Search Results for: topic tag harmful

Can Mammograms Be Harmful?

I have been putting off my yearly mammogram. I’ve had one almost every year since I turned 40, as dictated by someone somewhere as the thing I was supposed to do. Recently, there has been some controversy as to whether the “need to start having mammograms” age was 40 or 50. Now, there is another controversy – that routine mammograms can cause breast cancers to be overly treated. Overly treated? If you have breast cancer, can treatment really be overly? Maybe not, but maybe so says Dr. H. Gilbert Welch, who recently coauthored an analysis of mammograms published in The … Continue reading →

Baby Blog Month in Review: August 2008

Isn’t it crazy the way babies grow so quickly? It seems that you just get used to one stage and boom they are already into another. Tonight, were busy getting the household all set for my eldest child’s first day of second grade. My two younger ones are excited and want to start school, too. It will be a busy month. Don’t worry about the missing last week of blogs. I’ve gotten quite a few questions about where I have been. The Baby Blog tends to go on hiatus the last week of the month. That may change in the … Continue reading →

Let’s Talk About Interviewing a Homebirth Midwife

Apart from fees and insurance inquiries, there are many questions to consider when seeking midwifery care. Consider asking the following questions when interviewing a homebirth midwife: 1) How many births have you attended, and how many were successful homebirths? What is your rate of transfer? Do you transfer if the mom desires pain relief, or only in emergencies? 2) Do you have references that I can contact? (It is always a good idea to call a few of the references provided.) 3) What are your expectations of clients during pregnancy? (This will probably be included in the provided reading material. … Continue reading →

What Your Second Grader Should Know: Science

Initial experiences in science should be all about observation. I personally believe that one reason kids tend not to do as well in science after 3rd grade is that they were never taught to observe properly. Before your child delves deeply into the world of scientific fact, encourage as much meaningful observation as possible. Ask questions like: describe, what, and show. Encourage details. Of course you will do experiments, and learn facts but your end goal should always be the detailed observation of what you’re studying. After your child starts to observe well, then you can start asking questions like … Continue reading →

Preparing to Parent Kids of a Different Race

For those of you who don’t know, my husband and I are about to bring home two children from two different continents. Our son is from Central America. He has medium brown skin, dark hair and dark eyes. Our daughter is from Africa. Her skin is a deeper brown and her eyes and hair are also dark. My husband, Scott, and I, on the other hand, are distinctly Caucasian. We both have light brown hair, light eyes and pale skin. Obviously, we aren’t exactly going to match our children when they come home. To Scott and I race doesn’t matter … Continue reading →

Will Tanning Help You Lose Weight?

For the many people who live in areas of the world that experience all four change of seasons, when the cold winter months are lurking around, many of us hibernate to the indoors and never see the sunlight. Due to this lifestyle, the vitamin D our bodies get from daily exposure to the sun is lessened and many individuals begin to suffer the effects from this loss. Even though there are warnings concerning the sun, our skin, and cancer; many doctor studies have recently discovered that the natural light from the sun is more helpful than harmful. The vitamin D … Continue reading →