Dr. G Bhargava

Why it's important that your child's diet is calcium-rich

Calcium is an inevitable part of your child's diet. You cannot afford to skip it if you wish to maintain a healthy lifestyle for your child. It is recommended that children between the ages of 9 and 18 should get approximately 1300 milligrams of calcium every day. Calcium-rich diet is important for your child for a number of reasons.

Why calcium?

• Calcium helps in building strong bones and teeth for your child.
• It is important in order to ensure proper functioning of your child's muscles and nerves.
• Calcium plays a vital role in the release of such hormones and enzymes in your child's body that convert the food he eats into energy.
• It is also helpful in causing the blood to clot whenever your child gets bruised.
• Since your child is continuously growing, a calcium-rich diet ensures an adequate supply of resources that help him to develop new bones that are healthy and strong.
• A calcium-rich diet is also essential as far as other bodily functions like muscle contraction, blood vessel constriction and relaxation are concerned.

What does lack of a calcium do to your child's body?

• Lack of calcium can cause bone diseases like osteoporosis in your girl child, thus exposing her to a greater risk of weakened bones and possibility of fractures.
• If your child is a young kid and his diet lacks calcium or vitamin d, which absorbs calcium, he is exposed to the threats of the bone-softening disease called rickets. It can cause in him bowing of the legs, muscle pain and poor growth.
• Bones are living tissues that change constantly, old bones keep getting replaced by newer ones and a calcium-rich diet aids this procedure. Therefore without an adequate supply of calcium, this process would borrow minerals from existing bones, thus weakening them and exposing them to increased risks of fracture.
• Lack of calcium also increases risks of cardiovascular diseases, damaged gums, high blood pressure, ovarian and breast cancer and several other infirmities in your child in his later years.

Asthma, as known to most, is a chronic respiratory condition characterized by swelling and narrowing of the airways with an increased mucus production. The condition can affect children as well adults. However, it is quite disturbing to see that asthma among children is on a mercurial rise. In many cases, children below the age of 5 years seem to be at the receiving end, complicating the things further. What is worse, being so small, some children are not even aware of their condition.

Recognising the Symptoms in Children

There may be a myriad of symptoms that could be an indication of asthma in children. However, not all children will exhibit similar symptoms. 

1. A child may cough uncontrollably, especially while laughing, crying, playing or even at night (a night cough).
2. Wheezing is also common in such children. One may also complain of chest tightness.
3. Breathing troubles such as breathlessness or shortness of breath may be seen in some children.
4. The child may feel weak and tired.
5. The chest and the neck muscles also appear to be tightened.
6. Many children are found to often suffer from cold resulting in a chest congestion.

In some children with asthma, coughing may be the only associated symptom, a condition known as Cough-Variant Asthma.

Factors that increase the risk of asthma in children

1. Increased exposure to smoke. The exposure can be before or even after birth.
2. Some children may suffer from hay fever, a kind of nasal allergy that often results in an asthmatic reaction. Eczema can also act as a potential trigger.
3. Necessary precautions (as much as possible) should be taken for children who have a family history of asthma. Those with a family history of allergies also need to be careful.
4. Asthma may affect children with low birth weight as well as those with respiratory infections. 

Self-Management

There is no denying the fact that a child with asthma should be under medical supervision with proper treatment. However, self-management can prove to be equally effective to keep asthma under control.

1. As we all know asthma can be quite unpredictable, affecting the child at any point in time, always keep the medications and the inhaler handy. 
2. It is always advisable to use a mask (especially those suffering from nasal allergies). 
3. Get the child well vaccinated especially with the flu vaccination (the yearly vaccination).
4. There are various factors (pollens, dust, cold, to name a few) that trigger an asthmatic reaction in a child. Identify the triggers and work towards keeping the child away from them as much as possible.
5. The most important point, be in regular touch with the attending physician and keep an update on the condition.
6. For school going children, the teachers and the school authorities should be informed about child's condition.
7. Never panic in front of the child even in the case of an extreme and severe flare-up.

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

Asking your doctor if an antibiotic medicine can be taken is advisable as it can help in reducing the infection and swelling. It can also be taken after the treatment for faster healing.

Parents sometimes tend to neglect their children due to various reasons. However, this negligence influences the children severely. It can affect the development, personality, relationship traits of the children. Every child needs care and love. Parents are naturally the closest people in a child’s world. Negligence from the closest people can lead to destructive character traits in their personality.

1. Attachment problems: One of the primary and direct effects of parental negligence towards children can lead children to be less attached with family. If a child does not get the warmth and care from parents, he automatically detaches from the family bonding and even does not develop the love and compassionate feelings for the family. This pattern hardly changes over time, and it can even lead to problematic relationship of the child in the future. The child may not be able to be close to his own children later.

2. Brain development: Children are tender and sensitive, just like floral buds. Every stimulus has an action. For instance, a child who is affected by malnutrition suffers from weak neural cells. This can be a reason behind weak brain functions. The basic pillars of brain processes, that is, thinking and logical thinking, everything is affected due to parental negligence. It may lead to low level of self-confidence, depression, frustration, anxiety and stress, troubled thoughts and emotional distortions.

Signs of parental negligence in children

1. Eating Disorders

2. Disrupted Sleep

3. Withdrawal from family bonding

4. Aggressive attitude

5. Bed wetting

6. Missing out school

7. Obsessive traits in behavioural patterns

8. Nightmares

9. Sudden change in attitude and behaviours

10. Depression

11. Violence

Every child seeks complete attention and love of his or her parents. However, parents may neglect them due to work stress, social obligations, personal problems and other such reasons. But parents should be considerate about the developmental barriers that could be posed due to this type of negligence. Some children also show eating habit changes, abusive attitude, violence or sometimes even plunge into complete isolation. While children require free scope to let their emotional and mental development boost with social activities, neglected children can withdraw themselves from social activities.

This means no friends, no social activity in life. This is a major reason for depression, suicidal attempts, deformed thought processes and misled lifestyle. As a parent, you can offer your optimum care and affection to your child to avoid such mental distortions, which can be avoided with love and warmth. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult the doctor and ask a free question.