This is a very common condition seen in toddlers. When the legs are brought together then there is a gap at the level of the knee. It happens because of inward bowing of thigh bone or tibia. The deformity may appear to increase on standing.

Daily requirement of calcium

The optimal primary nutritional source during the first year of life is human milk. Premature infants have higher calcium requirements than full-term infants while in the nursery. These may be met by using human milk fortified with additional minerals or with specially designed formulas for premature infants. Around 6 months of age when weaning foods are started, food items rich in calcium should be added. Readymade formulas are fortified with calcium but one must remember that the bioavailability of calcium from human milk is greater than that from infant formulas or cow's milk. Hence breastfeeding should be encouraged. In children age 2-8 years the daily requirement is around 800 mg/d. In children 9- to 18-year-olds the daily requirement is 1,200-1,500 mg/day.

Some of the common items that are rich in calcium are.

Food Item	Quantity	Amount of Calcium in each serving
Milk	1 cup (240 ml)	300 mg
Cheddar cheese
1.5 oz (42 g)	300 mg
Spinach cooked	1/2 cup (90 g)	120 mg
Sardines or salmon with bones	20 Sardines (240 g)	50 mg
Sweet potatoes	1/2 cup (160 g)	44 mg
Vitamin D:

Babies younger than 1-year-old need 400 IU of vitamin D a day. Kids older than 1 year need 600 IU or more of vitamin D a day. Our bodies make vitamin D when our skin is exposed to the sun. The recommended exposure to sunlight is at least 30 min every day. There are various fortified food items that have vitamin D. Also medicines are available which can provide the daily requirement of Vitamin D

Physiological genu varus. In most of the toddlers, the legs are curved inwards. They should improve over a period of time. The legs should straighten by 2 yrs. The child should be investigated if the deformity is severe; the deformity is only in one leg, if the child complains of pain and if the child appears unusually short.

Bow Legs - Why Do Children Suffer From Them?

Children generally tend to be fairly over active and have lesser attention spans. However, when this tends to get into their performance at school and in general with getting along with other children it may be a sign of ADD or attention deficit disorder. Let's look at some of the common symptoms of this disorder.

Symptoms of ADD

1. Problems in staying focused: One of the very basic symptom is that children will often be very inattentive even during classes and will be easily distracted by small things.

2. Problems in trying to remember things or difficulty in following instructions: Children with attention deficit disorder tend to have issues with remembering things and if given tasks, being unable to complete as they can't remember instructions properly.

3. Issues with organizing, planning and trying to finish tasks: Due to the lack of attention, kids have problems retaining information and cannot plan or finish tasks given to them on a daily basis.

4. Easily bored or loses interest: Even if a child with ADD starts with something they like, interest may wane off quickly. Thus it is difficult to make them stick to a specific work schedule which may require regular practice.

5. Lack of attention to details and making careless mistakes: This is another trait of children with attention deficit disorder. They may be able to complete a task, but it will be fraught with mistakes as they wouldn't have much attention to detail.

6. Has a tendency to not listen when someone is speaking to them: This is also very common and is usually tied to being easily distracted and thus will drift off or not listen to when someone is speaking to them.

Some Myths about ADD

a. All kids with ADD are hyperactive
b. They will eventually grow out of it
c. Medication is the only option to treat ADD
d. ADD is not really a disorder and kids need to be trained better

Most of these are half truths and the extent of the problems varies from child to child. Only proper counseling will be able to diagnose the extent of the problem and what needs to be done.

How to spot ADD in Children

ADD can be spotted in children aged below 7 years via certain symptoms. Apart from the ones mentioned above, children generally tend be abrasive towards others and can make embarrassing comments quite often. They also change tasks very quickly without completing any of them. Any distraction would force them to change their track. It is best to go to a child specialist to get your child checked out for possible symptoms.

Symptoms and Myths About Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and How to Spot Them in Children

Typhoid is an infectious bacterial fever with an eruption of red spots on the chest and abdomen and severe intestinal irritation, brought about by the Salmonella typhi bacteria. It can also be brought about by Salmonella paratyphi, a related bacterium that generally causes a less extreme sickness. The bacteria are stored in water or in the food by a human carrier and are then spread to other individuals around them.

Multiple Ways to Prevent Typhoid Fever

Vaccination: Take one dose of the vaccine one week before travelling. The other is given orally in four cases, with one container to be taken every alternate day. Neither one of the vaccines is 100% effective. Both require repetitive immunisation since the effect of vaccines diminishes over time.
Washing your hands: Frequently washing your hands in hot, soapy water is the most ideal approach to control contamination. Wash before eating or cooking food and after using the toilet. Use a hand sanitiser in cases where water isn't accessible.
Drinking clean water: There are a few ways in which you can avoid getting typhoid fever spread by contaminated water.
Abstain from drinking untreated water.
Contaminated drinking water is a specific issue in areas where typhoid fever is endemic. Thus, drink only boiled or filtered water, or canned or packaged carbonated drinks.
Carbonated filtered water is more secure than non-carbonated filtered water.
Request drinks without ice.
Use filtered water to brush your teeth and try not to swallow water in the shower.
Clean water can get contaminated again in case it is not put away securely.
Store the clean drinking water in a container with a little opening and use it within four hours.
Staying away from raw fruits and vegetables: Maintain a strategic distance from crude foods grown in the ground. Since crude produce may have been washed away in water, maintain distance from products of the soil that you cannot peel, particularly lettuce. To be totally protected, you might need to stay away from street food completely.
Cooking: Pick hot foods. Keep away from food that is put away or served at room temperature. Steaming hot nourishments are ideal. Also, in spite of all precautions, there is no assurance that the food served at the finest restaurants is safe for your health. It is best to stay away from foods served by street side vendors. Completely cook all meats, fish and vegetables. Eat them while they are still hot.
Washing: Wash your dishes and utensils with proper dish washing soap and water. Wash your cutting board particularly well with a cleanser and water.
Peeling: Peeling fruits and vegetables protects you from typhoid. Eat natural products that have been freshly washed and peeled, for example, oranges and bananas.

Typhoid Fever - Follow These Steps and Prevent It!

A recent study found that about 14.4 million children in India are overweight or obese. This makes childhood obesity one of the leading health concerns for Indian parents. Research states that on average, children and teenagers who spend over seven hours a day browsing the internet or playing games on electronic gadgets are at greater risk of obesity. Smartphone, Tablets, Kindle   these keep your child occupied for quite some time, but too much screen time may infuse unhealthy habits in them, which persist even as they grow up. 

Obesity, Technology and Sedentary Behaviour 

Overexposure to gadgets goes hand-in-hand with reduced physical activity. As children spend most of their leisure time glued to Smartphone watching videos on YouTube, playing games online, they spend little or no time outside playing or running around and burning those excess calories. Over time, they are unable to cope with any outdoor activities/exercise. This eventually leads to significant weight gain.

Increased Snacking

Too much time spent on electronic gadgets may lead to mindless eating and increased snacking. Many times the commercials featured in between videos prompt your child to crave for foods that are low in nutrition, and high in sodium, added sugar and fat. This type of food marketing largely influences children s food preferences and in turn, affects their health.

How Overuse of Gadgets Interfere with Quality of Sleep?

Looking at your Smartphone just before going to bed will likely disrupt the quality of sleep long after you turn them off. Continuous exposure to gadgets not only causes digital fatigue in children but also exposes their eyes to Blue light. This light hampers the creation of  sleep hormone  in the body. As a result, you find it hard to sleep. Children and teenagers who do not get adequate sleep as is required for their age are at higher risk of developing obesity. 

Limit Your Child s Screen Time

Experts suggest adolescents and children spend no more than two hours on Tablets and Smartphone.

  Encourage your children to get off the couch and engage in some sort of exercise/physical activity 

  Focus on providing them with healthy snacks and food that will keep them fuller for a long time. Fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, high-fibre foods should definitely be on the list. Make sure they do not skip breakfast and meals. 

  Ensure that they restrain from using gadgets at least two hours before going to bed. Read them a book instead of handing them Kindle. The ill effects of gadget use should not be overlooked. Childhood obesity can lead to several health complications in adulthood, which is why it is imperative that you take adequate measures to ensure that your child maintains healthy body weight. 

Children Obesity & Gadget Use!

4 Simple ways to lose your baby weight naturally

Having a baby brings about a number of changes in your life, including a change in the way you look. The nine months see you putting on additional weight, which you try to shed off once you deliver. To help you get back into shape, here are some very effective and simple ways that you can follow:

Losing weight doesn't mean you need to get started on a vigorous exercise regimen; even a simple walk around your apartment block can help you to lose your baby weight. Whether it's going up and down the stairs for 15 minutes or pushing the stroller for about 30 minutes, such activities can bring your body's calorie-burning capacity back on track.

Breastfeed to burn about 600-800 calories everyday

Breastfeeding is not only good for your newborn but also for you. Breastfeeding your child can help you to lose weight considerably as it's a great way of burning off all the baby fat.

Lift weights to speed up your body's metabolism

Lifting weights can aid in improving your body's metabolism, thereby helping you to lose your baby weight effectively. By adding weight training to your fitness regimen, you're in fact helping yourself to build muscle mass and losing weight in the process. To do this, you don't need any gym equipment, for instance, you can do lunges while taking your baby around in a stroller. Or do them while holding your child close to your chest.

Always snack healthily

Having healthy snacks in place of high-calorie sugary foods can help you to get back your post-pregnancy shape. Studies show that yogurt and low-fat milk can help in weight loss as the calcium content present in these two foods block a hormone that assists the body in storing fat. Moreover, consuming foods high in fiber like raisins and figs can help in improving your digestion.

Get adequate sleep

Sleeping is another way in which you can shed off those extra kilos. Try to sleep whenever you get the time as it'll help to keep you from binging on junk foods as well as keep your energy levels in check.



4 Simple ways to lose your baby weight naturally

The word epilepsy brings to mind visions of people frothing at the mouth and rolling on the ground. However, epilepsy affects each patient in a different way. This can make it hard to recognize at times. In the more serious cases of epilepsy, an epileptic attack can make a patient injure himself or develop other life threatening conditions. In rare cases, epilepsy can even cause death. Thus it becomes imperative to understand how to deal with epilepsy.

Treatment options for epilepsy can be categorized as medication, surgical procedures and dietary changes.

Medication
Medication for epilepsy is prescribed on the basis of the symptoms presented and the type of epilepsy the patient is suffering from. In most cases, seizures can be controlled with a single type of medication, but in others, the doctor may need to prescribe a combination of medicines to control epilepsy. These forms of medication do have side effects and hence any reactions to the medication must be immediately brought to the doctor's notice. The dosage for epilepsy medication may need to be varied with time. An epileptic patient should never discontinue medication on their own.

Surgery
Depending on the type of seizures and the area of the brain affected, a doctor may advise surgery in cases of severe epilepsy. Surgery can help reduce the number of seizures experienced or completely stop them. Surgery to treat epilepsy is of many types. Some of the common procedures are:

1. Surgery to remove tumor of any such conditions that may be triggering the epileptic attacks
2. Surgery to remove a small section of the brain from where a seizure originates. This may also be referred to as a lobectomy.
3. Multiple subpial transaction or a surgery that involves making a series of cuts in the brain to prevent the seizures from spreading to other parts of the brain.
4. Surgery to sever the neural connections between the right and left hemispheres of the brain.
5. Surgery to remove half the brain's cortex or outer layer

Dietary changes
A diet rich in fats and low in carbohydrates can help reduce seizures. This is known as a ketogenic diet and aims at making the body break down fats instead of carbohydrates. It can cause a buildup of uric acid in the body and thus should be practiced only under the guidance of a dietician. In cases where epileptic attacks are triggered by malnutrition and birth defects, taking vitamin supplements can help lower the frequency of seizures.

How to Deal with Severe Epilepsy

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