To Your Health

New Techniques for Calming Newborns
Unsure what to do when your newborn cries? According to research, all newborns are born with a "calming reflex"—an off-switch for baby's crying—which can be triggered by duplicating the feelings and sounds of the womb. Lehigh Valley Hospital's new class “Happiest Baby on the Block” teaches you how to do this, using techniques developed by UCLA pediatrician Harvey Karp, M.D. His systematic approach (called the "Five S's") includes such techniques as swaddling, shushing and swinging.

Folic Acid Alert
Disturbing new research finds that levels of folate—a B vitamin that prevents birth defects—are dropping in young women. The reason may be low-carb diets, which deprive you of vitamin-fortified cereals and breads, or the popularity of whole-grain breads (which have less folate than breads made with enriched flour). The problem also may relate to higher levels of obesity; overweight people metabolize folate differently.

The government recommends 400 micrograms daily of folic acid, a form of folate. It’s in many vitamin supplements, yet only one-third of women of child-bearing age take such supplements. Make sure you’re getting the folic acid you need!

More for You Online!
New features at www.lvh.org make it easier to get health information and care for yourself and your family. You can:

• Get Healthy You ideas in your e-mail. Sign up for the Healthy You tip of the week online, and every Friday you’ll receive great ideas about losing weight, eating right, parenting, coping with illness, aging well and more. Click here for more.
• Sign up for health improvement classes. View all our classes, check how many spots are left, register and pay online. If you have questions, you can request that an operator from 610-402-CARE call you. Click here for Classes & Events.

A New Weight-Loss Option
Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (known as LAP-BAND® surgery) is now available at Lehigh Valley Hospital. Surgeon Richard Boorse, M.D., places an adjustable silicone band around the top of the stomach, reducing the amount of food a patient eats. It is a potentially reversible procedure that is safer than gastric bypass surgery. This procedure is only for severely obese people who have failed attempts at nonsurgical weight loss. For more information, call 610-402-CARE.

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