Re: Infant flat skulls can be avoided: U.S. doctors

"Roger Schlafly" <rogersc@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:WzrOa.2846$e01.1033133236@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> "JG" <jg030103@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote
> > > It seems obvious, but a lot of people have trouble distingui****ng
> > > the good pediatrician advice from the ungrounded goofy opinions.
> > Apparently:  "Up to 48 percent of infants develop the deformity." 
This
> > certainly doesn't bode well for our country's future, does it?
>
> My kid always slept face down. She slept much better that way.
> The Back to Sleep campaign never made much sense to me, as
> they didn't even seem to look at problems like misshapen heades.
>

I don't know who they are, but the American Academy of Pediatrics seems to
take the problem seriously (Pediatrics is one of the journals published by
the Academy):

Pediatrics. 2003 Jul;112(1 Pt 1):199-202.  Related Articles, Links


Prevention and management of positional skull deformities in infants.

Persing J, James H, Swanson J, Kattwinkel J; American Academy of
Pediatrics
Committee on Practice and Ambulatory Medicine, Section on Plastic Surgery
and Section on Neurological Surgery.

Cranial asymmetry may be present at birth or may develop during the first
few months of life. Over the past several years, pediatricians have seen
an
increase in the number of children with cranial asymmetry, particularly
unilateral flattening of the occiput. This increase likely is attributable
to parents following the American Academy of Pediatrics "Back to Sleep"
positioning recommendations aimed at decreasing the risk of sudden infant
death syndrome. Although associated with some risk of deformational
plagiocephaly, healthy young infants should be placed down for sleep on
their backs. This practice has been associated with a dramatic decrease in
the incidence of sudden infant death syndrome. Pediatricians need to be
able
to properly diagnose skull deformities, educate parents on methods to
proactively decrease the likelihood of the development of occipital
flattening, initiate appropriate management, and make referrals when
necessary. This re****t provides guidelines for the prevention, diagnosis,
and management of positional skull deformity in an otherwise normal infant
without evidence of associated anomalies, syndromes, or spinal disease.

PMID: 12837890 [PubMed - in process]

It seems Roger is making things up. Again.

All the best,

Jeff