With the rise in childhood obesity and more and more kids spending too much time inside playing video games and watching TV, most parents love when their kids go outside to play. Unfortunately, in addition to the sun and bugs, poison ivy can be a big problem for kids playing outside. Poison ivy can also be a hazard to gardeners, people landscaping their yards, hikers, campers, and anyone else who likes to spend time outdoors.
Although some people truly are immune to poison ivy, most people develop a rash after coming into contact with poison ivy or the similar plants, poison sumac and poison oak. If you think you are immune because you have never developed a rash before, keep in mind that it can sometimes take multiple exposures or several years before you finally begin to develop an allergic response to urushiol, the chemical in poison ivy that triggers the rash that most people get.
Whether or not you think that your kids are immune to poison ivy, it is a good idea to not take any chances and to teach your kids how to recognize and avoid poison ivy. Unfortunately, the old ‘leaves of three, let it be’ phrase isn’t usually enough to help kids avoid poison ivy. Symptoms of Poison Ivy
After exposure to the leaves, stems, or roots of a poison ivy plant, children develop symptoms of poison ivy within 8 hours to a week or so, including:
* an intensely itchy rash
* red bumps that often are in a straight line or streaks, from where the poison ivy plant had contact with your child’s skin
* vesicles and blisters that are filled with fluid
Keep in mind that children exposed to poison sumac and poison oak, other members of the genus Rhus or Toxicodendron, can get these same symptoms that are generically referred to as poison ivy symptoms above.
(Using medical terminology, these children develop rhus dermatitis or allergic contact dermatitis, an intensely pruritic, linear, erythematous, papulovesicular rash after exposure to the urushiol oil in poison ivy.)
Other characteristic signs and symptoms of poison ivy are that the rash will worsen over days or weeks without treatment with steroids, the rash may not go away for up to three weeks without treatment, many children will have worsening symptoms with each exposure, and that some areas of a child’s skin that had less exposure to the poison ivy plant will get the rash later than others.
The rash usually begins as red bumps and blisters that are very itchy and can last for up to one to three weeks. While the best approach to treatment is educating your children to avoid these plants (see the picture above), if your child does have a reaction there are some steps you can take to make him more comfortable, including:
* Quickly wash any areas of your skin that has come into contact with poison ivy. You have about ten minutes to remove the oil before a reaction will develop. Also wash any clothing that has come into contact with the plants to prevent spreading the oil and scrub under your child’s fingernails.
* For mild reactions, you can use calamine lotion, hydrocortizone cream, an oral antihistamine, oatmeal baths and cool soaks.
* More severe reactions will require evaluation by your doctor, who can prescribe an oral steroid or a stronger topical steroid cream. Oral steroids will need to be taken and slowly tapered over two weeks to prevent recurrence of the reaction.
* Carefully remove poison ivy plants when they are found. Avoid burning them, as the smoke can cause a very servere reaction to anyone who is exposed to it.
Check With the Doctor
It’s a good idea to consult with your doctor if you have any kind of rash, especially if you have a fever, too. The doctor might want you to come in for an office visit.
If your rash was caused by poison ivy or a similar plant, the doctor may recommend cool showers and calamine lotion. In more severe cases, a liquid or pill medicine called an antihistamine might be needed to decrease itching and redness. A steroid (say: ster-oyd), another kind of medicine, may be prescribed in some cases. This medicine may be applied directly to the rash or taken in a pill or liquid form.
Preventing Rashes From Poison Plants
The best approach is to avoid getting the rash in the first place. Here are some good steps to take.
* Learn to identify poison ivy, oak, and sumac, so you can steer clear of them. (Be especially careful if the leaves look shiny.)
* Avoid areas where you know these plants live.
* Wear long sleeves and long pants when you’re in areas that could contain poison plants.
CF affects more than 30,000 kids and young adults in the United States. It disrupts the normal function of epithelial cells — cells that make up the sweat glands in the skin and that also line passageways inside the lungs, liver, pancreas, and digestive and reproductive systems.
The inherited CF gene directs the body’s epithelial cells to produce a defective form of a protein called CFTR (or cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) found in cells that line the lungs, digestive tract, sweat glands, and genitourinary system. When the CFTR protein is defective, epithelial cells can’t regulate the way chloride (part of the salt called sodium chloride) passes across cell membranes. This disrupts the essential balance of salt and water needed to maintain a normal thin coating of fluid and mucus inside the lungs, pancreas, and passageways in other organs. The mucus becomes thick, sticky, and hard to move.
Cystic Fibrosis affects the way your lungs and digestive system work because of sticky stuff called mucus. Everyone has mucus. But people who have Cystic Fibrosis have much more than the average person. This mucus affects:
* The Lungs – It affects your lungs by making it hard to breathe. You will also be more likely to get chest infections than people who don’t have CF. You might also go off your food if you have breathing difficulties or an infection. This can give you more problems with your digestive system.
* Digestive system – Your digestive system is affected because food cannot be digested properly. This means you don’t get all the good stuff out of the food you eat. You may find it hard to stay the same weight or may even lose weight when you have infections.
* Salt levels – If you have CF you’ll lose a lot of salt when you sweat. This can cause problems if the weather is very hot. Losing too much salt from your body can cause heat stroke. It can be helped by drinking lots of fluids and perhaps by increasing the amount of salt you eat.
Normally, mucus in the lungs traps germs, which are then cleared out of the lungs. But in CF, the thick, sticky mucus and the germs it has trapped remain in the lungs, which become infected.
Treating Kids With CF
When kids are first diagnosed with CF, they may or may not have to spend some time in the hospital, depending on their condition. If they do, they’ll have diagnostic tests, especially baseline measurements of their breathing (lung function) and a nutritional assessment.
Before they leave, their doctors will make sure that their lungs are clear and that they’ve started a diet with digestive enzymes and vitamins that will help them to gain weight normally. Afterward, they’ll probably see their doctor for follow-up visits at least once every 1 to 3 months.
The basic daily care program varies from child to child, but usually includes pulmonary therapy (treatments to maintain lung function) and nutritional therapy (a high-calorie, high-fat diet with vitamin supplements). Kids with CF can also take oral doses of pancreatic enzymes to help them digest food better. They may occasionally need oral or inhaled antibiotics to treat lung infections and mucolytic medication (a mucus-thinning drug) to keep mucus fluid and flowing.
Nursing Interventions For Cystic Fibrosis Nursing interventions for children with cystic fibrosis include the following:
1. Provide mouth care frequently to prevent mouth infection due to mucus accummulation.
2. Administer all prescribed medications as ordered.
3. Observe the child for respiratory distress.
4. Administer pancreatic enzymes with food to treat effects of clogged pancreatic pores.
5. Administer fat soluble vitamins, A,D,E and K daily.
6. Ensure child consmes a diet high in calories, proteins and fat.
7. Stool softeners and laxatives may be given for constipation.
8. Teach the parents how to administer medication to their child.
9. Teach the parents not to restrict the child’s salt intake and to increase it on sunny days.
10. Teach the parents to allow the child to be as independent as possible.
11. Refer the family to a community support group for cystic fibrosis.
Some people are more prone than others for yeast infections, however it is especially stressful and concerning when a child is uncomfortable with this condition. Hopefully these tips can provide comfort to child and caretaker alike.
When babies are born, they come into the world with a completely sterile digestive system. There are no bacteria present in their intestines and the immune system has not been activated. It is not until pass through the vaginal canal where vaginal fluids are swallowed, and they suckle at the breast of mom, that bacteria in the form of lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidobacterium are introduced as well as many others. These bacteria go to work in the digestive system setting up large colonies. Probiotic bacteria are beneficial and provide the body with a first line of defense against bad bacteria, pathogens, parasites, viruses, and microbes that can make the body sick. Colostrum, monosaccharides and every antigen the mother has are also introduced from mother’s milk which stimulate and builds the immune system.
Breast-feeding is absolutely the best thing you can do for your baby for the first year if at all possible. A strong and healthy immune system will keep your child healthy and off of the medicines that can cause yeast infection in children. However, if you are not getting the correct nutritional nutrients, you will not be able to pass them along to your child
Yeast Infection in Kids Remedies Options
Yeast infections are typically treated with an over-the-counter or prescription-strength anti-fungal ointment. For diaper rash, a typical diaper rash remedy may be enough if you catch the infection early, but if it has gotten severe (more bumps that normal, pus-filled bumps or a scaly look) a more powerful treatment may be called for.
For parents who would prefer not to subject their kids to harsh treatments such as those anti-fungal creams, there are other options to try.
For diaper rash one of the most important things you can do is change the baby’s diaper as quickly as possible after it has been soiled. Allow the skin to dry a little if possible after cleaning before you put on a new diaper.
Natural remedies for yeast infections in children are the same as those used in adults. One of the most popular treatment options is taking probiotics, whether through eating more yogurt or actually taking a probiotic supplement. Applying yogurt to baby’s bottom may actually be helpful for treating diaper rash as well.
Another popular treatment for yeast infection in adults is diluted tea tree oil, but there’s some debate over whether tea tree oil is safe for kids, and it should not be taken internally. Always check with your doctor or a trusted naturopath before using essential oils on your children.
If your child is up to it, you can also try feeding him or her garlic (tablets can be used instead of the real stuff). Either way, garlic is a potent healer and natural antifungal agent. One more thing to try is giving your child a bath in warm water mixed with about a cup of apple cider vinegar. This will take care of the itching sensation and will help the body to heal.
Causes of Yeast Infection in Children
Babies and children often get yeast infections for the same reasons that everyone else does.
* Tight clothing and insufficient air to the area both affect kids as much as adults in causing yeast infection.
* Yeast infection can be due to a course of antibiotics, as it upsets a baby’s intestinal balance as much as any adult, and small children often get more frequent courses of antibiotics, especially when in a day care environment.
* Irritants such as dyes, perfumes and harsh soaps or laundry detergent often affect children’s thin and delicate skin much more than the adults in the household, and can therefore cause yeast infection.
* A child can irritate the genital area enough to cause a yeast infection just through natural self-exploration.
* If a child takes a corticosteroid inhaler for asthma or often takes ibuprofen for childhood aches, these medications can cause a yeast infection to develop.
* And, of course, juvenile diabetes, leukemia or HIV infection are rare but can also cause yeast infection in children with devastating consequences. Prevention
In preventing or taking measures of addressing reoccurring yeast infections in children it is important to start with building up their immune system. The best and most natural method of accomplishing this is through diet.
A child’s diet should be rich in natural foods and provide the necessary vitamins and minerals to ensure the child’s full development. Supplements may be indicated that provide anti-oxidants, minerals, vitamins, etc.
It is also important not to introduce foods into your child’s digestive system that may contain the very elements you are trying to avoid. This element is fungus or mold. Therefore, a child’s diet should be free of peanuts or peanut butter as these products may contain mold. Guaranteed organic peanut butter or peanuts is permissible.
Pubic lice (often called “crabs” because of their crab-like appearance under a microscope) are six-legged creatures that most commonly infest hair in the pubic area, although they also can infest other body hair. In most cases, pubic lice are transmitted sexually from the pubic hair of one person to another. But lice can be contracted in other ways, too — from infested clothing, towels, and bedding.
Pubic lice are one of the many varieties of lice (singular “louse”) specialized to live on different areas of different animals. As the name implies, pubic lice are specialized to live in the human pubic hair, but may also live in hair on other areas of the body such as hair on the legs, armpit, mustache, beard, eyebrows, and eyelashes. Infestations of young children are usually on the eyebrows or eyelashes. Lice found on the head are not pubic lice; they are head lice.
Public lice have legs that are spaced further apart than head lice, this is an adaptation that enables them to move around more easily in their habitat.
The pubic louse is somewhat crab-shaped, hence its slang name of “crabs”.
The female louse glues her eggs, called “nits”, which look like tiny white beads, to hair shafts.
Symptoms
Although it’s possible to be infested and have no symptoms, people with pubic lice usually experience itchiness. This can worsen at night when the lice become active and bury their heads inside pubic hair follicles to feed on a person’s blood.
Sometimes, lice bites can also cause the infested area to become inflamed and discolored because of a reaction to the proteins in the saliva of the lice. Constant itching and scratching can cause the area to become raw and lead to a secondary bacterial infection. Scratching also can help the pubic lice to spread.
If the infestation consists of many adult lice, symptoms may be noticeable immediately. But if the infestation initially involves a few lice that then lay eggs, a person may not experience any symptoms for 2 to 4 weeks until the eggs hatch.
In young children, pubic lice may also be a cause of blepharitis (irritation or infection of the eyelids). So, a child’s eyelashes should be examined with a high-powered magnifying glass if lice are suspected.
Contagiousness
Pubic lice can live 1 to 2 days away from a human body. But contrary to what some people may think, they’re rarely transmitted from furniture or toilet seats because the lice that fall from the body are usually injured or dying. Unlike fleas, lice can’t jump from person to person. And they can’t be contracted from animals.
Prevention
Because the lice can sometimes be contracted from bedding and towels used by someone who is infested, it’s important to avoid contact with any item — including clothing — that the person has used.
The Facts of Lice
Head lice are small wingless insects. They look like walking, light grey sesame seeds, and have six pincer-like claws.
Head lice infest people’s hair and suck blood from their scalps.
Anyone can get head lice but head lice most often infest school children. Because they are small and grab tightly onto hairs, head lice are hard to see. “Nits” (their eggs) are easier to see. Female lice glue the nits directly onto the hair shaft next to the scalp. Nits are found anywhere on the head, most often at the nape of the neck and behind the ears, but also in eyebrows and eyelashes.
Head lice do not transmit any diseases but they often cause itching and discomfort.
Detection
The best and most effective way to find head lice is by “wet combing.” Wet combing involves washing the hair and applying conditioner, then combing through with an ordinary comb to remove tangles. A fine tooth detection comb is then pulled downwards through the hair, a section at a time, keeping the comb close to the scalp. The comb is checked for lice after each section.
The term for hiccups comes from Latin. It means sobbing while catching your breath. Hiccups occur due to an involuntary spasm of the muscles that help us to breath, including the diaphragm (the large muscle that divides the chest from the abdomen) and the muscles around the ribs. These spasms cause the muscles in the throat to spasm, producing the usual sound. Hiccups may occur up to sixty times a minute, though for most people the frequency is much lower. Hiccups are a common and usually benign problem that will affect everyone at some point in time.
Almost everyone has had the hiccups at one time or another. They are a common occurrence in children, and the causes are usually not worrisome. Identification
Hiccups occur when the diaphragm and the muscles around the lungs spasm, causing a spasm in the throat muscle. This throat spasm causes you to suck in air suddenly and when that air reaches your voice box it makes an unusual sound, a hiccup.
Time Frame
Hiccups usually only last a few minutes, but they can last for several hours or even days. Hiccups can occur as often as 60 times a minute, but usually do not occur this frequently.
Common Causes
Hiccups are common in children, and common causes are eating too much or too fast or drinking an excessive amount of soda. Gastroesophageal disease (GERD), a condition where acid from the stomach enters the esophagus, can also cause hiccups. Nervousness, stress and excitement are also thought to cause hiccups.
Rare Causes
In rare cases medications can cause hiccups, either from an overdose or a side effect. Multiple sclerosis and infections are other uncommon causes of hiccups.
Warnings
Notify your doctor if your child’s hiccups begin after taking a new medication or if they last longer than three hours. You should also see a doctor if the hiccups are accompanied by stomach pain or coughing up blood.
Children are open and honest. Listen when they talk to you. Participate and foster communication. They share the wisdom and love that can never find anywhere else.
How does a sixth grade dance can inspire businessmen and women everywhere! A great way to see the advertising from the perspective of children.
If you’re a mom of young children, you have probably read everything there is to read about how your baby or toddler to sleep all the way through the night. You may even have been surprised that the title says child instead of baby, as there are plenty of books out there that tells you exactly what to do.
Parents are extremely important for children’s success in school and in life. Here are five powerful states that parents can tell their children that help with the children’s resilience, self esteem, and skills.
When it comes to teaching our children new things, we as parents are quite confident that we have a handle on teaching good habits. As the saying goes with age comes wisdom so that we have more years in our parenting have all become experts at raising our own children, right? But when it comes to exercise it may be time to look at our players from Little League coaching tips from some experts … and the younger the more we can learn. That’s because as they grow and develop from infants to adults begin to lose hard headed mobility of natural movement due to inactivity and bad habits. Overeating and Drinking
Hiccups usually occur when the diaphragm gets irritated. Diaphragm irritation occurs from eating and drinking too much or too fast. For children, this usually occurs when food is unusually hot or cold, or when eaten too quickly. Children can avoid hiccups by eating more slowly.
Excess Air
Children can take in extra air when rapidly drinking or eating a favorite food or drink, causing diaphragm irritation and hiccups. This is especially true with carbonated beverages, which are filled with excess air and can cause hiccups, according to KidsGrowth.com. As with overeating, efforts to drink and eat more slowly usually help, as does skipping the carbonated drinks.
GERD
Wet hiccups, or hiccups that contain liquid content in the form of stomach acids, are a symptom associated with gastroesophageal disease or GERD, according to KidsGrowth.com. GERD occurs when stomach acids regurgitate back into the esophagus, producing heartburn and stomach pain. In children and infants, they can cause sleep and eating disturbances. Parents can help their children manage GERD symptoms with minor sleeping and eating modifications such as eating six smaller meals a day, waiting two or three hours after eating to go to bed, and elevating the head of the bed while sleeping. When these efforts fail, doctors are likely to prescribe GERD medication.
How to Get Rid of Hiccups?
This brings us to the most important question – how to get rid of hiccups? Brief episodes of hiccups very often terminate on their own, or respond to simple methods such as drinking a glass of water on one go and some patting on the back. The best cure for hiccups caused due to medical complication would be treating the underlying medical condition itself. One of the most popular method of getting rid of hiccups is to sip 10 consecutive gulps of water slowly without stopping to take a breath. You can also try other hiccup remedies that work given below.
* Put a teaspoon of sugar under your tongue and let it dissolve.
* Suck on a wedge of fresh lime or small pieces of fresh ginger.
* Take a deep breath and try to hold it as long as possible. Keep repeating the process.
* Distract yourself by talking to someone or singing a song.
* Breathe continuously into a paper bag.
* Breath slowly, allowing your lungs to expand and contract completely.
Give your kids what they want to eat–yummy recipes that will have them running to the dinner table! We’ve included kid favorites like chicken fingers, tuna melts, and good old no-bake mac & cheese, but we’ve made them delicious and much healthier! Teaching kids to eat healthy foods at a young age will help them develop healthy eating patterns for life, so we’ve included kid-friendly recipes with a variety of vegetables, using proteins that are naturally lower in calories and rich in vitamins and minerals. These delicious kid-friendly recipes will help your kids learn to love whole grains (most kids should be eating at least 6 ounces a day!). And don’t forget calcium-rich recipes to build strong bones. This collection of healthy kid-friendly recipes gets high marks from kids of all ages and is designed to make meal planning easier. We think your whole family will love them!
Occasion or no occasion, mouth-watering dishes are an absolute must, specially when you have friends around who goes ga-ga over good food. Besides, you can always try your skills at cooking and surprise those who had doubted your culinary skills. These recipes are easy to prepare, and great to eat. They are also great fr small parties that you may hold at your home. So get going and try these recipes right now.
Kids love to help out in the kitchen, these kids recipes will let them (and you) have fun making great tasting snacks, meals and treats.
If you are looking for fun ways to spend more time with your kids, teaching them to create fun tasty foods is the perfect way. Our Kids Recipes are easy to make and the directions are simple enough for kids of all ages.
Breakfast, lunch, dessert and snacks; these are all the best recipes for kids from A to Z.
Participants will form teams, develop, document, and prepare at least one healthy recipe in one of three categories (Whole Grains, Dark Green and Orange vegetables, or Dry Beans and Peas). Their creations will be served in the school’s cafeteria, and rated by students. Fifteen semi-finalist teams will have their recipe evaluated by our judging panel during events held at their school, and the top three teams will compete in a national cook-off to determine the grand prize winner! Semi-finalists’ recipes will also be posted for online voting by the public to determine a Popular Choice Winner. Winning teams will be invited to prepare their nutrition-packed meals alongside White House chefs.
Perhaps you just don’t have the time to get creative and think about what you are going to serve for breakfast and lunch every single day. Maybe it is just easier to hand over the macaroni, day in and day out, to steer clear of the meltdown your toddler might have if you don’t serve his favorite meal?
You Need Quick And Easy Meals Your Kids Will Actually Eat!
However, that does not mean you need to serve the same foods every single day. There are many fun and easy breakfast and lunch recipes for kids. How about Breakfast Pizza or Cheese and Meat Pinwheels to change things up a bit? It is important for the nutrition of our children to have a balanced assortment of foods in their diet. In addition, their little taste buds need to be exposed to variety to help them learn to appreciate various foods as they grow. Sample Menu
Breakfast
Fresh berries (buy whatever is in season where you are – or use frozen)
Yogurt
Granola
Beverage Of Choice
Mix Berries, yogurt and granola.
Lunch
Stroganoff Stew
Apples
Beverage Of Choice
Stroganoff Stew
Cook beef in water until fork tender. Stir in remaining ingredients except for sour cream and warm over medium high heat until bubbly. Stir in sour cream and serve. May add cooked, drained egg noodles to make this recipe stretch for a larger crowd.
Croup is a common childhood viral illness that is easily recognized because of the distinctive characteristics that children have when they become infected. Like most viral illnesses, there is no cure for croup, but there are many symptomatic treatments that can help your child to feel better faster.
Croup is an inflamation of the larynx, usually from a viral infection, that is commonly seen in kids. Adults can get it, too, but we’re more likely to call it laryngitis. An old home remedy suggests that putting kids in the shower or in a steamy bathroom with the hot shower running will soothe croup cough. Is it true?
Causes of Croup
Croup can be caused by a number of conditions and illnesses (including allergies and bacterial infections), but most often results from viral infection. The parainfluenza virus is the most common viral cause of croup. However, adenovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, influenza, or measles may also lead to croup symptoms. These viruses are transmitted through direct contact and respiratory droplets (coughing and sneezing).
Diagnosis
Doctors can usually diagnose croup by listening for the telltale barking cough and stridor. They will also ask if your child has had any recent illnesses with a fever, runny nose, and congestion, and if your child has a history of croup or upper airway problems.
If a child’s croup is severe and slow to respond to treatment, a neck X-ray may be taken to rule out any other reasons for the breathing difficulty, such as a foreign object lodged in the throat, an abscess behind the throat, or epiglottitis (a inflammation of the epiglottis, the flap of tissue that covers the windpipe). Typical findings on an X-ray if a child has croup includes the top of the airway narrowing to a point, which doctors call a ’steeple sign’
Treatment
Most, though not all, cases of viral croup are mild. Breathing in moist air seems to make kids feel better. And ibuprofen or acetaminophen can make a child feel more comfortable. Doctors will also sometimes treat with steroids, which help with the airway swelling.
The best way to expose your child to moist air is to use a cool mist humidifier, or run a hot shower to create a steam-filled bathroom where you can sit with your child for 10 minutes. Breathing in the mist will sometimes stop a child from severe coughing. In the cooler months, try taking your child outside for a few minutes to breath in the cool air — this may also alleviate symptoms. You can also try driving your child around in the car with the windows down.
Easing Symptoms of Croup
In severe cases, a doctor may prescribe steroids to reduce the swelling and make breathing easier. Sometimes children are even briefly hospitalized for observation or given supplemental oxygen if they are having difficulty breathing.
For milder cases, humidity can help relieve symptoms (such as having humidifier in the room or turning on a hot shower to create steam in the bathroom). Conversely, getting cold air into the airways can reduce swelling. During cold months, this can be accomplished by bundling up and going outside of a brief period.
The makers of smokeless tobacco spend a lot of money to advertise and promote their products because the more people who use smokeless tobacco and the more smokeless tobacco each person uses, the more money they make. Promotional strategies, including free sampling, sponsorships, and coupons, are a large part of advertising. In 2001, $219 million was spent to advertise moist and dry snuff and about $18 million was spent to advertise chewing tobacco. 7 (It’s the tobacco companies’ job to get you to use smokeless tobacco and keep on using it.) A Federal Trade Commission Report released in 2003, shows that in 2001 smokeless tobacco advertising in magazines increased to a record high of $21.96 million. 7 The spending for distribution of free samples of smokeless tobacco products also reached a record high of $17.89 million in 2001.7
Smokeless tobacco companies have used many methods to get people to use their products. Here’s some of the ways they advertise:
* give away free samples and gifts
* show how smokeless tobacco users are “independent,” “macho men,” “take risks,” are “cool,” and “enjoy life” — making your think that if you use their products, you’ll be like the people in the ads
* show you how to use “starter” packs of dip in order to make it easy for you to use it
* make “starter” packs with less nicotine and add flavorings such as mint and cherry, so that it’s not as strong or as bad tasting as full-strength smokeless tobacco to get you used to it
* offer”pouches” that are packets of smokeless tobacco so you won’t get a lot of loose tobacco or “float” in your mouth making it appear cleaner than loose smokeless tobacco
* offer clothing and other stuff for sale
* say it’s an alternative to smoking — implying that it’s safe — even by naming it “smokeless” implies safety
* sponsor events such as rodeos and car races implying that smokeless tobacco can make you a better athlete or you can be like the rodeo or car racing star if you use smokeless tobacco
* sponsor music concerts
Every day nearly 4,000 kids under 18 try their first cigarette and 1,000 kids under 18 become daily smokers. Many of these kids will become addicted before they are old enough to understand the risks and will ultimately die too young of tobacco-related diseases. This is an avoidable personal tragedy for those kids and their families as well as a preventable public health disaster for our country.
The new rule, authorized by the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (Tobacco Control Act), prohibits the sale, distribution, marketing and promotion of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco to children and adolescents (under age 18). Titled Regulations Restricting the Sale and Distribution of Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco to Protect Children and Adolescents, the rule is effective June 22, 2010 and has the force and effect of law.
Like the prohibition against certain flavored cigarettes, which went into effect on September 22, 2009, these legal requirements aim to prevent our kids from becoming the next generation of Americans to die early from tobacco-related diseases.
What’s the Danger?
Take Bill Tuttle, for example. An outfielder for the Detroit Tigers, the Kansas City Athletics (before they moved to Oakland), and the Minnesota Twins, Tuttle chewed tobacco for most of his career. In fact, a lot of Tuttle’s baseball cards over the years pictured him with a cheek bulging with chewing tobacco. Thirty-eight years after the end of his baseball career, Tuttle had a more ominous bulge in his cheek — a huge tumor that was so big that it came through his cheek and extended through his skin. Doctors removed the tumor, along with much of Tuttle’s face. Chewing tobacco as a young man had cost him his jawbone, his right cheekbone, a lot of his teeth and gum line, and his taste buds. Cancer caused by his chewing habit finally claimed him in 1998, but Tuttle spent the rest of his life trying to steer young people, as well as grown athletes, away from smokeless tobacco. Quitting the Dipping
If you’re a dipper, put some long thought into breaking the habit and quitting now. When you decide to quit, don’t do it alone. Tell friends or family and enlist their support. Strategies for breaking the habit include:
* using a nicotine gum or a patch (ask your doctor about these options first)
* planning ahead and using substitutes such as tobacco-free, mint-leaf snuff; sugarless gum; hard candy; beef jerky; sunflower seeds; shredded coconut; raisins; or dried fruit
* getting involved in healthier activities: lifting weights, shooting baskets, going for a swim, etc.
All living things reproduce. Reproduction — the process by which organisms make more organisms like themselves — is one of the things that sets living things apart from nonliving things. But even though the reproductive system is essential to keeping a species alive, unlike other body systems it’s not essential to keeping an individual alive.
In the human reproductive process, two kinds of sex cells, or gametes, are involved. The male gamete, or sperm, and the female gamete, the egg or ovum, meet in the female’s reproductive system to create a new individual. Both the male and female reproductive systems are essential for reproduction.
The main reproductive organs of the male body are the testes, which produce sperm and also male hormones, in the form of testosterone. The male reproductive system also includes the external genitals — the penis and the scrotum — and the internal structures, including the prostate gland, the vas deferentia (plural for the 2 vas deferens), the urethra, and the seminal vesicles.
Testes
The paired oval testes, also known as the male gonads, hang in the scrotal sac. Usually the right testis hangs higher than the left one by about 1 cm. The testes hang outside the body because the temperature inside the body is too high to produce sperm, so they are produced in the testes at about 3 °C lower than body temperature.
Epididymis
At the back of the olive-shaped body of each testis is a cap formed by the many coils of a 20-foot long tube called the epididymis. The function of the epididymis is to collect the immature sperm from the testis.
As the sperm make their long journey through the epididymis they become mature sperm. This journey takes about 20 days and during its course the sperm become fertile and they also become able to move in a swimming motion (doctors refer to the sperm then as ‘motile’).
Vas deferens
Joined to the epididymis is the vas deferens — a thick walled tube which transports sperm from the epididymis up to the prostate gland. The section of the vas deferens that is above the testis can be felt through the loose part of the scrotum. When a vasectomy is performed, it is this part of the vas deferens that is snipped.
The vas deferens empties into the ejaculatory duct, which passes through the prostate gland to merge with the urethra.
The urethra
The urethra serves as the tube down which urine passes from the bladder through the penis to the outside and also the tube down which semen is ejaculated.
The prostate
The prostate is a walnut-shaped gland that surrounds the urethra. Along with the seminal vesicles it produces the fluid secretions that support and nourish the sperm. Without this fluid to dilute them the sperm cannot move easily.
About the Male Reproductive System
Most species have two sexes: male and female. Each sex has its own unique reproductive system. They are different in shape and structure, but both are specifically designed to produce, nourish, and transport either the egg or sperm.
Unlike the female, whose sex organs are located entirely within the pelvis, the male has reproductive organs, or genitals, that are both inside and outside the pelvis. The male genitals include:
* the testicles
* the duct system, which is made up of the epididymis and the vas deferens
* the accessory glands, which include the seminal vesicles and prostate gland
* the penis Problems Affecting the Male Reproductive System (continued)
Disorders of the Penis
Disorders affecting the penis include the following:
* Inflammation of the penis. Symptoms of penile inflammation include redness, itching, swelling, and pain. Balanitis occurs when the glans (the head of the penis) becomes inflamed. Posthitis is foreskin inflammation, which is usually due to a yeast or bacterial infection.
* Hypospadius is a disorder in which the urethra opens on the underside of the penis, not at the tip.
If you think you have symptoms of a problem with your reproductive system or if you have questions about your growth and development, talk to your parent or doctor — many problems with the male reproductive system can be treated.
Snacks play a major and growing role in children’s diets. Between 1977 and 1996, the number of calories that children consumed from snacks increased by 120 calories per day.
Below are ideas for teachers, caregivers, program directors, and parents for serving healthy snacks and beverages to children in the classroom, in after-school programs, at soccer games, and elsewhere. Some ideas may be practical for large groups of children, while other ideas may only work for small groups, depending on the work and cost involved.
The nonprofit group Center for Science in the Public Interest has released a list of unhealthy snacks that are commonly served in vending machines in schools, which are often ‘filled with soda, candy bars, cookies, chips and other low-nutrition foods,’ plus a list of more healthy choices.
Let Them be Choosy
An afternoon snack gives kids the energy to play outside or do their homework. The important thing is to provide kids with choices. If all the choices you give them are reasonably nutritious, then everybody’s happy: your kids get to choose their snacks, and you get to ensure that they’re eating healthfully.
Take a Dip
Kids love anything they can dip! A baggie full of carrot and celery sticks, cucumber and bell pepper slices, sugar snap peas and cherry tomatoes will disappear like magic if there’s a tub of dip to go with them.
Make some ranch dressing using low fat ingredients, or make a batch of nutritious hummus, bean dip or salsa.
Baked tortilla chips and whole wheat crackers or pita triangles are perfect, nutritious and kid-pleasing accompaniments for dips, too.
Sliced fruit takes on a whole new appeal as well when it’s accompanied by a sweet, creamy dip. Good fruit dips include flavored yogurt, applesauce, low fat sour cream sweetened with honey or brown sugar, and caramel ice cream topping.
Be Constructive
Let kids construct their own snacks. You’ll keep them occupied and they might be more likely to sample whatever nutritious foods they’re working with.
Fruit Kabobs: Stick melon balls, berries, pineapple chunks, and cubed peaches, pears or apples onto frilled toothpicks.
Mini Sandwiches: Use crackers or cut-up bread–or give the kids a few slices of bread, lunch meat, and cheese, and a couple of miniature cookie cutters to make tiny, fun-shaped sandwiches.
Pizza: Who can resist pizza? Pizza can be a perfectly healthy snack. Use half an English muffin, a whole pita, or a tortilla as a pizza crust. Let them smear on a bit of bottled tomato sauce, add a light sprinkle of low-fat mozzarella cheese, and then top with chopped vegetables and maybe a bit of lean meat. Heat for a few minutes in the toaster oven or microwave, then cut into triangles for extra kid-appeal.
Freeze
We usually equate frozen snacks with special treats, like ice cream and snow cones. Take advantage of that association: frozen grapes are cool like popsicles and sweet like candy, but they’ve got plenty of vitamins and fiber too. Peel and freeze bananas, then roll the frozen fruit in chocolate syrup and chopped nuts. Other favorites include peach and nectarine slices, and berries of all kinds. Turn any combination of frozen fruit, milk, yogurt, juice and ice into a delicious, nutritious “milkshake.”
Most of the snacks served to children should be fruits and vegetables, since most kids do not eat the recommended five to thirteen servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Eating fruits and vegetables lowers the risk of heart disease, cancer, and high blood pressure. Fruits and vegetables also contain important nutrients like vitamins A and C and fiber.
Serving fresh fruits and vegetables can seem challenging. However, good planning and the growing number of shelf-stable fruits and vegetable products on the market make it easier. Though some think fruits and vegetables are costly snacks, they are actually less costly than many other less-healthful snacks on a per-serving basis. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average cost of a serving of fruit or vegetable (all types – fresh, frozen, and canned) is 25 cents per serving. This is a good deal compared with a 69-cent single-serve bag of potato chips or an 80-cent candy bar. Try lots of different fruits and vegetables and prepare them in various ways to find out what your kids like best.
Among the ‘Worst Vending Options’ are:
* Chips Ahoy!, Oreo and other fatty cookies
* Chocolate whole or 2% milk
* Coca-Cola, Pepsi and other soda
* Fruitopia, FruitWorks, and other “fruit” drinks
* Hostess HOHOs and other snack cakes
* Keebler Club & Cheddar Sandwich Crackers
* Kit Kat Big Kat, Snickers and other candy bars
* Starburst Fruit Chews and other sugary candies Establish a Snacking Zone
When hungry kids burst through the front door after school, they grab whatever is easy and available. So it’s best to have a few things prepared in advance. Designate one shelf of the refrigerator and/or pantry as the “snack shelf,” with the understanding that anything that’s on that shelf is okay to eat without having to ask permission first. Then, stock the shelf with several choices–a little healthy variety to hold the kids’ interest and keep you from worrying about them overloading on junk.
Extracurricular activities keep some kids at school throughout the afternoon. Fruit, vegetable sticks, crackers, cheese, granola bars, healthy cookies, and muffins, and peanut butter sandwiches are all high-energy foods that hold up well in a locker until your hungry kid is ready for a homemade pick-me-up. Homemade munchies also helps them avoid the sugar and fat-laden temptation of the vending machine or convenience
