Friday, September 30, 2011

Causes of Headaches in Children

Children Headache
Children are considered to be no less prone than adults to dull or throbbing pains of the head.

The Nemours Foundation suggests these common triggers of headaches in children:
  •  Getting insufficient sleep, or rapidly changing the patterns of sleep.
  •  Missing meals or becoming dehydrated.
  •  Taking certain medications.
  •  Being under stress.
  •  Experiencing hormonal changes.
  •  Spending too much time in front of the TV or computer.
  •  Receiving a mild head injury or having an infection.
  •  Spending a long time riding in the car.
  •  Inhaling strong odors.
  •  Smoking.
  •  Consuming caffeine.
Bookmark and Share

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Tips to Reduce In-Flight Ear Pain

Airplane Cartoon
Flying can cause discomfort in the ears, and can be especially painful to children with an ear infection.

The Nemours Foundation suggests following ways to help alleviate a child's ear pain during takeoff or landing, when changes in pressure are most likely to trigger ear pain:
  •  Offer plenty of water or other decaffeinated drinks.
  •  Give your child acetaminophen or ibuprofen about 30 minutes before takeoff or landing.
  •  If your child is at least 3 years old, offer a piece of gum or hard candy.
  •  Offer a baby a bottle or pacifier, or breast-feed.
  •  Encourage your child to yawn often.
  •  Keep your child awake during takeoff and landing, and encourage swallowing.

Bookmark and Share

Friday, September 2, 2011

Eating Walnuts Reduces Breast Cancer Risk

Health benefits of Walnuts
Though they are hard to crack, walnuts have a handful of medicinal values from curing headache and preventing baldness to having some influence on fertility. Now, a new research has revealed that eating a modest amount of walnuts as a regular part of the diet might reduce a woman's chance of developing breast cancer.

The researchers at the Marshall University found that a daily dose of walnuts - equal to 2 ounces a day in humans - reduces the growth of breast cancer tumors in mice.

Lead researcher Elaine Hardman, Ph.D., of Marshall's Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, and colleagues studied the mice from the mother, through conception and throughout life. They then compared mice given walnuts to those fed a regular diet.

They found that the group whose diet included walnut at both stages developed breast cancer at less than half the rate of the group with the standard diet.  In addition, the number of tumors and their sizes were significantly smaller.

"These reductions are particularly important when you consider that the mice were genetically programmed to develop cancer at a high rate," Hardman said.

"We were able to reduce the risk for cancer even in the presence of a preexisting genetic mutation," she added.  Using genetic analysis, they researchers found that the walnut-containing diet changed the activity of multiple genes that are relevant to breast cancer in both mice and humans.

Walnuts are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and phytosterols that may all reduce the risk of the disease.

"The results of this study indicate that increased consumption of walnut could be part of a healthy diet and reduce risk for cancer in future generations," she said. The study was funded by grants from the American Institute for Cancer Research and the California Walnut Commission. The study appears in the journal Nutrition and Cancer .  

Bookmark and Share