HEALTH: TRACKING TRIGGERS
How well are you warding off the wheezing? In a study published last week, University of Michigan researchers found that half the steps parents take to prevent a child's asthma attacks are ineffective or unproved. That's because asthma is provoked by a variety of triggers, each of which calls for a specific intervention. Special bedding makes sense if your child is allergic to dust mites, but not if the problem is plant pollen. Shut the windows instead.
Asthma triggers fall into four main categories: irritants (tobacco smoke, cleaners), allergens (pollen, dust mites, pet dander), viral infections and strenuous exercise. Start by identifying your child's trigger, says Michigan's Dr. Michael Cabana, then take effective action. If the trigger is cigarettes, quit smoking. (Do it for yourself, too.) If it's a cold, keep everybody's hands washed. For more tips, see the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (aafa.org).
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Claudia Kalb, who writes health and medical stories for the magazine, was named senior writer in December 2004. Kalb has reported on a wide range of medical and scientific issues, including stem cells, autism, reproductive medicine, HIV/AIDS and childhood obesity. Her cover stories for the magazine include “Kids and the Growing Food Allergy Threat” (October 2007); “Girl or Boy? Now You can Choose. But Should You?” (January 2004), which won a Front Page Award from the Newswomen’s Club of New York; and “SARS: What You Need to Know, The New Age of Epidemics” (May 2003). Kalb’s story “Battling a Black Epidemic” was featured in Newsweek’s special report, “AIDS at 25” (May 2006), which was a National Magazine Award finalist in 2007.
Kalb had been a general editor in New York since 1999 and a correspondent in the Boston bureau since 1996, where she covered medicine, politics, education, and family and social issues.
Prior to joining Newsweek in 1994, Kalb worked as a researcher and reporter at the Freedom Forum Media Studies Center in New York, where she researched books, including Dictatorship of Virtue by then New York Times writer Richard Bernstein and Den of Lions by former Lebanon hostage Terry Anderson.
Kalb was awarded a Casey fellowship at the Casey Journalism Center for Children and Families (June 1998), a Knight mini-fellowship at the Knight Science Journalism Fellowships at MIT (December 1999) and a John S. Knight Fellowship at Stanford University for the academic year 2001-2002.
Kalb received her B.A. and graduated magna cum laude from Amherst College before earning her Master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University. She works in Newsweek’s Washington bureau.
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