Monthly Archives: February 2012

Diet & Nutrition

Sulfite influence on children

2012/02/29 – 3:26 AM

If you have a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, more commonly known as ADHD, you might be willing to try just about anything to improve his behavior. This common but complex disorder causes difficulty staying focused on tasks, difficulty controlling behavior and hyperactivity. Many factors may contribute to ADHD, including genetics, prenatal influences such as maternal cigarette smoking or alcohol use, and environmental effects such as lead exposure. Some practitioners believe that food additives worsen behavior in children with ADHD, but studies have not provided conclusive proof. Ask your pediatrician whether eliminating sulfites might help your child’s behavior.

Sulfites, a type of food preservative, have known negative effects on health. About one in 100 people has a sulfite allergy, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Sulfite allergy can cause symptoms ranging from asthma to a serious allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis. Because of the frequency of sulfite sensitivity, foods containing more than 10 parts per million of sulfite, the lowest amount detectable in foods, must list sulfites on their label, according to
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Living Well

The arrival of children is a momentous event for parents, but also for grandparents

2012/02/29 – 3:21 AM

The arrival of children is a momentous event for parents, but also for grandparents. As a grandparents, you want to be involved in the lives of your grandchildren. You may also want to share the benefit of your parenting experience so that your children don’t make the same mistakes you did. But parents can resent grandparents intruding into their lives. You’ll need to find ways to offer help your children will truly appreciate.

Sometimes the best way grandparents can help parents is to offer emotional support and reassurance that the children are developing normally and the parents are doing the right thing. Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, Clinical Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, notes that grandparents can provide a safe place for parents to vent and take out their frustrations. You’ve been there before, so your words carry some weight. Raising children overwhelms even the best parents sometimes. Watch for signs and offer a kind word whenever you can.
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Fitness

Elbow up front squats, also commonly known as up front squats or front squats

2012/02/28 – 3:28 AM

Elbow up front squats, also commonly known as up front squats or front squats, are performed with a weighted barbell. This type of move targets the area on the front of your thighs called your quadriceps and is a common part of many strength-training routines. Though strength training can help control weight and enhance muscle mass, it may not be suitable for everyone. Before you perform this or any other maneuver, talk to a doctor about whether strength training is safe for you.

Front squats, or elbow up front squats, are performed just as the name suggests — with the barbell in the front and your elbows up. Position the barbell across your collarbone, grasping the bar with your palms up and your hands slightly wider than shoulder-length apart. Your elbows should point up and your arms should remain parallel to the floor while you perform this squat. Keep your feet shoulder width apart, then slowly bend your knees to lower your body into a squat. Squat as low as you feel comfortable doing, then slowly return to a standing position.

When performing this type of squat, don’t hold your breath as you lift. Keep your breathing steady, then inhale as you lower yourself into the squat. Exhale as you lift your body back up. The amount of weights that you use is up to you. If you’re just beginning a strength-training routine, start with a small amount of weight. You can also choose to lift the barbell on its own without adding additional weights. Also, use a spotter when lifting weights to ensure your safety.

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Diet & Nutrition

Premature babies to eat cereal signs

2012/02/28 – 3:23 AM

Most infants are ready to eat solid foods, including cereal, at 4 to 6 months of age. However, each baby is different and your child’s pediatrician is a good resource for determining the right time for him. If you offer your baby solid food too soon, you might notice several signs that tell you to take a break and try again in several weeks.

A baby who is ready to eat cereal is able to swallow small bites. If you offer your infant a spoonful of cereal and it comes right back out, her reflexes may not be developed enough for solid food. The extrusion reflex is an automatic movement that causes your baby to push her tongue out, losing the cereal in the process. If this occurs with each bite you offer, your baby might not be ready to eat cereal yet. Continuing despite the presence of the extrusion reflex may result in choking because your baby is not physically ready to swallow solid bites of cereal yet.

If you place your baby in his high chair and begin feeding, but he slowly slumps over, he is likely not ready for solid cereal.
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Family Health

Parents use praise to encourage desirable behavior?

2012/02/27 – 3:11 AM

Many parenting books and articles acknowledge the importance of praise as a tool for boosting a child’s self-confidence and shaping his behavior. However, not all children respond similarly to praise, and not all praise is equally valuable. You might be confused when your son smirks at the words you use to encourage him, but his reaction is normal for a boy, according to author and child development expert Elizabeth Hartley-Brewer. The next time your son seems anxious or angry when you throw praise his way, take an honest look at the words you’re using and your means of delivery. For your son’s sake — and to preserve or improve your relationship with him — be honest about your motives for using praise, consider your son’s feelings and adjust the way you’re expressing yourself.

Parents use praise to encourage desirable behavior, show approval and — in some cases — express love and support. As helpful as praise can be, too much of it can cause more harm than good, according to psychology professor and author Jim Taylor. If you praise every move your son makes, he might begin to wonder why you’re trying so hard to improve his self-image. As Hartley-Brewer writes in her book, “Praising Boys Well,” boys tend to be particularly suspicious of praise that comes too frequently and are likely to react with annoyance to praise that is too effusive. If your son looks squeamish when you praise him, make sure you’re not overdoing it. Be brief and to-the-point. If you sense he’s choking from positive attention or feels pressured to live up to an inflated image of who he is, take that as your cue to back off on the praise.
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Diseases & Health Conditions

Arrangements obese children fast food choices

2012/02/27 – 3:04 AM

Being obese presents many health problems for children that may continue to have affect them as they reach adulthood. Many types of fast food are high in fat and calories, but helping children to make better choices allows you to enjoy dining out without compromising their health.

Understanding Good Choices

Many children don’t understand the link between food and weight. Teaching your child that his fast food choices affect his health is a good first step in helping him make better choices on his own. For young children, it is up to parents to make the right fast food choices. Explain that healthy foods, such as vegetables and grains, contain nutrients that help your child grow and learn. Describe how vitamins like A and C help your child’s body stay healthy and the fiber in whole grains aids digestion so her stomach doesn’t hurt. Tell her that unhealthy fast foods don’t contain many of these nutrients and, though they might fill her up, they won’t contribute to her health.

Choosing a Meal

Based on recommendations made by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, simple changes to a traditional fast food meal help
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Living Well

There are several types of urinary tract infections that affect different organs

2012/02/26 – 7:43 AM

Urinary tract infections are infections in the bladder, kidneys, ureter or urethra. They cause a range of symptoms, including lower abdominal pain, fever, nausea and a burning sensation while urinating.

There are several types of urinary tract infections that affect different organs. Cystitis is a bladder infection and the most common type of UTI. Urethritis is an infection of the urethra, which is a tube that connects the bladder to the genitals. Ureteritis is an infection in a ureter; ureters are tubes that link the kidneys and bladder. A urinary tract infection in the kidneys is called pyelonephritis. UTIs occur when microorganisms get into the urinary tract. Sometimes, microorganisms like bacteria cling to the urethra’s opening. Bacteria may also get into the kidneys. A blockage can also be to blame.

Horseradish is traditionally used for treating colds and respiratory infections, or prepared with mustard oil for topical use, according to Drugs.com. The study published in the “Arzneimittel-Forschung” journal found that combining roots from horseradish
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Diet & Nutrition

The waterfall diet works in three stage

2012/02/24 – 7:48 AM

The waterfall diet is a regimen developed by Linda Lazarides, a certified nutritional therapist. Lazarides theorizes that eliminating water retention is one of the best methods to lose weight effectively. The diet works in three stages. The first sheds retained water as fast as possible. The second and third stages permanently eliminate foods that might cause your body to retain fluids.

Water retention occurs when your body stores extra fluids within tissues, around joints or within the circulatory system. While water is necessary for every cell in your body, retaining extra leads to a bloated appearance and higher numbers on the scale. When your body is functioning properly with a healthy supply of nutrients and fluids, it should not retain extra water. Drinking more water and eliminating sodium-rich foods can cause a fast drop in fluid retention, resulting in pounds of weight loss.

On the waterfall diet, encouraged foods include soy products, fruits, chicken, vegetables, fish, brown rice, seeds and nuts. Lazarides notes that these foods discourage fluid retention. However, foods including breads, pastas, baked goods, eggs, red
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Fitness

Kettlebells can provide a challenging, effective workout in a short period of time

2012/02/24 – 7:45 AM

Kettlebells can provide a challenging, effective workout in a short period of time. These cannonball-shaped weights with handles have been used for centuries by Russian athletes. Kettlebells add a cardiovascular component to strength training because you have to control the momentum of the weight. You can use kettlebells to perform traditional moves such as deadlifts and push-ups but also to execute moves that cannot be done with traditional dumbbells and barbells. Circling a kettlebell overhead, also called a halo, is one exercise that targets the shoulders and your core.

To do kettlebell circles, you should stand on a flat surface with your feet hip-width apart. Hold the sides of the kettlebell handle in both hands and raise it above your head with your elbows bent. Position the cannonball side of the kettlebell toward the ceiling. Slowly circle the weight over the top of the head, forming a halo. Complete the desired number of repetitions in one direction and then circle the opposite way.

You should keep your elbows bent during all of the halos. Your wrists should also be in neutral alignment, or a straight extension from your forearm, to prevent injury. Although many kettlebell exercises are done quickly to increase the cardio
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Living Well

Child ass pain how to do

2012/02/24 – 7:38 AM

Parenting offers very few certainties. However, one thing you can count on is that your child will at some point experience pain in the buttocks area. The causes may range from diaper rash in infants to skateboarding accidents in adolescents. Treatments vary according to the age of the child and the cause of his pain, but most of these problems can be addressed at home.

Until they’re toilet trained, infants are prone to frequent irritations of the buttocks, genitals and rectal area. There are a number of possible causes, ranging from yeast infections to new foods. A baby with sensitive skin might react to the perfume in a disposable diaper, or the detergent or dryer sheet used with a cloth diaper. Treat diaper rash by meticulously cleaning and drying the affected area, and protecting it with petroleum jelly or a zinc oxide cream. If the rash doesn’t heal, or if it appears to become infected, see your doctor for further advice and treatment.

Infants and toddlers can develop a painful rash or even blisters from diarrhea in their diapers, while older children may experience anal irritation from the frequent stools and wiping. Treat diaper-wearing infants the same as you would if you were treating diaper rash. Give older children a small quantity of zinc oxide cream on a tissue, which they can apply themselves to the irritated area. Warm baths can be soothing, especially with baking soda added to counter the diarrhea’s acidity. Keep your child
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