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Tips for Treating Head Lice

FAM, health By May 18, 2013 Tags: , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

This is one topic that most of us aren’t pontificating over at a cocktail party, but most parents will need a few tips for treating head lice in their bag of tricks.  Lice (the plural of louse in case you’re a grammar nut) are a very common problem, especially for kids ages 3 years to 12 years.  Girls are affected more often than boys.  Lice aren’t dangerous and they don’t spread disease, but they are highly contagious and can affect the self esteem of the most secure child. As the lice bite a child’s scalp, itchiness and inflammation occur.

Signs of Head Lice

Lice eggs are called nits. These look like tiny yellow, tan, or brown dots before they hatch. Nits look sort of like dandruff, only they can’t be removed by brushing or shaking them off. You may be able to see the lice or nits by parting your child’s hair into small sections and checking for lice and nits with a fine-tooth comb on the scalp, behind the ears, and around the nape of the neck.

Treatment of Head Lice

1.  We’ve heard great reports about Lice Squad.  They use pesticide free products, and carefully removes the lice with a solution and comb.  It takes 1-2 hours and is done in your home.  You can try medicated shampoos and removal combs yourself as well.

2.  Saturate their hair in baby oil and go through it with a detangler comb then lice come.  When you are confident you have most of the bugs, mix vinegar in with their shampoo and let them sit for an hour.

3.  Soak your hair with mouthwash and then put on a shower cap. You may need to put a towel around your neck to stop some of the dripping. Let it sit in your hair for 2 hours. After that rinse out the mouthwash and then rinse your hair with vinegar to loosen the glue on the nits. After you rinse out the vinegar, use some conditioner as a final step.

4.  Mix lemon juice with baking soda. The mixture will foam up as you stir.  Apply to hair. Leave on for a few hours and wash hair.

Good luck and be sure to share which method worked best for you!

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They’re Still Loud but Boiron Camilia kept them Happy

FAM, health By May 16, 2013 Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , No Comments

Many readers know that my son went through colic.  But I’ve never really admitted the full extent of the turmoil that swept our house for 18 months.  So in the spirit of our new blog, I will dish it.  I was kicked out of mommy and me pilates.  (Twice).  And then excused from a breastfeeding group with nurses due to the excessive noise.  People would come up to me on the street with advice (constructive criticism..).  “I think he’s hungry!  Wet!  Tired!  Overstimulated!”

What kind of mother would take a child that screams for an hour into a grocery store?  The kind that needs groceries and has no other option, thank you.  If you would care to watch him at home while I shop I would be grateful.  But he will cry – no matter how many needs you satisfy.  And he won’t get tired BY THE WAY – not even after 4 hours straight.  It went on and on, and experts weighed in as close friends worried my husband and I would drive off a dock hurdling the whole family into the ocean in our LandRover.

Along with the other suggested colic remedies, we were introduced to Boiron camilia.  I had used their arnica montana as a homeopathic remedy after giving birth and we decided to try the camilia.  Typically recommended for teething, this natural herb is free of acetominiphen and anisthetics and is fully safe for babies.  More important, it had a calming effect on our little (screamer) monkey.  You twist the tip off the plastic tube of the convenient individual dose and can even slip the liquid into baby’s mouth while nursing (or better yet, have them pretend it’s a nipple and suck it out).  We would have ‘picnics’ and I would have chamomile tea when he had his ‘medicine’.

Now that my two boys are bigger, though not quieter (now they never stop talking), they catch colds at school and get boo boos as they tumble.  Insect bites while tree climbing are common.  Boiron has (thankfully) expanded their lineup so I can keep curing the boys with natural medicines.

DAPIS gel is an ointment to relieve hives, itching and promote the healing of insect bites.  Now they tell me.  (I didn’t have to buy all of that mosquito netting after all.)  The flip cap ensures a tidy application and the 40g tube is easy to slip into a purse or diaper bag.

I was one of those parents taken aback by the research on and subsequent removal of traditional childrens’ cough syrups from the pharmacy shelves.     And it, of course, became another bone of contention with the older generation, “Well I gave it to you and you turned out fine! Kids these days…”   Thankfully, STODAL honey-based cough syrup is great for kids over one year of age and – ahem – looks like any other ‘traditional’ cough syrup.  So your mom doesn’t need to know that you’ve changed up the parenting practices.  It’s so yummy my kids keep asking for it on their pancakes.  When you come from Canada and it ousts maple syrup you know you’re onto something.  (It now also comes in sugar-free).  Unfortunately it doesn’t make the kids drowsy, so they keep talking and talking, but at least they’re not keeping me up at night with the cough.  And I have Boiron camilia with my nighttime tea, so I’m relaxed anyway.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Boiron.  As always our opinions are our own.

 

 

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Vaccinations to Protect Against Meningitis

FAM, health By May 16, 2013 1 Comment

We have all seen those films about outbreaks and crazy viruses that sweep a community.  Scary music, HASMAT teams and beautiful actors working hard to save the world with makeup that somehow stays perfect throughout.  I need some of that.  Why do these films scare us so much?  Because we know this type of uncontrollable horror can happen.  Just as freak lightening struck my grandparents’ house when I was 6 and caused a bad fire, our children can be infected out of the blue by some pretty scary diseases.

Meningitis is a serious bacterial disease, which causes inflammation around the lining of the spinal cord and brain. It can also cause poisoning of the blood and can strike people even into their 20’s.  Before you read about Brodie, you should know that you will get upset.  Should you wish to skip to the end, please first know that there are vaccinations to protect against meningitis.  They are available for your kids in order to prevent four different strains.  Unfortunately, many routine Canadian immunizations only protect against one strain of the disease.

Brodie: A tribute by his Father, Colin Campbell, an instructor in the department of criminology at Douglas College. (Published in the Vancouver Sun, April 29, 2008).

“My son, Brodie, an only child, died suddenly on April 24, 2007, from a rare and particularly vicious strain of bacterial meningitis. Brodie, a big, active, popular and happy-go-lucky kid with a great sense of humour, was 15.

In the words of poet W.H. Auden, Brodie was “my North, my South, my East and West; my working week and my Sunday rest. My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song . . . .”

My wife and I have learned in the months since Brodie died that there are multiple strains of IMD — groups A, B, C, Y and W-135 and that four of these strains are preventable. Indeed, Brodie had been vaccinated for meningitis C but died from the group Y strain that could have been prevented with the appropriate vaccine. There is no vaccine for the B strain and only the four Maritime provinces currently fund vaccinations against the four preventable strains.

My wife and I have also learned that IMD spreads through close contact, much like a cold or flu. Coughing or sneezing, sharing eating utensils or sport water bottles, kissing and close physical contact can spread the germs from person to person. Symptoms are flu-like and include fever, headache, vomiting and confusion. The symptoms, however, often fail to reveal the seriousness of IMD until it is too late.”

Tears?  Me too.  I can’t imagine a greater tragedy than the preventable loss of a child.  Between 2005 and 2010, an average of 197 cases of IMD was reported annually in Canada and 6.7% of those affected died (typically within 48 hours).  Funny, they don’t make movies with ending that tragic.  Of those who survive, up to 1 in 5 may suffer from permanent and disabling effects.  But it could never happen to us, right?  We’re healthy and sprinkle chia seeds on our cereal.  Wrong.  One in five healthy teenagers and adults carry the meningococcal germ in our nose and throat but do not get sick ourselves.  We can, however, make children sick when we sneeze or cough.

When the disease is properly diagnosed by a physician through testing of the spinal fluid, it can be treated.  The bacteria usually disappear from the nose and throat within 24 hours after appropriate antimicrobial treatment has begun.  Finally – some good news!!

Prevention of Meningitis

Rigorously tested, safe vaccines are the best prevention method of this disease; especially because people can unknowingly be carriers and easily pass on the disease to unimmunized people.  Vaccines such as Menactra are available that protect children against four strains (A,C,Y, W-135). There is currently no vaccine to protect against meningitis B.

What are the symptoms of meningitis?

Symptoms differ in infants/toddlers and children/adults and not all people will experience similar symptoms and the same progression of symptoms.  Medical help should be sought immediately following any of all symptoms.

Symptoms in Babies and Toddlers include:

  • Fever combined with cold hands and feet
  • Refusing food when normally hungry
  • Vomiting
  • Fretful, does not want to be picked up or held
  • Pale, blotchy skin
  • Blank, staring expression
  • Drowsy, difficult to wake
  • Stiff neck and arched back
  • High pitched cry

Symptoms in Children and Adults include:

  • Vomiting
  • Fever with cold hands and feet
  • Headache, especially combined with stiff neck
  • Joint stiffness and muscle pain
  • Dislike bright lights, noise
  • Drowsy, difficult to wake
  • Confusion or delirium

I must apologize, as we don’t usually scare parents or make anyone sad.  But this is pretty important, and I didn’t even realize that only 1 out of 4 preventable strains of meningitis was included in my provincial vaccination until I was sent a press release.  Did you?

This is a sponsored post by Sanofi Pasteur.  For additional information and research you may go to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

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Guinot 30 Minute Hydraclean Facial

FAM, LIVE, nourish, self By May 1, 2013 Tags: , , , , , , , , No Comments

This super-quick Guinot Hydraclean facial left my skin looking more alive and younger than a whole day at the spa.  (As if a Mom ever gets that time luxury!) With no invasive procedures and incredibly aromatic products, the aesthetician rolled a cutting-edge steel sphere attached to a wand all over my face. I am now dubbing it the ‘magic wand’. It tingled a bit, but I was able to fully relax and let the sphere work it’s magic.

Guinot’s Hydraclean Facial is not a just a shortened version of any existing treatment.  Over the past two years, Guinot has been developing the Thermoclean Electrode specifically for this treatment, delivering noticeable, long-lasting results in less than half the time of a standard facial.

The steps

  • Cleanse and exfoliate
  • Gel Application
  • Skin Massage with Thermoclean Electrode
  • Remove Gel
  • Extraction (if necessary)
  • Facial Massage
  • Moisturizer Application

After the treatment my skin felt tight and lifted, and the tightening around the eye area was shocking.  The treatment works with the use of ionization to allow active ingredients penetrate the skin deeply.  Micro circulation is stimulated, which supplies oxygen to the cells.  And it’s quick which is key for busy moms.

 

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Tips to Encourage Babies to Sleep on Their Backs

baby, FAM By April 19, 2013 Tags: , , , , 2 Comments

People wonder if it is really that important to encourage babies to sleep on their backs.  Many hate to be swaddled and tend to flail and scream unless they are snuggled onto their tummy.  Unfortunately, babies are safer on their backs.  Ugh.  But are there tips to encourage babies to sleep on their backs?  Yes.  We’ve come up with a few..

1.  Always put a baby to sleep on their back.  Keep flipping them over if they turn.
2.  Pillows or rolled up swaddling blankets on either side can go far towards keeping them stationary.
3.  Sometimes an indented or v-shaped pillow works wonders when they are tiny.
4.  Feed your baby about 30 minutes before bedtime to try satisfaction with a full stomach.
5.  Tuck a favourite blanket or piece of your clothing (snugly) around the baby to provide comfort.
6.  Leave the room while baby is still awake.
7.  Make a routine with sound, book, lighting – whatever you feel you can sustain and repeat.
8.  Eliminate stuffed animals, bumpers and loose blankets.  We love sleep sacks and swaddlers.

Babies have an increased risk of dying of SIDS, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, when they sleep on their stomachs. This is related to the inability to lift their head completely. Once the baby can easily lift and turn its head from side to side-usually about 3-4 months – the baby can sleep on its stomach. You might try propping a baby on it’s side using rolled up towels or receiving blankets (to ensure the rolls are well away from their face) and see if she can sleep in this position.

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Teaching Equality

charity, FAM, health By March 8, 2013 Tags: , , , , No Comments

The smells of burnt fish and feces are becoming normal.  The soles of my feet, after three days, can no longer get clean.  There is no pavement – just sand where the kids play their games.  It makes it easy for the Right to Play leaders to draw lines to facilitate the games and learning.

Different schools and areas are on a sliding scale of poverty.  The little girl who defecated on the wall of her corrugated metal shack this morning.  The woman wearing only her bra and a sarong around her waist who wanted my phone number in Canada – versus the school that had a well and children without sores on their faces or distended bellies.

We played with kids at Islamic schools, Christian schools and who knows what kind of schools.  It didn’t matter at all.  The kids reacted the same.  And the group leaders need to seriously come to my house in order to get my kids in line.  All they have to do is say ‘Circle’ (pronounced ‘’psy-cow’ in West African dialect) and the kids magically form a circle, joining hands.  A huge part of the process is response.  The leader says ‘circle’ and kids say ‘circle’  the leader says ‘circle wider’ and everyone jumps backwards as they chant ‘wider’.  The rhythm and music that is part of many of the games was compelling.

After three days it is hard to be stoic.  A little girl today followed me everywhere and the attention I paid her may be more than she has gotten in weeks.  Yesterday children of Clara Town flocked around us and followed like geese.  They all want to be in photos, and seeing the shot afterwards on the digital display thrills them to no end.  They make crazy poses – perhaps thinking they are rock stars and models (one man of about 21 begged me for his photo and posed like Beckham).  Sometimes the camera equipment scares them.  I made two little ones cry today and could have died.  It was like I had zapped them with a tazer.  They have much to cry about and my Nikon was the thing that did it.  I have never felt so horrible.  You absolutely must ask prior to photographing adults.  Many in more impoverished areas feel like the rich North Americans with their expensive equipment are coming to take pictures for profit out of their hardship.  We got a few scowls, but mostly warmth.  The women are so beautiful.  I could photograph them endlessly.

I had the opportunity to work with many older kids – 10 to 14 and the games were more advanced.  In one, 4 areas were designated as ‘agree’ ‘disagree’ ‘I don’t know’ and ‘maybe’.  The leader would pose a question and we would run to the quadrant that best fit our thoughts.  We then had to justify why we ran there.  In one instance, the statement was ‘Only girls should play with dolls’.  Half of us (including me and the Olympians) ran to ‘Disagree’ and half of the girls ran to ‘Agree’.  A heated debate ensued.  In Liberian culture only women care for children, therefore only girls should play with dolls.  The girls in our quarter countered that if a man has a baby he needs to know how to hold it.  The facilitator stood between and reminded us often that we could move if we changed our minds.  Clara Hughes piped up and said that at one time some people thought that only men could to do sports but now both sexes excel.  My non-confrontational self was uncomfortable.  And shocked at the cultural disparity.  But amazed that some of the girls were really thinking for themselves – on all sides of the argument.  They were certainly less nervous orators than me.  I kind of wished we could do a touchy/feely hugging game afterwards though.  Right To Play has lots of those, and gets people comfortable with their bodies and appropriate physical contact.

Looking out my desk window in the hotel room at the moment.  It’s teeming with rain and I listen to Handel (Watermusik.. chuckle.) as I write.  My view looks like ivy or trellis.  But it’s electrical cords and barbed wire.  Surreal.

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The Youth of Claratown, Monrovia Liberia

charity, FAM, International, ROAM By March 4, 2013 Tags: , , , , , , 1 Comment

After hours of games – in one spot 40 kids had been selected to participate and over 300 showed up – I was able to really see the theories behind Right To Play.  It is genius and the youth of Claratown, Monrovia, Liberia showed me the learning and laughter produced by Right To Play.  I keep thinking of the parallels it has to the theatre sports of my youth and university years, teaching  attention to detail, conversational abilities, control of the body and leadership.  After every game (not a soccer match, but a shorter activity such as ‘What time is it Mr. Wolf’ or ‘Find the person in the circle who is leading the activity’ or ‘find whose hand the stone is hidden in’ – there is a very deep discussion about the lessons learned.  Some games invite you to state your name proudly as you go around the circle.  I did that one in theatre school continually.  Others ask you to say the name of a country or boy’s name in a metronome-like tempo – the trick being you can’t repeat one said already.  Bails of laughter resounded when I hesitated and shouted ‘Britney’ for a girl’s name.  They all thought I was perfect, as I was white.  But no.  You should have seen their faces when they had to mimic an action and I chose the Gangam Style jumps!

There are also other games that I played like Mosquito Tag that teach about issues pertaining to the local culture: sleep under a mosquito net, reduce garbage and don’t leave water standing.  In others, we talked about the meaning of discrimination, segregation and equality.  With the smaller kids we worked on left and right, body parts, physicality and focus as well as healthy eating (the fruit salad game!).

It was so special to have the opportunity to speak with locals.  They think we have no problems in North America.  I explained the homeless in Vancouver, the sexual assault, poverty and murders throughout our country.  They were shocked.  I talked about food banks and violence and they realized that perhaps we are not as shiny as we may seem.  I watched them cook and set up individual businesses buying bleach or grain in bulk and selling it in small packets for a profit.  This was not only a poverty-stricken society, but almost operated as if it were 1800 – the cell phone charging stations aside.

After two vigourous play sessions, I attended a two and a half- hour forum on drugs and youth. It was lengthy and – wow – the West African accents are hard to understand!  But I was floored.  These youth leaders – from teens to mid-thirties – arranged this event with guests.  Our Canadian group of 7 were special attendees.  But the mayor and governor of the region also attended.  And two representatives from the Drug Enforcement Agency.  I hadn’t been in such a formal atmosphere since student government days at Queen’s.  The Queen’s students had nothing on these statesmen.  Points were discussed, debated, restated and analyzed.

I came to a realization.  This conversation and articulation was the next logical phase of the Right to Play programs in which I was participating.  After being kids, people become youth leaders and then full-on volunteers who run groups all over Monrovia.  In Westpoint there were 9 circles of at least 40 kids.  The leaders were better than most counselors I have had in my life (don’t make me tell you how many).  And they were jobless.  They volunteer their time because they realize that if they don’t, their community will implode once these kids reach a certain age.

At the meeting, six-time Olympian Clara Hughes spoke for our group about her drug use as a teen.  A pin could have dropped.  These topics are not discussed in West Africa.  There are trucks that sell shoe polish to ensure appearances are tidy and yet there is no affordable way to go to the bathroom.  She then talked about determination and the blessings she received by having leaders, coaches and trainers.  And how, despite her difficult past, went to to win Olympic medals for Canada during both the summer and winter games.

History was made at this meeting.  I kept thinking of the French Revolution.  Seeing fourty people who have been through a recent war, and whose brothers and parents now suffer the effects of cocaine and marijuana, I could feel change bubbling within the room.  And these people all experienced Right To Play programs after being through a horrific war.  I would argue that my children cannot articulate in public the way the children involved in Right To Play programs had as we ‘played’.  And at the meeting?  I wish I could hire the whole lot of them to negotiate for me and run my company.

After the discussions we were blessed with African drumming and dance of some local children outside the building.  There was a 3 year old who couldn’t control herself and followed along.  The hope extended from inside to out.

In case you missed the first travel article focused on West Point it is archived here.

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Using Movies to Discuss Difficult Family Topics

FAM, kids By February 24, 2013 Tags: , , , , , , , , , No Comments

With the Oscars just around the corner, North Americans are rushing to see the films that critics have been raving about for months. Some families in the Touro University Worldwide (TUW) Marriage & Family Therapy Department reviewed a few of this year’s Oscar Nominees and the family lessons that can be learned from their plots.  Have you ever considered using movies to discuss difficult family topics?

1)     Dealing with Parenting – “Brave” is the favorite for winning best animated film, but it is also a favorite for understanding the conflicts that arise between parents and children. The strong-willed Merida defies her mother as she hopes to change the future her parents have planned for her. Ultimately, both mother and daughter learn that parenting is about compromise, which is a lesson that both children and adults can take to heart.

2)     Dealing with Mental Illness – Mental illness is often a taboo subject; families do not discuss it and prefer avoidance over acceptance. Movies such as “Silver Linings Playbook” have brought the realities of depression and mental illness into the spotlight. Families need to be open about mental illness with their children so that they can understand that it is an illness and it is ok to ask for help. Movies are good starting points for talking about difficult topics, and “Silver Linings Playbook” fits the bill.

3)     Learning about Societal Struggles – “Les Misérables” was revolutionary when Victor Hugo first published the acclaimed novel in 1862, and many of the struggles and lessons learned by its characters are still relevant today.  Talking to your children about poverty and racism can be difficult topics to introduce, and sometimes looking at how far the world has come is a good starting point. Using historical movies like “Les Misérables” can teach your children lessons such as the importance of service to society, intellectual pursuit, and the giving back to the underserved, all principals that TUW is built upon.

4)     Learning about Loss – “Amour” is the favorite for winning the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, but the topics the film focuses on such as elderly relations and loss are not foreign. Talking about loss is a difficult subject to broach at any age, which is why it is important to watch movies that showcase the pain of loss and show family members how individuals deal with this agony.

The Marriage and Family Therapy Program at Touro University Worldwide presents an extraordinary opportunity for interested individuals to become actively involved in an expanding and promising area of study. The need for Marriage and Family Therapists is growing as an integral and important part of our nation’s health and mental health care delivery system. So watch the movies, learn the lessons, and then become part of the TUW community that teaches these lessons every day.

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