Archive for December, 2009

Being able to properly use the toilet is deemed a developmental landmark wherein a child learns urinating and passing motions in the toilet. Toilet training is one of the occurrences which a doctor employs for telling if a kid is having a normal developmental rate. When would it be apt to begin toilet training the infant? To start off with toilet training the infant needs to have both physical and emotional readiness. This kind of inclination generally is observed in the age of twenty-two to thirty months old, though each kid is unique. By-and-large toilet training turns out to be a lengthy and exasperating process in case the parents attempt at beginning it prior to the infant exhibiting any willingness. Prior to infants being able to use the loo, controlling the muscles which are responsible  [...]

Infant biting is not mostly deliberate, and it atypically leads to any grave harm to the person being bitten or pose any form of health hazard. Majority of the infants below three years of age have on no less than one occasion bitten some person. Mostly infants give up biting by themselves. However when an above three years old child bites or is occurring in a frequent basis in any age then this behaviour needs to be treated. Why does biting occur? Infant biting could arise due to varying causes dependent on what age they lie: Infants aged five to seven months old Infants generally engage in biting other persons when they are sensing discomforting feeling in the area just about their mouth or due to the pain that often accompanies teething. On several occasions children tend to bite those  [...]

Pilates is an amazing exercise type during pregnancy. Regularly practising pilates help expectant mother in staying healthy and strong, assisting them in staying tuned with the changes in their body, enhances body posture and lowers pregnancy-associated aches and discomforting pains. During pregnancy strengthening the abdominals like the rectus and especially the internal oblique and transverses abdominus muscles with safe Pilates exercises aids women in preparing for child birth as all these muscles particularly the transverses abdominus dons a significant role of assisting in the push or forced expiration process essential during delivery. The toning of these muscles could be done in varied positions, though expectant mothers are mostly at ease when they are in the seated and quadruped (on  [...]

Botulism is a paralytic sickness, though uncommon could lead to paralysis and other grave, mortal consequences. A bacterial form known as Clostridium botulinum present in soil is the offender that produces a nerve toxin that causes botulism. With 7 identified botulism toxins, however merely toxin forms A, B, E and F are detrimental to human beings. Botulism is of 3 kinds typified variedly depending on the way of their exposure: Food Derived Botulism This form of botulism is the consequence of consuming foods that have faced contamination due to the botulism toxin. Wound Botulism This form of botulism is due to the botulism toxin which grows from contamination due to Clostridium botulinum arising from injuries or wounds. Infancy Botulism This form of botulism arises when children ingest Clostridium  [...]

West Nile Virus is the outcome of being bitten by an infected mosquito that is the carrier of the viral form. However, one must bear in mind that all of the mosquito populace does not carry the infection. The detection of the West Nile Virus could be traced to 1937 in the African subcontinent, though it managed to trace its course to the U.S. in the subsequent two decades. However, ever since, it has evolved into a niggling problem especially in the summer season. Several areas of the U.S. have to face the brunt of these mosquito infestations in the months ranging from July onwards till the initial part of September. Though few areas of the country, the menace of imminent possibility of being bitten by mosquitoes ridden with such infection is all year through. Not every bite of this infection-ridden  [...]

Shigellosis is a form of communicable infection affecting the gastrointestinal tract leading to wide-ranging symptoms such as looseness in bowels, cramps, puking and feeling nauseous, even resulting in grave complications and sickness. Occasionally, shigellosis infections could subside by itself while in other cases a course of antibiotics is required to curb the length of the sickness. A predominantly summer time infection classically affecting children aged between two to four years and a typically children lesser than six months old. Shigellosis Symptoms The Shigella bacteria is the key offender in this infection producing toxins that could launch an assault on the cells which line the large intestine leading to its enlargement, ulcerous growths on the wall of the intestine and blood-inundated  [...]

Five-year-old Keaton Foale faces long-standing problem of ever being able to eat as he is ailing from a 1 in a 135 million genetic disorder. The boy has yet not experienced what the taste of chips or sweets and is most probably would never be able to as he has been detected with the extremely atypical inborn disorder known as Glycosylation Type Two. Due to this condition normal eating is not possible in his case. The feeding is done via a tube that is goes directly into his stomach – something that he would need to live with for all his life. His condition has perplexed doctors globally and was initially detected when he started declining bottle feeds when he was 3 months old. Doctors from the Sutherland General Hospital found that his stomach instantaneously eliminated any form of food.  [...]

Hypothesis regarding the causes of pica are plentiful. One theory is that being nutritionally deficit like iron insufficiency could elicit particular hankerings. Facts that back at least few of the pica cases are a retort to dietetic insufficiency – nutritional paucity mostly are linked with pica and correcting them mostly causes allaying of the symptoms. Few pregnant women, for instance, would give up the craving of consuming non-food substances subsequent to undergoing treatment for iron deficit anemia – a widespread condition noted in expectant mothers with pica. But, not all are observed to respond to a correction of their nutritional deficiency, that could be the result of pica instead of due to the cause, and some individuals with pica do not have a known nutritional dearth. Geophagia  [...]

Osgood-Schlatter Disease is one of the widespread reasons for knee-associated pain among children who engage in sports. Generally just one knee is observed to be affected, though at times both the knees could be involved. Osgood Schlatters Symptoms There could be a slight swelling, warmness and sore bony lump appearing at the top of the lower leg nearly two inches in measurement beneath the kneecap. The bump would be painful when one presses on it. It could additionally hurt while the child attempts to kneel, while jumping, running, squatting or doing any form of activity that involves bending or total extension of the leg. Osgood Schlatter Causes The muscles and tendons function in unison while one is moving the legs. Among those that are involved in playing sports, the knees and the legs  [...]

Cold Sores are tiny, excruciating blisters in red or purple tones generally appearing on the outer rim of the lip on merely one side. Cold sores could surface as a single or a cluster formation and at times are fluid inundated. Though known as cold sores or at times fever blisters, they are not fever or cold related. Cold sores are not alike canker sores that are tiny whitish sores mostly observed in the interiors of the mouth. Cold Sores Causes Herpes is the reason behind cold sores erupting and is the prevalent form of viral infections worldwide. Medically termed as herpes simplex, it is has two kinds namely HSV-1 (Herpes simplex virus one) and HSV-2 (Herpes Simplex virus two). Despite both being the causative factors for cold sores appearing around an individual’s mouth, mostly HSV-1  [...]

Those infants that have faced exposure to second hand cigarette smoke are more prone to developing lung cancer when they become adults, even when they would never take to smoking. The outcome of the study was printed in the journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, ‘Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarker & Prevention’ in the December edition that laid particular focus on tobacco. During the present year itself, greater than 2, 19, 000 U.S. citizens would be detected having lung cancer; with nearly 1, 59, 000 fatalities and counting, some of whom might not have ever smoked during their lifetime. Studies done till date have revealed that those adults being exposed to second hand smoke have had damaging effects on their health, however information is inadequate on the risk one faces  [...]

Dyskeratosis Congenita is a heritable skin condition typified by a net-similar dark patchiness, irregular nail growth, oral lesions and progressive bone marrow failure. Dyskeratosis congenital occurs due to the mutation of the gene DKC1 present in the X-chromosome (females), and in majority of the situations is hereditary as an X-linked recessive disorder. The male gender has a single X and Y chromosome while the female gender has two X-chromosomes. In case a male has inherited the DKC1 heritable flaw on his one X-chromosome then he would have dyskeratosis congenital. But, a female would require two flawed X-chromosomes for developing the disorder. Due to this legacy outline, the proportion of male to female that are affected by this disorder is nearly 10:1. Approximately 180 people having  [...]

Several innately inquisitive kids have the tendency of putting non-victual items into their mouths at some occasion or the other. Infants having pica, nevertheless, are observed to cross the line of this naive exploring of their surroundings. With nearly 25-30% of children (twenty percent of whom are noticed in mental health treatment centers) have pica- the eating disorder that is typified by continual and uncontrollable yearnings for eating non-victual items that lasts for a month or more. What Is Pica? Pica is derived from the Latin word for the bird magpie that has the reputation for its humongous and indiscriminate foraging desire for food. Pica is prevalent among individuals having developmental disorders inclusive of autism and the mentally retarded and among kids in the ages of two  [...]