Hyperactivity in Children - are Alternative Treatments Viable?
Hyperactivity in children has received a lot of attention in recent years, with many suggested causes and treatments. It’s a subject that gets much debate. Should children with hyperactive behavior be medicated? Are they simply eating the wrong food? Are we labeling “bad” behavior as a disorder, instead?
There are many different positions on the phenomenon of hyperactivity in children, and most people, while they’ve seen children with this behavior, don’t really know a lot about it. Here’s some basic information to help you understand more about it.
Hyperactivity among children is categorized by a number of symptoms, but almost all of them fall into three major categories. Children with this behavior tend to be impulsive, have difficulty paying attention, and have “hyperactivity” - more activity than usual or expected.
Much of the time, parents deal with their children’s behavior by taking them to the doctor or psychiatrist for a prescription - usually Adderall or Ritalin, but others are also available. In some children, this solves the problem, but is medication really the answer?
Many medications intended to treat hyperactivity among children also have other side effects, and are not well understood. This is why more and more people who are dealing with hyperactivity in children they care for are looking for alternative therapies.
Herbal and homeopathic remedies are very effective. In fact studies have shown that these natural remedies are every bit as effective as prescription medicines. But here is what makes them popular. Most of them come without side effects.
Behavioral modification and adjusting children’s diets and environments can go a long way toward improving their behavior and helping them learn to cope with their problem. After all, in a significant percentage of people, hyperactivity doesn’t go away with adulthood, and no one wants to deal with medication as a lifestyle. In addition, medication just doesn’t work for some children.
Different strategies are needed for coping with hyperactivity among children if you’re not going to rely on medication. For instance, it’s very important to make sure that your child sleeps well and consistently. Consistent bedtimes, meal times, and sugar intake can be very important, with a stimulating evening that would result in most children sleeping well causing ADHD kids to be up all night.
In addition, parents and teachers dealing with hyperactivity in children should take a look at overall diet. Avoid offering children with this behavior artificially colored foods, meals high in sugars or refined carbohydrates, and very sweet drinks. This is a smart idea for many kinds, but especially important for those dealing with hyperactivity problems.
Try helping these children develop better habits that will assist them with organization and attention, as well. Removing distractions and coming up with plans that work for the individual can go a long way towards helping hyperactive kids deal with their problems and have an easier time. They’ll also be less of a distraction.
Medication isn’t the only answer when dealing with hyperactivity in children. Hyperactivity among children is a growing problem that needs our attention. It’s time to pay better attention to the little factors that can influence kids’ attention spans, activity levels, and behavior and make corrections to help them.
Diana Ketchen
http://www.articlesbase.com/mental-health-articles/hyperactivity-in-children-are-alternative-treatments-viable-748245.html
Lasik Eye Procedure Recovery
Anyone who has had to wear prescription glasses during the hot humid summer months will be thrilled to know that they can enjoy the summer months prescription glass free. Lasik surgery is an easy procedure that will allow you to be free from wearing glasses on a daily basis.
In order to make sure that your recovery is fast and pain free you need to follow certain guidelines that are enforced by your doctor. Keep in mind that there will most likely be some dryness and discomfort in your eyes once the numbing eye drops have worn off.
The good thing is this discomfort should go away fairly fast. In order to prevent infections your doctor will give you antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medication to reduce any swelling. You may also be given special eye drops to keep them from becoming dry.
After the surgery is completed you are not allowed to swim in a pool, hot tub, or whirlpool for eight weeks. This is because the water can get in your eyes and damage it as well as irritate it. At night you need to shield your eyes for up to four weeks. It is possible for people to rub their eyes or roll over on them while they are sleeping. This can irritate the eyes and slow down the healing process.
For eight weeks you are also not allowed to participate in any contact sports or other strenuous activities. This can hurt anyone with normal eyes - but also with those people who are recovering from lasik surgery.
Before you begin to panic you need to make sure that it takes three to eight weeks for the personĂ¢??s eyes to stabilize and completely recover. Because of that you might experience symptoms that can develop. These symptoms include; haloes, glare, and a difficulty in driving.
If these symptoms last longer than you should wait until the vision is fully functional. Preexisting conditions that occurred before the surgery may not be fixed after the surgery is completed.
nlwest21
http://www.articlesbase.com/vision-articles/lasik-eye-procedure-recovery-742406.html
Seasonal Affective Disorder (sad) ? Try Light Therapy
Thousands of people every year go into a sort of depression, once fall comes. This is called SAD (seasonal affective disorder). Thousands more suffer from jet lag which is the curse of modern day travel. These two problems are closely related in that their causes are similar. There is one solution for both problems and that is the use of light therapy.
How can a light therapy lamp help in getting over jet lag or indeed in help a person to overcome SAD? As the days get shorter and shorter as winter approaches, the SAD sufferer will go into a sort of depression because s/he needs light. When there is snow, people tend to suffer less from SAD as there is so much more light.
The precise cause of seasonal affective disorder isn’t known, but genetics and your age may be factors. In fact most sufferers are women around the age of thirty but it can strike anybody in the age range 15 -55.The general recommendation for most people with seasonal affective disorder is to begin treatment with light therapy in the early fall, as soon as the earliest symptoms start. Light therapy in seasonal affective disorder is independent of time of day or circadian phase.
Sunlight and natural light are essential to our natural biological rhythms. Once there is a change in these rhythms, then our bodies have difficulty in adjusting. Shorter days and long haul flights upset our natural clocks. Table-lamps are ideal at twilight when the light begins to fade.
If your doctor suggests you try light therapy, you may use a specially made light box, or a light visor that you wear on your head like a cap. Generally, light therapy takes about 30 minutes each day throughout the fall and winter, when you’re most likely to be depressed. If light therapy helps you, you’ll continue using it until enough sunlight is available, typically in the springtime.
How many times has a holiday or a business appointment been ruined by jet lag ? It can last for days after arrival. Every time we cross a few time zones quickly, then we are likely to suffer from this condition. It can have negative effects on your judgement in a business deal and can also make you feel even more depressed when you are trying to get used to your normal routine, once back at home.
Your body clock will not be able to keep with the plane as it crosses several time zones very quickly so it will end up out of sync with the destination time. In addition changes to night and daytime come very quickly and the rhythms which normally decide our eating and sleeping routine are all out of gear. In addition, the rhythm of our body temperature will be skewed as well.
The best way to recover from jet lag and a SAD, is to invest in a sad light box or table lamp. No faddy anti-jet lag diets which you have to start way before the journey and continue afterwards. Some people take sleeping pills which can lead to fatal blood clots. Melatonin has been known to be effective. But the best, most natural way is the sad table lamp.
Robert William Locke
http://www.articlesbase.com/mental-health-articles/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad-try-light-therapy-675383.html