Health Blog

A healthy body and a sound mind

4 Health Options for Parents To Decide On for Their Kids

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As a parent, you have to make a bunch of different health decisions for your kids as they’re growing up. Some of them are easy to make, whereas others take some more thought and research. So, as the adult in a household, it’s better to do your information gathering earlier rather than later.

A few of the situations you might want to think about are getting braces for your kid’s teeth, having them get a yearly sports physical after a certain age, if you want to give them any diet restrictions, and if you think mental health counseling would be appropriate at during various stages of their life. [Read more…]

Originally posted on April 16, 2018 @ 4:54 pm

A Healthy Home: Keeping Your Kids Healthy During Renovations

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Renovations are a key part of turning a house into a home, but without proper precautions, children can easily get hurt during the process. As parents, then, it’s our job to make sure we can provide a safe environment for your children to live, eat, and play while the house is undergoing this kind of work.

How separated from the renovations your children need to be depends on how old they are and what kind of work your home is undergoing. As you begin, however, keep these 3 common home renovation risks in mind and guide your children accordingly.

Old Home Problems

Some of the biggest problems found in old homes and often revealed during renovations are lead paint and asbestos in the house. Lead paint was commonly used in homes through the 1970s, and many parents undertake renovations to eliminate this old paint; if small children ingest chipping lead paint, it can build up in their bodies and cause developmental delays. So long as you keep children out of the rooms where this paint is, however, and make sure they’re properly cleaned up, everyone should be fine.

Asbestos is even more dangerous than lead, and has been linked to cancer, but for many years it was used as insulation in homes and public buildings. If workers will be removing asbestos from your home, it’s best to have your kids stay elsewhere. Your home will need to be fully cleaned and the air purified before they come back.

Fresh Paint Problems

Unlike lead paint, most of us assume that modern paint products, beyond smelling a bit unpleasant, is perfectly safe. That’s why parents have no qualms about painting murals in children’s rooms or otherwise accenting the home with paint. Unfortunately, some paints can release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can be toxic in large quantities. While an occasional fresh coat of paint won’t hurt your kids, you may want to have them sleep in a different room for a few days until the air clears.

Consider Navigation

Depending on what renovations you’re having done in your home, construction may create navigational barriers where children can get hurt. For example, if a hole is being made in walls or flooring, you can guarantee that children will want to inspect the area. With older children, you can set limits during the construction period, but with young ones, you’ll need to entirely block off any interesting areas to make sure they don’t get hurt.

One way to help your children steer clear of ongoing construction is by setting up alternative spaces to use during the renovations. If you don’t have access to your kitchen, put a few convenient pieces like a toaster, microwave, and kettle in the garage or family room so that there is still a place they associate with eating. This helps them develop new, temporary habits until construction is over.

If you’re struggling to make alternate arrangements for your children during the renovation process, just remember that they’ll be completed soon. For the time being, set up playdates, take a weekend trip, or visit grandma to keep the kids safe. You’ll all be happy to come back to your beautiful home when the work is done.

Originally posted on August 26, 2016 @ 6:15 pm

You Won’t Believe This Statistic On Drug And Alcohol Addiction

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Drug and alcohol addiction are frightening things. They can destroy lives, entire families, careers, and more. However, one of the scariest things is to learn that more than 23 million people, ages 12 and over, are in need of treatment for addiction.

As if the number itself isn’t scary, it’s even more frightening to know that there are children that are addicts. It’s not always easy for a parent to see that their child has a serious problem, and not all of these addicted teens have families that are there to notice.

Signs Of Addiction In Teens

There are many signs and symptoms of addiction, to both drugs and alcohol. Most of these cross over between adults and teens. But if your teen seems to be showing any of these changes in their mood, actions, and life, you may want to investigate. If you find your teen is addicted, abusing, or even just using drugs, get them help immediately.

They Stop Hanging Out – Teens that are addicted will find a new circle of friends. It’s likely their old friends don’t like the new lifestyle they are leading, or they are just hiding their actions from them out of shame. You’ll find they spend less and less time with, or talking about, their old friends.

Their Attitude Changes – Addict’s, both adults and teens, can have an extreme attitude change come on. They will be more irritable and more quick to anger. They may also become more private and even more paranoid.

Their Eating Habits Change – They may also stop eating, or beginning eating less or less healthy. They may skip meals often.

They Get Less Sleep – Drugs can also greatly affect a person’s sleep habits. The lack of sleep they get could be part of the contributing factor to their attitude change as well.

They Neglect Responsibilities – When you become an addict, your next high is the most important thing to you. That means that your teen may stop doing chores at home, they’ll care less about homework, and other responsibilities.

They Stop Doing Things They Love – One of the biggest signs that most people notice when it comes to addiction of any kind is a change in the things that they once enjoyed doing. Where your teen may have once enjoyed sports, now they’ve quit all the teams. Maybe they loved video games, but you’ve since noticed their systems are nowhere to be found.

People that have dealt with teenagers and addiction know that it is a difficult situation to handle. If you come on too strong they may leave and you may never see them again, but if you don’t do something you could lose them as well. Be a listener, let them know you are there for them, and do what you can to get them to want the help they need.

Originally posted on March 18, 2016 @ 10:30 pm

5 Health and Wellness Tips for Cleaning House

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When you clean your home, you aren’t just cleaning an area, you’re also cleaning in order to protect yourself and your family from dirt, mold, dirty air, and anything else that might cause disease or even just general discomfort.

And because you want to keep things clean for health and wellness as well as just surface sterility, there are a number of tips that you can follow to help you in this direction. Specifically, you should get your heating system checked, buy a good air filter, use natural cleaners whenever possible, get rid of old food in the fridge and freezer, and combat mold wherever you find it. [Read more…]

Originally posted on October 23, 2015 @ 5:30 pm