What should a parent do if their child is having a febrile convulsion? There are a few things you’ll want to do whenever a child, or anyone else, has a seizure.

* Place the child on the floor with as much open space around them as possible. This prevents injury from a fall while in the midst of the convulsion. People having seizures should not be restrained or held while the convulsion is going on.

* Ensure the child’s mouth is clear to prevent them from choking. Place them on their side or face down to help drain any liquids. If they vomit, remove it with a suction bulb if possible, but use whatever means necessary. Pull their chin and jaw forward if their breathing becomes noisy.

* Reduce the fever as quickly as possible during a convulsion. Remove the majority of their clothing and put cold washcloths on normal hot spots such as the face and neck. Sponge the rest of your child’s body with cool water if they last longer than a minute or two. When the convulsion is over, give your child a normal dose of fever reducer for their age and size, and have them drink cool liquids.

* If the convulsion lasts longer than ten minutes, immediately call a rescue squad or 911 and inform them of the situation.

* Call your child’s pediatrician as soon as the convulsion is over and then follow their directions.

The best way to prevent this type of convulsion is to stop high fevers in their tracks. If a child’s temperature reaches 100 degrees Fahrenheit, give them fever reducing medicine for the first 48 hours of an illness. Don’t be afraid to wake your child in the middle of the night in order to give them fever medicine if they went to bed with a fever.

Keep them lightly covered rather than using more than one blanket. Heavy covers increase your child’s body temperature by one or two extra degrees; if they’re already feverish, this could trigger a convulsion.

Make sure your child is given plenty of liquids. This will keep them hydrated and help bring their body temperature down.

Febrile convulsions are scary, but knowing what they are and how to deal with them will help you be prepared should one occur in your child.

Happy New Year, and Lunar New Year. New Year, new you.

At this site we seek to educate and illuminate on crucial health issues for women, and the people they love. We cover women’s health, men’s health, nutrition, weight loss and more.

After a workout it is important to replenish the body.  Nutrients that have been lost through exertion are replaced to prepare for the next exercise session.  But, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get the post-workout nutrition that you need.

What does the body need after a workout?  It needs fluids, protein and more fuel in the form of some carbs.  Without these nutrients, you can very well feel run down even if you were invigorated an hour before.  It is recommended that you wait no longer than an hour to eat after each workout session.

Fluids
The body loses fluid through your sweat.  If you notice that your sweat is salty, then you are also losing electrolytes.  The major fluid that you need to replace is the water.  For a healthy and productive workout, drink at least a glass of water before, one during and one after the workout.  If you feel like drinking more, that is fine too.

To replenish electrolytes, donít reach for the latest sports drink.  Instead grab a banana.  Bananas are packed with potassium and magnesium.  Since this category is fluids, add milk and or yogurt and blend until smooth for a post-workout shake that will put back the electrolytes that you need.

Protein
Protein is important for building muscle.  When you weight train, muscle is broken down so that it can be built back up while you sleep.  It needs protein to do that.  Choose lean forms of protein such as fresh turkey breast.  Combine it with cheese, lettuce and tomatoes for a great muscle boost.

Protein can also be replenished from non-animal sources.  Eating a serving or two of almonds, a tablespoon of low-fat peanut butter or a cup of black beans will provide you with protein as well as fiber.  Mix those beans with a little salsa for an extra kick.

What about soy?  Drinking a glass of soy milk or eating soy nuts will provide the protein that you need without the extra fat.

Carbohydrates
These provide the fuel for your body.  Carbohydrates that wonít spike your blood sugar are better sources, especially after a workout.  Stick with whole grains in breads, dried fruits and other grains like oats.

Create your own granola or trail mix. The commercial ones tend to be packed with fat, sugar, and even salt. Combine low-fat ingredients with carbohydrates that will supply steady energy for the rest of the day.  Carbohydrates that are high in fiber also keep cholesterol down and aid in digestive health.

Combine food suggestions from all three groups to create a healthy post-workout meal.  Keep the calories low but the nutrients high with your food choices.  To get a good meal or snack after a workout you don’t have to invest in pre-packaged alternatives.  Create what you need at home, put it in a baggie, or container, and take it with you anywhere. Just watch your portion sizes. One ounce can really be packed with calories if you use a lot of nuts in your mix.

Think about advertising.  The female population is inundated with photo after photo of the “perfect body” according to modeling agencies and style magazines.  Especially during the teenage years, the pressure to fit in and be liked by the opposite sex can lead to an unrealistic view of their bodies.

The same goes for men.  Seeing rock hard abs on models and male actors has them wondering if they need to look like that to attract girls.  This jaded thinking can lead to unhealthy eating and exercising habits that ruin a boy’s health and his self-image.

Men are still hesitant to come forward and reveal themselves as having a problem with eating disorders.  It is still thought of by some professionals as a ìfemaleî disease and they are not diagnosing it as much in males.  To help raise awareness, a few Hollywood actors have stepped forth and admitted that they suffer from eating disorders.

To heighten awareness, parents and others have to become familiar with the signs and symptoms of eating disorders not only for their daughters but also for their sons.  The first step is acceptance of the disorder in men and boys to shatter the stigma that is keeping them from getting the help that they need.

When you think of eating disorders, you think of Karen Carpenter or one of Hollywood’s young starlets.  But, these disorders don’t just affect girls and women.  Men and boys can be just as affected by them.

Eating disorders are not new and neither is their existence in the male population.  The reason you may not have heard about it is the stigma attached to having a problem controlling your food.  According to a Harvard study (2007), as much as 25 percent of those in the study were anorexic males and 40 percent were binge-eating males.  For a condition that has been decidedly “female”, these are high numbers.

The effects of eating disorders are more readily noticed among girls.  Wearing tight-fitting clothing or other outfits that show their shape reveal the skin and bones that mortify parents and friends.  Girls are also more likely to confide in a friend about their “new diet” than guys are.

Men and boys can hide the results of their eating disorders better than women and girls.  Furthermore, changes in their body are quickly attributed to anything but an eating disorder.  Parents don’t even think that an eating disorder can affect their son.

Even the males themselves are not likely to admit that they have an eating disorder.  Being associated with a “girl’s disease” can be seen as unmanly or feminine.  For fear of being called names, they hide their pain and their obsession with food.

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup ice cubes
1 small ripe banana, peeled and sliced
2 large, ripe papaya, peeled, seeded and chopped

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Fill into a large glass and enjoy this delicious smoothie anytime of the day.

Anorexics are always concerned with weight.  They exercise to excess, constantly weigh themselves and count calories in everything – even water.  Any celebration that revolves around food will alarm them and they will likely bow out.  No matter how thin they get, they always say they are fat.

Where a person with anorexia tends to be underweight, people who suffer from bulimia nervosa are normal to slightly overweight.  They also fear getting fat and strive to control their food to control their lives.  Bulimics have a dim view of their body shape and often have low self-esteem.

As a way of coping with their feelings, they eat uncontrollably away from prying eyes.  Guilty feelings cause them to purge after their binging.  They vomit or use laxatives to get rid of the food that they have eaten.  They also shy away from any gathering that involves food and exercise a lot in an attempt to lose weight.  You may see boxes of laxatives or enema bottles in the trash or in their room if your child is bulimic.

Eating disorders are becoming quite common among teenagers.  Unless treated, anorexia and bulimia can get out of control and cause serious, irreversible damage to the body.  If you notice any of the above activities going on with your child or a friend, get them to a doctor immediately.  Early intervention can stop a lifetime of health problems and keep the disorder from proving fatal.

A shocking article on the way women are treated under the current health system in the US.

http://www.care2.com/causes/health-policy/blog/6-shockers-about-womens-health-care/

The two most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.  Both conditions can affect either males or females and are extremely serious.  To protect someone you love or care about, learn the warning signs of eating disorders.

An eating disorder develops from an unhealthy view of yourself and your relationship to food.  Food is a vehicle for delivering nutrients to the body.  That doesn’t mean that food can’t taste good but that eating the right foods is important for growth, health and a positive body image.

Anorexia nervosa involves a fear of gaining weight.  No matter how slim the person is, when they look in the mirror they see someone who is too fat.  In an attempt to control their weight, a person with anorexia nervosa will eat small portions of food.  The problem here is that the portions are not big enough to provide any type of good nutrition.

Warning signs of anorexia are easy to miss if you are not careful.  Sufferers usually explain their extremely small portions as dieting to get in shape.  At first no one will question that since teenagers are always in conflict about their body.  If your child used to eat with the family but now says that they are eating elsewhere, be concerned.

Complementary therapy seeks to meet the needs of cancer patients.  What is needed varies from moment to moment.  Let’s start with the body.  Taking a holistic view of the cancer patient, it is important to be in a positive state of mind throughout treatment.  Even a traditional doctor will tell you that.

Yoga is a complementary cancer therapy that works to connect the mind, body and spirit.  It was developed thousands of years ago and is a form of exercise that concentrates on meditation, breathing and posture.  The result of practising yoga is a greater sense of awareness about yourself, peace, lower stress levels and increased strength.  For the patient undergoing cancer treatment, yoga can reduce or even eliminate the side effects.

Bio feedback is another complementary therapy that seeks to make a connection between the mind and the body.  It is much like mind over matter.  Through their relaxation methods, people learn to control processes within their body that are usually involuntary.  These processes include blood pressure, heart rate, temperature and others.  Biofeedback has been used to treat chronic pain.  It can also help improve the quality of life for cancer patients in all stages.

Changing what you eat can aid in your cancer treatment.  For instance, eliminating red meat reduces the amount of animal fat in your body to stimulate certain hormone production that feeds cancerous tumors.  Along that same line are vitamin supplements.  Getting the recommended daily dose of essential vitamins increases the tools the body has to work with when it is repairing itself.  A body battling cancer needs to be at its best.

So, are complementary cancer therapies effective?  In a way, they are.  No one is claiming that they cure cancer, but, in conjunction with traditional therapies they enable the body to fight back as hard as it can.