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Supplements for Children

December 31st, 2009

The importance of a diet that is both nutritious and varied is the key to good mental health and good emotional health. Sometimes even the best diets do not provide adequate nutrients that are needed and some children need more of certain nutrients. We?ve also seen that children may be very picky eaters. Never mind the challenge of providing meals, that are perfectly balanced in nutritional value and then overcoming the nay-sayer child.

Supplements are the most reliable method of ensuring your child is getting the appropriate levels of vitamins and minerals that are necessary for optimal nourishment. This is even more important if your child is having difficulty mentally or emotionally. Remember, there is an excellent range of vitamin and mineral supplement on the market. Just a small deficiency can have a significant impact on a child that is growing.

Start Supplementing When?

The minute you start to wean your child you should consider supplementing. While you are breastfeeding you need to be taking the supplements, which then will naturally get passed on to your baby.

How To Choose The Right Supplements

When it comes to child?s supplements you are looking at three areas all of which are broad ? multivitamins, essential fast, and mineral supplements that will incorporate all of the nutrients necessary for your child.

You can choose crushable, chewable, liquid, or soluble formulas depending on the age of your child and their preferences. It?s best to give your child their supplement with breakfast. If that?s not an option give some time during the day but never last thing at night because Vitamin B is a mild stimulant, and for some children glutamine also is.

Children tend to be more at risk for vitamin toxicity than adults are, and while dosages are well below toxicity levels but for sensitive children this can still be too high, so don?t be tempted to give more than that recommended level unless you are under the direction of your doctor or nutritional therapist.

Most times you will choose a chewable multivitamin and mineral, unless you are correcting a specific problem and giving your child Probiotics or glutamine powder. Usually you?ll be giving one for every two years, so by the time your child is six you?ll be giving three a day. Of course, it depends on the strength of the multivitamins and minerals, best spread out throughout the day. Most multivitamins don?t have enough Vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, and zinc. That?s because vitamin C is tart, calcium and magnesium make a chewable vitamin too crunchy, and zinc tastes metallic.

There are several ways to beat this problem. If you are giving your child ground seeds each day as recommended they will be getting a reasonable amount of calcium, magnesium, and zinc. You can also use powdered calcium and magnesium, which you can add to drinks. Chewable Vitamin C that uses calcium/magnesium ascorbate is great way to take care of all three. If your child isn?t sleeping well and you want to give them a little extra magnesium this is also a good option. The easiest way to give your child that little extra vitamin C is simply by making sure they get five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Broccoli, Peppers, citrus fruit, and berries are the best Vitamin C foods. If necessary you can crush a supplement and then add to diluted fruit juice or water.

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Understanding Health Insurance – Part 2

December 31st, 2009

Medical specialists can be a godsend, especially in particular medical emergencies. Imagine knowing that a specialist could provide exceptional care for your particular medical condition. Now imagine that your insurance carrier does not allow you to see any specialists outside of their approved list. Would you be upset? I certainly would be. This very same situation happens to people everyday who tried to cut corners on their insurance premiums in order to save a measly 10-15%. When they finally need to file for a major health condition, they are stuck visiting doctors who must be on the carriers “approved” list.

If your current health insurance provider severely limits your decision-making ability when it comes to seeing a specialist or even family doctors you might prefer over others, you should purchase an additional Major Medical policy that allows you the freedom to go wherever you wish. If you ever encounter the above described scenario and you are not happy with the “approved” doctors you are referred to, simply go see the doctor of your choice since you are covered under the additional policy. To offset the cost of purchasing an additional policy for this unique situation, you can choose a much higher deductible on the second policy.

Do you travel a lot? Do you live in different states or perhaps different countries at different times of the year? If so, you should make sure your insurance policy covers you wherever you are. If your policy does not cover you for worldwide, non-emergency medical attention, you can purchase an additional policy that will. If it is expensive, choose a higher deductible. And should you decide to purchase an additional policy for travel or international living, purchase your policy limits accordingly to the amount of time you intend to stay at each location.

The last thing to consider when choosing a health insurance policy is whether or not the insurance provider has paperless claim submission. Although a minor detail, paperless claims can provide you with significant convenience after you experience extensive medical attention. Consider it the icing on the cake for a good insurance policy. After all, who wants to spend hours and hours filling out paperwork to file a claim? If you’ve just experienced major medical attention such as a surgical procedure, filing out paperwork is the last thing you want to worry about.

If you are married and you provide health insurance for the both of you through your employer, there’s no need to purchase additional health insurance for your spouse unless its coverage falls outside of your current policy limits. “Double coverage” is a waste of money since you cannot collect twice on the same claim. This recommendation does not apply to a Major Medical policy if purchased to extend coverage or allow for greater flexibility as mentioned elsewhere in this article.

Choosing insurance coverage for your children should be based on the criteria mentioned earlier in this article and not by cost of coverage. When it comes to your children, don’t cut corners on health insurance unless you simply cannot afford it. If both parents can provide it through their respective employer, choose the insurance policy that allows for the most flexibility on the areas listed above, and then use cost as a final determining factor if you need to.

Health insurance typically comes in two forms: individual or family, and family could be a single parent with one child or a married couple with ten children. The insurance companies do not further define the definition of family other than a minimum of two individuals. As a single parent or a small family, this means you are paying premiums equal to a large family. The simple solution for a single parent is to take the policy provided by their employer but for a single individual. Since your employer is paying part of the cost, this should be on the “less expensive” side of health insurance coverage. When it comes to your children’s health insurance, purchase an individual policy for each child. Again, don’t cut corners when it comes to your children’s health insurance. Choose a policy that affords the greatest flexibility in the areas mentioned throughout this article while still being affordable cost-wise.

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Candida and Yeast Infections- the Effects of Candida Yeast on Children

December 31st, 2009

For years, Candida yeast overgrowth has been a known problem among adults but in recent times, children have captured the attention of medical researchers and doctors specific to this yeast. In fact, new studies are showing that some of the common childhood health conditions could actually be the direct response to Candida albicans. For instance, it is not believed that ear infections, rashes, and even autism may have a link somehow to an overgrowth of Candida yeast.
We know that Candida yeast overgrowth can wreck havoc on an adult’s health so why would it be any different for children. While there could be a number of contributing factors, one that appears to be a major culprit is antibiotics. After all, children are on and off antibiotics for all kinds of problems, which in reality, stimulate the growth of Candida yeast. Over the, the yeast grows to such a level that it begins to attack the body, causing a long list of problems, physically and mentally.
Typically what happens is that as the overproduction of Candida yeast continues, a child’s immune system is compromised and weakened. Soon, the yeast has multiplied to such a point that organs and systems within the body are being sickened. The result of an overproduction of Candida yeast can be seen in the form of hyperactivity, allergies, obesity, depression, learning disabilities, and even self-control.
Although there remains some controversy, many experts now believe there is a direct link between Candida yeast overgrowth and autism. Years ago, one of every two thousand children would develop autism but today, it is one out of every one hundred sixty children. Obviously, something serious is happening that needs to be identified and addressed.
What a number of in-depth studies are now showing is that in autistic children who have high levels of Candida yeast, autistic symptoms are much worse because of the weakened immune system. In this case, the body is working overtime trying to eliminate the harmful yeast, causing other parts of the body to be neglected. Therefore, symptoms associated with autism are exacerbated.
For Candida yeast overgrowth to be eliminated, early diagnosis and treatment are imperative. Otherwise, the immune system will continue to weaken as it also tries to fight off the infection. There is a positive side in that the diagnosis of Candida yeast overgrowth in children is a simple and affordable process. In fact, there are a number of natural remedies that work exceptionally well, starting with change of diet.
It is easy for children in today’s society to eat high quantities of refined sugar and yeast, the two worst things when it comes to Candida. Therefore, parents will need to intervene, teaching their child the right foods to eat so they feel better. Usually, the child would need to go through a two-week cleansing phase. During this time, the diet is strict, which is a little difficult for the child but it is only temporary.
After the initial cleansing period, parents would need to take a positive approach regarding food, showing the child the food can still be enjoyed while also being healthy. As far as the child going on future antibiotics, this is a concern that should be discussed with the doctor. If your child has been diagnosed with having an overproduction of Candida yeast, then the doctor is going to understand the importance of finding alternatives for health.
In most cases, children who have Candida yeast overgrowth but who have been properly treated will go on to live a much healthier and happier life. Remember, if the yeast continues to spiral out of control, it changes to a fungus with roots that will attach itself to the intestinal wall. Eventually as the roots grow and take hold, the mucosal lining of the intestine can be penetrated, allowing dangerous toxins to be released in the bloodstream, which then travels throughout the body.
Being a parent comes with a long list of responsibilities including health. If you have a child who is experiencing fatigue, mood swings, problems with concentration, diarrhea, weight gain, depression, headaches, and other ongoing problems, it could very well be Candida yeast overgrowth. If your child is showing signs of autism, go ahead and request the doctor to do the proper testing to make sure this is not the underlying problem.

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