All About Family and Health Blog

What Makes a Great Mother or Father? The Little Things

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Navarro) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 00:31:00 +0800

http://inspirationalparenting.com
By Taz, on June 21st, 2009

When I was in my twenties, my gaze was always focused on the big things—finding the “perfect” partner, the “to-die-for” job, the “huge” book deal, or getting into the “best” graduate school. Little things didn’t matter much; they were unnecessary distractions that I treated as rounding errors. I either ignored them or focused on what came before or after. Looking back, I can see that how deeply I was affected by films and operas. I was always waiting for the sweeping climax that would bring resolution, on a grand scale, to my life. I was young and eager to fit together the largest pieces of the puzzle of life, foolishly believing that the remaining bits didn’t matter.

But now that I’m well into my thirties, my view has switched. It’s as though someone pulled the telescope out of my hands and replaced it with a microscope. Now my life is all about the small things. My emotional landscape hinges on soft washes of color applied with the finest brushes. Faint details can render me feeling exalted or defeated. One stroke can make or break the image that I call my life.

This week was no different: The small things figured most prominently. My daughter Ayla learned to say “Up a tree,” her first three-word sentence used in the right context. She says it in our secret language—everyone else hears “Uh-tee” but I know she’s telling me that the chipmunk (“mah”) went up that tree. Ayla also learned how to wash her body in the bath. She waits for me to pour some baby wash into her hand and then scrubs her belly in large, rough circles. Tiny things, right? Nope. Only a parent knows that it’s northing short of a miracle when your child’s brain, muscles and synapses work in unison toward a common goal.

An even more infinitesimal highlight was when Ayla leaned over and kissed my entire face, articulating each kiss with a “mwa, mwa, mwa” sound. In that moment, my heart sung in sunny, optimistic chords. The joy of being kissed by your child, with such relish, brought to mind the beauty of the sun interacting with a cloud—and showering the earth with a spray of sunbeams—or the awe inspiring fan of mist that results when a thumb and water-hose meet at just the right angle.

The low points were just as microscopic. I’ve been struggling to organize a childcare coop with some local parents, and this week brought a few unexpected delays. In a year, I’ll look back and wonder why these events nearly crippled me. But right now, creating a childcare model that matches my aspirations for Ayla’s care means everything to me. The critical email I received from a prospective employee made me doubt my vision. A promise to participate in the coop that was nearly revoked filled me with despair—would I be able to find an adequate replacement? Or more importantly, did I have the will to keep trying until we finally got this Utopian model to work?

Ten years ago, I would have swatted away both setbacks like a fly that got through a hole in the windscreen. In my twenties I would have declared both individuals “crazy” for not wanting to participate and immediately replaced them. I would have stayed focused on the big picture, the grand payoff at the end.

But parenthood has turned everything upside down. The supposedly big news I received this week—that I finally found a publisher for a leadership book I’ve been writing with a friend for nearly four years—barely made an imprint on my emotional landscape. “I can’t deal with this now,” were my exact thoughts after receiving the great news. Most writers live and die for each book deal, and I was no different pre-Ayla. But now I know that I can’t tackle a book until I’ve got the small details worked out. Until I know that Ayla is well cared for in my absence, I won’t be able to write anything of value and offer it to the world.

Some days I wonder whether our perspective keeps shifting, from large to small and back again, or whether it grows more refined over time. Do the big things cease to matter at a certain stage in life? Is God really in the details? Objectively speaking, I know that I haven’t got any of the “big” things right. The perfect job, relationship and book continue to elude me. But in those small spaces of time in my day when I’ve got nothing to do, I feel a big happiness well up inside me, that reminds that I must be doing something—however small—just right.

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The 10 Healthiest Foods on the Planet

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Navarro) — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 23:30:00 +0800

These 10 superfoods are proven, expert-beloved disease fighters and energy boosters. Add them to your meals and get on the fast track to a super-healthy body.

1) Lemons

Why They're Healthy:

-- Just one lemon has more than 100 percent of your daily intake of vitamin C, which may help increase "good" HDL cholesterol levels and strengthen bones.

-- Citrus flavonoids found in lemons may help inhibit the growth of cancer cells and act as an anti-inflammatory.

Quick Tip:

Add a slice of lemon to your green tea. One study found that citrus increases your body's ability to absorb the antioxidants in the tea by about 80 percent.

2) Broccoli

Why It's Healthy:
-- One medium stalk of broccoli contains more than 100 percent of your daily vitamin K requirement and almost 200 percent of your recommended daily dose of vitamin C -- two essential bone-building nutrients.

-- The same serving also helps stave off numerous cancers.

Quick Tip:
Zap it! Preserve up to 90 percent of broccoli's vitamin C by microwaving. (Steaming or boiling holds on to just 66 percent of the nutrient.)

3) Dark Chocolate

Why It's Healthy:
-- Just one-fourth of an ounce daily can reduce blood pressure in otherwise healthy individuals.

-- Cocoa powder is rich in flavonoids, antioxidants shown to reduce "bad" LDL cholesterol and increase "good" HDL levels.

Quick Tip:
A dark chocolate bar contains about 53.5 milligrams of flavonoids; a milk chocolate bar has fewer than 14.

4) Potatoes

Why They're Healthy:
-- One red potato contains 66 micrograms of cell-building folate -- about the same amount found in one cup of spinach or broccoli.

-- One sweet potato has almost eight times the amount of cancer-fighting and immune-boosting vitamin A you need daily.

Quick Tip:

Let your potato cool before eating. Research shows that doing so can help you burn close to 25 percent more fat after a meal, thanks to a fat-resistant starch.

5) Salmon

Why It's Healthy:
-- A great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been linked to a reduced risk of depression, heart disease, and cancer.

-- A 3-ounce serving contains almost 50 percent of your daily dose of niacin, which may protect against Alzheimer's disease and memory loss.

Quick Tip:
Opt for wild over farm-raised, which contains 16 times as much toxic polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) as wild salmon.

6) Walnuts

Why They're Healthy:
-- Contain the most omega-3 fatty acids, which may help reduce cholesterol, of all nuts.

-- Omega-3s have been shown to improve mood and fight cancer; they may protect against sun damage, too (but don't skip the SPF!).

Quick Tip:
Eat a few for dessert: The antioxidant melatonin, found in walnuts, helps to regulate sleep.

7) Avocados

Why They're Healthy:
-- Rich in healthy, satisfying fats proven in one study to lower cholesterol by about 22 percent.

-- One has more than half the fiber and 40 percent of the folate you need daily, which may reduce your risk of heart disease.

Quick Tip:
Adding it to your salad can increase the absorption of key nutrients like beta-carotene by three to five times compared with salads without this superfood.

8) Garlic

Why It's Healthy:
-- Garlic is a powerful disease fighter that can inhibit the growth of bacteria, including E. coli.

-- Allicin, a compound found in garlic, works as a potent anti-inflammatory and has been shown to help lower cholesterol and blood-pressure levels.

Quick Tip:
Crushed fresh garlic releases the most allicin. Just don't overcook; garlic exposed to high heat for more than 10 minutes loses important nutrients.

9) Spinach

Why It's Healthy:
-- Spinach contains lutein and zeaxanthin, two immune-boosting antioxidants important for eye health.

-- Recent research found that among cancer-fighting fruits and veggies, spinach is one of the most effective.

Quick Tip:
Spinach is a healthy -- and flavorless -- addition to any smoothie. You won't taste it, we promise! Try blending 1 cup spinach, 1 cup grated carrots, 1 banana, 1 cup apple juice, and ice.

10) Beans

Why They're Healthy:
-- Eating a serving of legumes (beans, peas, and lentils) four times a week can lower your risk of heart disease by 22 percent.

-- That same habit may also reduce your risk of breast cancer.

Quick Tip:
The darker the bean, the more antioxidants it contains. One study found that black bean hulls contain 40 times the amount of antioxidants found in white bean hulls.

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Originally published in FITNESS magazine, October 2008.
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com

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35 Power Foods To Include in Your Diet

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Navarro) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 09:29:00 +0800

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/prevention/nutrition/35powerfoods.aspx

Power foods are items you should include in your diet that give you:

The richest amount of nutrients,
The least amount of calories,
And the most health benefits
To decrease your risk of heart disease

1) Asparagus

Rich in : B6, folate, fiber

Asparagus Recipe

Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 bunch of medium sized asparagus, about 1 lb
2 Tbsp of the most exquisite extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon lemon zest - freshly grated lemon rind
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1) Prepare the asparagus by rinsing them thoroughly, break off any tough, white bottoms and discard. Cut into 1 to 2 inch sections, slicing the asparagus at a slight diagonal.

2) Fill a medium sized saucepan half way with water, bring to a boil. Add the asparagus and reduce heat slightly to a simmer. Parboil the asparagus for exactly 2 minutes. Drain the hot water. While the asparagus are still hot, toss them in a bowl with the olive oil, Parmesan, and lemon rind. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or room temperature.

Note that when you are working with so few ingredients, it's important to make sure they are of the highest quality.

Yield : Serves 4.

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Recipe from SimplyRecipes.com

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2) Bell Peppers

Rich in : B1, B2, B6, folate, C, fiber

Three Pepper Salad Recipe

Recipe Type: Salad, Sweet Bell Peppers, onion, Diet
Yields: 6 to 8 servings
Prep time: 15 min

Ingredients:

1 red sweet pepper, cored and seeded
1 yellow sweet pepper, cored and seeded
1 orange sweet pepper, cored and seeded
1 small sweet onion (Walla Walla, Vidalia, or Maui), peeled
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or fresh basil leaves
Coarse salt and freshly-ground black pepper
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

Preparation:

Slice sweet peppers into matchstick-size pieces and place in a large bowl.

Slice onion into matchstick-size pieces and add to the bowl. Add parsley or basil. Sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper. Add rice vinegar and sesame oil, stirring to mix well.

Cover and refrigerate approximately 1 hour before serving. To serve, toss salad again and sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.

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Recipe from WhatsCookingAmerica.net

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3) Bok Choy

Rich in : B6, C, K, Calcium, fiber

Baby Bok Choy with Garlic and Shrimp Recipe

Ingredients:

4 oz. bok choy mui/baby bok choi (cleaned and rinsed)
1/8 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 tablespoon oil
1/4 cup peeled baby shrimps
3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)

Method:

Heat up a wok with the cooking oil and saute the chopped garlic until light brown or aromatic. Add the baby shrimps and stir-fry until the shrimps are half-cooked. Add in a pinch of salt to the shrimp, and then follow by the baby bok choy. Quickly stir-fry the vegetables, dish out and serve hot.

Cook’s Notes - Do not overcook your vegetables. They should retain the vitality and crunchiness.

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Recipe from RasaMalaysia.com
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4) Broccoli

Rich in : B6, C, E, K, folate, fiber

Beef and Broccoli Salad

Ingredients:

4 (6-ounce) pieces of beef tenderloin steak, 1-inch thick

    Salt and pepper
    Vegetable oil cooking spray
    1 head broccoli, stem trimmed of fiberous skin, cut in florets and
              stem cut into chunks
    1 sack mixed baby greens, 6 to 8 ounces
    1 red bell pepper, seeded and very thinly sliced
    4 scallions, sliced on an angle, 1-inch pieces
    1 cup pea pods, sliced on an angle
    1 cup shredded carrots
    8 hot cherry peppers or pepperoncini, chopped
    2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves, optional

Dressing:

    1/4 cup duck sauce or sweet and sour sauce
    1-inch ginger root, finely chopped
    1 lime, juiced
    2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or white vinegar
    1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
    1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

Preheat grill pan over high heat. Season steak with salt and pepper. Spray grill pan with cooking spray. Grill meat 3 to 5 minutes per side for medium rare to medium well doneness. Remove meat and let stand 10 minutes.

In a pan, bring 1-inch of water to a bubble. Add a pinch of salt and broccoli pieces and steam for 3 to 5 minutes, until cooked but still firm. In the sink, drain broccoli in colander and run cold water over it to cool.

Arrange greens on large platter or individual dinner plates. Arrange broccoli and veggies on greens. Combine duck or sweet and sour sauce with ginger, lime juice, vinegar, crushed pepper flakes. Whisk in oil. Slice steaks and arrange on salad and drizzle completed dish with dressing. Season with additional salt and pepper.

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Recipe from FoodNetwork.com

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5) Carrots

Rich in : A, C, Fiber, carotenoids*

*What's a carotenoid? A carotenoid is a type of phytochemical, which has strong anti-oxidant effect. You may be familiar with beta-carotene, one of the 600 known carotenoids. A diet, rich in carotenoids, helps to protect against cancer and heart disease and contribute to healthy eyes.

*What's a phytochemical? A phytochemical is a plant chemical that helps to keep plants healthy. These are now thought to help humans protect against disease and boost the immune system.

Glazed Carrots Recipe

Ingredients:

3 cups carrots, diced bite size
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar
salt

Directions:

You can scale this recipe up or down really easy. You don’t even need to
deal with fractions on the ingredients. I love that. Just peel as many
carrots as your family would eat, dice them, and measure how much you’ve
got. Then get one tablespoon each of butter and brown sugar for each cup
of carrots.

Melt the butter on high heat, add the carrots, salt to taste and stir to
coat all the carrots with butter, and then often enough to keep the butter
from scorching. As soon as the carrots start to change color (they’ll get
a little darker) add the sugar and stir until it’s dissolved.

Add enough water to just barely cover the carrots and reduce the heat to a
simmer. Stir occasionally as the water reduces, until there is almost no
syrup left in the pan, and it’s all on the carrots. Pour out into your
serving dish and pour over any remaining syrup.

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Recipe from EatWithoutGuilt.com
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6) Garlic, onions, leeks, shallots

Rich in : Phytochemicals (A phytochemical is a plant chemical that helps to keep plants healthy. These are now thought to help humans protect against disease and boost the immune system) and fiber

Baked Parmesan Garlic Chicken Wings Recipe

Ingredients :

1 teaspoon dried oregano1 teaspoon dried rosemary1/2 teaspoon ground cumin1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt (1/2 tsp table salt)2 1/2 pounds chicken wings2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (or melted butter)2 tablespoons minced fresh basil2 garlic cloves, finely minced1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt (like Lawry's)1 cup blue cheese dressing1-2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (or to taste)

Directions :

1. Preheat oven to 425F. In a small bowl, mix together the oregano, rosemary, cumin and salt. Lay the chicken wings on a baking sheet and season the chicken wings with this mixture.

2. Bake the chicken wings for 20-25 minutes. While the chicken is baking, mix together the oil, fresh basil, garlic, parmesan cheese and seasoning salt.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the blue cheese dressing with the mustard (this is your dipping sauce)

4. When the chicken is cooked through, toss the wings with the garlic/cheese/olive oil (or butter) sauce. Serve with the blue cheese/mustard dressing.
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Recipe from YouLovePizza.com
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Fried Red Onions Recipe

Many recipes start with frying onions and then adding other ingredients, but if you really like sauteed onions, you can make it as a stand-alone side dish! If you are always sneaking the onions from the frying pan, this recipe is for you :)

Ingredients For Fried Red Onions :

Red onions
Oil
Salt to taste

Directions For Fried Red Onions :
Slice red onions. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add red onion slices and stir. Reduce heat to medium, and fry the red onions, stirring periodically, for 10 minutes, or until desired doneness. Add salt to taste.

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Recipe from MelanieCooks.com
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Leeks served with a Kumquat Clementine Vinaigrette

Ingredients

Yields: 4

6 leeks
1 shallot
1/2 tsp brown sugar
3 Tbs Meyer lemon juice, freshly squeezed
3 clementines

4 kumquats
1/2 tsp fleur de sel
2 tsp superfine sugar
1 Tbs white balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs coarse-grained Dijon mustard
1/3 cup olive oil
1/8 tsp white peppercorns, freshly ground
1 Tbs parsley, coarsely chopped

How to prepare the leeks :
Trim the hairy root but make sure not to cut so high that all the leaves separate. Cut about 4 inches off of the long dark green top part of the leek as well. It's very fibrous and not as tender. You can save it for a vegetable stock. Remove a layer or two if the leaves are wilted.

Fill a big bucket of water. Place all the leeks in. Try to open up the leaves and remove all the sand and dirt. Make sure the center portion is still intact so the vegetable still holds together. Wash the leeks again under cold running tap water, there might still be more sand.

Bring a pot filled with water to a boil. Add the steamer insert and place all the leeks in the steamer and steam for about 15 minutes (depending on how wide the leeks are).

How to pickle the shallot :
Peel and thinly slice the shallot. Mince the shallot finely. Place the minced shallot in a bowl, sprinkle some brown sugar and drizzle with the Meyer lemon juice. Set aside.
The vinaigrette :
In a bowl, dissolve the sugar in the white balsamic vinegar. Add the mustard. Set aside.

Peel the kumquat. Thinly slice the kumquat zest. Save a few slices for decoration. Finely chop the rest of the zest.

Juice the clementines. Be sure to remove the pulp using a strainer. Place the clementine juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then immediately lower the heat to a gentle simmer for about less than 5 minutes. Add the chopped kumquat zest. The liquid should reduce to about a tablespoon of clementine juice. Remove from the heat. Add the fleur de sel and whisk in the olive oil immediately while the juice is still hot. Add the mustard / balsamic vinegar mixture. Add the pickled shallot without its lemony liquid. Finish with white pepper.
Assembly time :
Place the leeks. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Sprinkle with parsley.
You're all set. Dig in!
Tips :

If you don't have clementines, you can substitute with one orange or any other sweet citrus.

You don't have to use white balsamic vinegar but for the aesthetic of the dish, a white vinegar is advised.You can add more vinegar if your clementine reduction is very sweet.

I absolutely love kumquats. I've made some kumquat marmelade already, an agave blended homemade yogurt with kumquat preserves, some caramelized kumquats for a green salad and some baby zucchini-kumquat relish that I served with some fish. If you guys have any suggestions on recipes that use kumquats, I'm all ears. Do not hesitate to leave me a message.

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Recipe from PhamFatale.com
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to continue .....
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11 Vitamin C - Rich Foods That Are Natural Fat Burners

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Navarro) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 01:04:00 +0800

By Lauren Gelman - Reader's Digest

As cold and flu season winds down and bathing suit season picks up, get to know the surprising fat burner qualities of immunity-boosting vitamin C

In addition to fighting colds, vitamin C helps create collagen (and plays a role in healthy skin), may protect the heart, and helps destroy free radicals associated with certain cancers. But the new research on vitamin C as a fat burner is so promising that we named it one of 13 fat releasing foods in our Digest Diet book.

Most Americans consume too little vitamin C, and one study showed that adults deficient or depleted of vitamin C may be more resistant to losing fat. Conversely, people who had adequate vitamin C levels burned 30 percent more fat during a bout of exercise than those low in C! Munching on more of the following fruits and veggies can help you meet the daily recommended intake, which is 75 milligrams for women and 90 for men.

Vitamin C level: 188 mg
Serving: 1 fruit
Try it : Pineapple Papaya Slaw

Bell Peppers

Vitamin C level: 117 mg
Serving: 1 cup raw 
Try it : Turkey-Stuffed Bell Peppers

Strawberries

Vitamin C level: 85 mg
Serving: 1 cup
Try it : Strawberry Mango Sorbet

Broccoli

Vitamin C level: 81 mg
Serving: 1 cup raw
Try it : Cajun Spiced Broccoli

Pineapple

Vitamin C level: 79 mg
Serving: 1 cup
Try it : Bean and Pineapple Soft Tacos

Brussels Sprouts

Vitamin C level: 75 mg
Serving: 1 cup raw
Try it : Savory Brussels Sprouts

Kiwifruit

Vitamin C level: 72 mg
Serving: 1 fruit
Try it : Kiwi Lime Gelatin

Orange

Vitamin C level: 70 mg
Serving: 1 fruit
Try it : Citrus Cornmeal Cake

Kale

Vitamin C level: 53 mg
Serving: 1 cup cooked
Try it : Penne With Kale and Onion

Cauliflower

Vitamin C level: 52 mg
Serving: 1 cup raw
Try it : Cauliflower au Gratin

Tomato

Vitamin C level: 23 mg
Serving: 1 cup
Try it : Herb-Topped Stuffed Tomatoes

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Childhood Asthma : What You Need to Know

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Navarro) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 01:23:00 +0800

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Article from Everydayhealth.com
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Childhood Asthma : What You Need to Know - Find out what you should know about this widespread disorder

Asthma affects nearly nine million children in the United States, making it the most widespread chronic pediatric disorder. In four out of five cases, symptoms of childhood asthma develop before age 5. "Twenty percent of children at age 4 have allergies, and about 40 percent of 6-year-olds do," says Paul Ehrlich, MD, clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at the NYU School of Medicine. "Some of these children go on to have chronic asthma because their airways can't handle all the mucus — and some of them never get rid of it." Dealing with your child's respiratory problems aggressively and early on is essential for keeping permanent problems at bay.

Causes and Prevention of Childhood Asthma 
"Childhood asthma is not really a disease as much as it is various types of respiratory problems that we've grouped together," says Dr. Ehrlich. "Some children have regular asthma, which is inflammation of the airways, and some just have respiratory problems, meaning they're usually fine but get inflammation in the lungs when they get an infection."

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Do You Want To Cure Asthma Naturally ?
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While it's widely agreed upon that genetic predisposition is a central factor in the development of asthma — the risk of asthma increases if one or both parents have asthma — the literature remains divided about how to prevent the development of such respiratory problems. "Some studies suggest that exposure to allergens in small amounts will allow children to deal better as they get older — but that has yet to be proven," says Ehrlich.

There is evidence supporting the "hygiene hypothesis," which places infants' reduced exposure to certain bacteria at the root of the increase in childhood asthma. Additionally, there have been studies showing that early exposure to triggers such as infection in childhood may decrease the chance of developing asthma. For example, a 2008 study that followed 922 children found that 5-year-olds in day care (which was used as a measure for exposure to infection) were significantly less at risk for wheezing than those not in daycare.

In other cases, keeping children with asthma away from environmental allergens like dust mites and pollens prevented allergen-induced asthma, according to David Resnick, MD, director of the Allergy Division at the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital in New York. Dr. Resnick says that type of asthma is more likely in children and young adults ages 5 to 20. "As people get older they may lose their allergy-induced asthma," he says.

Treatment of Childhood Asthma 
"Treatment options for children with asthma are very similar to those for adults," says Resnick. "We always talk about avoiding allergen triggers — that's the first therapy." While the types of medications recommended for treating adults and children with asthma are the same, the devices differ for very young children. "A 1- or 2-year-old can't use an inhaler, so you may need to use a nebulizer, in which you aerosol the treatment and they breathe it in," Resnick notes. These inhaled medications include steroids like fluticasone, mometasone, or budesonide to reduce inflammation and can be taken in combination with a beta-agonist, or bronchodilator medication that allows the muscles in the airways to relax. "We also sometimes prescribe daily preventive medications such as Singulair, which come in chewable tablets," adds Resnick.

Managing Childhood Asthma at School 
"The teacher needs to be educated about symptoms and when to send a child to the nurse," says Resnick. "Most school nurses have written orders on each child and how to administer meds. They will treat them at school and call the physician." Ehrlich points out that teachers must be aware of more than just the standard coughing and wheezing that indicate an asthma attack. "If a normally disruptive child isn't being disruptive one day, it could be because he's breathing at 30 to 40 times a minute and is exhausted," he says. "The best thing to do is to know who the asthmatic children are and keep an eye on them."

It's also important for teachers and parents to keep the emotional aspects of childhood asthma in mind. "A child with asthma goes out at recess and sits down and doesn't get involved with other children," says Ehrlich. "The kids may say, 'I don't want to deal with him, he's not involved with us,' and this may contribute to the child not being part of class — he can get lost." Not only does a child risk stigma at recess, there's the possibility of having to avoid certain foods or even miss days of school because of the condition.

Research has also shown that kids with asthma more frequently have ADD/ADHD, depression, behavioral disorders, and learning disabilities, as well as poorer school attendance. Children with asthma were also found to be bullied more often than their healthy peers, and are more likely to abuse drugs. Even when controlling for socioeconomic factors, having asthma significantly increases the odds of developmental, emotional, and behavioral problems.

The good new is that if dealt with properly, these risks are reduced. "If children use their preventive medications, they rarely have breakthrough attacks," Resnick says. "A great majority of our patients are not limited at all."

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Tired of inhalers, nebulizers, and steroids? Cure asthma naturally!

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Quotations About Mothers

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Navarro) — Mon, 9 Apr 2012 22:44:00 +0800

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An Article From QuoteGarden.com
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A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~Tenneva Jordan

Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs in my field, since the payment is pure love. ~Mildred B. Vermont

A suburban mother's role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car forever after. ~Peter De Vries

The phrase "working mother" is redundant. ~Jane Sellman

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new. ~Rajneesh

If the whole world were put into one scale, and my mother in the other, the whole world would kick the beam. ~Lord Langdale (Henry Bickersteth)

I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life. ~Abraham Lincoln

Some mothers are kissing mothers and some are scolding mothers, but it is love just the same, and most mothers kiss and scold together. ~Pearl S. Buck

If you have a mom, there is nowhere you are likely to go where a prayer has not already been. ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com

A Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean your mother. ~Author Unknown

Sweater, n.: garment worn by child when its mother is feeling chilly. ~Ambrose Bierce

Women's Liberation is just a lot of foolishness. It's the men who are discriminated against. They can't bear children. And no one's likely to do anything about that. ~Golda Meir

The real religion of the world comes from women much more than from men - from mothers most of all, who carry the key of our souls in their bosoms. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness. ~Honoré de Balzac

All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his. ~Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest, 1895

He is a poor son whose sonship does not make him desire to serve all men's mothers. ~Harry Emerson Fosdick

Thou art thy mother's glass, and she in thee
Calls back the lovely April of her prime.
~William Shakespeare

An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy. ~Spanish Proverb

She never quite leaves her children at home, even when she doesn't take them along. ~Margaret Culkin Banning

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child. ~Sophia Loren, Women and Beauty

If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands? ~Milton Berle

Motherhood is priced Of God,
at price no man may dare
To lessen or misunderstand.
~Helen Hunt Jackson

Mothers are fonder than fathers of their children because they are more certain they are their own. ~Aristotle

Women are aristocrats, and it is always the mother who makes us feel that we belong to the better sort. ~John Lancaster Spalding

Motherhood has a very humanizing effect. Everything gets reduced to essentials. ~Meryl Streep

The sweetest sounds to mortals given
Are heard in Mother, Home, and Heaven.
~William Goldsmith Brown

What are Raphael's Madonnas but the shadow of a mother's love, fixed in permanent outline forever? ~Thomas Wentworth Higginson

The formative period for building character for eternity is in the nursery. The mother is queen of that realm and sways a scepter more potent than that of kings or priests. ~Author Unknown

Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible. ~Marion C. Garretty, quoted in A Little Spoonful of Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul

I love my mother as the trees love water and sunshine - she helps me grow, prosper, and reach great heights. ~Terri Guillemets

[A] mother is one to whom you hurry when you are troubled. ~Emily Dickinson

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts. ~Washington Irving

Any mother could perform the jobs of several air traffic controllers with ease. ~Lisa Alther

Now, as always, the most automated appliance in a household is the mother. ~Beverly Jones

That best academy, a mother's knee. ~James Russell Lowell

A mother's arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them. ~Victor Hugo

Grown don't mean nothing to a mother. A child is a child. They get bigger, older, but grown? What's that suppose to mean? In my heart it don't mean a thing. ~Toni Morrison, Beloved, 1987

The only mothers it is safe to forget on Mother's Day are the good ones. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960

There is an instinct in a woman to love most her own child - and an instinct to make any child who needs her love, her own. ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com

Mommies are just big little girls. ~Author Unknown

A mom's hug lasts long after she lets go. ~Author Unknown

Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn,
Hundreds of bees in the purple clover,
Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn,
But only one mother the wide world over.
~George Cooper

A mother's happiness is like a beacon, lighting up the future but reflected also on the past in the guise of fond memories. ~Honoré de Balzac

A mother's heart is a patchwork of love. ~Author Unknown

A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands. But a mother's love endures through all. ~Washington Irving

A mom forgives us all our faults, not to mention one or two we don't even have. ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com

My mother is a poem
I'll never be able to write,
though everything I write
is a poem to my mother.
~Sharon Doubiago

You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool mom. ~Author Unknown

With what price we pay for the glory of motherhood. ~Isadora Duncan

One good mother is worth a hundred schoolmasters. ~George Herbert

There's nothing like a mama-hug. ~Terri Guillemets

Who fed me from her gentle breast
And hushed me in her arms to rest,
And on my cheek sweet kisses prest?
My Mother.
~Anne Taylor

Mother's love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved. ~Erich Fromm

Mother is a verb, not a noun. ~Proverb

Who ran to help me when I fell,
And would some pretty story tell,
Or kiss the place to make it well?
My mother.
~Ann Taylor

Mother - that was the bank where we deposited all our hurts and worries. ~T. DeWitt Talmage

Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn't know you had, and dealing with fears you didn't know existed. ~Linda Wooten

The precursor of the mirror is the mother's face. ~D.W. Winnicott, Playing and Reality, 1971

The mother of boys work son-up to son-down. ~Author Unknown

Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children. ~William Makepeace Thackeray

A daughter is a mother's gender partner, her closest ally in the family confederacy, an extension of her self. And mothers are their daughters' role model, their biological and emotional road map, the arbiter of all their relationships. ~Victoria Secunda

Mother's love grows by giving. ~Charles Lamb

I miss thee, my Mother! Thy image is still
The deepest impressed on my heart.
~Eliza Cook

The tie which links mother and child is of such pure and immaculate strength as to be never violated. ~Washington Irving

A mom reads you like a book, and wherever she goes, people read you like a glowing book review. ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com

I cannot forget my mother. [S]he is my bridge. When I needed to get across, she steadied herself long enough for me to run across safely. ~Renita Weems

A little girl, asked where her home was, replied, "where mother is." ~Keith L. Brooks

Youth fades; love droops; the leaves of friendship fall; A mother's secret hope outlives them all. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

Most of all the other beautiful things in life come by twos and threes, by dozens and hundreds. Plenty of roses, stars, sunsets, rainbows, brothers and sisters, aunts and cousins, comrades and friends - but only one mother in the whole world. ~Kate Douglas Wiggin

If I was damned of body and soul,
I know whose prayers would make me whole,
Mother o' mine, O mother o'mine.
~Rudyard Kipling

Whatever else is unsure in this stinking dunghill of a world a mother's love is not. ~James Joyce

My mother had a slender, small body, but a large heart - a heart so large that everybody's joys found welcome in it, and hospitable accommodation. ~Mark Twain

It's not easy being a mother. If it were easy, fathers would do it. ~From the television show The Golden Girls

The mother's heart is the child's school-room. ~Henry Ward Beecher

Women know
The way to rear up children (to be just)
They know a simple, merry, tender knack
Of tying sashes, fitting baby shoes,
And stringing pretty words that make no sense,
And kissing full sense into empty words.
~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Mother, the ribbons of your love are woven around my heart. ~Author Unknown

How beautifully everything is arranged by Nature; as soon as a child enters the world, it finds a mother ready to take care of it. ~Jules Michelet

The desolation and terror of, for the first time, realizing that the mother can lose you, or you her, and your own abysmal loneliness and helplessness without her. ~Francis Thompson

My mom is literally a part of me. You can't say that about many people except relatives, and organ donors. ~Carrie Latet

Every beetle is a gazelle in the eyes of its mother. ~Moorish Proverb

All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother. ~Abraham Lincoln

No painter's brush, nor poet's pen
In justice to her fame
Has ever reached half high enough
To write a mother's name.
~Author Unknown

Women who miscalculate are called mothers. ~Abigail Van Buren

A man's work is from sun to sun, but a mother's work is never done. ~Author Unknown

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
I am my mother after all.
~Author Unknown

One of the very few reasons I had any respect for my mother when I was thirteen was because she would reach into the sink with her bare hands - bare hands - and pick up that lethal gunk and drop it into the garbage. To top that, I saw her reach into the wet garbage bag and fish around in there looking for a lost teaspoon. Bare hands - a kind of mad courage. ~Robert Fulghum

One lamp - thy mother's love - amid the stars
Shall lift its pure flame changeless, and before
The throne of God, burn through eternity -
Holy - as it was lit and lent thee here.
~Nathaniel Parker Willis

No one in the world can take the place of your mother. Right or wrong, from her viewpoint you are always right. She may scold you for little things, but never for the big ones. ~Harry Truman

God could not be everywhere, so he created mothers. ~Jewish Proverb

Perhaps we are given a mom that we might take into death the memory of a lullaby. ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com

Life is the fruit she longs to hand you,
Ripe on a plate.
And while you live,
Relentlessly she understands you.
~Phyllis McGinley

All mothers are working mothers. ~Author Unknown

Because I feel that in the heavens above
The angels, whispering one to another,
Can find among their burning tears of love,
None so devotional as that of "Mother,"
Therefore, by that dear name I have long called you,
You who are more than mother unto me.
~Edgar Allan Poe

Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother. ~Oprah Winfrey

A man loves his sweetheart the most, his wife the best, but his mother the longest. ~Irish Proverb

Mother's Love - A Must Read For All Mothers

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Navarro) — Mon, 9 Apr 2012 22:30:00 +0800

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Article from inspirational-short-stories.com
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This is one of the most beautiful stories about mothers love. It was written for Good Housekeeping Magazine in 1933 by Temple Bailey. This is a story we should all read once in a while so we remember to respect our mothers for their love and guidance.

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"Is this the long way?" asked the young mother as she set her foot on the path of life. And the Guide said:

"Yes, and the way is hard, and you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning."

The young mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years. So she played with her children, she fed them and bathed them, taught them how to tie their shoes and ride a bike, and reminded them to feed the dog and do their homework and brush their teeth. The sun shone on them and the young mother cried,

"Nothing will ever be lovelier than this."

Then the nights came, and the storms, and the path was sometimes dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew them close and covered them with her arms. The children said,
"Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come."

And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary, and the mother was weary. But at all times she said to the children,

"A little patience and we are there."

So the children climbed and as they climbed they learned to weather the storms. And with this, she gave them strength to face the world. Year after year she showed them compassion, understanding, hope, but most of all unconditional love. And when they reached the top they said,

"Mother, we could not have done it without you."

The days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years. The mother grew old and she became little and bent. But her children were tall and strong, and walked with courage. And the mother, when she lay down at night, looked up at the stars and said:

"This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned so much and are now passing these traits on to their children."

And when the way became rough for her, they lifted her, and gave her strength, just as she had given them hers. One day they came to a hill, and beyond the hill they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide. And Mother said,

"I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk with dignity and pride, with their heads held high, and so can their children after them." And the children said,

"You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates."

And they stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her. And they said,
"We cannot see her, but she is with us still." A mother is more than a memory. She is a living presence. Your Mother is always with you. She's the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street, she's the smell of certain foods you remember, flowers you pick and perfume that she wore, she's the cool hand on your brow when you're not feeling well, she's your breath in the air on a cold winters day.

She is the sound of the rain that lulls you to sleep, the colors of a rainbow, she is your birthday morning. Your Mother lives inside your laughter. And she's crystallized in every tear drop.
A mother shows through in every emotion - happiness, sadness, fear, jealousy, love, hate, anger, helplessness, excitement, joy, sorrow - and all the while hoping and praying you will only know the good feelings in life.

She's the place you came from, your first home, and she's the map you follow with every step you take. She's your first love, your first friend, even your first enemy, but nothing on earth can separate you.

Not time, not space - not even death!

Why is the loneliness of old people a problem in today´s world? Who could forget their own mother in an institution or old people´s home and never visit them? Sure there are moments our mothers can get to our nerves - but just remember how many times it was the other way around.

Does not your mothers love, years of it, make her worthy of your attention? A mothers love is something you will miss always once she is gone. Even though she may not always know how to show it in a way we would understand. Just remember that behind her calls, her worry, her suggestions for your life is love, and the wish you would do well in your life.

So show respect for your mothers love - a mothers love for her children never dies. Remember her, call her, visit her, ask her over to visit. One day you will be glad you did.

Top Ten Power Principles for Successful Fathers

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Navarro) — Mon, 9 Apr 2012 15:36:00 +0800

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By Wayne Parker, About.com Guide
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Ever since the first few minutes after my first child was born, one of my most important life's missions has been to be a successful father. And now, 28 years later since that late February night, I think I have learned a few key principles of effective fatherhood.

While practices help us learn the how's of successful fatherhood, principles provide the framework for our fathering. Principles are the underlying philosophy, the way we think about our important role. And we way we think and feel about fatherhood frames our behavior, our responses and our attitudes.

The Emotional Bank Account. Dr. Stephen Covey, one of the professors in my graduate school program many years ago and now one of the most influential leadership gurus in the world, taught me the principle of the Emotional Bank Account before I was ever a father. The basics of the emotional bank account involve making deposits of trust and faith in the lives of our children. The emotional bank account is about communication, love, loyalty and integrity.

The Most Important Gift is Time. We can give our children things that money can buy: video games, iPod's, designer clothes and the hottest mountain bike. But nothing substitutes for our time and attention. Every father struggles with keeping work, self and family in balance; some seem to be able to strike that balance and avoid challenges like workaholism. We have also found that not all time is equal. There is a difference between quality time and quantity time. But my experience suggests that it is tough to have quality time without enough quantity.

Teaching Responsibility. Fathers are in a unique position in a child's life to teach responsibility and the value of work. We teach it by example by keeping our commitments, by putting family first and by enduring hard times. We also teach by giving children stewardship and demanding accountability, whether it is with chores, school work or other aspects of their young lives. Helping children learn to be responsible as children and later as adults is among our most critical roles.

Use your Golden Sword. Family relationship expert Gary Smalley teaches the analogy of the two swords. The silver sword reflects our positional power, of the power we use in our workday world. The golden sword is the sword of personal power, that works best at home. Trying to use positional power with the children is dangerous and often has unintended negative results. But using the gold sword of personal power, described with words like "warmth, sensitivity, dependability, determination, genuine compassion, affection, and caring" has great application at home. So take off the silver sword and strap on the golden sword when you walk through the front door at home.

Walk the Talk. A father who is a "Do as I say, not as I do" kind of dad will never have the respect of his children, or anyone else for that matter. Walking the talk -- being what you want your children to be--is a symbol of integrity. But it requires personal discipline and sacrifice. Being a man of principle and living congruently with those principles is an essential element of successful fatherhood.

Consistency. Fathers are best when their approach is predictable and consistent. Children get a strong message when fathers are firm and solid in their approach. Being a "marshmallow" with your children is easier, but it hurts them in the long run. Being fair and consistent in discipline is important. When a father makes a rule, it should be enforced. Limits that are set and then moved are not limits at all, with either a child or with a parent.

High Expectations. Successful fathers set high but realistic expectations for themselves and for their children. And then they work together to achieve those expectations. They read together so that they learn how to learn. They work together to achieve important ends. And they celebrate their accomplishments and learn from their mistakes.

Expressions of Love. Fathers who have great relationships with their children have learned to express love in meaningful ways. They tailor their expressions to the way each child receives love. They are gentle but firm even when disciplining, and then show afterward an increase in love. They find little ways to express love, and they do it every day when the kids are living at home.

Mutual Respect. When a father shows respect for his children and others, they are more likely to respect him. Keeping expectations clear, being even handed and level headed, and respecting children's self-worth all help breed an atmosphere of mutual respect. And when a father respects their child's mother, regardless of whether they are married or divorced, children learn to respect him more completely.

Making Values Count. It is not enough for a father to teach behavior; successful fathers also teach values. They have a rich spiritual life (however they define that) and connect to nature and timeless values. They respect womanhood, they are honest, the live by standards of moral integrity. Great fathers help pass on these values to their children rather than leaving them valueless in a world where values seem to shift with the sands of time.

Making Allowances Work for You and Your Children

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Navarro) — Mon, 9 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0800

Article from About.com

Lots of fathers have lots of feelings about allowances. They can certainly be a hassle when you give an allowance, and the kids still keep asking for things and lobbying for more allowance. Some dads figure that the grief they get from the kids is the same whether they receive an allowance or not, so why bother with the extra effort and cost.

But most dads I know use the allowance system to teach their children the value of money. In the United States, about 60% of families give their children an allowance, according to recent research.

Making an allowance program work for your family can be easy if dads will follow a few simple guidelines and make it an opportunity for teaching your children about being responsible with money.

Why Have Allowances?

There are several important things children can learn from having and being responsible for an allowance.

The Value of Money. It is hard for children to put in perspective the relative worth of things. Having an allowance and the responsibility for its use helps them see these relationships. If they buy something at the store today with their precious allowance, then they are essentially saying that the impulse buy is more important than something else they might want later.

Responsibility for Money. Some fathers I know hate allowances when their children lose the money they have been given or when they "waste" it on something frivolous. But at least children learn that there are consequences for their actions, or their carelessness.

How and Why to Save. Saving for something important, or just saving for a rainy day, is an important concept for children to learn. Receiving an allowance and learning from parents how to save it will serve children all their lives.

Make Mistakes with Smaller Stakes. If children are helped to learn at 10 years old the importance of discipline with money, they can make mistakes with ten dollars now and learn rather than learning with a thousand dollars when they get their first credit card offer as a senior in high school.

Advice About Allowances

Many dads want to teach their children with an allowance, but aren't sure when, how much or how it should be handled. Here is some advice from other fathers and child raising experts about allowances.

When Should I Start? Most experts recommend that somewhere between ages 5 and 7, children are cognitively ready to handle an allowance. Obviously, you should start small with smaller children, but the principles they learn with small amounts will be helpful later with larger sums.

How Much Should I Pay? This is a very individual decision for a family. It kinds of depends on what will come out of the allowance. For example, some families have their children pay for their own clothing out of their allowance. If that is the case, you need to provide enough for them do have money for clothes shopping if they handle the allowance responsibly. You should also not pay more in allowance than you can afford to lose. Author Kerrilyn Bachler suggests that if you are not asking children to pay for needs but just wants, you should consider figures in the range of:

Age 6-8: $2 weekly
Ages 9-11: $4 weekly
Ages 12-13: $5 weekly
Ages 14-15: $7.50 weekly
Ages 16-17: $10 weekly

The important thing is for them to have enough to make decisions with but not so much that they can make big mistakes.

Should I Require Savings or Contributions? I think requiring both savings and charitable contributions is a good idea. In our family, we built allowances around the concept of saving 20% of their allowances for college and giving 10% to charitable causes to help them learn the value of saving and sharing. Even when our children reached teenage years and had summer jobs, they continued these percentages and have had a nice little "nest egg" when they entered college.

Should I Tie Allowance to Chores? Fathers I know are all over the map on this question. In our family, we found a bit of a hybrid approach. We defined a basic set of chores for which our children were responsible and rotated them weekly. We taught them that those chores were just what was required as a member of our family. So the routine stuff like dishes, vacuuming, making beds and helping with dinner were totally unrelated to allowances. Our fear was that if every chore had a price tag, a child might decide one day that it wasn't worth $2 to mop the kitchen floor that week. And we wanted them to know that basic responsibilities are just part of family life.

But we did want them to have opportunities to earn extra money toward things they wanted. So the extraordinary chores like raking leaves, cleaning the garage, or washing windows were offered along with a cash amount for their completion. This seemed to strike a nice balance between basic responsibility and the opportunity for additional income.

Many dads I talked to offered some tips for making allowances work better.

Pay consistently weekly. The amounts are easier to manage on a weekly basis for both parents and children. And paying allowances regularly and consistently helped children learn the importance of keeping commitments.

Have a spending journal. Helping your children keep track of what they spend of their allowance and other funds gives them an opportunity to see where their money has gone when a day of reckoning comes and they don't have enough to get something they want. It is a good teaching tool.

Don't manage their spending. Part of what you want to have happen is for your children to make some mistakes when the risks are small. So don't micromanage what they do with their allowance. Help them follow basic rules, but then step aside and let them learn from their mistakes and enjoy the consequences of their choices.

Don't use allowance to correct behavior.Withholding allowance for bad behavior in other areas or for bad grades sends the wrong message. Use good discipline tools for poor behavior; keeping the allowance out of that equation will help you focus on learning the value of money.

Make savings visible. Get a glass quart jar for the children's savings and put it in a visible place so they can see the amount grow. When the jar is full, take it to the bank and put it in a savings account. As your children see their savings grow, they will feel proud of themselves and their discipline.

As you work with your children to teach them the value of money and how money is responsibly used, you will find allowances among the best tools I know for giving them these skills. Keeping it simple, consistent and fair will make the allowance experience a good one for dads and children.

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Discover Home Business Ideas for Women!
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Kids, Money and Allowance - Raising Money-Smart Tweens

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Navarro) — Mon, 9 Apr 2012 14:44:00 +0800

For many kids, money just grows on trees. They don't understand where money comes from, they just know how to spend it. The wonder of the tween years is that they provide parents and guardians with so many opportunities to teach their tween independence and responsible behavior. Money management plays a large role in a young adult's new found independence, and your tween will be a young adult very soon. Here's what parents should know about kids, money management and teaching tweens to be financially prepared.

Kids, Money and Allowance: How to Begin?

The best time for a child to learn how to handle money is during the tween years. By the time a child is a preteen, he's usually responsible enough to keep track of money, and because it will be years before he holds down a regular job (besides babysitting, lawn mowing, etc.) allowances can be the best way to get him thinking about spending, saving, and making wise consumer choices.

If you haven't yet considered offering your child an allowance, now would be a good time to do so. If you already offer an allowance, consider the following tips on kids, money and allowances.

Should I tie chores to allowance?

This is a frequently debated topic. On the one hand, you don't want your tween thinking that he can get something for nothing. On the other hand, you aren't paid to clean the kitchen, or pick-up the family room, so why should your child be paid for tackling every day chores? After all, chores are every family member's responsibility, are they not?

Also, when you tie chores to allowance it can create extra work for you. What do you do when a chore is started but not completed? When your child is the midst of exams do you penalize him for failing to finish his duties? And what do you do when your child is sick and can't get to his chores?

To simplify matters, many parents find that offering a tween a very small base allowance, combined with a chore-for-hire system works best. With this system you pay a very modest allowance, but your tween can earn extra income by tackling bigger projects around the house, such as cleaning out the garage, washing the dog, organizing the pantry, washing the baseboards, etc.

How much should I offer?

Again, this is up for debate, and the answer depends on your family's economic situation as well as what you expect your child to cover with this allowance. The idea behind an allowance is to teach kids money management skills, it's not about subsidizing a lifestyle.

You can begin by offering your child $1 for every year of his age. Add accordingly depending on the circumstances, making sure that there's enough left over for your child to splurge a little, and save a little.

What expenses will my child be responsible for paying?

You'll need to make it clear what expenses your child will be responsible for covering with his new allowance. Obviously, costly purchases such as your child's wardrobe and school supplies should continue to be paid by you. However, it's not unreasonable to expect your child to pay for ice cream, Nintendo DS games, and other smaller purchases with his allowance. Also, if your child has scout dues to pay or drama club dues, he should probably cover that with his allowance. The cost of uniforms, piano lessons, and anything relating to your child's education (such as field trip fees) should be covered by you.

Up for discussion is whether or not the allowance will cover lunches at school, toys, and souvenirs while traveling.

How can I make sure my child saves part of his allowance?

For many kids, money is something to spend, and the concept of saving is lost on them. This is when you get to define some of the requirements of your child's allowance. Just like banks require certain payment schedules from borrowers, you can require that your child set aside a percentage of his allowance for savings. For example, if you pay your child $12 a week, you can require that he put a third of his earnings into savings, and another third into the church collection plate, or to donate to a charity of his choice. The remaining $8 would be his to spend as he pleases.

To help your child better experience the growth of his savings, pay your child in one dollar bills, and make adding to his savings account a weekly ritual. You can offer a jar or box to store the savings in until you have time to take them to the bank for deposit.

Incentives can encourage tweens to keep saving. Sit down with your tween and set a savings goal for him, it could be $100 or $200, or more. Once your tween achieves his goal, offer an incentive, say $10 or $15, to add to his savings account. This will help keep him motivated to save.

When should I stop offering an allowance?

Teaching kids money management skills takes time. But when your tween begins earning money on his own on a regular basis, it's time to pull back on his allowance. You can do this gradually, offering less and less until the majority of his income comes from his own hard work. It wouldn't hurt to continue offering work-for-hire opportunities, to help your child earn a little extra income and to help you get through that family "to do" list.

Keep in mind that allowances aren't really meant to subsidize a lifestyle. Rather, they're a means to help your child learn about money management, so that when he has his own income, he will be in a position to manage it responsibly.

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Article extracted from About.com

76 Ways to Keep Kids From Being Bored in Summer!

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Navarro) — Fri, 6 Apr 2012 20:22:00 +0800

No matter how hard we try to keep the kids occupied and content during summer, you’re bound to hear the infamous whine of “I’m bored, there’s nothing to do”…well here’s a simple and fun solution.

Simply copy and paste or handwrite (if you’re up to it!) the list of activities below, put them in a cookie jar or Tupperware or whatever, and when the kids say they’re bored, simply have them pull from the container and do whatever’s on that slip!

These are fun and simple activities to keep them from being bored and let you and them have some summer fun!!!

Activity List:

1. Lay in the grass and watch the clouds (this works except for rainy days! LOL but seriously most kids now a days do not know the pure simplicity and fun of cloud watching!)

2. On rainy days, let them go a head and play in the rain, dance and enjoy, jump in mud puddles...provided there’s no lightening! I know you may not want to clean up their mess but they’ll have a blast!!!

3. If it’s in the evening, catch lightening bugs, fireflies, whichever you call them…but please let them go and not keep them locked up in a jar to die shortly after

4. Plant some flowers, let the kids help even if they’re not planting exactly how you’d like them to…make it their special ‘garden’

5. Blow bubbles, remember when you would see who could blow the biggest one!

6. Take a bike ride (don’t forget the helmets!)

7. Run through the sprinklers or have a water hose battle (NOT on full force!)

8. Jump rope (singles or w/more!)

9. Make homemade play dough (can find all kinds of recipes online)

10. Have an ‘art contest’ and have the kids paint their masterpieces

11. Read a book, then act it out

12. Rollerblade (again don’t forget helmet and pads)

13. Play a good ole’ fashion board game

14. Play softball, basketball, kickball

15. Play freeze tag

16. Collect rocks and paint faces on them for Rock Pets

17. Collect flowers and/or leaves, then either press or use for projects

18. Go swimming (obviously only if the kids know how to! If not, perhaps take them to swimming lessons)

19. Turn on the radio and just let yourself free and dance!

20. Turn up the creative juices and have the kids write a journal of what all they do over the summer break

21. Watch a movie together as a family, don’t forget the popcorn

22. Bird watch, or if you don’t have birds around you, go to the mall and people watch!

23. Plant a butterfly garden, complete w/butterflies (you can buy caterpillars and/or eggs online to make it complete)

24. Build a tent out of blankets

25. Play Frisbee

26. Play hopscotch!

27. Draw with sidewalk chalk

28. Perform a circus (if you have pets they can be the animals but be NICE to them unlike in real circuses)

29. Study how ants act, pick one out of a group and ‘follow’ and see what all ants really do

30. Play card game

31. Play store

32. Let the children make lunch for you (see what kind of creation they’ll come up with and eat it no matter how odd it may be!)

33. Play dress up, make up

34. Play store

35. Build a town or fort out of boxes

36. Have a tea party, if you have boys have a ‘lunch’ party

37. Do something nice for a neighbor

38. Search for four leaf clovers, or plant your own clover patch if you don’t have any wild clovers

39. Go on a picnic

40. Go to the beach (if there’s one near you- if not, then make your own beach, with a little sand, a kiddie pool and some umbrellas!)

41. Play with matchbox cars

42. Play dolls

43. Put on a magic show

44. Make sock puppets and put on puppet show
45. Wash the cars
46. Make cookies or brownies and decorate
47. Decorate a box for summer memories and treasures
48. Have relay races
49. Make something out of clay

50. Play marbles
51. Finger paint
52. At night, stargaze, see who can find the most constellations
53. At night, play flashlight tag
54. Play hide n seek
55. Have a bike parade with others in the neighborhood
56. Make noodle necklaces
57. Have a treasure hunt and actually hide ‘something’ and draw a map to find it or give clues where to find it
58. Make a terrarium
59. Collect tadpoles, let them go free when they’re frogs
60. Take a nap outside in the fresh air
61. Take a pretend trip to another planet
62. Take a pretend trip back in time
63. Make a club house or hide away
64. Take a special family outing
65. Go to the park and play (and that means you parents too!)
66. Make animals out of origami
67. Make a sundial (can learn how online)
68. Do something crazy with your hair (not permanently though!)

Some not so ‘fun’ activities:

These will not be your children’s favorites, but you can turn them into games or time them and turn this normally hated chore into some fun!

1. Clean bedroom
2. Clean bathroom
3. Sort and/or do laundry
4. Vacuum
5. wash the dog (obviously wont work if you don’t have a dog-and if you don’t have a dog, maybe you’ll want to adopt one from a shelter)
6. Pull weeds (make it a contest, reward the child w/the most weeds pulled)
7. Clean under the bed (make it into a contest)
8. Vacuum the sofas and whoever finds anything gets to keep it (change, pens, whatever you may find)

Have an AWESOME Summer!!!

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This article was written by Tara Burner.

Tara is a Work At Home Mom to Nick and Christa.

You can visit the her sites by going to:

www.colorfulfun.com

www.customcrossnecklaces.com

www.glitzypups.com

The Health Benefits of Salmon

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Navarro) — Wed, 4 Apr 2012 06:52:00 +0800

Salmon is a type of fish found in both fresh and salt water. There are several species of salmon, such as the sockeye, pink, coho, chum, chinook, and Atlantic. Salmon is not only tasty but has considerable health benefits; when baked, broiled, seared or grilled, salmon is among the most heart-healthy of dishes.

Omega 3

Omega 3 fatty acids are a type of essential fatty acid. The body cannot make them on its own and requires intake from food or vitamins in order to supply the nutrients. Omega 3 promotes healthy joints and skin, reduces the risk of heart disease and aids in neurological development in unborn children. Atlantic salmon has the highest concentration of omega 3 in the salmon family, at 1.9 grams per 2-oz. fillet. The American Heart Association recommends that adults have two servings of omega 3 per week to maintain optimal health benefits. According to the Worlds Healthiest Foods, omega 3 improves heart muscle function and reduces the risks of deadly heart arrhythmia.

Protein

Salmon contains up to 58 percent of the daily required intake of protein per 4-oz. serving. Salmon contains essential amino acids that promote growth and help maintain muscle tissue mass. The protein found in salmon helps the body maintain metabolism at levels to promote weight loss. Eating salmon three or more days a week will also help you feel full longer. It can be eaten with a serving of fresh steamed vegetables for a heart-healthy dinner that will give you energy and ease hunger pangs.

Low Fat

Salmon is low in fat and calories. The average 4-oz. fillet contains around 183 calories and 10 grams of fat unprepared. If you grill the fillet or broil without using butter or oil, the salmon retains its healthy effects. Make sure you prepare and cook the salmon in a clean area and thoroughly cook the fish to prevent illness such as salmonella, which can cause extreme gastrointestinal discomfort. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute states that in order to maintain good cholesterol levels and prevent heart disease, foods low in fat and calories will help obtain optimal cardiovascular health. The institute suggests getting less than 30 percent of your calories from fat and up to 10 percent from saturated fat.

Vitamins and Minerals

Salmon provides a good source of some essential vitamins you need for a healthy lifestyle. A 4-oz. baked fillet will give you more than 100 percent of your daily value of vitamin D and over 50 percent of vitamins B2 and B12 in just one serving. Vitamin D promotes healthy bones and teeth, and may help decrease your risk of developing multiple sclerosis and certain types of cancer.

Article from Livestrong.com

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Abusive Parents

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Navarro) — Wed, 4 Apr 2012 06:35:00 +0800

Living with abusive parents can have long time psychological effects on children. Hence, knowing about abusive parents is important to help children in your neighborhood or class who suffer from abuse from their parents. This article will give you some valuable information on abusive parents.

Child abuse is definitely a serious issue and more so when it is done by the parents themselves. Though most people will not believe that parents can abuse their own children, it is a problem that is faced by many young children irrespective to class, race, gender and country. Most people think that child abuse by parents is only physical, however, this is totally untrue. Rather, there are various types of abuse that children can suffer from the parents.

Parental abuse can be emotional, physical and sometimes even sexual. However, the most common and severe parental abuse is when they neglect their children physically as well as emotionally. Exposure to such kind of abuse can cause serious distress in children as the people who are supposed to love and take care of them while in distress are the ones who are actually hurting them. As abusive and neglectful parents can cause severe physical, mental and emotional damage to the children and hamper their normal development, it is important to recognize and take care of children who are being abused by their parents. Hence, let us take a look at abusive parents facts and the effects they can have on children.

What Causes Abusiveness in Parents?

One of the common reason for parents to become abusive towards their kids is that they themselves have experienced it during their childhood. Many people do not even realize that they are abusing their children because such kind of behavior would be something that they would consider as normal. Some parents take aggression and violence as a way of controlling their children. Apart from this, parents who are suffering from certain kind of mental illness or personality disorder can also be abusive towards their children. Moreover, children with parents who have a drinking problem or substance abuse can also become victims of parental abuse as they may be neglected by their parents totally.

Signs of a Child Dealing with Abusive Parents

As the abusers, in this case, are parents themselves, recognizing the signs of abuse can be a little difficult for an outsider. Moreover, children who are victims of the abuse may not come up with the issue because of the fear of getting hurt by their caregivers again. Nevertheless, there are some signs that one can look for, if they suspect that a child is undergoing abuse by his/her parents.

Signs of Physical Abuse

Physical abuse is surely the one that can be recognized easily. Physical abuse like hitting, pinching, beating, shaking, burning, etc., are often used by parents as ways of punishing their children for some wrongdoing. They think that it is the best way of disciplining their children. However, this causes the development of fear in children towards their parents. Children who are being physically abused by their parents can be seen with unexplained and frequent injuries like cuts, bruises and welts. They may shy away from touch or may seem to be afraid of going home.

Signs of Emotional Abuse

Little children need love and attention from their parents during their growing up years to feel secured. This should be done not just by buying them gifts, but also by hugging and kissing them. Also, kids like to be appreciated for their achievements by their parents, even if it is small one. However, when this does not happen and the child is humiliated at every step by the parents by calling her a stupid or a fool, the kid can be said to be a victim of emotional child abuse. Such parents may call the child worthless and constantly compare her negatively with other children. Emotionally abusive parents may punish their child by yelling and threatening her or may be by ignoring her completely.

Children who are exposed to domestic violence i.e. if one of the parents is abusing the other, the child can be called a victim of emotional violence. Children who are emotionally abused by their parents are usually fearful, anxious and withdrawn. They may not show any kind of attachment towards their parents or caregiver. They may exhibit extreme behavior, i.e., some kids may behave like adults, while others may show infantile behavior like throwing temper tantrums, rocking, thumb sucking, etc.

Signs of Child Neglect

Parental neglect is said to be one of the most difficult type of abuse to detect as well as to define. Neglect can be defined as a situation where the parents completely ignore the children, both physically as well as emotionally. Such parents may not bother to fulfill their children's basic needs like proper food, clothing, etc. They may leave their children unsupervised at home or at places where the children are not safe. Some of the warning signs that people can observe in a child who is neglected by his parents are filthy and ill fitting clothes, untreated physical injuries and health problems, etc.

Signs of Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse of children is not uncommon, though hardly spoken of. In most cases, the culprit is a close friend or relative and in certain cases, parents themselves. Though people think that only girls become victims of sexual abuse, this is actually quite untrue. Rather, even little boys can become victims of sexual abuse. Children who are abused sexually are usually filled with shame and guilt and are likely to blame themselves for the happenings. Some of the signs that a sexually abused kid may show include difficulty in sitting or walking, making efforts for avoiding a person, showing knowledge about sexual acts, etc.

Abusive Parents: Effect on Children

Growing up in an environment where their physical, emotional and mental needs are not fulfilled does have a strong negative impact on the minds of children. Though the scars left by physical violence will not last for a long time, the emotional scars etched on their minds are permanent and can damage their life as adults.

Children who have suffered abuse from their parents usually find it difficult to form and maintain long-lasting relationships as adults. As the emotional needs like trust, security, reliability, etc. are not fulfilled in the relationship with the parents, the children are not able to form good and healthy relationships because they do not understand that these are the basic things that are required to maintain a loving relationship.
Living with abusive parents can hamper the self-esteem of children as parents constantly telling them that they are stupid and worthless for a long time, may make them that it is actually true. As adults, they may not be ready to take up challenges like higher studies, better job, etc., because they may consider themselves as incapable of such achievements.
The emotional damage caused by sexual abuse, especially by their parents will be most severe. They may live with the feeling of shame and stigma throughout their adult life. Sometimes, this may lead to the occurrence of severe mental as well as psychological problems in the person.
Children of abusive parents may have difficulty in expressing as well as for controlling their emotions. They are also likely to get addicted to alcohol or drugs, just to relieve the painful thoughts caused by parental abuse.

I hope you have understood the dangerous effects that abusive parents can have on the psyche of children. Hence, if you suspect a kid in your neighborhood or may be in your family undergoing abuse from his/her parents, it is important to make certain efforts to save the child from the damages caused by it. Children who are abused by their parents can be helped with proper treatment and therapy. Though most people ignore such things due to the fear of interfering in other people's lives, you must remember that a step made by you can make a huge difference in the life of an innocent child.

By Deepa Kartha
Last Updated: 9/21/2011

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Article from Buzzle.com
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Teaching Your Child Charity

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Navarro) — Wed, 4 Apr 2012 01:27:00 +0800

Article from Parenting.com
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Helping kids share their good fortune with others may be the most important money lesson of all.

By Diane Harris

All kids are born with an innate sense of charity and compassion. Sure, it's easy to lose sight of that fact as we listen to our little ones clamor for the hottest toys, tastiest treats, and trendiest clothes. But if we look closely, the signs are everywhere. Watch your 2-year-old stop to offer a wailing baby a comforting toy. Catch your 5-year-old consoling a pal who has just been walloped by a playground bully.

"Children naturally look for ways to make a contribution and help others," says Deborah Spaide, founder of Kids Care Clubs, a national organization based in New Canaan, CT, that provides information on community-service projects for youngsters. "But just as we give our children opportunities to use their legs when they're learning to walk, we need to give them opportunities to exercise their charitable muscles so they become really good at giving too."

The benefits of actively fostering children's charitable impulses are enormous. Besides helping counter the overdeveloped "gimme" impulse, it gives kids a powerful boost in self-esteem to realize they can make a difference in someone's life. "And as corny as it sounds," says Patricia Schiff Estess, a New York City writer and the author of Kids, Money & Values, "when you help a child help others, you are helping to create a better world." Here are the best ways to go about it.

BE HANDS-ON

Most people tend to associate charity with giving money. We write a check to our favorite cause, drop a few dollars in the basket at church, participate in school fund-raisers, and feel good about our efforts. But pre-adolescent children may have trouble understanding such an abstract concept as donating money to a worthy cause. "It's hard for kids to grasp that the money is going to, say, buy bread, which in turn will help feed ten homeless people," says Spaide. "Many children can't take the process that many steps forward in their minds."

Spaide encourages parents to let their children experience charitable giving firsthand. Even a preschooler can help a parent bag lunches for a soup kitchen, distribute socks to the people in a homeless shelter, or clean an elderly neighbor's yard. And as children grow, so do their opportunities for making a difference.

In choosing a project, try following your child's lead and interests. The more you let her direct the process, the greater the involvement she'll feel and the more she'll learn from the experience. Suppose your 6-year-old has expressed concern that poor children don't get enough toys. You might ask her if she can think of ways to collect and distribute toys to needy kids. Perhaps she'd like to do extra chores around the house to earn some money to buy the toys herself. Or she might suggest posting a sign in school to solicit toy donations from her classmates.

Of course, if your child is stuck for inspiration, there's nothing wrong with gently leading her to a worthy path. One book that's full of ideas for suitable projects: Spaide's Teaching Your Kids to Care. Also consider helping your child band together with friends to do good works by helping her launch a Kids Care Club.

PUT THEIR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS

An allowance can be as handy a tool for fostering charity as it is for teaching other aspects of money management. Peggy Houser, a Denver financial planner and author of How to Teach Children About Money, advocates starting an allowance system as soon as your child starts school (or even earlier if you think he can handle it) and dividing the weekly dole into three parts, each clearly earmarked for a specific purpose: spending, saving, and sharing. Explain that the sharing portion is to be used for gifts to charity, and couple your explanation with a simple statement of your philosophy on the subject, such as "Our family believes it's important to share our good luck with people who are less fortunate."

The exact percentage of the allowance you apportion to charity doesn't matter; what is important is simply to incorporate giving into the child's budget. "The goal is to make giving money to those in need a routine," says Houser.

What you encourage your child to do with the money is key too. Instead of simply giving cash to a worthy organization once he has accumulated a reasonable amount, suggest that he use the money to buy a toy for a poor child or socks for a homeless person or some other item needed by someone in serious straits. Then take him to deliver it.

SEIZE THE MOMENT

You don't need to set aside a special time to talk about the importance and joy of giving. Opportunities pop up all the time. Passing a homeless person on the street, for example, might be a good occasion to talk about the fact that some families don't have enough money to pay for a place to live. Visiting an elderly or ailing relative might be the right moment to discuss how important it is to reach out to people in need. Says Spaide, "The idea isn't just to sensitize your child to some of the pain and suffering in the world, but to give her the great gift of thinking that she has the power to help make it better."

PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH

As with everything else in life, kids learn best by example. You don't have to regale your child with tales of your charitable works or keep him glued to your side while you serve meals in a soup kitchen to prove that you care too. But neither should you hide everyday acts of kindness. If you're taking a meal to a friend who has just gotten out of the hospital, say so. If you help raise funds for worthy causes through your church, temple, or local community group, talk about it. If you give money to an organization you believe in, explain why doing so is important to you.

By talking about to whom and how you give, you not only show your kids the importance of giving itself, but you're sharing your values about the issues that matter most to your family -- whether you're passionate about supporting the arts, cleaning up the environment, assisting the elderly, or helping to alleviate poverty and homelessness. Although some parents may worry about exposing young children to painful experiences that might haunt them later, Houser thinks the joy inherent in giving far outweighs any sadness they may encounter. She notes, "Kids can handle so much more than we give them credit for."

So can moms and dads. Busy parents who have found it hard to devote time to worthy causes outside their own homes may well discover that teaching their children to give back to the community is an ideal way to get back in touch with their own charitable impulses. "We call it trickle-up charity," says Spaide. "The effort starts with the kids, but the parents often get the biggest payoff of all."
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5 (Little) Moves for a Longer Life

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Navarro) — Wed, 4 Apr 2012 00:23:00 +0800

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Article from Reader's Digest - By Sara Altshul from Reader's Digest | November 2011
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Diabetes stats just keep spiking — a staggering 350 million people around the globe now have the disease, and the U.S. numbers are among the worst in the world. That means more heart attacks, more strokes, and a shorter life expectancy, even if you're otherwise healthy. Eat right; exercise more — the advice is simple but sometimes hard to follow.

What do top experts suggest for closing that gap? .

1) Have A Side Salad. When you're indulging in high-carb foods (pasta, potatoes, or rice, for example), serve salad, too — and make sure the dressing contains vinegar. Consuming one and a half tablespoons of vinegar can lower your blood sugar by 42 percent, a small study showed last year.

2. Treat Your Pasta Right
Keeping your cells responsive to insulin is key to warding off diabetes because insulin is the hormone that sweeps sugar out of the blood. Here's an effective, tasty way to do that: Sauté your pasta in extra-virgin olive oil (and throw in some vegetables for good measure). That approach substantially increased insulin sensitivity for overweight women in recent research. The researchers say that sautéing any carb-rich food in olive oil will help hold blood sugar steady.

3. Move a Little
Just one session of moderate exercise improves your body's blood-sugar control, new research shows — and mini-bursts of activity seem to be as effective as continuous exercise. (In fact, sitting for hours at a time boosts your risk of a variety of diseases even if you're otherwise active.) Aim to move at least 30 to 45 minutes a day. What makes that goal less daunting: You can rack up some of those minutes during TV commercials or other bits of downtime as long as you move briskly.

4. Enforce a Blackout
If you don't sleep seven or eight hours most nights, your risk of developing diabetes — or having it get worse — rises by 37 to 88 percent, says a recent study. To sleep longer and better, go dark because even a small amount of light during bedtime hours slows the production of melatonin, the hormone that makes you sleepy. Reading lights or glowing screens can be enough to rev your body. If you want to read in bed, try wearing an inexpensive pair of amber shades — they block blue light waves that are particularly disruptive for melatonin (safetyglassesusa.com/amberlens.html). Use a computer before bedtime? Download free blue-filtering software, such as F.lux (stereopsis.com/flux).

5. Substitute Nuts for Potatoes
Potatoes deliver a dietary double whammy: They make your blood sugar rise and over the years are particularly likely to make you gain weight, a recent long-term study showed. Nuts may be high in fat, but snacking on a handful instead of chips or fries will help you lose pounds, researchers say. And a number of recent studies have shown pistachios, almonds, and peanuts have surprising power to keep blood sugar even. Sources: Sara Farnetti, MD, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome; Mickey Harpaz, PhD, author of Menopause Reset!; Cyril Kendall, PhD, University of Toronto; Stavros Liatis, MD, Athens University Medical School; Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, Harvard School of Public Health; Anoop Shankar, MD, West Virginia University School of Medicine; John Thyfault, PhD, University of Missouri

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Do You Want To Look And Feel Younger?

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Navarro) — Tue, 3 Apr 2012 00:52:00 +0800

Article from Yahoo!
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Many of us are looking for ways to stay young and although you can't stop the clock, you can fight the signs of aging and the aging process with a few wise moves. Aside from good skincare habits, maintaining an active lifestyle, and reducing calorie intake, the following tips will help you to look and feel younger for longer.

1. Use your brain

Although the brain isn't a muscle, the old 'use it or lose it' adage still applies. Brain scans show that when people use their brains in unaccustomed ways, more blood flows into different areas of the brain, and new neural pathways form.

In a study in the journal Nature in 2004, young people were taught how to juggle. After three months, MRI scans showed enlargement of the grey matter in their brains—the part responsible for higher mental functions. When the participants in the study stopped juggling, their brains shrank again, suggesting that we need to keep our brains engaged to maintain mental agility and function. So, whether it's a crossword puzzle, Sudoku, or a university degree, trying giving your brain a challenge every day and you'll be more likely to keep your marbles!

Also, another study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that more frequent participation in mentally stimulating activities can lead to a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease.

2. Be sociable

According to US government research, social isolation is a predictor of declining mental function in older age. Experts believe this may be down to not using a wide variety of communication skills.

Research shows that people who are part of a group—whether it's a church or a book club—are healthier than solitary people when they are older, and that the wider the range of relationships (family, friends, work and so on) a person has, the less cognitive decline they will experience with aging. So, as well as tackling the crossword puzzle on your lonesome, make time in your life for shared activities—and ensure you spend time with as wide a range of people as possible.

3. Increase your intake of antioxidants

As we age, levels of harmful free radical levels rise, while the body's production of antioxidants —the compounds which can 'mop up' free radicals—declines.

According to studies at the Human Nutrition Research Centre on Aging at Tufts University in Boston, antioxidant-rich foods may slow aging processes in the body and brain. Researchers found that foods such as blueberries and spinach could increase the antioxidant power of human blood by 10 to 25 per cent—so try eating more of these.

The antioxidant vitamins A, C and E play a major role in protecting the body against free radicals, so aim not only to get your five-a-day, but also ensure that you take in a wide variety of fruit and veggies, especially those of strong color. Vitamin A in particular helps to keep the skin strong and healthy, which we get in our diet from foods rich in beta-carotene. Carrots are the obvious choice—but sweet potato, pumpkin and melon are also good sources.

4. Have more sex

It's official: getting active between the sheets can help keep you youthful. Sex enhances emotional intimacy, relaxes us, decreases stress, and makes us feel great.

A study conducted by Psychology Today magazine found that the more active and satisfying a person's sex life is, the fitter and healthier they tend to be. For example, athletes who were still competing in sport in their sixties had sex lives comparable to those 20 years younger. And it wasn't just big talk—the researchers interviewed their spouses for verification!

Also, in his book Real Age, Michael Roizen reported that women who are unsatisfied with the quality or quantity of their sexual relationships have a life expectancy half a year less than is average for their age, while women who are satisfied with both the quality and quantity have a life expectancy one and a half years longer than average. For men, having fewer than five orgasms a year shortens life expectancy by two and a half years, while a man having more than 300 orgasms a year will add three years to his life expectancy.

5. Believe in yourself

As well as being physically, mentally and socially active, people who reach old age have a high level of what's called 'self efficacy'. Self efficacy is a blend of self belief and confidence, and studies show that it is a major distinguishing trait in centenarians.

Researchers reported that the older centenarians become, the more they make decisions on the basis of what they believe as opposed to what others expect. They place responsibility for their health with themselves and not their doctors. People with high self efficacy tend to see problems as challenges to be met, setbacks as a reason to double their efforts, and failure as a learning experience for next time.

6. Protect your skin

There are two factors affecting the way we age: intrinsic factors—caused by the genes we inherit—and extrinsic (external or environmental) factors, such as exposure to the sun's rays and cigarette smoking. This is the area that you can take action in.

If you smoke, stop—and if you don't wear a sun protection factor on your skin, start! Without protection from the sun's rays, just a few minutes of exposure each day over the years can add up to cause noticeable changes and damage to the skin, such as freckles, age spots, spider veins and fine wrinkles. Cigarette smoking causes biochemical changes in our bodies that accelerate aging. A person who smokes 10 or more cigarettes a day for a minimum of 10 years is statistically more likely to develop deeply wrinkled, leathery skin than a non-smoker.

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What Are The 10 Principles of Good Parenting?

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Navarro) — Sun, 1 Apr 2012 20:51:00 +0800

Article from MedicineNet.com

What Are The 10 Principles of Good Parenting?

1. What you do matters. Whether it's your own health behaviors or the way you treat other people, your children are learning from what you do. "This is one of the most important principles,"

Steinberg explains. "What you do makes a difference...Don't just react on the spur of the moment. Ask yourself, What do I want to accomplish, and is this likely to produce that result?"

2. You cannot be too loving. "It is simply not possible to spoil a child with love," Steinberg writes. "What we often think of as the product of spoiling a child is never the result of showing a child too much love. It is usually the consequence of giving a child things in place of love -- things like leniency, lowered expectations, or material possessions."

3. Be involved in your child's life. "Being an involved parent takes time and is hard work, and it often means rethinking and rearranging your priorities. It frequently means sacrificing what you want to do for what your child needs to do. Be there mentally as well as physically."

Being involved does not mean doing a child's homework -- or correcting it. "Homework is a tool for teachers to know whether the child is learning or not," Steinberg says. "If you do the homework, you're not letting the teacher know what the child is learning."

4. Adapt your parenting to fit your child. Keep pace with your child's development. Your child is growing up. Consider how age is affecting the child's behavior.

"The same drive for independence that is making your 3-year-old say 'no' all the time is what's motivating him to be toilet trained," writes Steinberg. "The same intellectual growth spurt that is making your 13-year-old curious and inquisitive in the classroom also is making her argumentative at the dinner table."

5. Establish and set rules. "If you don't manage your child's behavior when he is young, he will have a hard time learning how to manage himself when he is older and you aren't around. Any time of the day or night, you should always be able to answer these three questions: Where is my child? Who is with my child? What is my child doing? The rules your child has learned from you are going to shape the rules he applies to himself.

"But you can't micromanage your child," Steinberg notes. "Once they're in middle school, you need to let the child do their own homework, make their own choices and not intervene."

6. Foster your child's independence. "Setting limits helps your child develop a sense of self-control. Encouraging independence helps her develop a sense of self-direction. To be successful in life, she's going to need both."

It's normal for children to push for autonomy, says Steinberg. "Many parents mistakenly equate their child's independence with rebelliousness or disobedience. Children push for independence because it is part of human nature to want to feel in control rather than to feel controlled by someone else."

7. Be consistent. "If your rules vary from day to day in an unpredictable fashion or if you enforce them only intermittently, your child's misbehavior is your fault, not his. Your most important disciplinary tool is consistency. Identify your non-negotiables. The more your authority is based on wisdom and not on power, the less your child will challenge it."

8. Avoid harsh discipline. Parents should never hit a child, under any circumstances, Steinberg says. "Children who are spanked, hit, or slapped are more prone to fighting with other children," he writes. "They are more likely to be bullies and more likely to use aggression to solve disputes with others."
"There are many other ways to discipline a child -- including 'time out' -- which work better and do not involve aggression."

9. Explain your rules and decisions. "Good parents have expectations they want their child to live up to," he writes. "Generally, parents overexplain to young children and underexplain to adolescents. What is obvious to you may not be evident to a 12-year-old. He doesn't have the priorities, judgment, or experience that you have."

10. Treat your child with respect. "The best way to get respectful treatment from your child is to treat him respectfully," Steinberg writes. "You should give your child the same courtesies you would give to anyone else. Speak to him politely. Respect his opinion. Pay attention when he is speaking to you. Treat him kindly. Try to please him when you can. Children treat others the way their parents treat them. Your relationship with your child is the foundation for her relationships with others."
For example, if your child is a picky eater: "I personally don't think parents should make a big deal about eating," Steinberg says. "Children develop food preferences. They often go through them in stages. You don't want to turn mealtimes into unpleasant occasions. Just don't make the mistake of substituting unhealthy foods. If you don't keep junk food in the house, they won't eat it."

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Brad Pitt : Sure, I Make Parenting Mistakes

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Navarro) — Sun, 1 Apr 2012 20:42:00 +0800

Article post from People.com

Brad Pitt may be the poster boy for Hollywood dads, but he admits that even he makes parenting mistakes just like everyone else.

Asked if he's ever felt that all-too-common sinking feeling like he's just made a terrible dad error, Pitt tells PEOPLE, "Not [like I'm] a horrible parent, but I've certainly made mistakes and had to make up for it."

The actor spoke to PEOPLE at the Los Angeles premiere of his new film The Tree of Life, which won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival. In the movie, Pitt plays an abusive 1950s-era father whose actions profoundly impact the life of one of his three sons in particular.

Pitt had to draw on his acting skills to find his inner bad dad. "I certainly don't raise my kids that same way," he says. "I'm painfully aware that my actions leave a double mark on them in these formidable years, so I make sure I don't bring my crap at home."

Plus, Pitt says he wants to let his six kids with partner Angelina Jolie learn to be themselves. "I want to keep them free to explore that innocence as long as possible and find out what's really interesting to them," he says. "I just don't want to encumber them in any way."

Because director Terrence Malick's film was shot largely without a script, Pitt and the filmmakers took extra care not to traumatize the young actors who play his sons during the scarier sequences.

"We had to be careful with that, because they are young boys and you don't want to scar them in the process," Pitt says. "So it was explained to them ahead of time and they knew it was coming, but they didn't know when it was coming. And in between we made sure we had a lot of time of everyday life, throwing the ball around and riding bikes. And I think everyone got through it unscathed."

But just in case, Pitt made sure to win the boys' hearts off-screen – by buying them motorcycles. "They are great," he said. "We come from the same neck of the woods."

Back at home, Pitt says neither he nor Jolie is nudging their kids to follow in their acting footsteps. "Listen, I just want them to follow their bliss. Whatever makes them happy," he says.

And right now, making his family happy includes his next role, recording a voice for the animated sequel Happy Feet 2. "I mean Happy Feet is on heavy rotation in our house," he says with a laugh, "so it was a must!"

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7 Secrets of Low-Stress Families

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Navarro) — Sun, 1 Apr 2012 18:23:00 +0800

What did researchers see when they spied on every living, breathing moment of 32 families for four days straight?

WebMD Feature from "Redbook" Magazine
By Nicole Yorio
Originally published on September 13, 2010

It was the first experiment of its kind: Thirty-two California families opened their doors (their front doors, bedroom doors, even bathroom doors) to researchers from UCLA who wanted to find out how they manage the demands of work and family life. With a three-person crew, researchers occupied families' homes for four days from morning until bedtime, recording every minute spent folding laundry, every homework panic, every dinner table dispute about the yuckiness of vegetables. The researchers conducted interviews with each of the family members and measured their stress levels throughout the day. The families were studied between 2002 and 2005; each had two working parents, two or more children, and a mortgage — a profile that looks like many American households. "When I observed these families, I felt like I was looking in at my own life," says lead researcher Tami Kremer-Sadlik, Ph.D., director of research at UCLA's Center on the Everyday Lives of Families. "I'm a working mom with two children, and I could identify with the women we studied who reported feeling pressed for time and who were trying to balance work and family demands." But among those stressful moments, researchers also saw the key instances of warmth and love that make great families. And as Kremer-Sadlik and other female researchers who had their own families found out, getting a glimpse into the lives of other families gives us a unique perspective on how to better take care of our own. Use what they learned to calm stress and create joy in your house.

1. Low-stress couples don’t divvy up the chores.
For one part of the project, Kremer-Sadlik and a colleague studied how couples’ division of housework was connected to their marital satisfaction. "Surprisingly, it didn’t matter how evenly couples split up the chores," Kremer-Sadlik says. "We found that both spouses were happier when both felt like they were working toward the same goal, regardless of who did more" (and women did more across the board). "The women in happy marriages told us that their spouses seemed to have an understanding of what needed to be done. We observed their husbands setting the table while their wife was cooking, or straightening up without being told what to do." Sound too good to be true? Know that just talking about your joint mission for the family can eliminate much of the "keeping score" conflict. "The happy couples often discussed their shared goals for their family," she says. "There was more of awe-ness there — and that spilled over into chores. Their attitude was more, ‘We do for our family,’ not, ‘I do this for you.’" But with two working parents’ and children’s schedules to coordinate, researcher Darby Saxbe, Ph.D., a 33-year-old mom from Los Angeles, observed many couples communicating only about who needed to do what. "It felt like they were running a business!" Saxbe says. "Squeezing in little moments of fun with your partner — whether you steal a quick kiss or exchange a joke — makes a difference." And researchers noticed that in some homes where the wives expressed more appreciation, the husbands also took on more household tasks.

2. Low-stress families find small moments of togetherness.
Every mom fantasizes about taking the perfect family vacation or spending a blissed-out day with her husband and kids. But real-life bonding time is made up of much smaller events. "I think a lot of us have this idea that we need to create big moments of togetherness, but we saw so many times that families had opportunities to connect throughout the day that they weren’t aware of," Kremer-Sadlik says. Those small moments might be the 10 minutes you spend braiding your daughter’s hair or your time spent cheering on your son at his Little League game. "I remember one moment when a daughter and mom were folding laundry, and the daughter stuck her foot in a sock and challenged her mom to find her foot among the pile of laundry," she recalls. "It was a loving moment of laughing and playing around in the midst of daily life."

Belinda Campos, Ph.D., whose focus in the study was family relationships, noticed the same thing. "There’s this cultural ideal of wanting to carve out quality time," says the 36-year-old from Irvine, CA. "But many families overlooked the daily stuff that keeps you connected." One example was the way families reacted when dads came home from work. "There were two types of behaviors among the families: those where the wives and children greeted the dad with a warm hello, and those where the children never got up from their video games and the wives greeted Dad with logistics like, ‘Did you pick up the chicken for dinner?’" Campos says. "But those seconds after Dad walked in the door may have shaped his mood for the night. It’s such a small thing; that’s the moment to acknowledge that a person is coming into a place where he matters."

3. Low-stress parents are role models — not pals.
Treating your partner with respect is not only good for your marriage — it also actually affects the whole family dynamic. "When spouses showed patience and support, as opposed to being impatient, sarcastic, or critical, their children were more respectful toward them, and the smoother the households ran," Kremer-Sadlik says of her findings from a previous study. "Their mini goals throughout the day, such as getting dinner on the table or finishing homework, ran more smoothly and more pleasantly." The same was true for parents who set the rules for the kids, as opposed to those who let their children help make the decisions. "When parents delegated chores to their children, rather than asking them which chores they wanted to do, there were fewer tantrums and arguments," Campos says. "There was still affection and humor in homes where parents were the bosses, but there was never a question of who was in charge."

4. Low-stress moms make dinner from scratch.
Believe it or not, using processed convenience foods for dinner doesn’t actually save you cooking time. That’s what really surprised 39-year-old mom and researcher Margaret Beck, whose focus for the study was food preparation. "All the families spent roughly one hour preparing dinner, whether they used processed foods or fresh ingredients," she says. The moms who prepared more convenience foods tended to overcompensate by having more courses — either side dishes or separate meals for the kids — which wasted time. And if you want your children to eat what’s on the table: "The kids who assisted in the food preparation always ate what was served," Beck says. "And the mood in the house was lighter and happier when the kids spend cooking time in the kitchen." Talk about a win-win!

5. Low-stress moms take five minutes of me time.
There’s a secret to being fully present and enjoying family life after a demanding day at work: "The findings suggested that when women unwound alone for 5 or 10 minutes, it set a positive tone for the rest of the night," says researcher Shu-wen Wang, a 28-year-old mom from Los Angeles who helped review more than 1,540 hours of footage. "Moms reported unwinding by exercising, gardening, or having a candy bar — not that I recommend that last approach! I always felt selfish taking time for me, especially after working all day, but this study proved to me how healthy it is for moms and their families."

6. Low-stress families watch TV together.
If you feel guilty every time your family plops in front a television after a long day rather than doing something more interactive, don’t sweat it. "Families who watched TV together showed many bonding behaviors," Campos says. "Bonding can be sharing snacks, high-fiving each other if the Lakers score a basket, or guessing trivia questions together during Jeopardy!" Even sitcoms can bring you closer. "When families laugh together during a TV show, that’s a shared moment they have in common, and it creates a memory," she says. So on days where you just can’t muster the energy to recruit the kids for crazy 8’s or kickball in the yard, know that a little TV time can be good for your family too.

7. Low-stress families embrace daily rituals.
"I used to believe that spontaneity and excitement were what kept couples connected, but it’s truly the routine and continuity that set the foundation for making family relationships thrive," Wang says. "Whether it was a couple sitting down at the end of the day with a cup of coffee or parents reading a bedtime story to their children, these little moments are what make family life so comforting and kept couples close." Sometimes, the mad-dash moments seem to define our days, but "it’s only when we find moments to slow down that we can fully appreciate those everyday moments that make a family," Saxbe says. "I remember watching a mom kissing her son and tucking him into bed. The son responded, ‘I want another kiss, Mommy!’ So the mom kissed him again. They repeated this five or six times — it was so sweet! Watching this made me appreciate how lucky I am to have a family I care about and how I how important it is to cherish these little moments of love when they come along."

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Diet and Smoking May Affect Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Progression

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Navarro) — Sun, 1 Apr 2012 17:46:00 +0800

Dietary factors and cigarette smoking may alter the course of disease in patients with a milder form of multiple sclerosis, a new study finds.

Out of nearly 900 patients with what is called "relapsing onset" multiple sclerosis (MS), those who regularly consumed alcohol, caffeine and fish were less likely to progress to the point that they needed help walking, which is considered a milestone in the course of the disease. In contrast, cigarette smoking was associated with an increased risk of becoming disabled.

One explanation is that dietary factors might have a direct protective effect on MS patients, said Dr. Marie D'hooghe, a clinical neurologist in Belgium and lead author of the study. Caffeine, fish and alcohol at low to moderate levels are all known to have anti-inflammatory properties, and focal, or localized, inflammation in the brain and spinal cord is an important aspect of relapsing MS.

However, the study did not prove that caffeine and alcohol will slow MS, an incurable disease of the nervous system, and patients should not use these findings as a reason to suddenly start brewing coffee and sipping cocktails.

Also, the study only saw the associations between diet and smoking and disease progression among patients with relapsing-remitting MS, and not among those with what is known as primary progressive MS.

This suggests that progressive MS is a distinct phase of the disease with different mechanisms, D'hooghe said. "Degeneration [of nerve cells] is probably more relevant in progressive onset and inflammation is not as important," she said.

MS affects more than 350,000 people in the United States and about 2.5 million worldwide. Most patients experience relapsing-remitting MS, which has a variable disease course involving alternating attacks and recovery periods, while about 15 percent of patients have primary progressive MS, marked by a steady worsening of the disease.

The new study is published in the April issue of the European Journal of Neurology.

For the study, researchers mailed questionnaires to patients registered with the Flemish MS Society, asking about their consumption of alcohol, wine, coffee, tea and fish, as well as about cigarette smoking.

The questionnaires also asked patients about their disease (relapsing or progressive), and whether they had reached the stage that they needed a cane or other support to walk about 330 feet, and if so, how long after disease diagnosis they reached that point.

The study included almost 1,400 participants, about 900 with relapsing-remitting MS and almost 500 with primary progressive MS. They were between 17 and 89 years of age.

Researchers found that the association between delayed disease progression and consumption of alcohol, caffeine and fish among relapsing MS patients was stronger for patients with greater consumption.

For example, patients who did not consume any alcohol took about 25 years to progress to the stage of disease where they needed support to walk. However, those who had either less than one drink or at least one alcoholic drink per week reached this stage at around 28 and 32 years, respectively.

In contrast, smoking appeared to accelerate disease progression. Smoking is known to be a risk factor for developing MS, and could also play a role in disease progression, D'hooghe said.

Still, it remains possible that diet and smoking do not affect the disease's course, D'hooghe noted. Instead, people who drink alcohol and caffeine and eat fish might be more likely to make other lifestyle or diet choices that affect the disease.

Another possibility, D'hooghe added, is that the MS patients who are able to enjoy a glass of wine or go out to buy fish are also the ones who have less advanced disease.

But even if dietary factors are not helpful against disease, this study suggests that low to moderate consumption might also not be harmful. "At least we have no argument for an adverse effect," D'hooghe said.

Another expert said it is tricky to know what the findings mean for patients.

Dr. Bianca Weinstock-Guttman, a neurologist at State University of New York at Buffalo, suggested that patients talk with their doctors about whether drinking alcohol might interfere with their medications and about the possibility that drinking caffeine could aggravate bladder problems that are common in MS.

While these dietary components could help early in the course of relapsing MS, it is very difficult to have a clear-cut benefit in the later stages of the disease or in the case of primary progressive MS, said Weinstock-Guttman.

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Article from HealthDay.com
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Chocolate Lovers Tend To Weigh Less : Study

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Navarro) — Sun, 1 Apr 2012 17:37:00 +0800

NEW YORK - People who ate chocolate a few times a week or more weighed less than those who rarely indulged, according to a United States study involving a thousand people.

Researchers said the findings, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, do not prove that adding a candy bar to your daily diet will help you shed pounds. Nor did the total amount of chocolate consumed have an impact.

But the researchers, led by Dr Beatrice Golomb, from the University of California San Diego, said it was possible that antioxidants in chocolate could be behind health benefits including lower blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as decreased body weight.

"People have just assumed that because it comes with calories and it's typically eaten as a sweet, therefore it would inherently have been one way, bad," said Dr Golomb.

She and her colleagues used data from a study on cholesterol-lowering drugs that surveyed 1,000 healthy adults on typical eating habits, including how often they ate chocolate.

The participants, who ranged from 20 to 85 years old, ate chocolate an average of twice per week and had an average body mass index, or BMI, of 28, which is considered overweight but not obese.

The researchers found that people who ate chocolate with greater frequency tended to eat more calories overall, including more saturated fat, than those who went light on the candy. But even so, chocolate lovers tended to have a lower body weight.

That was still the case after researchers accounted for age and gender, as well as how much they exercised.

The effect worked out to a 2.3 to 3.2 kg difference between people who ate five servings of chocolate a week compared to those who did not eat any, Dr Golomb said. However, it was only how often they ate chocolate, rather than the total amount, that was linked to their weight.

Past studies have tied chocolate to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and better insulin sensitivity, possibly because of antioxidants or other chemicals in cocoa.

There are a number of possible explanations for the results, said Dr Eric Ding, a nutritionist at the Harvard Medical School who was not involved in the study.

One is that poorer people stick to the basics when they are buying food and do not eat as much chocolate. Poverty has been tied to higher body weight.

Another possibility is that "people who lost weight reward themselves with chocolate, more than chocolate causing the weight loss," he told Reuters Health.

Because the new study is relatively small and could not prove cause-and-effect, it is hard to take any lessons from the findings, Dr Ding said. But the key for chocolate lovers seems to be considering calories and knowing that not all chocolate is created equal.

For example, past evidence suggests that antioxidants in chocolate called flavonoids are behind any benefits tied to chocolate - and dark chocolate has the most flavonoids.

"If you consume chocolate, consume it in place of something else, rather than adding to your net daily calories. Try to consume dark chocolate," he said.

The researchers agreed that moderation is important.

"This certainly does not provide support for eating large amounts of chocolate," Dr Golomb said. "For those of us who do eat a little bit of chocolate regularly, perhaps any guilt associated with that might be qualified."

REUTERS

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An Aspirin A Day Can Keep Cancer at Bay : Study

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Navarro) — Sun, 1 Apr 2012 15:22:00 +0800

LONDON - Three new studies published today added to growing scientific evidence suggesting that taking a daily dose of aspirin can help prevent, and possibly treat, cancer.

Previous studies have found that daily aspirin reduces the long-term risk of death due to cancer, but until now the shorter-term effects have been less certain - as has the medicine's potential in patients already diagnosed with cancer.

The new studies, led by Dr Peter Rothwell of Britain's Oxford University, found that aspirin also has a short-term benefit in preventing cancer, and that it reduces the likelihood that cancers will spread to other organs by about 40 to 50 per cent.

"These findings add to the case for use of aspirin to prevent cancer, particularly if people are at increased risk," Dr Rothwell said.

"Perhaps more importantly, they also raise the distinct possibility that aspirin will be effective as an additional treatment for cancer - to prevent distant spread of the disease."

This was particularly important because it is the process of spread of cancer, or "metastasis", which most often kills people with the disease, he added.

Aspirin, originally developed by Bayer, is a cheap over-the-counter drug generally used to combat pain or reduce fever.

The drug reduces the risk of clots forming in blood vessels and can therefore protect against heart attacks and strokes, so it is often prescribed for people who already suffer with heart disease and have already had one or several attacks.

Aspirin also increases the risk of bleeding in the stomach to around one patient in every thousand per year, a factor which has fuelled an intense debate about whether doctors should advise patients to take it as regularly as every day.

Last year, a study by British researchers questioned the wisdom of daily aspirin for reducing the risk of early death from a heart attack or stroke because they said the increased risk of internal bleeding outweighed the potential benefit.

Other studies, including some by Dr Rothwell in 2007, 2010 and last year, found that an aspirin a day, even at a low dose of around 7mg, reduces the long-term risk of developing some cancers, particularly bowel and oesophageal cancer, but the effects do not show until eight to 10 years after the start of treatment.

Dr Rothwell, whose new studies were published in The Lancet and The Lancet Oncology journals today, said this delay was because aspirin was preventing the very early development of cancers and there was a long time lag between this stage and a patient having clinical signs or symptoms of cancer.

Dr Rothwell and others said deeper research was now needed into aspirin as a potential treatment for cancer in patients whose disease has not yet spread.

"No drug has been shown before to prevent distant metastasis and so these findings should focus future research on this crucial aspect of treatment," he said.

Dr Peter Johnson, chief clinician at the charity Cancer Research UK, said his group was already investigating the anti-cancer properties of aspirin. "These findings show we're on the right track," he said.

In a written commentary on the research in The Lancet, Dr Andrew Chan and Dr Nancy Cook of Harvard Medical School in the United States said it was "impressive" and moved health experts "another step closer to broadening recommendations for aspirin use". REUTERS ------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------

12 Tips to Get Your Kids Eating Healthy

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Navarro) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:51:00 +0800

With childhood obesity in North America tripling over the past 20 years, what kids are eating has become a major concern. Learn the Do's and Don'ts to get your kids eating healthy.

Adapted from: Foods That Harm, Foods That Heal, Reader's Digest Canada
Establishing patterns for a healthy lifestyle begins with eating well. Ease into a healthy diet with these easy to follow tips:

Do set a good example for your child to copy. Share mealtimes and eat the same healthy foods.
Do discourage snacking on sweets and fatty foods. Keep plenty of healthy foods, such as fruits, raw vegetables, low-fat crackers and yogurt, around for children to eat between meals.
Do allow children to follow their natural appetites when deciding how much to eat.
Do encourage children to enjoy fruits and vegetables by giving them a variety from an early age.
Don't give skim or 1-percent-fat milk to children under the age of five, unless your doctor prescribes it; at this stage, children need the extra calories in whole milk.
Do ask children to help prepare meals. If parents rely mostly on convenience foods, children may not learn to enjoy cooking.
Don't add unnecessary sugar to drinks and foods.
Don't accustom children to extra salt by adding it to food or placing the shaker on the table.
Don't give whole nuts to children under the age of five. They may choke on them. Peanut butter and chopped nuts are fine as long as the child is not allergic to them.
Don't force children to eat more than they want.
Don't use food as a bribe.
Don't make children feel guilty about eating any type of food.

Healthful Snacks

Stock up on healthful snacks that children and teenagers can nibble on throughout the day:

Breads and crackers with spreads such as peanut butter, low-fat cheese, canned tuna or sardines and lean cold cuts.
Rice cakes and whole-grain crackers or breadsticks.
Fresh and dried fruits.
Yogourt.
Carrot and celery sticks, cherry tomatoes or other raw vegetables with nutritious dips.
Plain popcorn.
Breakfast cereals.
Water, milk or fruit juice.

8 Ways to Stay Close to Your Child

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Navarro) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 00:13:00 +0800

You remember when they took naps. You recall their first words. You cherish the days when they were innocent, loving and eager for your hugs. The tips that follow can help you continue to bond with your children if they are no longer children. Nothing can make your heart soar as much as watching their lives prosper – and them wanting you to be part of it.

From: 5-Minute Health Boosters / Reader's Digest

1 . Set Dinner Time
There’s something comforting about the family gathered around the dinner table, perhaps because that tradition is disappearing. Yet the evening meal is often the one time of day when the family can get together in one place. So make dinner a family affair. Use the time to share news of your day, make weekend plans and enjoy one another’s company. Research shows that adolescents who dine with their family at least several times a week are less likely to smoke and use drugs and they tend to get better exam results.

2. Back Off, But Stay Close
It’s normal for teens to want to spend more time with friends than parents. But don’t take this to mean your job as a parent id diminished. Find ways to remain involved in your child’s life. For example, while tea parties may be a thing of the past, you can still get to know your children’s friends by making them welcome after school. Staying involved may be more challenging, but it’s an important way of enhancing your relationship with your child.

3. Share Your Feelings

Of course, spare the intimate details of very personal subjects, but confiding that you, too, occasionally feel angry, insecure or awkward shows your teenager that you’re not just a parent — you’re human. Not only will your child feel closer to you, but he or she may feel safe enough to disclose uncomfortable issues when they arise.

4. Ask for Their Opinions
Teenagers have opinions about, well, everything, and they aren’t shy about sharing them. So allow them to make more independent decisions. For instance, let them decide when and where to study, what to wear, what after-school activity to pursue. However, keep in mind that some decisions are non-negotiable. Parents need to set limits that protect their child’s health, safety and well-being – at every age. These might include curfews, decisions about drinking and sexual activity, issues around study and university.

5. Trust Your Children to Make Smart Choices
Of course, they’ll make the wrong ones occasionally. But especially if they’re over 18, give them the chance to work out solutions to problems on their own. Didn’t you want the same from your parents at that age?

6. Call Before Going Over
If you have an adult child, always call before you go to his or her home, unless it is absolutely necessary. If you’re the parent of a teen, knock before you enter his or her room.

7. Respect Their Privacy

Don’t read his or her diary, eavesdrop on phone conversations or badger him or her with questions. If any behaviour is troubling you, address it directly, using five little words: ‘Can we talk about it?’ Here’s an example: ‘You seem to be very quiet lately, and I’m worried about you. Can we talk about it?’

8. Be Honest
Many parents offer praise when they shouldn’t, as well as when they should. That just undermines trust. If both your praise and criticism are heartfelt and valid, your children will learn to trust you.

Diet For a Longer Life

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Navarro) — Wed, 9 Nov 2011 00:57:00 +0800

by Janis Graham From: Reader's Digest USA, July 2009

The advice to dial back on burgers, steaks, and cold cuts just took on a bit more oomph: A ten-year study of 545,000 Americans found that people who eat about four ounces of beef or pork a day (the amount in an average-sized burger) are at least 30 percent more likely to die early, compared with those who consume an ounce or less daily. Though previous research has linked a diet heavy in red meat to a greater risk of heart disease and colon cancer, this is the first big study to look at how it affects your life expectancy.

The results don’t mean you have to completely eliminate beef and pork, says Paula Quatromoni, DSc, an assistant professor of nutrition at Boston University, who wasn’t involved in the study. “You just need to eat much less.” Read on to find out how.

Don’t Quit — Switch

People who ate more fish, chicken, and turkey had a slightly lower risk of dying during this study, so use turkey for your meat loaf and shrimp when you make a stir-fry. Skewer chicken for shish kebabs—or, if you prefer, use a few chunks of beef along with plenty of veggies.

Keep Rules Simple

If you eat lots of red meat, start by banning it from two meals. Skip bacon at breakfast; substitute turkey for ham in your deli sandwich. Then declare one day of the week “red-meat-less.”

Indulge, But Not Every Day

When you hanker for a big burger, a sizzling T-bone, or a rack of barbecued ribs, go for it! Then build the rest of your week’s meals around fish, beans, and other healthier sources of protein.

Simple Switch, Big Results

Instead of: Ranch salad dressing
Use: Oil and vinegar

To get: Protection against cancer and, for diabetes, help in managing blood sugar. Vinaigrette has long been recognized as better for you than creamy dressings. But in a recent test-tube study from Spain, compounds in extra-virgin olive oil blocked the growth of human breast cancer cells.
In other new research, people who regularly consumed vinegar had healthier blood sugar levels. “Any type of vinegar—red wine, balsamic, cider—appears to be beneficial, as long as it’s 5 percent acid,” says researcher Carol S. Johnston, PhD, of Arizona State University.
To make a first-rate vinaigrette, use three times as much oil as vinegar. Add a pinch of salt and pepper; for variety, throw in shallots, garlic, Dijon mustard, or fresh herbs.