Healthy Hair

Shiny and healthy hair isn’t just a beauty asset, but can be an indication of overall health. Poor health of your hair can be brought about by many factors. Too much attention to hair, a poor diet, air pollution, heat and air-conditioning can have adverse affects on your hair.

There are many types of hair from frizzy and out of control, heavy and coarse, , thin, oily or dry and in-between types. There are also problems that can affect hair such as dandruff, split ends, hair product build-up, itchy scalp and even lice.

Start from the inside:

It’s important to drink plenty of fluids, especially water since moisture makes the hair supple. For best results, drink 8 - 10 glasses of water per day.

The building block of hair is protein. Protein is what strengthens your hair and helps reduce split ends or breakage. Protein comes from foods such as meat, milk, cheese, fish.

It’s also important to have enough minerals in your diet. Without iron, hair and its follicles are deprived of oxygen. You can get iron from foods such as red meat, dark green vegetables or iron supplements. Zinc helps to prevent hair loss. Seafood and meats offer a good source of zinc. Vitamins are also important for healthy hair, especially vitamins, A, B, C and E. You can get these vitamins from fruit, vegetables, cereals, eggs, milk and bread.

Hair care:

It’s important to use the appropriate products for your type of hair. This helps to manage your hair much more effectively.

Start with a hairstyle that makes the most of your hair type and is easy to manage.

Look carefully at product labels and choose what works best for your hair. Don’t overuse products. Some have a drying effect, which can also lead to breakage.

Avoid overexposure to sun, heat, air conditioning or pollution.

Deal with problems as they happen. Take care of dandruff, itchy scalp or anything that will have an adverse affect on your hair.

With the proper steps, your hair will look healthier, but it will probably take a couple of months before visible results can be seen. The effort is worth your while because healthy hair is a beautiful asset.

Yogurt May Prevent Allergies

If you have allergies, you know how much of an inconvenience they can be. Watery eyes, itchy nose and scratchy throat seem to be a way of life for many when allergy season is upon us. For those who have mild allergies, relief can be found in either over the counter or prescription medications. Yet for some people, nothing seems to work. Maybe the latter can find help in probiotics. Probiotic bacteria are living micro-organisms that are found in foods like yogurt.

New research indicates that probiotics can help prevent young children from developing allergies. The results came from a study conducted by Finnish researchers led by Emma Marschan, at the University of Helsinki.They chose 1223 women who were eight months pregnant and gave them either probiotics or a placebo daily. The women either had allergies or a significant other who did. That way the researchers would know that the unborn babies would likely be genetically predisposed to allergies. The women continued taking probiotics or placebos until six months after their babies were born. When doctors did blood tests on the infants, they found that the babies who were exposed to probiotics had a 50% higher level of a protein that boosts the immune system, making them less susceptible to allergies. They were also less likely to have eczema which is often an early indicator of allergies.

It would be great if probiotics can do the same for older children and adults. It’s a healthy alternative to medicines that most likely has other health related benefits.

Talking to Your Baby Makes Smart Sense

Nearly everyone enjoys talking to babies. They are just so cute, it’s hard to resist. Almost everywhere I go, people come up to my four month old to say kind words to her. And I just cherish every moment I have with her and I talk non-stop to her whether I’m reading to her or singing to her.

The benefits of talking to babies have long been known. Babies who are constantly spoken to tend to start speaking earlier. Researchers are now saying that the benefits babies get from being talked to are far greater than previously imagined. Talking a lot to babies leads to higher I.Q. scores and better grades in school when they are older.

Experts recommend that you speak at least 17,000 words a day to your baby. This includes reading to your baby or even the “silly” talk that you engage in with your little one. If you are at a loss for words, explain to your baby what you are doing throughout the day. The bottom line is, the words you speak to your baby today, will go a long way towards his or her success later in life.

Heart Tests Suggested for Kids with ADHD

It seems so many children these days are diagnosed with attention deficit hyper activity disorder or ADHD. Some of these children may actually have the disorder while others may just be a little overly active. It’s really hard to say since the guidelines for diagnosing ADHD are rather subjective. Yet many of these children end up on stimulants intended to calm them.

New concerns are arising about possible heart risks associated with these medications. Experts estimate that two and a half million children are currently taking drugs to treat ADHD. Some medical experts are now suggesting that these children have their hearts screened because some of these medications can raise blood pressure and heart rates. Not only that doctors need to identify children who may have been born with congenital heart defects that have not been detected because ADHD medications may be too risky for them.

Hopefully, pediatricians and others in the medical profession who regularly treat children will be very proactive in getting the word out about this to parents. It can be a very confusing time for parents when their children are having behavioral issues. Getting a proper diagnosis can be difficult. It’s not uncommon for children with mild forms of autism to be diagnosed with ADHD. These new concerns about ADHD medication are something else for parents to worry about. So if there is potentially a health issue with these ADHD drugs, parents need to know about it.

Reducing Germs for Baby Bottles

A baby is completely dependent on us for their care and for love.  Many infants use baby bottles.  The problem that arises is the number of germs that are growing and festering in these baby bottles.

Don’t leave baby bottles out at room temperature.  I cannot count the number of Moms, I see at the mall that simply pour more juice or milk in a bottle that is partially full.  There is no telling how long that bottle has been at room temperature.

Wash bottles frequently.  This means that each time you give your infant or toddler baby bottles, you get them a new one.  Pour out old juice, water and drinks.  If possible wash the bottles in the dishwasher.

Use disposable liners if your budget will allow. Once the drink is consumed, you can simply toss the liners and be done with it.

Your baby and toddlers count on you to get rid of germs that are in baby bottles.

Getting Teens to Lose Weight

In America, many teens are over-weight.  In fact, many adults are over-weight.  It is important to get teens to lose weight so that they can be healthier in life.  Some of the key factors to helping teens lose weight include having them eat breakfast; increase their activity levels; encourage healthy eating habits; allow time for sleep and to help them deal with stress.

Many teens over-eat because they eat for comfort.  You can help solve this problem by encouraging your teens to eat healthy and eat at regular meal times.  Get them active and most of all give them the support that they need.

Autism in Children

Many parents are devastated when they learn that their child has autism.  Autism is greatly misunderstood by the general public.  The disheartening news is that autism is a condition that will remain with the child throughout their life, even into adulthood.  According to the Mayo Clinic, autism is three to four more times likely to be found in males than in females.

They signs of autism vary and the severity is different from child to child.  Some of the kids will have virtually independent lives as adults.  Other kids will grow up and need constant, around the clock attention.  There are three main areas for problems with autism and they include social skills, language development and behavior problems such as rocking, repetitive actions and aggression when there is a change in rituals and rout

Symptoms of Plantar Warts

Plantar warts are not caused from kissing toads or being best friends with a frog.  The primary cause of plantar warts is the HPV virus which has over 100 strands.  You can get plantar warts in warm and wet areas such as public showers.  You can also get them from walking around the edges of public swimming pools, hot tubs and saunas.

The main symptoms of plantar warts are rough spots on your feet.  Lots of people think that they are corns.  The little seeds are not seeds and shouldn’t be messed with.  Those are clotted up blood vessels.

Healthy Skin

Not only does what we eat affect our body, but also our skin. What we put on the inside can make our skin dull or give it a bright and healthy glow. Making the right choices can offer good results and at the same time you can enjoy delicious foods.

Some foods to add to your diet for healthy skin:

Fish - salmon, sardines and trout are said to help maintain and repair skin at the cellular level. Salmon contains an anti-oxidant with powerful anti-inflammatory elements.

Berries - most everyone likes berries because they taste so good, but berries such as raspberries and blueberries are also rich in compounds that can ward off UV damage.

Red, orange and yellow fruits and vegetables - lemons, tomatoes and the like, have carotenoids, which are cancer-fighting antioxidants.

Honey - it isn’t just sweet tasting, but contains a good amount of antioxidants and antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. A wound-healing product has been approved from the FDA that contains Manuka honey, which is a dark variety from New Zealand.

Olive oil - there are bad fats and fats that are good for you. Olive oil is one that is good and contains oleic acid, which helps keep the outer part of our skin supple.

Yogurt - yogurt contains a form of beneficial bacteria that can help calm inflammatory skin conditions. It’s best to stay away from sugary types of yogurt and sweeten with honey or fruit.

Chocolate - dark chocolate contains anti-oxidants that protect skin and can also increase skin hydration and decrease roughness

Nuts - almonds contain vitamin E, walnuts are rich on omega-3 oils and peanuts contain a cancer-fighting antioxidant.
With so many good-tasting choices, it should be easy to include foods that will help your skin be more healthy.

Chickenpox Virus - Vaccinate Twice

My son’s elementary school sent home a letter today stating that chickenpox is spreading around the school. I am truly grateful for the school district that we have because they keep us parents very well informed whenever there are illnesses going around, no matter how minor.

My son has been vaccinated twice for chickenpox and in the letter that the school district sent home, they are recommending that all parents, due to the current outbreaks, contact physicians to determine if their child has been vaccinated twice.

The chickenpox vaccine, varicella, is available to help prevent chickenpox and it is recommended for those older than 12 months of age who have never had the disease. If you’re not sure if your child has had the vaccine, you can check your child’s immunization records to see if the vaccine is listed on there. It will be listed as either varicella, VZV or chickenpox. On my son’s records it was listed as varicella.

The chickenpox vaccine has proven that it can prevent chickenpox or serve to lessen the severity of the disease for those who still get it. In June of 2006 it was recommended for a second dose of varicella vaccine for children four to six years of age to further improve protection against the disease. Children, adolescents and adults who previously received one dose should receive a second dose of the varicella vaccine.

Studies have shown that children who have been exposed to chickenpox and are vaccinated within 5 days of exposure are less likely to contract the disease.

If there is an outbreak of chickenpox in your child’s school and if they are immunocompromised, your child should be kept out of school. Immunocompromised children include those with HIV, cancer, leukemia, organ transplants, etc.

If your child develops chickenpox, they should be kept home from school until the rash scabs over.

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