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Health Tip: Taking Your Child's Temperature

(HealthDay News) -- If your child appears sick and might be running a fever, it's important to take his temperature properly.

There are different kinds of thermometers, but certain types may be better suited to your child's age range, the American Academy of Family Physicians says. Here are the group's recommendations:

* For children younger than 3 months, a digital thermometer should be used rectally. Electronic ear thermometers are not recommended, as ear canals are typically too small at this age to get an accurate reading.
* For children between 3 and 4 months, a digital thermometer used rectally or an electronic ear thermometer both should provide accurate readings.
* For children aged 4 and older, digital thermometers used orally will suffice. If the child has a cough, stuffy nose or has difficulty with an oral thermometer, an electronic ear thermometer or digital thermometer placed under the arm should work.

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Health Tip: Exercising During Pregnancy

(HealthDay News) -- Assuming your doctor approves, exercise can help keep you healthy and feeling good during pregnancy.

While you should avoid strenuous activity, light exercise can offer many benefits during pregnancy.

The Nemours Foundation offers this partial list:

* Feeling better, having more energy, and getting better sleep at night.
* Reduced back pain and improved posture from stronger back, thigh and buttock muscles.
* Reduced stress and anxiety.
* Reduced risk of constipation.
* Less weight gain during pregnancy, and a quicker return to your pre-pregnancy weight.

Your body should tell you if it's had enough. Stop exercising immediately if you have any of the following symptoms:

* Fatigue.
* Dizziness.
* Heart palpitations.
* Shortness of breath.
* Pain in your back or pelvis.

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Health Tip: Is Your Baby Ready for Solid Food?

If your baby is about 4 months old, you may be considering feeding her some solid food. But how do you know if your baby is ready?

The Nemours Foundation offers this checklist:

* Has she lost her tongue-thrusting reflex? This reflex -- which prevents her from choking on formula -- could cause her to push solid food from her mouth with her tongue.
* Can your baby hold her head up on her own? Before eating solid food, she needs to be able to support her own head and neck.
* Is she interested in food other than a bottle? If she is watching and reaching for your food, she's probably ready to try a few bites of her own.

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Health Tip: Understanding Raynaud's Disease

Raynaud's disease is a rare disorder in which the blood vessels occasionally narrow and reduce blood supply to areas like the fingers, toes and lips.

If the condition occurs without any known cause, it is known as Raynaud's disease. If it occurs as a result of a known cause, it's known as Raynaud's phenomenon.

In both types of Raynaud's, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute says, narrowed vessels can be triggered by events like exposure to cold temperatures, stress and other emotions. The areas to which the blood supply is reduced -- most commonly fingers and toes -- may turn white or develop a bluish tinge. Less often, the condition affects the nose, ears, nipples and lips.

Once blood flow has returned to normal, the skin on the affected area may turn red, throb or feel numb or tingly.

For most people, Raynaud's is more of a bother than a dangerous condition, the institute says. But people with severe cases can suffer tissue damage, it adds.

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How to get healthy in 4 hours a week

A Nielsen Media Research report from fall 2006 shows that the average American spends four hours and 35 minutes watching television each day. Each week, television viewing adds up to more than 30 hours — well beyond a part-time job.

Other reports show that national and local commercials now total an average of eight minutes for every half-hour show. So the average viewer is watching 40 minutes of commercials a day, or more than four and a half hours weekly.

Television is not necessarily wasted time, as people use it to relax and learn. But lack of time is one of the most commonly reported reasons that people don’t exercise or plan and prepare healthier meals. Perhaps it is worth considering the benefits that the time you spend watching television could bring.

A gold mine of time
If lack of time keeps you from adopting some healthful habits but you aren’t ready to reduce your television-watching time, you might reconsider the way you spend your commercial-watching time. There are several different approaches you could take to make use of this gold mine of time.

First, you could use commercial times to accomplish those health-supporting tasks you never seem to get done. Many people find that one of the secrets to healthier eating is to plan meals ahead. This allows you to grocery shop more efficiently and avoid the stress that comes when you haven’t given dinner a thought until a few minutes before you hope to eat. In the course of an hour of television programming, you could plan close to a week’s worth of meals and perhaps even write the grocery list for a weekly shopping trip.

People often say that they would like to save money and eat better by bringing their lunch to work, but that they have no time to make it. Others say they find no time to prepare the fruit they’d like to have with their breakfast. Commercials offer plenty of time to do these tasks. You could also assemble foods for the next day’s breakfast.

What about fitness goals that are never met? In a single commercial break you could do several sets of crunches to tone those ab muscles, other strength-training exercises or stretches to improve your flexibility. Stashing weights or exercise bands near the television allows you to readily start an activity when the commercials start.

A second approach is to use commercials to take care of small general tasks that eat up the time you’d like to spend going for a walk or attending a fitness class. By using commercials to pay bills, do laundry and sort through mail and e-mails, the average American can accumulate more than four hours of time saved in the course of a week, enough to make a substantial boost in exercise time.

Technology offers a third option. If you have a recording technology, you can record television shows and fast-forward through the commercials. You can finish four and a half hours of television shows in fewer than four hours. The trick, however, is to use the extra time to work for you, instead of to watch yet another show.

Nutrition Notes is provided by the American Institute for Cancer Research in Washington, D.C.

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Health Tip: Monitor Your Child's TV Watching

(HealthDay News) -- Too much time in front of the TV can lead to aggressive behavior and a tendency to engage in risky, unhealthy activities, the American Academy of Pediatrics says.

Parents should set rules around TV watching, including limiting time to no more than one hour or two hours each day, and never while doing homework. Carefully choose shows that your child is allowed to watch, and watch the shows with your child when you can.

Try to avoid watching shows that may convey stereotypes or inappropriate messages for children, the AAP says. Also look for educational, appropriate videos made to help children learn, grow, and develop mentally.

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Health Tip: If Your Blood Sugar is Low

(HealthDay News) -- Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, occurs when the body's supply of sugar becomes too low. This is very common in diabetics, especially if too much insulin is administered to prevent high blood sugar (sometimes called an insulin reaction).
Here are warning signs of low blood sugar, courtesy of the American Academy of Family Physicians:

* Headache.
* Confusion, nervousness or anxiety.
* Dizziness and shaking.
* Sweating.
* Rapidly beating heart.
* A powerful feeling of hunger.

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Health Tip: Understanding Trans Fats

(HealthDay News) -- Trans fats, also called hydrogenated fats, are man-made compounds that are made from processed liquid oils. These harmful fats will raise bad cholesterol, and could lower a person's good cholesterol levels.
Because these fats are so thick and stiff,they can also clog up arteries and blood vessels, which can lead to heart attack or stroke, says the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Trans fats are commonly found in processed foods such as potato chips, cookies, doughnuts, cakes and many fast foods. You can avoid trans fats by choosing natural, healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and whole grain breads and cereals. Check ingredient labels for hydrogenated fats, and try to avoid those foods.

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Health Tip: Low Blood Pressure May Be Dangerous, Too

(HealthDay News) -- Low blood pressure (hypotension) occurs when the pressure within the artery walls is too low during and after a heartbeat. If it becomes too low, blood flow to the heart, brain and other organs may be compromised.
The most common symptoms of low blood pressure are dizziness and feeling lightheaded, says the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

The condition can be caused by certain medications, including anti-anxiety drugs, high blood pressure and other cardiovascular medications, antidepressants and narcotics.

Other potential causes include heart attack, dehydration, irregular heartbeat, heart failure, anaphylaxis, shock or diabetes.

If you have low pressure and begin to feel dizzy or lightheaded, have black or maroon stools, chest pain, shortness of breath, an irregular heartbeat, fever higher than 101 degrees, or severe upper back pain, contact your doctor at once.

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