Girls Hitting Puberty Earlier, But Why?

Children's Health: Girls are hitting puberty earlier than ever, Liz Szabo reports for USA Today, and doctors aren't sure why.

Free Clinic: Remote Area Medical brought its mass clinic to Oakland on Saturday, with more than 150 dentists, doctors, nurses and other health professionals serving some 800 people who had waited overnight for medical and dental treatment, Victoria Colliver reports for the San Francisco Chronicle.  

Environmental Health: A study of mice exposed to freeway pollution suggests a link between that pollution and brain damage, Susanne Rust reports for California Watch.

Health Disparities: In a new report, the federal government is recommending specific strategies to reduce health disparities for minorities living in the United States, the Associated Press reports. Among the proposals: hire trusted community members as local health educators and increase minority children's access to dental care.

Nutrition: Boston's mayor says he's banning sugary soft drinks and sugar-added juices from city-owned vending machines and events, following a similar 2004 ban on sugared drinks and junk food in city schools. Might other cities follow suit?

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Photo credit: Scott Swigart via Flickr