Start the Day Right

For most people, mornings are a time to rush around, prepare lunches, inhale a quick breakfast and jet off to work. But the way you start your morning can set the tone for the entire day. Try some of these morning rituals to start the day right.

Eat breakfast. Starting off with a healthy, well-balanced breakfast regulates blood sugar levels and gets your body ready for the physical and mental stress of the day. Choose a combination of protein and fruit rather than the all-too-common caffeine and carbohydrates.

Listen to music. Depending on the type of music you listen to, hearing a few tunes first thing in the morning can energize, refresh, soothe or motivate you. Research suggests music therapy reduces stress and improves overall wellness.

Stretch in the shower. Stretching helps relieve tension and prepares your muscles for another day. The added benefit of stretching in the shower is hot water loosens the muscles for a better stretch and also promotes relaxation.

Write in a journal. Keeping a journal to document your emotions and fears aids in dealing with stress and increases self-awareness. A daily journaling session can help you focus, solve problems and process negative feelings.

Take a walk. Walking in the first light of morning can help you feel good all day. Just a few of the many health benefits of walking include sleeping better at night, controlling blood pressure, managing weight, lowering stress, and reducing your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and many other conditions.

Practice yoga. Yoga incorporates a variety of stress management techniques such as diaphragmic breathing, meditation, stretching, and more. A 10-15 minute routine of yoga poses like "sun salutations" can center you for the day ahead.

Prepare Ahead of Time: Particularly if you have kids, it's important not to leave everything until morning. Pack lunches (including your own) and coordinate showers/baths at night. You'll have more time to relax, eat breakfast and do one or more of the above activities if you're not frantically trying to get those things done right when you wake up.

Read More

Dangerous Curve

You've been up half the night with your toddler, who came home from day care with the latest flu bug and can't sleep due to a nasty cough and stuffy nose. You head to your medicine cabinet, which is stocked with all sorts of over-the-counter cough and cold remedies. But which one do you choose? Actually, the answer is none.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a public health advisory recommending that over-the-counter cough and cold products not be given to infants and children under 2 years of age because of serious and potentially life-threatening side effects that can occur. In the advisory, the FDA said it "strongly supports the actions taken by many pharmaceutical manufacturers to voluntarily withdraw cough and cold medicines being sold for use with this age group."

Where do you turn when your infant or toddler has the sniffles or a cough? A recent study suggests that a natural alternative commonly found in your kitchen could provide children – and parents – with much-needed relief. The study, published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, found that parents rated honey most favorably for symptomatic relief of their child's nocturnal cough and sleep difficulty because of a cough due to an upper respiratory tract infection.

One hundred five children ages 2 to 18 years old with upper respiratory tract infections were given either a single dose of buckwheat honey, honey-flavored dextromethorphan (a common ingredient in many over-the-counter cold medications) or no treatment at all 30 minutes prior to bedtime. A dose of honey consistently scored the best while no treatment scored the worst. However, it is important to note that children under two years of age should not be given honey.

If you decide to give an over-the-counter cough or cold medicine to children over the age of 2, the FDA recommends parents follow these guidelines. (By the way, the FDA is debating whether to extend its public health advisory to include children up to age 6.)

	Check the "active ingredients" section of the drug facts label to help you understand what active ingredients are in the medicine and what symptoms each ingredient is intended to treat.
	Be careful not to give your child more than one over-the-counter medicine, as they each may have high concentrations of more than one active ingredient, essentially giving your child an overdose of that ingredient. For example, children should not take more than one medicine containing an antihistamine.
	Carefully follow the directions on the "drug facts" portion of the label.
	Only use the measuring spoon or cup that comes with the medicine or those made specially for measuring drugs.
	Choose over-the-counter cough and cold medicines with childproof safety caps and store them out of the reach of children.
	Understand that using over-the-counter cough and cold medicine is only intended to treat your child's symptoms.
	Do not use these products to sedate your child or make them sleepier.
	Call a physician, pharmacist or other health care professional if you have any questions.

But remember, according to the study, a dose of honey just might prove more effective, and you probably won't have to do much convincing to get your child to swallow it. It's not a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down, but a spoonful of honey just might be the next best thing when dealing with your child's cough.

Read More

Preventing Food Allergies

People might not realize how important oral health is to our overall health and well-being. The truth is healthy teeth and gums are important in preventing other issues that may strike other areas of the body. Here are four critical oral health habits you and your family should develop, if you haven't already done so:

	Brush consistently. It's important to use a soft-bristle brush and gently clean your teeth to avoid hurting your gums. Frequent cleanings (if possible, right after a snack or meal) can prevent the buildup that leads to gum disease.
	Don't forget to floss. Most people "forget" to floss, but it's one of the most important things we can do to keep our teeth healthy. Floss is the only thing that reaches below the gum line. When bacteria builds up in the pocket between the tooth and gum line, it can cause inflammation, tissue damage and bone loss. Even worse, it can spread to the bloodstream and the rest of the body.
	Get your teeth cleaned two or more times a year. When plaque forms below the gum line, it can harden into tartar which irritates and inflames your gums. At this point, even regular flossing can't get the job done. It's time to make a dentist appointment.
	Try a little mouthwash. Using an American Dental Association-approved mouth rinse can reduce the bacterial count in your mouth and help keep your breath fresh.

Too many people mistreat their teeth and ignore the warning signs of decay and disease until it's too late. A little prevention is worth a pound of cure – especially if the alternative is growing old without any teeth at all.

Read More