Health Check Qatar - November 2015

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Wednesday, November 25, 2015

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ICEP-Qatar 2016 Overview

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he ICEP-Q 2016 will be a major international event in Emergency Medicine and Public Health, involving a great lineup of distinguished international speakers from a wide spectrum of emergency care and public health organizations across the world. We expect more than 1000 delegates from all around the world to come together for this unique event to share and discuss their experience in the field of Emergency Medicine and Public Health.

Emergency Medicine as a specialty holds an integral position in addressing several public health concerns such as management of chronic conditions, injuries and health risks and the delivery of clinical and preventive services. In Qatar and many other parts of the world, Emergency Departments serve as points of entry into the healthcare system for a large percentage of the population; hence the conference intends to highlight the importance of focusing on the crucial interface between two major domains of healthcare - Emergency Medicine and Public Health. Additionally, emergency departments serve as sites of surveillance for the public health community.

Public health refers to all organized measures, whether public or private, to prevent disease, promote health and prolong life among the population as a whole. Its activities aim to provide conditions in which people can be healthy and it focuses on entire populations, not on individual patients or diseases. Thus, public health is concerned with the total system and not only the eradication of a particular disease.

The scientific program aims to cover infectious disease, trauma, pediatric emergency medicine, medical toxicology, emergency ultrasound, medical education, emergency psychiatry, pre-hospital and disaster medicine, emergency nursing and many other relevant topics. The scientific program will be further enriched by an exhibition featuring the latest innovations in healthcare, technology and pharmaceuticals.

FIRST STEM CELL TRANSPLANTS IN QATAR SUCCESSFUL HAMAD MEDICAL CORPORATION (HMC) ANNOUNCED THAT A HIGHLY SPECIALIZED TEAM OF CLINICIANS AT THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR CANCER CARE AND RESEARCH (NCCCR) HAS SUCCESSFULLY PERFORMED THE FIRST STEM CELL TRANSPLANTS IN THE COUNTRY IN A SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT FOR QATAR IN TREATING BLOOD CANCERS

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he procedure was carried out on two expatriates who have an aggressive form of blood cancer, called myeloma.

Stem cell transplant is a highly effective therapy and often the only hope for a cure or for a longer life for patients with blood cancers. At HMC, the program started off by using the patients’ own stem cells for transplant, known as autologous transplant. The healthy stem cells were collected from the patients’ blood using a special mobilization process and equipment.

This process being undertaken at NCCCR is the more advanced technique, and it is the most convenient and safe method for the patient. The preparation of the patients took days and the procedures took several hours and required the involvement of highly trained expert staff. Once the harvest of cells was completed, the patients had a break while the cells were examined and stored properly, then they were admitted to hospital for a high dose of chemotherapy that killed off their bone marrow, followed by a transplant. The healthy cells that were harvested were transplanted back into their system to enable healthy, disease-free bone marrow to grow.

“We have been working on the development of the Stem Cell Transplant Program at Hamad for some time now,” HMC Managing Director Dr. Hanan Al Kuwari said in a speech given on her behalf at a press conference by HMC Executive Director of Corporate Communications Ali Abdulla Al Khater. “Up until now, patients who would benefit from this type of advanced treatment would have to have been treated abroad. This increased their risk of infection, due to the travel involved, and meant the recovery time was longer than it would be if we were able to treat them here in Qatar. As such, this is a tremendous step forward for Hamad as an academic healthcare provider and for our blood cancer patients who are in real need of this highly specialized treatment,” she added.

Dr. Al Kuwari went on to explain that there have been significant collaborative, quality, education and research components on stem cell transplantation carried out at NCCCR. “We have been working with some of the worlds’ leading experts in the field to set up a program that adheres to international best practice and standards and that is sustainable here in Qatar. Development of programs like this is so important because it helps us deliver the safest, most effective care for our patients – we want to make sure they are given the best possible opportunity for a long and healthy life.” Professor Alexander Knuth, medical director at NCCCR, has been leading the development of the stem cell transplant program, which has been carried out by a multi-disciplinary team at NCCCR. “This is an amazing clinical advance-

ment for Hamad and NCCCR. A stem cell transplant program takes meticulous planning, highly specialized education and training, a world-class clinical environment to work within and a top-performing, multi-disciplinary team to be successful. We have spent the last year working with the top medical institutions in the world, ensuring our staff have [sic] all the necessary skills and expertise to deliver this very important program. These successful transplants of healthy stem cells are a result of our successful intensive team work over the last few months. Stem Cell Transplant represents highly specialized medicine, and to be delivering a program of this caliber in Qatar, indicates the advanced level of cancer services we can provide for our population, as well as positioning us as a leader in the region in cancer care.”

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FIRST UTERUS TRANSPLANT C PLANNED IN US

rossing new frontiers ininfertility treatment and organ transplantation, Cleveland Clinic doctors hope to transplant a uterus from a deceased donor into a woman without one.

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IT’S THOUGHT THAT AS MANY AS 50,000 U.S. WOMEN MIGHT BE POTENTIAL CANDIDATES FOR THE PROCEDURE.

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xpert advises washing knives, peelers between each use on different types of produce

Kitchen utensils such as knives and graters can spread bacteria between different types of produce, a new study finds.

University of Georgia researchers contaminated different types of fruits and vegetables with bacteria such as salmonella and E. coli. They cut the produce with a knife or shredded it with a grater, then used the unwashed utensils on other produce.

Both utensils spread the bacteria to other types of produce, the study found.

The researchers also found that certain types of produce contaminated knives to different degrees.

“For items like tomatoes, we tended to have a higher contamination of the knives than when we cut strawberries,” said lead author Marilyn Erickson, an associate professor in the department of food science and technology.

“We don’t have a specific answer as to why there are differences between the different produce groups. But we do know that once a pathogen gets on the food, it’s difficult to remove,” she said in a university news release.

Further testing revealed that brushes and peelers also transfer bacteria between produce.

Many people don’t know that kitchen utensils can spread bacteria, Erickson said.

“Just knowing that utensils may lead to cross-contamination is important,” she said. “With that knowledge, consumers are then more likely to make sure they wash them in between uses.”

The study results were published recently in the journal Food Microbiology.

(Source : WebMD)

The innovative procedure -- tentatively scheduled for the next few months -- would enable a woman with ovaries but no uterus to become pregnant and deliver a child. Eight women have reportedly started the screening process.

These women were either born without a uterus -- a condition that affects 1 of every 4,500 newborn girls -- or have had their uterus removed or it is damaged, according to The New York Times.

The clinical trial, a first in the United States, was announced Thursday, a year after the first live birth from a uterine transplant occurred in Sweden. In Sweden, however, live donors are used.

The Cleveland Clinic doctors decided on deceased donors to avoid putting healthy women at risk, the newspaper said.

A donor and recipient would have to have matching blood and tissue type.

The hospital plans to attempt the procedure 10 times before deciding whether to continue with it, according to the Times.

“There are women who won’t adopt or have surrogates, for reasons that are personal, cultural or religious,” said Dr. Andreas Tzakis, director of solid organ transplant surgery at a Cleveland Clinic hospital in Weston, Fla., who is spearheading the project.

“These women know exactly what this is about. They’re informed of the risks and benefits. They have a lot of time to think about it, and think about it again. Our job is to make it as safe and successful as possible,” he told the Times.

It’s thought that as many as 50,000 U.S. women might be potential candidates for the procedure.

The transplantation process is not without risks. The women must take powerful transplant anti-rejection drugs, undergo surgery to implant the uterus and likely face a subsequent surgery to remove the organ after one or two babies are born, the newspaper said.

Removing the donor uterus would limit the time spent taking the powerful anti-rejection drugs, the doctors explained.

(Source : WebMD)

Kitchen Utensils Can Spread Bacteria, Study Finds PUBLISHED BY

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ff-label” drug use puts patients at risk for serious side effects, especially when scientific evidence is lacking, a new study finds.

Physicians prescribe “off-label” when they recommend drugs for uses that have not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It’s a common and legal practice.

It’s also hard to track, because U.S. doctors aren’t required to document the reason for prescribing a treatment.

But in what may be the most extensive review of the practice to date, a Canadian-U.S. research team found reason for concern.

Patients prescribed off-label drugs without strong scientific evidence were 54 percent more likely to experience an adverse event, such as a drug reaction, drug interaction or allergic response, forcing them to stop taking the drugs, the study found.

“We are not saying that off-label is bad,” said Dr. Tewodros Eguale, who led a research team at McGill University in Montreal. “But when it’s off-label and there’s no strong scientific evidence, we showed that there’s a high risk of adverse drug events.”

Among drugs commonly prescribed off-label, the researchers foundhallucinations were linked to the antidepressant trazodone (Oleptro), often ordered to treat insomnia. And weight gain was associated with the schizophrenia drug Zyprexa (olanzapine), which is frequently prescribed off-label for depression.

Off-label drug use should be part of the discussion between patients and their physicians, he said.

The study was published online Nov. 2 in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

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BEWARE SAFETY RISKS POSED BY ‘OFF-LABEL’ DRUG USE

PHYSICIANS PRESCRIBE “OFF-LABEL” WHEN THEY RECOMMEND DRUGS FOR USES THAT HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED BY THE U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION.

Doctors have many reasons to prescribe off-label. The arsenal of medications to treat a condition may be limited, patients may have exhausted other drug options or medicines with good evidence may not have gone through the FDA process.

“Off-label use is higher than it should be, in part because the FDA does less than physicians and the public thinks it does,” said Dr. Randall Stafford, director of the Program on Prevention Outcomes and Practices at Stanford University in Palo

Alto, Calif.

He said the FDA judges a drug’s safety and effectiveness for a single clinical condition.

(Source : WebMD)

Fish Oil to Treat Depression?

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ave thinks a lot about fish these days. Study after study has suggested benefits for omega-3 fatty acids, which are plentiful in certain fish oils. But what intrigues Dave isn’t that omega-3s might reduce his risk ofheart attack, or ease the pain of arthritis. He’s hoping to lubricate his mind.

There are few effective treatments against the disease, so the news is a hot topic now at support groups for manic-depressives, like the Berkeley, CA, group in which Dave participates.

A handful of small studies have suggested that omega-3 fatty acids can help smooth out the mood swings of bipolar disorder.

The first news to attract attention was a 1998 report in the Journal of Affective Disorders. Researchers noted significantly lower levels of omega-3s in the red blood cell membranes of patients with depression.

Then in the May 1999 Archives of General Psychiatry, Andrew Stoll, MD, and colleagues reported a study of fish oil in 30 manic-depressive patients. Sixty-four percent of those who took 10 grams of fish oil per day for four months reported a marked improvement in their symptoms. By contrast, only 19 percent of those receiving the placebobenefited.

These studies aren’t the only research that points to the benefits of fish oil for mood problems. “There are a lot of reasons to believe it works,” says Stoll. “In countries where the average fish consumption is high we see lower rates of depression.”

On the biochemical front, researchers point out that cell membranes are made up partly of omega-3s. It is possible that increasing the omega-3 levels makes it easier for serotonin -- a chemical that carries messages from one brain cell to another -- to pass through cell membranes. “Research still needs to be done on the exact mechanisms involved,” Stoll notes, “but we do know that omega-3 does affect the membranes and changes functioning.” And increasing omega-3 “has direct effects on serotonin levels.”

Joseph Hibbeln, MD, a psychiatrist at the National Institute of Health, thinks omega-3s might explain why the rate of depression is rising in the United States.

In a health-conscious push to rid our diets of saturated fats andcholesterol, Americans have been eating less red meat and eggs -two good sources of omega-3s. Furthermore, we have been switching to the polyunsaturated fats, such as corn, soybean, and sunflower oils, which are relatively low in omega-3s.

(Source : WebMD)

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ANXIETY DISORDERS T

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FOR PEOPLE WITH ANXIETY DISORDERS, WORRY AND FEAR ARE CONSTANT AND OVERWHELMING, AND CAN BE CRIPPLING

here are several types of anxiety disorders including panic disorder,social anxiety disorder, specific phobias, and generalized anxiety disorder.

Anxiety is a normal human emotion that everyone experiences at times.

Many people feel anxious, or nervous, when faced with a problem at work, before taking a test, or making an important decision.Anxiety disorders, however, are different. They can cause such distress that it interferes with a person’s ability to lead a normal life.

An anxiety disorder is a serious mental illness. For people with anxiety disorders, worry and fear are constant and overwhelming, and can be crippling.

The exact cause of anxiety disorders is unknown; but anxiety disorders -- like other forms of mental illness -- are not the result of personalweakness, a character flaw, or poor upbringing. As scientists continue their research on mental illness, it is becoming clear that many of these disorders are caused by a combination of factors, including changes in the brain and environmental stress.

Like other brain illnesses, anxiety disorders may be caused by problems in the functioning of brain circuits that regulate fear and other emotions.

Studies have shown that severe or long-lasting stress can change the way nerve cells within these circuits transmit information from one region of the brain to another. Other studies have shown that people with certain anxiety disorders have changes in certain brain structures that control memories linked with strong emotions. In addition, studies have shown that anxiety disorders run in families, which means that they can at least partly be inherited from one or both parents, like the risk for heart disease or cancer. Moreover, certain environmental factors -- such as a trauma or significant event -- may trigger an anxiety disorder in people who have an inherited susceptibility to developing the disorder.

Anxiety disorders affect millions of adult Americans. Most anxiety disorders begin in childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. They occur slightly more often in women than in men, and occur with equal frequency in whites, African-Americans, and Hispanics.

(Source : WebMD.com)

Mental Health Assessment A

mental health assessment gives your doctor an overall picture of how well you feel emotionally and how well you are able to think, reason, and remember (cognitive functioning). Your doctor will ask you questions and examine you. You might answer some of the doctor’s questions in writing. Your doctor will pay attention to how you look and your mood, behavior, thinking, reasoning, memory, and ability to express yourself. Your doctor will also ask questions about how you get along with other people, including your family and friends. Sometimes the assessment includes lab tests, such as blood or urine tests.

A mental health assessment may be done by your primary care doctor or by a psychiatrist, psychologist, or social worker.

A mental health assessment for a child is geared to the child’s age and stage of development.

A mental health assessment is done to: • Find out about and check on mental health problems, such asanxiety, depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, andanorexia nervosa.

• Help tell the difference between mental and physical health problems.

• Evaluate a person who has been referred for mental health treatment because of problems at school, work, or home. For example, a mental health assessment may be used to find out if a child has learning disabilities or behavior disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder (CD), orobsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

• Check the mental health of a person who has been hospitalized or arrested for a crime, such as drunken driving or physical abuse.

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A MENTAL HEALTH ASSESSMENT FOR A CHILD IS GEARED TO THE CHILD’S AGE AND STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT

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... WOMEN HEALTH ...

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ARE FEMININE HYGIENE PRODUCTS SAFE? A

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PRODUCT MAKERS AND THE FDA SAY SANITARY AND FEMININE HYGIENE PRODUCTS ARE SAFE, BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN EITHER NO RISKY CHEMICALS OR ONLY TRACE AMOUNTS

typical woman goes through more than 12,000 sanitary pads or tampons over the decades that she has her period.

But is long-term use of sanitary protection safe?

Members of Congress and women’s health advocacy groups have raised concerns about a lack of research into the safety of tampons, pads, and other feminine hygiene products such as douches.

“The reality is menstrual health has been considered a taboo subject for too long,” Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-NY, says in an email. “It’s time that feminine hygiene products are thoroughly researched so that we can ensure that complete and accurate information is being collected and made readily accessible.”

U.S. sales of tampons and sanitary pads totaled $3 billion last year, according to a report by Euromonitor International.

“There is no research that unequivocally declares these feminine hygiene products are safe, and independent studies by women’s health organizations have found chemicals of concern like dioxin, carcinogens, and reproductive toxins in tampons

and pads,” Maloney wrote in April in an op-ed piece in The Guardian, a British newspaper.

Product makers and the FDA say sanitary and feminine hygiene products are safe, because they contain either no risky chemicals or only trace amounts. But Maloney and other women’s health advocates argue that no one can be sure, because studies of their effects over a woman’s lifetime haven’t been done. Meanwhile, an official with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) says agency scientists are working with the EPA to look at chemicals of concern in personal care products such as tampons and pads.

Philip Tierno, Jr., PhD, a clinical professor of microbiology and pathology at the NYU School of Medicine, has long studied the microorganisms that live in the vagina and the workings of toxic shock syndrome, a rare, potentially fatal condition that is linked to the use of highly absorbent tampons.

“Women assume that the FDA or other bodies have looked at the matter, and, therefore, whatever product is on the market is safe,” Tierno says.

“And that’s incorrect.”

(Source : WebMD.com)

Surprise Pregnancy: Could It Happen to You?

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t happens more often than you might think. Almost half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned.

“If you’re a woman and haven’t gone through menopause yet, then it’s possible for you to get pregnant,” says Siobhan Dolan, MD, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology and women’s health at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

You can take steps to improve your chances of conceiving only when you’d like to.

As the saying goes, the only form of birth control that’s 100% effective is abstinence. “Most of the time, birth control does work, but ‘accidents’ can happen,” Dolan says.

Condoms, birth control pills, intrauterine devices (IUDs), and other methods usually work 80% to more than 90% of the time. And permanent birth control, like female sterilization or male vasectomy, has a failure rate of less than 1%.

If you use birth control wrong,

your chances of getting pregnant go up. Sometimes it’s obvious that it didn’t work, like when a condom breaks. In that case, you may want to take a second step, like the over-thecounter “morning after” pill. It can prevent pregnancy up to 5 days after unprotected sex. But if you don’t notice an error like a small hole in a condom, or that you missed your daily pill, you could become pregnant.

The single biggest reason for unplanned pregnancy isn’t ineffective birth control -- it’s from a couple not using any contraception. “Some women may not use birth control regularly, and others not at all,” says Maureen Phipps, MD, chief of obstetrics and gynecology at Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island.

“They may not like it, might not have access to it, or may even have a partner who doesn’t want them to use it.”

Many times, women or their partners aren’t sure if they want a child or not, Phipps says. “They’re not plan-

ning [to have a baby], but they’re not actively trying to avoid pregnancy, either. And they end up getting pregnant.”

Some women don’t realize that they could get pregnant. If you’ve struggled with infertility in the past, don’t have regular periods, or are in perimenopause (the time period before menopause, which can lead to light or irregular periods), it’s still possible for you to conceive, though you don’t expect it.

If you still get your periods -- even if they aren’t regular -- and you don’t want to get pregnant, you “should keep using birth control,” Dolan says.

Once you go through menopause (meaning you’re no longer menstruating and it’s been a full year since you’ve had a period), then it’s safe to assume you can have sex without contraception and not get pregnant.

You will still need to protect yourself from sexually transmitted diseases, though.

(Source : WebMD.com)

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AS THE SAYING GOES, THE ONLY FORM OF BIRTH CONTROL THAT’S 100% EFFECTIVE IS ABSTINENCE

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ANGIOPLASTY & SURVIVAL FOR HEART DISEASE PATIENTS

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ost people should try medication plus lifestyle changes first, experts say Angioplasty -- the procedure used to open narrowed or blocked arteries -- doesn’t seem to lengthen life for people with stable heart disease and chest pain, a new study finds.

After 15 years of follow-up, the study found that people who hadangioplasty fared no better than those who had their heart disease treated with medication and lifestyle changes alone. “[Angioplasty and] stenting is effective and improves survival when performed early in the course of a heart attack,” said lead researcher Dr. Steven Sedlis, an associate professor of medicine at NYU Medical School in New York City.

“But the benefits of routine [angioplasty and] stenting for patients with stable heart disease have been uncertain and highly controversial.”

During the angioplasty procedure, a small tube may be placed in the blood vessel to keep it open. This is called stenting.

Routine angioplasty and stenting don’t improve long-term survival, and this study supports current guidelines that recommend medications first, Sedlis said. Angioplasty and stenting should be reserved for patients whose symptoms cannot be controlled by medications, he explained.

Co-author Dr. William Boden, a professor of medicine at Albany Medical College in Al-

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ABOUT ONE MILLION ANGIOPLASTIES ARE DONE EACH YEAR IN THE UNITED STATES, AND ABOUT 500,000 ARE DONE IN PATIENTS WITH STABLE HEART DISEASE

bany, N.Y., said, “We know that in heart attack patients, angioplasty can be lifesaving.”

But in patients with stable heart disease -even those with chest pain -- medication and lifestyle changes (or “medical therapy”) may be the best way to minimize the risk of heart attacks and heart-related death, he said.

Boden explained that medical therapy includes drugs to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and aspirin to reduce the risk of blood clots. In addition, patients may receive lifestyle counseling to help them quit smoking, and improve their weight through exercise and eating a healthy diet.

About one million angioplasties are done each year in the United States, and about 500,000 are done in patients with stable heart disease, Boden said.

Stable heart disease refers to chest pain that occurs in a predictable pattern, such as when you’ve been exercising for a certain period of time. Stable heart disease is usually relieved by rest or with medication, the American Heart Association (AHA) says. Unstable heart disease is unpredictable or surprising chest pain. It usually occurs when you’re resting. Unstable chest pain often leads to a heart attack, according to the AHA. (source : WebMD.com)

What Level of Vitamin D Promotes Heart Health?

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esearchers say they’ve identified the minimum level of vitamin D needed for goodheart health.

Previous research has shown that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke, but the level of deficiency associated with such risk was unclear, the researchers said.

Having a vitamin D level anywhere above 15 nanograms per milliliter is fine for heart health, according to a team at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City.

“Although vitamin D levels above 30 were traditionally considered to be normal, more recently, some researchers have proposed that anything above 15 was a safe level. But the numbers hadn’t been backed up with research until now,” lead researcher Dr. J. Brent Muhlestein, co-director of cardiovascular research, said in an institute news release.

“Even if any level above 15 is safe, one

out of 10 people still have vitamin D levels lower than that. This equates to a very large percentage of our population. The best way to determine one’s vitamin D level is by getting a blood test,” he added.

The study, which included 230,000 people who were followed for three years, was presented this week at the American Heart Association’s annual meeting, in Orlando, Fla. Research presented at meetings is typically viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

The body naturally produces vitamin D when exposed to the sun. The vitamin is also found in foods such as fish, fish liver oils, egg yolks, and some dairy and grain products. Vitamin D supplements are another option, the researchers said.

“This study sheds new light and direction on which patients might best benefit from taking vitamin D supplements,” Muhlestein said.

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THE BODY NATURALLY PRODUCES VITAMIN D WHEN EXPOSED TO THE SUN.

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... PAEDIATRICS & CHILD HEALTH ...

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HOW TO RAISE A SMART BABY

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WHILE EXPERTS SAY BABY BRAIN DEVELOPMENT IS STILL LARGELY A MYSTERY, WHAT WE DO KNOW IS JUST HOW GREAT A ROLE NATURAL PARENTING INSTINCTS CAN PLAY IN PUTTING YOUR BABY ON THE FAST TRACK TO SUCCESS.

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cademic achievement. College scholarship. Presidential aspirations.

These used to be phrases parents tossed around at their kid’s high school graduation.

Today, it’s a new form of “baby talk.” From maternity wards to toddler play groups to mommy chat rooms, how to raise a smart baby is a key focus of conversation and concern.

“Parents have always wanted the best for their babies, but now it seems there really is a much more focused attempt, and more worry and concern about doing the right thing to encourage baby’s growth and development, particularly braindevelopment,” says Nina Sazer O’Donnell, director of National Strategies for Success By 6, a United Way of America learning initiative.

The concerns are not without merit. While a portion of a baby’s 100 billion braincells are prewired at birth -- mostly the ones connected to breathing, heartbeat, and other physiological survival functions -- it is during the first five years of life that much of the essential wiring linked to learning is laid down.

“What occurs during the first five years of life can have an enormous impact on not only

how well the baby’s brain develops at the moment, but how well that baby learns and grows throughout their lifetime,” says Christopher P. Lucas, MD, director of the Early Childhood Service at the NYU Child Study Center and associate professor ofchild and adolescent psychiatry at the NYU School of Medicine.

While experts say baby brain development is still largely a mystery, what we do know is just how great a role natural parenting instincts can play in putting your baby on the fast track to success.

As society gave birth to a brave new hightech world, parents everywhere began assuming that high-tech learning was essential if baby was to grow up and prosper.

Turns out, nothing could be further from the truth.

Indeed, one popular form of smart baby technology -- learning videos such as Baby Einstein -- received low marks in a study designed to evaluate their effectiveness in helping baby brain development. The research, published in the Journal of Pediatrics, showed that not only were these so-called baby brain tools not helpful, they may actually slow word learning. (source : WebMD.com)

How to Start Your Baby on Solid Foods Y

our baby watches you eat, and you swear it seems like she wants to get in on the action. She opens her mouth and reaches for your food. Could it be time to start her on solids?

If your baby is between 4 and 6 months old, can hold her head up, and can sit in a high chair independently, then she’s ready to try eating. (If you breastfeed, ask your doctor if you should hold off on solid foods until your baby is 6 months old. The reason: to provide her with the best nutrition.)

If you try feeding her a small spoonful and the food just dribbles out, you may want to try again in a few weeks. Babies are born with a reflex that makes them push out their tongue when something is put in their mouth. Over time it goes away.

Most babies get their first taste of solid food from a spoon. When you think solid, you may not realize that first solid foods are pretty thin and runny.

Many parents choose to first offer their

babies baby cereal (rice, oats, or barley).

Choose a cereal product that’s made just for babies. It’s like porridge and will have extra iron in it.

To make it, you’ll mix some of the powdered cereal with breast milk or baby formula. Over time, as she’s able to handle thicker and thicker things, you can add less liquid.

No rule says that babies must eat cereal before any other type of food. Some doctors suggest pureed vegetables as an ideal first food. Others say that pureed fruits are fine.

Ask your doctor for advice, and talk about any allergy or other concerns you may have. Unless your doctor has advice, pick a first food that makes you feel good about your choice.

Within a short period of time, your baby will try many different foods, so she won’t miss out on anything for long. After a few months, your baby will eat cereals, grains, vegetables, fruits, meats, fish, egg yolks, and dairy products like yogurt andcheese. (source : WebMD.com)

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Wednesday, November 25, 2015