Puberty is a time when a girl's body begins to define itself in more womanly terms. This is the start of a process that will usher in decades of sexual activeness and child bearing years. The changes that a girl goes through during this period can be quite challenging with a play of hormones as well as physical changes, such as growth of hair in private parts and the development of breasts, among various other changes. When these changes come at an early age, it can be all the more challenging to cope and comprehend the process. The onset of early puberty is something that is becoming more and more common with girls between the age bracket of 12 &amp; 13. How can you help deal with early puberty? Here's a list of tips!

1. Self-Image: One of the most important side effects of early puberty remains one's image of the self, as this phase in life is characterised by the most dramatic physical changes that can leave a lifelong effect on the girl's mind. The reinforcement of positive self-image to help the girl grow more comfortable in her skin despite the wide array of feedback she may be getting from sources outside the home, will help in creating a positive impact on a lifelong basis.

2. Doubts: This is a time when the child goes through a number of doubts regarding looks and appearance as well as how well she may be able to cope with the onset of the new process. As parents, the best thing to do is to let the child explore this terrain even as you remain firmly in the background for hand holding when the child asks for it. This will help the girl become even more confident to take life's decision more efficiently and seriously.

3. Talking About It: The best thing to do is to talk things out. Once you start seeing the changes in the girl's appearance by way of hair growth and sudden sprouting of breasts and height, it is important to understand that puberty may be close by. So have a talk about menstrual cycles and the changes that the child will be seeing soon. This will help in mentally preparing the child and giving her the leeway to ask questions that you can answer over a period of time.

4. Opposite Sex: It would also be beneficial to discuss the changes in the behaviour of boys towards her, as this will help her blossom into a more confident lady in the years to come.

Remember to love and support your child through this important milestone of her life, as the way you reach can have a lasting impact on her.

How to Deal with Early Puberty

Bronchial asthma is a medical condition. It happens when the airways of your lungs swell up and become narrow. This limits the amount of air that can pass through the passages and this leads to respiratory distress. Asthma can affect anyone and usually, it starts from childhood.

What are the Symptoms of Bronchial Asthma?
Some common symptoms of bronchial asthma are-

  Wheezing and breathlessness
  Tightness of the chest
  Frequent bouts of coughing which are more common at night or in the early morning, making sleep difficult. 

Bronchial asthma does not go away on its own. It requires treatment.

What is Siddha?
Siddha is a very ancient system of medication and treatment that originated in Tamil Nadu. According to Siddha, the individual is a microcosm of the entire universe. And it is made up of some fundamental elements- earth, air, fire, water and ether as well as three humours- Vata, Pitta and Kapha. An imbalance of these components causes an ailment. So, the chief goal of Siddha is to restore the right balance to root out any illness.

Types of Asthma according to Siddha -
We find mention of asthma in Siddha literature. It is called Eraippu Noi. There are five types of asthma -

  Vazhi Eraippu Noi - Digestive troubles may lead to accumulation of Vata. This is not a grave form of asthma and can easily be cured.

  Iya Eraippu Noi - Exposure to cold climes or freezing winds or being drenched in rain can cause Kapha to build up in the system, which triggers this form of asthma. It is accompanied by symptoms such as the runny nose, nasal congestion, breathing trouble when lying down.

  Iyavazhi Eraippu Noi - Both Vata and Kapha accumulate to trigger this kind of asthma. Its symptoms include breathlessness, bloating, indigestion, disorientation, etc.

  Mukkuttra Eraippu Noi - An imbalance of all three humours- Vata, Pitta and Kapha are the culprits behind mukkuttra Eraippu Noi. A person who has contracted it might experience severe chest pain, constipation and even loss of consciousness.

  Mel nokku Eraippu Noi - This is the gravest form of bronchial asthma and requires extensive treatment.

Treatment of Asthma according to Siddha -

Siddha will first try to understand what kind of imbalance has caused your asthma. The medication depends on the type of asthma. Siddha medicines are made from particular parts of herbs that will induce you to either vomit or defecate to get rid of the excess humour that has accumulated in your body. Thus, the balance of Kapha, Pitta and Vata is restored.

You might also be suggested a few breathing exercises to strengthen your lungs and diaphragm.
Siddha follows a holistic way to curing bronchial asthma and targets it at its source. Unlike allopathic medication, medicines prescribed by Siddha are herbal and have no side effects.

Siddha Approach In Treating Bronchial Asthma!

Risk factors and complication of scabies

Scabies is a type of skin conditions that causes itching and rashes. This dermatological condition is caused by Sarcoptes scabiei, a microscopic mite. It is a contagious condition, which can spread through physical contact. An estimate shows that scabies infects over 300 million people worldwide per year.

This eight-legged microscopic mite creates a tunnel in the human skin and lays eggs in it. These larvae move under the surface of the skin and spread across the whole body, once hatched. Dogs, cats, and mice can also be affected by this disease. It usually takes 2-6 weeks for the symptoms to develop. Signs and symptoms of scabies involve itching, rashes, sores and thick crusts on the surface of the skin.

Some of the risk factors of scabies are:

- Scabies spreads through direct, prolonged skin-to-skin contact with a person who has mites.
- An infected person can easily pass scabies to his/her household or sexual partners. Scabies in adults is usually sexually acquired.
- The likelihood of scabies increases easily under crowded conditions, which involve close body and skin contact. Nursing homes, prisons, and several types of care facilities are sites of scabies outbreaks.
- Immunocompromised, elderly and disabled people also suffer from an increased likelihood of contracting this skin condition.

Complications of scabies include:

- Persistent and vigorous scratching can break the surface of your skin, which can lead to secondary bacterial infections. Impetigo, a superficial infection, is a quite common occurrence in such cases.
- Crusted scabies, the most severe form of scabies, can be common in certain groups. People suffering from diseases such as HIV or leukemia who have weakened immune systems as well as severely ill people have high risks of contracting this condition. This condition, also known as Norwegian scabies, is very contagious and also hard to cure.



Must Know Risk Factors and Complication of Scabies

The early childhood period is considered to be the most important developmental phase throughout the lifespan.  This period focuses on the physical, social/emotional and language/cognitive domains of development of a child, which have direct effects on their overall development as an adult in the future.
Physical Development
Physical developments of a child are associated with the motor skills and physical growth of the child. As a child grows and his or her nervous system become more mature, the child becomes more capable of performing increasingly complex actions such as walking, running, balance, and coordination which involve the larger muscles like arms and legs, as well as, some more intricate skills such as drawing, writing, grasping objects, throwing, waving, and catching, involving the smaller muscles in the fingers, toes, eyes, and other areas. Physical growth follows a directional pattern, such as the body's core, legs and arms develop before the small muscles in the fingers and hands.  The muscles in the center of the body become stronger and develop before those in the feet and hands. Development goes from the head to the toes. 
Cognitive Development
Cognitive abilities are associated with memory, reasoning, problem-solving and thinking that continue to emerge throughout childhood. There are four Stages of Cognitive Development:
Stage
Age Period Between
Milestones
Sensorimotor Stage
Birth to age 2
Respond to sensory stimuli by simple motor skills.
Preoperational Stage
Age 2 to 6
Learn to use language, but do not understand logic or mentally manipulate information and understand others' point of view.
Concrete Operational Stage
Age 7 to 11
Begin to think logically about concrete events, but have difficulty understanding abstract or hypothetical concepts.
Formal Operational Stage
Age 12 to adulthood
Able to think about abstract concepts and develop skills such as logical thought, deductive reasoning, and systematic planning.
 
Language Development
It is the most remarkable development in children. According to several researches, it is found that language development begins at fetal level, as the fetus is able to identify the speech and sound patterns of the mother's voice and by the age of four months, a child can distinguish between sounds and read lips. Infants are able to differentiate between speech sounds from all languages; however, around the age of 10 months they lose this ability and begin to recognize their native language only.

What Is Early Childhood Development?

Child nutrition from age 6 months to 5 years growth and development of a child depends on the nourishment received by the child right from birth. Healthy diet and proper eating habits are essential to be inculcated in a child as early as possible. A balanced diet given to the child at the earliest provides all nutrients required for adequate growth and development. Nutritional value of every food item introduced in the child s diet should be gauged prior and then given to the child.

Nutritional requirement of children varies in accordance to the age group. It is necessary that the parents should have knowledge about the age-specific requirements of the diet, which will benefit the child in their growing years.

Following is the ideal child nutrition ranging from the age group of 6 months to 5 years.

1. 6 months to 12 months

A. Right from the birth of a newborn child, it is necessary to begin breastfeeding for the baby. It should begin within an hour of the child s birth. It is the ideal way of providing proper nutrition to the child.

B. Breastfeeding is beneficial by providing nourishment and also by improving the immunity of the baby.

C. From birth to 6 months, only breastfeeding is advised. It is a critical source of nutrition for the child even during illness.

D. After the baby turns 6 months old, solid food can be introduced in the child s diet.

E. Breastfeeding can be continued and supplemented with other food items.

F. Usually, fruit juices are introduced first in the diet.

G. Feeding bottle should be avoided and the child should be fed with a spoon and cup. Proper hygiene and good handling of the food is required.

H. It is necessary to wipe the gums and developing teeth clean with a wet gauge to prevent any decay that can be caused by sticking of the food on the teeth surfaces fed to the child.

2. 1 year to 3 years

A. Children in this age group can tell when they feel full after feeding. It is necessary to listen to their demand for food and also avoid overfeeding children.

B. This age group requires children to eat all types of nutrients, so parents should focus on providing a variety of food items to replenish their child s nutritional requirements.

C. Children in this age group require fat-rich foods and should be given dairy products for calcium requirements.

D. Processed foods should not be given to children at this age. Calories intake should be monitored to the optimum level.

E. Since children at this age are involved in activities like walking, running around and playing it is essential to keep feeding them at regular intervals to maintain the energy levels of their bodies.

3. 3 years to 5 years.

A. Children belonging to this age group require to eat a well-balanced, nutrient rich diet.

B. Grains should be included on a routine basis. They provide the child with carbohydrates, fibres and minerals. All these nutrients provide energy to the child s body.

C. Inclusion of whole wheat grains provides fibres in adequate quantity.

D. Refined foods should be avoided, whole grain bread should be included in the diet.

E. Fruit intake should be increased, as they are an important source of various vitamins. Fresh fruit should always be preferred over juices for growing children.

F. Sugar intake should be kept to a minimum quantity since refined sugars do more harm to the child s health than any good.

G. Vegetables should form a considerably greater part of the child s daily diet, with the inclusion of a variety of vegetables.

H. Protein sources of food include meat, poultry, pulses, beans and nuts. Along with protein, these food items also provide iron, zinc and minerals to the body.

Apart from the above specified food items, daily intake of milk is necessary for children of growing age. It provides the body with sufficient calcium to facilitate bone growth in growing children. Also, nuts like walnuts, almonds, cashews are advised to be given to the children daily.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult a specialist & get answers to your questions!

Nutrition Tips For Children From Age 6 Months To 5 Years!

CAKUT or Congenital Anomalies of the Kidney and Urinary Tract is a group of simple to life-threatening malfunction or malformation of the ureters, kidney, bladders, testis, penis or female genitalia. These malformations are present from the birth when the genital or urinary system of the fetal starts developing. In young children, this kind of malformations can lead to renal transplantations and kidney failures. The primary cause of this kind of congenital problem with the urinary tract is genetic while other possible cause can be due to the environment.

Some of the most common Congenital problems with the urinary tract are:

Bladder Exstrophy: One of the most common congenital problems in children is bladder malformation. In this case, the bladder is flattened in shape and not round. So it will be exposed on the abdominal walls. This, in turn, will result in widely separated pelvic bones. Thus the function of female genitalia, penis and prostate will be affected. There are different types of Exstrophy and surgeries required for correcting them.
Undescended Testes: Usually, in the abdomen area, the testicles are formed. After the formation, they pass from the abdominal wall muscles and twist to the local place. This happens in the last few weeks of the pregnancy and is seen only in 5 percent of full-grown boys. Most of the times, testicles fall to the normal place in the first 6 months of their life. Any abnormality in the testicles or missing testicles can be due to problems in the testicular blood vessels or due to loss of blood flow to that particular area. Surgical and nonsurgical therapies like hormone management can be used to treat this kind of congenital problem.
Vesicoureteral Reflux: The Ureter is the tube in the human body that carries the urine from the kidneys to the bladder. When there is Vesicoureteral Reflux problem, then the urine flows back in the ureter. When the reflux of urine takes place, then that will get detained in that area and can cause damage to the kidneys. There are basically two types of Vesicoureteral Reflux and the primary condition is congenital problems. This problem can also be treated with the help of surgical and nonsurgical methods.
Hydronephrosis: Another very common congenital problem with the urinary tract in children is Hydronephrosis. The flow of the urine from the kidney can be prevented by any obstruction. This obstruction can result in fluids getting filled in the organs. There can be many disorders or problems associated such as Multicystic Dysplastic Kidney, Posterior Urethral Valve, Ureteropelvic Junction Obstruction and Idiopathic Hydronephrosis. There can be many other problems also associated along with these.

Congenital Problems With The Urinary Tract!

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