Childrens Health

Diabetes in children

Diabetes in children is also known as juvenile diabetes,
but more commonly known as type 1 diabetes. It is the most
common form of diabetes in children with ninety to
ninety-five percent of carriers being under 16.

Juvenile diabetes is caused by the inability of the
pancreas to produce insulin. It is an autoimmune disease,
which means the bodies own defense system attacks the
body’s tissues or organs.

In the last 30 years the number of juvenile diabetes had
increased three times over and in Europe and the US we are
now seeing type 2 diabetes in children for the first time.

Obesity easily explains type 2, but not why there is such a
rise in type 1 diabetes Read more…

Colic in babies

Colic is an abdominal pain that usually occurs in the first four months of life. It is believed that the intestines go into spasm but as yet this has not been proven.

Your baby will have bouts of pain, often after a feed, and will scream and draw his legs inwards to his tummy. The majority of cases clear with nothing more than a good ‘burping’ session after feeding. Rhythmic rocking or swaying can help, as can extremely light pressure on the tummy from being placed over your shoulder or over your knee whilst patting the back gently. Though do be prepared that it might take some time to comfort your baby and this is just as distressing for you the parent. Some babies appear more prone to colic than others and you may see a pattern building around which you can plan your day.

However, one word of warning, there are other much more serious conditions that can cause the same symptoms eg. an Inguinal Hernia; Intussusception; Appendicitis to name but a few. DO bear this in mind and if your ‘gut feeling’ as a parent tells you that something is not right then get it checked out straight away. Your parental instinct is something that any good Doctor should respect and even if they don’t you know that you are doing the very best by your child.

Written by Alex C for gogethealthynow.com

© 2009-JayJeffers.all right reserved.to republish this post a link must be included

Low self-esteem leads to obesity

Children with self-esteem problems are more likely to be obese as adults, a research team has found.

A study of 6,500 participants in the 1970 British Birth Cohort Study found that 10-year-olds with lower self esteem tended to be fatter as adults.

The affect was particularly true for girls, researchers from King’s College London reported.

One obesity expert said the results highlighted that early intervention was key to tackling obesity.

This is not about people with deep psychological problems, all the anxiety and low self-esteem were within the normal range

Professor David Collier, King’s College London

The children had their weight and height measured by a nurse at the age of 10 and they self-reported when they were 30.

Their emotional states were also noted, the researchers reported in the journal BMC Medicine.

Children with a lower self-esteem, those who felt less in control of their lives, and those who worried often were more likely to gain weight over the next 20 years, the results showed.

Professor David Collier, who led the research, said: “What’s novel about this study is that obesity has been regarded as a medical metabolic disorder – what we’ve found is that emotional problems are a risk factor for obesity.

“This is not about people with deep psychological problems, all the anxiety and low self-esteem were within the normal range.

To read this article in full go to here

Who’s Responsible for Your Child’s Health?

Question: Could you possibly be sued tomorrow for what you’re feeding your child today? Maybe. Let’s check it out.

Consider this scenario: We’re looking twenty or thirty years into the future. Millions of today’s children are young adults suffering from the devastating effects of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, obesity and serious self-esteem issues. Their medical bills alone have got to be in the billions or even trillions of dollars. Why? Because of the effects from their childhood diet and the eating and lifestyle habits established when they were kids.

So, who’s responsible? They blame their parents. They’re so angry that they all bond together at their group therapy sessions and decide to press class action lawsuits against the ones that got them into this mess – the parents. At least the settlement might cover some of their medical costs. And, guess what. The judge (who’s one of those children) rules in their favor!

Am I joking? No. Although it might sound funny, it’s deadly serious. This wouldn’t be the first time young adults blamed their parents for their problems. And somebody’s got to take responsibility for the coming health crisis. You better believe it won’t be Uncle Sam or the fast food industry.

A recent study, published in the “Journal of the American Dietetic Association,” showed that many of today’s babies and toddlers are eating the same terrible diet as the average unhealthy teenager. This atrocious diet consists of soft drinks, Big Macs, fries, potato chips, cheese curls, cookies, candy and other junk food.

Tufts University School of Medicine researchers found that up to one third of the children surveyed didn’t eat a single healthy vegetable or even one piece of fruit on any given day. Of those who did eat vegetables, they were usually French fries. (Are French fries really a vegetable?)

Soft drinks, which are a major cause of adult obesity with all its many health problems, were even being served in baby bottles to infants. And you better believe these children weren’t getting much exercise sitting on the couch all day watching TV.

It’s no wonder that over one quarter of preschoolers are overweight or obese – and the percentage is increasing at a rapid rate. Plus, since food preferences are usually established between the ages of two and three, these statistics will only get much worse as the kids grow older. 80% of heart disease and 90% of diabetes can be linked to an unhealthy diet and lifestyle habits, so today’s children are on a very dangerous course.

What can we, as parents, do about it? Every one of us has the opportunity to dramatically affect our children’s life-long approach to diet and exercise. We can start by being good role models ourselves – eating better and exercising regularly. We also have the power to set up positive guidelines and good eating habits for our children’s future health and well being.

Who knows? Twenty or thirty years from now, when our kids have grown up to be strong, smart, healthy, wealthy and fit, maybe they’ll greatly appreciate all the good habits we helped them establish in their childhood. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather have love and appreciation for the job I did raising my children than blame and resentment – or, heaven forbid, a lawsuit!

About the Author
Michael Byrd has over 18 years of education and experience in the fields of physical therapy, health, fitness and nutrition. His pursuit of wellness has led him to research fish oil health benefits as well as other natural whole foods that will help you to look younger, feel better and stay healthy. You ca get your Free CD by visiting http://www.omega-3.us.

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Who’s Responsible for Your Child’s Health?