Search Results for: health diseases childhood diseases

Preschoolers’ Health Improving

Preschoolers aren’t getting any fatter, according to a new report. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just announced that the nation’s obesity epidemic has stabilized in the past five years among preschool-age children. According to researchers, 14.6 percent of 2- to 4-year-old children were obese in 2008, which is about the same as in 2003, but still higher than in 1998 when about 12 percent of preschoolers were obese. The CDC defines obesity as having a body mass index, which ranked at or above the 95th percentile on growth charts. Much has been made of preventing childhood obesity … Continue reading →

Facts About Breastfeeding

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New mothers need to decide if they want to breastfeed their baby or to give their baby formula. Each individual mom will make that chose based on their circumstances and their personal preferences. The World Health Organization (WHO) has some informative facts about breastfeeding. The WHO points out that breastfeeding for the first six months is crucial. They recommend that mothers initiate breastfeeding with one hour after birth. According to the WHO, infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development, and health. They also recommend that breastfeeding should continue for up … Continue reading →

The Glycemic Index Diet

The Glycemic Index Diet is based on the Glycemic Index. It is a way of looking at how the carbohydrates in foods affect blood glucose (or blood sugar) levels. Before starting a new diet, it is a good idea to speak with your doctor about it. What is the Glycemic Index Diet? The Glycemic Index Diet has also been called Sugar Busters, the Zone Diet, and Nutrisystem. The original version was called the “G.I. Diet”. Despite what people have been taught by the authors of those books, the Glycemic Index Diet was not intended to be a weight loss diet. … Continue reading →

Unvaccinated Children May be Suspended from School

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There is something new that parents may want to consider as they prepare their child for the upcoming school year. Some schools are suspending children who are unvaccinated. The purpose is to stop the spread of preventable childhood diseases. Parents who live in states that allow exemptions for vaccines can still make that choice. However, they should be aware that the exemption will not override the school’s right to protect students from the spread of diseases that can be prevented by vaccinations. Vaccines prevent diseases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) point out that some diseases, like polio … Continue reading →

Global Obesity Bigger Concern than Hunger

I often blog about hunger in my Green blog because not only are people all over the world going without food, there is hunger in America as well.  But, I also realize now that sometimes the lack of food also doesn’t mean out-and-out hunger but a lack of healthy food and some people who are from food-insecure homes are actually overweight. That may have something to do with a recent study conducted by almost 500 researchers for the Global Burden of Disease that said that globally, obesity is a bigger health concern than hunger. One of the co-authors of the … Continue reading →

Website Warned Over Misleading MMR Claims

A British website posted information that suggests that the MMR vaccine could be linked to autism. The Advertising Standards Authority ruled that this claim is misleading and must not appear on the website. This is one of many false claims regarding autism and vaccines made by that website. I’m going to make this perfectly clear. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) : “All reputable scientific studies have found no relationship between MMR vaccine and autism”. The Mayo Clinic says that there is no link between vaccines and autism. It goes on to say: “One of the greatest controversies … Continue reading →

Preschool Fitness

Children have enough energy for an army so we rarely think about focusing on a fitness routine. Yet, with the world becoming more sedentary, a rise in childhood obesity, and an increase in fast food and processed food consumption, preschool fitness is a concern. Even children as young as four years old are sitting far too long watching TV, playing video games, and snacking on sugary, chemical filled, high fat foods. If this continues the rise in childhood obesity will continue to rise along with childhood diseases like type 2 diabetes. We cannot sit by and watch this happen as … Continue reading →

How Many Children Are In Your Family?

The average number of children in an American family has changed over the years. This is due to many different factors. Right now, the average number is .94 (in other words, less than one child per family). Some families, like the Duggars, don’t match the current average. The average number of children in an American family is something that has changed over time. This is due to many different factors. In 1960, contraception became available for the first time. This allowed women to have some control over when they would start a family, and it also allowed them to space … Continue reading →

23andMe Gives 2011 State of the Database Report

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23andMe has posted their State of the Database Address on their blog. It has a lot of interesting data about the customers that use their service, and what their scientists have been up to with the data that customers provide. I find this interesting, considering all the warnings in the news that question the accuracy of home DNA kits. It seems that 23andMe is doing just fine. 23andMe is one of the companies that sell DNA testing kits to the general public. Genealogists tend to have in interest in the results that can be discovered through the use of these … Continue reading →

Does Someone in Your Family Stutter?

Stuttering is something that can run in families. The movie “The King’s Speech” has made a lot of people aware of what it is like to be a person who stutters. Some people stutter and grow out of it, while others continue to stutter into adulthood. It turns out that there are genetic links behind stuttering. Stuttering is a speech disorder. A person who stutters may repeat words, or entire phrases while speaking. The person may stretch out sounds for longer than necessary, or may experience “blocking”, which is the term used when a person tries to say something, but … Continue reading →