Healthy » Kids Health

Anorexia

JBric — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 03:47:44 +0000

Anorexia is a very sensitive issue to talk about with many people, for many reasons.

In short is an eating disorder where people starve themselves, and as a result can die from a lack of nutrients or other health problems that come with being malnourished.

Anorexia usually begins in young people around the onset of puberty, where individuals often feel they look or appear too fat.

As a result they begin to starve themselves and they do not eat food, to eliminate fat they feel is there. There are also cases where some people suffering anorexia will eat food, only to throw it back up, or regurgitate, minutes after completing their meal due to guilt.

Other common techniques used by people with anorexia include excessive exercise, intake of laxatives and even liposuction in extreme cases.

Basically, anorexics have an intense fear of becoming fat. Their dieting habits develop from this fear and it usually and most commonly affects adolescent girls.

The disorder is also thought to be most common among people of higher socioeconomic classes and people involved in activities where thinness is desired and looked upon.

Those who thrive to be successful in sports or activities like dancing, theater, and distance running can often suffer from anorexia.

The symptoms for anorexia include ones body weight not being consistent with age, (usually 15% below normal weight), refusing to eat in public, anxiety, brittle skin, weakness, and shortness of breath.

It is also a giveaway if you find someone you know obsessed with calorie intakes, and obsessed with losing imaginary fat.

The many medical risks associated with anorexia include shrunken bones, mineral loss, low body temperature, irregular heartbeat, permanent failure of normal growth, development of osteoporosis and bulimia nervosa.

Bulimia, however, should not be confused with anorexia. The difference between the two is that people with bulimia east food then throw it up; anorexics just do not eat food at all.

Whooping Cough Cases Rise

JBric — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:16:59 +0000

The news is that one of the worlds most contagious and potentially deadly illness is making a comeback.

Whooping cough, also known as Pertussis, is increasingly becoming a problem is Western society, with cases of diagnoses rising in almost all parts of the world.

In America, there has been an almost 50 per cent rise in reported cases in the past two years, and in Australia the trends are also getting worse.

This week there was another case of a young baby dying form the deadly health issue.

The case comes just ten months after the government promised it would launch a social marketing campaign to warn parents of the dangers of whooping cough.

Health experts are now saying all kids should get vaccinated and recommend adults should as well, because the vaccine can wear off over time.

American health expert Barbara Baker has been researching Whooping cough for many years and is now concerned about the growing trends in the world, and the treatment options available.

“No vaccine is 100 percent. But if we can get the majority of people immunized in the community, and kids being the largest group, we can go a long way in preventing it,” she said.

Health officials are now working to come up with a new and improved vaccine, as it appears the previous one is wearing away in our bodies, and our immune systems are no longer benefiting from it they way it once did.

For those of you who are unaware of the symptoms of whooping cough, it starts off like the common cold, but after one or two weeks, severe and sometimes violent coughing bursts begin.

The symptoms usually persist for around six weeks before gradually declining.

Parents should be reminded that the first dose of vaccine could be given as early as six weeks, and that they too should be vaccinated.

Pneumonia

JBric — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:54:01 +0000

There are many influenzas, viruses and infections to watch out for in this cold winter that is upon us, but one we hope to avoid at all costs is pneumonia.

If you think having a bad flu is bad, well you do not want to know what it is like to be battling with pneumonia.

Pneumonia is a type of lung infection that is caused by a virus or bacteria.

In short, the lungs are filled with thousands of tubes, called bronchi, which work to affect your breathing.

In effect you will find yourself experiencing a number of different health problems, including rapid breathing, fever, loss of appetite, breathing difficulties, severe cough, abdominal pain, headaches, chest pains, nausea, and blue colouring of the skin around your mouth.

The blue colouring is largely due to the fact that oxygen is not getting to where it needs to be.

In general, the symptoms can be very similar, but much worse than a common cold and if not treated properly can lead to even worse health problems, and in the worst case, can lead to your death.

People can pick up the problem from a normal bout of the common cold or flu, which both allow germs to run rampant in your body. But the interesting fact is that in more than half the cases of pneumonia, no cause is ever found.

It is also believed that more than half of the cases of the problem are caused by viral infections.

To be absolute sure you, or someone you care for has pneumonia, a few tests can be done to have it confirmed.

These include chest x-rays, breathing tests and bouts of elimination treatment.

In most cases, a person’s immune system can deal with the infection, but antibiotics have been known to help overcome the problem.

It is important to remember than anyone and of any age can be affected by pneumonia, and that if symptoms do begin to show, it is important to contact your doctor.

Hay fever

bdiamond — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 03:27:16 +0000

WHILE we’re in the middle of winter and it is not too common, hay fever generally springs up in the next season – Spring.

It is a common condition that includes sneezing because of the many distinct allergies in the air.

It is often caused by an allergy to grass pollen. But many people may not know that Hay fever can occur at any time of the year as an allergic reaction to dust mites, mould and animal fur or hair.

Symptoms include a running nose, sneezing and itchy, watering eyes. Medication including anti-histamines and staying indoors can help symptoms. A course of immunotherapy may help some people.

To reduce your hay fever symptoms – if you have a mild case of it and know that it may get worse – here’s some tips for you.

You should check the pollen count forecast on TV or in the newspapers and stay in doors if need be if it’s a high count.

Stay indoors on windy days particularly in spring or after thunderstorms.

Outside, if you have a garden make sure the plants are pollinated by birds or insects rather than those that release seeds into the air because this can set your sneezing off again.

It would be ideal to have brick or paved areas instead of lawn.

You could even smell petroleum jelly which is like vaseline inside your nose to stop the pollen from touching the lining of your nose.

And splash your eyes with cold water every so often to refresh yourself.

Asthma

JBric — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 01:11:42 +0000

Asthma is the disease affecting our airways and breathing ability.

When air is taken to and from our lungs and when that air is affected, it means we have the disease known as asthma.

Physically, the inside walls of an asthmatic are usually swollen of inflamed. This then makes the airwaves extremely sensitive to irritations and increases the chance you will get an allergic reaction.

As a result of the inflammation causing the airways to tighten and become smaller, less air can pass through them and it will then show many symptoms.

These symptoms include wheezing when trying to breathe, chest tightness, breathing difficulties and constant coughing.

These symptoms are usually more common in the morning or night that they are in the middle of the day.

The disease itself is incurable and as a result, an asthmatic is one for life. However, it can be very treatable and the symptoms virtually eliminated through proper and efficient treatment.

Most people with asthma will refer to an episode of tight breathing as an asthma attack.

These attacks can be mild, moderate or severe and occur when the muscles in your airways tighten up, narrowing the air intake.

In some attacks, the airways are blocked so much that oxygen fails to enter the lungs and also prevents oxygen from entering the blood stream and traveling to the body’s vital organs.

In some cases, theses asthma attacks can be fatal, or bad enough to require immediate hospitalization.

In some cases, the situation can be such that your body does allow enough air to get into your lungs, but it does not let the carbon dioxide leave the lungs at a fast enough rate.

If left for long enough, carbon dioxide can build up in the lungs and lower the amount of oxygen getting to your bloodstream.

Ways to prevent the flu this winter

bdiamond — Sat, 22 May 2010 08:00:09 +0000

IT’S the flu season as the sweltering cold winds sweep though Australia.

The flu can bring along depression and the winter blues to many Aussies as they become grounded from work and home with sickness.

Some ways to avoid the flu includes the yearly flu shot which is arguably the best way to reduce the chances of getting flu. You should start this early and get your kids to take their flu shots early also.

It is not too late to organise your flu shot which is sometimes done through work places. Many offices organise staff to have flu shots which of course helps prevent the number of sick days per year to individuals.

Whether or not you got a flu shot, since it isn’t 100% effective, you should also wash your hands often because it can be one of the common ways people catch colds. The bacteria from other peoples hands can get to you very easily especially with a low immune system.

Clean objects that have been played with such as toys and other objects with soap and water. Use disposable tissues to blow your child’s nose and teach your child the cough ettiquette. You should avoid close contact with people when you are sick. Sometimes it is tough to avoid people who are sick but you should limit it as much as possible otherwise the germs will reach you.

Many workers tend to go to work when they’re sick because they don’t want to miss a days’ work or pay if they are part time.

This is terrible for the system. It doesn’t let your energy levels a chance to regain some energy. In turn, it may even make you more sick and it also exposes other work members to viruses.

Rest and sleep are the two main things you should be doing while you have the flu.

Eczema

JBric — Thu, 13 May 2010 06:37:09 +0000

Eczema is a nasty skin disease where your usually smooth and clean skin, turns dry, dirty and pimple like.

Often referred to, and known as dermatitis, eczema is actually an allergic skin condition that is very common in infants, children, and young adults.

The prevalence is higher in younger children, as humans immune systems become more advances and learn to deal with the problem the older we get, but adults are still very highly susceptible to get the skin irritation.

What it does is produce itchy, thickened, red areas on various parts of the body, that dries out the skin and leaves a pimple like areas, very similar to acne, but different of course.

Like many other dormant problems in human bodies, it tends to come and go, and actually has the advancements to travel with other allergic conditions such as asthma.

The problem is often treated with steroids which is supposed to suppress the immune system to make sure symptoms do not appear.

But, the problem with this is that in many cases, it only strengthens the disease and makes it easier for it to come back even stronger, and harder to eventually cure.

You see, steroids have a weakening influence on the immune system, and while they are effective immediately, in the long run they have bad side effects.

The best plan to eliminate the problem is to take out any milk products from your diet.

Ideally, you should be taking 500 milligrams of black currant oil twice a day for six to eight weeks.

Visualization or hypnotherapy is also good ways to take advantage of the mind/body connection in allergic skin disorders, but its results are very subjective.

Aloe Vera gel and calendula lotion or cream are also good ways to treat the problem, as too is maintaining a healthy diet with plenty of sleep and little alcohol.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJEIscWQXLo

Worms that give you the itch

bdiamond — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 01:45:05 +0000

IT’S amazing what poor hygiene can do.

If you live in a house with other people and don’t clean the toilet regularly or if you are in regular contact with unhygienic people – then there’s every chance that you have had or have threadworms.

You will have an itching feeling around your anus and may have a serious of white specks around it which are the eggs.

Threadworms are tiny, very thin white worms up to 13 millimetres long that live in the intestine and around the anus. They are also called pinworms. They look like small threads of white cotton, hence their name. They are widespread in Australia. Although people of any age can get them, children are the most susceptible.

On mydr.com.au, it suggests that threadworms produce large numbers of microscopic eggs.

These eggs are present in house dust and stick to clothes, carpets and bedding. They can also be transmitted through contact with a person who is already infected with worms. It is very easy for people to ingest the eggs because the worms produce so many of them and they are so small.

After the eggs have been ingested they pass into a person’s small intestine (bowel) where they hatch and mature. A few weeks after hatching out these worms can reproduce — usually about a month later. When the worms are fully grown, the female comes out onto the skin around the bottom at night and lays eggs. At this time, symptoms may develop, including the classic one of a severe ‘itchy bottom’. The worms can also often be seen on bowel movements or around the anus especially at night.

Some children have no symptoms at all, but some of the other signs of threadworm infection your child may show are:

tiredness;
disturbed sleep;
teeth grinding;
bedwetting;
nose rubbing; and
loss of appetite.

If you think your child has worms you should see your doctor, who may do tests to diagnose the condition and identify the type of worm involved.

Fortunately treatment for threadworms is very easy. Usually only one or 2 doses of a medication is needed to kill the infestation — once initially and then a second dose repeated 2 weeks after the initial dose if required.

Teenage dieting now becomes a child’s syndrome

bdiamond — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 01:54:54 +0000

TEENAGE dieting can be dangerous and even lead to lethal consequences if not handled in the right manner.

It’s a tough thing for a teenager growing up in an image conscious world. Magazines full of supermodels, TV promoting weight loss shows and the internet full of terms and ways to get thinner.

The world’s largest library – the internet – is a dangerous tool for the mind.

But there’s also the school, where frantic bullying takes place to those who are the slightest overweight.

It has a remarkable influence on the amount of teenagers – particularly girls – who become anorexic.

In Australia; One percent of teenage girls are anorexic, or won’t eat; Five percent are bulimic — they’ll eat and then purge their food; Another one percent have binge eating disorder — uncontrolled over-eating.

Proof that it can get out of control.

There are also different weight loss methods now that have different affects for the body.

The anorexia can also lead to depression – and suicide.

Dr Melissa Randall, a Los Angeles psychologist who specialises in treating eating disorders, says social pressure from the media is also a big influence.

We think of anorexia as a teenage disease. Just five years ago the average age was 16. Now, it’s almost a child’s disease starting between 12 and 14, with some kids as young as seven being diagnosed. Experts say kids are being pressured to act and look like grown-ups from a younger age.

The problem that most of these teenages won’t face is that we’re all born different shapes and sizes and we all aren’t going to be supermodels.

A successful recipe to eating is having a balanced diet with regular eating; allow yourself some treats; and exercise at least three times a week.

The pressure to physically mature

bdiamond — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:56:06 +0000

PHYSICAL development for aspiring professional athletes differ for each person.

Geelong Falcons footballer Jasper McMillan-Pittard, who is expected to be snared in this week’s AFL draft, said he has bolstered his lean body from 68 kilograms to 72 kilograms this year “just by eating a lot more.”

But still he is seen by Falcons regional manager Mick Turner as “two or three years behind in development” physically.

“I’ve probably put on more over the last six months to a year. I was about 68 kilograms and about 72 kilograms now. It’s just by eating a lot more,” McMillan-Pittard told healthy.com.au.

“I probably need to get to about 82 kilograms to take a couple of hits. Weight will be constantly an issue for more so I’ll just be progressively putting on weight I guess.”

He played senior football with Torquay in the Bellarine Football League in 2008 as a 17-year-old where he said he coped physically.

He was named BFL Rookie of the Year after being involved in a losing grand final.

“It was beneficial in the sense that even thought I was lighter, I could take the hits and not really let it scare me or anything and I could use my attributes like running to beat my opponents,” he said.

“It wasn’t particularly a strong competition either which helped but I had a lot of confidence to back myself in.”

“I knew where I was at. I was told that there would be a lack of opportunities last year. I played the four games and I just learnt off the calibre of staff at the Falcons.”

“I wasn’t disappointed at all,” he said.

Turner believes McMillan-Pittard, a wingman or half back, could play AFL next year but said he was more a development project.

“AFL clubs will look at him and think that he’s two or three years under developed but in two or three years time, he could be anything,” Turner said.

“He plays a bit like Andrew Mackie off a back flank or a wing.”

He is expected to be taken in the first 20 players in Thursday night’s AFL draft.

By Brent Diamond