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Hypertension in Children – Related to Poor Diet?
By Kristi Patrice Carter

Hypertension is chronic high blood pressure. In the past, this was a condition usually only seen in older adults. However, an increasing number of children are being diagnosed with hypertension. What is the cause of this alarming trend? According to the majority of leading researchers, the cause for this trend is diet.

Because more parents work outside of the home, more families consume prepared food on a daily basis. While these foods are easier, they are not better for you in terms of health. These foods can be filled with hidden calories, fat, sodium, and cholesterol. All of these contribute negatively to the health of a human heart. While it may take more time and effort, it may be in your child’s best interest to limits the amount of these foods your child consumes on a regular basis.

Children are also eating higher amounts of fast food than they have in the past. Decades ago, a trip to a fast food restaurant was an occasional treat for children. This is no longer the case. Many children eat at least five fast food meals a week, which has a significant impact on their health. These children are often obese, and recent studies indicate that these children develop chronic health conditions later on in life, such as diabetes and hypertension.

These foods are replacing healthy food choices like fresh fruits and vegetables in many homes. Instead of making processed snacks available to children, parents should encourage their children to snack on fruits and vegetables instead. Put healthy snacks on the shelves in the pantry and refrigerator that your children can reach. Place “sometimes” foods in places where your children cannot reach them. This may take some parental monitoring, but this change can be accomplished with a little bit of work and perseverance.

This problem is compounded by the fact that children spend more time in front of a television or computer screen than they have in the past. Instead of going outside to play and get exercise, children are becoming more sedentary. As a result, their health is suffering. Parents can help by sending their children outside to play every day and by limiting the amount of time children spend watching television or playing on the computer.

In conclusion, there are many steps you can take in order to maintain the health of your child. Your child may protest these changes at first, but you must stand firm. Your child will thank you later on in life for your efforts now.

Hypertension is a serious medical condition that affets children and adults. To earn more about hypertension and how to cure it with diet and exercise, please visit http://www.dashdiethypertension.com

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Calming Tips for Hyperactive Children
By Jeannine Virtue

Parents of hyperactive children know the “Would you please just settle down?!” phrase well, and likely use it on a regular basis.

There are a number of tips to help parents settle their hyperactive child down. These quick tips and relaxation techniques take the same amount of time as yelling and scolding but produce incredibly different results in hyperactive children.

Quick Calming Tips:

Try quick tips to calm a hyperactive child down during temper outbursts or unusually rowdy days. These calming tips are not novel to adults by any stretch. How many times have you heard “Take a deep breath and count to 10″ or “Calgon, take me away.” What works for big people works for little people as well._ Deep breathing is one of the simplest ways to calm the body. Teach your children to take deep breaths (in through the nose, out through the mouth) when they begin to feel frustrated and out of control. Parents, you do this too!

_ Draw a warm salt bath or bubble bath to wash away the hyperactive child’s stresses of the day.

_ Take your hyperactive child for a walk or send them around the block on their own if they are old enough. Not only does walking burn off excess energy, the repetitive thump, thump, thump of feet hitting pavement brings the mind back into focus.

_ Give your hyperactive child a mini-massage. Touch is very important to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder children. Massaging their temples, giving a shoulder rub or lightly running your fingers through their hair can calm children quickly.

_ Put together a “Boredom Box” that provides creative outlets for your hyperactive child. Fill this box or plastic storage bin with paint sets, coloring books, crossword puzzles, modeling clay, jewelry making kits and other artistic areas of interest. Hyperactive children bore easily and their fast spinning minds need extra stimulation. In the absence of nothing better to do, hyperactive children will lean on their own devises and you don’t want them doing that. Better that they draw than set the cat on fire…

The quick-fix calming techniques work to sooth the hyperactive child after they already became too stressed or active. There are also techniques that parents can teach their hyperactive children to help them get the “stuff” out before it builds up and explodes.

Create a calming home environment:

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder children have difficulty remaining calm in a hectic environment. Clearing the clutter and taking a “less is more” approach to decorating can reduce the sensory overload on Attention Deficit and hyperactive children.

The Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder child’s bedroom especially should be free of clutter. Use plastic bins to organize and store all those precious little plastic treasures (that we adults commonly refer to as “junk”) and small toys. Open the curtains to provide natural lighting. Keep posters and wall hangings to a minimum. Paint the child’s bedroom in calming muted colors instead of bright primary colors.

If you play music in the house, opt for soft “elevator music” or classical music instead of rock. Try to avoid loud clatters and noises when your Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder child is at home.

Follow a Routine:

All children thrive in homes that provide routines, consistency and structure. Attention Deficit and hyperactive children especially need structure and schedules to feel secure in their surroundings. For these children, a more “military” approach to routines works better. Waking up, eating meals, doing homework, and bed times should all occur at about the same time every day, with few surprises to upset the Attention Deficit or hyperactive child.

A Place to Relax:

If at all possible, find a space in the house to designate as a relaxation space. It does not have to be a large space but it does need to be away from high activity areas. This little corner (or even a portion of a walk-in closet) can have a beanbag chair and a few books, coloring books or other quiet time activities.

Encourage your child to go to this space when they become angry or out of control, but never make this a place of punishment. This special spot in the house is a positive place where they can go to settle down, sort things out or just hang out when they need to be alone.

Journaling:

For the child who is old enough to write, journaling is an excellent way to untangle frazzled minds and get things off their chest. This technique allows hyperactive children to spill their internal stresses outside themselves and onto paper.

Develop a daily habit of having your child write a page or two, depending on their age, about anything that comes to mind. They can write “I hate school, the dog just drooled, the baby’s crying is driving me crazy…” – whatever comes to mind. Eventually, they will get to the guts of what is going on inside them. Then rumple or tear the paper up and throw it away.

These private internal thoughts are not for you or anyone else to read, ever. Please respect their privacy and let them know they can write anything down without fear of reprimand.

Taking a mini-vacation with Guided Imagery:

Guided imagery is a powerful relaxation tool for hyperactive children that pulls their focus to positive thoughts, all the while encouraging creativity in your child. You can check out books on this technique at your local library if you want further information on the subject.

Last, but certainly not least, diet:

Some parents find that reducing or eliminating sugar from the diet goes a long way in calming the hyperactive child. If your child is a finicky eater, you will need to supplement the diet to make sure your Attention Deficit or hyperactive child has the fuels needed for his body to function well.

Starting the day out with a healthy breakfast balanced with proteins, fats and carbs is important. An egg sandwich, peanut butter toast and fresh fruit, protein shakes and fresh fruit smoothies are great ways to start the day for Attention Deficit and hyperactive children.

Sugar cereals are quick and convenient but should not be used as a breakfast mainstay. Fruit juices are high in calories and sugar and not recommended for children, especially those with Attention Deficit or hyperactivity. Instead of juice or sodas, get in the habit of offering plain old H2O. With plenty of bottled waters that offer fruit flavors and vitamin enhancements, getting your children hydrated is easier now than ever before.

About The Author

Jeannine Virtue is a freelance journalist and mother of an Attention Deficit son. Visit the Attention Deficit Disorder Help Center at http://www.add-adhd-help-center.com for information about treating Attention Deficit Disorder without the use of Ritalin or other ADHD medications.

jvirtue@add-adhd-help-center.com

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Most parents have experienced this scenario: You wake up in the middle of the night to find your child standing by your bed, flushed, hot, and sweaty. Your little one’s forehead feels warm. You immediately suspect a fever, but are unsure of what to do next. Should you get out the thermometer? Call the doctor?

In healthy kids, fevers usually don’t indicate anything serious. Although it can be frightening when your child’s temperature rises, fever itself causes no harm and can actually be a good thing — it’s often the body’s way of fighting off infections. And not all fevers need to be treated. High fever, however, can make a child uncomfortable and aggravate problems such as dehydration.

But it’s easy to learn how to correctly take a child’s temperature when it’s a little higher than usual. Read on for more about fevers, how to measure and treat them, and when to call your child’s doctor.

What Is Fever?

Fever occurs when the body’s internal “thermostat” raises the body temperature above its normal level. This thermostat is found in the part of the brain called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus knows what temperature your body should be (usually around 98.6° Fahrenheit, or about 37° Celsius) and will send messages to your body to keep it that way.

Most people’s body temperatures even change a little bit during the course of the day: It’s usually a little lower in the morning and a little higher in the evening and can fluctuate as kids run around, play, and exercise.

Sometimes, though, the hypothalamus will “reset” the body to a higher temperature in response to an infection, illness, or some other cause. So, why does the hypothalamus tell the body to change to a new temperature? Researchers believe turning up the heat is the body’s way of fighting the germs that cause infections and making the body a less comfortable place for them.

What Causes Fever?

It’s important to remember that fever by itself is not an illness — it’s usually a symptom of an underlying problem. Fever has several potential causes:

Infection: Most fevers are caused by infection or other illness. Fever helps the body fight infections by stimulating natural defense mechanisms.

Overdressing: Infants, especially newborns, may get fevers if they’re overbundled or in a hot environment because they don’t regulate their body temperature as well as older children. However, because fevers in newborns can indicate a serious infection, even infants who are overdressed must be evaluated by a doctor if they have a fever.

Immunizations: Babies and children sometimes get a low-grade fever after getting vaccinated.

Although teething may cause a slight rise in body temperature, it’s probably not the cause if a child’s temperature is higher than 100° Fahrenheit (37.8° Celsius).

When Can a Fever Be a Sign of Something Serious?

In the past, doctors advised treating a fever on the basis of temperature alone. But now they recommend considering both the temperature and the child’s overall condition.

Kids whose temperatures are lower than 102° Fahrenheit (38.9° Celsius) often don’t require medication unless they’re uncomfortable. There’s one important exception to this rule: If you have an infant 3 months or younger with a rectal temperature of 100.4° Fahrenheit (38° Celsius) or higher, call your doctor or go to the emergency department immediately. Even a slight fever can be a sign of a potentially serious infection in very young infants.

If your child is between 3 months and 3 years old and has a fever of 102.2° Fahrenheit (39° Celsius) or higher, call the doctor to see if he or she needs to see your child. For older kids, take behavior and activity level into account. Watching how your child behaves will give you a pretty good idea whether a minor illness is the cause or if your child should be seen by a doctor.

The illness is probably not serious if your child:

• is still interested in playing
• is eating and drinking well
• is alert and smiling at you
• has a normal skin color
• looks well when his or her temperature comes down

And don’t worry too much about a child with a fever who doesn’t want to eat. This is very common with infections that cause fever. For kids who still drink and urinate normally, not eating as much as usual is OK.

How Do I Know if My Child Has a Fever?

A gentle kiss on the forehead or a hand placed lightly on your child’s skin is often enough to give you a hint that your child has a fever. However, this method of taking a temperature (called tactile temperature) is dependent on the person doing the feeling and doesn’t give an accurate measure of temperature.

Use a reliable thermometer to tell if your child has a fever when his or her temperature is at or above one of these levels:

• 100.4° Fahrenheit (38° Celsius) measured rectally (in the bottom)
• 99.5° Fahrenheit (37.5° Celsius) measured orally (in the mouth)
• 99° Fahrenheit (37.2° Celsius) measured in an axillary position (under the arm)

But how high a fever is doesn’t tell you much about how sick your child is. A simple cold or other viral infection can sometimes cause a rather high fever (in the 102°–104° Fahrenheit / 38.9°–40° Celsius range), but this doesn’t usually indicate a serious problem. And serious infections may cause no fever or even an abnormally low body temperature, especially in infants.

Because fevers may rise and fall, a child with fever might experience chills as the body tries to generate additional heat as its temperature begins to rise. The child may sweat as the body releases extra heat when the temperature starts to drop.

Sometimes kids with a fever breathe faster than usual and may have a higher heart rate. You should call the doctor if your child is having difficulty breathing, is breathing faster than normal, or continues to breathe fast after the fever comes down.

Source: http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/emergencies/fever.html

It is normal for babies to cry, as that is how they communicate their needs to us. But is it normal for a baby to cry uncontrollably for hours on end without reason? Is something wrong with a baby that refuses to be comforted and screams almost into fits? According to the Encyclopedia of Children’s Health, 20-25% of babies meet the definition of colic, which is a healthy baby with no underlying medical condition crying longer than 3 hours a day and more than 3 times a week. A colicky baby is a parent’s dreaded nightmare. Undeniably, the baby is not the only one in pain as parents suffer from increased blood pressure and highly-strung nerves. Some may even come close to a mental breakdown and have evil thoughts against the baby.

The only thing that races through the mind of the parents is “how do I stop the crying?” The desperate search for a cure all only results in disappointment; as medically, there isn’t one definitive reason for colic. There are plenty of theories and a plethora of advice. Sadly, there is no “this-is-it” kind of solution. Therefore, to find the way to make your baby stop crying, you will have to go through the various methods and hopefully, find one that works. Here is a list of remedies many parents have tried that may work for you too:

1. Swaddling
Tightly wrapping the baby with a blanket is often soothing as it gives the baby a sense of warmth and security. Do not think that baby will be uncomfortable with this restriction. Swaddling brings back the snug, comfortable feeling of being in the mother’s womb.

2. Baby wearing
Many mothers worry that carrying baby often is going to spoil the baby. However, walking around with baby in your arms or in a sling can reduce crying spells. Baby is comforted by your closeness and also the motions of being in a sling.

3. Rhythmic rocking
I think this only comes naturally to all parents. Put a baby in their arms and they automatically start rocking. If your arms get tired, consider a baby swing. You can also put baby face down on your lap and gently sway your knees. This may help baby get rid of wind or gas in the tummy.

4. Stay in motion
Besides using a sling and rhythmically rocking your baby, you can take baby for a walk in a stroller or out for a drive. Sitting in a rocking chair while holding baby upright is also worth a try.

5. Baby massage
Most parents believe colic is due to gas trapped in baby’s tummy causing it to cramp. Baby massage can help the release of gas and trigger bowel movement. Some baby massage techniques are:
- putting your two hands on the tummy, one at 10 o’clock and the other at 4 o’clock, massage in a clockwise direction. Push down firmly, but gently.
- holding the baby’s knees, fold it up to the stomach and hold for 15-30 seconds.
- holding the baby’s feet, move the legs in a bicycle motion.
- bending baby’s legs at the knees, cross it and then rock from side to side.

6. Gripe water
Some grandmothers swear by gripe water. It contains herbs such as fennel, ginger or chamomile that help calm the stomach and relieves gas. However, beware that there are some gripe water that include artificial ingredients, preservatives and alcohol. So, do inspect the ingredients when you buy gripe water.

7. Diet check
If you are breastfeeding, check to see if the food you consume such as onions, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, spicy food, dairy, chocolate, caffeine, and citrus fruits is the one causing baby to react negatively. One at a time, eliminate one type of food for a week and monitor baby for signs of improvement. If baby is bottle fed, try formula milk that is easier to digest. Goats’ milk formula is said to have proteins closest to human breast milk.

8. Cranial osteopathy
Some mothers have found success with this treatment. The idea behind this is that the trauma of birth creates a neck restriction in baby. This affects other areas of the body. One of the results is abdominal pain. Cranial osteopathy aims at releasing the neck to relieve colic. Based on a recently published research, colic babies that underwent cranial osteopathy therapy cried 40% less than those that did not.

Colic can drive a parent crazy. After trying all the methods and failing to find a remedy, do not succumb to feelings of a useless parent. Sometimes, the only thing you can do is wait for it to end. This usually takes place when baby is about three months old. To keep your sanity, don’t hesitate in using earplugs. It will help keep you calm amidst the wailing. Also, don’t feel guilty in taking a break from baby. It’s okay to let someone else take over while you rejuvenate. If you get thoughts of harming your baby, walk away. Let baby cry a little while you regain your composure.

Dermatitis is an inflammation of the skin which may be brought about by repeated contact with chemicals. Dermatitis, also called eczema. There are two types of dermatitis: eczematous (eczema) and noneczematous (also called occupational).

Atopic dermatitis usually begins in infancy and may continue into adult life. Seborrheic dermatitis appears as red, inflamed skin covered by greasy or dry scales that may be white, yellowish, or gray. Atopic dermatitis most often affects infants and young children, but it can continue into adulthood or first show up later in life. The word “dermatitis” means inflammation of the skin. “Atopic” refers to a group of diseases where there is often an inherited tendency to develop other allergic conditions, such as asthma and hay fever. It is usually used to refer to eczema , which is also known as Dermatitis eczema. Dermatitis is characterized by skin that may be red, swollen, blistered, scabbed, scaly, oozing, or itchy. People with eczema often have a family history of allergic conditions like asthma , hay fever , or eczema. In irritant contact dermatitis, the rash is usually limited to the area that was exposed to the substance, whereas in allergic contact dermatitis, the rash often spreads beyond the area directly exposed to the allergen.

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