3 Reasons the 2016 campaign may be good for children (parents, it is up to you!)

3 Reasons the 2016 campaign may be good for children (parents, it is up to you!) - Presidential campaign this year has been remarkable - and not for good reasons. 

It was full of rancor, which is common in the countryside, but this time, resentment was more vehement and more personal and involved different ethnic and religious groups in ways that are unusual for campaigns. 

As a parent, one of the first instinct is to protect children against it - change channels, recycle paper, talk about something else.

But do otherwise could be very good for children. Here are three reasons why children and families could find themselves not only with a new president, but also important new perspectives.

1. The countryside is full of negative examples. By the way candidates are trying to talk to each other in general, how have talked about groups like Mexicans or Muslims, the campaign has made many people wince.

But instead of just wincing, we can say these things to our children and to talk. Ask your child, "How would you feel if someone told you that - or you" Talk about how words can hurt; use what has been said for example Talking important. listening, kindness, do not make great judgments about people These are the lessons that we all want our children to learn;. use the 2016 campaign to help give you a tolerance during the accident.

2. The campaign can help children learn about the electoral process. Face it, some years it is a bit boring. This year, definitely not boring. Talking about the university and the electoral delegates (if you do not know, the Archives and Records Administration National useful information, like the Congress for children).

Speaking of surveys, and their influence on people. Talking about the party system of primaries and party conventions. Helping children understand what the candidates are trying to do.There There are also sites that were targeted for students, such as Time for Kids, CNN Student News News, News and Scholastic KidsPost.

The New York Times has a site that shows where the candidates on major issues and one of the candidates and what they have to do to win. This year, there is enough entertainment factor for the learning interesting.

3. The campaign offers opportunities for families to talk about beliefs and values. As much as we want our children to share our beliefs and values, which is not always easy to find natural opportunities to talk about them. This particular campaign was full of possibilities.

If it is to explain why you identify with a particular party or candidate, or what you think about a particular topic, or how you feel about an event or interaction, the campaign can be a starting point for some very important conversations that could have a real impact on your child - and maybe you even closer as a family.
Ultimately, the 2016 presidential campaign is a great teachable moment. If used the right way, there is much good that can come of it - despite its bitterness.

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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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Only overwork dying young

Only overwork dying young - Billy Joel was on to something. As the singer suggested in "Movin 'Out" working too hard can really give you a "heart-DCA crisis ..." And, as a recent study has also shown, stroke can be an even bigger problem than to a heart attack in people who are overworked. 

For the study, researchers at University College London compile data on the relationship between working hours and the risk of heart attack by more than 600,000 workers, and similar data on the risk of stroke more than 500,000 workers.

They adjusted their data to compensate for differences due to health behaviors of individual workers, such as smoking, alcohol consumption and physical activity, and also adjusted for the presence of other cardiac risk factors, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.

They found that those who worked more than 55 hours per week had an increased risk of suffering a heart attack by 13% and were 33% more likely to suffer a stroke compared to those who have worked 35-40 hours a week.

The high risk of heart attack with more hours of work was only seen among workers with low socio-economic status. The risk of heart attack in high-wage workers who worked long hours was similar to that of high-wage workers who had normal working hours. The risk of stroke was higher among those who worked long hours, regardless of their socioeconomic status.

Why overwork and cardiovascular risk are related is not entirely clear. Hormonal factors, such as high levels of hormones "stress" such as cortisol and adrenaline, may be involved. Overwork and stress at work are also associated with many cardiac risk factors.

Those who work long hours tend to have unhealthy lifestyles, with less exercise, the worst regimes, and increased consumption of alcohol and snuff. Type 2 diabetes is more common among workers with low socioeconomic status who work long hours, but not workers with a high socioeconomic level working similar hours.

Metabolic syndrome, a set of cardiovascular risk factors, including high blood pressure, high triglycerides, low levels of good cholesterol, high blood sugar and abdominal obesity "apple shape", is associated with a stressful job.

Death from overwork in Asia

In more developed countries, overdrive is not considered a public health problem. However, death from overwork is quite common in Japan there is a word for it: karoshi. Japanese, or employee, company workers have a tradition of job security for life. 

Unfortunately for them, the decline is expected to enter additional long hours without pay. The work addiction is so bad that the Japanese government has considered imposing a mandatory annual leave of five days. 

In China, death from overwork, known as guolaosi name, is also said to be widespread. A tobacco epidemic is probably a major contributing factor; 63% of middle-aged men in East Asia are regular smokers.

Staying healthy at work 

A number of strategies can help you avoid work habits that are bad for your health:

     *  Eat well and avoid "tension".
     *  Avoid sugary drinks and salty snacks in vending machines; bring a lot of nuts, fruits and vegetables of the house instead.

     *  Integrating physical activity into your workflow: hurry up the stairs instead of taking the elevator, or walking in an office colleagues for a while face rather than an email exchange.

     *  Prolonged sitting is associated with increased mortality from any cause; try to work whenever possible.

     * Joke; the mood is associated with better cardiovascular health and increased labor productivity.
     *  Make sure your major cardiac risk factors such as pressure and sugar levels in the blood and blood cholesterol are under good control. 

And if you're the boss, remember that a low stress, positive work environment is not only good for the health of employees, it is also good for business.
By: John Ross, MD,FIDSA

 

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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 parenting in the digital age

10 tips for parenting in the digital age - For years, the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) when it comes to media and children was quite simple: limit TV to two hours a day, and do not let children under 2 watch.

As the Internet has grown and new devices arrived, the recommendation was set at two hours of "entertainment media" with the recommendation that the screen without the stay of children under 2 crowd.

But these days, even that got hard. He made a math game in iPad entertainment? How the rule is two hours if your child is checked intermittently media while doing homework online? What about text messages - that is the media and on the basis of the screen, but a large part is the conversations between friends, rather than attaching the home phone for hours, like teenagers used to do.  

And if you let your child watch a video on your phone to silence them on a bus full of people (so that you do not get the evil eye from everyone around you), is that terrible?

Our children are growing up in the digital age, and parenthood should reflect that. The AAP understands this and works hard to understand the current research on media effects on children, in order to give the best advice to parents. Meanwhile, they have released Ten tips for parents in the digital era:

1. Treat the media as you would for any other environment in your child's life. Want to know what their children are doing in school and with friends - you should want to know what they are doing online, too. And as you have rules on behavior at school and with friends, you should have rules of life online.

2. Set limits and encourage recreation. The AAP recommends establishing "reasonable limits" for media use, which vary with the child and the situation. It is also important that children have a lot of time away from the media, using their brains and bodies in different ways and the interaction with the three-dimensional world around them.

3. Families that play together learn together. This is especially important for young children - if you let them use the media, to do with them so they can come and go, which is so crucial to the early development of the brain. And instead of using the media as a babysitter, they use it as a way to have fun together. 

4. Be a good role model. If you are on your phone or laptop at any time, or turn the TV as soon as you sit on the couch, what kind of message do we send?

5. Knowing the value of the communication face-to-face. It is not only crucial to the developing brains of infants, it is crucial for relationships and mental health. The media can sometimes help with this, as with video chat with distant relatives, but for most, the house take is: everybody must end devices and talk to each other on a regular basis.

6. Creating the ALE technology. Sometimes technology can really get in the way - relations (so that the dinner table is a good place for a free technology zone) or sleep (which is becoming a big problem with teenagers - The phone should be charged outside the room). It is also a safety issue: texting while driving (or walking in the street) can be fatal.

7. Do not use technology as an emotional pacifier. Yes, it may be useful to the child in the crowded bus. But children also need to learn to manage emotions - and boredom - without the help of a device. It is an essential skill.

8. Do your homework when it comes to applications for children. They are definitely not all the same. An excellent resource is Common Sense Media, which examined applications and all sorts of other media such as movies and TV shows.

9. It's good for her teenage son to be online. It is really where teenagers are connected these days, and it's not a good idea to keep them out. However, they must learn to be good and responsible digital citizens: Not many activities online and offline time relationships; they need to be friendly; and they should remember that everything they do online is truly private - and all you do is potentially permanent. 

10. Children can make mistakes. Because what kids do. They fall kick the ball into the goal of the opposing team, the rules are broken, hurt feelings. They can make mistakes online, too. The AAP recommends errors trying to approach with empathy, and turn them into moments conducive to learning. But if the "errors" continue, especially if you have concerns about bullying, sexting, or signs of depression, tell your doctor. 

AAP has many great resources to help families make healthy choices of communication - such as the Center on Media and Child Health at Boston Children's Hospital. 
By: Claire McCarthy,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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