There are new medical alerts every day and Dr. Ian weighs in to help you make sense of them.

Cell phones. Though the media continues to draw a connection between radio frequency waves emitted by cell phones and the growth of brain tumors, Dr. Ian says studies reflect a different story. "The National Cancer Institute has said that there are no conclusive studies that show that cell phones cause brain tumors or contribute to brain tumors," he says. "From a theoretical standpoint, it makes sense because radio frequency waves which are emitted by cell phones can heat up tissues in your body. The question is, can they heat up the tissues in your body enough that it causes a change in the DNA inside of your neurons to cause brain tumors? The answer we have right now is no."

For those concerned about cell phone emissions, there are precautions you can take to reduce your possible exposure. "The bigger phones, in general, have a higher intensity and a greater amount, therefore avoid some of the bigger phones," Dr. Ian explains. "The best of course is the old fashioned ear buds, because with the ear bud there is no radio frequency." For more information, he suggests checking out the Website for The Environmental Work Group (ewg.org), which lists how much various cell phones emit.

Hot dog choking risks. "A new pediatricians' study has come out saying that kids are choking more and more - 10,000 visits to the ER for food choking and 17 percent of those are from hot dogs!" Dr. Ian says, explaining that their shape is the cause. "Always chop it up ... We're not saying don't eat hot dogs; go back to the old school days of teaching kids how to chew."

Using inhalants as drugs. Kids as young as 12 are experimenting with inhaling household products to get high, Dr. Ian says, with studies finding 1.1 million kids between the ages of 12 and 17 trying the practice. "By the time kids reach eighth grade, 20 percent - or 1 out of 5 - have tried inhalants, and it can literally kill you," he warns. "There are over 1,000 household products that have chemical vapors that can be used as inhalants, including shoe polish, aerosol sprays, deodorant and nail polish removers."

So what can parents do to protect their kids? "The first thing is to have the conversation; second thing is as parents you should make sure you are aware of what these products are, and those things that you can keep away from your kids you've got to keep them locked up. There's no reason for a kid to have paint thinner ... you really need to discern between what is readily available and what shouldn't be available, and just pay attention. It's about the relationship with your kids and having honesty and openness with your kids, and covering these bases."

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