Category: Children’s Health

In April 2008, the American Heart Association (AHA) issued a warning regarding certain medications commonly prescribed for ADHD children.  The medications in question have been linked to an increased risk of dangerous cardiovascular events, including sudden cardiac death.

The AHA recommends children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD children, taking stimulants, tricyclic antidepressants, and other psychotropic drugs should undergo routine electrocardiogram (ECG) screenings at regular intervals as long as these particular medications are taken.

Not all ADHD children are at risk for cardiovascular distress but an ECG screening at the beginning of treatment with these drugs is considered the best way to rule out any as-yet-undetected heart conditions that might be affected by the drug treatment.

According to the AHA, almost 2% of the general population of American children is expected to have a heart condition that has not been detected.  Sometimes these conditions gradually make their presence known but sometimes realization comes in a sudden, tragic event, especially when triggered by outside forces, such as stimulant drugs.

ADHD children taking the medications in question are at risk for elevated blood pressure readings and accelerated heart rate.  These conditions are a result of the stimulating action of the drugs they are taking for ADHD.

The number of ADHD children in the United States is estimated to be 4% to 12% of all children of school age.  In 2003, more than 2.5 million of them were on stimulant drug treatments.  Children with known cardiac conditions are 33% to 42% more likely to be diagnosed also with ADHD.

Ask any proud parent to describe an exceptional child and almost all of them will say, “Mine!”  And it’s true.  Every child is exceptional, in his or her own special way.

In some, less personal, situations, however, a more clearly defined description of the term, exceptional children, seems to be called for.

For the sake of bureaucracy, almost all children enrolled in the American public school system are categorized as normal, or average.  At the very lowest end of the scale, below the lowest average mark, is a group of children often categorized as special needs children.  These children often live with mental, physical, and developmental disorders that make learning difficult.

At the very opposite end of that scale is the group of children categorized as exceptional children.  For these children, learning seems to come as easily as knowing how to breathe.

The quick, easy ability to learn that is exhibited by these exceptional children places them easily at the head of their classes.  They enjoy learning and it shows.

Another characteristic shared by exceptional children is that they bore easily.  Maintaining pace with the rest of an average class is often too slow to command the focus and attention of exceptional children.  Their minds wander.  Sometimes they disrupt class.

The federal government has officially recognized the needs of the special needs population of American school children.  All public schools are required to operate classes and/or classrooms and learning programs that meet the needs of these children.

The federal government has not so recognized the special needs of the children at the opposite end of the scale, the exceptional children.  At this point in time, each state defines its standards of education for gifted and talented students.  In some states, the definition is left up to the individual school district.

All children are exceptional children and they deserve to get an education that best meets their individual special needs, regardless of what those needs are.

If you are confused over what nourishment is best for your baby, you
can safely go for the Similac baby formula. This formula is an
iron-rich concentrated liquid. The liquid is contained in 24 bottles,
each bottle having the capacity to hold 13 ounces of the liquid.

Similac
baby formula is a baby food that offers great nutrition for the all
round development of the child (especially that of the brain) and
parents can blindly rely on it instead of wasting time, deciding what
baby food provides the optimum nourishment required for total
development.

What Is In The Formula?

This baby
formula has a fabulous balance of protein, other essential nutrients
and minerals that should be excellent nutrition for the baby. All the
more, the formula does not contain palm or palm-olein oil in its mix of
vegetable oils. Research reveals that babies who are fed the Similac
baby formula or a formula minus the palm olein oil have a bone mineral
content that is similar to the breastfed babies.

Similac
Advance is a great choice you can make if you would like to supplement
your breast milk. This iron-fortified formula feed has a higher content
of special nutrients that is incomparable to any other baby food
formula. This provides a good support to the baby’s immune system in
its developing stage. Similac baby food formula also brings for the
baby 50% more calcium absorption, giving the baby stronger bones.

The Benefits

The
ready-to-feed Similac baby formula makes lesser bubbles. You will get
this baby food formula in an 8-fl-oz plastic bottle ready with the
nipple. The formula is easy to use and is handy when you are out with
your baby. You will be happy to know that this improved formula does
not require measuring, mixing or even refrigeration.

Similac
baby formula is ideally suited for the on-the-move feedings. All you
need to do is, twist off the cap, add a standard nipple and ring. There
you will be, all set for feeding your hungry baby.

It is
always advisable to insist on buying the well-known brands of baby
formula. Do not make it a habit to keep changing the brands
unnecessarily, do it only when you think that a particular brand is not
suiting your baby.

Med-Help is for informational purposes and should not be considered medical advice, diagnosis or treatment recommendations.

When nothing can supplement mother’s milk only Similac Advance Baby
Formula is ready to stand the test, for it is the best formula feeding
option for the child. Such an Advanced Formula presented by Similac
makes way for fifty percent more calcium absorption than other
significant formulas available in the bazaar. The powdered Similac
Advance Baby Formula can dissolve well and thus it makes fewer bubbles.
This particular formula milk helps in the proper development of the
baby’s immune system and thus plays a significant role in the all-round
development of the baby.

Features Of Similac Advance Baby Formula

The formula does not form too much bubbles
The 50% more calcium absorption capacity of the formula helps the baby enjoy a stronger bone structure
It is a fantastic supplement for breast milk
High levels of nutrients are present in the formula which helps in the development of a strong immune system
It also immensely helps in overall mental and visual development because of its DHA and ARA contents

The Advantages Of Similac Advance Baby Formula

Similac
advanced has been formulated without the use of palm olein oil and this
is what helps in increased calcium absorption and better mineralization
of the bones. Similac Advance also has special breast milk nutrients
called ‘nucleotides’ which greatly helps in supporting the development
of the immune system of the infant.

Similac Advance Baby
Formula is now available in a NEW 8-fl-oz nipple-ready, plastic bottle.
You are quite flexible with this stuff as it is easy to use and you can
easily prepare it. It involves no measuring or mixing and you do not
even need to refrigerate the stuff. You just have to twist off the cap
and add a standard nipple and ring. You become easily familiar with the
convenience of the formula as you can use this to feed your baby
anywhere you think it to be suitable.

Word Of Caution For You

You
should not make use of a microwave oven to warm a Similac Advance Baby
Formula, for this can result in serious burns and bruises.

Med-Help is for informational purposes and should not be considered medical advice, diagnosis or treatment recommendations.

Most kids today, even the littler ones, know that germs and viruses are nasty things.  Things they’re constantly being told to wash off their hands.  And use soap.

But, to many children, germs and viruses aren’t much more than something that needs to be washed away.  Except to say that they’re dirty and that they’ll make you sick, most kids don’t really know what it is that’s so bad about germs and viruses in the first place.

And most kids have a very hard time understanding that some germs and viruses can be just as good to you as the bad ones can be bad.  It gets very confusing but we can rely on our pediatricians to worry about the differences.

Germs and viruses are so small you can’t even see them so it can be a little hard to wrap a young mind around the concept that something so small can make someone so very sick, in a very big way.  It’s a point easier for a parent to illustrate when a child is already sick due to exposure to germs and viruses than to try to describe when the child is well and robust.

And the idea of germs and viruses and washing one’s hands seems a little mysterious to many young children, too.  They know they need to wash their hands when they are sticky, dirty, or otherwise visibly sullied.  They can wash until they see the dirt go away and know they have clean hands.  It’s a little bit trickier trying to get them to understand that, even though they’re too small to see, germs and viruses need to be washed away, too, just like the visible dirt.

To make them even more tricky, germs and viruses have many names.  One fancy name for germs is bacteria.  One even fancier name for bacteria is Escherichia coli 0157:H7 but there are thousands of other names for bacteria, too.

Other names for germs and viruses are microbes, parasites, mold, yeast, fungi, and protozoa.  And then there’s the worms.  Worms that start out as babies too small to see when they enter the body but they quickly grow.  Some of them grow a lot.  Tapeworms can grow to be as long as 25 feet.

One problem kids need to understand about germs and viruses is that, because they are so small, too small to even see, we must all be very careful about passing our germs and viruses on to our friends and family.  Never sneeze or cough when you are facing someone else’s face or hands and wash your own hands before eating and after going to the bathroom.  Every time.