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The loudest controversy over soy has to do with naturally-occurring phytoestrogens, chemicals that resemble the female sex steroid estrogen. Parents often ask me: "If I give my son soy products, will he develop breasts?"

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Proponents say milk helps growth, strengthens bones, even reduces obesity. Critics blame milk for a slew of health problems--from congestion to constipation--and worry about drugs given to dairy cows. Which is it: Does milk do a body good?

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Each time cell phones are rumored to cause cancer, we are reassured they are safe. Now we rely on our phones more than ever, but there is mounting evidence they really may be dangerous after all. What’s the truth about cell phones and brain cancer?

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Women (nail polish, perfume, hair products), men (cologne, sunscreen) and children (bubble bath, diaper cream) all use cosmetics. But they don’t just go on us — they can be absorbed through our skin. What do cosmetics do once they are inside our body?

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Vaccines are medicines given to seemingly healthy children. Because of this, people question their necessity, their preservatives, their dosing schedule, and their sheer number. What is the bottom line on vaccines: are they safe or dangerous?

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From the blog

Innocent Until Proven Guilty Shouldn’t Apply to the Cell Phone Brain Cancer Debate

If you don’t want to have to read all the way to the end of this article to get to the punch line, here it is: No one is certain what cell phones do to our brains when we endlessly rest them against our heads. At best, it’s nothing. At worst, it’s insidious damage that will translate into an enormous spike in brain cancers down the road. If these are our two choices—status quo versus debilitating and ultimately fatal disease—why are we even talking about this anymore? It’s time to move phones away from our heads.

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From the web

Resource of the month

The Resource of the Month brings you an invaluable web site you might not have otherwise known about. To get to this month's spotlighted site, click here: Food, Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network

Finding information on the Internet isn't difficult. But finding valid, clear and helpful information can be nearly impossible. There are lots of great sites with good medical or scientific information written for a non-doctor or non-scientist. To see the best of these, click here.

The book

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There is little doubt that children today face unprecedented dangers. With conflicting reports in the media and rumors on the playground, parents simply lack the information needed to separate fact from the hype, and as a result, their fears are at a fever pitch.

So what do parents actually need to worry about? In Dangerous or Safe? pediatrician and mom Dr. Cara Natterson uses her medical expertise, the latest scientific research and her own perspective as a mom of two to provide parents with definitive answers.

Tackling twenty-five hot-button issues, Dr. Natterson outlines why each subject is rumored to pose a threat, explains what experts have said about it, and presents her very own "Bottom Line" so parents can make an informed decision on each topic. An indispensable resource, this relatable guide gives moms and dads clear instructions on what to avoid, and which so-called poisons are completely safe.

"A clear, succinct, scientific explanation of what is safe and what is not safe for your child. Every parent, and every child, could benefit from it." — Deepak Chopra, author of Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul