4 new recommendations for adolescent health

4 new recommendations for adolescent health - The annual "check-up" is (perhaps only) perfect for not only how children develop and provide the necessary vaccines, but to see how they are generally time - and help ensure they turn into happy, healthy adults. After all, prevention is really what is pediatrics.

That's why the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has a checklist for pediatricians called "Recommendations for pediatric preventive health care." These recommendations, which are updated every few years, based on the update on child health research now - and in the future.

 

While the latest version which includes new recommendations for younger children, like putting fluoride varnish on the teeth of children under 5 years and make a simple test of heart defects in newborns, most changes this occasion relate to teenagers. Here is what the AAP thinks pediatricians should do with their pre-teen and adolescent patients:

 

Detection of the lipids. Sometimes high cholesterol runs in families - but parents and other family members can not have checked your own, or may not be aware of the results of other family members tests.

 

Because high cholesterol can cause real damage to blood vessels over time and lead to heart disease and stroke, it is recommended that all young people have their cholesterol between the ages of 9 and 11. Doctors can before or again it is based on risk, but the AAP wants to be sure that everyone is checked at least once.

The detection of drugs and alcohol. As we all know, teenagers usually experience with drugs and alcohol. For some young people, this may be difficult or even fatal consequences.

 

The AAP recommended six simple questions (called the CRAFFT screen) that the really important information became apparent - and allow important discussions.

 

Depression screening (eg, a questionnaire). Suicide is the leading cause of death among teenagers - and depression is a treatable illness. But to treat it, we know it's there.

 
HIV testing between the ages of 16 and 18. This is important because one in four new HIV infections occur among young people aged 13-24, and 60% of all young people living with HIV do not know that they are infected. 

 

If you do not know, they not only can not help, but they can pass the infection to others. 

 

I guess some parents say, "My son did not need these. - Our family is healthy and my son is a good boy, happy to know stay out of trouble" But the truth is that we never can Learn everything about the history of our family or our children - and when it comes to health and well-being of our children is always better to be safe than sorry.

If you have questions about these recommendations or whatever you do - or not - happening at the check-up of your child, talk to your doctor.

By: Claire McCharty,MD. 

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Adolescents with optimistic friends can have better emotional health

Adolescents with optimistic friends can have better emotional health - Pediatricians and child behavior specialists who work with adolescents know that adolescence is an important time for social growth.

However, these years can be fraught with anxiety for parents of teenagers. How will you know if your teenager Moody is to be with the right people?

What friends could be a bad influence? How can you help your child develop healthy relationships? 

Recent research has addressed some aspects of these issues. A study entitled "Dissemination of healthy humor in social networks of adolescents" published this year in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, examined whether a teenager whose friends have a healthy atmosphere is less likely to be depressed.

He also discussed how emotionally healthy friends affect the recovery of adolescent depression. Basically, the researchers wanted to know: is a contagious good mood?

The study involved nearly 3,000 teenagers. Each study volunteers carried out two surveys, six months apart, in which he or she up to five male and five female friends listed. Then each teenager was monitored over time to see how it changes your mood. 

One of the interesting things about this study is that the researchers define depression as a behavior, not necessarily as a disease that we can get. This allowed them to make them slightly different from previous studies looking at the same statistical analysis of things, and discovered the potential power of positive thinking friends. 

The researchers found that have a social network of friends with a healthy atmosphere cut the likelihood of developing depression half of teenagers over a period of 6-12 months. It has also significantly improved the chances of recovery from depression in adolescents who have had it.

Although the data do not show a cause and direct effect, this study suggests that having friends with healthy mood can reduce the risk of depression and make it a little easier to recover from depression if it product.

Surprising findings in the survey on social networks

This study is a good example of a recent trend in epidemiology - the use of data on the social network from person to learn about this person. This research has led to many interesting discoveries, and given really is a whole new area of research.  

A 2007 study in the New England Journal of Medicine was one of the first of its kind. It has been shown that obese people who had friends and relatives were themselves more likely to be obese. 

Since then, additional research has studied how social networks influence the risk of developing the individual (or avoid) specific health conditions such as obesity, smoking and depression.

The results of these studies are sometimes surprising, giving valuable information to the new medical community. For example, I conducted a study in 2011 called me "The influence of social networks on patients' attitudes towards the type II diabetes." When I began this research, it is assumed that patients are less concerned about having diabetes, if several friends and family members had diabetes. 

I had imagined that these patients might have become so used to the idea that diabetes disease seems common and almost normal. But in fact, my team found the opposite! patients with a higher prevalence of diabetes within their social networks worried over their disease. This unexpected result gave me information that helped me take better care of my patients.

Using network data to improve the mental health of your child

This type of research is not only useful for doctors, but also provides important for anyone trying to improve their own health or that of informing the family of one. 

The study on the positive mood in the social networks of adolescents suggests that parents may be able to reduce their chances of developing adolescent depression - or improve your mood or depression if she has - just promote and support emotionally healthy friendships with their peers.

With much controversy over the use of antidepressants in adolescents, the results are, as they can give parents a simple way to promote the emotional health and well-being in their teens - no drugs involved.
By: Nandini Mani, MD

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10 tips for mindful eating - Just in time for the holidays

The leftover Halloween candy. Thanksgiving meals marathon. Up-to-suit office chocolates. A part follows another ... and another.

If you want to avoid overeating and gaining those extra pounds, you need to control your sugar levels in the blood (for example, if you have diabetes), or just want to eat only what your body If necessary, the holiday season can make this goal difficult.

But mindful eating can help you achieve it.

Mindfulness refers to the practice of being conscious at the time. Too often our thoughts wander elsewhere than where we are now. Maybe we are concerned about what happened an hour of worried what could happen tomorrow or stressed about what we have to do next week. Mindfulness encourages us to notice these concerns, and then we gently bring to society.

Mindfulness can help you enjoy a meal and dining experience - in moderation and restraint. Some studies suggest that practices based on mindfulness help improve eating habits. For those who binge-eating or eating for comfort or stress, mindful eating can even help you lose weight.
 
Here are 10 tips for a more conscious diet. Not all of these tips may feel good for you - try more and see how they work.
 
1. Think.

Before starting to eat, take a moment to think about how you feel. Are you in a hurry? I stressed? Sad? Bored? Hungry? What are your needs and what are their needs? The difference between the two. Having taken this time to reflect, then you can choose to eat, what you eat and how you eat.

2. Sit. 

Do not eat on the way. Have a seat. It is less likely to appreciate your food when you are multitasking. It is also difficult to track how much you eat when you snack on the go.

3. Turn off the TV (and everything else with a screen. 

Have you ever looked down at your phone or tablet or computer, only to wonder where all the food was? These distractions make us less aware of what and how much they eat.

4. Serve on your portions. 

Resist eating straight from the bag or box. Not only is it easier to overeat when you can not see how you were, but it is also more difficult to fully appreciate your meal when hidden from view.

5. Choose the small plate. 

You crave less if you see less. Smaller plates will help with portion control - a particularly good strategy for all-you-can-eat buffets.

6. Give thanks.

Before you start eating, pause and take a moment to recognize the work that went into providing them food - either by farmers, factory workers, animals, Mother Earth, chiefs, or even his teammates on Table.
 
7. Chew 30 times. 

Try to get 30 to chew each mouthful. (30 is a rough guide because it may be difficult to achieve even 10 chews out a mouthful of oatmeal!) Take time to taste the flavors and textures in the mouth before swallowing. This can also help prevent overeating, give your time to the gut to send messages to the brain that you are full.

8. Leave your utensils. 

Often we are already preparing the next bite with his fork and knife, while we are still in our last bite. Try to put your utensils after each mouthful, and not try again until you have enjoyed and swallowed what you already have in your mouth.
 
9. waive clean plate club.

Many of us were raised to finish everything on our plates and were not allowed to leave the table until we did. Ok to cancel your membership in the Clean Plate Club. Consider away the leftovers to go, or just let the last bites. While no one wants to waste food, to stuff you will not help the needy. (This is also the case Tip # 5 is very convenient.) 

10. Silence. 

Try eating your meals in silence occasionally. When it is quiet, it is natural that the mind wander; recognize these thoughts, and then see if you can gently return to your dining experience. I am aware of the consistency of the food, flavor, taste and smell, and fully appreciate the moment.  

Of course, the meal time can be an important time to share the day when the whole family gathers in order to have a complete meal in silence could be impractical or just uncomfortable. But even spend the first five to 10 minutes in silence can be refreshing and establish a grateful tone for the rest of the meal.

Mindfulness has many advantages over the year, but can be especially useful during the holidays, even beyond healthy diet. Incidentally focus your attention on the present can help you embrace the company, connectivity and overall satisfaction and help make the season more meaningful for you.
By: Wynne Armand, MD   
 

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Cognitive behavioral therapy online: The latest trend in mental health care

Cognitive behavioral therapy online: The latest trend in mental health care - What if you can get it offers without seeing a psychologist? Many people appreciate the warm relationship, the care provided by a doctor of mental health, but others simply want to improve.  

Many people prefer not open to someone about your problems - at least not in person. Also, see a mental health doctor can be embarrassing and expensive - and it might even be closer.

One of the new frontiers of psychotherapy is the use of the Internet to provide cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for depression, anxiety and other mental health problems in a way that reduces - or sometimes eliminates - the amount of time spent with physicians in person.  

This delivery method allows new treatments that have been traditionally offered one-on-one to be extended so they can reach many more people. After all, no matter if it is a good treatment if people can not access them.

What are these therapies online?

The field is new, so that data on these online programs are rare - but a team of British researchers recently conducted a review of the available literature. For the review, which toured the medical journals for studies "John Henry" - that is, by comparing the actual software therapy or cognitive behavioral websites that provide treatment for anxiety or depression.

What did the researchers find? They used a rigorous scientific bar and found only five mental health interventions were online compared directly with doctors live offer the same treatment to adults of working age. Two interventions were from Australia and three were Swedish, and all were for social anxiety or panic disorder.

Most online interventions studied by the researchers were divided into sessions, reflecting how CBT delivered in person on a weekly basis. All treatment therapies offered online through written content, also known as "bibliotherapy." This was combined with communication with a mental health clinician, usually a psychologist, on e-mail or mail systems. 

In one study, psychologists were limited to spending only 10 minutes a week to each participant. Some programs add text messages and discussion forums, and most include tasks - things that made participants between sessions - in person as CBT involves practices between sessions.

All treatment groups, in person and online CBT significantly improved symptoms. One study showed better results for online processing, and similar results were found between the two types. Online treatments takes time and much less clinical, making them more profitable.

Does the floor? Any line treatment of participants needed to do a lot of reading, which can be a limiting factor for some people. In addition, written with a psychologist or other clinician interaction of any intervention he was online in this review.  

This means that, to a certain extent, the efficiency of the operation still depends on the physician at the other end. In addition, require physicians to participate at all creates a barrier to the expansion of treatment to achieve a massive number of people.

The latest innovations in a very new area

New programs online and mobile applications emerge that minimize the amount of reading, video and audio use to provide treatment and do not require clinical intervention at all. These simulate live TCC, but can be delivered to a large number of people.  

Direct comparisons of these new programs with traditional therapy (the type of comparison that meet the criteria of the British team) has not yet been published. So stay tuned for the evolution of this new generation of the administration of treatment.
By:  James Cartreine, PhD.

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Challenge your mind and body to hone their thinking skills

Challenge your mind and body to hone their thinking skills - My friend Betty is one of the most impressive elders that I met him. At 88, her voice is strong and his heart is young, and it seems to have so much energy and enthusiasm as he did in 1982 when I met her. It exercises, friends, gardens, to pay their own bills, follow the news, and is constantly reading and ask questions. How do you stay so strong? "I guess I'm just a curious person, boy," he laughs.

But living there how Betty - always learn new things, and keep busy with friends and favorite activities - is exactly what experts say can help keep our skills sharp thinking. "Cognitive and social commitment demonstrated a protective effect against cognitive decline, while the loss, depression and social isolation of hearing is associated with cognitive impairment," says Dr. Kathryn Papp, a neuropsychologist and professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School.

How it works?
Dr. Papp said he does not know the exact reasons for the mental and social engagement, protecting our thinking abilities, but we have some ideas. "Until the 1990s, we thought that people are born with however many brain cells die with now know that new cell growth. - A process called neurogenesis - occurs throughout life, even in Does old age, "says.

It turns out that the human brain has great potential for something called neuroplasticity, or in other words, being very malleable. It seems to challenge our brain - for example, by learning a new skill - leading to real changes in the adult brain. "You can create new connections between brain cells by altering the balance of neurotransmitters available and change how to make connections," says Dr. Papp.

Being socially engaged can help repel social isolation and depression, both of which have been linked to decreased cognitive functioning in the future. Having good social support also reduces stress, another thing that we know that this has a negative impact on thinking skills.

Other factors 
A healthy lifestyle is also associated with neurogenesis, including getting enough sleep, avoid overeating, and the big boss of all: exercise. "The researchers found that physical exercise leads to the release of cellular growth factors that are important to neurogenesis," says Dr. Papp.And this combination of growth and new brain cells factors that come from a healthy, stimulating the brain, and stay connected socially in a meaningful way can actually help protect the brain and keep it more resistant to changes that cause dementia.

Start your engine 
What is the best way to speed up your thinking skills? Start with mini-challenges for the brain:

 *   Brush your teeth with the hand not commonly used.
 *   Take a different route or shop work.
 *   Eat a piece or two dinner with eyes closed.
 *   Listen to a new type of music.
 *   Do jumps 60 seconds (or any physical activity).
 *   Sit in a different place in your home or at a favorite restaurant."This requires the brain to do a job because it clashes with something you have not experienced before," says Dr. Papp.

You can also search for activities that integrate brain stimulation, physical activity, and social commitment, such as:

*   learn to play a sport or game (tennis, table tennis, golf)
*   learn to dance (try the cha-cha, rumba and merengue)
*   take a class by planting flowers or vegetables
*   learning tai chi, which has been shown to increase thinking skills.

If physical activity is not possible, consider taking a class in

*   painting (watercolors start, then switch to oils)
*   piano, flute, guitar or
*   write stories (or memories)
*   Computers
*   flower arrangement
*   hosiery (useful for Christmas presents!)
*   a new language.

Or you can participate in any new activities that you find interesting, such as:

 *   Volunteer at a local charity
 *    explore a new city
 *    join a book club
 *    try a new restaurant or new types of foods
 *    become a museum of education
 *    helping at a local school or daycare
 *    join a club collector (Dolls, stamps, souvenirs). 

"The best activities are those that are nice," says Dr. Papp. And just as it is important to stick to a diet medications or exercise, should take a model to always learn, as my friend Betty, to reap the benefits. "I like to ask questions and hear the stories of people," he said. "I never want to stop learning."

She would have made a great reporter, that one. But I'm glad I can be the one to share the news flash here, which is that staying mentally sharp decline in the use of your brain and your body, whatever your age.
By: Heidi Godman

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Bicycle injuries are increasing, especially in adults

For the past month, the Boston medical community was mourning the death of Dr Anita Kurmann, who died in a traffic accident while cycling to work Friday morning.  

Dr. Kurmann, an endocrine surgeon, completed a three-year scholarship to Boston University and Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.  

She had made great progress persuaded to grow stem cells in the tissue of the thyroid. Your bike was painted white and chained to a pole in the place where he died, one of many "ghost" bikes commemorating other lives lost in a similar way.

It is ironic that the doctor Kurmann lost his life doing one of the things that kept her fit and healthy. But a study published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association points out, the bike becomes a company increasingly risky. For the study, a team from the University of California in San Francisco researchers reviewed data on hospital admissions for cycling injuries between 1998 and 2013. 

They found that the rate of people seeking treatment for injuries Cycling increased 28% 96-123 per 100,000 - and the rate of injuries that sent people to the hospital had increased by 120% from 5.1 to 11.2 per 100,000. Head injuries accounted for 16% of all injuries; torso injuries accounted for 17%. And the proportion of accidents in the streets of the city increased from 40% to 65% of all bicycle accidents. In addition, there was over 45 people - no children or teenagers - who had the largest increase in injuries related to bicycling.

Tips for Cyclists in the city  
Nicole Freedman is a former Olympic cyclist who served as commissioner of the bike Boston and is currently Head of Transportation and associations active in Seattle. She says that cycling remains a relatively safe way to get around in the city as drivers are alert to potential dangers. Based on the types of accidents that saw it has three tips:

   1. Stay away from trucks. "The last place you want to be to the right of a truck," she said. "If you find yourself in this situation, it dawns on the sidewalk." The greatest danger comes when a truck, especially an 18-wheeler or a flat bed, makes a right turn. A cyclist on the driver of the truck can not do right in your blind spot, and it is often impossible for a cyclist to see the flashing flashing truck that position. Dr. Kurmann died in one of these accidents "hook of the law."

  2. I am hyper-aware of his surroundings. You want to try to predict what will then make trucks, cars and pedestrians. "Cycling through the streets of the city is very different from a pleasure trip on a designated bike lane," says Freedman.

  3. Give a wide berth parked cars. "Dooring" in which cyclists are struck by the open car doors or injured drivers trying to avoid a car door, is one of the most common causes of injury in urban areas.

Safety tips every day 
Even if you are cycling on a secluded country road, it is a good idea to follow these suggestions from the League of American Cyclists sense:

    1. Protect you. Wear a properly fitting helmet with reflective material clothing at night and on cloudy days.

    2. Keep your bike. Make sure your bike fits you and is suitable for the road conditions. Get a good bike light at night.

    3. Learn to respect the rules of the road. Most states require riders to follow the same rules as drivers of other vehicles. You can find the rules of the road for most of the States here.

    4. Communicate with those who share the road with you. Make eye contact and use of hand signals to indicate what is about to do so. The most simple gestures, such as the expansion of the right and left arms to signal a turn or can avoid a collision.For more information about bicycle safety and all things cycling, check the website of the Company.

If you prefer to let someone else drive ...
There is a way to further minimize the risks of cycling - cycle inside a moving vehicle. Entrepreneurs have developed a way for you to get your miles by bicycle, tours, Pass, and from the road concerns with another person. Buses equipped with stationary bikes have emerged on both coasts and can come to a place near you soon. 
By: Beverly Merz

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