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• Top Ten Fittest Cities for Kids

  I knew there was a reason that I'm being drawn slowly and inexorably toward the Pacific Northwest: not only is it beautiful but it;s a great place to raise fit, healthy kids. That is, if you believe Mens Health magazine, and why wouldn't you? Looking at a number of statistics, Men's Health rated a bunch of U.S. cities and Seattle came out on top. Yay Seattle! Here's the rest of the top ten: Read More... Posted Oct 04 2007, 06:34 PM by Karen Murphy with | with 5 comment(s) Filed under: Seattle, men's health, fit kids, fattest cities, fittest cities

• Are You Raising Another Man's Child?

  It took a court-ordered DNA test to prove that Larry Birkhead, not Howard K. Stern was the father of Anna Nicole Smith's baby. While Stern might have suspected he wasn't the father, most men never have to prove it. In an interesting take, the latest issue of Men's Health discusses whether it should be compulsory to do the testing and confirm that you are the daddy before you get invested in the child. The article discusses many examples of real life men who have been the victims of what is now being called "paternity fraud" and "paternal discrepancy." Paternity fraud emphasizes the financial aspect of the phenomenon, but paternal discrepancy (PD) describes the anomaly itself--the disconnect between what men think is true and the genetic reality. And research shows that it's a lot more common than we might believe. According to genetic research, 3.7 percent of men are raising children that they believe to be their own...but are not! There are those who believe that biology shouldn't make a difference.  However, there are a plethora of medical and ethical issues that the issue raises. Besides, ultimately shouldn't a man know if he is raising his own child? Interestingly, in a 1992 study in the Journal of Genetic Counseling, nearly 100 percent of 199 counselors felt that the confidentiality of the mother outweighed the presumed father's right to know. These results are all the more dismaying in light of a separate survey showing that 75 percent of patients (mostly women) felt that doctors should tell the dad. The article is very enlightening and takes a very thorough approach to an aspect of parenting not frequently discussed.  Check it out.    Posted Apr 14 2007, 07:03 PM by MetroDad with | with no comments Filed under: howard k. stern, larry birkhead, men's health, Paternity Fraud, Paternal Discrepancy

• Hey Dads! Your Kids' Toys are Making You Fat!

  Finally, something worthwhile to blame that ten-pound spare tire on that you've been carrying around for the last six months (and your wife said it was all those cookies, pffffftt!).  Oh, and you can quit bathing, too.  Because those toys you keep stepping on?  And the soap?  Is what's been making you fat.  Finally, a study that makes perfect sense!  We already have heard that many plastic toys contain phthalates, the plastic additive that is used to make PVC plastic more pliable and that we already know is toxic to babies.  But now they're saying that there is a link to phthalates and low testosterone levels (now that'll get someone's attention!) and poor sperm quality.  Your boys have been swimming in a toxic chemical soup, my friend!  And low testosterone is thought to have an impact on belly fat and pre-diabetic conditions (another reason to lay off the cookies). Since phthalates are found, like, everywhere (in cosmetics, shampoos, soaps, lotions, lubricants, paint, pesticides, and plastics, and even in the coating of timed-release medications!), practically 75% of the populationhas measurable levels of several phthalates in their urine. (Though no one tested me; did they test you?)  DuPont Chemical's slogan used to be "Better Living Through Chemistry".  Maybe it's time to rethink that one. Posted Mar 17 2007, 08:15 AM by Karen Murphy with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: fat, phthalates, chemicals, testosterone levels, men's health