Your health

Mushroom season

You're bound to see some wild mushrooms on a fall color walk at your nearby forest preserve, and you might have a few in your yard, too. Consider them all potentially deadly.

Most of the mushrooms that pop up in Illinois "are minimally to moderately toxic, but in rare cases they can be very poisonous," said Dr. Michael Wall, managing medical director of the Illinois Poison Center, which handled several cases of mushroom poisoning last month.

Some mushrooms, such as the false morel, may cause vomiting, stomach cramps and bloody diarrhea. More serious symptoms include seizures and coma. Several mushroom types contain amitoxin, a potent liver poison that may not cause symptoms for hours, but can be fatal.

Prompt treatment is critical. If someone you know eats a wild mushroom, call the Illinois Poison Center immediately at (800) 222-1222. To help identify the mushroom:

• Save what's left of the mushroom and dig up a few additional ones, complete with the underground parts.

• If there's more than one kind of mushroom in the area, collect all the different types. Note whether the mushroom was growing on wood, soil or other material, and alone or in clusters.

• Take a digital photo of the mushroom.

Chemical coating

Baby bottles made the headlines, but the worrisome chemical bisphenol A is also found in the substance that coats the inner surfaces of metal cans, U.S. News & World Reports writes. BPA is linked to heart disease and diabetes.

Babies are the most vulnerable to exposure because of their tiny, developing bodies. For the rest of us, the FDA says exposure levels to BPA from food packaging are "below those that may cause health effects."

Finding a good alternative coating - especially for acidic foods, like tomatoes - won't be easy, experts say. Eden Foods has begun using a plant-based liner for its canned beans.

Heart risk

Should all children have an EKG before starting on stimulant medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder? Leading medical organizations disagree, the Harvard Mental Health Letter reports.

The American Heart Association issued a statement saying it's reasonable - but not mandatory - for doctors to order a routine electrocardiogram before a child starts treatment for ADHD. Stimulant medications raise blood pressure and heart rate.

But the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against routine EKGs (as does the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) because sudden cardiac deaths in children are so rare - about two children in every 1 million taking ADHD medications, which is actually fewer than the eight to 62 sudden deaths per million in the general pediatric population.

Ask your doctor to assess your child's heart risk based on a physical exam and medical history, the Harvard experts recommend.