Breakfast and mental health

By Health Tips & Technics

Parents, please note, just by adding a piece of an apple or a glass of hot milk to your child’s breakfast you could protect them from depression, anxiety and disobedience, a new study has claimed. A team at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Perth has carried out a study of more than 800 students and found that a complex breakfast is directly linked to better mental health in kids.

According to lead researcher Therese O’Sullivan, this may be because mental functioning is actually affected by the absorption of a variety of nutrients. Cereal and milk in particular supply calcium iron and B vitamins that assist neurotransmitters, chemicals needed to transfer information in the nervous systems that are directly responsible for behavior and mood. For their study, the researchers enlisted over 800 14 year old girls and boys and analyzed their breakfast intake over three days. They found that just one in four teens ate a high quality breakfast containing three or more of the five food groups, cereals, fruit, vegetables, dairy products, and meats and alternative like beans, nuts and eggs. Those who ate from more food groups for their morning meals scored higher on a child behavior checklist, with an improvement in mood seen for every extra food type added the study revealed.

It didn’t matter what they added, just that they added something different like a banana to their cereal to make that meal more complete with vitamins and minerals. From what we found, that makes a huge difference. “For every additional food group added the mental health status improved markedly across the sample, ”the Age quoted O’Sullivan as saying.

http://www.healthtips.in/breakfast%20and%20mental%20health.asp

Consumer Group: Zhu Zhu Pet Toys Are Unsafe

By Daniel J. DeNoon WebMD Health News

Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD

GoodGuide Says Toys Are Contaminated With Antimony; Manufacturer Denies Any Health Hazards.

Zhu Zhu Pets, one of the hottest-selling toys this holiday season, are contaminated with unsafe levels of antimony, says GoodGuide, a new consumer group.

That's just not so, says Cepia LLC, the company that makes Mr. Squiggles and other Zhu Zhu Pets. To prove it, Cepia released premarketing test results from a highly respected independent lab.

Contrary to the GoodGuide tests, the report from Bureau Veritas labs shows that none of the Zhu Zhu Pets caries unsafe levels of antimony or any other contaminant.

In a news release, GoodGuide said the "higher-than-allowed presence" of antimony on the toys "can lead to lung and heart problems, and impacts on fertility."

Because of the GoodGuide complaint, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says it will investigate the toy. CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson tells WebMD that the CPSC takes the GoodGuide allegation seriously, but that the investigation does not mean the toy should be considered unsafe.

"CPSC is looking into the Zhu Zhu pet toy and we will complete our review swiftly," the CPSC says in an official statement.

Meanwhile, Cepia is vigorously defending the safety of Zhu Zhu Pets. No recall is planned.

"Mr. Squiggles is absolutely safe and has passed the most rigorous testing in the toy industry to consumer heath and safety," Cepia says in a news release.

GoodGuide, started in September 2008, is a consumer group led by Dara J. O'Rourke, PhD, assistant professor of environmental science at the University of California, Berkeley. The group issues ratings of toys and other products based on product ingredients, screening for contaminants, and manufacturers' social policies.

GoodGuide tests for contaminants using a handheld device called an X-ray fluorescence gun. The test can detect antimony but cannot accurately measure toxic levels of the metal. That requires a different test, called a solubility test.

"We did not test these toys using the new government standard for toy companies to determine the 'soluble' level of contaminants in a toy," O'Rourke admits in a blog entry posted today on the GoodGuide web site.

Antimony is a silvery white metal element, usually mixed with other metals for use in batteries, solder, sheet and pipe metal, ammunition, and pewter. Antimony can harm health in concentrations greater than 60 parts per million.

SOURCES: News release, GoodGuide.

GoodGuide web site.

News release, Cepia LLC.

Cepia LLC web site.

News release, Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Scott Wolfson, director, office of information and public affairs, Consumer Product Safety Commission.

©2009 WebMD, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Not All Parents Put Babies to Sleep on Back

By Kelli Miller Stacy WebMD Health News

Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD

Study Shows Advice on SIDS Prevention Isn't Being Heeded.

Despite warnings that it is safest to place a baby to sleep on his or her back, the number of caregivers doing so has not increased in recent years, according to a new report.

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's "Back to Sleep" campaign began in 1994 after compelling evidence showed that babies who slept on their backs had a much lower risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). In the U.S., SIDS is the No. 1 cause of death in children under age 1.

Since the campaign began, the number of babies being put to sleep on their backs jumped from 25% to 70%. But the number of caregivers heeding the advice has not changed since 2001, say Yale School of Medicine researchers.

The researchers looked at how 15,000 caregivers positioned their babies to sleep since the campaign launch, using information from the National Infant Sleep Position Study, an annual telephone survey of about 1,000 households with infants. The survey asks nighttime caregivers of babies 7 months old and younger: "Do you have a position you usually place your baby in?"

The study also revealed a racial disparity in sleeping positions. "We ... found that African Americans still lag behind caregivers of other races by about 20 percent in following this practice," Eve Colson, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at Yale School of Medicine, says in a news release.

Choosing Sleep Positions
Colson and her team recently identified three key factors associated with a caregiver's choice of an infant's sleeping position:

•Whether the caregiver was told by a doctor to place the baby to sleep on the back
•Concerns for the baby's comfort
•Fear of the infant choking while sleeping
While a third of the caregivers surveyed said their doctor did recommend putting their babies to sleep on the back, others said they either were given other advice or did not receive a recommendation at all.

More than a third of those surveyed said they didn't think the baby would be comfortable sleeping on his or her back. Those who did not bring up this concern were four times more likely to follow the Back to Sleep guidelines.

Ten percent of caregivers said they thought their infant might choke while sleeping on his or her back. However, those who did not report this concern were much more likely to put their babies in the back position.

"For the vast majority of infants, concerns about choking while back sleeping are unfounded," Marian Willinger, PhD, special assistant for SIDS research at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), emphasizes in a news release. "Placing infants on their backs for sleep remains the single most effective means we know to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome."

Willinger notes that in certain health conditions, a doctor may recommended against back sleeping, but only after carefully weighing the risks and benefits to the infant.

Babies Who Sleep on Their Backs
The study revealed that babies were more likely to be put to sleep on their backs if:

•They were the first-born child
•They were not premature
•Their mothers did not live in the Southern U.S.
•Their mothers had a higher education level
•Their mothers were not African-American
The researchers urge all health care providers to make sure caregivers are told that it's safest to place infants to sleep exclusively on their backs, and that concerns about choking and discomfort are discussed. Doing so, they say, will help reduce the overall SIDS death rate.

"We can't equivocate, or the message gets lost," says Colson. "And we need to serve as role models, placing infants to sleep on their backs, beginning the minute infants are born in our hospital nurseries and pediatric units."

The findings appear in the December issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

SOURCES: News release, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

News release, American Medical Association.

News release, Yale University.

Colson, E. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Dec. 1, 2009: vol 163: pp 1122-1128.

©2009 WebMD, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

A Parent's Guide to Kids' Vaccines

By EverydayHealth.com

Vaccines have contributed to a significant reduction in many childhood diseases, such as diphtheria, polio, measles, and whooping cough. It is now rare for American children to experience the devastating effects of these illnesses. Infant deaths due to childhood diseases have nearly disappeared in the United States and other countries with high vaccination coverage. But the germs that cause vaccine-preventable diseases and death still exist, and can be passed on to people who are not protected by vaccines.

Ensuring the safety and effectiveness of vaccines is one of the Food and Drug Administration's top priorities. Vaccines are developed in accordance with the highest safety standards; they must be safe to give to as many people as possible.

Like any medicine, vaccination has benefits and risks, and no vaccine is 100% effective in preventing disease. Most side effects of vaccines are usually minor and short-lived. A child may feel soreness at the injection site or experience a low-grade fever. Serious vaccine reactions are extremely rare, but they can happen. For example, signs of severe allergic reaction can include swelling, itching, weakness, dizziness, and difficulty breathing.

"But parents should also know that the risk of being harmed by a vaccine is much smaller than the risk of serious illness that comes with infectious diseases," says Norman Baylor, Ph.D., Director of the Office of Vaccine Research and Review in FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER). "Vaccination is an important step to get children off to a healthy start."

Vaccines may contain live, attenuated (but weakened) or killed (inactivated) forms of disease-causing bacteria or viruses, or components of these microorganisms. They trigger a response by the body's immune system when injected or given by mouth. Vaccines stimulate the body to make antibodies — proteins that specifically recognize and target the disease-causing bacteria and viruses, and help eliminate them from the body.

CBER is the part of FDA that regulates vaccines in the United States. CBER works with other agencies to study and monitor vaccine safety and effectiveness.

Finding a Balance When Both Parents Work

By Diana Rodriguez
Medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MPH

Meeting the demands of career and family is a challenge for working moms and dads. Get ideas to create the right work-life balance.

Less than 60 years ago, 56 percent of U.S. households had only one parent working outside the home, leaving the other parent to manage the home and family. Today, with only 33 percent of households in that situation, achieving a work-life balance is a challenge for many. And not only are there more working moms and dads now, they are also working longer hours than in previous decades. That adds up to less time for the kids and family life.

With busy careers and seemingly endless family responsibilities, from cleaning the house to preparing healthy meals and carting the kids around to their activities, it's easy for working parents to become overwhelmed, stressed out, and wondering if striking the right work-life balance is even possible.

Work-Life Balance: You Can Have Both!
Rest assured, working moms and dads, a happy family life and a successful career can be yours simultaneously. Here are some simple guidelines for working parents who want to reduce stress and maximize their time and energy.
Be realistic about what you can accomplish. You can't get everything done in a day. Prioritize what's most important and schedule everything out over the coming weeks. Your daily routine needn't be back-to-back tasks; instead, make sure it allows for at least a small dose of downtime.
"Having a schedule is crucial. Routines help children transition and with behavior problems. They also help parents with time management," says Arlene Kaufman, director of Temple Trager Preschool in Louisville, Ky., and a mom who has found ways to balance a hectic life and career. Her advice: "Take time for yourself — whether it's a bath, reading a book, or working out."
Learn how to say no, even at work. To achieve a healthy work-life balance, working moms and dads often have to make difficult choices as to the responsibilities they can't take on. "The most practical preventive approach is to know your limits. That means saying no to things that you might want to do or that are otherwise important, like chairing a fund-raiser. Too many parents get involved in too many things. You need to set limits at work, even if it means slow (or no) advancement. Decide how much you can travel or work late, and stick to it," says Scott Ries, associate professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio.Evaluate how you spend your time. Once you have a good schedule in place, you can sit back and "relax" by focusing on whatever you are involved in at the present moment. "For instance, when at work, work; when at home, pay attention to family members. It may be difficult to pay attention to the 50th consecutive game of Candyland, but children know when you are 'present' and when you are distracted," says Ries, who recommends reading Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting by Myla and Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, a book that outlines some ideas for maintaining a work-life balance.Ask for help. What's a family for, after all? Working moms in particular shouldn't stress themselves out over cooking dinner or cleaning the house all by themselves. To help find that essential work-life balance, delegate some work to your spouse and kids. Household chores can take less time and be less stressful when the whole family contributes. Also, consider hiring someone to help you with cleaning or babysitting a few hours a week. If finances permit, treat yourself and your family to dinner out or takeout occasionally. By acknowledging that you're human — not an automaton — you can set some healthy limits on your schedule that will keep you from spiraling out of control, something both your family members and your co-workers will appreciate. Achieving that work-life balance is within reach.

Learn more in the Everyday Health Kids’ Health Center.
Last Updated: 02/04/2009
This section created and produced exclusively by the editorial staff of EverydayHealth.com. © 2009 EverydayHealth.com; all rights reserved.

Safeguarding your kids health

If you're a parent, you worry about your kids health and well-being. You want your kids to grow up healthy and happy, but sometimes it seems like an uphill battle. Besides the colds, flus and other childhood illnesses, there are other issues that are ongoing. You hear about the epidemic proportions of childhood obesity in this country. Lack of adequate exercise combined with poor dietary habits, along with too many sodas and unhealthy snacks contributes. So what's a parent to do? Here are a few tips that help you nurture kids health and take a load off your list of worries.

It's never too early to start instilling healthy habits in your kids. Demonstrate by example. For snacks and beverages, choose fruit, yogurt, cheese and crackers, and juices. If a toddler gets used to receiving cookies, candy and sodas for between-meal fare, you'll have a hard time changing these habits later.

Other kids health issues can crop up as a result of these sugar fests. For example, tooth decay can begin early. Youngsters as young as six can become overweight, causing a lifelong struggle with weight management. So when the kids start saying how mean you are to deprive them, buck up. It is truly for the benefit of the kids health.

To encourage a habit of exercise, again, set the example. Take your kids for walks, go to the park, zoo or anywhere that walking is part of the activity. Team sports are a fun and vigorous activity which promotes good circulation and muscle development. If kids get used to being active, they'll want to continue to do so. Consistency ultimately wins.

Another good strategy is to teach kids about nutrition. Teach them about vitamins and minerals and what parts of the body they benefit. A little boy wants to be strong and agile. If he knows that protein builds muscle while fat simply adds fat to his body, he''s motivated to go for the protein. Pre-teens can be motivated to eat fruits and vegetables if they realize that the nutrients they contain will prevent a lot of pimples, whereas those tasty fries encourage excess oil in their skin and thus more pimples. Get a good nutrition guide and you can make your own home study course that's age appropriate. Your kids will enjoy showing off what they know to their friends. Your home kids health nutrition class can be fun for the kids, help combat peer pressure and build your kid's confidence in one fell swoop.

Your kids health depends on you, an awesome responsibility. If you consistently make exercise a part of every day's normal activity, encourage good eating habits and discourage excessive sweets in a low-key way, your kids will reap the benefits. Teaching your kids why certain foods are good for different parts of their bodies goes a very long way towards making them willing adherants to your cause. Kids do always ask "Why?", right? Here's your chance.