Dr. Karishma

Stomach aches or abdominal pains are one of the most frequently reported health complaints faced by children. Children below the age of twelve are known to suffer from recurrent stomach pain. While pains such as these lead to momentary discomfiture, they also lay the path for graver worries if neglected for too long. Your child may feel sick and bunk school for two days; rest and home care can restore his or her health, but that in no way, is the best suited way of dealing with the situation. If tummy aches resurface over a certain period of time, parents should be cautious enough to look for the root cause and should try to eliminate it accordingly.

Widely noticed causes of stomach aches in children:

1. Unhygienic food can affect the child’s digestive system.
2. Intolerance to a certain food item should not be overlooked.
3. Perpetual anxiety can make the tummy twist and turn.
4. Urinary Tract Infections can also lead to acute abdominal pain.
5. Serious factors such as gallstones or appendicitis could also be present. Immediate expert consultation is advised in such a case.
6. Caffeine and packaged soft drinks can be harmful.
7. Butter, ghee and other greasy products can trigger tummy aches.

Ways to treat tummy aches in children:

1. Keep children away from gas producing food items: Food that is hard to digest should be avoided. Lentil soup or dal should only be consumed in limited amounts to prevent the formation of gas. Don’t let your child have too many nuts regularly.
2. Keep them hydrated: Fluid intake should be monitored. A child should drink at least six to seven glasses of water per day. Fruit juices or soups can also be given to them alongside main meals. This helps digestion.
3. Do not stack up food in one go: Eating a lot in one meal is a bad way of satisfying hunger. Have smaller meals in more numbers. Six to eight meals will keep your child full and will also eliminate chances of acid reflux which happens either due to an empty stomach or too much piling up of greasy food.
4. Timely check - up with the doctor: If tummy aches refuse to go away, take your child to a doctor for a thorough check- up. Administer medicines as prescribed by the physician.

High blood sugar occurs when the insulin in the body fails to metabolize the sugar from the food, which raises the amount of glucose in your blood. It is a metabolic disorder which can be managed effectively with the help of lifestyle modifications such as exercise and food. This article is going to focus on the foods that you can eat to lower your blood sugar levels.

Here are 9 foods that you can use to reduce blood sugar levels:

Cinnamon: Cinnamon is a herb which is very effective in getting your blood sugar down to manageable levels. You can simply sprinkle cinnamon on your food before eating it.

Fenugreek (methi): Fenugreek is a common spice which is used in almost all indian cuisines. It has a number of health benefits, one of which is reducing blood sugar levels. Soaking fenugreek in water and then drinking it the next day is a very effective remedy in combating sugar problems.

Garlic: Not just for sending away the vampires, it is also very effective in blood sugar control. Extracts of garlic have been shown to increase insulin in the body which is required to metabolize the sugar in the body.

Heart healthy fats: Heart healthy fat based foods such as nuts and seeds are good for increasing the good, cholesterol levels (hdl) in the body. Avocadoes contain nutrients which lower the risks of various diseases such as diabetes. In a nutshell, these fats make the cells of the body less resistant to insulin.

Blueberries: Blueberries contain anthocyanin (water soluble pigments) which is very good for your health. They also contain fiber in large amounts which make you feel fuller faster. This fruit has also been shown to improve insulin sensitivity in the body.

Vinegar: Vinegar is an age old remedy to control blood sugar levels; it contains acetic acid which causes a reduction in certain harmful enzymes in the stomach. Vinegar is also known to prevent blood sugar spikes when consumed with food.

Complex carbohydrates: Complex carbohydrates raise your blood sugar but not like its cousin, simple carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates cause an immediate spike in your blood sugar levels where as complex carbs provide a steady stream of energy. So drop that packet of refined flour and get that whole wheat variant.

Cherries: Cherries, especially tart cherries and dark sweet cherries, are full of anthrocyanins. Insulin resistance prevents insulin from working properly to control blood sugar in normal ranges. Eating a diet high in anthrocyanins can mean improved use of insulin and lower blood sugars.

Nuts: People who eat nuts regularly have lower rates of heart disease than people who don't eat them. Even among the healthiest eaters, the ones who also eat nuts boast the best health record. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult

BAHA Implant
Bone Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA) is a device surgically implanted to help people suffering from a loss of hearing. Most conventional hearing aids transmit sound through air conduction. The BAHA device is suitable for conductive or mild-moderate mixed hearing loss.

Problems with hearing in the middle or outer ears can be helped with the BAHA device. The sound waves received by the BAHA device bypass the middle ear and get delivered straight to the functioning cochlea in both ears.

A BAHA device comprises of two parts:

1. The processor 
2. A fixture which is surgically implanted behind the ear in the bone.

The implant is embedded in the bone. The processor, which remains outside, is attached to the implant. There is a microphone on the processor that picks up sounds. The sounds are passed on to the implant. The implant vibrates which triggers the Cochlear. You can consider wearing a BAHA implant if other conventional hearing aids do not work for you. BAHA implants are also given to people with collapsed or irritated ear canals.

Cochlear Implant Surgery

A complex, small electronic device that helps hearing in people with severe hearing loss or deafness is used in the Cochlear Implant Surgery. The cochlear implant comprises of an external piece behind the ear and another piece that is surgically implanted under the skin. A cochlear implant comprises of four parts:

1. A microphone which picks up sounds from the surroundings
2. A speech processor which chooses and arranges the sounds the microphone picks up
3. A receiver/stimulator and transmitter that picks up signals from the speech processor and changes them into electric impulses
4. An electrode ray, a bunch of electrodes, receives impulses the stimulator sends and transmits them to different areas of the auditory nerves.

The implant does not cure deafness; it only gives you a useful portrayal of sounds in the environment and considerable aid in understanding speech.

The surgery is done in the following way:

1. The area around the site of the implant is shaved or cleaned
2. The patient's vital signs are monitored through cables, patches and monitors attached to him or her
3. General anaesthesia is administered through IV or through a face mask
4. After the device is implanted, the patient is taken to the recovery room for the anaesthesia effect to lessen.

The most advanced and effective communication device in this century is mobile phone. Mobile phone is not only being used by the corporate or highly qualified professional. People from all type of social group have mobile phone in their hands now. Usage of the mobile phone is not increased only with all social groups but also with people of all age groups. Children are the more noticeable group as they are using cell phones of all types. A recent research study shows that children are really capable of using any advanced type of mobile phones even without any proper guidance. Though mobile phones are the effective mode of communication, it is a well known fact that it also has adverse side effects if being over used. The mobile phones emit shockwave radioactive radiations that affect the body in various manners.

Adverse effects of mobile phone usage:

Today's children are growing up in a radio-frequency environment that never existed in human history before. The radiation emitted by mobile phones and mobile phone masts can have adverse effects on children. Some include:

1. Affects your Immunity Status: cell phones after a full day usage contains many germs on their display which are highly numbered than your toilet seats. These germs are easily transferred to your body as you touch frequently or use close to your face for talking. This increases the risk of exposure to the germs and reduces your immune strength as immune status are not fully developed for children.
2. Increase Risk of Chronic Pains: prolonged use of mobile phones for playing games or texting requires continuous movement for your hands which may develop chronic pain in joints of your shoulders and hands.
3. Vision Problem: children when concentrate much on playing games in mobile phone they even fail to blink frequently with the increased interest and attraction towards the game. This causes the dryness of the conjunctiva and also increases the ocular tension.
4. Affects your emotions negatively and increases the stress level

Mobile Phone Safety For Kids:

As a parent, you must take preventive measures to minimize your child's exposure to the harmful effects of mobile phones. These include:

• Do not give cell phone if your child is under 16 years. A child's brain is too sensitive to withstand the effects of mobile radiation.
• Do not let your child hold a mobile phone directly up to his head. Use an air-tube headset instead.
• Do not let your child make calls in buses, trains, cars, and elevators. The mobile phone works harder to get the signal out through the metal, which increases the power level.
• Do not let your child use cell phone when the signal is weak. It will increase the power to the maximum, as the phone attempts to connect to a new relay antenna.
• Limit the use of cell phone around children.
• Make sure that there is no mobile phone mast or network tower near your home or your kid's school.
• Do not let children take mobile phones to school.
• Do not leave mobile phones in your children's bedroom at night.

If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a doctor and ask a free question.