It is no longer so surprising to read about alarming air pollution levels in our cities. On more than one occasion, these levels have risen above the danger levels. For some people, this may simply create an annoying fog that makes it difficult to see. For others, it can cause serious health issues. Air pollution is one of the most common reasons for the growing instances of asthma and allergies. Children are most susceptible to such diseases caused by air pollution.

Asthma and Allergies
Asthma can affect children even before their fifth birthday and the condition is characterized by breathlessness caused by a constriction of the airways. While the root cause of asthma is unknown, it is usually seen that asthmatic patients are more sensitive to others to particles in the air such as pollutants, dander, dust, smoke etc. Thus, the airways construct as a reaction to these allergens. Changes in the weather, a sudden cold draft or the flu can also aggravate asthma.

Can you Protect Your Children from Asthma?
Wheezing, panting, finding it difficult to breathe and a persistent cough are some of the signs of asthma. If you notice these symptoms, you must consult a doctor immediately. At home, here are a few things you could do.

Avoid exposing your children to smoke: Do not smoke around your children or allow others to smoke around them. If you cannot give up the habit, wear a smoking jacket when you smoke and take this off before you play with your children. When you ll go out, drive with the windows up so that your child does not inhale exhaust smoke. Set your air conditioner to circulate air within the car itself.
Dust often: Try and keep your home as dust free as possible. Use a wet cloth to clean so that the dust does not fly in the air. Wash all your bed linen once a week. Carpets and rugs should be vacuumed regularly or dusted outside. It may also be a good idea to invest in dust mite impermeable covers for your child s mattress and pillows.
Keep your Pets clean: If you share your home with pets, bathe them once a week and brush them daily. Do not let them climb on to the furniture or your beds. Also, avoid having their toys lie on your beds.
Wear a face mask: Try and time your child s outdoor activities when the pollution levels are low. Buy yourself and your child a face mask that will filter the air they breathe in. These should be worn whenever they play outdoors.
These simple steps could help your child be healthier and can prevent asthma and other such allergic reactions.

Increasing Asthma & Allergy In Children - What Should You Do?

Hearing loss is experienced by millions of people these days. Ageing is not the only factor that brings hearing impairment. The causes are many. Certain medications, continuous exposure to loud noise, genetic involvement, injury and some medical conditions may cause hearing loss.

There are quite a few myths that people have come to believe about hearing loss over the years. Since it is such a common phenomenon, here we take a look at the common myths surrounding hearing loss.

Myth no. 1: Hearing loss is exclusive to elderly.

Fact: As said before, hearing loss can be an outcome of various causes. Nearly half of the people suffering from the same are below the age of 55 years. No matter what your age is, you must always get your ears checked, especially if you are feeling that are you missing things.

Myth no. 2: Diagnosing hearing loss is easy.

Fact: Most people do not come to know about the condition until it gets worse. Also, your physician never really checks for hearing loss symptoms in a general check-up unless you ask for it specifically.

So, always get a check-up done, like you do for other probable diseases.

Myth no. 3: There's no effective solution for hearing loss.

Fact: Like there have been advancements in the medical field for everything else, there are aids available these days that improve your hearing and have finer adjustments for noise adaptation. Also, there are certain other procedures and surgeries that have proved to improve the condition in many.

So, seek help as soon as possible.

Myth no. 4: The sounds aren't loud enough; my ears are healthy and fine.

Fact: If there is a problem you're experiencing with hearing, you have got to accept that and get it treated. Avoiding a certain condition will only get things worse for you.

Also, hearing aids are no more a stigma. Ear aid devices have designs similar to earphones these days, which are comfortable enough to wear. Ignoring a medical condition or inability to accept the same would only do more harm instead of making things fine.


Common Myths About Hearing Loss

Both natural and homeopathic remedies can efficiently deal with lactose intolerance and thus you should check the reports of the patient for finding the best solution. You can choose any of these remedies or else can continue with both.

List of homeopathic medicines for treating lactose intolerance

    Aethusa Cynapium: The medicine helps in the digestion of milk so that unwanted stomach aches can be easily avoided. On the other hand, health condition of the kids can also be improved to a great extent using this medicine. Loose tools or green colour diarrhea due to dairy products can be prevented with care.
    Apis Mellifica: Milk allergies can be easily cured with this medicine and thus kids are often prescribed the drug by a homeopathic expert. A few symptoms are found in kids due to lactose intolerance like breathing difficulty, body itchiness, redness, swelling, skin rashes and others. All these symptoms can be treated by this homeopathy medicine.
    China Officinalis: This medicine is mainly prescribed to those kids for whom Apis Mellifica is not the suitable one. Flatulence, belching and bloating can be properly controlled or regulated by taking this drug regularly.  Excessive mucus formation, chest's rattling sound and excessive coughing might occur with dairy intolerance and these symptoms might get severe. This is the reason the doctors often prescribe this medicine as the best option. 

A few natural remedies for treating lactose intolerance

    Probiotics: These are specialized bacteria that not only help in improving digestion, but proper nourishment can also be gained. 
    Coconut milk: This is now considered as one of the leading substitutes for different dairy products. 
    Apple cider vinegar: Lactose intolerance signs can be completely eradicated along with the maintenance of body balance by consuming apple cider vinegar regularly. This is a natural product, and thus you can take the same regularly without taking a doctor's permission. 
    Fermented products: Kimchi and Sauerkraut are those fermented foods that can create helpful bacteria as a result of which the gut can be re-populated and digestive system can be regulated. The symptoms will get reduced slowly with the consistent intake of these foods.
    Yogurt: This can be taken with meals as it is enriched with beneficial bacteria that can help in digesting different other dairy products. With the consumption of yoghurt, Lactose can be broken down naturally, and on the other hand, digestion can be improved.

Homeopathic and Natural Remedies for Lactose Intolerance

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!

The primary or milk teeth begins to erupt at about 6 months of life with the complete set in place by 2.5 years of age, and the entire set is replaced by the age of 14. The benefits of some of the preventive dental measures are outlined below.

Maternal care during pregnancy: the teeth begin to form during the second trimester of pregnancy. It is very important that the maternal diet includes sufficient amounts of calcium, potassium, and fluoride for optimal tooth mineralization. Good tooth structure has greater resistance to decay than hypomineralized teeth.

Routine oral hygiene: for the first 6 months, though there are no teeth, after each nursing, end it with a spoonful or two of water to wash down the milk. Gradually, the gums can be just wiped with a gauze pad or soft cotton to remove any residual bacteria. The baby also gets used to this habit, and once the teeth are in, there are lesser bacteria for the decay process to begin.

Once the teeth begin to erupt, the nursing habits also need to be modified to ensure the baby is not allowed to go to sleep with a bottle. This is a common practice to put the baby to sleep and should be avoided to reduce the occurrence of nursing bottle caries.

Fluoride application: fluoride has been shown to have significant benefits in preventing caries. Once routine dental visits begin, then the dentist will be able to tell if fluoride needs to be applied. This can happen either in the form of a gel or varnish that is applied in the dental office or as a paste that is used at home. This helps in building resistance to decay.

Pit and fissure sealants: the tooth has a number of pits and fissures which are 8 times more vulnerable to decay than other surfaces. Deep pits are shown to harbor more bacteria and thereby greater incidence of caries. There are sealants which are thin resins that can be applied on the tooth, which can reduce bacteria accumulation and further decay.

Space maintainers: in the event that a child has lost a tooth, either due to trauma or decay and subsequent infection, then a space maintainer should be placed within the next 3 months. This helps in maintaining the space and establishing a good bite during the transition phase and later, once the permanent teeth are in place.

Orthodontic treatment: if there is malocclusion, then early intervention helps by reducing treatment time and getting better results as the teeth and periodontium are still very elastic and are more malleable to movement.

By doing these preventive measures early in life, the result is a child who has healthier teeth, less decay, less pain, and a happy smile all the time!

Benefits of Preventive Dental Treatments in Children

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

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