Beauty
No Benefit Seen in Delaying Infant Vaccinations
The issue has been especially persistent when it comes to autism, which some believe is tied to vaccines, although numerous studies have discounted such a link.
However, a study published online May 24 in the journal Pediatrics finds no neurological benefit to delaying immunizations during the first year of life.
Researchers at the University of Louisville analyzed the health records of more than 1,000 children. After comparing the kids’ performance on 42 neuropsychological tests between the ages of 7 and 10 against the timeliness of vaccination during the first year of life, the researchers found no evidence that delaying vaccines gave children any advantage in terms of brain development.
“Our study shows that there is only a downside to delaying vaccines, and that is an increased susceptibility to potentially deadly infectious diseases,” said lead researcher Dr. Michael J. Smith, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. “We hope these findings will encourage more parents to vaccinate according to the American Academy of Pediatrics schedule, and reassure them that they’re making a safe choice when they do so.”
Smith said the study is the first to evaluate the long-term neuropsychological impacts of multiple vaccinations received in the first seven months of life. In the past few years, more and more parents are asking their pediatricians for an alternative vaccine schedule, “but we found that nobody had really looked at whether there are any advantages to delaying vaccines,” he said.
Using publicly available records collected for a previous study of exposure to the vaccine preservative thimerosal, Smith and co-author Dr. Charles Woods reviewed the immunization records of 1,047 children born between 1993 and 1997, as well as their performance on 42 in-depth neuropsychological tests taken between 2003 and 2004. Children were classified as up-to-date if they had received at least two hepatitis B, three diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP), three Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) and two polio vaccines on time during the first seven months of life. A vaccine was considered on time if it was given within 30 days of the recommended age.
The developmental tests included assessments of speech and language, fine motor coordination, behavior regulation, general intellectual functioning and other abilities.
Two separate analyses were performed. In the first, children with timely receipt of vaccination were compared to all other children in the study who had delays in receipt of one or more doses. In a second analysis, children who received the maximum number of vaccines in the first seven months of life were compared to those who received the fewest vaccines in the study group.
In both analyses, the researchers found no evidence to suggest that multiple vaccines in the first year of life negatively impact a child’s cognitive abilities later. In fact, the first analysis revealed that children who received all their vaccines on time performed slightly better on two of the 42 tests, after adjustment for familial and socioeconomic factors. Kids who missed or were late on one or more doses of vaccine didn’t do better on any test.
Vaccine expert Dr. Gary L. Freed, director of the Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit at the University of Michigan Health System, said he wasn’t surprised by the findings, since “there’s never been any evidence whatsoever that delaying vaccines does any good for any child.” And the reason children receive so many vaccines at such young ages is because “the life-threatening diseases that they protect against are most likely to attack at these ages,” he said.
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19 COPD Healthy Eating Tips
People with COPD often have trouble preparing foods and eating. The following tips can make eating easier and help you get necessary nutrition. However, if you have other health problems that may restrict the foods you can eat, talk with your health professional or a registered dietitian before making changes in your diet.
Make eating easier
* Choose foods that are easy to prepare.
* Eat in a relaxed atmosphere.
* Eat with friends and family.
* If you eat a main meal, try to eat it early. This way, you will have energy throughout more of the day.
* Try to include a favorite food in your meals.
Avoid shortness of breath while eating
* Stop smoking. It is never too late to quit smoking. No matter how long you have had COPD or how serious it is, quitting smoking will help slow the disease and improve your quality of life.
* Use medications that make breathing easier and/or clear your airways about 1 hour before eating.
* Rest before eating if eating makes you short of breath or tired.
* Eat while sitting up. This helps remove pressure on your lungs.
* If you use oxygen, use it while eating. Eating and digestion require energy, which causes your body to use more oxygen.
* Eat six small meals each day instead of three large ones so that your stomach is never extremely full. A full stomach can interfere with breathing by pushing on the diaphragm.
* Drink your beverage at the end of the meal. Drinking before or during the meal can fill you up more quickly.
* Avoid or eat only small amounts of gas-forming foods (they bloat the abdomen and make breathing difficult). These include onions, cauliflower, broccoli, melons, peas, corn, cucumbers, cabbage, brussels sprouts, turnips, raw apples, and beans (except green beans). Fried and greasy foods can also cause gas or bloating.
* Eat and chew slowly so you are less likely to become short of breath. Try putting your spoon or fork down between bites to slow your eating speed.
* If you have a hard time breathing in the morning, do not skip breakfast. Drink a liquid breakfast or nutritional supplement.
Eat healthy foods
* Eat a varied diet. Eat fruits and vegetables, dairy products, cereal and grains, and meats.
* Avoid foods that are difficult to chew.
* Use less salt. Too much salt can cause you to retain fluids, which may interfere with your breathing.
o Use herbs or no-salt spices to flavor your foods.
o Don’t add salt to foods while cooking.
o Buy packaged foods low in salt.
* Don’t waste energy consuming foods with little nutritional value, such as potato chips, candy bars, and soft drinks.
Health Advantages of Birkenstock Shoes, Sandals and Clogs
Birkenstock shoes are the best way to practice good foot health and prevent foot ailments and pain down the road. Birkenstocks let the feet rest in a natural and proper alignment; this means total comfort for feet and body, not to mention the durability and the famous foot bed…unmatched by no other.
With over 200 years perfecting this foot bed, your feet will sit in perfect alignment.
The heel area is ample, as is the toe box, offering plenty of wiggle room where you need it. Birkenstocks are excellent for the relief of heel pain and discomfort. Your heel pain will lesson and eventually stop.The more you wear your Birkenstocks, the more comfortable they will feel.
As mentioned, the Birkenstock footbed molds to the shape your your foot, so the longer you wear your them, the more comfortable they will become. You will make this foot bed your own and if someone else tries on your shoes, they will not feel nearly as comfortable. You will have molded the footbed for yourself alone. Your footbed will be your footprint.
The foot beds are made of cork and leather mix allowing you plenty of ‘give’ as you walk with full support and comfort. The foot bed material also creates the perfect environment against sweat and fungus.
The Birkenstock uppers are made mostly of soft leather, suede, nubuk, or select man-made materials. They will never cause you painful rubbing or chafing. Birkenstock soles are created to absorb impact. They will reduce stress on your feet, heels, arches, ankles, legs and spine. Whichever Birkenstock style you choose, you will get all of these benefits of two hundred years of Birkenstock refinement in every single shoe they offer and every step you take.
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More and more alternative health doctors these days consider a cholesterol level between 200 and 300
More and more alternative health doctors these days consider a cholesterol level between 200 and 300 to be within the normal range. Once it’s above 300, the elevated levels are simply a sign that protective measures must be looked into to fix whatever is getting ready to break.
HDL is the good cholesterol, and is needed for your body to function properly. It helps keep the bad cholesterol, LDL, from sticking in your arteries and causing blockages. In fact, recent studies show that no matter what your LDL is, as long as your HDL is in the proper range, your cholesterol will not stick to your arteries. Still, it’s best to keep your LDL as low as possible.
I remember a few years ago, my doctor put me on a statin because my cholesterol was 203. Within 2 months it had dropped to 144 and he took me off the statins right away: my numbers were now too low, he said. Nowadays, my numbers are hovering around 203-206 and he still wants me on a statin, but I refuse to take one, now that I know what’s really going on.
In all actuality, the total cholesterol number is not nearly as important as the actual HDL and LDL numbers. An HDL cholesterol between 40 and 60 mg/dL or higher and an LDL cholesterol of 150 mg/dL or lower is considered good.
The hardest thing to do, it seems, for many people is to raise the good HDL. There are, however, quite a few ways to do this:
1) Aerobic Exercise – any exercise that raises your heart rate for 20-30 minutes helps raise HDL. For example, walking, jogging or bike riding. You should exercise at least 3-5 times a week. Not only does this help your HDL levels, but it also keeps your joints lubricated and keeps you moving freely and without pain. If you ever have to struggle to get up in the morning or even to get out of a chair, you need more aerobic exercise.
2) Lose Weight – Excess weight raises your bad LDL cholesterol. Losing the weight will automatically raise your good HDL.
3) Stop Smoking – this will also raise your good HDL levels.
4) Cut out trans fatty acids. Notice I didn’t say cut out saturated fats. Saturated fats don’t hurt your HDL levels, but trans fats do. Any food label that says it contains “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil” should be avoided. Trans fatty acids not only raise the bad LDL, but also lower the good HDL.
5) Increase monounsaturated fats – Monounsaturated fats such as canola oil, avocado oil, or olive oil and in the fats found in peanut butter can increase HDL cholesterol levels without increasing the total cholesterol.
