Health and Beauty tips

According to the U.S. National Institutes of Mental Health, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a legitimate psychological condition. Symptoms of ADHD usually occur before the age of seven and are as follows:

Hyperactivity. The term hyperactive is often confusing since, for some, it suggests a child racing around non-stop. A boy with ADHD playing a game, for instance, may have the same level of activity as another child without the syndrome. But when a high demand is placed on the ADHD child’s attention, his brain motor activity intensifies beyond the levels of the other children. In a busy environment, such as a classroom or a crowded store, ADHD children often become distracted and react by pulling items off the shelves, hitting people, or spinning out of control into erratic or strange behavior.

Impulsivity and Temper Explosions. The toddler may make erratic and aggressive gestures, such as hair pulling, pinching, and hitting. One of the most painful events a parent may experience is an aggressive attack that may occur after cuddling a young ADHD child. Often this reaction seems to be caused not by anger, but by the child’s apparent inability to endure overstimulation or displays of physical affection.

Attention and Concentration. ADHD children are usually distracted and made inattentive by an overstimulating environment (such as a large classroom). They are also inattentive when a situation is low-key or dull. Some experts believe that certain parts of the brain in ADHD children may be underactive, so the children fail to be aroused by nonstimulating activities. In contrast, they may exhibit a kind of “super concentration” to a highly stimulating activity (such as a video game or a highly specific interest). Such children may even become over-attentive — so absorbed in a project that they cannot modify or change the direction of their attention.

Impaired Short-Term Memory. People with ADHD can’t hold groups of sentences and images in their mind long enough to extract organized thoughts. They are not necessarily inattentive. Instead, an ADHA patient may be unable to remember a full explanation (such as a homework assignment), or unable to complete processes that require remembering sequences, such as model building. In general, children with ADHD are often attracted to activities (e.g., television, computer games, or active individual sports) that do not tax the working memory, or produce distractions. Children with ADHD have no differences in long-term memory compared with other children.

Inability to Manage Time. Studies suggest that children with ADHD have difficulties being on time and planning the correct amount of time to complete tasks.

Lack of Adaptability. ADHD children have a very difficult time adapting to even minor changes in routines, such as getting up in the morning, putting on shoes, eating new foods, or going to bed. Any shift in a situation can produce a strong and noisy negative response. Even being in a good mood, they may suddenly shift into a tantrum if met with an unexpected change or frustration.

Hypersensitivity and Sleep Problems. ADHD children are often hypersensitive to sights, sounds, and touch. Sleeping problems usually occur well after the point when most small children sleep through the night.

ADHD can be treated with behavioral therapies, medication, or simple mental health intervention. Combinations of behavioral therapy and medications appear to be best, however. Stimulants are not a cure-all; besides, children should not grow up believing that a pill will solve life’s problems without any self-efforts.

Increasingly, children are developing diabetes. Children with diabetes should not be treated like miniature adults. Because their bodies are still developing and their needs are different than an adult’s, a unique strategy should be developed to address their concerns, such as how to manage diabetes while at school or the absences that might occur as a result of diabetes. If your child has been diagnosed with diabetes, your greatest concern should be the attention you devote to managing the disease. You will not only reduce the risk of long-term complications by keeping your child’s blood sugar in check, but instill lifelong values, such as the importance of frequent glucose testing, scrupulous administration of medication, and healthy lifestyle, as well.

Managing diabetes requires commitment and effort regardless of when it develops. But diabetes presents unique issues for children and teens with the disease. For example, the simple pleasures of childhood, such as going to birthday parties, basketball games, or sleepovers, need careful planning for the child with diabetes.
Every day, the child with diabetes may need to take insulin or oral medication. The child’s blood glucose level will have to be checked several times a day, and food intake and activity will have to be accounted for. Depending on the child’s age, these are burdens assumed by the caregiver alone, shared between an older child and the caregiver, or assumed completely by the teenager.

For the parent or other caregiver, who is performing the role of the child’s pancreas, the sheer responsibility can be daunting; it is easy for the caregiver to become overwhelmed by the daily demands of determining exact insulin amounts, anticipating the child’s carbohydrate intake and activity levels, and preventing both hypoglycemia and high blood sugar levels.

What’s more, the stress of caring for a child with diabetes can aggravate psychological, social, or financial condition of the family. For this reason seeking and getting social and psychological support is essential for the well-being of all the family members.

The child’s diabetes care team is an important resource and can often suggest effective care and treatment options. For example, a child who requires insulin daily may benefit from the use of an insulin pump. With the pump, gone are the schedules of meals, snacks, and shots; there is also less risk of hypoglycemia. In addition, using the pump allows significantly more freedom in food choices and amounts.

Yet another resource that can help ease the burden for the child and provide a break for the caregiver are the various camps for children with diabetes. Camp provides a great opportunity for children and teenagers who have diabetes to get to know others who face the same challenges and to have fun in a safe environment while learning useful coping skills.

Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that occurs when a child is well above the normal weight for his or her age and height. Childhood obesity can lead to all sorts of problems, from heart disease and bone trouble to social and psychological trauma. And the problem is growing. Today, twice as many children ages six to 11, and three times as many adolescents ages 12 to19, are obese than they were just 20 years ago.

Most excess weight is caused by kids eating too much and exercising too little. Far less common than lifestyle issues are genetic diseases and hormonal disorders that can predispose a child to obesity.

Early and appropriate intervention is particularly valuable. There is considerable evidence that childhood eating and exercise habits are more easily modified than adult habits. In order to prevent your child from obesity, you can take the following steps:

• Set a good example. Make sure you eat healthy foods and exercise regularly to maintain your weight. Then, invite your child to join you.
• Avoid food-related power struggles with your child. Avoid providing or withholding certain foods - sweets, for instance - as rewards or punishments. Foods aren’t recommended for behavior modification in children.
• Emphasize the positive. Encourage a healthy lifestyle by highlighting the positive — the fun of playing outside or the variety of fresh fruit you can get year-round, for example. Emphasize the benefits of exercise apart from helping to manage their weight, for example, it makes their heart, lungs and other muscles stronger.
• Be patient. Many overweight children grow into their extra pounds as they get taller. Realize, too, that an intense focus on your child’s eating habits and weight can easily backfire, leading a child to overeat even more, or possibly making him or her more prone to developing an eating disorder.
• Make sure that your child eats healthy. When buying groceries, choose fruits and vegetables over convenience foods high in sugar and fat. Always have healthy snacks available. Limit sweetened beverages. Discourage eating in front of a screen, such as a television, computer or video and limit the number of times you eat out, especially at fast-food restaurants.
• Increase your child’s activity level. A critical component of weight loss, especially for children, is physical activity. It not only burns calories but also builds strong bones and muscles and helps children sleep well at night and stay alert during the day. Such habits established in childhood help adolescents maintain healthy weight despite the hormonal changes, rapid growth and social influences that often lead to overeating. And active children are more likely to become fit adults.

All children get sick from time to time. In this article, we’ll overview methods of prevention of the fifth disease, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, chickenpox, head lice, pinworms, ringworm, and roseola:

• Preventing fifth disease. Fifth disease is actually not a disease but a mild infection. Fifth disease sufferers usually have coldlike symptoms followed by a bright red rash. There is no vaccine for fifth disease, and no real way to prevent spreading the virus. Isolating someone with a fifth disease rash won’t prevent spread of the infection because the person usually isn’t contagious by that time. Practicing good hygiene, especially frequent hand washing, is always a good idea since it can help prevent the spread of this infection, as well as many others.
• Preventing chickenpox. Chickenpox can be prevented by getting the chickenpox vaccine. Doctors recommend two doses of this shot for most children 12 months of age and older who have not had chickenpox. Older children and adults who have not had chickenpox and have not yet had the vaccine can also get the shot. If you have been around a person who has the virus and you have not had chickenpox or the vaccine, you still may be able to prevent the illness. Get a shot of chickenpox antibodies or the vaccine right away. Some parents expose their children to chickenpox because they think it is safer for children to have the illness when they are young which is actually not a good idea, because even young children can have serious problems from chickenpox.
• Preventing Hand-foot-and-mouth disease. HFMD is a highly contagious infection, but its symptoms are relatively mild. It can cause a skin rash or blisters in the mouth and on the hands and feet, but most people recover from this infection in seven to ten days without treatment. Because HFMD is so contagious, it’s best to avoid contact with infected people and to be vigilant about personal hygiene.
• Preventing head lice. The pesky little bugs can be a problem for kids of all ages and socioeconomic levels, no matter how often they clean their hair or bathe. However, you can help to prevent your child from getting lice - or from becoming reinfected with lice - by taking the following precautions: Tell your child to avoid head-to-head contact at school (in gym, on the playground, or during sports) and while playing at home with other children, not to share combs, brushes, hats, scarves, bandanas, ribbons, barrettes, hair ties or bands, towels, helmets, or other personal care items with anyone else, whether they may have lice or not. Tell your child not to lie on bedding, pillows, and carpets that have recently been used by someone with lice. Regularly examine members of your household who have had close contact with a person who has lice. Then, treat those who are found to have lice or nits close to the scalp.
• Preventing pinworms. Pinworm infections can be prevented with good hygiene. Just remind your child to wash his or her hands after using the toilet, after playing outside, and before eating. Make sure your child showers or bathes every day and changes underwear daily. Keep your child’s fingernails short and clean. Tell your child not to scratch around his or her bottom or bite his or her nails. Wash your child’s pajamas every few days.
• Preventing Ringworm. Ringworm is a fungal infection that causes red blotches on the skin. Ringworm is spread through contact with infected animals or people and through objects or soil that harbor the fungus. This infection is easily treated with oral or topical antifungal medicines.
• Preventing roseola. Roseola most commonly affects children younger than 2 years old. It causes a very high, sudden fever, followed by a pink rash. Roseola generally runs its course without medical intervention. As there’s no vaccine to prevent roseola, the best you can do to prevent the spread of roseola is to avoid exposing your child to an infected child. If your child is sick with roseola, keep him or her home and away from other children until the fever has broken. Once the rash appears, the virus is much less contagious. Most people have antibodies to roseola by the time they’re of school age, making them immune to a second infection. Even so, if one household member contracts the virus, make sure that all family members wash their hands frequently to prevent spread of the virus to anyone who isn’t immune. Adults who never contracted roseola as children can become infected later in life, though the disease tends to be mild in healthy adults.