Common Cold In Children – How To Deal With It

What causes common cold? Many believe that hundreds of cold viruses cause infection in the upper respiratory system which in turn brings about common cold. Likely casualties of the infection are noses, throats and ears. Although the most common of these viruses has been identified and known as rhinovirus, the sheer number of cold viruses has made it difficult to find the one dose or vaccination that can effectively prevent or arrest cold. The natural immune system of the human body, harnessing the full force of its white cells, is still the best anti-dote for common cold.

Persons infected by cold viruses scatter the disease when they cough or sneeze. Coughing or sneezing causes the infected person to splutter saliva and sticky liquid called mucus. This liquid contains the virus. When microscopic amounts of the liquid contaminate the surroundings, such as the air or personal items like towels or handkerchiefs, people who come into contact with them become vulnerable to the infection. The virus gets transmitted through the air we breath or through our unclean hands when we touch our noses.

While the act of coughing and sneezing gives rise to the viral contagion, it is also the same process by which persons afflicted with cold prevent the virus from infecting the other parts of the body. The concentration of the cold virus inside the nose and the hostile reaction of the white cells create irritating sensations that prompt the nerves to summon a sudden blast of air from the lungs, sweeping the virus out of the way.

But cold viruses are tenacious. Although of infinitesimal sizes and invisible to the naked eye, they are equipped with mooring contraptions which aid them to fasten themselves onto the interior parts of the nose. They then begin to overpower the cells along the lining of the nose, making it possible for them to multiply even more. The viral assault prompts our white cells to react and fight, often emerging victorious in a week of deadly scuffle.

This explains why after several days we feel relieved from common cold even without medication. Our anti-bodies are hard at work in our defense. Common cold is rather of greater concern to children, whose immune systems are less developed than those of adults. Cold sends children to the doctor more than any other illness does. Research data reveal that a child contracts the cold virus more or less eight times per year, with each infection lasting up to an average of seven days.

It takes three or two days for the symptoms of the disease to emerge when the cold virus infects children. The afflicted child becomes bad-tempered; he or she complains of various discomforts and pain such as sore throat, headache, muscle pain, among many others. He or she feels weak and physically drained. The child often coughs and sneezes, develops runny nose or gets the nasal cavities congested. In some cases cold in children can cause fever and body chills. As cold viruses have definite life cycles, drugs are hardly effective in speeding up the process of a child’s recovery from cold virus infection. But medicines can help arrest further spread of the virus and make the child feel more comfortable.

Although cold is common, children would do well not to take medicine without proper advice. Parents need to be guided by what the doctor prescribes and to oversee the dosage and drugs to be taken by their children. Decongestants ease the irritation and swelling of the nose lining, making it easier for children to breathe. Antihistamines slows down mucus and helps to control sneezing and runny nose. Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen can be taken when the child feels severe heachache and muscle pain.

Aside from medication, food and other forms of treatment can help the child recover quickly from cold. Hot food and drinks help ease throat irritation and coughs. Chicken soup in particular has been known for generations to be effective in providing relief from common cold. Hot showers can freshen stuffy nose. Heat from whatever source induces nasal mucus to dry up. Humidifiers work to loosen the mucus too and ease the irritation brought about by itchy eyes, scratchy and stuffy throats.

Children also need to blow air from the nose frequently to get the mucus out of their body. Using disposable tissues rather than handkerchiefs is better for nose blowing. Above all, total bed rest for one or two days is recommended for children hit by the cold virus.

It takes proper nutrition, physical fitness through exercise, adequate sleep and other practices of healthly living to hasten the full development of the immune system. It still is the child’s best defense against common cold.

About the Author

Abhishek is an expert Baby Shower organizer and he has got some great Baby Shower Secrets up his sleeve! Download his FREE 117 Pages Ebook, “How To Have A Roaringly Successful Baby Shower!” from his website http://www.Childbirth-Guru.com/121/index.htm . Only limited Free Copies available.

What could be wrong with my heart?

Basically sins I was a child I have always had a fluttering heart bear, I mean a flutter where it feels like someone suddenly pushing me in the chest.When I was a child they said they couldn’t detect anything. But lately its been getting worse and when It happens it really knocks the breath out of me. As well as the heart flutter I now also have constant heart palpitations.. I constantly feel like I have just ran a marathon. Also sudden chest tightness and heart pains. I went to the doctors and he said that I have a heart murmur and it could be something like a leaky heart valve. Does anyone thing it could just be something innocent? or could I be in trouble.. I’m only 18

Undergo ECG and echocardiography tests in consultation with a cardiologist. Echocardiography can pin point the cause of heart murmur whether it is a hole in the heart (atrial septal defect or ventricular septal defect or both) or a leaky heart valve.

The Pot and the Peach Pit: Story on Healthy Food for Children

What wonderful peaches the little girl’s mum brought home from the market! First she washed them carefully and put them in a dish, and then she brought them into the room where her daughter was lying in bed sick. The little girl had a bad flu, and for three days she’d had a fever and felt sick to her stomach.

The night before the doctor had taken a look at her and gave her mother some advice: “Go to the market and get her some peaches. They help fight off a sick stomach and are very good for the digestion. They also have a lot of vitamin C and pectins, which are important for fighting off infections.”

“Look how rosy they are!” the pale-faced little girl cried delightedly, reaching for the dish.

“Yes, the peaches are really beautiful,” her mum agreed and offered her daughter the juiciest one. “That’s why they have such a delightful name.”

The peach turned out to be good and sweet, and smelled even better than usual.

“What a big pit it’s got, like a little rock,” the girl said in surprise as she eyed the hefty, wrinkled-looking stone. “I wonder what’s inside?”

“Bitter seeds that smell like almonds,” her mum answered, happy that her daughter seemed to have got some life back into her.

“Mum, if we plant the pit in a pot, will a peach tree grow out of it?” the curious little one asked.

“I think it would, if we remember to take good care of it. But,” her mum admitted, “I’ve never tried growing a fruit tree at home before.”

The girl’s mum had a lot of house plants. Thanks to her wise care they had beautiful-smelling flowers the whole year round.

“Mum, let’s plant the peach pit! Please, mummy!” the little girl said, thinking up everything she could to persuade her. “Just imagine, we’ll have our very own peaches growing right at home. I promise I’ll take care of it.”

“Okay, dear, let’s do it,” her mum eventually agreed, and she brought a spacious pot full of earth in from the balcony.

A few days later, when her daughter was feeling better, the big pot with the wonderful peach pit took up its place beside her bed. For a long time the little girl watched the dark earth that filled the pot almost to the brim, and dreamed of the little peach tree that would grow from it.

“Oh, I wish it would hurry up!” she thought. “I’m just dying to pick a peach from my own darling tree.”

No sooner did she think that thought than a beautiful fairy carrying a basket of peaches flew in and landed on the pot. “I’m the mistress of a big peach orchard,” she explained in a cheery voice, “and I’m giving you this basket of my very best peaches. You’re a clever girl! Not just everyone tries to grow a peach tree in their house, you know.”

With a worried frown the girl asked, “What if my tree doesn’t grow?”

“I’ll tap your pot with my magic peach twig,” the fairy assured her. “Then your tree will be sure to grow.”

“Oh good fairy! I’d love to visit your big orchard, I’ve never seen a peach tree before,” the girl said a little sadly.

“Well, now, that’s not a problem. Just have one of my juicy peaches to get yourself ready for the trip, and we’re off! Did you know that peaches are one of the best fruits for you? They’re just full of fructose sugar and organic acids,” the fairy explained, and she took a big rosy peach from her basket.

“My mum says that peaches have a beautiful name,” the girl said as she munched noisily on the fairy’s gift.

“You must have a wonderful mum,” the fairy said with a smile, and then she tapped the little girl with her magic twig. Suddenly they were in the fairy’s orchard.

“What a delicious smell!” the girl exclaimed as she looked around in delight and breathed in the orchard’s peach-scented air. She set off down a narrow path that ran beside the row of modest trees with wide-spreading branches and reddish-brown, scaly bark. She ran her finger the length of a long, green leaf to its pointed tip.

“Welcome, friend, we’re glad you came to visit,” the trees greeted her in friendly tones, and waved their branches, which were absolutely covered with great rosy peaches. “Continue along this path and you’ll come to our gardener’s house. He’ll serve you up some peach tea with delicious peach jam, and tell you anyting you’d care to ask.”

Soon the girl saw a tidy little house with a kindly man standing on the steps. He smiled and stepped aside to let her pass.

“Please do come in, my dear, it’s been ages since I’ve had any visitors. And today I’ve baked a peach pie using the fairy’s own recipe, you’re sure to love it.”

Over the tea, delicious-smelling jam and flaky pie – which absolutely melted in her mouth – the curious little girl asked all about peaches and peach trees.

“When do peach trees bloom, and what colour are the flowers?”

“The flowers are pinkish-coloured and usually come out even earlier than the leaves, in March or April,” the old gardener answered. “Peach leaves and flowers are like medicine – they relax you. I gather them every year, and dry them.”

“Why have some of your peaches lost their fuzz? They’re smooth.”

“Those are nectarines – that’s what we call fuzzless peaches. The nectarine fairy has a great big tree farm in China , our peach fairy gave her the pits to plant. The trees are a lot like peach trees – they don’t like cold, either – and they get sick from the same diseases, grow the same amount of fruit which are just of full of vitamins and energy, just like fuzzy peaches. Honestly, I can’t imagine what isn’t inside a peach or nectarine: they’ve got iron, and silicon, and phosphor, and plenty of sugar for energy.”

“I think that nectarines are like peaches that are all dressed up,” the little girl said. “Peaches are like a patch of sun on a dull day, and nectarines are like bright sunshine.”

“You’re very observant. Also, nectarine skin doesn’t tear so easily as peach skin, so they’re much easier to collect and store and move from place to place.” the gardener commented with a smile.

“Tell me, please, does the peach fairy have her own house in the orchard, and where has she gone off to? Why did she disappear as soon as I got here?”

“Our peach fairy lives in every peach pit, in every peach tree and every single peach. Sometimes she sleeps in one of her little houses, sometimes she’s busy flying about with her magic twig helping people to grow those marvellous peach trees,” the gardener answered. “Of course, she only goes to those who want to make their trees happy.”

Before long the friendly fairy herself came for the girl and tapped her again with the magic twig, and … she woke up.

“Good morning, darling,” she heard her mother say in a voice she knew so well. “How did you sleep?”

“Mummy, the good peach fairy came to see me, and then she took me to visit her orchard. Just imagine! It was so beautiful! Now I know everything about peaches, and my peach tree is sure to be wonderful, because she tapped the pot with her magic twig.”

Smiling, the little girl cast a fond glance at the pot, where the fairy was asleep inside the cozy pit. And her mother smiled too.

***

Healthy Recipes included in the story:

Fruit soup

- 2 peaches

- 2 apples 1 pear

- 100g cherries

- 2 tbsp soured cream

Remove the peel and seeds from the peaches, apples and pear, chop the fruits into small chunks and place in a bowl. Remove the stones from the cherries. Grind together the cherries and fruit skins. Place the cherries and skins in a pan of boiling water, and simmer for two hours. Pour the fruit-infused water over the bowl of fruit chunks and add the soured cream.

Cheese soufflé with peaches

- 500 g of cottage cheese

- 850 ml. of peach compote

- 1 cup of soured cream

- ½ a cup of caster sugar

Mix the cottage cheese with half a cup of the peach compote, and mix together thoroughly. Mix the soured cream with the caster sugar and add to the cottage cheese mixture. Add the rest of the peach compote and decorate with slices of peach.

About the Author

Lilia and Alexandra are educators and they love to share useful TIPS, stories and recipes on healthy food for kids. Discover new ideas on how to make your child friends with fruits and vegetables. Read and download free fruit and vegs stories at => Wise stories on healthy food Get your healthy food recipes for kids at => Healthy recipes for kids

AM I HAVING PANIC ATTACKS?

None of this ever happened to me before, it all started about 3 months ago (in my sleep).. a little more info, im 21 and I have 2 children. I feel like a horrible mother not being able to Control my emotions. ive been having a really hard time with my patients.. i feel like everything goes wrong and i get angry so so easily. the “panic attacks” usually happens after things just keep on happening that anger me (over and over again) My back always hurts but when im in this state its my upper back like stabbing pain and in my chest then i just don’t have the strength to be angry anymore and im on the verge of breaking down and crying.. but the pain is worse, mostly the back pain. its so bad i feel its hard to breath or even walk. A lot of the symptoms seem like panic attack but ive never seen anything about back pain. Wrong with me? and how can i stop getting so angry all of a sudden?
Im not taking any medications, and i do not take illegal drugs!

when i was a mommy of a “hyper” boy, i found myself angry at him so often, it seemed he was doing things to intentionally set me off. i wish i had known then that children are just being children. and i didn’t know how to be a mommy. i went to bed crying, feeling horrible for the things i had done to him. when more stress was added with the years, i did start having panic attacks. it is important for you to get some help in anger management and how to understand children now, before the years bring on more stress. it only gets worse as they get older. seek medical help in your community. screaming, calling them names like stupid
is verbal abuse. do it before it damages your relationship with your children. they will start screaming and calling you names in return, it is a cycle you may have learned as a child. ask for help, don’t be ashamed. better to start a new way for you and your children to communicate than live in shame and let things get much worse.