Expert Offers Advice on How to Choose Age Appropriate and Safe Toys for Children During the Holidays

04.12.2008 08:10

With the excitement of the holidays, parents and relatives eagerly purchase the hottest toys and latest items for their children. But it??™s during the hustle and bustle of the season that many fail to buy age appropriate gifts for their children and they tend to disregard warnings on these toys and gifts when it comes to ensuring safety. Cincinnati Children??™s Hospital Medical Center suggests parents consider their child??™s age, interests, and skill levels when purchasing toys. While shopping, parents are urged to read product warnings and labels, look for sturdy construction and avoid items with sharp edges and points. Once the gifts are opened, it??™s important to quickly discard plastic wrappings and keep older children??™s toys away from younger siblings. ???Children under five years ??“ and especially those under three years ??“ are particularly vulnerable to airway obstruction due to small upper airways, inexperience with chewing and a natural tendency to put everything in their mouths,??? says Michael Gittelman, MD, an emergency medicine physician at Cincinnati Children??™s. Read more…

Alcohol - a little is good, a lot is bad

07.10.2008 at 08:04 - Category: Health News Today

Alcohol can be a boon or a bane for health. The difference lies in the dose - a little is good, a lot is bad. But the dividing line between a little and a lot differs from person to person. It depends on many things, including sex. Women are more vulnerable than men to alcohol’s long-term effects, reports the October 2008 issue of the Harvard Heart Letter.

Women break down alcohol more slowly than men do. If a woman and a man drink identical glasses of wine with the same meal, she will have a higher blood level of alcohol, and for a longer time. This means her tissues are exposed to more alcohol per drink than a man’s. Results from a study in Japan suggest that too much alcohol is bad for a woman’s heart and arteries, and earlier work shows it can be hazardous to breast tissue too.

What constitutes “healthy drinking”? Current guidelines say it is one to two drinks a day for men and no more than one a day for women, notes the Harvard Heart Letter.

Keep in mind that this recommendation is for the average person. How you respond to alcohol depends on your genes, your diet, and the medications you take.

If you drink, consider taking a daily multivitamin/multimineral supplement. Alcohol blocks the absorption of folic acid and inactivates this important vitamin in the bloodstream, so drinkers need extra folic acid.

Also in this issue:

• Dial 911 to start treating heart attack
• Checking blood pressure at the ankle
• Less invasive valve surgery speeds recovery
• Coffee and good health
• CT scans may interfere with pacemakers
• The power of potassium
• Can blood pressure medicines change the sense of taste?
• How is a blocked stent fixed?

The Harvard Heart Letter is available from Harvard Health Publications, the publishing division of Harvard Medical School, for $24 per year.

Source: Harvard Health Publications

Original text is here

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