WHAT TO DO IF YOU GET THE FLU

Lots of people get the flu, but what do you do? Here are some tips:
Drink lots of liquids, like water, chicken broth, and other fluids.
Get plenty of sleep. If you can't sleep anymore, keep resting. Listen to music, watch a movie, or read a book or magazine.

If you're feeling achy, ask your parent for some medicine. But avoid aspirin because it can cause a rare but serious illness called Reye syndrome (say: ry sin-drome).

Wear layers. You might be cold one minute and hot the next, so if you wear plenty of layers you can pull your favorite sweatshirt on and off.

Wash your hands! You don't want to spread the germs that cause the flu. Also, don't share cups and eating utensils, like forks and spoons, with anyone.

Most of the time you will get better in about a week, but it's important to let your parents know if you have trouble breathing, your muscles really hurt, you feel confused, or if you start feeling worse at any time. These could be signs that you need to see your doctor again.

Reviewed by: Larissa Hirsch, MD

TAKING CARE of YOUR EARS

As body parts go, your ears don't ask for much. They don't need to be brushed like your teeth or trimmed like your toenails. All your ears need is to be washed regularly, so wash them with soap and water while you're sudsing up the rest of your body in the bath or shower.

The Facts on Earwax
You might wonder about earwax and whether it needs to be cleaned out. Actually, even though earwax seems yucky, it serves a purpose. Your ear canal makes earwax to protect the ear. After it is produced, it slowly makes its way to the opening of the ear. Then it either falls out or is removed when you wash. If you want, you can clean the opening of your ear gently with a washcloth.
There's an old saying that you shouldn't put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear. Not all old sayings are true, but this one is! You can hurt your ear by poking around in there. It's not even a good idea to use a cotton swab. This can push wax deeper in your ear, where it can get stuck. Irritating the ear canal with a cotton swab can even lead to an ear canal infection.
And definitely don't put anything sharp in your ear because it can cause bleeding or serious damage. If you think you have dirt or too much earwax in your ear, ask your mom or dad to help you clean it out.

Taking Care of Pierced Ears
Pierced ears may look pretty, but you need to take good care of them or things can get ugly! When you first get your ears pierced, leave the earrings in until your ears are completely healed. If you don't, your holes could close up.
You'll also want to prevent infections in your newly pierced ears. Wash your hands before touching your pierced ears. Applying rubbing alcohol also can help keep germs away. With an adult's help, soak a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol and apply it to both sides of the hole (with the earring still in your ear). Then twirl the earring several times to make sure the alcohol gets in and around the earring post.
If you think one of your pierced ears may be infected, tell your mom or dad. An infected earlobe may be swollen, red, warm, and painful, and it may ooze a fluid called pus. Don't wait for it to get better by itself because the infection may spread and make you sick.

Tips for Swimmers
Sometimes, swimming can lead to a case of swimmer's ear. That's when your outer ear gets infected, causing swelling and pain. This happens when water gets stuck in your ear canal. This can irritate the skin, making it easier for bacteria to invade the skin and cause an infection. If you think you have swimmer's ear, your mom or dad needs to call the doctor. Special eardrops can help you get rid of it.
To prevent swimmer's ear, dry your ears after swimming and shake out excess water, especially if you feel it stuck in there. Again, with your parent's help, a few drops of rubbing alcohol can dry out any moisture in there. Drying your ears will keep you — and your ears — in the swim!

Ears, Hot and Cold
Now you know how to keep your ears happy underwater, but what about when it's hot outside? When the sun is beating down, wear a hat or remember to rub some sunscreen on your ears, so they don't get fried. And when winter rolls around, keep them covered up with a hat or headband. Why? Because when it's freezing outside, it's easy for ears to get frostbitten. Brrrr!

Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD

Choosing High Quality Vitamin Supplements

If you want to supplement your diet with vitamins, minerals or other products, you probably want to know more about the supplements you are choosing. The choice to use a dietary supplement may provide health benefits, however sometimes these products may be unnecessary for good health or they may even create unexpected risks.
Not all vitamins and dietary supplements are created equally. There are no standards that require that the ingredients listed on the label match what is actually inside the capsules or tablets inside the bottle.
It is also important to remember that claims made for the effects of dietary supplements are not approved by the FDA. This lack of approval doesn't mean the supplements are not effective, however, and choosing the right ones will impact your health a great deal.

Which Supplements to Take
If you are pregnant, nursing a baby, or have a chronic medical condition, be sure to consult a nutrition specialist or doctor before purchasing or taking any dietary supplements. He or she will take your medical history, your diet, and your current medications into consideration and choose any diagnostic tests necessary to prescribe a dietary and nutritional supplement program. Please don't try to do all this on your own, when there are so many qualified professionals available.

If you are in good health and you are simply searching for some extra vitamin supplements to ensure that you getting all the nutrition your body needs, then start with a simple vitamin supplement program like this:

- Multi-Vitamin Supplement
- Calcium and Magnesium
- B Complex
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Unless you have consulted with a health care provider, please follow the dosage instructions on the labels.

How to Select a Brand of Vitamins
When you are ready to shop for supplements, please take the following points into consideration:

Join ConsumerLab.com to find out which brands of supplements they have tested.

Read the label on the bottles. Ingredients for the supplements should be from organic sources whenever possible.

Dietary Supplements should be tested for toxic substances and any kind of contamination such as lead or mercury.

Look for hypoallergenic products if you have sensitivity problems. Avoid wheat, yeast and corn.

Look for an expiration date and make sure the product is fresh. If there is no expiration date on the label, buy something else.

Dietary supplements are not regulated, so the amount of the nutrients that are claimed on the label might be different than what is really in the pills. Contact the lab that makes the vitamin supplements and ask them how they test their products. A good company will have professionals who can answer your questions. If you don't get an answer, you may wish to find another company.

You may also check with the store to see if they are sure of the supplements' quality.

If you have questions about a certain brand, don't be afraid to look up their contact information, call them and ask about the five points above. Reputable supplement labs will have answers and documentation available for all your questions. Keep in mind that some of the highest quality products are only available through health care providers.

If It Sounds To Good To Be True
It probably is. Use caution and good sense when you come across inflated claims for vitamin supplements. Your e-mail spam box is probably filled with e-mails making these claims for various herbs and supplements. Also keep in mind that cheaper often means poor quality. Buy your vitamin supplements from health care providers, nutrition stores and whole foods markets.

Source:
U.S. Food & Drug Administration Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition. "Dietary Supplements."

BAD BREATH

You lean over to whisper something to your friend and you can tell by the look on your friend's face that something is up. Could it be your breath? Maybe you shouldn't have put extra onions on your hamburger at lunch. What's a kid with smelly breath to do?
The good news is that bad breath happens to everyone once in a while. Let's find out how to detect it, prevent it, and even treat it.

What's That Smell?
Bad breath is the common name for the medical condition known as halitosis (say: hal-uh-toe-sis). Many different things can cause halitosis — from not brushing your teeth to certain medical conditions.
Sometimes, a person's bad breath can blow you away — and he or she may not realize there's a problem. There are tactful (nice) ways of letting someone know about bad breath. You could offer mints or sugarless gum without having to say anything.
If you need to tell a friend he or she has bad breath, you could say that you understand foods can cause bad breath because you've had it before yourself. By letting someone know that bad breath isn't something unusual, you'll make the person feel more comfortable and less embarrassed about accepting your piece of chewing gum.
If you suspect your own breath is foul, ask someone who will give you an honest answer without making fun of you. (Just don't ask your brother or sister — they just might tell you your breath stinks even when it doesn't!) Although everyone gets bad breath sometimes, if you have bad breath a lot, you may need to visit your dentist or doctor.

What Causes Bad Breath?
Here are three common causes of bad breath:
foods and drinks, such as garlic, onions, cheese, orange juice, and soda
poor dental hygiene (say: hi-jeen), meaning you don't brush and floss as you should
smoking and other tobacco use
Poor oral hygiene leads to bad breath because when you leave food particles in your mouth, these pieces of food can rot and start to smell. The food particles may begin to collect bacteria, which can be smelly, too. Plus, by not brushing your teeth regularly, plaque (a sticky, colorless film) builds up on your teeth. Plaque is a great place for bacteria to live and yet another reason why breath can turn foul.

Preventing Smelly Breath
So what's a kid to do? Don't smoke or use tobacco products, of course. And take care of your mouth by brushing your teeth at least twice a day and flossing once a day. Brush your tongue, too, because bacteria can grow there. Flossing once a day helps get rid of particles wedged between your teeth. Also, visit your dentist twice a year for regular checkups and cleanings.
Not only will you get a thorough cleaning, the dentist will look around your mouth for any potential problems, including those that can affect breath. For example, gum disease, also known as periodontal (say: per-ee-uh-don-tul) disease, can cause bad breath and damage your teeth.
If you're concerned about bad breath, tell your doctor or dentist. But don't be surprised if he or she leans in and take a big whiff! Smell is one way doctors and dentists can help figure out what's causing the problem. The way a person's breath smells can be a clue to what's wrong. For instance, if someone has uncontrolled diabetes, his or her breath might smell like acetone (the same stuff that's in nail polish remover).
If you have bad breath all the time and the reason can't be determined by your dentist, he or she may refer you to a doctor to make sure there is no other medical condition that could be causing it. Sometimes sinus problems, and rarely liver or kidney problems, can cause bad breath.
Usually, there's a less complicated reason for a kid's bad breath — like what you had for lunch. So keep up with your brushing and flossing and you should be breathing easy — and odor free!

Protect Your Child against Rotavirus

A childRotavirus is a virus that causes severe diarrhea, mostly in babies and young children. The good news is that there are vaccines to prevent rotavirus. Be sure to protect your child from serious illness caused by rotavirus by getting him or her vaccinated.

A mother and childRotavirus can make your baby or young child very sick. This virus is the most common cause of severe diarrhea in infants and young children in the U.S., and it also often leads to vomiting, fever, and dehydration. Rotavirus is very contagious; it spreads when infants or young children come into contact with an infected person or objects contaminated by the feces of an infected person. Before a rotavirus vaccine was introduced in 2006, as many as 270,000 infants and young children were taken to the emergency room each year because of the disease, and as many as 70,000 were hospitalized.

Today, there are vaccines that prevent the disease. These vaccines differ in how they are made and when they are given, but both are given orally and both will protect your child against rotavirus.

* The RotaTeq® vaccine has been used since early 2006. Infants should receive this oral vaccine in three doses, at 2, 4, and 6 months of age.
* The Rotarix® vaccine was approved in April 2008. This is also an oral vaccine. Infants should receive it at 2 and 4 months of age.

Most babies who get vaccinated with RotaTeq® or Rotarix® will not get diarrhea from rotavirus, and almost all of them will be protected from severe diarrhea caused by rotavirus. This means that babies who get vaccinated are much less likely to be hospitalized or to see a doctor because of diarrhea from rotavirus. The rotavirus vaccines may be given at the same time as other childhood vaccines.

Healthy Sleep Tips

The following ten tips can help you achieve sleep and the benefits it provides. These tips are intended for "typical" adults, but not necessarily for children or persons experiencing medical problems.

You can find information on this site about children and sleep and NSF recommends that persons treated for medical conditions consult their doctor – check our resource, "Sleep Talk with Your Doctor."

Finally, if you have trouble falling asleep, maintaining sleep, awaken earlier than you wish, feel unrefreshed after sleep or suffer from excessive sleepiness during the day or when you wish to be alert, you should also consult your physician. Be sure to tell him/her if you have already tried these tips and for how long. To check for possible sleep problems, go to our checklist, "How's Your Sleep?"

1. Maintain a regular bed and wake time schedule including weekends.
Our sleep-wake cycle is regulated by a "circadian clock" in our brain and the body's need to balance both sleep time and wake time. A regular waking time in the morning strengthens the circadian function and can help with sleep onset at night. That is also why it is important to keep a regular bedtime and wake-time, even on the weekends when there is the temptation to sleep-in.

2. Establish a regular, relaxing bedtime routine such as soaking in a hot bath or hot tub and then reading a book or listening to soothing music.
A relaxing, routine activity right before bedtime conducted away from bright lights helps separate your sleep time from activities that can cause excitement, stress or anxiety which can make it more difficult to fall asleep, get sound and deep sleep or remain asleep. Avoid arousing activities before bedtime like working, paying bills, engaging in competitive games or family problem-solving. Some studies suggest that soaking in hot water (such as a hot tub or bath) before retiring to bed can ease the transition into deeper sleep, but it should be done early enough that you are no longer sweating or over-heated. If you are unable to avoid tension and stress, it may be helpful to learn relaxation therapy from a trained professional. Finally, avoid exposure to bright before bedtime because it signals the neurons that help control the sleep-wake cycle that it is time to awaken, not to sleep.

3. Create a sleep-conducive environment that is dark, quiet, comfortable and cool.

Design your sleep environment to establish the conditions you need for sleep – cool, quiet, dark, comfortable and free of interruptions. Also make your bedroom reflective of the value you place on sleep. Check your room for noise or other distractions, including a bed partner's sleep disruptions such as snoring, light, and a dry or hot environment. Consider using blackout curtains, eye shades, ear plugs, "white noise," humidifiers, fans and other devices.

4. Sleep on a comfortable mattress and pillows.

Make sure your mattress is comfortable and supportive. The one you have been using for years may have exceeded its life expectancy – about 9 or 10 years for most good quality mattresses. Have comfortable pillows and make the room attractive and inviting for sleep but also free of allergens that might affect you and objects that might cause you to slip or fall if you have to get up during the night.

5. Use your bedroom only for sleep and sex.

It is best to take work materials, computers and televisions out of the sleeping environment. Use your bed only for sleep and sex to strengthen the association between bed and sleep. If you associate a particular activity or item with anxiety about sleeping, omit it from your bedtime routine. For example, if looking at a bedroom clock makes you anxious about how much time you have before you must get up, move the clock out of sight. Do not engage in activities that cause you anxiety and prevent you from sleeping.

6. Finish eating at least 2-3 hours before your regular bedtime.

Eating or drinking too much may make you less comfortable when settling down for bed. It is best to avoid a heavy meal too close to bedtime. Also, spicy foods may cause heartburn, which leads to difficulty falling asleep and discomfort during the night. Try to restrict fluids close to bedtime to prevent nighttime awakenings to go to the bathroom, though some people find milk or herbal, non-caffeinated teas to be soothing and a helpful part of a bedtime routine.

7. Exercise regularly. It is best to complete your workout at least a few hours before bedtime.
In general, exercising regularly makes it easier to fall asleep and contributes to sounder sleep. However, exercising sporadically or right before going to bed will make falling asleep more difficult. In addition to making us more alert, our body temperature rises during exercise, and takes as much as 6 hours to begin to drop. A cooler body temperature is associated with sleep onset... Finish your exercise at least 3 hours before bedtime. Late afternoon exercise is the perfect way to help you fall asleep at night.

8. Avoid caffeine (e.g. coffee, tea, soft drinks, chocolate) close to bedtime. It can keep you awake.
Caffeine is a stimulant, which means it can produce an alerting effect. Caffeine products, such as coffee, tea, colas and chocolate, remain in the body on average from 3 to 5 hours, but they can affect some people up to 12 hours later. Even if you do not think caffeine affects you, it may be disrupting and changing the quality of your sleep. Avoiding caffeine within 6-8 hours of going to bed can help improve sleep quality.

9. Avoid nicotine (e.g. cigarettes, tobacco products). Used close to bedtime, it can lead to poor sleep.
Nicotine is also a stimulant. Smoking before bed makes it more difficult to fall asleep. When smokers go to sleep, they experience withdrawal symptoms from nicotine, which also cause sleep problems. Nicotine can cause difficulty falling asleep, problems waking in the morning, and may also cause nightmares. Difficulty sleeping is just one more reason to quit smoking. And never smoke in bed or when sleepy!

10. Avoid alcohol close to bedtime.
Although many people think of alcohol as a sedative, it actually disrupts sleep, causing nighttime awakenings. Consuming alcohol leads to a night of less restful sleep.
If you have sleep problems...

Use a sleep diary and talk to your doctor. Note what type of sleep problem is affecting your sleep or if you are sleepy when you wish to be awake and alert. Try these tips and record your sleep and sleep-related activities in a sleep diary. If problems continue, discuss the sleep diary with your doctor. There may be an underlying cause and you will want to be properly diagnosed. Your doctor will help treat the problem or may refer you to a sleep specialist.