant and mom pairs and found that left-handedness was lower among breastfed babies than bottle-fed babies.

Photo: Nelly Aran via Pexels

“We think breastfeeding optimizes the process the brain undergoes when solidifying handedness,” said Philippe Hujoel, the study’s author, a professor at the UW’s School of Dentistry and adjunct professor of epidemiology at the School of Public Health. “That’s important because it provides an independent line of evidence that breastfeeding may need to last six to nine months.”

It’s important to note that the study does not show that breastfeeding leads to right-handedness, only that breastfeeding might optimize a process called brain lateralization, which determines when the region of the brain that controls handedness localizes to one side of the brain. Hand preference is set early in fetal life and is at least partially determined by genetics, Hujoel explained.

—Shahrzad Warkentin

 

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Kevin Hart’s wife, Eniko Parrish, recently shared an Instagram video that shows off her awesomely amazing pregnancy transformation. The new mama worked out during her pregnancy, and it shows. Through the magic of time-lapse, Eniko shows how her belly grew from a barely there bump to pretty and preggo. Check out this beautiful belly bump clip and you’ll see why it’s so very special!

The new mommy just (seriously, just) gave birth to her first son. After having baby Kenzo on Nov. 21, Parrish jumped right back in to her exercise routine. And you can see it all on her IG time-lapse post.

Okay, maybe not all. There are probably hours of sweating that went into her pre-and post-baby body. But the clip does detail how her bump grew, as she does squats. Eniko squats away in the same place as we watch her bump build and build. And then comes the grand finale — her adorable baby boy!

It might only be a few weeks after giving birth, but the video of Eniko squatting with her newborn in her arms shows just how hard the mama worked. Sure, she might have some pretty amazing genetics backing her up. But if the video is any indication, the new mom certainly worked to get her post-preggo bod.

What did your pregnancy workout routine look like? Tell us in the comments below.