Harvard Health Content API

Recess is just as important as class time for kids, says the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). And the AAP says that children are not getting enough recess. The professional group issued a policy statement in the journal Pediatrics. It recommended against using recess time for academics. It also did not recommend taking away recess time as punishment. Recess is important for physical activity. It’s also a time when children can choose their own activities, learn to communicate better and have fun. The AAP said that structured recess has some advantages. In structured recess, children are involved in organized activities. But this does not allow for free choice or relaxation time. ABC News wrote about the statement December 31.

If you use your phone to send and receive text messages, you’ve seen your share of gibberish, often due to the auto correct feature. It can turn “Meet you at the theater around noon” into “Newt you anyone heater around Jon.” Doctors in Boston have found what they believe to be the first instance where an odd text message was used to help diagnose a stroke. A man received a garbled message from his wife. But this wasn’t just a line or two. This was a whole conversation that didn’t make sense. He was alarmed enough to get her to an emergency room where she was diagnosed with a stroke. ABC News wrote about the incident, which was reported online in this week’s Archives of Neurology.

Marijuana is legal in two U.S. states, so it must be safe, right? That may be the message teens are hearing. A survey from the National Institute on Drug Abuse finds the use of pot is up among high school students while the perceived risk of smoking it is down. Researchers worry this could lead to a greater increase in its use in the future. Meanwhile, a Dutch study says marijuana use may be linked to psychotic symptoms later in life. Reuters Health wrote about the study and medwireNews covered the survey.

For my final news review of 2012, here are my “game-changers” of the year. I call them game-changers because the health news impacted how I treat my patients.

Doctors are urging overweight or obese women to gain less weight during pregnancy. The new guidelines come from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. These are the doctors who take care of most pregnant women. The guidelines say that overweight women should gain 15 to 25 pounds during the last 2 trimesters of pregnancy. Obese women should gain no more than 11 to 20 pounds. For women of normal weight, the doctors recommend a gain of 25 to 35 pounds. This should increase to 28 to 40 pounds for underweight women. The advice on weight gain is intended to lower risk to both the woman and the baby. Gaining too much weight during pregnancy can lead to gestational diabetes. This form of the disease disappears after childbirth. However, it increases the woman’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes later. Excess weight also can increase the risk of cesarean section.