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Showing posts with the label Health

Infant sleep positioners cause death: US health officials

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Some things we mean for good causes something bad - and it is with best intentions sometimes...! ----- Posted: 22 November 2012 CHICAGO: Bolsters used to keep sleeping babies on their backs pose a suffocation hazard, health officials warned Wednesday after a recent death raised the 'sleep positioners' toll to at least 13 US infants . Health officials first warned parents not to use the devices in 2010 and cracked down on manufacturers who claimed they could prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome , which claims more than 2,000 infants a year in the United States . But the 'sleep positioners' - which typically feature bolsters attached to each side of a thin mat and sometimes a wedge to elevate the baby's head - remain on the market. Most of the babies - all four months of age or younger - suffocated after rolling from their side to their stomach. Some were found trapped between the bolster and the side of the crib. In addition to the 13 reported deaths since 19...

Vitamin D in pregnancy may prevent multiple sclerosis

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This is surely for mothers who are keen to have the best baby, even before it is born... ----- Posted: 15 November 2012 PARIS: Researchers said Thursday they have found evidence that Vitamin D supplements for pregnant women in the world's colder, darker countries may stave off multiple sclerosis (MS) in their offspring. The finding adds to a growing body of work showing a link between low Vitamin D levels and the debilitating disease, which sees the immune system attacking the body's own nerve fibres. Data on more than 150,000 MS patients born in places north of 52 degrees, revealed a heightened risk for those born in April - a month preceded by a long period without sunlight, said a paper in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry . Of the total, 13,300 were born in April compared to 11,600 in November - a lower-risk month after summer in the northern hemisphere, British researchers wrote. "Month of birth has a significant effect on subsequent MS ri...

Heart disease boosts maternal death 100-fold

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This is a sobering truth - the start of one life is the threat to another... ----- Posted: 31 August 2011 PARIS: Pregnant women with heart disease face a 100-fold increased risk of death, with the danger for offspring multiplied by 10, according to figures released on Tuesday at a medical congress in Paris . Analysing data on 1,300 women gathered since 2008 from 28 countries across Europe, researchers reported 13 maternal deaths - one percent of the cohort - among expectant women with pre-existing heart conditions. In healthy women, the average rate of maternal mortality in Europe is about one in 10,000.   Of the 1,300 women, 869 had congenital heart disease, 333 were vascular heart patients, 79 had cardiomyopathy and 24 suffered from ischaemic heart disease . Cardiomyopathy causes the heart muscle to become thicker and more rigid than normal, while ischaemic heart disease is characterised by reduced blood supply to the heart. There were 59 cases of foetal deaths...

Toddlers' sleep, eating problems often go together

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Image by MoonSoleil via Flickr NEW YORK   |   Thu Mar 3, 2011 ( Reuters Health ) - Parents who have a hard time getting their babies and toddlers to sleep at night may also often have trouble at mealtime, new study findings suggest. So-called behavioral insomnia , where a young child regularly resists bedtime or has trouble staying asleep, is common -- seen in up to 30 percent of children between the ages of 6 months and 3 years. A similar percentage have problems at mealtime, ranging from being an overly "fussy" eater to having a full-fledged " feeding disorder" - in which, for instance, parents can't get their child to follow any regular eating schedule, or the food refusal affects a child's weight. It might not be surprising to many parents that sleeping and eating issues often go hand-in-hand. But the new study, published in the journal Pediatrics , is the first to show this may be true. Among parents of 681 healthy kids 6 months to 3 years old, I...

Mental Health, Parenthood, and Poverty

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The mental health issue keeps on being discussed and debated, and I've seen one article that relates mental health problems with poverty, and goes on to say why. And there is one other aspect of the article that I like: insisting that parents take a stand on child-rearing despite the odd facts of life. I can't repost the article here due to copyright issues, so if you are getting interested, click below for the article: Behavioral, mental health problems play big role in other childhood issues Related articles Mental Health on Abortion and Childbearing (beinghealthyhomeandaway.blogspot.com) Some news for Translucid and for Bob (translucid.ca) Three in 10 Britons suffer sleep problems which could cause mental health problems (mirror.co.uk) Better Mental Health Care Won't End Murder, But It Will Save Lives [Aftermath] (jezebel.com) You: Nick Clegg to unveil £400m plan to help "cure" mental health patients - Mirror.co.uk (news.google.com) Mental ...

Write to destress

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Image via Wikipedia Anxiety , excessive worrying, is the symptoms when we’re stressed. In general, these symptoms can occur when you deal with important events such as exams or job interviews . There are easy ways to overcome this is by   writing . Research has shown that   writing   a few things that can cause anxiety is very effective to clear the mind and helps you to better focus on the challenges you will face. This technique has been shown to improve the skills of students by 20 percent when compared with students who are not doing anything at the time seized with   anxiety . To continue, follow the link for the full article: Write to eliminate anxiety Related articles Man Sues WikiLeaks and Julian Assange for $150 Million Over "EMOTIONAL DESTRESS" [Legal] (gizmodo.com) How School Counselors Assist Students with Test Anxiety (brighthub.com) The Simplest Way to Destress Your Body Before Labor Day (self.com) 6 Ways to Destress at Your Desk! (self...

Young and troubled

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Are we causing or contributing to others' mental illness ? ----- By Eveline Gan, TODAY | Posted: 04 January 2011 SINGAPORE - At 30, acclaimed American poet Sylvia Plath , who suffered from depression, killed herself by placing her head in the oven, with the gas turned on. Her sensational suicide is well-known in the literary circle. However, most may not know that Plath's mental illness started even before she reached adulthood. She had, in fact, attempted suicide earlier in her teens. Plath's early, long-drawn struggle with depression is not unusual. Mental disorders is one of the pressing global health issues among youths today. According to Clinical Associate Professor Chong Siow Ann, senior consultant psychiatrist and vice-chairman of research at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), most mental disorders such as depression and psychosis have their beginnings during adolescence. "However, the tragedy is that such mental disorders are often...

Play with your kids - it helps!

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Image by Getty Images via @daylife Here is one article that outlines the need for parents not be just parents, but to be parents and go down to the level of their children when playing. There's no such thing as branding as "child's  play" when it comes to rearing kids - better kids. Read on... ----- A new study suggests that positive interactions between parents and kids can discourage personality disorders later in life. The research said that spending time with a child by reading with them, helping with homework or teaching them organizational skills helps to foster better psychological health in adulthood. "The strong interpersonal connectedness and social skills that children learn from having active, healthy engagements with adults fosters positive psychological development . With it, a child develops his or her affiliation system - their connection to the world of people," said lead study author Mark F. Lenzenweger, of Birmingham Univ...

Youths with eating disorder also inflict self-injury

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WASHINGTON - Around four in 10 US teens with eating disorders also intentionally harm themselves, and the rate could be higher because clinicians don't routinely screen for self-injury, a study published Thursday shows. "These are very high numbers, but they're still conservative estimates," because doctors and other care-givers don't always ask young patients about self-injury, said Rebecka Peebles, a lead author of the study conducted by researchers from Stanford University and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital . "If you see an innocent-looking 12-year-old boy, you don't even think of asking about self-injurious behaviour . We ask 97 per cent of children 12 years and up if they smoke cigarettes; we need to get that good with screening for self-injurious behaviour," she said. For the study, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, researchers examined the records of 1,432 patients, ages 10-21, who were admitted to the eating diso...

Curing a whiny child

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From Focus on the Family All children whine when they get tired or bored. Adults do it, too. But some children whine so much that it becomes like fingernails on a chalkboard. Children who whine constantly are not always doing it to annoy you. They are usually just looking for a way to get attention, or to get what they want. Crying and whining worked when they were little, so they still do it. Parents are often so annoyed by it that they give in — which only adds to the problem later. When children whine, say to them firmly: “You know that’s not how we ask for things. If you want something, speak in your nice voice. Then I can understand you.” When they do, praise them for speaking clearly. Above all, keep your own whining in check, since children learn by example. With a little time, every home can be a whine-free zone. From TODAY, Voices - Wednesday, 08-Sep-2010 ----- Related articles by Zemanta How to Help With Homework: Ending the Daily Homework Hassle (brighthub.com)...

Tell her how you feel

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From Focus on the Family Husbands aren’t known for sharing their feelings too often, but there are some things our wives need to hear from time to time. Saying “I love you,” is just one of them. Let her know that she is of great worth to you. Tell her that no one will ever take her place in your life … or your heart. Make sure she understands how committed you are to the relationship — that no matter how bad things get, you will always be willing to work it out. All couples argue, but commitment to the marriage will always overcome any disagreement. Say to her, “I will always be truthful with you,” and then hold yourself to that promise. Honesty is critical to a successful relationship. Don’t assume that your wife knows how you feel about her. Take time to tell her every chance you get. From TODAY, Voices - Monday, 06-Sep-2010 ----- Related articles by Zemanta Love:the Only Secret to Everlasting Marital Bliss (socyberty.com) My Night at a Focus on the Family Event ...

Why we fight...

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From Focus on the Family One of the most common sources of conflict between husbands and wives comes down to a simple matter of differing assumptions. Let me illustrate. Some years ago I went through a very hectic period of my life, professionally. I was a full-time professor at a medical school , but I was also travelling and speaking far more than usual. I completely exhausted myself during this time. Now, it was a dumb thing to do, but I had made these commitments, and I simply had to meet them. Finally, on a Friday night, the siege was over and I went home. I had earned a badly needed day off, and I planned to kick back and watch a football game that Saturday. Shirley, on the other hand, also felt that she had paid her dues. For six weeks, she had taken care of the kids and run the home. It was entirely reasonable that I spend my Saturday doing things that she wanted done around the house. Now, neither of us was really wrong. Both of us had a right to feel as we did, bu...