Not sure what you need to stash in your baby’s diaper bag? Get a great list of some obvious items and several things you probably never thought you would need…
Top 20 Items To Pack In A Diaper Bag
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Danielle_Hollister]Danielle Hollister
1. Diapers (5 -7 is a fairly safe supply)
2. Wipes
3. Cream (like Desitin, A&D ointment, Vaseline)
4. Baby Powder
5. At least one bottle of juice or milk
6. A few jars of baby food
7. At least one clean outfit
8. A few bibs
9. A few cloth diapers to clean up spit and other spills
10. Items to entertain your baby (rattles, books, toys)
11. Baby thermometer
12. Teething rings
13. Biter biscuits or similar type of crackers
14. Medicine for fevers, colds, related symptoms
15. Any prescription medications
16. Measuring device for medications
17. Baby Nail Clippers
18. Phone number of Baby’s Physician
19. Any stuffed animals or favorite blankets your baby needs to fall asleep
20. Any parenting books you refer to frequently to find answers to unexpected questions Read the rest of this entry »
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Baby Care |
Cute And Comfy Baby Clothes by Angel Cruz
Baby clothes are great to give as gifts. Think humorous onesies, whimsical baby tees, and sweet ensembles guaranteed to delight at a baby shower! Look for baby clothes that are crafted from soft material specifically selected for baby’s delicate skin. You’ll love these adorable baby outfits… and parents and babies will love them too!
For your very own little fashionista, the Personalized Baby Girl’s Monogram Sweater, is a perfect way to stay warm. This luxurious baby sweater is 100% cotton and boasts timeless style for a fabulous baby shower gift. It is soft and soothing on a little one’s skin. Available in a variety of colors, this high-end roll neck sweater can be personalized with your baby’s name or initials in the thread color of your choice. Charming and adorable for everyday wear, this sweater is also a memorable keepsake.
This baby onesie celebrates a sweet little princess with a whimsical design that will make parents and baby shower guests smile. Perfect as an outfit all on its own, this baby bodysuit is made of soft, cuddly cotton and also doubles as an “undershirt” for her other ensembles! This Baby Girl Royale Personalized Bodysuit is made of 100% white cotton and features the must-have bottom snap closure and lap shoulders for easy dressing. This onesie arrives in a fun purple drawstring bag, ready for gift giving.
An adorable gift for baby boy or baby girl, the Personalized Babysoy Kimono One Piece is made of babysoy, a fabric created from soybean fiber, which boasts superior warmth retention and moisture transmission, keeping babies warm and dry. Gentle, natural and sustainable, this Babysoy clothing is softer than cashmere and has a silky feel, making it more comfortable for baby’s skin, and it’s eco-friendly, too.
Made with Baby Boo’s plush knit fabric, this adorable Baby Girl’s Designer Sleeper Gown is double brushed for extra softness, replicating the comfort of the womb. It is also engineered to be nearly unstainable & indestructible and still looks new after repeated washings. This stylish onesie sleeper will be sure to add comfort to every delicate bundle of joy.
The Baby Girl Ringer Onesie makes a stylish gift for a retro-chic baby girl! Recalling the design of vintage tees, it boasts black trim, three stars in the front and is crafted from soft cotton, which is soothing and snuggly on baby’s sensitive skin. Parents and baby will love this cute baby onesie! Read the rest of this entry »
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Baby Clothes |
Baby Boy Names
Author: Babies R Us
The name of your baby is very special for you. You are creating a new life and giving it a suitable name is very important decision. You will give a great start of life of your baby with the great name.
Name should be simple to pronounce, yet it should be uncommon and its meaning will give better idea about your child. So parents should do careful selection of the name.
If it is a baby boy then some communities have tradition of giving the grand father’s name to the grand child. But if that name is old fashioned or difficult then you can make better choice from the smaller and easier name with good meaning.
Boys are normally very active and attracted towards the speed and adventure. They like to become like superhero. The names for boys may include the names of great warriors.
While selecting the first name you should consider your surname. First name should match the surname. Not only it should compliment but also it should not make the full name very big name. If the surname is big then first name should be short.
You should always pay attention to the meaning of the name. The name with good meaning is better choice. Names with negative meanings should be avoided. The great sports man always impresses boys. It is a good idea to name your baby boy after a great player.
When your baby boy will grow he will have to communicate through e-mail, Internet, chat, phones and mobile phones. It is advisable to select the name, which is easy to pronounce. The people using other languages should find it easy to pronounce. The meaning of the name in foreign languages is also important and avoiding the name with bad meaning in foreign language will be wise decision. Read the rest of this entry »
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Baby Names |
Alphabet Scrapbook Pages Remembering the alphabet and using your baby’s photos can be fun and educational for the entire family. Try making an alphabet or ABC baby scrapbook. Attach a colorful letter to each page in baby’s scrapbook album, die cut words and photos to remember all of your baby’s special moments.
Here are a few suggestions to get you started:
A
Animals (photo from trip to zoo), aunts, apple
B
baby, bottle, bubbles, brothers, birthday, blanket, bibs, booties, books, blue
C
cake, candles, cousins, crawling, cradle, cereal, Christmas, cookie, car seat
D
doll, dog, daddy, diapers, December, duckie, Dora the Explorer
E
eating, ears, Easter, elbow, Elmo
F
First…, fingers, first foods, formula, feeding time, February, fourth of July, father, friend, funny, funny faces
G
Grandma, grandpa, gifts, guests, girls, gurgling, going (to…)
H
Hair cut, hands, home, hospital, happy birthday, Halloween (1st)
I
Icing, ice cream, immunizations, in (the bathtub)
J
Juice, jello, January, jumping, June, July, jar food, jammies
K
Kids, kisses, Kodak moments, kitchen Read the rest of this entry »
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Baby Memories |
5 Potty Training Tips That Will Make You Smile by Aruni Gunasegaram
They each had a couple of night time accidents and we had a few more sheet changes with our son, but overall a less traumatic experience that I was bracing myself for. We did the following with our kids. Try these tips out and hopefully they’ll work for you.
1. Observe the signs. If your child is waking up dry from nap or night for at least a couple of weeks that is a big clue to start potty training. There are so many reasons to ‘ignore’ or not want to ‘see’ the signs that having your spouse, close friend or in our case a pre-school teacher throw some cold water in your face can really help. I was 8 months pregnant when our son’s pre-school teacher said you MUST potty train now. I was thinking to myself “are you crazy woman?! I can barely pick myself up let alone a toddler onto a potty.” I figured I’d wait until after the baby was born. I had been picking him up from pre-school and putting on a diaper/pull-up because I didn’t want to be unnecessarily cleaning a car seat. After being sternly warned by the teacher not to do that, I ended up putting a towel down on his car seat just in case. Read the rest of this entry »
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Potty Training, Toddler Care |
Keeping your baby safe is one of the greatest concerns of new parents. It is essential that new parents follow certain guides when buying new baby toys. By following these guides will greatly increase the safety of babies.
The Essential Guide To Baby Toys by Andrew Gibson
Keeping your baby safe is one of the greatest concerns of any new parent. The numerous newspaper headlines of babies being rushed off to hospital after being involved in accidents involving toys does not help new parent’s confidence. What new parents have got to do is take care when they buy their new baby toys and be careful how they treat them in the house.
They are now greatly aided by new EU regulations that have placed rigid rules on toy manufactures. This has resulted in the actual safety of the toy itself greatly improving and now moving the emphasis on toy use safety back onto the parent. A new parent’s major concern over baby toy safety should be focused on the suitability of the toy for the baby. Read the rest of this entry »
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Baby Toys |
Conclude Your Overdue Pregnancy Using An Effective Natural Remedy! Safe For The Mother And The Baby. The Guide Demonstrates Quick And Easy Acupressure Techniques That Help To Start Labor Naturally And Get Effective Labor Pain Relief Without Drugs.
When you reach the advanced stages of pregnancy, you might feel as big as a Macy’s float in the Thanksgiving parade, feel discomfort no matter what position you’re in and difficulty in moving around or getting off your bed and constantly need to use the restroom.
You might have swollen feet that feel like a ton of bricks, cramps, and pain in your upper and lower back.
You might have serious difficulties in sleeping and feel daylong fatigue.
You might end using up precious days of your maternity leave - without your baby.
Your doctor may begin to talk about labor induction in a hospital. Or wants you to wait another week!
All that could make you feel irritated, frustrated - perhaps stressed and depressed.
That is why most pregnant mothers want to conclude their overdue pregnancy naturally and FINALLY have their babies…
So, read on because this could be the most important information you’ll ever read about inducing labor naturally.
For More Information Click Here!
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Acupressure, Pregnancy, birth |
Prenatal classes are helpful and supportive for you both.
What classes do
They will help explain a lot of the choices available before, during, and after the birth and will tell you about labor, birth, and baby care. You’ll also meet other expectant parents with due dates near yours.
Read the rest of this entry »
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Baby Care |
Diaper rash is a type of irritant dermatitis that is localized to the diaper area in infants and often spares the skin of the folds beneath the diaper. Most infants develop a diaper rash at some time or another; some even arrive home from the hospital with a slight rash. Diaper rash may be more common after solid foods are added to your baby’s diet or when your baby is taking antibiotics. Other factors that can lead to diaper rash include continuously wet or infrequently changed diapers, diarrhea and the use of plastic pants to cover a diaper. Diaper rashes can occur intermittently, anytime while your child wears diapers.
Read the rest of this entry »
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Baby Care |
The early stages of your journey to parenthood are now complete. Ahead of you is a shorter, but not necessarily easier, stage that of pushing the baby out. Together at last, you’ll meet your new baby.
Coping With Second Stage
As your baby is gradually pushed down your birth canal, try to use gravity as much as possible to help, keep as up right as you can. Get in to what ever position feels most comfortable it may be sitting up on the bed, squatting on a mat with the support of your partner, leaning against a chair, being on all fours, or using a birthing stool. Your partner and health care provider can follow your lead. Between contractions, use your breathing techniques in particular, let your pelvic noor, rectum, and anus relax.
Read the rest of this entry »
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Pregnancy, birth |
More Resources:
At last, some sensible words about vaccines, courtesy of actress Amanda Peet on yesterday’s Good Morning America:
“It seems that the media is often giving celebrities and actors more authority on this issue than they are giving the experts. I know it’s a paradox, but that’s part of why I wanted to become a spokesperson, to say to people, ‘Please don’t listen to me. Don’t listen to actors. Go to the experts.’”“My main message to parents is that they should not be taking medical advice from me or any other celebrity. They should look to their pediatrician, the AAP and other experts.”
Yes.
Peet clearly identifies herself here as a “spokesperson,” as someone communicating a message—-get your child vaccinated—to the public. She is not, as she clearly acknowledges, a dispenser of “medical advice.” She is a mother, and the mother of a young child, and the mother of a young child at a time when one worry after another travels ’round the internet and the OBGYN’s waiting room: How can you make sure there’s nothing wrong with your yet unborn baby? How can you be 110%-plus sure?
The belief, unsubstantiated by science, that vaccines or something in vaccines can be linked to autism, has led to some 4800 families of autistic children filing claims that a vaccine somehow “damaged” and “injured” their child, with the result that the child became autistic. In many ways, the discussion about vaccines and autism is not so much about autistic children who are here today (and in need of the best schools and services to help them achieve their full potential). Discussions about vaccines and autism are mostly about children, and even children who are yet in utero and have yet to be conceived, who don’t have autism; as proponents of a vaccine-autism link claim, they want to get the thimerosal out and the schedule changed so that no more children will become autistic due to a vaccine. This is one reason why anti-vaccine/pro-vaccine safety advocates seems to be so (at the very least) hesitant and (as often stated) disdainful of evidence for genetic causes of autism. Autism is “preventable” (just say no to those shots, or at least that schedule and green ‘em in the process) and “treatable” (by unproven and potentially dangerous treatments like chelation that stem from also-nproven theories of what causes autism).
And this is precisely why it’s extra-aggravating that vaccines have today come to be so associated with autism. Proponents of a vaccine-autism link can make some very public health-minded-sounding statements about not wanting anymore children to become autistic and not wanting any families to have suffered what they have in raising an autistic child. But much of the rhetoric is about children who are not autistic and who are not even born yet—-no wonder Dr. Paul Offit refers to such anti-vaccine/pro-vaccine-safety advocates as “Autism’s False Prophets,” sending out dire predictions of what will happen if children keep getting vaccinated.
Autism’s False Prophets, Dr. Offit’s new book, is to be published September 5th and various websites (including one under Dr. Offit’s own name, and not his own) have been rife with accusations of his “conflicts of interests” and “ties to Big Pharma”; have generally impugned his character; and have utitlized tactics meant to intimidate and deliver a one-two punch in the gut. I expect the invective will only rise through the month of August and slam down like a tsunami just as September stars. Any surprise that Jenny McCarthy has been linked up with WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) to “smackdown” autism?
Dr. Offit’s title also hints at the apocalyptic language the proponents of a vaccine-autism link often use: Gotta stop giving all those shots or face a (use to the word again) tsunami, an epidemic, a trainwreck of autism—-keep giving all those vaccines and it’ll be over for tomorrow’s children. It won’t be the first time that we’ve heard of “prophets” who had plenty to say about autism and its causes. From the March 14th Washington Post (via High Beam Research):
A man whose pungent opinions on child-rearing were likened to the preachments of a biblical prophet, Bettelheim was the author of highly influential books and articles-popular and scholarly……….
And I think we know how wrong that “prophet” was.
Tags: amanda peet, asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, Baby, bettelheim, child rearing, disabilities blog, disability, Health, immunization, infant, measles, mercury, mmr, Parenting, paul offit, pdd-nos, prophet, Science, shots, VaccinesShare This (Source: Autism Vox)
Baby Milk Action is planning Nestle-Free Week surrounding this coming October 4, 2008. For more on the why, when and how of the Nestle Boycott and Nestle-Free Week in particular, visit Baby Milk Action’s Nestle-Free Week planning page.
Tags: activism, angela white, baby formula, baby milk, breast feeding, breastfeeding, breastfeeding blog, formula, lactation, lactivism, Lactivist, NestleShare This (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
Friends are expecting babies, friends have recently had babies, friends are thinking about having babies.
A discussion about the book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and autism in the summer school course I’m teaching ends with a question from one of the high-school students: “But what can you do to make sure your baby’s 100% ok?”
Something called the “Ultimate Baby Shower” in Boston only seems likely to reinforce fears and worries in expecting mothers. Should they pay $2,195 down plus $125 a year to a company called ViaCord to store their umbilical cord blood? Parents are told that banking cord blood is an important precautionary measure “in case the child develops a life-threatening blood disease later in life.” Writes Beverly Beckham in the August 3rd Boston Globe:
……isn’t this striking fear into people and dividing them too, into mothers who can afford to bank blood for their children and mothers who cannot?
Why is it that fear rules our lives? Fear of something being “wrong” with a baby. Fear that the $60 car seat isn’t as safe as the $260 one. Fear that a mattress might be too soft or too hard. Fear of toys made in China and clothing made of non-organic material. Fear of plastic and talcum powder, of cancer and autism, of mosquitoes and dog bites, of a bus sliding off a road, of undertows, of staph infections, of crossing the street, of kidnappers and molesters and terrorists?
We believe that if we’re vigilant and plan ahead and follow every rule, we can keep our children safe. But the truth is we can’t protect them from everything.
Seems like “fear of autism” is not only looming for new parents in New Jersey.
Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, Baby, baby shower, boston, disabilities blog, disability, Family, family blog, Health, infant, New Jersey, Parenting, pdd-nos, pregnancy, Rhetoric, umbilical cord blood, VaccinesShare This (Source: Autism Vox)
A friend talks about having a baby.
I think of all the things pregnant women are told to do, and told not to do, and all the advice and information out there about pregnancy, babies, and parenting in general.
Not to mention having to sift through too much stuff about topics like vaccines and autism and hearing what celebrities have to say, and then about treatments like chelation? On a young child? What is this all about?
I tell my friend, how much I enjoyed expecting Charlie: I did. I hadn’t been sure what I would think, but it was a lovely feeling when there was a movement inside of me, and I knew it was a kick from Charlie’s then-little foot.
Yes, it’s been an unexpected journey but I’d do it all again.
Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, Baby, disabilities blog, disability, doctor, Family, family blog, Health, infant, Parenting, pdd-nos, pregnancy, VaccinesShare This (Source: Autism Vox)
Here’s a familiar one for parents of autistic kids:
Doctors and Patients, Now At Odds, the July 29th New York Times’s trumpets. Jim and I do have our arsenal of just really terrible, not happening, not helpful, stories with pediatricians, child psychiatrists, neurologists, an immunologist, the psychologist who was on the team that diagnosed Charlie, and the ENT who told not-quite-2-year-old Charlie “adios.”
Then there’s been the pediatric neurologist we drive almost two hours a couple times a year to see. He listens, he observes, he and Jim and I have a conversation (he inevitably mentions his own kids), he fiddles and gets distracted and asks questions and we get distracted; he makes a passing comment that’s just enough outside the box so we know that he’s got his eye and mind on Charlie. I’m not sure that everyone would like to see this neurologist, but it’s been several years we’ve taken Charlie to him and it’s been a good interaction, and a relationship.
But:
About one in four patients feel that their physicians sometimes expose them to unnecessary risk, according to data from a Johns Hopkins study published this year in the journal Medicine. And two recent studies show that whether patients trust a doctor strongly influences whether they take their medication.
The distrust and animosity between doctors and patients has shown up in a variety of places. In bookstores, there is now a genre of “what your doctor won’t tell you” books promising previously withheld information on everything from weight loss to heart disease.
notes the New York Times. Perhaps it’s no wonder that parents of autistic children may have an unconscious aversion to doctors delivering expert opinions; doctors once (and more recently, this talk show personality) said that we caused our kids to become autistic.
Now, too often, it seems, parents of autistic kids are doing a U-turn out of the “traditional” doctor’s office and heading into the often kindlier, or less clinical climes ,of alternative health practitioners. I grew up going to a big California HMO for all of my appointments and a nice Victorian house with lilac and aqua blue draperies, tasteful flowers and a nice shelf of the latest autism and “is this my kid?” sort of books, and herbal tea, can seem not only a welcome relief, but what it should be like to see the doctor who’s supposed to be taking care of one’s precious child’s health. These days, doctors and what some call the “medical establishment” seem to have no choice to go on the defensive about immunizations and the latest public health worry, be it cell phones and cancer to plastic toddler toys.
Maybe it’s not DAN! doctors that should be talked about, but DIY doctoring.
Tags: alternative medicine, asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, cancer, cell phones, disabilities blog, disability, diy, doctor, Family, family blog, Health, hmo, immunizations, Parenting, pdd-nos, VaccinesShare This (Source: Autism Vox)
Much happened over the past two weeks but I want most of all to think about Evan Kamida, who passed away on July 24, just a few days shy of his eighth birthday. Please keep his mother Vicki Forman and Evan’s family in your thoughts and prayers—-and to honor his memory, here’s a small and lovely thing to do: Please take a photo of flowers at a swingset and post it to this Flickr pool. Shannon Des Roches Rosa and Jennifer Graf Gronenberg have posted more information.
Thinking of Evan.
Not a Team Player in the Office?—-Not Necessarily
The difficulties that autistic individuals face in the workplace.
Use of Restraints Increasing in Public Schools?
Kids coming home with bruises on their wrists, arms, legs: That’s not supposed to happen in public school, and not at the hands of teachers—well, it does.
Mouth or Eyes: How do you look at someone’s face?
Researchers studied 42 parents of autistic children and found that some of the parents evaluated facial expressions in ways similar to autistic individuals.
The Latest Players in the Vaccine Drama
Hollywood meets science……
The Perils of French Fries
On a ubiquitous staple of American kids’ cuisine.
4-year-old shown the door at Georgia restaurant
A Georgia mother and her daughters are kicked out of a Jackson restaurant because one daughter, 4-year-old Alyssa, who is autistic, was crying.
Savage Language, To What End I Do Not Know
Talk show host Michael Savage mouths off on autism and starts a media maelstrom.
“He’s Just a Late Talker—He’ll Grow Out of It”
Late talking child or child on the autism spectrum?
About a “grossly misinformed actress” and a certain doctor
Jenny McCarthy, a certain doctor, and……
Back in Jersey Where There’s “Looming Dread of Autism”
Has autism become this generation’s polio?
Remembering BART, BlogHer, and Some Books
Reflections on BlogHer and being in the Bay Area.
A Little Autism Education for Michael Savage
What Michael Savage needs to know.
The R Word and Not So Nice Language
Is it time to retire the word “retarded”?
Here’s the Autistic Adults
The Vancouver Sun doesn’t quite know what to say about autistic adults.
9 Years Ago Charlie Was Diagnosed
9 years ago, we received Charlie’s formal diagnosis of autism.
Rates of Autism in Somali Children in Minneapolis
Why are first generation U.S.-born Somali-speaking children in Minneapolis schools disproportionately identified as having autism?
Network Defends Dr. Savage
Talk Radio Network has announced that it will not be firing Michael Savage in the wake of his incendiary comments about autism.
False Controversy: Autism and Vaccines
On science, medicine, doctors, scientists, and the mommy gambit.
Tags: amanda peet, asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, blogher, blogs, disabilities blog, disability, flowers, french fries, Health, immunization, jenny mccarthy, measles, mercury, michael savage, minnesota, mmr, moterhood, Myth, New Jersey, Parenting, pdd-nos, restaurant, restraints, Science, shots, somalia, swings, talk radio, thomas sowell, Vaccines, vicki formanShare This (Source: Autism Vox)
In an emerging, dynamic, high growth market, like brain training, it is difficult to make precise projections. But, we can observe a number of trends that executives, consumers, public policy makers, and the media should watch closely in the coming years, as brain fitness and training becomes mainstream, new tools appear, and an ecosystem grows around it.
1. We predict an increased emphasis on brain maintenance in locations ranging from retirement communities to gyms. As a computer-savvy baby boomer population looks for ways to stay mentally fit, brain fitness, or brain training, is becoming part of their vocabulary and concern.
2. Physical and mental exercise will be better integrated. Physical exercise has been shown to increase the rate of neurogenesis, whereas mental exercise helps ensure the survival of any newly created neurons. Today both activities usually take place in very different settings: the former, in health clubs, the later, in universities. We predict that the borders between them will become more diffuse. Expect new programs such as brain fitness podcasts that allow us to train working memory as we jog or exercise bikes with built-in brain games.
3. Watch for a broad government initiative, similar to the one JFK led, to increase the public awareness of the need for brain fitness. It is becoming more widely understood by the medical and policy community that a combination of physical exercise, nutrition, mental exercise and stress management can help us maintain our brain health as we age. As politicians and policy makers look for ways to delay the onset of Alzheimer-related symptoms of our aging population, new initiatives may be launched.
4. Better and more widely available assessments of cognitive function will serve as objective baselines to measure the impact of cognitive training interventions. There will also likely be better diagnostic tests to identify early Alzheimer’s symptoms, for example. Reliable diagnostic assessments of cognitive abilities will help move this field forward just as jumping on a scale tells you if your physical fitness and diet program is working.
5. Improved computer-based tools will come to market. The growing pipeline of research studies will enable the market leaders and new entrants to refine existing tools and devise new ones. More clinical studies will show the benefits of brain fitness programs to address specific clinical conditions and learning disabilities.
6. Low tech options will play an increasing role in the brain fitness field. Already, increasing research is showing the cognitive value and brain plasticity impact of interventions such as meditation and cognitive therapy. More research and wider applications will help refine our understanding of when and how they can be most helpful.
7. Doctors and pharmacists will help patients navigate through the overwhelming range of available products and interpret the results of cognitive assessments. This will require significant professional development efforts, given that most doctors today were trained under a very different understanding of the brain than the one we have today.
8. Insurance companies will introduce incentives for members to encourage healthy aging. Many insurance plans today include rewards for members who, for example, voluntarily take health-related questionnaires that enable them to identify steps to take to improve health. Increasingly, brain-related lifestyle factors will become part of these incentivized interventions.
9. Investments in new cognitive interventions for the U.S. military will be commercialized. As the military increasingly funds research to improve the diagnostic and treatment of problems such as PTSD and TBI, the resulting products will ultimately find commercial uses.
10. Brain training will be added to corporate wellness and leadership initiatives. Large employers with existing corporate wellness and leadership programs will introduce brain fitness specific programs aimed not only at improved health outcomes but also at increased productivity and cognitive performance in the workplace.
These predictions come from our Market Report titled The State of the Brain Fitness Software Market 2008, the first comprehensive report to cover this emerging category.
Which prediction sounds more surprising? which one would you add? how could we refine them?
Your feedback is very welcome...and we will give a complimentary copy of the report ($495) to the person who provides the best suggestion by August 10th, either with a comment below, or sending an email to: report at sharpbrains dot com.
Attention: Please DIGG This Article if you can...it already has more than 80 votes!
Alzheimer symptoms, baby boomers brain, brain coaches, brain fitness programs, Brain health, Brain Plasticity, Brain Training, brain training trends, brain wellness, cognitive assessments, cognitive therapy, corporate wellness, exercise, gyms, Leadership, meditation, mental exercise, mental wellness, mentally fit, Nutrition, physical exercise brain, PTSD, retirement communities, stress management, TBI, wellness (Source: SharpBrains)
July 22nd is a date that stands out to me. It’s the birthday of someone very special, and it’s the day, nine years ago, that we received Charlie’s formal diagnosis of autism.
Slate has a recent Explainer column on how do you diagnose autism (prompted in part by Michael Savage’s claim that autism is widely overdiagnosed). Now Jim and I are convinced that Charlie could have been, and would have been, diagnosed in his first year and this had nothing to do with him being aloof or withdrawn or not wanting to be held or not “bonding.” Charlie was always affectionate, loved to be held, laughed and grinned big when trying to show my parents that he could hold the crib rail and not fall.
But he did seem to be able to keep himself amused with a stack of board books or a pile of baby toys for a long time. A long long time.
And he did do that assymetrical scoot instead of four-limbed crawling.
And he had these four less than sounds that I swore were nascent words. (Swore then; less sure as the years have passed.)
And I just didn’t understand how everyone else’s baby had just sort of rolled over one day. Charlie was nine months old when he rolled over on his own; prior to that, when placed on his stomach, he fussed and cried and howled and, exhausted, let his face sink into the carpet and his body flop over in defeat.
Charlie’s minimal language was the most obvious sign that Something A Little Unusual Was Going On, or rather that something wasn’t going on. Photos and the few videos a relative took (we’ve never been into videoing) show subtle signs, in the way Charlie’s eyes were focusing (or not), in his frequent fascination with objects in some sort of order or pattern, in his lack of joint attention. Charlie showed plenty of interest in (certain) things, but (as I only realized in retrospect) he did not try to show and share those things with us. It didn’t seem so much that he was anti-social, as that he was social in a different way, and had been ever since he was born.
A new study published in Social Neuroscience suggests that these social deficits, or rather differences, arise because of (quoting Science Daily) there are
….inefficient pathways for transmitting information between certain brain regions are to blame. The research implicates abnormalities in the brain’s inter-regional communication system, which connects the gray matter’s computing centers.
“The communication between the frontal and posterior areas of the social brain network is impaired in autism, making it difficult to understand the intentions of others” said the study’s senior author, Marcel Just, the D.O. Hebb Professor of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon.
The study is the first to measure the synchronization between the brain areas that make up the Theory of Mind (ToM) network, which is responsible for processing the intentions and thoughts of others. It is the first to provide such concrete evidence of faulty social network connections.
Researchers asked 12 “high-functioning autistic adults” and 12 controls to view animations of geometric figures interacting (a link can be found ). Participants were asked to select a word that would best describe the shapes’ interactions:
For example, a large triangle would nudge a small triangle to move outside its enclosure, and the correct word choice would be “persuading.” The control subjects were consistently better at inferring the intention from the action than the participants with autism were.
The suggestion is that the autistic individuals had more difficulty reading social situations and divining the meaning that “most people” would from them (if seeing one triangle nudge the other is an example of a social situation).
Charlie does display what appears to be “Theory of Mind” in some situations; there’s a reason he tells me “bye Mom” and gives me The Stare when he’s poking his nose in a kitchen cabinet—-but what certain gestures (a clap on the back? a fist-nudge off a shoulder?) mean, leaves him guessing. Sometimes Charlie will start doing some of those gestures though without the original intent. He’s been occasionally bending over and making loud coughing noises that lead people (like the bus driver) wondering if he has a caught a cold?. We know he’s imitating his grandfather coughing, though I suspect Charlie is making those sounds because he like the sound and feel of them. Charlie’s aware of social gestures and practices, but he seems to notice some few of those gestures and practices and then, sometimes, to repeat them quite out of context.
On a similar note: Charlie’d seem to have burgeoning imitation skills when, around 10 months old, he started raising an arm over his head when Jim did the same. I still remember Charlie in his teddy bear high chair raising up that arm in imitation of Jim, briefcase in hand and headed off to teach. After a few weeks, we noted that Charlie, at the sight of Jim at certain moments, started raising up his own arm in fervent earnestness when Jim raised his. Then Jim started to raise both arms over his head and—ah, hindsight—-Charlie kept raising one. “Guess he’ll get it one day,” we thought, little knowing that day would occur at least two years later and in a different Midwestern city that we had moved to—St. Paul—-and while Charlie was learning to do “gross motor imitation” in a home ABA program.
By the time we were sitting in the Child Development Clinic of the Minneapolis Children’s Hospital and getting the yellow-paged report from a glibly compassionate social worker, Charlie’s “symptoms of autism” were fully apparent. The Slate column on how do you diagnose autism notes that
Per the DSM, clinicians should diagnose a child with autism only if he is judged to have six or more social and linguistic impairments. The threshold is lower for so-called “autism spectrum disorders.
Charlie, you can be sure, had more than six of those impairments.
He still has plenty; Charlie was born with autism and autism is a ilfelong disorder, and he and we’ve done worked very hard to help him achieve the most he can. When he was diagnosed at the age of 2 back in 1999, we didn’t know what to think as we read that children were often diagnosed at 4 and 5 and 6. Was Charlie so severe that he was so young, and had a diagnosis?
Jim and I wondered that on a hot day nine years ago in Minnesota. But we also felt a sense of relief. The yellow evaluation report was just a rubber stamp of the reality we’d known about for months and that Jim had already thought was the case, and I had dragged me feet to accept. We were able to start Charlie’s education from that moment on and yes it’s been at times a long and bumpy road.
Autism is the “disease du jour” and that’s not necessarily bad. While Charlie was diagnosed while young, am wondering (as awareness of autism continues to grow) if autism will be diagnosed more in older children, as ADHD is in older children according to a CDC study. Perhaps all I might say is that I’m glad to live in a time when hot air talk show hosts mouth off about topics they know little, very little, about, and we get a chance to spread information, and truth, and love, about what autism isn’t, and what it is.
Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, Baby, cdc, development, disabilities blog, disability, Family, family blog, Health, Parenting, patient, pdd-nosShare This (Source: Autism Vox)
Tags: angela white, baby, breast feeding, breastfeeding, breastfeeding blog, lactation, newborrn, photos, wordless-wednesdayShare This (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
This post is not related to cord blood per se, but it is definitely interesting to the expectant parents who are reading.
Scientists at Baylor College of Medicine recently conducted a study with new mom’s to determine the effect on mom’s brain of her baby smiling, neutral, or crying. As any mother knows, the smile had an effect similar to that of a drug, triggering pleasure receptors in the brain typically associated with food, sex, or drug addiction.
This is a developmental adaptation to encourage mother’s to care for their children. The smile provides a physical reward for making the baby happy. After a long nine months, you have those fabulous gummy smiles to look forward to. (Source: Cord Blood News)
Today marks 38 weeks of pregnancy. My thoughts at this point:
1. Husband home from Ireland [check]. Birth supplies bought [check]. Birth tub set up [check]. A million nesting tasks accomplished [meals in freezer - check; air vent dusted - check]. Group B Strep test negative [check].
2. Call them Braxton-Hicks, call them pre-labor, I call them “hinting at painful.”
3. Perhaps I ought to work on positive thinking and consider them not so much painful as powerful.
4. Why, when a woman is preparing to give birth and needs all the rest she can get, does she find herself with insomnia that has her awake from 2:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m.?
5. When I finally fell back asleep, I dreamed I was Jessica Simpson (I think my brain confused her with Britney Spears and Jamie Lynn Spears) and I was in high school and I had gotten pregnant by Mario Lopez (I always did think he’s cute) and I was going to track him down and hold him responsible. Gee, do you think I have any last-minute anxiety about giving birth and caring for a new baby?
Tags: angela white, baby, breast feeding, breastfeeding, breastfeeding blog, dreams, lactation, pregnancyShare This (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
A new NBC reality show is proving to be as controversial as its British counterpart, with criticism from psychologists, child developmentalists, and related organizations pouring in long before the first episode aired two weeks ago.
The main premise of “The Baby Borrowers”, which airs Wednesdays at 8:00 PM, is simple: showing inexperienced teenagers the realities of raising children through, well, reality. NBC’s website for the “intriguing new social experiment” describes the process like this:
“The Baby Borrowers”…[is] based on the hit British program that asks five diverse teenage couples — ages 18-20 — to fast-track to adulthood by setting up a home, getting a job and becoming caring parents first to babies, toddlers, pre-teens and their pets, teenagers and senior citizens — all over the course of three weeks.
As the social experiment begins, the five young volunteer couples are asked to literally grow up overnight when they are each given a home in a quiet cul-de-sac outside Boise, Idaho and attend pre-natal classes as each “mother” wears a simulated “empathy” belly to prepare them for the arrival of their “baby.”
When a real baby (all aged six-11 months old) appears at their door — courtesy of five pairs of real volunteer parents (some of whom were teen parents themselves) who entrust their infants to one of the couples — the nervous, fumbling teens are in for three long, arduous days that make chilling out a distant memory. They must stick to rigid routines, handle the feeding chores, diaper duty and crying jags that might be shared by baby and teens — all the while under 24-hour supervision by nannies and the real parents who are stationed next door, watching via monitor, and able to step in at any time. Plus, one teen from each of the couples must start a job, ranging from working in a local vet’s office to a lumberyard, leaving the other alone as caregiver for the day.
Multiple advocacy groups, such as The Natural Child Project, Zero to Three, and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, have issued statements calling for the removal of the show (follow the previous links to read them), on the grounds that separating babies and toddlers from their parents for three days is too traumatic and could damage healthy parent-child attachment. Furthermore, opponents of the show argue, parents who “loan” their children to “The Baby Borrowers” are not acting responsibly because they have no way of knowing whether their child’s teenage “parents” will be competent caregivers or not. (The “hit British program” was criticized for the same reasons, by the way.)
NBC has responded with this message board, on which some of the parents discuss their positive experiences with the show and entertain questions from curious viewers. One parent, Chet Nichols, describes the surprisingly lengthy and thorough-sounding evaluation process he and his family had to go through before their acceptance to the show:
“After making the decision to move forward, we were informed of the process of not only selecting the teens, but us (the actual parents) as well. We were informed that the teen couples, the parents and the children would have to all undergo a psychological evaluation, as well as a thorough background check. This included a very long, in depth psychological test, as well as the children having to go under psychological observation away from the parents. We were informed that all the houses would be professionally baby proofed, there would be a nanny watching the babies 24 hours a day who could only intervene if the safety and/or welfare of our children was being compromised, and that a psychologist would be watching what was going on as well. We were also informed that we could intervene at any time and remove our children at any time without any repercussions or breach of contract. Once we had a full disclosure of all the precautions that were put in place, we agreed to allow both of our youngest children, Etta age 6 months and Benjamin age 2 years old, to participate.”
Bill and Julie, who give no last name on the message board, feel that “people don’t actually care who we are, they just want to complain about us and judge without actually knowing who we are and why we participated. But the question keeps being asked without a real answer. Who would let someone “borrow” their baby?”
From what I read, the main goal of parents who submitted commentary to the NBC message board was to encourage would-be teen parents to think twice before having children; several of the “Baby Borrower” parents say they were teen parents themselves and want to warn others against making the same mistakes.
That’s all well and good, but it does seem ridiculous to me that the parents and NBC would willfully ignore and claim to know better than the experts on child development who have repeatedly raised concerns about the adverse effects “The Baby Borrowers” might be having on its youngest participants. It could certainly be worse — remember CBS’ slightly creepy “Kid Nation”? — but I’m still not comfortable with the way “The Baby Borrowers” works. As Zero to Three’s press statement points out, “Legitimate social experiments are not conducted on national television or on reality shows.”
I realize many of you have been discussing “The Baby Borrowers” already in the NeuroTalk communities, so, what do you think? If you have children, would you volunteer them for such a project? Are the concerns of such organizations as AACAP, Zero to Three, and the Natural Child Project valid? Or, as NBC and the participating parents would have us believe, are these professionals just big old wet blankets who don’t know a good teen birth control initiative when they see one? (Source: World of Psychology)
Yesterday I posted about tracking eye movements as a way to test very children for autism — and then, later in the day, read about another possible marker for detecting autism in young children. University of Florida researchers Osnat and Philip Teitelbaum think that different patterns of movement in babies and toddlers may be indicators of autism, as noted in the Orlando Sentinel. The Teitelbaums spent five years viewing home videos of babies who were later diagnosed with autism.
Osnat and Philip Teitelbaum discovered some unmistakable patterns among autistic children. “I compare it to music,” says Philip Teitelbaum. “After you get so many scores, you look at them and you see this pattern happens here and here and here.”
For instance, one of the most common crawling patterns among autistic children is what the Teitelbaums call “asymmetrical crawling,” in which the baby crawls with one leg in the crawling position and other leg in the walking position. The baby can crab around the room fine, but one side of the body isn’t doing what the other side is.
They also found that many autistic babies showed a preference for one side of their bodies. For example, while normal infants may reach for a toy with both hands — or they may alternate hands — autistic babies seem to prefer and use only one hand, even though children don’t become right-handed or left-handed until they’re 4 or 5 years old.
And some autistic children never crawl; they often skip crawling and simply begin walking. While parents may think that’s thrilling, it’s not a good sign, says Philip Teitelbaum. It signals, he says, that there’s something wrong with their neurological development.
Some doctors are understandably worried about parents becoming unnecessarily alarmed by any motor delays or differences in a child (I myself walked at 16 months). The notion of Translating Autism also recently reviewed asymmetry as a potential predictor of autism in a child intrigues me.
Charlie “crab-crawled,” with his left leg (I think it was his left leg) neatly tucked under and his right leg stretched out; he used his hands to move and he was fast. He never crawled (well, not until he was a toddler very capable of walking and running, on very long and wobbly legs). When Charlie was born, his left leg (I think) was almost bent in half over his right, in a pretzel twist: He was a relatively big baby for a relative small mother and he must have been curled up tightly inside of me (the doctors incorrectly guessed that he would be a small baby, not an 8-plus pound 21 1/2 inch boy with big feet).
Charlie’s pediatrician did not think much one or another of his crab crawl. Everyone else remarked on it, and Jim and I were highly aware that we were parents of a boy who didn’t crawl like the other kids, but scooted and seemed not at all inclined to do as the other kids did. We were simply glad that he was self-motoring, and in a characteristically Charlie way.
Tags: asd, asperger, asymetry, autism, autism blog, Baby, baby blog, crab, crawling, disabilities blog, disability, Family, family blog, infant, milestones, motion, movementm, Parenting, pdd-nosShare This (Source: Autism Vox)
Today’s Wall Street Journal discusses some new tools for diagnosing autism in young children by studying their eye movements and eye tracking. Researchers at Yale University’s Toddler Developmental Disabilities Clinic are using gaze-tracking technology to study patterns in “gaze behavior” in children aged 3 months to 3 years for autism. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab, an in-home recording device and special software are be developed, to study infants at home. And back in May, researchers at McMaster University announced that they have developed a computer test detect signs of autism in babies as young as 9 months old. From the Wall Street Journal:
“Children with autism in general have difficulty extracting affective information from faces, and also difficulty in recognizing faces,” says Katarzyna Chawarska, director of the Yale clinic. By tracking eye movements, “we can begin to understand what interests them, how they examine objects they select for processing, and what motivates them intrinsically,” she says.
The Yale clinic has been monitoring 17-month-old Caleb Scott from birth. The fact that Caleb’s older brother is autistic raises the odds that Caleb could also develop the disorder. After conducting more standard autism evaluations, Dr. Chawarska’s team tracks Caleb’s eyes as he looks at clips from “Sesame Street” and images of different faces. The perceptual patterns are encouraging, says Caleb’s mother, Katie Scott, of Naugatuck, Conn. “I see him watching the eyes and the mouth, I see him looking at the right-side-up face instead of the upside-down one. All of that gave me hope right away.”
But eye-tracking won’t pick out all children with autism. That’s because the disorder can manifest itself in a variety of ways at different ages, such as a child not responding when called or failing to exhibit normal body gestures. Some children also won’t cooperate with the eye-tracking equipment.
Human observation is still very much necessary in diagnosing a child with autism, note Catherine E. Lord, director of the University of Michigan Autism and Communication Disorders Center and a member of the team that developed the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. The Wall Street Journal notes that “most autistic children currently aren’t diagnosed until they are about 4 years old, using conventional detection methods of observing behavior”; we knew Charlie had “something” in the months leading up to his second birthday—based very much on, indeed, observation.
I’m not at all sure if it would have been possible to administer an eye-tracking test to Charlie (a squirmy infant and toddler). And autism was the last thing that we were thinking Charlie might have back in 1998 when he was turning 18 months old (though we might well have thought it a possibility, were Charlie born in the past few years). Charlie has always looked out of the corners of his eyes since he was an infant, and—while he could focus on something and even for a long time—I suspect that it wasn’t their eyes and mouths. Indeed, we had to teach Charlie to look at our mouths and lips and tongues when he was learning to talk. And, he’s long had trouble tracking moving objects and focusing his eyes more generally.
We don’t always request that he make eye contact and, more and more, Charlie does this spontaneously—-even tries to catch my eye, sometimes.
Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, Baby, Diagnosis, disabilities blog, disability, eyes, Family, family blog, infant, mcmaster, Parenting, pdd-nos, yaleShare This (Source: Autism Vox)
1. Electric breast pump: Wired for Noise has a giveaway for a brand new The First Years Natural Transitions Deluxe Double Breast Pump. Open to U.S. residents, this contest runs through the evening of Friday, July 11th, 2008.
2. Baby-Wearing: Along for the Ride is running a summer contest to win the essential babywearing stash, which includes one Gypsy Mama Wrap, one Hotslings pouch, one BabyHawk Mei Tai, one Beco Butterfly, and one ZoloWear Ring Sling - in your choice of any in-stock colors or patterns. The contest runs through July 31st, 2008.
3. Cloth Diapering: Nature’s Child is offering a chance to win a bumGenius 3.0 Starter Kit: 18 diapers, diaper sprayer, a dozen cloth wipes, and a bottle of odor remover. Contest open through July 31st, 2008.
Tags: angela white, baby-wearing, babywearing, breast feeding, breast-pump, breastfeeding, breastfeeding blog, cloth-diapering, cloth-diapers, contest, free, lactation, pumpingShare This (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
1. Electric breast pump: Wired for Noise has a giveaway for a brand new The First Years Natural Transitions Deluxe Double Breast Pump. Open to U.S. residents, this contest runs through the evening of Friday, July 11th, 2008.
2. Baby-Wearing: Along for the Ride is running a summer contest to win the essential babywearing stash, which includes one Gypsy Mama Wrap, one Hotslings pouch, one BabyHawk Mei Tai, one Beco Butterfly, and one ZoloWear Ring Sling - in your choice of any in-stock colors or patterns. The contest runs through July 31st, 2008.
3. Cloth Diapering: Nature’s Child is offering a chance to win a bumGenius 3.0 Starter Kit: 18 diapers, diaper sprayer, a dozen cloth wipes, and a bottle of odor remover. Contest open through July 31st, 2008.
Tags: angela white, baby-wearing, babywearing, breast feeding, breast-pump, breastfeeding, breastfeeding blog, cloth-diapering, cloth-diapers, contest, free, lactation, pumpingShare This (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
In these last few weeks of pregnancy I am busy thinking through the details of the impending birth (those for which I can plan, anyway!) As I have mentioned, I am planning on a home birth with a midwife. Should the midwife already be attending another birth, I will go to the birth center. Should I need emergency transport, I will go to the hospital within 10 minutes of my home. One detail I am still working out is where I would go in the case of non-emergency transport, in the unlikely event that I change my mind about having a non-medicated birth.
First up in my investigation of hospitals: seeing if there are any Baby-Friendly Hospitals near me. Unfortunately, while 17 of the 64 U.S. hospitals and birth centers designated as Baby-Friendly are in California, none are close enough to me to be practical.
Next I check the breastfeeding rates of local hospitals. Luckily the California WIC Association issued a California Hospital Breastfeeding Report for 2007. The report notes:
More than 86 percent of California mothers breast-feed or provide breast milk for their infants during the hospital stay. Unfortunately, only half of these babies—43 percent of all California infants—are breastfed exclusively; that is, breast milk is their only food.
Clearly it is important to choose a hospital that has both a high breastfeeding initiation (”any” breast milk) rate and a high exclusive breastfeeding rate. Oh my goodness, I just compared the two hospitals closest to me. Which would you choose, the one that has an 88.3 percent initiation rate and a pitiful 8.9 percent exclusive rate, or the 86 percent initiation rate and 49.5 percent exclusive breastfeeding rate? Or maybe it’s worth driving another 10-15 minutes for the hospital with a 90.3 initiation rate and 62 percent exclusive rate? I’m thinking that last choice is the best. It also happens to have a high level NICU and a tunnel to an excellent children’s hospital, should that be necessary.
At any rate (ha ha), please keep your fingers crossed for me for a safe and smooth home birth, with a 100% breastfeeding initiation rate and a 100% exclusive breastfeeding rate!
Tags: angela white, baby friendly, birth, breast feeding, breastfeeding, breastfeeding rate, hospital, lactation, pregnancyShare This (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
In these last few weeks of pregnancy I am busy thinking through the details of the impending birth (those for which I can plan, anyway!) As I have mentioned, I am planning on a home birth with a midwife. Should the midwife already be attending another birth, I will go to the birth center. Should I need emergency transport, I will go to the hospital within 10 minutes of my home. One detail I am still working out is where I would go in the case of non-emergency transport, in the unlikely event that I change my mind about having a non-medicated birth.
First up in my investigation of hospitals: seeing if there are any Baby-Friendly Hospitals near me. Unfortunately, while 17 of the 64 U.S. hospitals and birth centers designated as Baby-Friendly are in California, none are close enough to me to be practical.
Next I check the breastfeeding rates of local hospitals. Luckily the California WIC Association issued a California Hospital Breastfeeding Report for 2007. The report notes:
More than 86 percent of California mothers breast-feed or provide breast milk for their infants during the hospital stay. Unfortunately, only half of these babies—43 percent of all California infants—are breastfed exclusively; that is, breast milk is their only food.
Clearly it is important to choose a hospital that has both a high breastfeeding initiation (”any” breast milk) rate and a high exclusive breastfeeding rate. Oh my goodness, I just compared the two hospitals closest to me. Which would you choose, the one that has an 88.3 percent initiation rate and a pitiful 8.9 percent exclusive rate, or the 86 percent initiation rate and 49.5 percent exclusive breastfeeding rate? Or maybe it’s worth driving another 10-15 minutes for the hospital with a 90.3 initiation rate and 62 percent exclusive rate? I’m thinking that last choice is the best. It also happens to have a high level NICU and a tunnel to an excellent children’s hospital, should that be necessary.
At any rate (ha ha), please keep your fingers crossed for me for a safe and smooth home birth, with a 100% breastfeeding initiation rate and a 100% exclusive breastfeeding rate!
Tags: angela white, baby friendly, birth, breast feeding, breastfeeding, breastfeeding rate, hospital, lactation, pregnancyShare This (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
Shocks it’s July and I am working out of the house. I barely made it through June…maybe it is time to get a new computer set? We’ll see…
Anyways, here are a few stuff on cancer I might have missed in the recent days:
‘Designer baby’ to be free from breast cancer?
Men’s cancer vaccine
Accidental fungus leads to promising cancer drug
That’s all for now folks..I gotta run!
Tags: 'designer baby', accidental cancer drug, breast-cancer, cancer-drug, cancer-vaccine, free of hereditary breast cancer, fungus, Gardasil, men cancer vaccine, MerckShare This (Source: Cancer Commentary)
Try eating food with one chop stick.
It is possible, for certain types of food. But probably not the best approach.
Let's now talk brain health.
Dr. Larry McCleary is a former acting Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Denver Children's Hospital, and author of the The Brain Trust Program (Perigee Trade, 2007). He agreed to help us answer an important, yet often neglected, question: Given That We Are Our Brains, How do We Nourish Them?
Alvaro: Dr. McCleary, Why did a former neurosurgeon such as yourself develop an interest in brain health public education?
Dr. McCleary: For two reasons ... I am a Boomer and am trying to maximize my own brain health. Also, there is much exciting research documenting how we can be proactive in this regard. This information needs to be disseminated and I would like to help in this process.
And what is the single most important brain-related idea or concept that you would like every person in the planet to fully understand?
The most important take home message about brain health is that we now know that no matter what your brain status or age, there is much you can do to significantly improve brain function and slow brain aging. Based on emerging information, what is especially nice is the fact that unlike many things in life our brain health is largely under own control.
What are the most important elements to nourish our brains as we age?
I approach this question much like an athlete prepares for competition. They utilize a holistic approach. This is also what a healthy brain requires. It should not be surprising that "what is good for the body is good for the brain." That is how our bodies and brains evolved.
Hence what I believe are valuable components of a well-rounded approach to brain health involve:
A) Appropriate nutrition.
The major fuel the brain consumes is glucose. The earliest sign of impending dementia and Alzheimer disease (AD) is a decrement in the ability of the brain to use glucose efficiently. Based on this observation, some neuroscientists are referring to AD as Type 3 diabetes because of the inability to appropriately use glucose in that disorder. This makes sense because people with diabetes have a four-fold increase in AD.
The brain is a fatty organ. The most important fats are those in the nerve cell membranes whose presence keeps them flexible. These are the long chain omega 3 fatty acid molecules found in fatty, cold-water fish and arachidonic acid (a long chain omega 6 fatty acid). These are both delicate fats and as such can oxidize easily (meaning they can become rancid).
Thus, we should include additional dietary components that provide free radical fighting activity to protect them against oxidation. Based on these observations, I recommend a diet containing fatty fish, veggies and salads, non-starchy fruits (like berries) - that are high in free radical fighting compounds - and nuts. Addition of specific nutritional supplements may be helpful for the elderly, those under chronic stress, in the context of medications that lower critical nutrient levels in the body, or when dietary quality varies.
B) Stimulating brain activity
To increase neuroplasticity (the continual ability of the brain to "rewire" itself) and neurogenesis (the formation of new nerve cells), brain stimulation is vital. All types count including school work, occupational endeavors, leisure activities and formal brain training. The key in any activity is to include novelty (to encourage thinking outside the box), challenge and variety.
C) Physical activity
Exercise delivers additional blood and oxygen to the brain. Yet, it does so much more. It actually causes alterations in the nerve cells. They produce more neurotrophins, which are compounds that increase the formation of new nerve cells and enhance their connectivity. They also make the neurons we have more resistant to the aging process. Cross train your brain by starting with a good aerobic program and mix in resistance (weight training) exercise and speed and agility components such as jumping rope, playing ping-pong, gymnastics and various balance drills.
D) Stress reduction
Chronic, unremitting stress kills neurons. This is especially detrimental to memory function. So include a component of stress reduction in your approach to optimal brain health and make sure to get plenty of sleep.
E) Be Aware of Side effects of medications
There are medications that lower the level of important brain nutrients in the body such as B vitamins and coenzyme Q10. Check with your doctor to screen for these. There are also many common medicines (many OTC) that have anti-cholinergic activities. These can impair the function of one of the most important memory neurotransmitters in the brain -acetylcholine.
Finally, what brain health-related information or practices would you suggest other doctors and health professionals pay more attention to, both for themselves and the patients they see?
They should counsel their patients on tips for brain health such as those listed above in much the same way they discuss cardiac risk factors and how to address them. I would like to see physicians encourage their patients to avoid high-fructose corn syrup because it has recently been shown to be associated with increased brain atrophy.
Dr. McCleary, many thanks for your great insights.
My pleasure!
--------------
For more information
- The Brain Trust Program (Perigee Trade, 2007).
- Evolution and Brain Health, an article by Dr. McCleary.
Enjoy the weekend...always a good time to nourish our brains.
Alzheimer disease, baby boomer, brain activity, brain food, brain function, brain health education, brain nutrition, Brain Training, improve memory, Larry McCleary, medications, neuroplasticity, neurosurgeon, nourish your brain, novelty, omega 3 brain, Physical activity, sleep, slow brain aging, stress reduction (Source: SharpBrains)
Robin Turner has an interesting article in Wales Online, titled “People’s names linked to self-esteem, says Welsh research.” We’ve pasted a few excerpts below.
* * *
What’s in a name? Future happiness, self-esteem and peace of mind, according to research carried out in a Welsh university.
But Jochen Gebauer, lead author of a new psychological study, warns that people really have to like their own names before the peace of mind, happiness and self- esteem kick in.
He claims to have uncovered a clear link between name-liking and overall self-esteem. “People who have high self-esteem tend to like their name more,” said Mr Gebauer, a PhD student in the school of psychology at Cardiff University.
“The reason is known as the ‘mere-ownership effect’ which essentially means that if we like ourselves, we prefer things that are ours to other options.” “Another study established this effect years ago when people were given toasters and other household appliances to compare. No matter what they were given, they always preferred the item that was theirs.
“When you own a certain object, then you put the value you have for yourself into this object.” But he says the connection to name-liking provides a better way to assess self-esteem.
According to Mr Gebauer, self- esteem is one of the most heavily studied psychological concepts and “the Holy Grail of modern times”.
He said, “If you have high self-esteem, everything is good. You have no social problems, you are less aggressive, you feel better about yourself, you have more friends and people like you more.”
His paper on the link between name-liking and self-esteem will be published in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.
* * *
More research into names at America’s Yale University conducted by Joseph Simmons, assistant professor of marketing, indicates that people subconsciously make decisions based on their names.
In a paper titled Moniker Maladies: When Names Sabotage Success, he says someone called Sandy is, for instance, more likely to buy a Saturn (a type of car), move to San Diego, and marry someone called Sandler.
A person called Richard, he argues, is more likely to buy a Renault, move to Richmond, and marry Ricarda. He said,”This phenomenon is called the name letter effect (NLE), and appears to be an unconscious effect.”
In America, baseball strikeouts are represented by a K and he found batters with K initials struck out more often than others.
Similarly, he discovered C or D initialled students tended to have lower exam results than A or B initialled students.
Mr Simmons says future parents should consider the name-letter effect but shouldn’t panic. He told a conference in the US, “I will be the first to admit that the effects that we have observed are quite small, and so there’s no need to panic if you recently named your child Christine or Diana.”
* * *
The entire article is here. To read related Situationist post, take a look at “The Situation of Hair Color,” and “Women’s Situation in Economics.” (Source: The Situationist)
I’m spittin’ mad. This is bullshit….
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down a law that allows the execution of people convicted of a raping a child.
In a 5-4 vote, the court said the Louisiana law allowing the death penalty to be imposed in such cases violates the Constitution’s ban [...] (Source: bipolar chicks blogging)
Charlie and I started the week on the West Coast, visiting my family (and Charlie missing his dad so much he tried to walk back to New Jersey)—came back on a red eye Tuesday morning and he was back in school on Wednesday. Meanwhile:
The Regression Question
Do some children seem to be autistic from the time they are babies, while others develop normally and then lose skills? Is autism “innate” in some children and “regressive” in others?
What Music Gives
13-year-old Thomas Gonzales plays trumpet, trombone, baritone and flugelhorn and has accepted an offer to be a professional member of Mariachi Nuevo Ensueño in Azusa, California.
Believe
Charlie and I take a red eye flight home from San Francisco; I watch the Spiderwick Chronicles and a cat gets out of its bag.
Zap, You Have Autism
Electrical pollution linked to autism in children?: Here we go again about the latest cause of autism.
Happy Autistic Pride Day and Happy Birthday
June 18th was Autistic Pride Day—not everyone is sure about the notion of celebrating.
Excluded and Included: The School Yearbook
A class of special ed students is left out of the yearbook of a school in Placer County, California.
The Phantom Menace?
Is Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)—which is currently being diagnosed in 1 in 20 children—-the “phantom menace,” as an article in Babble puts it?
Boy Dies Wrapped in Weighted Blanket
9-year-old Gabriel Poirier died on April 18th after being wrapped by teachers in a 40-pound weighted blanket.
Vaccines and Parental Worries: Books You Can’t Miss
A new book, Do Vaccines Cause That?! A Guide for Evaluating Vaccine Safety Concerns, provides sensible and straightforward answers for parents’ questions about vaccines and vaccine safety.
Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, Crime, Diagnosis, disabilities, Genetics, Health, mercury, Neuroscience, nih, pdd-nos, research, Science, Vaccines, weighted blanketShare This (Source: Autism Vox)
One of the best articles so far on the growing brain fitness market, by the Associated Press.
Click Here to check out story:
"This is not just a Nintendo-fueled fad," he says. "The brain fitness market passed a tipping point in 2007 thanks to the convergence of a very proactive boomer generation hitting their 60s."
Article: Here. Highly recommended.
Now, as you read it, please remember the theme of our most recent newsletter: Emerging Tools, Not Magic Pills.
And, for all new readers who are joining us given the extra coverage (CNN, CBS, CHicago Tribune, dozens of other papers and websites), let me reprint now an article I wrote here in February:
-----------------
A spate of recent news coverage on brain fitness and "brain training" reflects a growing interest in natural, non-drug-based interventions to keep our brains sharp as we age. This interest is very timely, given the aging population, increasing Alzheimer's rates, and soaring health care costs that place more emphasis than ever on prevention and changing lifestyle.
This past Tuesday, the MIT Club of Northern California, the American Society on Aging, and SmartSilvers sponsored an event on The Emerging Brain Fitness Software Market: Building Better Brains to explore the realities and myths of this growing field. The panel was moderated by Zack Lynch, Executive Director of the Neurotechnology Industry Organization, and composed of a venture capitalist and 3 CEOs of program developers in the field. Before the panel, I had the chance to present an overview of the state of the Brain Fitness Software Market based on our upcoming report to be released on March 4th.
Why are we talking about this field at all? Well, for one, an increasing number of companies are achieving significant commercial success in packaging "brain exercise". An example is the line of Nintendo games, such as Brain Age and Brain Training, that have shipped over 15 million units worldwide despite limited scientific support, since 2005. What is less visible is that a number of companies and scientists are partnering to bring products to market with a more solid clinical validation. We estimate the US market was $225m in 2007 (growing from $100 in 2005). Wheras K12 Education used to be the major segment, adult consumers are responsible for most of that growth: we estimate the consumer segment grew from a few million in 2005 to $80 m in 2007.
Who is buying these products? Yes, of course, many adults over 50 who want to protect their memory are among the pioneers. 78 million baby boomers are eager to try new approaches. A growing number of retirement communities and nursing homes are offering programs to their residents to expand their usual fitness and social activities. And we can't forget about K12 education: certain brain fitness software packages have shown they can help kids who have dyslexia and related difficulties.
Is there science behind these claims? Do these products work? It depends on how we define "work". If "working" means quantifiable short-term improvements after a number of weeks of systematic "brain training" to improve specific cognitive skills, then the answer is that a number of programs do seem to work. If , on the other hand, "working" means measurable long-term benefits, such as better overall brain health as we age, or lower incidence of Alzheimer's symptoms, the answer is that circumstantial evidence suggests they may, but it is still too early to tell.
Are there any public policy implications? We certainly believe that there are. The Center for Disease Control recently partnered with the Alzheimer's Association to develop a comprehensive Cognitive Health roadmap to better guide research efforts and improve public education on the lifestyle habits that every proud owner of a brain could benefit from following. Given the high rates of traumatic brain injuries and stress disorders found in a large number of the men and women coming home from the Iraq war, the military is investing heavily in research to help identify problems to develop tools to solve them, and we expect that research will translate into wider health applications. No presidential candidate, to our knowledge, has directly addressed his or her priorities in the cognitive health realm but, given the growing importance and economic impact of brain-related disorders, we expect that to happen soon.
What are some trends that executives and investors should be looking at to understand this growing market? Let me make a few predictions:
1) An increased emphasis on Brain Maintenance, from retirement communities to gyms and health clubs. Will health clubs one day offer brain fitness programs, and perhaps "brain coaches"? We think so.
2) Better and more widely available assessments of cognitive function will enable of all us to establish an objective baseline of how our minds are evolving, identify priorities for "workouts" and lifestyle interventions, and help us measure progress. Science-fiction? Not really. there are already pretty good tests used in clinical and medical environments, the challenge will be to refine and package those assessments in a consumer-friendly way.
3) We will see more and better computer-based tools, each of which may be more appropriate to work on specific priorities. Just as we find a variety of machines in health clubs today, in the future we can expect different programs tailored to train specific cognitive skills.
4) More non-computer based tools will also provide much value. There is more and more research on how meditation and cognitive therapy, to mention 2 examples, can be very effective in literally re-wiring parts of the brain.
5) Insurance Companies will introduce incentives for member who want to follow brain fitness programs. Perhaps even companies will offer such programs to employees to attract and retain mature workers who want access to the best and the latest innovations to keep their minds sharp.
Now, this being a pretty new field, the panel discussed several open questions, that will only be clarified with time:
- What is the right business model? are we talking about content-driven edutainment? or therapeutic applications, perhaps with some regulations by the FDA? selling software products? online subscriptions?
- What is the killer application? fun games with unproven brain benefits? programs that improve the mental skills involved in specific activities, such as driving? applications that help slow down the progression from Mild Cognitive Impairment to full-blown Alzheimer's symptoms?
- How will consumers and institutions receive quality information and education to navigate through the emerging research and the overwhelming number of new programs, separating reality from hype?
In summary, what were the main take-aways from the event?
1. Research indicates that a number of cognitive abilities (attention, memory...) can be assessed and trained
2. An emerging market is starting to develop-growing from an estimated $100m in 2005 to $225m in 2007, in the US alone-, and is poised to keep growing at significant rates.
3. Many companies are currently selling products direct to consumers (as well as through institutions) with sometimes unclear claims - this threatens to confuse consumers and present a major obstacle to the growth and credibility of the sector.
These topics, and more, are covered in depth in our report "The State of the Brain Fitness Software Market 2008". Click Here for more information.
baby boomers, baby boomers brain, brain, Brain Training, cognitive, growing brain fitness market, health insurance, magic pills, nintendo, Nintendo fad, tipping point, wellness (Source: SharpBrains)
Do some children seem to be autistic from the time they are babies, while others develop normally and then lose skills? Is autism “innate” in some children and “regressive” in others—-are some children born with autism (suggesting that autism is genetic) while others become autistic (due, it is thought, to some “trigger” such as a vaccine or other environmental agent)?
In the most recent Autism Omnibus trial, the notion of “regressive autism” and even of something called “clearly regressive autism” has been key. “Clearly regressive autism” is described in an expert report by Dr. Sander Greenland, a professor of epidemiology at the UCLA School of Public Health and professor of statistics, UCLA College of Letters and Science. “Clearly regressive autism” is described as a subgroup of “regressive autism,” which is itself a subgroup of the autism phenotype, and is what the lawyers of the families of William Mead and Jordan King have argued that they have.
A transcript of testimony by Dr. Catherine Lord of the University of Michigan and an expert on autism diagnosis offers some interesting insights about the notion of “regressive autism” as a distinct subgroup of autism. Dr. Lord’s testimony suggests that some regression, in differing degrees, occurs in all autistic children. Ms. Clark has transcribed some of the transcript at Left Brain/Right Brain; some excerpts.
[Dr. Lord]….there isn’t a regression or not a regression the question is the degree and type of worsening that occurs, how long it lasts and how many skills a child has before that occurs
[Ms. Ricciardella from the Department of Justice]: Now in terms of the clinical outcome of a 5 or 6 year old with autism. Is there any marked difference in the clinical outcome of a child who had early onset autism versus a child who did indeed have regression.
[Dr. Lord]: most studies have found no difference at all. The studies that have found differences have found these relatively small differences in verbal skills
……………..
[Dr. Lord]…..things we used to think only happened in kids who had regressions are actually happening in almost everybody who has autism, because there are some children who look very different from typical children at 12 months, but those are few and far between and in fact in our follow up study that is not necessarily predictive.
The kids who are not making eye contact at 12 months are not the most autistic kids at age 3. So many things change during that toddler period and I think our [conceptualizations] of what regression is are partly based retroactive trying to figure out what happened and didn’t happen which is quite different than when we can see it happening right before our very eyes.
……………..
[Dr. Lord]…….There are many different disorders where the onset occurs later on. We have Huntington’s disease and schizophrenia and sickle cell anemia and all kinds of disorders… where in some cases we know are genetic but occur later on. So I think we can’t make a simple inference that because something emerges later that means that somehow someone has caught a disease or had some kind of particular environmental event that caused it.
……………..
I think the term congenital autism means nothing. As I said it’s a developmental process. We can’t diagnose autism in a brand new baby. And so in all cases something is developing that would lead us to autism. So to make this distinction between congenital and regressive is a false dichotomy.
(Please note that each of these quotations from Dr. Lord occurs in the larger context of her testimony, which should be read to get the full meaning of her statements.)
I’ve noted before that, when Jim and I look back at Charlie’s earliest days, we realize that he was “different” from the time he was born. In his first baby photos, he’s already looking out of the corners of his eyes, and he’s been arching his back (in comfort? just to stretch out?) since he was in utero (indeed, after Charlie had nursed, he used to throw himself grandly back over my arm, eyes closed, satiated and his back arched so tightly I could not straighten his little body out). Charlie had a couple of sounds that he seemed to babble more when he was turning one year old, but no words. At 8 or 9 months, he could spend hours looking at sunbeams on the floor or opening his entire collection of board books and casting them on the floor. He was late to acquire all of his gross motor skills, from rolling over to sitting up to standing and walking, though he had a good pincer grasp and ate solid foods and cut his teeth on time.
But Dr. Lord’s cast a new light on some subtle things of Charlie’s development. He made eye contact, though I can’t remember how consistently (he certainly caught my eye right before he latched on to nurse). Jim used to hold up one arm and Charlie copied him (sometimes with great fervency), though when Jim held up both arms, Charlie still held up one. By the time he was 2 years old (when he was diagnosed with autism), Charlie said one sound, “duh.”
These weren’t huge losses of skills and they happened at the same time as Charlie was (finally, it seemed) learning to walk at 16 months (prior to which, he had not crawled, but had scooted around on his derriére, with one leg tucked under and his hands propelling him). Charlie’s was a curiously slow, gradual, and not-textbook development—-pretty much what has remained the case with him to this day, when weeks, months, years pass prior to him gaining some skill and the one day, there it is. That’s how it was with him swimming, which he just started to do when he was six years old.
It’s been pointed out that autism is a “developmental” disability or disorder. Certainly Charlie has developed, but in a way all his own and very slowly more often than not, but surely.
Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, autism omnibus regression, Baby, children, development, disabilities blog, Family, family blog, Health, kids, kids blog, Parenting, pdd-nosShare This (Source: Autism Vox)
Some will remember last week for June 4th and “Green Our Vaccines” rally.
I remember it as Charlie’s last full week of elementary school.
Low Birth Weight and Preterm Birth: Autism Risk Factors?A new study in Pediatrics links low birth weight (less than 5.5 pounds) and preterm birth to an increased risk for autism in infants by about twofold, and more so in girls than in boys.
“The issue here for me is did our teacher behave as alleged?”An editorial in the June 3rd Palm Beach Post about 5-year-old Alex Barton being voted out of his kindergarten class quotes Michael Lannon, Superintendent of Port St. Lucie, along with more details from the police report.
An Argument about “Difference” and “Deviance”Professor Stanley Fish of Florida International University, in Miami and dean emeritus of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago, opens a post about “norms and deviations” on his New York Times blog by citing a letter published in Time magazine.
How Invisible is Autism in Women?Is female “invisibility” in the autistic spectrum a feminist issue?
The Rallying of the GreenThe “green vaccine thing” is but another instance of rebranding.
No Wonder It’s So Expensive to Be a ParentThe average mother of a child under 15 spends more on fast food per year than on books, music, movies, and video games combined, the June 2nd New York Times reports.
Change the Schedule!“Change the schedule!” That was apparently the rallying cry of the June 4th Green Our Vaccines rally.
Boy Dies During Nap, Possibly From Secondary Drowning 10-year-old Johnny Jackson died last week while taking a nap in his house from “asphyxiation due to drowning”—-according to today’s ABC News, Johnny may have died from secondary drowning.
Needed: Good Communication Between Parents and SchoolsIt’s always struck me as a sad irony that, when it comes to parents trying to make sure that an autistic child succeeds at school, communication can pose some of the greatest obstacles. Too often I’ve found it just very hard to let teachers, therapists, and staff know what is going on with Charlie and what our goals are, and I know the reverse has occurred.
1500That’s journalist Arthur Allen’s estimate of how many people were at Wednesday’s Green Our Vaccines rally; a bit smaller of a number than the “close to 10,000” elsewhere noted.
Recovered or Not?In article after article about the “Green Our Vaccines” rally, it is said that that her son is “autistic” and “has autism”—contrary to what was said at the publication of her book last September.
Tags: abc, asd, asperger, autism, berkeley, California, celebrities, celebrity blog, children, Genetics, green, Health, jenny mccarthy, jim carrey, mercury, middle school, mtv, New Jersey, Parenting, pdd-nos, rally, Science, tv, vaccine, washington dcShare This (Source: Autism Vox)
A new study in Pediatrics links low birth weight (less than 5.5 pounds) and preterm birth to an increased risk for autism in infants by about twofold, and more so in girls than in boys. From an overview at CBS.com:
When the 565 boys and girls with autism were looked at separately, the boys had less than a twofold increased risk of autism if they were born at low birth weight, but the low-birth-weight girls had a threefold or higher risk, found [Diana] Schendel [PhD, lead health scientist at the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities at the CDC] and her CDC colleague Tanya Karapurkar Bhasin, MPH.
They also found that low birth weight (less than 5.5 pounds) and early preterm birth (less than 33 weeks’ gestation) affected groups of children differently, depending on whether they had autism alone or autism and other developmental disabilities.
“There may be a lot of variation in the endpoint we call autism,” Schendel tells WebMD. The study result, she says, “really is highlighting that we aren’t looking for one cause of autism .” The study builds on previous research, some of which has also found a link between low birth weight and autism.
Anecdotally: My son was full-term and 8 lbs, 3 oz. A relative had a baby (a girl) a few weeks before Charlie was born; she was under lbs and a few weeks early. She met every developmental milestone very much on time and Charlie has been delayed in almost everything. And, Charlie has autism.
Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, Baby, birth defects, Health, infant, kids blog, parents, pdd-nos, pediatrics, pregnancy, premie, preterm birthShare This (Source: Autism Vox)
Clara’s question: I saw a kid’s shampoo called “Oopsy Daisy” on the Today Show. It claimed to be better for babies. Is this true?
The Right Brain’s baby babble:
Oopsy Daisy makes a line of baby products that include shampoos, moisturizers and bubble baths. The shampoo you asked about is called High Chair Hair Care.
High Chair Hair Care
Aside from the cute name, this product is interesting because it’s designed to be used without any additional water. It’s literally meant to be used in a high chair or where ever else you need to do a quick clean up.
How does it work?
The formula is based on decyl glucoside, a mild detergent. It also contains several grapefruit, orange, and vanilla extracts. Here’s what the Oopsy Daisy website has to say about the formula:
Contains no parabens, SLS, DEA, formaldehyde, propylene glycol, artificial colors, synthetic fragrances, dyes, petrochemicals or harsh preservatives
Water
Aqua (purified water) is a highly purified UV filtered grade of water. The inclusion of such pure water enables us to use very safe, low levels of antimicrobial ingredients
Decyl polyglucose
Derived from sugar; mild and gentle cleanser.
Coco- betaine
Derived from coconut; safe, skin-friendly cleanser for both skin and hair that effectively removes surface oil, dirt and bacteria, without stripping or drying sensitive skin
Vegetable glycerin
Derived from vegetable oil; humectant, emulsifier and skin softener.
Grapefruit seed extract (Citrus grandis)
Derived from grapefruit seeds; slightly anti-bacterial and cleansing.
Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia)
Derived from vanilla bean; provides natural fragrance.
Orange (Citrus sinensis)
Derived from the rind of the fruit. It has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties when applied to the skin. It’s detoxifying beautiful citrus floral fragrance ensures your skin and mind will be refreshed.
Lavender (Lavandula officinalis)
Lavender oil has both aroma therapeutic and skin improving properties. It is useful to alleviate stress and anxiety. Headaches respond well to the application of lavender. Its anti-inflammatory and soothing properties have a balancing effect on the skin.
Aside from some rather exaggerated claims about the power of these extracts, we have only two minor concerns: First, there’s a possibility that the extracts in the formula could be irritating because citrus extracts are known to contain allergens. Second, Oopsy says they use purified water so they can use less preservatives. In fact, there are NO preservatives listed on their website so we’re left wondering exactly what they’re putting in the formula to keep bugs from growing.
<A HREF=”http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=US&ID=V20070822%2FUS%2Fthebeautybrai-20%2F8010%2Fb5a06f63-8089-4ea8-bff0-a7cbdb052922&Operation=NoScript” mce_HREF=”http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=US&ID=V20070822%2FUS%2Fthebeautybrai-20%2F8010%2Fb5a06f63-8089-4ea8-bff0-a7cbdb052922&Operation=NoScript”>Amazon.com Widgets</A>
The Beauty Brains bottom line
Technically speaking, this product looks like it does what it says it will. It’s a bit pricey at $18.00 per bottle, but if you can afford it for those special clean up occasions it may be worth a try.
What do YOU think? Do you have any favorite ways to clean your kid’s hair without throwing them in the bathtub? Leave a comment and share your tricks with the rest of the Beauty Brains community. (Source: thebeautybrains.com)
I just read an interesting article on banking the stem cells from baby teeth. While I am a big believer in stem cells, I am somewhat sceptical of these companies that keep introducing new sources of stem cells and developing companies to bank these stem cells. Cord blood is currently used to treat 70 different diseases so it seems reasonable to consider saving it just in case (especially since it would otherwise be thrown in the trash). Baby teeth and menstrual blood (another source of stem cells) are currently not used to treat anything. So, not only are you banking in case your child (or yourself) becomes ill, but you are also counting on scientists developing a succcessful treatment in that time. As far as I know, there is currently no research exploring the treatment potential of baby teeth. Banking them at a cost of $590 plus $100 a year considering they have no use seems like a long shot to me. Although, I have all my daughter’s baby teeth in my jewelry box. Do you think they can be used for anything :)? (Source: Cord Blood News)
TheWealthyDentist.com conducted a survey to determine how dentists think current buzz about BPA research will impact their practices. BPA is short for bisphenol A, an organic compound found in a vast number of plastic products, including baby bottles, dental sealants, and dental composites. BPA acts similarly to estrogen and may provoke chronic toxicity in humans. Because of new research, BPA has become a point of controversy and concern. According to TheWealthyDentist.com survey, a significant number of dentists are concerned about the negative publicity – and rightfully so, as it comes on the heels of the toxic Chinese dental work reports.
What’s Up with BPA Research
BPA research has been conducted since the 1930s, so concern is nothing new. In a 2007 research report, available in pdf here, scientists noted that average BPA levels in humans exceed the levels that cause problems in animal experiments. In fact, the National Institute of Health stated that there was “some concern” regarding fetal and infant neurological development and behavior. The National Toxicology Program agreed in 2008 and added that BPA exposure affects the prostate and mammary glands and can induce early puberty in females. For pregnant women, exposure to BPA can cause fetal death, birth defects, and/or reduced birth weight.
The National Toxicology Program has asked the FDA to investigate and review information provided by a Canadian report released in April 2008. The word from the FDA is that, based on current research, consumer products contain a safe level of BPA. The ADA released a formal statement quoting the official FDA report.
You can learn more about BPA research at wikipedia.org. (Source: dental blog for dentists about dentistry)
Mom: "Oops, excuse me." (I say as I ... er... well... cut the cheese.) Zoe lets one rip as well; "I'm with you, sister." Thanks Natalie Dee. A cartoon for all occasions.... (Source: debutaunt.com)
Yesterday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning against the use of Mommy’s Bliss Nipple Cream, marketed by MOM Enterprises, Inc. to nursing mothers for treatment of cracked and sore nipples. The packaging specifically states that it is not necessary to remove the cream before nursing, but two ingredients in the cream may be harmful to nursing infants. The FDA describes the dangers of chlorphenesin and phenoxyethanol:
Chlorphenesin relaxes skeletal muscle and can depress the central nervous system and cause respiratory depression (slow or shallow breathing) in infants. Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that is primarily used in cosmetics and medications. It also can depress the central nervous system and may cause vomiting and diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration in infants.
Mothers should discontinue use of the product and watch for the following signs of infant distress (and seek immediate medical assistance for any of these symptoms):
~ decrease in an infant’s appetite
~ difficulty in awakening the child
~ limpness of extremities
~ decrease in an infant’s strength of grip
~ a change in skin color.
Mothers using the cream may suffer from dermatitis as well.
The FDA says consumers are strongly encouraged to report adverse events related to this product or any FDA approved product to MedWatch, the agency’s voluntary reporting program, by e-mail at www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm, or by phone at 800-332-1088, or by fax to 800-332-0178. Consumers may also mail reports of adverse events to MedWatch, Food and Drug Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD, 20852-9787.
Thanks to Marijke at the new b5media pregnancy blog, Womb Within, for the information on this story!
Tags: angela white, breast, breast feeding, breastfeeding, breastfeeding blog, FDA, FDA warning, lactation, medication, MOM enterprises, mommy's bliss, mommy's bliss nipple cream, nipple, nipple-creamShare This (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
You think postpartum depression only strikes in women?
Nope, men experience depression after the baby is born too. While more rare a condition, if left untreated it can affect both the newborn baby and mom just as much as mom’s postpartum depression can. (Postpartum depression simply refers to an episode of clinical depression experienced after a baby is born.)
U.S. News and World Report has the story:
Ten percent of new fathers and 14 percent of new mothers are affected by depression, says psychologist James F. Paulson, assistant professor of pediatrics at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Va. Yet most men and their partners fail to recognize the condition when it arises. The symptoms are similar in both sexes, but the causes may be different. Hormonal changes can contribute to a woman’s suffering, experts suspect, whereas sudden and unexpected lifestyle changes are thought to trigger a father’s depression. “After the baby is born, there’s a change in family structure,” says Thomas Newmark, chief of psychiatry at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, N.J., and organizer of the APA workshop. “There might be pressure to take care of the child economically. The man may not get the attention from his wife that he was used to. And, of course, his sleep is affected.”
Depressed dads are more likely than moms to display destructive behaviors, including increased use of alcohol or drugs, shows of anger, engagement in conflicts, and risk-taking such as reckless driving or extramarital sex. Some, like Hyman, elect to work longer hours.
Other signs: a depressed or sad mood, loss of interest or pleasure, weight gain or loss, oversleeping or trouble sleeping, restlessness, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, impaired concentration, and thoughts of suicide or death. The depression can begin within days or weeks of delivery and last for a year or more.
Who recognizes the depressed dad first? The mom, of course, who sees the behavioral changes in her partner and knows something is up.
The good news is that postpartum depression — in both men and women — is readily treated. Within a few months, most people who experience postpartum depression are usually feeling better.
U.S. News and World Report also offers these 7 tips to help postpartum depression (in men and women):
Attending hospital-sponsored parenting classes.
Designing a financial plan to address expected baby-related expenses.
Devising strategies for shared childcare responsibilities. The father, for example, may handle a nighttime feeding by using formula or pumped breast milk.
Addressing marital or relationship issues before the child is born.
Hiring domestic help or asking a family member to baby-sit once a week.
Understanding that sex lives change with the birth and may not return to normal for a year or more.
Joining a support group for new fathers or reading about depression on websites such as PostpartumMen.com, which includes a screening test for men.
Having a baby is huge life change — much larger than most people who go through it for the first time realize. Be prepared and know that postpartum depression is a real possibility — for both moms and dads.
Read the full article: Postpartum Depression Strikes New Fathers, Too (Source: World of Psychology)
I walked into the study this morning to find our two boys Owen and Luke sitting at the computer laughing their heads off. The video below, which they had discovered themselves on YouTube, was the reason. See what you think…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Awm9nE8bJtI (Source: Baggas' Blog)
By Raphael Goetter
Tags: angela white, baby, breast feeding, breastfeeding, breastfeeding blog, breastfeeding-photo, breastfeeding-photos, lactation, wordless-wednesdayShare This (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3)
"Mom, did you know that when you get to be a teenager, you get wise teeth."... (Source: debutaunt.com)
In light of the recent debates over the safety of co-sleeping versus baby sleeping in a crib, and the issue of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, I thought it would be interest