How smoking affects pregnancy?

Wowww!!!! Instead of a comment, Edbert leaves a question to the post "Passive Smoking"!

This is his question, "What happen if you smoking while pregnant?" (What happens if moms smoke during pregnancy?")

Well, Ed. Clarissa has the answer for you.

-. You will have higher risk of having a baby with LOW BIRTH WEIGHT.

-. Smoking in pregnancy increases the risk of SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROME (SIDS),       also known as cot DEATH.

-. Smoking during pregnancy may effect your child's mental DEVELOPMENT AND BEHAVIOR, leading to a short attention span and hyperactivity.

In addition to Clarissa's answer,

Smoking during pregnancy affects moms and the baby's health before, during, and after the baby is born. The nicotine (the addictive substance in cigarettes), carbon monoxide, and numerous other poisons mom inhales from a cigarette are carried through the bloodstream and go directly to the baby. Smoking while pregnant will:

• Lower the amount of oxygen available to mom and the growing baby.
• Increase the baby's heart rate.
• Increase the chances of miscarriage and stillbirth.
• Increase the risk that the baby is born prematurely and/or born with low birth weight.
• Increase your baby's risk of developing respiratory (lung) problems.

The more cigarettes a mom smokes per day, the greater the baby's chances of developing these and other health problems. There is no "safe" level of smoking while pregnant.

So, How Does Secondhand Smoke Affect Pregnancy?

Secondhand smoke (also called passive smoke or environmental tobacco smoke) is the combination of smoke from a burning cigarette and smoke exhaled by a smoker.

The smoke that burns off the end of a cigarette or cigar actually contains more harmful substances (tar, carbon monoxide, nicotine, and others) than the smoke inhaled by the smoker.

If moms are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke, moms increase their and their baby's risk of developing lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, allergies, asthma, and other health problems.

Babies exposed to secondhand smoke may also develop reduced lung capacity and are at higher risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Source : http://www.webmd.com/baby/smoking-during-pregnancy

ASTHMA

We have known that asthma becomes one of the long term health risks of smoking.

 

What is asthma?

Asthma is a common condition that affects your airways and causes difficulty with breathing. Most people with asthma who take the appropriate treatment can live normal lives, but left untreated, asthma can cause permanent damage to your airways. Very rarely, a severe asthma attack can be fatal.

If you have asthma, your airways become irritated and inflamed. As a result, they:

• become narrower
• produce extra mucus

This makes it more difficult for air to flow in and out of your lungs.

Symptoms of asthma

Asthma symptoms may be mild, moderate or severe. They may include:

• coughing
• wheezing
• shortness of breath
• tightness in your chest

These symptoms tend to be variable – not everyone gets all the symptoms and they may stop and start. They are often worse at night or in the early morning.

Causes of asthma

The causes of asthma are not always clear. However, there are often triggers that can result in a flare-up of symptoms. Common triggers include:

• respiratory infection – such as a cold or flu
• irritants – such as dust, cigarette smoke and fumes
• chemicals (and other substances) found in your workplace – this is called occupational asthma
• allergies to pollen, medicines, animals, house dust mites or certain foods
• exercise – especially in cold, dry air
• emotions – laughing or crying very hard can trigger symptoms, as can stress
• changes in the weather – especially changes in temperature
• medicines – certain medicines can trigger asthma. Most medicines are safe, but, if you have moderate to severe asthma, it’s best not to take the painkillers aspirin and ibuprofen. Beta-blockers, used to treat high blood pressure or angina, may make asthma worse

In children, asthma is more common in boys than in girls but in adults, women are more likely to have asthma. Asthma may run in families.
If you smoke during pregnancy, your baby is more likely to get asthma. If you smoke and have young children, they are more likely to get asthma. Premature or low birth weight babies are also more likely to develop asthma.

How an asthma attack occurs?

Watch the video below to see how an asthma attack occurs.

 Source : http://www.bupa.co.uk

Passive Smoking

Passive smoking is when smoke is breathed in by someone other than the smoker. Passive smoking carries all the same health risks as smoking, and it’s particularly dangerous for children.

Why is it so dangerous?

Tobacco smoke contains more than 4,000 harmful and addictive chemicals, including nicotine, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde. Second-hand smoke (also known as environmental tobacco smoke) is smoke that comes from the burning cigarette (side-stream smoke) combined with the smoke breathed out by the smoker (mainstream smoke). Side-stream smoke makes up the majority of second-hand smoke and is more toxic than mainstream smoke.
If you smoke indoors, it’s not enough to just open a window. This is because the poisonous chemicals in smoke can stay in the air even after you have finished your cigarette. And don’t think that hanging out of the window will help – it won’t, and some research has shown that second-hand smoke lingers on clothes, carpets, furnishings and walls. This makes it almost impossible to keep second-hand smoke away from other people.

What effects can passive smoking have on non-smokers?

Short-term effects

Being exposed to second-hand smoke is generally pretty unpleasant – it may give you a headache, cough or sore throat. It can also irritate your eyes and make you feel sick or dizzy. If you have asthma, being in a smoky place may make your symptoms worse. And of course, although the smell of smoke on your clothes and hair may be less serious health-wise, it’s often more irritating.

Long-term effects

If you're regularly exposed to second-hand smoke, your risk of developing smoking-related diseases substantially increases. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that second-hand smoke increases your risk of heart disease and lung cancer by up to a third. Not only that, you’re more likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which causes problems with breathing.

Effects on children

Children who are exposed to second-hand smoke are at an increased risk of a number of serious conditions, including:

• bronchitis and pneumonia
  
• asthma
  
• coughing and wheezing
  
• middle ear infections

There is also some evidence to suggest that being exposed to second-hand smoke may make existing conditions worse, decrease children’s ability to smell and reduce mental development.
If you’re exposed to second-hand smoke while you’re pregnant, it can lead to your baby having a low birth weight and he or she may not develop properly before birth. Smoking during pregnancy also increases the risk of cot death, as does smoking near your baby after he or she is born. In addition, women who breathe in second-hand smoke during pregnancy may have an increased risk of still birth.
Your child is also three times more likely to start smoking if he or she is exposed to second-hand smoke as a result of you smoking at home.

Produced by Polly Kerr, Bupa Health Information Team, October 2012.

What exactly does Alcohol do to our body?

So now we know that alcohol is a drug. But what exactly does it do to our body?

You must know this!

Short term effects
Right after someone has had a few drinks, alcohol can:

• Make you feel sleepy, less coordinated, and slower to react to things
• Cause your brain to feel foggy, and make you think and see differently

That's because alcohol is a type of drug known as a depressant that slows down your central nervous system.
You might see in movies or hear stories about people throwing up after drinking a lot of alcohol. That happens when a person drinks more alcohol at one time than his or her body can process, and because alcohol has toxins in it that make us feel sick (and usually, that sickness lasts until the next day, otherwise known as a "hangover"). Sometimes, if a person drinks alcohol while he's taking certain kinds of medication, he can have a bad reaction and get physically ill.
 
Over the long haul
Years of drinking too much alcohol can really hurt your body. For instance:

• Stomach and intestine problems
• Liver damage
• Weight gain
• Nerve and muscle damage
• Heart problems
• Brain damage. Alcohol is very bad for your brain, and can cause everything from blackouts to permanent loss of brain functions and memory.
• Cancer. Long term drinking has been linked to cancer of the throat, mouth, liver, esophagus and larynx.

Drinking alcohol can also lead to emotional and psychological problems like sadness, depression, and even hallucinations (seeing and hearing things that are not real).

More negative effects of drinking

• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. If a pregnant woman drinks too much alcohol, it can seriously hurt her unborn baby and lead to birth defects.
• Alcohol poisoning. Drinking a large amount of alcohol at one time can cause coma and death.
• Alcohol and driving. Drinking alcohol makes it unsafe to drive a car. Drinking and driving killed over 16,000 Americans in 2004, and almost half of all car crashes involve drunk drivers.

Credit: http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/body/alcohol/article3.html

HARMFUL SUBSTANCE (ALCOHOL)

There's a lot of information about alcohol out there, and it can be really confusing. But here's an easy way to look at the big questions and answers:

What is alcohol?
The simple answer: Alcohol is a drug.
The longer answer: Alcohol is a drug made when yeast (that stuff that makes bread rise) meets sugar (found in fruit or grains).

• Yeast plus grapes equals wine
• Yeast plus barley (a grain) equals beer
• Yeast plus just about any plant containing sugar equals liquor (whiskey, vodka, rum, etc.)

What does alcohol do?
The simple answer: Alcohol makes you drunk.
The longer answer: Alcohol, like any other drug, has lots of effects on the brain and body. One of the most obvious effects of alcohol is called "intoxication," which is a fancy word for "being drunk." When you are intoxicated:

• Your brain feels foggy
• You think and see differently
• You can be slow and clumsy
• You may react to things slower
• You may be unable to control your emotions

Credit: http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/body/alcohol/article2.html

7 Reasons To Exercise For 1 Hour Every Day

Eating a balanced diet isn’t the only thing you need to do to keep your body healthy. Exercise helps strengthen your bones and muscles which can help you stay fit and active when you are older. Freddy recommends doing at least 1 hour of exercise every day to keep us fit and strong.

1. Exercise is good for your heart.

Did you know your heart is actually a muscle? Like other muscles in your body, your heart will get bigger and stronger with exercise because it has to pump blood round your body faster.

2. Exercise makes your body better.

Some activities such as football or skipping can make you stronger so you can run faster or for longer. Some exercise such as dancing and yoga makes your body more flexible and others like cricket might improve other skills such as batting or catching.

3. Exercise is good for your mood.

Whilst different exercises maybe be good for different parts of your body, all exercise is good for your mood! When you exercise, you brain releases feel good chemicals which make you feel happier and more relaxed.

4. Exercise Helps You Concentrate.

Believe it or not, exercising every day actually helps your concentration by improving the blood flow to your brain. This helps you stay alert and provides the nutrients and oxygen your brain needs to work at its best.

5. Exercise Helps You Sleep Better.

Although it's best not to exercise just before bed, exercising during the day or after school will increase your body temperature and releases tension. As your body cools down afterwards over the next few hours it makes it easier to fall into a deep sleep.

6. Practice Makes Perfect.

You may find you love a particular sport such as netball, karate, swimming or football. Regular practice will help you become even better at playing your favourite sports as well as keep your body healthy.

7. Exercise is fun!

Exercise can be great fun, especially if you do it with friends. Remember you don't have to enjoy playing sports to exercise. Running about with your friends, riding your bike, roller blading or even skipping are all classed as exercise too so there are plenty of fun ways to stay active.

Credit : http://www.freddyfit.co.uk/kids/articles/7-reasons-to-exercise-for-1-hour-every-day.php 

Allergies vs Sinus Infections: What’s the Difference?

Colds, allergies, and sinus problems can cause similar symptoms, so it’s hard to properly self-diagnose and treat your condition. Seeing a doctor for a proper diagnosis is a simple solution.

By Dr. David Bortniker
In recent years, doctors have become increasingly frustrated with patients self-diagnosing everything from a simple headache to congestive heart failure.  Since medical information is so easily accessible online now, the temptation to self-diagnose is very strong, which can pose serious health threats, such as improper treatment.
One very common and often misleading self-diagnosis is distinguishing whether we have allergies or a sinus infection (sinusitis).  In a recent survey of over 600 asthma and allergy patients, researchers from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America found that about half of the patients self-diagnosed their symptoms as allergies, when they were actually infected with sinusitis.
As you can see below, colds, allergies, and sinus problems can cause similar symptoms, so it’s hard to properly self-diagnose and self-treat your condition.  Seeing a doctor for a proper diagnosis is a simple solution to finding the right treatment.

The Common Cold

• Description: A viral infectious disease that affects the upper respiratory system
• Symptoms: Congestion, difficulty breathing, runny nose, fatigue
• Onset: Within 1-3 days of exposure to the virus
• Duration: 5-7 days

Allergies

• Description: Your body is attacking allergens, therefore producing histamine, which causes symptoms to appear and triggers mild to severe reactions
• Symptoms: Congestion, difficulty breathing, watery or itchy eyes, sneezing, itchy nose, throat and eyes, wheezing, runny nose
• Onset: Immediately after exposure to allergen, or at the same time each year if seasonal
• Duration: As long as you’re exposed to the allergen, or dependent upon treatment

Sinusitis

• Description: Infection in the sinus cavities because of inflammation caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, allergies or environmental factors
• Symptoms: Congestion, headache, pressure in the face, facial tenderness, loss of taste or smell, chronic fatigue, fever, cough, nasal drip
• Onset: May develop after a cold or can be triggered by allergies
• Duration: A few weeks to years, depending on proper treatment

So, when should you see a doctor?  If your symptoms worsen after 7 days or if you’re suffering from a fever, you should schedule an appointment with your physician.  People suffering from chronic sinus infections tend to misdiagnose their condition as allergies or effects of the common cold, missing out on advanced treatment options, including minimally invasive sinus surgery, which can help to relieve discomfort long-term.  While there are at-home therapies to help relieve pressure and pain, your healthcare professional will be able to properly diagnose and treat your individual condition. 
David Bortniker, M.D., is an ear, nose and throat specialist who performs minimally-invasive sinus surgery at Somerset Medical Center.

Source : Somerset Medical Centre's Blog
Credit :http://bridgewater.patch.com/groups/somerset-medical-centers-blog/p/bp--allergies-vs-sinus-infections-whats-the-difference

Sinuses

Probably, you still remember one of my students, Nathanael. He has a lot of questions in his head. He always addresses me a question as I enter the classroom in the morning. Frankly to say, sometimes I'm so much clueless about the answer (grin). So, I encourage him to search the answer on internet and share to others via blog. Great! He does it indeed (smile).

Well..
Last Tuesday, he came to me and told me that he found information about sinusitis on a website. He was interested in it because he was once diagnosed from sinusitis and saved it in his notebook. He showed it to me and wished it to be posted in our blog.

This is the information he really wants to share with us.

The sinuses are a connected system of hollow cavities in the skull. The largest sinus cavities are around an inch across; others are much smaller. The sinus cavities include:

• The maxillary sinuses (the largest), in the cheekbones.
• The frontal sinuses, in the low-center of the forehead.
• The ethmoid sinuses, between the eyes, at the nasal bridge.
• The sphenoid sinuses, in bones behind the nasal cavity.

The sinuses are lined with soft, pink tissue called mucosa. Normally, the sinuses are empty except for a thin layer of mucus.

The inside of the nose has ridges called turbinates. Normally these structures help humidify and filter air. The nose is divided in the center by a thin wall, called the septum. Most of the sinuses drain into the nose through a small channel or drainage pathway called the middle meatus.

The purpose of the sinuses is unclear. One theory is that sinuses help humidify the air we breathe in; another is that they enhance our voices.

Sinus Conditions

• Acute sinusitis (sinus infection): Viruses or bacteria infect the sinus cavity, causing inflammation. Increased mucus production, nasal congestion, discomfort in the cheeks, forehead or around the eyes and headaches are common symptoms.

• Chronic sinusitis (or chronic rhinosinusitis): More than just a series of infections, chronic sinusitis is a persistent process of inflammation of the sinuses.

• Allergic rhinitis: Allergens like pollen, dust mites, or pet dander cause the defenses in the nose and sinuses to overreact. Mucus, nasal stuffiness, sneezing, and itching result.

• Deviated septum: If the septum that divides the nose deviates too far too one side, airflow can be obstructed.

• Turbinate hypertophy: The ridges on the nasal septum are enlarged, potentially obstructing airflow.

• Nasal polyps: Small growths called polyps sometimes grow in the nasal cavity, in response to inflammation. Asthma, chronic sinus infections, and allergic rhinitis can lead to nasal polyps.

Credit : http://www.webmd.com/allergies/picture-of-the-sinuses

Exercise To Happy Healthy Heart

You may have read a post of ours entitled "Heart Your Heart"... I bet you have known the importance of this wonderful organ. Do you know the ways to have a happy healthy heart?

Well, my fourth grade students have discussed and explored more about exercise during Health Education lesson. They understand very well that regular exercises contribute good benefits not only to their body and soul but also to their heart.

Let's see what they think of exercises that can help them have a happy healthy heart.

Do you agree with us? So, exercise every day. You need to exercise your heart by making it work harder for at least 30 minutes a day. If your heart is healthy, you'll be happy.

 Fantastic ^^

HEART YOUR HEART

Did you give your friends valentines and little heart-shaped candies on Valentine's Day? Do you ever cross your heart when making a promise that you really, really mean? Or turn on the radio to hear a guy singing about his broken heart? We see and hear about hearts everywhere.

A long time ago, people even thought that their emotions came from their hearts, maybe because the heart beats faster when a person is scared or excited. Now we know that emotions come from the brain, and in this case, the brain tells the heart to speed up. So what's the heart up to, then? How does it keep busy? What does it look like? Let's find out.

What it looks like
 
Your Heart is about the same size as a pear. It sits behind your sternum and your ribs on the left side of your body just next to your sternum.
It has four parts,, the left ventricle (say ven-trik-ul)and the right ventricle which are both at the bottom of the heart, and the atrium (say ay-tree-um) and the right atrium at the top.
The heart is two pumps join together.

What it does

The walls of the heart are made of really strong muscles that squeeze and relax to pump blood around the body.
It does this about 90 times a minute if you're a child and 70 times a minute if your are an adult.
 
 
Blood is pushed from the atriums into the ventricles on each side of the heart.
Between them, small valves open and shut with each heartbeat so the blood can only flow in one direction.
The left side of the heart gets the blood from the lungs where it has collected oxygen, and pushes it all round the body through the arteries and the tiny blood vessels called capillaries (say cap-il-a-rees). This blood is a bright red colour.
The right side of the heart gets the blood after it has taken oxygen round the body and sends it back to the lungs for some more oxygen. This blood is carrying carbon dioxide (say car-bon dye-ox-eye-d), which gets breathed out when it reaches the lungs. This blood looks a darker red colour.
So the main job of the heart is to pump blood to every part of the body. The blood carries oxygen and all the food, vitamins and minerals that your body needs to move, think, grow and repair itself. At the same time the blood picks up stuff that your body doesn't need and takes it to those parts of your body that get rid of waste (your lungs, kidneys and liver).
Your blood is pumped all around your body and gets back to your heart in about a minute.

Keep Heart Happy

Most kids are born with a healthy heart and it's important to keep yours in good shape. Here are some things that you can do to help keep your heart happy:

• Remember that your heart is a muscle. If you want it to be strong, you need to exercise it. How do you do it? By being active in a way that gets you huffing and puffing, like jumping rope, dancing, or playing basketball. Try to be active every day for at least 30 minutes! An hour would be even better for your heart!

 

• Eat a variety of healthy foods and avoid foods high in unhealthy fats, such as saturated fats and trans fats (reading the labels on foods can help you figure out if your favorite snacks contain these unhealthy ingredients).
• Try to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
• Avoid sugary soft drinks and fruit drinks.
• Don't smoke. It can damage the heart and blood vessels.

So now you know that your heart doesn't look like a valentine, but it sure deserves to be loved for all the work it does. It started pumping blood before you were born and will continue pumping throughout your whole life.
 

You should know:

The changes in the heart and blood vessels which cause heart attacks in adults are now starting in many more children and young people. They won't have a heart attack while they are kids, but some of the damage is done then.
Keep your heart healthy by eating healthy food, exercising, getting plenty of sleep and having fun!





Credit : 
http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetailsKids.aspx?p=335&np=152&id=1446
http://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/heart.html#