Nicole Longaro felt like she was at the pediatrician every other day when her now 3-year-old daughter, Alyssa, first started day care. Alyssa was 4 months old, and Longaro had to return to her job as a human resources manager for a large commercial bank."She literally had at least four ear infections in the first year she went to day care," she says. And now, her second daughter, Kylie, is following suit. "She has already been on a nebulizer once and she isn't even 6 months old.""My pediatrician said, 'Your friends whose kids don't go to day care think their kids are so healthy, but they will be here all the time the second they start school and I will be seeing less of you and your girls,'" Longaro says.A large new study in December issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine suggests her pediatrician is right. [Read the full article]

Winter fun is beckoning, but keeping kids healthy, warm, and entertained can be trickier than putting snow boots on a squirrel. Little guys will head straight into a blizzard in their underwear if they can; big ones may need the Wiimote pried away. Here's how to make sure everyone gets out there and has a great time, safely.Windy days can feel much colder than the actual temperature. When deciding how long kids (and adults!) can play outdoors safely, the windchill factor is most important. Keep this chart handy:Kids can usually play outside comfortably when it's 30°F and higher -- just layer their clothing and make sure they wear hats and mittens. Offer water often (it helps regulate body temperature), and watch for signs that they're getting chilled. If they're shivering, bring them inside even if they insist they're fine. Feel babies' hands and (if possible) feet regularly to see if they're turning icy; also watch for unexplained fussiness. [Read the full article]

When the limits of modern medicine are reached, it's a heavy consideration for terminally ill patients. For some, making the conscious decision to end treatment is tantamount to giving up or giving in. They worry about disappointing the people who care about them.But one end-of-life expert sees it differently, noting that a growing number of patients are choosing hospice, so they can be made comfortable in familiar surroundings with family and friends close by."People in hospice don't want to die. They want to live, and they want to live well," said Dr. David Casarett, associate professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. "They want to use whatever time they have to live the best way they can. I don't think it's giving up. It's making a careful choice."Hospice care relieves pain and addresses social, psychological and spiritual needs of terminally ill patients. [Read the full article]

A French doctor's report suggests that the strain of cholera ravaging Haiti may have originated with U.N. peacekeepers from Nepal, but U.N. officials and others cautioned that the report was inconclusive.The report by French epidemiologist Dr. Renaud Piarroux rules out a number of potential causes and points to the Nepalese soldiers as the most probable, said Vincenzo Pugliese, spokesman for the U.N. mission in Haiti, but it fails to deliver definitive proof."We have not dismissed the report but we have not accepted it completely," he said. "We remain open to investigating this and we will get to the bottom of it."The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Dr. Eric Mintz said research seeking the origin of the deadly outbreak -- the death toll has now topped 2,000 since the first case was reported in mid-October -- is being undertaken around the world. [Read the full article]