 
Preparing Your Child for First Day at
Preschool
When
enrolling your child in preschool or kindergarten there are a number of
things you can do to help prepare your then for that first-day:
§
Tell your
child in advance that he or she soon will be going to school.
§
Be positive
and reassure your child that school is a good place.
§
Never use
school as a threat or a means to change your child's behavior.
§
Prepare for
new school experiences by using puppets or by role-playing some enjoyable
school activities.
§
Read
age-appropriate books about going to school to help your child know what
to expect or work with your child to make a storybook about going to
school.
§
Prepare the
night before by planning meals, clothes and transportation.
§
Consider
riding the bus with your child the first day. Check with your child's
school to be sure this is allowed and don't go along if your child seems
embarrassed.
§
Let your
child bring a security object to school like a stuffed toy, or give them a
photo to keep.
Don't be too
concerned if, in spite of your best efforts, your child cries and refuses
to leave your side the first day of school while another youngster
dismisses his or her parent with a wave of the lunch box. Clinging and
crying are healthy coping mechanisms in very young children, so try not to
overreact.
Most
concerned teachers will allow you to stay in the classroom for awhile.
Gradually lessen the amount of time you stay, but don't sneak out when you
leave.
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eContent Matters
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Antibiotics
for Ear Infections:
Not the Right
Answer?
One of the most common
infections children experience is acute otitis media (AOM), which affects
the middle ear, and is often associated with a buildup of fluid that
causes pain and swelling. While many doctors will prescribe antibiotics to
treat AOM, some health care providers believe using antibiotics too
frequently can lead to drug-resistant bacteria. As a result, some doctors
choose to let an AOM infection run its course and don't prescribe
antibiotics unless they're absolutely necessary. This may be good
thinking; in fact, the results of a recent study suggest not providing
antibiotics may be just as effective in the overall treatment of AOM.
In the study, over 200
children with AOM were randomized into two groups. Both groups received
medication to treat the pain associated with AOM, but only one group
received a course of antibiotics. Over a 30-day period, doctors then
examined the children in both groups to determine whether the infection
had resolved or become more severe.
Results: While children
given antibiotics also took fewer doses of pain medication, samples of
bacteria obtained from those children were more likely to be
drug-resistant than in children who hadn't received antibiotics. In
addition, parents in both groups seemed equally satisfied with the care
their child received, and the costs of treatment were almost $36 less per
patient among children not taking antibiotics. Not every infection needs
to be treated with an antibiotic. With proper education and observation,
acute otitis media can often be managed without resorting to these types
of drugs for care.
Pediatrics, June 2005;115
(6):1455-1465.
Reprinted with Permission of MPAMedia
Some Vitamins Slow Cataract Growth
Tufts Univiverity
researchers say taking vitamins B, E and C may inhibit cataract
development. Age-related cataract is the world's leading cause of
blindness but surgical correction is currently the only known option for
intervention. The researchers at the
Jean
Mayer
USDA
Human
Nutrition
Research
Center on Aging at
Tufts
University sought to determine if
prevention is possible.
In one study, lead scientist Paul Jacques,
director of the center's Nutritional Epidemiology Program, and his
colleagues analyzed the diets and examined the eyes of a group of
Boston-area women during a five-year period. Those supplementing their
diets with vitamin E for 10 years or more had significantly less
progression of cataract development.
Similar findings were
seen among those reporting higher intakes of two B vitamins, riboflavin
and thiamin. "Our results," said Jacques, "suggest vitamin
supplementation, particularly long-term use of vitamin E, may slow
cataract development." An earlier study indicated similar results for
vitamin C. The study's complete findings appear in the American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition.
Copyright
2005 - UPI
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Sunbathing Might be an
Addiction
Most people know
exposure to ultraviolet rays produced by the sun or a tanning both are
dangerous, now a study indicates why many people ignore that fact.
Researchers at the
University of
Texas Medical
Branch at
Galveston, using criteria adapted
from methods used to screen for alcoholism and drug dependency, determined
repetitive tanning behavior might result from a type of addiction.
UTMB Professor Richard
Wagner, senior author of the study, and his colleagues asked 145
Galveston beachgoers a series of
questions such as, "Do you try to cut down on the time you spend in the
sun, but find yourself still sun tanning?"
Results indicated 53% of
the beachgoers interviewed were classified as "ultraviolet light tanning
dependent." Wagner said the study's results might explain why educational
interventions have not been more successful. The study appears in the
current online issue of the Archives of Dermatology.
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Article
City
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Long
Work Hours - More Injuries & Illnesses
U.S. researchers say there's
new evidence that overtime and long work hours result in more occupational
injuries and illnesses. A study appearing in the journal Occupational and
Environmental Medicine says injuries and illnesses have nothing to do with
how hazardous the job is.
The researchers
analyzed the responses of nearly 11,000 people to the annual National
Longitudinal Survey of Youth. The survey included questions about
employment history, work schedules, and sick leave, covering the period
between 1987 and 2000. In total, 110,236 job records were analyzed and
5,139 work related injuries and illnesses were noted, with more than half
occurring in jobs requiring extended working hours or overtime. After
adjusting for age, gender, type of industry and job, employees working
overtime were 61 percent more likely to suffer a work related injury or
illness than employees who did not work overtime. Working 12 hours/day was
associated with a 37% increased risk of injury/illness, while working at
least 60 hours/wk was associated with a 23% increased risk, compared with
those who worked fewer hours.
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2005 -
Article
City
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reserved
Heart
Healthy Care Benefits Oral Health
Case
Western
Reserve
University researchers in
Cleveland suggest heart healthy habits are also good
for maintaining one's oral health.
Researchers examined data
from 12,110 individuals who participated in the third National Health and
Nutrition Examination Survey. They found individuals who exercised, had
healthy eating habits and maintained a normal weight were 40 percent less
likely to develop periodontitis -- a gum infection that can result in loss
of teeth.
Before the study and
aside from brushing and flossing, healthy behaviors contributing to the
prevention of periodontitis were unknown, the scientists said. The study
appears in the Journal of Periodontology, the official publication of the
American
Academy of Periodontology.
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City
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Most People
Want Health Information
A Hot Way to
Ease Low Back Pain
If you've ever had low back
pain, you know that your doctor of chiropractic may try several different
procedures to make you feel better. While some chiropractors may simply
adjust your back, others may offer a variety of treatments ranging from
heat to certain exercise routines. A recent study compared the
effectiveness of these other treatments and found that a combination of
heat and exercise worked better than either therapy by
itself.
Scientists examined 100
people with acute low back pain and randomized them into one of four
groups. The first group wore a disposable low-level heat wrap eight hours
per day for five consecutive days; the second group performed a series of
flexion and extension exercises at various times for five days; the third
group used a combination of exercise and heat wraps; and the final group
received an educational booklet. At baseline and other intervals, the
patients were examined to determine their functional ability, along with
the intensity of their low back pain and any relief the therapies
offered.
By the time the study
concluded, patients who received the combination of heat and exercise
showed significant improvements in function, disability and pain relief
compared to the other groups. In some instances, the improvements were up
to 175 percent greater; no adverse effects were reported among patients
using the heat-exercise combination. If you suffer from low back pain,
talk to your doctor of chiropractic about what treatments may work best
for you. The
Spine Journal 2005;5:395-403.Reprinted with
Permission of MPA Media
What Men &
Women Want
What men and women look
for in the opposite sex changes when they reach middle age.
For women over 50, "sex and
romance" is the No. 1 characteristic they look for in a partner, according
to the survey done in conjunction with an upcoming book by Mason Grigsby
and Nancy W. Collins entitled: "Love At Second Sight -- Playing the
Mid-Life Dating Game."
In a first marriage, women
looked primarily for a "good provider," followed by intelligence and
companionship. Sex and romance were No. 4.
Men over the age of 50 look
for women with common interests, followed by attractiveness and
intelligence.
For men, sex and romance, the No. 2 quality they
looked for in their youth, is fourth in middle age.
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Article
City
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Teenage Smoking Predictors are
Researched
Researchers say it is possible absorption of
nicotine from second-hand smoke during childhood makes adolescents
susceptible to nicotine-seeking behavior. Dr. Margaret Becklake, professor
emeritus at
McGill
University in
Montreal, says the smoking rate
among adolescents in the context of anti-smoking campaigns is troubling.
Predictor of teenage
smoking commonly cited are parental smoking during childhood and peer
pressure during adolescence.
Becklake investigated those
and other possible predictors of teenage cigarette smoking and found
salivary content measuring uptake of environmental tobacco smoke is a
significant predictor.
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Matters
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Cocoa May Help Stop Stroke, Heart Disease
Cocoa has long been described as
a medicine for many ailments and now researchers say it might also have a
beneficial effect on heart disease and stroke.
A research team in
Southampton,
England, led by Dr. Denise
O'Shaugnessy has shown drinking a cup of cocoa can prevent potentially
fatal blood clots by inhibiting platelet function.
When blood clots lodge in
our brain or heart there are potentially fatal consequences, such as
stroke or heart attack. The blood cells called platelets are necessary for
clotting to occur.
"
Cocoa contains a substance
called flavonoids, which are also present in red wine," explained
'Shaugnessy. "Flavonoids can be preventive for coronary heart disease;
however our research has uncovered another ingredient in cocoa which may
be responsible for the platelet inhibition. “This finding may well lead to
important new therapies to prevent heart disease and stroke. But it may
also mean that a nice hot cup of cocoa may also take on new importance for
people in high risk categories."
Copyright
2005 - UPI
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rights reserved
Placebo Effect Not Purely
Psychological
A
University of
Michigan study
suggests just believing a medicine will relieve pain is enough to prompt
one's brain to release its own natural painkillers.
The
researchers, led by Dr. Jon-Kar Zubieta, an associate professor of
psychiatry and radiology, said their study provides the first direct
evidence the brain's own pain-fighting chemicals, called endorphins, play
a role in the phenomenon known as the placebo effect, resulting in a
reduction in feelings of pain.
Previous studies showed the brain reacts physically when a
person is given a sham pain treatment expected to help. But Zubieta said
the most recent study is the first to pinpoint a specific brain chemistry
mechanism for a pain-related placebo effect. He said this might result in
better use of psychological therapy for people suffering chronic pain.
The
results are published in the Aug. 24 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience
by a team from the university's Molecular and Behavioral Neurosciences
Institute.
Copyright 2005 - UPI
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reserved
Mysteries
of Garlic Revealed
University of
California scientists have determined
garlic's active ingredients work the same in the same way as the chemicals
in chili peppers and wasabi.
Researchers at the
University of
California-San
Francisco's Department of Cellular
and Molecular Pharmacology said garlic's pungent aroma and its effects on
the body, such as dilating blood vessels, are due to a variety of
sulfur-based chemicals, especially allicin. Little is known about how
those compounds produce their effects on a molecular level, but
researchers David Julius and colleagues demonstrated garlic extracts, as
well as purified allicin, excite a subset of sensory pain neurons from
rats by activating a cell membrane channel called TRPA1. The excited
neurons then release brain chemicals stimulating blood vessel dilation and
inflammation in rats. The study appears in this week's online early
edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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2005 – eContent Matters
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