Home Authors Posts by Dr. Marie Gabrielle Laguna

Dr. Marie Gabrielle Laguna

756 POSTS 0 COMMENTS

Medical doctor-internist

https://www.eternusglobal.com

How to Treat Your Body Right

Jul 15, 2018

1863

To stay as healthy as possible, you have to do your own part. You can help maintain health by following a couple of steps every day, and be aware of alterations in the way you consider. This accountability shouldn’t be just for adults but for young adults as well. Talk to your general practitioner about healthful habits and hints and prevent carrying out habits or pursuits which can break your body in any way.

Quit Smoking

Smoking is a major factor for establishing long term lung conditions like emphysema and lung cancer. Quit smoking, and in the event you don’t smoke, do not start. Smoking is a major risk factor for setting up long term lung illnesses comparable to emphysema and lung cancer. You should do your best to avoid occasions where you will be exposed to second hand smoke.

Eat Healthy

Consume a healthy, well-balanced and nutritious diet. Adopt a healthy, well-balanced and nutritious weight loss program. This does not imply that you can’t eat junk food once in a while, but do not over-do. Be certain that you eat three to five servings of vegetables daily, and two to four servings of fruit, as what is suggested by the American Heart Association. Children, teens and adults should consume two to three servings of milk and dairy products and five to seven ounces of meats or beans.

Exercise Regularly

You should also strive to exercise everyday at a minimum of three to four times per week. You can have some physical activity everyday if you could, however you must strive at a minimum of three to four times every week. In addition to improving your alertness and mood, physical activity helps your body keep robust and withstand sickness, and can prevent diseases. Exercise helps you maintain healthy weight, increase your strength and sleep better at night time.

Avoid Alcohol

You should resist the pressure to drink alcohol, regardless of your age. Drinking alcohol impacts your significant body organs, regardless of how much quantity of alcohol you drink. Ingesting could result in diseases like hepatitis, or infection of the liver. Alcohol can bring about increased blood pressure and can make it hard for your heart to pump oxygenated blood to cells and tissues of the body along with the brain.

Do not get behind the wheel if you have been drinking and avoid being a passenger in a vehicle driven by anyone who’s been drinking or using recreational drugs. You’ll be embarrassed to call someone to pick you up and you can face heavy consequences with this.

Avoid Unprotected Sex

Do not take chances with unprotected sex. Sexually transmitted diseases comparable to Chlamydia, Gonorrhea or syphilis are devastating to the body, and will also stop you from having children at some point. Other communicable diseases like human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV and AIDS may bring damage to your body, weaken your immune function and can even result in loss of life.

Stop Diarrhea: What To Eat And What Food To Avoid

Jul 15, 2018

1889

Diarrhea is the passage of loose or watery stools, making you dehydrated. The common cause is a stomach flu. So, to stop diarrhea, you may wonder what is the right thing to do and what food is the right thing to eat to soothe your digestive system that is in chaos.

If you're thinking how to stop diarrhea of your child, then this article is for you.

Drinking Fluids

A child with diarrhea can easily lose too much fluid, causing him or her dehydration. Because lost fluids need to be replaced, children should drink fluids that they would normally have.

Electrolyte solutions are products that can be bought at your nearest supermarket or pharmacy to keep your child well-hydrated. Watered-down fruit juice or broth can also be a good thing to give to your child. Moreover, popsicles and gelatin, especially if your child is vomiting, are great sources of fluids for these two can offer hydration and nutrients to children.

Always remember to never use medicines to slow down the diarrhea of your child without talking to a doctor first because this may complicate things up.

Diet for Children With Diarrhea

In some cases, diarrhea will usually go away in time without any changes or treatment and you can still feed your child as usual. However, while they have diarrhea, they should do the following:

Eat some salty foods, such as pretzels and soup
Eat small meals throughout the day instead of three big meals

Changes in the diet may help, however, no specific diet is recommended. Your child may do better with plain foods such as:

Cooked eggs
Baked or broiled beef, pork, chicken, fish, or turkey
Applesauce
Bananas and other fresh fruits
Pasta or white rice
Bread products made from refined, white flour
Pancakes and waffles made with white flour
Cereals such as cream of wheat, farina, oatmeal, and cornflakes
Cooked vegetables, such as carrots, green beans, mushrooms, beets, asparagus tips, acorn squash, and peeled zucchini
Cornbread, prepared or served with very little honey or syrup
Baked potatoes
Some desserts and snacks, such as Jell-O, popsicles, cakes, cookies, or sherbet

It is best if you remove seeds and skin from these foods.

Use only low-fat milk, yogurt or cheese. You may need to stop eating or drinking dairy for a few days if dairy products make diarrhea much worse.

The child may take some time returning to his or her normal eating habits. Somehow in some children, when returning to their regular diet, diarrhea may also return because of some mild problems the gut may have.

Things Your Child Should Avoid Eating or Drinking

When your child has diarrhea, he or she should avoid certain kind of foods such as:

donuts
greasy foods
fried foods
sausages
processed or fast foods
pastries

Apple juice and full-strength fruit juices can loosen the stool so avoid giving your child these kinds of juices. He or she should also avoid drinks with caffeine and carbonated drinks. �Milk and other dairy products make diarrhea worse or can cause gas and bloating so it is better to limit giving them to your child or remove them in the list.

Fruits and vegetables that can cause gas should also be avoided by your child. These include:

beans
broccoli
berries
peppers
chickpeas
corn
peas
prunes
green leafy vegetables

When your child is ready again for regular foods, you should try to give him or her:

Crackers
Bananas
Rice cereal
Pasta
Chicken

When To Call A Doctor

If your child has any of the following symptoms, you may call a doctor:

Blood or mucus in the stool
No tears when crying
Not urinated for 6 hours
Dry and sticky mouth
Much less activity than normal (not sitting up at all or not looking around)
Stomach pain
Sunken eyes
Fever that does not go away

How to Stay Healthy

Jul 14, 2018

1425

Staying healthy is the key to survive in everyday living, especially within the aspects of physical, mental and social well-being of a teenager. We should take good care of our bodies, and be aware of what we are eating while also doing physical activities.

Path to Improved Health

Physical Health

Teenagers should pay attention to stay healthy. Good health includes physical, mental, emotional, and behavioural health. This will be the way to ensure their healthy future.

Teens should take good care of their physical health by being active at least 60 minutes every day.

You become what you eat. If you eat healthy foods, you can get nutrients that will make you a healthy person. As for teenagers, eating a healthy diet is important for their growth and development. Fruits and vegetables are the major foods where you can get proper nutrients. You can also consume whole grains and low-fat dairy products.

Children and teenagers should maintain a healthy weight. If they are already obese when they are still young they are more likely to be obese as an adult. When children and teenagers are obese, they will be at risk for different diseases as well as bullying.

Teens should have enough sleep for 9 and 9 � hours every night. Lack of sleep may affect their concentration at school.

Make sure your teens can get regular vaccinations. Get a flu shot every year. This prevents them from getting HPV and some kinds of cancers, including cervical cancer. Ask your parents and doctors about having HPV vaccines.

To prevent tooth and gum problems, you have to brush and floss your teeth.

If as a child or teenager you had frequent sunburns, you have a risk for skin cancer as an adult. To avoid this type of cancer, you should wear sunscreen when exposed to too much direct sunlight.

Loud music could damage your hearing especially when you are using headphones.

Mental Health

Teenagers are prone to stress, so there are always ways to avoid and manage stress. These tips will help you encounter stressful situations without affecting your mental state.

Do your school projects and homework ahead of time to avoid the rush. Also, you should balance your activities from school to home. Maintain a good relationship with your parents as they are the best persons to share your problems with.

Emotional Health

Know the signs of mental illness. These include:

Anxiety
Depression
Excessive tiredness
Loss of self-esteem
Loss of interest in things you used to like
Loss of appetite
Weight gain or loss
Out-of-character personality changes

It's natural to have negative feelings when you are a teenager. You should pay attention to your mood swings and sudden change of feelings.

If you are confused about something that brings you stress, seek for help. It's better to share what you feel with your parents. When you can't talk with them, share it with your favourite teacher or with your school counsellor.

When you feel like you have low self-esteem or a poor body image, just accept yourself and find ways to improve it! You can also talk with your friends about your concerns.

Don't bully someone in your school: try to be friendly with your classmates and schoolmates.

Behavioral Health

Try to avoid being with your peers who use tobacco products, alcohol and street drugs. These things will just destroy your future.

Wear safety gear when driving a motor vehicle as many teenagers nowadays are involved in motor accidents. Avoid drinking alcoholic drinks when driving to avoid accidents.

Getting to Know Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Jul 14, 2018

1832

A narcissistic personality disorder is a mental condition in which a person has an extreme sense of self-importance, lacking empathy for others and an excessive obsession with themselves. Narcissistic personality disorder's cause is unknown but insensitive parenting are believed to play a part why this disorder developed.

Living with a narcissistic personality disorder can probably affect your daily life where your personal and social relationships are likely suffering.

We give you this article to know more about narcissistic personality disorder.

Symptoms

A person with this kind of disorder may:

Need of constant attention and admiration
React to criticism with rage, shame, or humiliation
Have excessive feelings of self-importance
Take advantage of other people to achieve his or her own goals
Be preoccupied with fantasies of success, power, beauty, intelligence, or ideal love
Exaggerate achievements and talents
Disregard the feelings of others, and have little ability to feel empathy
Have unreasonable expectations of favorable treatment
Pursue mainly selfish goals
Have obsessive self-interest
Expectations of being realized as superior
Possessing a sense of entitlement
Being envious of others and the exaggerated belief that others are envious of you
Thinking about oneself the majority of the time and talking about oneself a lot; self-promotion
Easily jealous
Setting of unrealistic goals
Expectation that others should do special favors for you
Power-seeking
Belief that nobody should question your motives and should have unwavering compliance with your requests
Taking advantage of others to move forward in
Arrogance, haughtiness
Demonstrates superiority
Easily rejected, hurt
Unemotional
Responds to criticism with shame, anger, and humiliation

Usually, a lot of people may initially be attracted to people with this kind of disorder because of a person's confidence, and boldness, however, as the time goes by, you may start to hate the very same traits that attracted you to this person when you know him or her in depth.

What Causes This Disorder and How Is It Diagnosed?

A person with narcissistic personality disorder have been discovered to have less volume of gray matter in the left anterior insula. This is the part of the brain associated to cognitive functioning, empathy, and emotional regulation. Though there is no known cause, researchers believe that the causes that play a role are both genetic and environmental.

During normal stages of development, many of the traits of this disorder occur and scientists believe that its full start occurs when interpersonal development is conflicted during these stages.

The following are the examples of types of negative or destructive interpersonal environments interacting with developmental phases:

Suffering from severe childhood abuse
Being born with an oversensitive temperament
Being excessively praised for good behaviors and excessively criticized for bad behaviors
Learning manipulative behavior from parents or peers
Receiving excessive praise from parents or others for your looks or abilities
Inconsistent parental caregiving � unreliable or unpredictable care
Being excessively admired with no real feedback to balance you with reality
Being overindulged by parents, peers, or family members

Most people who are suffering from narcissistic personality disorder never go to the doctor for a diagnosis, however, if you are worried about your loved one, it is important to get him or her treatment. The doctor will conduct a physical exam and may ask about the symptoms, personal experiences, medical history and such.

What Are The Treatment Options?

Psychotherapy, also called as talk therapy, is the main approach in the treatment of narcissistic personality disorder that helps people relate to others better to boost up the functional interpersonal relationship, and to understand emotions and the feelings a person with this disorder possesses.

Treatment for this condition may be slow because this is focused on personality traits. Change behaviors center on embracing responsibility for your actions and learning ways to take part interpersonally in a more suitable manner. These include:

Understanding and regulating your feelings
Accepting and maintaining relationships with co-workers and family
Minimizing your desire to attain unrealistic goals and ideal conditions
Tolerating criticisms and failures

If you have this disorder, you may feel negativity toward the treatment but keep in mind that this can help so be open-minded toward treatment, educate yourself about your condition, stick to treatment plans and focus on your goals because the outcome of this treatment depends on how willing you are to change.

How to Manage Your Sleeping Schedule

Jul 13, 2018

1935

Falling asleep could look like an unattainable dream when you're wide awake at 3AM., however good sleeping is more below your control than you would consider. Following healthful sleep habits could make the difference between restlessness and restful slumber. Researchers have identified practices and habits�referred to as sleep hygiene“�that can aid any one to maximize the hours they spend napping, even those who are suffering from insomnia, jet lag, or shift work.

Sleeping hygiene may sound unimaginative; nevertheless it just may be the excellent strategy to get the sleep you need on this modern age. To get some good sleep you should consider these tips:

Avoid Coffee and Smoke

Avoid caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and other chemical compounds that interfere with sleep.

Caffeinated products scale back an individual's sleep quality. Caffeine is a stimulant that may keep you awake. So stop caffeine as found in coffee, tea, chocolate, cola, and a few pain relievers for four to 6 hours before bedtime. Similarly, people who smoke will have to stop smoking before bedtime.

Despite the fact that alcohol could aid in bringing on sleep, after a couple of hours it acts as a stimulant to increase the quantity of awakenings and on lowering the quality of sleep later at night. It’s best to restrict alcohol consumption to one to two drinks per day, or less, and to prevent ingesting within three hours of bedtime.

Make Your Room Conducive

You should also turn your bedroom into a sleep-inducing atmosphere. A quiet, dark, and cool environment can aid sound slumber. To obtain such an environment, decrease the quantity of external noise with earplugs or white noise” equipment. Use heavy curtains, blackout shades, or eye masks to block light, a powerful cue that tells the brain that it is time to get up. Hold the temperature quite cool�between 60 and 75�F to keep the room well ventilated. Make sure your bedroom is geared up with a relaxed mattress and pillows.

If a pet mostly wakes you during night time, you can also keep it out of your bed room.

It will help to limit your bedroom pursuits to sleep and sex only. Maintaining computers, TVs, and work materials out of the room to avoid work related activities in your bedroom.

Establish Sleep Routine

You should also establish a good bedtime routine. Doing light reading is an effective way to prepare you for sleep.

Ease the transition from wake time to sleep time with an interval of relaxing activities at an hour or so earlier than bed. Take a shower, read a publication, watch TV, or do relaxation techniques. Stop worrying and avoid stimulating activities such as doing work, discussing emotional problems during bedtime. Physical and psychological worries can cause the body to secrete the stress hormone cortisol, which is associated with alertness. If you are inclined to take your problems to bed, you should write them down in your diary and put them aside.

Go to sleep while you're really tired.� Struggling to fall sleep just leads to frustration. In the event that you're not asleep after 20 minutes, get off the bed, go to another room, and do whatever enjoyable activities you want, like studying or taking notes until you are tired enough to sleep.

Stop Watching Your Clock

Observing a clock on your bed room as an attempt to fall asleep or when you wake within the middle of the night just to look at the time can greatly lead to stress, making it tougher to go to sleep. Turn your clock's face far away from you.

If you wake up in the middle of the night and get back to sleep in about 20 minutes, stand up and have interaction in a quiet, restful environment reminiscent of studying. Keep the lights dim; bright light can stimulate your body clock. When your eyelids are drooping and feel that you like to sleep, return to bed.

Use Light in the Right Way

Your body clock is attuned to a healthy sleep-wake cycle. So let in the light first thing in the morning and get out of the workplace for a sun break for the rest of the day. Set your body clock with a constant sleep schedule. Having a standard sleep schedule helps ensure better sleep.

Going to bed and waking up every day sets the body's “interior clock” to assume sleep at a precise time night after night. Try to stick with a sleep schedule as intently as possible to your routine on weekends to prevent a Monday morning sleep hangover. Waking up every day is a strategy that can set your clock, and although you didn’t sleep good the night before, extra sleep will aid you consolidate sleep on the following night. Be aware of the importance of synchronizing the clock with the body clock and the sleep-wake cycle.

Have an Early Nap Or None At All

Many people make naps a frequent part of their day. Nonetheless, for those who find falling asleep or staying asleep a problem at night, afternoon sleeping could be the culprit.This is due to the fact that late-day naps reduce sleep drive. In the event that you must nap, it's best to keep it brief and earlier than 5 P.M.

Finish Meals Hours before Bedtime

Eating a pepperoni pizza at 10 P.M. may trigger insomnia. Finish dinner a few hours before bedtime and avoid meals that bring about indigestion. For those who get hungry at night time, snack on foods that will not disturb your sleep, such as dairy foods and carbohydrates. Drink sufficient fluids at night time to keep you from waking up thirsty; however do not drink too much during bedtime so that you will be wake up with the need to go to the toilet.

Exercise

Exercising early in the day helps promote restful sleep if it is finished a number of hours earlier than you go to bed. Exercise can aid you go to sleep rapidly and sleep extra soundly, as long as it’s carried out on the correct time. Exercise stimulates the body to secrete the stress hormone cortisol, which helps activate the alerting mechanism within the brain. This is okay, except when you are making an attempt to fall asleep. Attempt to finish exercising at least three hours before bed or work out early in the day.

Some of these tips will probably be less complicated to include to your daily and nightly routine than others. However, if you happen to follow them, your probabilities of achieving restful sleep will reinforce. In case your sleep difficulties don't improve with the right sleep hygiene, you may wish to seek advice from your physician or a sleep professional.

Treatment to Get rid of Hemorrhoids

Jul 12, 2018

2012

Hemorrhoids are swollen veins in the rectum and anus part which can be unpleasant and painful.� However, this type of condition can be preventable and can be treated easily so to know how to get rid of hemorrhoids, this article is for you.

�How can I get rid of hemorrhoids?

You can get rid of hemorrhoids at home by:

eating foods that are high in fiber
taking a stool softener or a fiber supplement such as psyllium (Metamucil) or methylcellulose (Citrucel)
not straining during bowel movements
drinking water or other nonalcoholic liquids each day as recommended by your healthcare professional
not sitting on the toilet for long periods of time
use topical ointments
avoiding regular heavy lifting
taking over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen, naproxen, ibuprofen or aspirin
sitting in a tub of warm water, called a sitz bath, several times a day to help relieve pain
keeping the anal area clean
applying ice packs or cold compresses on your anus to relieve swelling

Diagnosing hemorrhoids

By simply looking, your doctor may be able to know if you have external hemorrhoids and to diagnose internal hemorrhoids, tests and procedure include an examination of your anal canal and rectum:

Digital examination. Your doctor inserts a lubricated, gloved finger into your rectum and feels for anything uncommon.
Visual inspection. The doctor will use anoscope, proctoscope or sigmoidoscope to inspect the lower part of your colon and rectum.

The doctor will need to examine your entire colon using colonoscopy if:

You have risk factors for colorectal cancer
Your signs and symptoms suggest you might have another digestive system disease
You’re middle-aged and haven’t had a recent colonoscopy

How do doctors treat hemorrhoids?

Doctors treat hemorrhoids with procedures such as:

Minimally invasive procedures

Rubber band ligation. Your doctor will put a tiny rubber band around the base of internal hemorrhoid to cut off the blood supply causing hemorrhoid to weaken and falls off mostly within a week.
Injection (sclerotherapy). This procedure when compared to rubber band ligation causes a little pain, where the doctor injects a chemical solution into an internal hemorrhoid tissue to shrivel it.
Coagulation (infrared, laser or bipolar). The doctor uses laser or infrared light or heat in this procedure to harden and shrink the internal hemorrhoids.

Surgical procedures

Your doctor may recommend the following surgical procedures if other procedures haven't been fruitful in removing your hemorrhoids:

Hemorrhoid removal. Also known as hemorrhoidectomy, the most effective way of treating severe hemorrhoids, where the surgeon takes away excessive tissue that causes bleeding.
Hemorrhoid stapling. Also called as stapled hemorrhoidectomy or stapled hemorrhoidopexy, this procedure is less painful than hemorrhoidectomy and this blocks blood flow to hemorrhoidal tissue. Preparing for your appointment

Medications

The doctor may recommend over-the-counter ointments, creams, suppositories or pads if your hemorrhoids produce only mild discomfort but take note that unless directed by your doctor, never to use an over-the-counter steroid cream for more than a week because it causes the skin to thin.

What to expect from your doctor

When heading to a doctor, the usual thing the doctor does is ask questions so if you have any errands to finish or any meetings to catch up, it is better to have quick and accurate answers on the questions he or she may ask such as:

When did your symptoms first occur
How uncomfortable are your symptoms
How much fiber does your diet contain
Has anyone in your family ever had hemorrhoids or cancer of the colon, rectum or anus
What, if anything, seems to improve your symptoms
What, if anything, appears to worsen your symptoms
What are your typical bowel habits
Have you had a change in your bowel habits
During bowel movements, have you noticed blood on your toilet paper, dripping into the toilet or mixed into your stools

When to seek care right away?

If you have severe anal pain and experiences bleeding from your rectum or having diarrhea or fever, you should seek medical care right away to receive treatments for these kinds of illness.

Help Your Child Form Healthy Habits

Jul 12, 2018

1988

We always want to raise our children with good health. But how could we make them eat the right amount of food that we want for them? To ensure that our children are eating healthy, we should first start eating right by ourselves. What we eat is also what our children eat, as children learn to like the foods that they see us eat.Children usually don't like the food that they are not used to eating every day. So, healthy eating habits should start at home to make your kids' bodies and minds get ready for their future endeavors.

Parents should play as role models

When talking about healthy lifestyles of our children, we should set an example for them with good healthy habits. We should encourage them to have daily exercise instead of watching TV and playing computer games or surfing the internet. We should be physically active with our children. We recommend that your family engage in outdoor games like playing ball games. This will make your family more physically active as well as form a strong relationship with your family.

Parents should discuss about being healthy

Educate them about having healthy eating habits and being physically fit. Involve them in preparing your food, and discuss them the importance of fruits and vegetables in their lives. Also, discuss the bad effects of junk foods to their health and make them limit their consumption of sweet snacks as it causes cavities and diabetes. While they are young, enable them to take good care of themselves by choosing the healthy food items for their health.

Parents should provide good health

Being physically and mentally fit persons, we all know that this is the vital to our lives. So let's make our children be healthy to ensure a good future to them. This is how we can take good care of them.

Promote good health in school

Pack them some healthy snacks and drinks.

Don't let them buy junk foods at the canteen.

Let them be involved in sports activities at school.

Consider other influences

Watching TV can affect your child's attitude. What they will be watching will influence their behaviour at home. You can let them watch educational TV series. You can also limit their access to video games.

Your child's friends could also influence them to eat sugary and junk foods. Let your children play outside with kids instead of giving them electronic devices like mobile phones and tablets for playing.

Help your child eat better

Jul 11, 2018

1869

Most parents find it difficult to make their children eat more healthy foods, as small kids prefer sugary and junk foods. While they are young, we should train them eat food that has enough nutrients and vitamins which will sustain their daily activities.

Use less fat, salt, and sugar

Replace unhealthy habits at your kitchen. Switch to organic foods that are high with vitamins and nutrients.

Cook with less solid fats. Replace your margarine and butter with olive or canola oil. Instead of frying to make snacks, just bake and toast to avoid using oil.

Cook your children's snacks with less salt and sugar. Instead, have fruits and cereals to have healthy snacks.

Reshape the plate

Your children's plate should have more fruits and vegetables to eat rather than fatty meat and oily fried foods. Get enough of foods with potassium, calcium, vitamin D and dietary fiber.

Fill your child's plate with green, red and orange vegetables. Add fruit in every breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Give your kid low-fat milk products to supply them enough calcium to make healthy bones.

In the morning, do physical activities under the sunlight to get enough vitamin D naturally. Replace half of rice, bread and pasta with whole grain foods. When buying packed foods at the grocery store, check the nutrition facts label to ensure that it has enough nutrients to sustain your child's health.

Think about your drinks

Always remember the benefits of water, so you can choose water as your first choice. Or you can also pair your child's breakfast with low-fat milk. As much as possible, avoid sugar-sweetened sodas and fruit-flavoured drinks.

Fresh fruits are the best sources of fiber. Serve snacks with 100% natural fruit juices. Always create healthy snacks in the kitchen for the whole family.

Limit your family's urge to eat at fast food chains. If possible, you can set dinner at the garden with your kids during weekends and let them be involved in preparing foods with you. This helps them have more appetite to eat, because they have contributed in preparing it.

Healthy Snack Ideas

When we talk about snacks, it is easy to grab processed snacks as it is available everywhere. But we need to add more effort to make healthy snacks for your child.

Here are examples of healthy snacks:

Fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables or fruit served plain or with low-fat yogurt
Pretzels or air-popped popcorn sprinkled with salt-free spice mix
Homemade fruit smoothies made with fat-free milk or yogurt and frozen or fresh fruit
Dry cereals (with no added sugars) served plain or with low-fat or fat-free milk

Select snacks that are packed with the nutrients that your family needs.

13 Ways to Maintain a Healthy Bladder

Jul 10, 2018

2037

We rarely talk about bladder health, but we need to know more about it. As people get older, they could get infections related to the bladder.Here are 13 ways to maintain a healthy bladder even when you are getting old.

Drink enough�water.� Every day our body needs about six to eight, 8-ounce glasses of water. Water is proven to be the best fluid for bladder health. At least half of our fluid intake should be water. If you have some complications like kidney failure or�heart disease, you should first ask your healthcare provider�how much fluid is healthy for you.
Reduce consumption of alcohol and caffeine.� If possible, limit the use of�alcohol�and caffeinated drinks such as coffee, tea, chocolate and sodas. Alcoholic drinks can make you more prone to infections especially in the bladder.
It is time to quit smoking.�Take the necessary steps to quit. If you don't smoke, don't start.
Eat plenty of high-fiber foods like whole grains, vegetables, and fruits to avoid constipation. Drink enough water, and�be physically active to help prevent constipation.
To maintain a healthy weight, be physically active and eat fruits and vegetables.
Exercise regularly.�Be physically active for at least 60 minutes a day before getting started in the day. It could help prevent bladder problems.
Do pelvic muscle exercises.�Pelvic floor exercises help hold urine in the bladder. This exercise can strengthen your muscles, which can help keep urine from leaking when you sneeze, cough, lift, laugh, or have a sudden urge to urinate.
Go to the bathroom and urinate more often and when needed.�Try to urinate at least every 3 to 4 hours. Holding urine in your bladder for too long can weaken your bladder muscles and make a bladder infection more likely.
Take enough time to fully empty the bladder when urinating.�Rushing when you urinate may not allow you to fully empty the bladder. Holding urine can cause infections.
Be in a relaxed position while urinating.�Relaxing the muscles around the bladder will make it easier to empty the bladder.
Wipe from front to back after using the toilet.�Women should wipe from front to back to keep bacteria from getting into the urethra. This step is most important after a bowel movement.
To flush away the bacteria that have entered the urethra during sex, it is advised that both women and men should urinate.
If possible, wear cotton underwear and loose-fitting clothes.�Wearing loose cotton clothing will allow air to keep the area around the urethra dry. Tight-fitting jeans and nylon underwear can trap moisture and help bacteria grow.

Calcium For A Toddler: How Much Is Enough?

Jul 10, 2018

2008

Aside from building up our strong bones, calcium helps our body in many other ways such as keeping our heart healthy and keeping our nerves and muscles working. Calcium for a toddler is essential because it is when he or she starts to improve bones, making them stronger. Additionally, calcium intake should be increased to prevent a disease called rickets which softens the bones. Babies and kids needed calcium and vitamin D.

Where Can I Find Calcium?

Well, the good news is that calcium can be found in the nearest supermarket. Calcium can be found in food such as dairy products that are among the best natural sources of calcium:

Milk
Yogurt
Hard cheeses, like cheddar

If your child can't eat dairy, he or she can get calcium from these foods:

Oranges, figs, and prunes
Edamame (soybeans)
Calcium-set tofu
Sweet potatoes
Broccoli, collard greens, kale, chard, Chinese cabbage, and other leafy greens
White beans, red beans, and chickpeas
Almonds and sesame seeds

How Much Calcium Does My Child Need?

Calcium is measured in milligrams (mg) and in different stages of life, a different amount is needed.

For Babies

Babies acquire the calcium they need from breast milk or formula milk:

Babies younger than 6 months old – 200 mg of calcium a day
Babies 6 to 11 months old – 260 mg of calcium a day

Babies younger than 1 year old should be given only breast milk or formula, not cow's milk or any other kind of milk.

Kids and Teens

To support their growing bones, kids need more calcium as they age:

Kids 1 to 3 years old – 700 mg of calcium a day (2�3 servings)
Kids 4 to 8 years old – 1,000 mg of calcium a day (2�3 servings)
Kids and teens 9 to 18 years old – 1,300 mg of calcium a day (4 servings)

What Can I Do To Help My Child Get Enough Calcium?

To ensure that your child gets enough calcium, you can try the following:

Make smoothies with fresh fruit and low-fat milk or calcium-fortified soy or almond milk
Make parfaits with layers of plain yogurt, fruit, and whole-grain cereal
Add fresh fruit or unsweetened apple butter to cottage cheese or yogurt
Sprinkle low-fat cheese on top of snacks and meals
Add a drop of strawberry or chocolate syrup to regular milk
Add white beans to favorite soups
Top salads or cereals with chickpeas and slivered almonds
Serve hummus with cut-up vegetables
Add sesame seeds to baked goods or sprinkle on vegetables
Serve edamame as a snack
Add tofu to a stir-fry
Use almond butter instead of peanut butter
Serve more dark green, leafy vegetables with meals

Why Do We Need Vitamin D?

We need Vitamin D because it helps our body absorbs calcium. Calcium for a toddler may not go where it needs to go to build up strong bones without Vitamin D.

Unfortunately, Vitamin D is not available in many foods, so your doctor may recommend Vitamin D supplements and morning sunshine exposure.

Prev 1...8910...76 Next

Page 9 of 76