今天是腊月二十三，也就是我们通常所说的小年。它是中国整个农历春节庆祝活动的开始和伏笔，主要活动有扫年和祭灶。它也意味着新的一年马上就要来到啦，新年要有新气象。在这个时候，其实我并不想大过节的还啰哩啰嗦不让吃这不让吃那的。但是，在节日期间，还是想给大家一个善意的提示，饮食方面一定要做到食不过量，不暴饮暴食。

在日常生活中，我们每个人的食量受食欲的控制，而食欲又受到遗传、生理状况、食物的烹调加工、身体活动水平和心理状态等多种因素的影响。在正常的生理状态下，我们的食欲可以有效地控制食量，也就是我们吃进去的食物量正好能满足我们身体对能量和营养的需要，“饱而不撑”。

在过年期间，亲戚朋友间的聚会增多，暴饮暴食的情况时有发生。而暴饮暴食是一种危害健康的行为，它是引起胃肠道和其他疾病的一个重要原因。我们平时的饮食是一日三餐，定时定量。因此，我们的消化系统形成了与我们饮食行为相适应的规律。经常聚会就容易改变我们自己的饮食行为，短时间内吃下去太多的食物、喝下去大量的饮料，超出了我们身体对食物消化的能力，往往会引起胃肠功能失调。如果吃了大量油腻的食物，这些食物会停留在胃肠内，不能及时消化，很可能引发急性胃肠炎，出现腹痛、腹胀、恶心、呕吐、腹泻等症状。

暴饮暴食后胃压力增加，可以引起急性胃扩张。并且会在短时间内需求大量消化液消化食物，这样会明显加重胰腺的负担，使得十二指肠内压力增高，从而增加发生急性胰腺炎或急性胆囊炎的危险。研究发现，暴饮暴食后心脏病急性发作的危险明显增加。因此，过节期间一定要注意不能暴饮暴食。

再有就是过节聚会，酒是少不了喝的。第一点谨记：开车不喝酒，喝酒不开车！第二点，不要大量、过量喝酒。大量、过量喝酒可以造成肠黏膜的损伤及对肝脏功能损害，从而影响几乎所有营养物质的消化、吸收和转运；大量、过量喝酒可以引起急性酒精中毒，从而可能引起胰腺炎，造成胰腺分泌不足，进而影响蛋白质、脂肪和脂溶性维生素的吸收和利用；大量、过量喝酒会使肝胆超负荷运转，肝细胞加快代谢速度，胆汁分泌增加，造成肝功能损害，诱发胆囊炎。一次性大量饮酒后，几天内仍可观察到肝内脂肪增加及代谢紊乱。

节日期间要注意饮食健康，这样我们才能用健康快乐的心情、健康的生活方式迎接新的一年，健健康康过好每一天！

本文地址：http://www.wjbb.com/know/966
原文出处：http://weibo.com/p/2304185d5947690102vwyv 收起阅读 »

In her farewell post for Today’s Parent, Kristin shares the best tips she’s learned along the way in her journey toward motherhood and optimal fitness.

After the stick turned blue, I swayed in the bathroom for a few minutes by myself, heart racing.

I still held on, in the corner of my mind, to that deeply ingrained expectation that I was destined to be a single mom of one. That I was a bit too old for new beginnings; that my baby days were over.

Logically, I knew that I was no longer single, of course. I knew that my new husband sat outside the closed door, madly typing code into his computer. I understood that we’d made a commitment to be a family, but I think a large part of me expected that our family would include the two of us and my six-year-old son. That was enough. It was so much more than enough. I was rich, provided inexplicably with another shot at unity even after I had failed so miserably the first time. I didn’t really believe that I deserved a second chance.

But the stick was in my hand, and it was blue, and I was going to call Corey in a moment to tell him. But I needed a minute to panic first. I loved our life, the way it was. I loved our party of three, our easy family holidays, our laughter and weekends spent at the gym, running together and skipping and lifting weights. I loved that my son Nolan was my special minion, and that we had a rare and unbreakable connection. I loved that, at the age of 35, I could see my ab muscles clearly for the first time in my life, and that I had more energy and raw, available physical prowess than I’d ever had before. I didn’t know whether I wanted that to change.

I opened the bathroom door, craned my head towards my husband’s desk and said, “I think I might have a faulty pregnancy test. We need to get another one.”

***
Jude Austin was born 10 months later, of course, and I started crying the moment the nurse placed him on my chest. He reached out his miniature hands to grab my face and fiercely stared into my eyes to tell me very clearly that my heart was complete now. At the time, it didn’t matter that my previously fit body was surrounded in a layer of baby padding, that my six-year-old son was no longer my only star. It didn’t matter that I hadn’t expected to be in this position, it only mattered that I was here. By awkwardly navigating our broken and tangled paths, my husband and I managed to find each other to create this insanely perfect new life, and have the family that we were meant to have.

I started a diary after Jude was born, to splice together the pieces of critical monotony and raw, heartstring moments that merge together after a baby is born. I wrote what I was doing and what I wanted to do and, on the side, I wrote here at Today’s Parent about getting back in shape and the quest to regain my fitness.

Truthfully, my fitness represents my mental health, because I’m one of those people who need hard and fast physical release in order to function highly at both professional and emotional levels. I set a goal of bouncing back after four months postpartum, without knowing exactly what that would mean.

I did bounce back physically after that time period as planned and, although I was sideswiped temporarily by abdominal separation, I could see my stomach muscles by four months postpartum. I could deadlift 250 pounds and fling myself around various pull-up bars at the gym. And it felt really good. Getting back into shape quickly required the help of my husband and my family and, though it was feasible and rewarding, that six-pack didn’t seem to matter as much as it used to.

That’s the thing about having a baby: Everyone tells you that your life will change and that you will never be the same but they fail to go into details. The thing is that a baby’s raw, innocent love hurtles into your life on the day you first meet, and nothing else matters — no matter how much you want it to, or how much it mattered before.

I understood that my previous priorities needed to take a backseat for awhile and that was OK, I wanted them to. Down the road, I’d have ample opportunity to work on my weaknesses, to re-emerge into the world where miracles aren’t shooting clearly out of every moment.

***
I have a full-time career, and it’s not an easy one. I have a seven-year-old boy and I need to reassure him that he is still a giant in my life. I have a spirited eight-month-old, and I have my pre-pregnancy body back. By all counts, I have bounced back. It’s time for me to leave this space and figure out what’s next, but I wanted to at least leave you with something practical. I believe fully that exercise must be fun and rewarding in order to be consistent and, as my last post for Today’s Parent, I wanted to pass along every spare piece of wisdom that I have, keeping in mind, of course, that I know no more than the next person.

1) Just do it
There are a million reasons you can’t get down to the gym today: You have meetings, you are exhausted from being up all night with the baby. You’re too old, you want to be able to enjoy your life and eat donuts whenever you want. You are fine if you can’t run a fast mile, there are more important things in life to worry about.

Those things are all true. But there is also truth in the fact that there is nothing better than feeling strong, fit and capable. You will never squeeze out a lunchtime run in the park and regret it afterward. You children will not suffer if you hire a high school babysitter for an hour, and you will not die if you get up an hour early, even if you are exhausted (in fact the early morning exercise will probably make you feel much more alert afterward.) Tell yourself that you are just going to do it. Give yourself permission to stop 10 minutes into it if you really want to. I bet you won’t want to.

2) Turn your diet into a lifestyle
I’ve experimented with diets extensively over the last five years and found that the only one that works is the one where I don’t feel hungry. I like the Paleo diet because it allows for whole unprocessed foods and doesn’t place any emphasis on portion control, measuring food, cheat days, etc. The food is delicious and hearty. Corey and I have landed on a mostly Paleo diet, though we do use cheese here and there and I have recently cut out red meat and pork again. It’s a diet that works to keep us both lean, fuelled and energetic for the kids and I would endorse it fully. If Paleo seems too restrictive, try just cutting out gluten. That made an insane difference to me.

3) Record what you’re doing
There is nothing more gratifying than witnessing your body gain power and efficiency as you get older. We’re told by glossy magazines and on TV that we’re supposed to slow down and fade a bit as we get older.

So when you move, record it. Prove to yourself that it’s totally possible and awesome to get faster and better as you ripen. Run a 5K with everything you’ve got and then, six months later, run the same route and compare your time. It’s amazing how motivating it is to see how we can improve. I record all of my Crossfit workouts, as improvement is an integral part of the sport, but I encourage it for all kinds of fitness: Running, skiing, swimming, whatever. Improving and getting better — and knowing it — is a key part of sticking with it.

4) Know that guilt is useless
If you miss a workout or inhale a cheesecake while watching Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, brush off the graham cracker crumbs and get back to it tomorrow. If you need to go on a business trip to help provide the kind of lifestyle that will allow your family to flourish, don’t feel bad about enjoying that time. An hour of kickboxing will not irreparably harm your new baby. Never allow guilt to prevent you from forging ahead, and remember that now is the only time that matters.

5) Understand that you do not fade to black once you have kids
Often, the Internet will have us believe that we are lesser moms for taking time for ourselves. If we exercise too much, we’re depriving our children. If we don’t breastfeed till XYZ age, our children will suffer. Women spend a lot of time criticizing each other’s choices, and I know I’ve spent a lot of wasted time wondering if some of the judgment was valid.

The thing is, we don’t fade to black once we have children. Many of us are in our late-twenties and thirties — in the prime sweet spot of our lives. We have flourishing careers and deep interests, a passion for our family and for outside interests. We are still beautiful, thriving people and taking the time to follow our own dreams and passions will not detract from our abilities as totally loving mothers. Too much of what I’ve read has suggested that women must give up all of their own pleasures to attend to their kids: My view is that tending to my own happiness makes me a better mom and, in turn, makes my kids happier too.

So I am going to work hard, Crossfit passionately, eat when I want to and enjoy the strength and pride that comes from all of that. I am going to love my boys fiercely and be the best mom I can be by choosing to be the best physical me. I hope you will too.

Thank you so much for following my journey here, and best of luck in your own journeys.

中文翻译：
本文地址：http://www.wjbb.com/know/965
原文出处：http://www.todaysparent.com/family/family-health/5-tips-to-help-you-balance-motherhood-and-fitness/ 收起阅读 »

Katie Dupuis used to think work-life balance was about efficiency; now she knows it’s about triage.

Today’s Parent managing editor Katie Dupuis likes structure and organization. A lot. Now, imagine this Type A editor with a baby. Funny, right? We’re sure you’ll love Katie’s musings on life with Sophie and husband Blaine.

I used to think that having kids would just mean a restructure of priorities — that the bath routine and bedtime would come before catching up on emails, that I’d just put in some extra computer time before breakfast, and that Saturdays would be a mix of work and trips to the playground or family swims at the local rec centre. I’ve always been good at getting through a to-do list, so I figured I’d just to-do list my way through parenthood. I value efficiency (go figure) and hate wasting time (I’ll bet you never would have guessed that).

But what I’ve learned over the past two years is that trying to strike a balance between work and kids (and, god forbid, should you ever want to get a haircut or go to a fitness class) is so much more than just writing out a list. It’s navigating life on a day-to-day basis — or, even, a minute-by-minute basis — and learning to restructure your day when the little people in your life get sick, have a complete meltdown over a Kinder egg in the grocery store, or need help with their homework (or in our case with Sophie, help with building the Duplo circus Santa brought). To-do list derailment is pretty much an hourly part of my day.

I’m not complaining, and I wouldn’t trade my life — I have a job I adore and a healthy, happy family — for all the sea salt caramels in the world (I’m a little obsessed), but being the best employee, wife and mother I can be takes serious effort. It would help if I left work at work at the end of the day, but that’s not the way I operate — and it’s not the way my colleagues operate either. I often joke that I talk to my boss more than I talk to my mom.

Sometimes I think about scaling back on something — I don’t have to make the birthday cupcakes from scratch, or if I don’t answer that email until the next morning, the world will not implode (I don’t think, anyway) — but I worry about letting someone down. And I don’t think I’m alone in that feeling. I want to do it all, even if it means sacrificing sleep or me time. Is that healthy? Ha. Um, no.

Instead I’m going to try and live by the Oprah rule: “You can have it all. Just not all at once.” That seems to make the most sense. This year, I’m restructuring the to-do lists to prioritize by imperatives — what has to be done immediately vs. what can wait if I run out of time. (Yes, I’m triaging my life.) Sounds complicated maybe, but it seems to be working. It means I can go to bed at night (and not at 2 a.m.) without thinking about what I missed that day. It helps me slow my brain down when it’s time to relax.

I don’t know that I’ll ever truly have work-life balance (and, to be honest, I’m not sure anyone ever really achieves it) but I’m trying. And hopefully that’s enough to help this mama let it go every now and then in 2014.

中文翻译：
本文地址：http://www.wjbb.com/know/964
原文出处：http://www.todaysparent.com/blogs/type-a-baby/work-life-balance-doesnt-exist/ 收起阅读 »

Yes you can achieve a work-life balance! Psychotherapist Liza Finlay shows you how.

A lot of my clients complain about their work-life balance—or more aptly, work life imbalance. They feel like circus performers, juggling a multitude of balls. One wrong move, one twist of fate, one split-second of distraction and the balls come tumbling down.

Achieving that elusive balance requires us to re-imagine the entire paradigm. Here are some questions to get your re-think on the right track.

Why do you have so many balls in the air anyway? Likely, you fall into one of the following three categories:

1. You can’t say no. You are boundary-less. When asked to bake cupcakes for the church bake sale, volunteer for a school field trip, or represent your division on yet another committee, you do it. You could say “no,” except that, well, you can’t. Learn how. Still choking on that little two-letter word Practise saying something like, “Yes, but later this month, after I finish my current responsibilities, and they’ll have to be store-bought.”

1. You are a martyr. It’s not that you can’t say no; it’s that you won’t. Handing off a few of those taxing responsibilities would mean giving away bragging rights. You’d tarnish your badge of honour. Workaholics, I’m talking to you. How about finding self-worth elsewhere. Just a thought…

1. You have no patience. And you’re in good company. As a culture, we’ve come to believe—even expect—that we should have it all. Right now! Ever wonder why it is that French enfants, some as young as four, sit patiently at the table for hours while our kids race around like hooligans (No, they don’t spike the Perrier.) European children practice patience. They work it like a muscle. We all need to develop our capacity for waiting. Life isn’t a short story; it’s a novel. What you don’t accomplish in this chapter, you can tackle in the next.

Which ball should I drop?
When we become parents, we draw an imaginary line from the top of our head to the tip of our toes. Half of us belongs to our work, and the other to our family. Our sense of worth, therefore, is derived from one or the other. The trouble is, when we’re at work we feel like we’re failing our family; and when we’re with our family we worry we’re failing at work. In psychological terms we call this a double bind—a no-win situation. But this “bipolar” division is too simplistic an equation. We derive essential identity as a friend, as a daughter, as a runner, as an amateur chef (you get the idea). We need to get mindful about what truly fills us up and become discriminating about which balls we choose to juggle.

What do we mean by balance, anyway? What is it, exactly, that we’re trying to accomplish?
I think many of us have unrealistic expectations based on misperceptions around what a balanced existence “should” look and feel like. We aim to order chaos to create some sort of Buddha-like serenity. Well, stop “shoulding” on yourself! I’ve got news for you: Nature is in constant flux between order and chaos. Just ask Newton, or ask the ancient Chinese philosophers who first posited that there is a yin to every yang. You can’t have shadow without light, and you can’t have balance without prerequisite imbalance. So learn to listen to what isn’t working so you can zero in on what is working. Imbalance isn’t a sign of failure, but rather a natural, inevitable state that provides clues to help you get back on track.

中文翻译：
本文地址：http://www.wjbb.com/know/963
原文出处：http://www.todaysparent.com/family/parenting/battling-work-life-balance/
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The problem with how we talk about working moms.

I read a lot about working moms. I know many working moms, and I care about the policies and legislations that protect them. I know it can be tough for women to secure and retain employment. Often, the articles I read are about a particular type of working mom: Women in high-powered positions with large salaries. These are frequently women who put career first, and opted to have children later. No doubt this makes up a sizeable portion of the population of today’s mothers, particularly in urban areas.

When news outlets refer about “working moms” they’re often talking about the Marissa Mayer types, although the Yahoo CEO may not be the best example given she was criticized for only taking a two-week maternity leave. But when the media talks about Debra Harrell—another working mom who made waves when she left her nine-year-old daughter at the park while she worked her shift at McDonald’s—the language is different. Mayer is more often than not referred to as a “working mother” whereas Harrell is most often in the headlines as “mom.” Only buried within the article is there any mention that Harrell is a McDonald’s employee. Is a job at McDonald’s not enough to qualify her as a working mom?

When I pick up my four-year-old daughter from school, I see a variety of moms. Some work from home for others, or run their own businesses. There are stay-at-home-moms, some of whom left careers to be with their children. There are moms who run home daycares, or have childcare providers pick up their children so they can work day jobs. I’m sure there are also unemployed moms, and moms who work night shifts and weekends—these last two being categorically the moms who openly chat about their employment situations the least. I can’t say that surprises me, given the culture we’ve created of having a hierarchy set up on who classifies as a “working mom” and who doesn’t—and the strange notion that being a working mother trumps being a non-working mother (oxymoron, I know—we can agree that all mothers work).

I’ve never identified as a working mother, as I haven’t held a 9-to-5 job since my daughter was born. In that time, I’ve gone back to school, completed an internship, worked as a freelance writer, and done part-time and contract work. I’ve mostly, though not exclusively, worked from home. I don’t make a salary with benefits, nor do I own a blazer, but I work all the time. Yet, “working mother” is a title I don’t feel I am entitled to. Before I had my daughter I had a full-time, out-of-the-house job in radio, complete with benefits and parental leave. I know that if I still had that job, I would take on the label of working mom no problem. Before working in media, I did social service work. While that was mostly part-time, I’m sure that if I worked in community health centres, drop-in programs and HIV-prevention again, I would consider my work outside of the home worthy of that label. And yet, at home, freelancing as a writer and editor, I still have this idea that my work is not tangible enough—that I don’t have a clear enough job description, and that I don’t provide enough for my family financially. I feel like I don’t count.

Looking for work is work. Struggling to support a family without a stable income is work. Shift work is work. Service work in fast food restaurants is work. An office job is work. Parenting in and of itself is work. So, if this is about the time and effort we put in, aren’t we all working mothers?

中文翻译：
本文地址：http://www.wjbb.com/know/962
原文出处：http://www.todaysparent.com/blogs/odd-mama-out/how-much-do-you-have-to-work-to-be-a-working-mom/ 收起阅读 »

As more schools revise their “no touch” policies between teachers and students, Emma Waverman wonders what all the fuss is about.

A light pat on the back can draw a young child’s attention back to the task at hand, and sometimes a hug will help the hurt go away. But are these gestures appropriate coming from an educator? A teacher’s touch can be encouraging, corrective and, in some cases, inappropriate. But I wouldn’t want my kids in a school that banned it outright.

I’m comfortable with my kids’ teachers giving them a hug goodbye or placing a quieting hand on their shoulder when they are talking too much in class. I think of gentle physical contact as just another tool in a teacher’s arsenal—one that can often go beyond words. But that’s not the way everyone feels. Many school boards have unwritten “no touch” policies, while others have created rules against touching of any kind to appease concerned parents.

Jessica Lahey, a middle school teacher, thoughtfully addressed the issue by writing about the connections between touch and learning in The Atlantic. She asked David J. Linden, a neuroscience professor and author of Touch: The Science of Hand, Heart, and Mind, about how a teacher’s touch can spur learning. He said:

“It’s not so much that touch is a useful tool for teaching facts and strategies—it’s not as if, when you stroke a student’s arm as they practice algebra, they will learn algebra better. More than anything else, what touch conveys is ‘I’m an ally, I’m not a threat.’ Touch puts the recipient in a trusting mental state, and anything you can do to encourage the student to trust the teacher is going to make learning better.”

According to an Elementary Teacher’s Federation union newsletter from 2012, the Toronto District School Board has an “unwritten” policy of no touching between teachers and students. The union is unequivocal in their warning to teachers to keep their hands off students:

“There is no safe touch in the relationship between a teacher and a student no matter how innocent or well-meaning your intentions. You cannot anticipate either the reaction or interpretation of the child or their parent. The stress on a member who faces an allegation cannot be overstated. Don’t put yourself at risk. The only safe place for your hands is in your pockets.”

In our super-vigilant helicopter culture, the tendency for teachers to touch a student may indeed be waning. But two elementary teachers I spoke to are not allowing political correctness to stand in the way of sending positive messages to their students. My friend is a kindergarten teacher, and her teaching partner called her out for her propensity to dole out hugs to crying children. Her answer was that she was making an informed choice, and takes into account the child, the parents and the situation before embracing a child. She believes that children need to be touched, to feel comforted and safe.

A male teacher I spoke to said that he would hate to see the day where any physical contact between teachers and students were banned, saying that for some students a rewarding pat on the back may be the most reassurance they get that day. The zeal to protect our students from inappropriate touching may be costing them important lessons as well. What do we lose when we divide people from each other? Is the sense of security we gain worth it?

I ask these questions as the parent of a daughter who went to a nursery school where one of the teachers was charged with inappropriate actions towards an older student. So I understand the fear. But I prefer to be an optimist and know that my kids’ teachers have their backs, literally. Teachers aren’t just teaching our kids mathematics, they are teaching them a little bit about what it is to be human. And human touch is an important part of that equation.

Do you think teachers should be allowed to touch students?

中文翻译：
本文地址：http://www.wjbb.com/know/961
原文出处：http://www.todaysparent.com/blogs/on-our-minds/should-teachers-be-allowed-to-touch-students/ 收起阅读 »

Little baby, big bills? It doesn’t have to be that way. Read on for easy fixes for five very common financial faux pas.

You may be a rookie at this whole parenting thing, but you can be a bit smarter about your money with these easy fixes for common financial faux pas.

1 Overspending on gear
I have a confession: Our daughter Abby slept in a bassinet insert in a used Pack ’N Play in our room until she was ready for her hand-me-down crib. Low glam, to be sure, but cheap. A lot of parents drop big bucks outfitting the nursery with things they want, only to find out later how little they actually need, or how quickly their kid grows out of them. Choose a few items you really covet—my splurge was a new running stroller—then borrow the other basics, request them as gifts, or buy them cheap.

2 Ignoring the drop in income
Parents face many new expenses, but even worse is feeling surprised when your income takes a hit. Maternity and paternity leaves rarely top up your salary to 100 percent, and your partner will have less availability to work overtime, so you’ll almost inevitably feel the cash-flow pinch. If you ignore it, you risk racking up debt that is both expensive and stressful. Take a cold, hard look at the numbers and brainstorm where you can cut back. Hold off on big purchases and consider temporarily trimming on gifts, charitable donations, and maybe even retirement savings. And if you know you’re going to need to take on debt, set up a low-rate line of credit with a limit you won’t go over.

3 Waiting to buy life insurance
Your insurance needs change dramatically the minute your child arrives. Though chances are slim that they’ll need it, buying a life-insurance policy is one of the most important things you can do to protect your family financially.

4 Passing on the RESP
There are two huge incentives to starting your Registered Education Savings Plan immediately. First, the government gives a 20 percent match on up to $2,500 in contributions each year, and you’ll need every cent. Second, the sooner you start, the harder that magical compound interest will work for you. Make it easy: If your budget allows, set up an automatic monthly transfer into an RESP or use the Universal Child Care benefit you receive from the government every month.

5 Under-spending on date night
The payoff can be hard to see when you’re bone tired and still have three loads of laundry to do before bed, but date night is an investment in your good health—it really is worth the money for a sitter. Whether you’re partnered or a single parent taking time for yourself or with a friend, you really need to refuel and be reminded that there is a world outside your home. The best advice I received about date night? Lower your standards. Don’t fuss about the restaurant or your hair. Put on a clean shirt and just go out without your kid—and don’t feel guilty about it. Use three syllable words for a change, or watch a movie in complete and glorious silence. Make no mistake: Doing something for yourself is money well spent.

中文翻译：
本文地址：http://www.wjbb.com/know/960
原文出处：http://www.todaysparent.com/family/family-budget/5-common-money-mistakes-new-parents-make/ 收起阅读 »

一些孩子会觉得擤鼻涕很难。您怎么帮助孩子掌握擤鼻涕的技巧呢？
1 让她只鼻子呼气将棉球吹动（保持嘴巴紧闭)，以让她熟悉鼻子吹气的概念。


2 再让她准备一张纸巾。让她轻轻地按住一个鼻孔，用另一个鼻孔吹气；然后换另一个鼻孔尝试。


3 擤好鼻涕后，把她用的纸巾处理好，然后洗手，以免细菌传播。


中文翻译：晴天绿海
本文地址：http://www.wjbb.com/know/958
原文出处：http://www.todaysparent.com/family/parenting/how-to-teach-your-child-to-blow-her-nose/ 收起阅读 »

Accidental errors are more common than you’d think. Find out how to keep your kids safe.

Cough, cold and flu season is in full swing, and so it’s the time when medication errors are most likely to occur. A recent study in the journal Pediatrics revealed that a child is given the wrong medicine or the wrong dose every eight minutes and that more than a quarter of these errors occurred in children younger than one year. The study also found that the younger the child, the more likely a medication mistake is to be made. Though the vast majority (94 percent) of these mistakes didn’t require medical attention, some lead to serious complications and even death.

Most medicine mistakes happen with liquid pain relievers meant to reduce fever (likely because they’re more commonly used with little kids, but also because they can be tricky to measure out), such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen, followed by allergy and antibiotic meds. The biggest jump in medication errors in kids has been seen with dietary supplements and homeopathic and herbal treatments.

The study’s lead author was careful to note that even the most conscientious parents make mistakes, but there are ways to cut the risk. Here are the most common medicine mistakes and tips to help keep your children safe.

1 Giving the wrong dose
Always follow the dosage recommended by your doctor or pharmacist or as written on the package. Most children’s medication doses are based on the child’s body weight, which is the most accurate way to dose medication. (Over-the-counter medication doses sometimes provide dosing by age ranges, which are based only on estimates of weight by age.)

Liquids often come with dosing instructions in millilitres (mL) as well as in teaspoon or tablespoon measurements. While you may prefer the familiarity of a teaspoon or tablespoon,using kitchen cutlery can lead to errors because they vary so much in size, and baking teaspoons can be awkward to use. Instead, measure kids’ liquid medicines in millilitres (mL) with an easy-to-use oral syringe or a medicine cup with clearly marked millilitre lines for precise doses. Syringes and cups often come with prescription liquid medications but are also available in drug stores. (Some pharmacists will give you one for free if you ask.)

2 Repeating a dose
Accidentally repeating a dose is a common error, particularly with babies, who can’t tell you that they’ve already been given their medicine. Keep track of your child’s dosing schedule with a medication log on your smartphone, a programmable timer app, a printable medication log or even a sticker on the medicine bottle. Make sure that all of your kid’s caregivers use the same log and are communicating about what doses were given when. If you miss a dose, do not double up to make up for the missed dose—talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

3 Giving doses too close together
Follow the dosing schedule from your doctor, pharmacist or the package instructions. Don’t push doses closer together or exceed the maximum amount of doses per day instructed on the label. Alternating between two medications (as is commonly done to bring down a fever) isn’t recommended by the Canadian Paediatric Society, as it can lead to over-dosing errors.

4 Confusing units of measurement
What’s written on your original prescription and the label on the medicine you get from your pharmacist may not necessarily match—and that’s OK. A prescription is a communication between the doctor and pharmacist, written by the MD in ‘medical-ese,’ then translated by the pharmacist into plain language on the label. Medications come in a wide variety of units, including milligrams (pills), millilitres (liquid), micrograms (inhalers/puffers) and more—a pharmacist may have to convert one unit to another (i.e., solid to liquid) to prepare the prescription. Don’t get hung up on what the prescription from your doctor says—it’s most important to talk to your pharmacist to make sure you understand the label.

5 Giving the wrong medication
Always read the label for instructions and expiry date to make sure it’s right for your kid’s symptoms and age and that it has not expired. Do not remove labels from medication bottles, put medications in other containers or bags, or mix medications together. Always return pill packets to their original container with instructions and dosing information. Make a habit of periodically checking your medicine cabinet for expired meds and bring them to your drug store to be disposed of. Expiry dates are not always listed on vials and bottles, so check with your pharmacist if you’re unsure. The concern is both reduced efficacy and safety, as the drug may lose its desired effect or change in some way over time.

6 Giving medicine in the wrong spot
Medicines are pretty commonly given orally, but they can also be given in the eyes or ears, up the nose, on the skin, etc. Always read the label to ensure you’re putting medicine where it’s meant to go.


Medicine safety tips
•Keep a list of all your child’s current medications. If your child is taking one medication, always check with your doctor or pharmacist before starting another (whether it is prescription, over-the-counter, nutritional supplement or herbal medicine).
•Keep all medication (including over-the-counter, prescription, creams, vitamins or natural/homeopathic) up high, out of reach and out of sight of children in a locked cabinet or tackle box. Put medications away after every use, even if you plan to use it again soon, and ensure the child-safety lock is secure.
•Always tell your doctor and pharmacist about any drug/medication allergies or other allergies.
•Make sure to store medications as instructed on the label and by your pharmacist.
•Talk to your kids about medication and never refer to it as “candy.”
•Ask house guests to keep bags, purses, cosmetic cases and coats containing meds up high, out of reach and out of sight of kids.
•If your child has taken too much of a medication, call your local poison centre immediately. Program the local poison centre number into your phone and post it somewhere visible for caregivers.

中文翻译：
本文地址：http://www.wjbb.com/know/958
原文出处：http://www.todaysparent.com/family/medication-mistakes-parents-make-at-home/ 收起阅读 »

That parental instinct you have to incessantly nag your kids to cover up in winter so they don’t catch a cold may have actually prevented them from catching a virus after all.

No, you aren’t just echoing an old wives tale you heard from your own mother—according to a new Yale study, it’s easier to catch a cold virus when you are actually physically cold. Researchers discovered that cooler temperatures actually hinder the abilities of the virus-fighting cells in the human nose. The study, published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), reveals that rhinovirus—the most prevalent virus that causes the common cold and asthma attacks—reproduces more efficiently when we’re inhaling cool air.

If moving closer to the Equator to avoid that brisk breeze is not an option for you, then you may want to invest in some extra scarves or balaclavas this winter. I, for one, hate breathing into a soggy scarf, so I’ll be at risk for the common cold virus over the next few months. However, I’ll certainly invest in some warmer face gear for my husband, so I don’t have to live through yet another “man cold” this year. Yes, he’s at home right now suffering from a sore throat and cough while I remind him to take his medication every four hours.

The requisite “man cold” jokes are currently flying around our house, and even my husband is taking part—albeit half-heartedly. I threatened to show him the satirical “Man Cold” video, but he declined to join the more than 4.7 million viewers who’ve already had a laugh at his expense. (“For God’s sake, woman. He’s a man! He has a man cold!”)

And what exactly is a “man cold”? Well, there’s the suggestion that men believe they suffer more horrendously than women when it comes to the common cold or flu. However, a new study from Stanford University School of Medicine suggests the “man cold” myth may actually be fact. Due to high levels of testosterone, their immune response is weakened. The study, published in the PNAS, revealed that women generally have higher blood levels that signal to the body when it requires more protein for their immune system. So, it would appear that men actually are more susceptible to viral infections than women.

So there you have it, there’s more to these two common cold myths than we thought. Stay warm!

中文翻译：
本文地址：http://www.wjbb.com/know/957
原文出处：http://www.todaysparent.com/blogs/on-our-minds/new-studies-bust-common-cold-myths/
文献下载：http://www.pnas.org/content/112/3/827.abstract 收起阅读 »