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Pediatricians Say Cold Drugs For Kids Neither Safe Nor Effective!
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For years, many of us have been giving our children cold and flu over-the-counter medications like Dimetapp, Robitussin, and Pediacare. Recently, drug makers pulled from sale oral cough and cold medicines for children under the age of 2. Now petitioners are claiming that they are not only useless, but potentially unsafe for kids as old as 6.Nutrition Specialist
Labels: children
A New Focus and Simplification of CPR Expected to Save More Lives!
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Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) procedures has been revised and simplified! Now, the primary focus of CPR is chest compressions with less emphasis on rescue breathing. This new focus seems to have improved survivability rates. New procedures recommend twice as many compressions as before, now 30 compressions for every two rescue breaths delivered.Dr. Shukri David, Chief of Cardiology at Providence Hospital at St. John’s Health System, explains the philosophy behind the changes to CPR, "When you compress the chest deep enough, you create a vacuum that pulls in air as you release." The new and simplified guidelines encourage rescuers to perform deep compressions, approximately two inches downward (for adults), in the middle of the chest, over the breast bone. Allowing the heart to completely refill in between compressions is key to performing the new CPR technique. If there is an interruption to compressions there is an interruption to blood flow to the heart and critical organs.
It’s simple and easy to learn. Reach out in your community and make a difference in somebody’s life. The American Heart Association and your local American Red Cross chapters offer community courses teaching the new and simplified techniques of CPR. "If you perform CPR, you can save someone's life. It's simple and easy to do. All you really need to do is put your hands in the middle of the breast bone and push down two inches," David said. "If you do CPR immediately on someone with cardiac arrest, the survival rate goes from 6 to 50%. This will really make a difference if the population pulls together."
Jerri, DTR
Nutrition Specialist
You never know what you can do, unless you try!
Labels: CPR
What is the School's Role in Childhood Obesity?
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Was it appropriate for the school to give this information to a child or should the school have mailed it directly to the parents? What about the role that the school plays in the health of students, should they even get involved by doing health screenings?
Schools are instrumental in teaching our children many important lessons needed for success. With the enormity of the obesity crisis in America, this may be one of the most important lessons students can learn from school.
Nutrition Specialist
“I'm on the Pill”
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Plenty of women have uttered this very phrase, but will men be joining us in the future? Guys, you just might.
Recently, there has been much discussion about and research for new contraceptive strategies, not only for women but for men as well. The options being investigated range from genetic contraception for females to a male form of the birth control pill. But don't get too excited just yet! There is still years of research required before anything is made available to the public, in addition to the dire need of funding so these studies can take place.
My fingers are crossed for a safe, revolutionary alternative with no annoying side effects!
What do you think of these new prospects?
Tracey, MS, RD
Nutrition Specialist
"Where there's a will, there's a way"
Labels: contraception
Will We be Able to Trust China Again?
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Finally, after so many incidents with China regarding contaminated food and tainted goods, this country and the Food and Drug Administration are coming to an agreement, by December of this year, regarding safety of food exports.The situations we have been experiencing lately are not new to our country. As a matter of fact, about a century and a half ago, the United States had the same poor reputation for substandard products. This was probably what prompted the eventual creation of the FDA. Its beginnings go back to 1862 when a chemist called Charles M. Wetherill was appointed by President Lincoln as the head of the Chemical Division in the newly created U. S. Department of Agriculture.
The FDA commissioner didn’t offer much detail about the agreement, but indicated "They are as concerned about confidence in the quality and safety of food and drugs, as we are in the United States.” Well, if I was China and had the potential of losing millions of US dollars to support the country’s economy, I would be worried too.
Ivelisse Colon, BS, LD/N
Nutrition Specialist
Take care, Take control and Enjoy!
Labels: Food Safety
Vitamin C: It Does Much More for Us than Prevent Colds!
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Now that the cold season is upon us, and like most people I assume, I usually load up on my Vitamin C supply. Yet, when I found out that it doesn't really prevent the common cold, but does have many other healthy benefits, my interest was still peaked!Labels: vitamins
Could Your Job Make you Depressed?
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According to a recent government report, depression is highest among U.S. workers who provide personal care and who work in the restaurant industry. Personally, I don't think the job is the major factor, but I can see how it could contribute to this disorder. So, before you blame your job, take a look at some of these contributing factors: family history, trauma and stress, and medical conditions. Most importantly, speak with your doctor if you are suffering from depression. Samantha, RD, LD/N
Nutrition Specialist
“We are all measured by inches, ages, numbers and all the outside things that don’t add up to who we are on the inside. So let your weight loss journey be one of self-acceptance every step of the way. If you are unhappy with yourself fifty pounds heavier you’ll probably feel the same way when you lose the weight. Happiness is not embedded in outward appearances.”
Labels: Mental Health, work
Drip-Feed of Vodka STAT!
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Imagine this scenario. You are a doctor in a hospital and you have a patient suffering from poisoning. You are successfully treating this patient, but all of a sudden the only supply that can inhibit the toxic effects of this poisoning runs out. What do you do?!
Well, this very situation occurred in an Italian hospital. The poisoning was caused by ingesting antifreeze and the treatment was pharmaceutical-grade alcohol. So, what did the doctors use instead? Vodka! These are my kind of doctors!
I won't be surprised if we see this on an episode of House or ER...
Tracey, MS, RD
Nutrition Specialist
"Where there's a will, there's a way"
Labels: alcohol, health care
Meet the Public Face of Anorexia
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At least until now! Although Anorexia Nervosa has been known for years, it hasn’t been until now that this eating disorder has brought so much public commotion around the world. This woman is Isabella Caro, and for those that don’t know about her, she just recently turned into the controversial public face of anorexia. Why, you may ask? In Italy, this is Milan Fashion Week, and the Italian designer, Nolita, has decided to celebrate it with various billboards and newspaper ads featuring Isabella to increase awareness about this eating disorder.
Isabella is a 27-year old French woman that has been dealing with anorexia since she was 13 years old. In the picture you see here, she was weighing about sixty-two pounds (28 kilograms) which shockingly has not been her lowest weight. Her daily diet consisted of 2 squares of chocolate and 5 corn flakes. At fifty-five pounds Isabella collapsed into a coma, but the doctors were able to pull her out of it, making her realize she wanted to live a better life.
For some, this brings awareness about the controversy in the modeling industry regarding the female image and how this eating disorder is more popular than what people initially thought. Sadly for others this campaign glorifies the disease, making her the image to achieve with so little fat.
Here in the Unites States it is estimated that about 0.5-1% of females develop Anorexia Nervosa. That may not sound much, but with a female population of 143.4 million (based on latest census), these numbers translate in about 717,000–1.43 million women and about 40% of these females are between 15-19 years old. Although most of the affected are women, about 10% of those diagnosed are males and the disorder has even been identified in children as young as 7 years old.
Take care, take control and Enjoy!
Labels: appetite, emotions, Media, Mental Health, weight loss
Salt, the New Trans Fat?
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The current recommendation for daily sodium intake is 2,300 mg or less, which is equal to a teaspoon of salt. Americans consume about 3,375 mg of sodium daily and 80% of this comes from processed foods. Eating out is also a culprit! It has long been known that when you have hypertension, lowering your salt intake can help lower your blood pressure. However, studies show that the reduction in blood pressure is minimal when compared to the reduction in risk for heart disease.
It seems that excessive sodium intake not only negatively affects blood pressure, but it also causes stiffening of the artery walls, damage to the heart muscle, and it may play a role in the insulin resistance epidemic which is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. So, while lowering your intake to the 2,300 mg a day is recommended, 1,500 mg can cut your risks even more! Read on to find out what experts say is the “bottom line”.
Renee Brunetti BS, LD/N, ACSM
Nutrition SpecialistIf you had one car to get around in your lifetime, how would you treat it?
Labels: heart healthy, salt
Chocolate Cravings, a Weakness or Bacteria-Induced?
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Good news to all of us chocoholics, there might be a reason for our chocolate cravings after all. Now we can say it is not due to a lack of self control, but attribute it to the type of bacteria found in our gut instead. I know, I know, one more excuse to have my afternoon treat. Well, then let's find out the complete story!According to MSN article “Chocolate cravings may be a real gut feeling,” the reason why we might eat chocolate on a daily basis could be due to the type of amino acids produced by the bacteria in our gut. A study conducted by Sunil Kochhar, involved in metabolic research at the Nestle research center in Switzerland, found that individuals that eat chocolate have a high content of glycine while those that do not eat chocolate had elevated levels of taurine.
Nutrition Specialist
"Thoughts determine what you want...Action determines what you get."
Yogurt with Fizz!
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Well, why stop there...how about carbonated juice? Carbonated juice, that sounds very much like soda. Maybe carbonated yogurt is not such a good idea after all.
If you want to get your kids to eat yogurt introduce it to them early on.
Michelle, DTR
Nutrition Specialist
“A good meal makes a man feel more charitable toward the world than any sermon.”
Labels: children
Watch Out for the Winter Time Blues!
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Now if the weather is not allowing you to get out side, remember to try and keep your window treatments open to let in some light...it can do wonders for your mental health and happiness!
It's one day at a time and that's what you need to concentrate on; each day that you do this will make you stronger for the next!
Labels: Mental Health
Baby On the Way? Seafood May Equal Brain Food
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Many pregnant women have become leery of eating too much fish and seafood during their pregnancy. In particular, the fear of high mercury levels attributed to fish and seafood has led many to the elimination of these from their diet. New studies are now cautioning women from such a drastic move. The Lancet, a medical journal, concluded that women who ate at least 12 ounces of fish per week ultimately gave birth to better developed and more intelligent children. Such studies linked omega-3 fatty acids, most commonly found in fish, to better brain development. Like most things in life, here too, the key is moderation.Jerri, DTR
Nutrition Specialist
You never know what you can do, unless you try!
Labels: mercury levels
People should be aware of both the risks and benefits of seafood. The decision of what fish to eat can be a challenge and often contradictory. At the very least, people should know that FDA and EPA have issued advisories about mercury contamination in commonly-sold fish. The problem is, this information is hard to find and is not usually available where it is most necessary: your supermarket.
Oceana, a conservation group, is trying to get major grocery companies to post this government advice at their seafood counters. Thanks, in part to their work, Whole Foods, Safeway stores, and Wild Oats voluntarily agreed to post the FDA’s recommendations and they have had positive responses from customers and no loss in seafood sales. But other companies like Wal-Mart, Costco, and Giant have refused to do so. Oceana has a list of which companies care about their customers’ health enough to post this advice, as well as a list of companies that don’t. You can get the Green List and Red List at their website.
Culinary Cuisine In a Hospital??
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The next time you get admitted to a hospital your palate may experience a whole array of new flavors of food! You may be wondering what has changed? It appears that more hospitals are catering to the need of their patients with a variety of gourmet meals. The best part is that you don't have to spend more for these meals! Anyone who works in a hospital environment knows that patient satisfaction is at the core of the overall patient care. Food is a major part of the healing process and is sometimes the only thing that patients can control during their stay. So, it's not surprising that if they dislike the food those patient satisfaction scores may take a beating.
I think it's a great idea that more hospitals are moving toward this type of service. Not only will the patients be happier with their selection, but the hospital actually saves! Most of these meals are a part of a room-service type of menu where items are made to order. So it reduces food waste if patients get food that they actually enjoy. This has win-win written all over it!
Nutrition Specialist
Labels: health care
Is it possible to reduce the boobs through exercise..if so please give me tips.
Substituting the Therapist’s Couch with a Computer
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In this day and age, technology is so present in our lives that more professionals are turning to it as a way to assist others, even if it means not seeing your therapist in person all the time. Last year, Britain’s National Health Service endorsed two Internet programs designed to help people with phobias, mild depression or panic attacks. One of them is called Fearfighter and it is as simple to use as any other on-line membership you may have.For those getting psychiatric counseling, this alternative is as easy as logging into the site with their username and the password (provided by their general physician) so they can access the program on-line. This is an option for those that want the anonymity or privacy that “computer therapy” can provide.
Still, the program is not authorized to prescribe any medications; you will need to talk to your psychologist about that one.
Fearfighter is based on more than 20 years of development and has been tested comprehensively in a variety of clinical trials showing that those using this kind of therapy had as much progress as those counseled by therapists face-to-face.
Ivelisse, BS, LD/N
Nutrition Specialist
Take care, take control and Enjoy!
Labels: internet, Mental Health
Introducing Probiotics: The Good Bacteria
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One of the latest trends in reducing infections, is the use of “probiotics”. Probiotics as defined by The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is “live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host.”With all the great benefits of probiotics the market is now saturated with new products containing them. However, Registered Dietitian, Carrie Miller advocates the best source of probiotic is from your food. Miller states, “when it comes in a food source, your body knows how to use it”. Yogurt is a great choice but all yogurts aren't created equal, “choose products made by companies invested in doing research on their products “said Mary Ellen Sanders, a microbiologist and leading expert on probiotics.
Michelle, DTR
Nutrition Specialist
“The best way out is always through”
Labels: bacteria
The President's Broken Promise: No Child Left Behind
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Support for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) was overwhelming as thousands gathered, joined by their children, outside the White House and Congress to rally for its expansion.
Carolyn Taylor, a working mother from Baltimore said, “He [President Bush] said there would be no child left behind. Well, we're getting left behind unless he continues SCHIP.” This program was created for those that fall 'in between' when it comes to health insurance...they earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to afford private insurance.
Unfortunately, the voices of these families and of its supporters in Congress fell on deaf ears. President Bush ultimately vetoed the bill that would have renewed and expanded SCHIP. Even more alarming, if the veto stands, there will be more children uninsured than before!!
After reading this article, I consider myself lucky to be able to afford private health insurance. I can only imagine the financial and emotional toll this will take on families nationwide. How can we stand for such neglect??!! I think it is time to be out with the old and in with the new.
I am eager to hear your thoughts too, so don't be shy.
Tracey, MS, RD
Nutrition Specialist
"Where there's a will, there's a way"
Labels: children, health care
I to was concerned when I saw the veto, until I saw the details of the plan. We need a better plan. I do not believe 20-25 year olds are children and I don't agree with the straight across the board income. I beleive the income amount needs to vary state to state. I also saw that one idea to pay for it was to increase the tax per gallon of gas from .40 to .90 a gallon. If they do that they will hurt the people they are trying to help! They need to know all the details not just another political tactic.
I agree with Kris. Besides - while I don't mind paying 'some' to assist those less fortunate, the more I end up paying makes ME one of the "less fortunate" !!
Additionally, how many of these are illegal aliens, who are also bleeding our health care system to death? My daughter is waiting for a bed in the one hospital that can do her surgery, but there are so many illegals there - there isn't the space!
Do we just keep 'giving' until we have given the entire country away? How long until 'The People' are no longer able to support the programs the 'government' puts in place? How long before there are more people on 'government assistance' than are off?
HOw can he do this??? Does he not care about the state of our nation? It seems he cares more about helping all of the illegal aliens survive here than he does about helping all of the American citizens who are in trouble and need the assistance. He is just giving it away to others. That is so unnerving. I am one of the people that qualify for the SCHIPS program and now, my kiddos wont have any thing when they get sick. What am I supposed to do now?
We somehow need to tell him we are mad as hell and aren't going to take it anymore, but what can we do?
STOP blaming "illegals". For once in his administration, the so-called president (I did not capitalize it on purpose) MUST take responsibility for his actions, and you should not lay this at any one else's feet but his. This is NOT a program for which one can become eligible if one is "illegal", so do not let your collective ignorance cause any of you to irrationally behave like the KKK and attempt to find a scapegoat. The only "goat" here is BUSH - the service-avoiding, drug-and-alcohol-abusing, illiterate, poorest excuse for a "leader" we've had since Hoover led us into the Depression.
Actually, I am disappointed in this entire subject. I was hoping this was one place I could go and not be subjected to the political bashing that engulfs all other forums I see. Yes, these issues involve all of us, but I did not sign up for eDiets to voice my political views or listen to others. I was a single mother for 16 years, I raised 4 daughters on a poverty income with no government assistence and little or no child support. They are now all either college grads or in college, paying for themselves, so I am as much or more aware of issues plaguing our children as anyone. However, there are places to voice these issues and I don't believe this is one.
Local Farmers Go GREEN!
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We all know what organic foods are and what criteria they must meet, but what on Earth is a “sustainable” food?Basically, these foods must be grown locally with reduction or total elimination of pesticides, at the same time conserving water and soil. It evens goes a step further to support your local farmers and makes sure their workers are treated fairly too!
So, leave it to our Canadian neighbors to be the first to go beyond the borders of organically farmed foods and produce just that...sustainable foods. I think this is great way to promote local economies and move towards becoming part of the GREEN movement for a cleaner environment. Hopefully, the United States will give this new method a go!
Wendy, BSc, DTR
Nutrition Specialist
"Thoughts determine what you want...Action determines what you get."
Labels: organic foods
Weight Loss Camps Hold Kids 100% Responsible for Their Own Health
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In real life, weight loss camps have sprung up around the country. These camps are successfully touching all aspects of wellness including nutrition education, fitness, behavioral change, and family involvement. Kids are being motivated to continue on with their weight loss and/or healthy behavior even after they leave the camp. That is true success!
One camp makes a contract with the child and the parent where they tell the parents to “no longer take the responsibility,” making the child fully accountable for their life. How about a parent's camp on how to teach your kids healthy habits from the beginning? After all, children learn by example.
Renee, BS, LD/N, ACSM
Nutrition Specialist
“If you had one car to get around in your lifetime, how would you treat it?”
Labels: children