Obesity and Overweighting : A Prior concern for Fitness

April 29, 2018

Nutrition and Fitness

What Health Problems Can Obesity Cause?

Obesity increases kids' chances of developing medical problems that can affect their present and future health. These include serious conditions like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol — all once considered adult diseases.

Overweight and obese kids are also at risk for:

bone and joint problems
shortness of breath that makes exercise, sports, or any physical activity more difficult and may make asthma symptoms worse or lead kids to develop the condition
restless sleep or breathing problems at night, such as obstructive sleep apnea
a tendency to mature earlier (overweight kids may be taller and more sexually mature than their peers, raising expectations that they should act as old as they look, not as old as they are; overweight girls may have irregular menstrual cycles and fertility problems in adulthood)
liver and gall bladder disease

Cardiovascular risk factors (including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes) that develop in childhood can lead to heart disease, heart failure, and stroke in adulthood. Preventing or treating overweight and obesity in kids may lower their risk of cardiovascular disease as they get older.

Obese kids also might have emotional issues to deal with (such as low self-esteem), and may be teased, bullied, or rejected by peers. Kids who are unhappy with their weight can be more likely than average-weight kids to:

develop unhealthy dieting habits and eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia
be prone to depression
be at risk for substance abuse

How Are Overweight and Obesity Defined?

Body mass index (BMI) uses height and weight measurements to estimate a person's body fat. But calculating BMI on your own can be complicated. An easier way is to use a BMI calculator.
Once your child's BMI is known, it can be plotted on a standard BMI chart. Kids ages 2 to 19 fall into one of four categories:

underweight: BMI below the 5th percentile
normal weight: BMI at the 5th and less than the 85th percentile
overweight: BMI at the 85th and below 95th percentiles
obese: BMI at or above 95th percentile

BMI calculations aren't used to estimate body fat in babies and young toddlers. For kids younger than 2, doctors use weight-for-length charts to determine how a baby's weight compares with his or her length. Any child under 2 who falls at or above the 95th percentile may be considered overweight.

BMI is not a perfect measure of body fat and can be misleading in some situations. For example, a muscular person may have a high BMI without being overweight (extra muscle adds to body weight — but not fatness). Also, BMI might be hard to interpret during puberty when kids have periods of rapid growth. It's important to remember that BMI is usually a good indicator — but is not a direct measurement — of body fat.

If you're worried that your child or teen may be overweight, make an appointment with your doctor, who will ask about eating and activity habits and make suggestions on how to make positive changes. The doctor also may order blood tests to look for some of the medical problems associated with obesity.

Depending on your child's BMI (or weight-for-length measurement), age, and health, the doctor may refer you to a registered dietitian, who can advise you and might recommend a weight management program.

What Causes Kids to Become Overweight or Obese?


A number of things contribute to becoming overweight. Dietary and lifestyle habits, lack of exercise, genetics, or a combination of these can be involved. In some instances, endocrine problems, genetic syndromes, and medicines can be linked to excessive weight gain.

Diet and Lifestyle

Much of what we eat is quick and easy — from fat-laden fast food to microwave and prepackaged meals. Daily schedules are so jam-packed that there's little time to prepare healthier meals or to squeeze in some exercise. Portion sizes, in the home and out, have grown greatly.

Plus, now more than ever life is sedentary. Kids spend more time playing with electronic devices — from phones and tablets to computers and video game systems — than actively playing outside.
Kids younger than 6 spend an average of 2 hours a day in front of a screen, mostly watching TV, DVDs, or videos. Older kids and teens average 4½ hours a day watching TV, DVDs, or videos. When computer use and video games are included, time spent in front of a screen increases to more than 7 hours a day!

Kids who watch TV more than 4 hours a day are more likely to be overweight compared with kids who watch 2 hours or less. Not surprisingly, TV in the bedroom is also linked to increased likelihood of being overweight.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children and teens spend no more than 1-2 hours a day using entertainment media and discourages screen time for kids younger than 2.

Exercise and Physical Activity

Many kids don't get enough physical activity. Although physical education (PE) in schools can help kids get up and moving, more and more schools are cutting PE programs.

Kids should be active every day. Older kids and teens should get 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise or physical activity, including aerobic and muscle- and bone-strengthening activities. Children ages 2 to 5 years should play actively several times each day.

Genetics

Genetics also can play a role in what kids weigh. Our genes help determine body type and how the body stores and burns fat just as they influence other traits. Genes alone, however, cannot explain the current obesity crisis. Because both genes and habits can be passed down from one generation to the next, multiple members of a family may struggle with weight.

People in the same family tend to have similar eating patterns, maintain the same levels of physical activity, and adopt the same attitudes toward being overweight. A child's risk of obesity greatly increases if one or more parent is overweight or obese.

Can Overweight and Obesity Be Prevented?

The key to keeping kids of all ages at a healthy weight is taking a whole-family "practice what you preach" approach. Make healthy eating and exercise a family affair. Get your kids involved by letting them help you plan and prepare healthy meals, and take them along when you go grocery shopping so they can learn how to make good food choices.

Try to avoid these common food/eating behavior traps:

Don't reward kids for good behavior or try to stop bad behavior with sweets or treats. Come up with other ways to change behavior.


Don't maintain a clean-plate policy. Be aware of kids' hunger cues. Even babies who turn away from the bottle or breast send signals that they're full. If kids are satisfied, don't force them to continue eating. Reinforce the idea that they should only eat when they're hungry.

Don't talk about "bad foods" or completely eliminate all sweets and favorite snacks from kids' diets. Kids may rebel and overeat these forbidden foods outside the home or sneak them in on their own.

Recommendations by Age

Additional recommendations for kids of all ages:

Birth to age 1: In addition to its many health benefits, breastfeeding may help prevent excessive weight gain.

Ages 1 to 5: Start good habits early. Help shape food preferences by offering a variety of healthy foods. Encourage kids' natural tendency to be active and help them build on developing skills.

Ages 6 to 12: Encourage kids to be physically active every day, whether through an organized sports team or a pick-up game of soccer during recess. Keep your kids active at home with everyday activities like walking and playing in the yard. Let them be more involved in making good food choices, such as packing lunch.

Ages 13 to 18: Teens like fast food, but try to steer them toward healthier choices like grilled chicken sandwiches, salads, and smaller portion sizes. Teach them how to prepare healthy meals and snacks at home. Encourage teens to be active every day.

All ages: Cut down on TV, computer, and video game time and discourage eating in front of a screen (TV or otherwise). Serve a variety of healthy foods and eat family meals together as often as possible. Encourage kids to eat breakfast every day, have at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, and limit sugar-sweetened beverages.

If you eat well, exercise regularly, and build healthy habits into your daily life, you're modeling a healthy lifestyle for your kids. Talk to them about the importance of eating well and being active, but make it a family affair that will become second nature for everyone.

Most of all, let your kids know you love them — no matter what their weight — and that you want to help the whole family be happy and healthy.

READ MORE

Bronchitis : Infection

April 29, 2018

Infections

Bronchitis:

What is Bronchitis?

-> Bronchitis is the inflammation of the lining of bronchial tubes, the airways that connect the windpipe to the lungs . The delicate , mucus-producing lining  covers and protects the respiratory system.

Person Suffering from Bronchitis:

When a person has bronchitis, it may be harder for air to pass in and out of the lungs, the tissues become irritated, and more mucus is produced. The most common symptom of bronchitis is a cough.
When you breathe in (inhale), small, bristly hairs near the openings of your nostrils filter out dust, pollen, and other airborne particles. Bits that slip through become attached to the mucus membrane, which has tiny, hair-like structures called cilia on its surface. But sometimes germs get through the cilia and other defense systems in the respiratory tract and can cause illness.

Bronchitis can be acute or chronic. An acute medical condition comes on quickly and can cause severe symptoms, but it lasts only a short time (no longer than a few weeks). Acute bronchitis is most often caused by one of a number of viruses that can infect the respiratory tract and attack the bronchial tubes. Infection by certain bacteria can also cause acute bronchitis. Most people have acute bronchitis at some point in their lives.

Chronic bronchitis, on the other hand, can be mild to severe and is longer lasting — from several months to years. With chronic bronchitis, the bronchial tubes continue to be inflamed (red and swollen), irritated, and produce excessive mucus over time. The most common cause of chronic bronchitis is smoking.

People who have chronic bronchitis are more susceptible to bacterial infections of the airway and lungs, like pneumonia. (In some people with chronic bronchitis, the airway becomes permanently infected with bacteria.) Pneumonia is more common among smokers and people who are exposed to secondhand smoke.

Symptoms of Bronchitis:

Acute bronchitis often starts with a dry, annoying cough that is triggered by the inflammation of the lining of the bronchial tubes. Other symptoms may include:

-cough that may bring up thick white, yellow, or greenish mucus
-headache
-generally feeling ill
-chills
-fever (usually mild)
-shortness of breath
-soreness or a feeling of tightness in the chest
-wheezing (a whistling or hissing sound with breathing)

Chronic bronchitis is most common in smokers, although people who have repeated episodes of acute bronchitis sometimes develop the chronic condition. Except for chills and fever, someone with chronic bronchitis has a chronic productive cough and most of the symptoms of acute bronchitis, such as shortness of breath and chest tightness, on most days of the month, for months or years.

A person with chronic bronchitis often takes longer than usual to recover from colds and other common respiratory illnesses. Wheezing, shortness of breath, and cough may become a part of daily life. Breathing can become increasingly difficult.

In people with asthma, bouts of bronchitis may come on suddenly and trigger episodes in which they have chest tightness, shortness of breath, wheezing, and difficulty exhaling (breathing out). In a severe episode of asthmatic bronchitis, the airways can become so narrowed and clogged that breathing is very difficult.

What Causes Bronchitis?

Acute bronchitis is usually caused by viruses, and it may occur together with or following a cold or other respiratory infection. Germs such as viruses can be spread from person to person by coughing. They can also be spread if you touch your mouth, nose, or eyes after coming into contact with respiratory fluids from an infected person.

Smoking (even for a brief time) and being around tobacco smoke, chemical fumes, and other air pollutants for long periods of time puts a person at risk for developing chronic bronchitis.
Some people who seem to have repeated bouts of bronchitis — with coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath — actually might have asthma.

What Do Doctors Do?


If a doctor thinks you may have bronchitis, he or she will examine you and listen to your chest with a stethoscope for signs of wheezing and congestion.

In addition to this physical exam, the doctor will ask you about any concerns and symptoms you have, your past health, your family's health, any medications you're taking, any allergies you may have, and other issues (including whether you smoke). This is called the medical history. Your doctor may order a chest X-ray to rule out a condition like pneumonia, and may sometimes order a breathing test (called spirometry) to rule out asthma.

Because acute bronchitis is most often caused by a virus, the doctor may not prescribe an antibiotic (antibiotics only work against bacteria, not viruses).

The doctor will recommend that you drink lots of fluids, get plenty of rest, and may suggest using an over-the-counter or prescription cough medicine to relieve your symptoms as you recover.
In some cases, the doctor may prescribe a bronchodilator (pronounced: brong-ko-DY-lay-ter) or other medication typically used to treat asthma. These medications are often given through inhalers or nebulizer machines and help to relax and open the bronchial tubes and clear mucus so it's easier to breathe.

If you have chronic bronchitis, the goal is to reduce your exposure to whatever is irritating your bronchial tubes. For people who smoke, that means quitting!
If you have bronchitis and don't smoke, try to avoid exposure to secondhand smoke.

Smoking and Bronchitis:

Tobacco smoke is the cause of more than 80% of all cases of chronic bronchitis. People who smoke also have a much harder time recovering from acute bronchitis and other respiratory infections.
Smoking causes lung damage in many ways.

For example, it can cause temporary paralysis of the cilia and, over time, can kill the ciliated cells in the lining of the airways completely. Eventually, the airway lining stops clearing smoking-related debris, irritants, and excess mucus from the lungs altogether. When this happens, a smoker's lungs become even more vulnerable to infection.

Over time, harmful substances in tobacco smoke permanently damage the airways, increasing the risk for emphysema, cancer, and other serious lung diseases. Smoking also causes the mucus-producing glands to enlarge and make more mucus. Along with the toxic particles and chemicals in smoke, this causes a smoker to have a chronic cough.

How can we Prevent this?

What's the best way to avoid getting bronchitis? Washing your hands can help to prevent the spread of many of the germs that cause the condition — especially during cold and flu season.
If you don't smoke, don't ever start smoking — and if you do smoke, try to quit or cut down.

Try to avoid being around smokers because even secondhand smoke can make you more susceptible to viral infections and increase congestion in your airway. Also, be sure to get plenty of rest and eat right so that your body can fight off any illnesses that you come in contact with

READ MORE

Albinism :- A Birth Defect

April 29, 2018

Genetic Problems and Birth Defect

Have you ever heard the word albino?

It is the word which usually describes albinism. All the creatures ; Humans , Animals . and even plants can have this condition which means that the person , animal or plant lack the usual amount of pigment or colour. Albinism causes pale appearance , so how can you get clear about the meaning of albinism ?

Understanding Albinism

To understand albinism, you need to first know about melanin (say: MEL-uh-nin). Melanin is a chemical in our bodies that colors our skin, eyes, and hair. It's made by melanocytes (say: muh-LAH-nuh-sytes), which are cells found in the bottom layer of your skin.

Sometimes, a kid or an animal might be born whose body can't make a normal amount of melanin. This is what happens with albinism, which can show up as a lack of pigment (color) in the skin, eyes, hair, fur, or feathers of that kid or animal. There are different kinds of albinism. Some kids with albinism might have pale skin or hair. Other types of albinism might affect only the eyes.

Most kids with albinism have blue eyes, and others have brownish eyes. In some cases of albinism, a kid's eyes might appear pink or reddish. This isn't because the iris (the colored part of the eye) is pink or red. It's because the iris actually has very little color. The eyes appear pink or red because the blood vessels inside of the eye (on the retina) show through the iris.

Stay in the Shade

Besides giving your skin, eyes, and hair its color, melanin helps protect your skin from the sun. You know how a person's skin gets darker after hanging out at the beach? That's your melanin at work, darkening your skin to give it more protection from the sun's rays. So, without enough melanin, your skin won't be able to protect itself. Kids with albinism can get sunburned very easily.

That's why it's a good idea for anyone with albinism to stay covered while in the sun (or even to stay out of the sun completely). Kids with albinism can go to the beach and spend time outdoors, but they have to use lots of sunscreen and watch the amount of time they're soaking up rays. Kids with albinism should talk to their doctors to find out whether it's OK to spend any time in the sun.

Vision Problems

Some kids with albinism wear glasses or contact lenses to help them see better. Others might need eye surgery. An eye doctor can help figure out ways to help a person with albinism see better.
Another problem for kids with albinism is that their eyes can be very sensitive to light. The iris usually helps control the amount of light coming into your eye and hitting your retina, which is located at the back of your eyeball. When a person has albinism, the iris doesn't have enough color and can't properly shield the retina from light. So, kids with albinism often squint in bright light. Wearing sunglasses or tinted contact lenses can help make a kid with albinism more comfortable out in the sun.

What Causes It?

You can't "catch" albinism, like you catch a cold or the flu. It's caused by a person's genes. You might have learned about genes in science class, but what exactly are they?
Everyone's body is made up of billions of cells, which are too small to see without a strong microscope. Inside these cells are things called chromosomes, which contain hundreds, or even thousands, of genes. These genes give us our physical traits — how we look — and lots of other stuff about us, like the instructions our body parts need to work properly.

Genes carry the information that makes you an individual. Genes tell your body whether to give you curly or straight hair, long or short legs, or even brown or blue eyes. You might have heard people say you have eyes like your mom, hair like your dad, a smile like your grandma, or a laugh like your grandpa. Why? Because they passed some of their genes on to you!

Everyone has two sets of genes. Half of your genes are from your dad, and half are from your mom. Sometimes, a mom and a dad might carry an "albinism gene" but not show any signs of albinism themselves. But they might have a kid who has albinism. How can that be?

Well, this happens because each parent has a normal pigment gene and an albinism gene. For a kid to have albinism, the dad's albinism gene and the mom's albinism gene both have to get passed on to the kid.

But if a kid gets an albinism gene from one parent and a normal pigment gene from the other, the kid won't have albinism. Instead, the kid will be a "carrier" of an albinism gene — which means he or she would have one normal pigment gene and one albinism gene. So, if that kid grows up and has a child with someone who is also a carrier of an albinism gene, there would be a chance that their child might have albinism.

So what about kids with light skin and light hair . . . or animals with white fur or feathers? Do they have albinism? Not necessarily. Their genes may tell them to be light-skinned or fair-haired, like their mom or dad. Likewise, not all animals with white fur or feathers have albinism. Polar bears, for instance, have genes that tell them to be white.

What's Life Like for Someone With Albinism?

Kids with albinism are just like other kids — they just need to talk with their doctor about taking care of their eyes and skin, especially if they're going to be in the sun. And albinism doesn't stop kids from reaching their goals. Lots of kids with albinism have grown up to be doctors, lawyers, musicians, and athletes. Most kids with albinism can be anything they want to be, just like any other kid!

READ MORE

What is a Food Allergy?

April 29, 2018

Food Allergy

What Is a Food Allergy?

-> You are in a party , your friend offers you something to eat ; Mouth Watering Homemade Brownie , You're tempted by the delicious dessert but you see peanuts on the top. And you are allergic to peanuts ; and you discard the offer. 

If you have a food allergy , even a very tiny bit  of that food can make you sick. It's better to say "no thanks" to the brownie and have a nut free dessert.

Food allergies happen when the immune system makes a mistake. Normally, your immune (say: ih-MYOON) system protects you from germs and disease. It does this by making antibodies that help you fight off bacteria, viruses, and other tiny organisms that can make you sick. But if you have a food allergy, your immune system mistakenly treats something in a certain food as if it's really dangerous to you.

The same sort of thing happens with any allergy, whether it's a medicine (like penicillin), pollen in the air (from grasses, weeds, and trees), or a food, like peanuts. So the thing itself isn't harmful, but the way your body reacts to it is

What's a Reaction Like?

If a kid with peanut allergy would have eaten that peanut-topped brownie, here's what would happen. Antibodies to something in the food would cause mast cells (a type of immune system cell in the body) to release chemicals into the bloodstream. One of these chemicals is histamine (say: HISS-tuh-meen).

The histamine then causes symptoms that affect a person's eyes, nose, throat, respiratory system, skin, and digestive system. A person with a food allergy could have a mild reaction - or it could be more severe. An allergic reaction could happen right away or a few hours after the person eats it.

Some of the first signs that a person may be having an allergic reaction could be a runny nose, an itchy skin rash such as hives, or a tingling in the tongue or lips. Other signs include:

• tightness in the throat
• hoarse voice
• wheezing
• cough
• nausea
• vomiting
• stomach pain
• diarrhea

In the most serious cases, a food allergy can cause anaphylaxis (say: ah-nuh-fuh-LAK-sis). This is a sudden, severe allergic reaction in which several problems occur all at once and can involve the skin, breathing, digestion, the heart, and blood vessels. A person's blood pressure can drop, breathing tubes can narrow, and the tongue can swell.

People at risk for this kind of a reaction have to be very careful and need a plan for handling emergencies, when they might need to get special medicine to stop these symptoms from getting worse.

Many kids outgrow allergies to milk and eggs as they grow older. But severe allergies to foods like peanuts, certain kinds of fish, and shrimp often last a lifetime.

How Do You Know if You Have One?

Sometimes it's easy to figure out that a kid has a food allergy. He or she might get hives or have other problems after eating it. But other times, what's causing the problem is more of a mystery. Most foods have more than one ingredient, so if a kid has shrimp with peanut sauce, what's causing the allergy - the peanut sauce or the shrimp?

Doctors believe that allergies could be hereditary, which means if your parent or another close relative has certain allergies like hay fever, you're more likely to develop the allergies. Some kids may develop food allergies while they are still babies, while others develop food allergies over time. This may be due to someone's surroundings or changes in the body as they grow older.

Many people react to a certain food but are not actually allergic. For example, people with lactose intolerance (say: LAK-tose in-TAHL-uh-runtz) get belly pain and diarrhea from milk and other dairy products. That doesn't mean they're allergic to milk. They don't feel good after drinking milk because their bodies can't properly break down the sugars found in milk.

What Will the Doctor Do?

If you think you may be allergic to a certain food, let your parents know. They will take you to the doctor to get it checked out.
If your doctor thinks you might have a food allergy, he or she will probably send you to see a doctor who specializes in allergies. The allergy specialist will ask you about past reactions and how long it takes between eating the food and getting the symptom (such as hives). The allergist also may ask about whether anyone else in your family has allergies or other allergy-related conditions, such as eczema or asthma.

The allergist might want to do a skin test. This is a way of seeing how your body reacts to a very small amount of the food that is giving you trouble. The allergist will use a liquid extract of the food and, possibly, other common allergy-causing foods to see if you react to any of them. (A liquid extract is a liquid version of something that usually isn't liquid.)

The doctor will make a little scratch on your skin (it will be a quick pinch) and drop a little of the liquid extract on the scratched spot or spots. Different extracts will go on the different scratch spots, so the doctor can see how your skin reacts to each substance. If you get a reddish, raised spot, it shows that you are allergic to that food or substance.

Some doctors may also take a blood sample and send it to a lab. That's where it will be mixed with some of the food or substance you may be allergic to and checked for certain antibodies.
It's important to remember that even though the doctor tests for food allergies by exposing you to a very small amount of the food, you should not try this at home! The best place for an allergy test is at the doctor's office, where the staff is specially trained and could give you medicine right away if you had a serious reaction.

How Are Food Allergies Treated?

There is no special medicine for food allergies. Some can be outgrown; others will last a kid's whole life. The best treatment is simply to avoid the food itself and any foods or drinks that contain the food.

One way to figure that out is to read food labels. Any foods that might cause an allergic reaction will be listed near or in the ingredient list. Doctors and allergy organizations also can help by providing lists of safe foods and unsafe foods. Some people who are very sensitive may need to avoid foods just because they are made in the same factory that also makes their problem food. You may have seen some candy wrappers that say the candy was made in a factory that processes nuts, too.

Have a Plan

No matter how hard you try, you may eat the wrong thing by accident. Stay calm and follow your emergency plan. What's an emergency plan? Before a slip-up happens, it's a good idea to create a plan with your doctor and parents. The plan should spell out what to do, who to tell, and which medicines to take if you have a reaction.

This is especially important if you have a food allergy that can cause a serious reaction (anaphylaxis). For serious reactions, people may need a shot of epinephrine (say: eh-pih-NEF-rin) with them. This kind of epinephrine injection comes in an easy-to-carry container that looks like a pen. You and your parent can work out whether you carry this or someone at school keeps it on hand for you. You'll also need to identify a person who will give you the shot.

You might want to have antihistamine medication on hand as well, though if anaphylaxis is occurring, this medicine is not a substitute for epinephrine. After receiving an epinephrine shot, you would need to go to the hospital or a medical facility, where they would keep an eye on you and make sure the reaction is under control.

Living With Food Allergies

Having a food allergy is a drag, but it doesn't need to slow a kid down. Your mom, dad, and other adults also can help you steer clear of reactions.
But what if something you really like turns out to be on your "do not eat" list? Today, so many people have food allergies that companies have created lots of good substitutes for favorite foods - everything from dairy-free mashed potatoes to wheat-free chocolate chunk cookies!>

READ MORE