Help Your Children Maintain Lifelong Healthy Teeth!

Tip Of The Day…Help Your Children

Maintain Lifelong Healthy Teeth!

Ever met someone with a winning smile?

Well, it started with healthy teeth and gums as a child.

Parents ask when they should begin to brush their children’s teeth.

Healthy teeth start at the time your baby is “teething.” Studies show that children that begin before they’re one have less decay than those who start later.

Decay can start as soon as the gum breaks, even before the tooth is visible, simply because bacteria begin to grow in the child’s mouth.

But here’s the problem…

Children can’t brush their teeth adequately until they are about five years old (this will vary with each child) so parents should supervise their brushing until they are about eight years old. 

Obviously if your kids are like mine and many small children they will resist having their teeth brushed and it’s something that just has to be done so here are some ideas to make it more fun!

*Use baby or child toothpaste and try different flavors. Many children dislike peppermint, possibly because it can taste hot!

* Let them watch you brush your teeth! (Kids love to play copycat)

* Take them to buy a toothbrush, perhaps a musical one or one with a handle that changes color. Let them put it in their mouth and chew on it even before they have teeth - so they get used to having a brush in their mouth. 

* Make a game of it - let them clean your teeth while you do theirs.

* Sing a silly song, look in a mirror, pretend their mouth is a tunnel and the brush is a train or a hangar with an airplane.

* Let them sit on your lap. If you approach from in front, some children can feel intimidated.

* If you brush your teeth with them, pretend the white foam is slobber - ahead and be a little silly.

* Say I bet I can open my mouth wider than you can - make a silly contest out of it.

* If you can make them laugh, they’ll associate fun with this event, and it will make future brushings easier!

* Use a brushing chart with a small reward - gold stars or a healthy treat.

* Don't let them have anything sweet unless they have their teeth cleaned.

* As they brush, talk through each food item they ate, and tell them they are cleaning it off now…”there goes the carrots!”

           

Teeth brushing must be a regular ritual for children. If you do what you can to make it more fun for them, it’s guaranteed to be more fun for you too! Also, you are setting them up for a healthy mouth for life!

Does The Fountain Of Youth Really Exist?…

3 Things That Can Make You Live 20% Longer And Look Up To 20 Years Younger!

What if I told you I’ve discovered the fountain of youth… and… all you have to do is pony up 39.99 and you can have a jar of it to drink?  You wouldn’t fall for that obvious line of bull… now would you?

            Well, I’ve got news for you

Millions Of People Do!!!

            You see, 99% of people are like goldfish.  Not that they have fins and swim around in a fish tank.  But because goldfish have an attention span of…   Three Seconds!

            That’s right… 3 measly seconds! 

That means goldfish are slow learners.  After all, what can they possibly learn in 3 seconds?  So, if they eat a little green worm that makes them sick, guess what they’ll do 5 minutes later?  You guessed it… eat another little green worm and get sick again… and again… and again.

So what happens after they give that guy their $39.99 for that “fountain of youth in a jar” and it doesn’t work?  They forget all about the first guy in 3 seconds (just like a goldfish) and give another $39.99 to someone else claiming the same thing!

So what does all this have to do with you?  Well, even though there is no “fountain of youth in a jar,” there are…

3 Things That Can Make You Live Up To 20% Longer And Look 20 Years Younger!!!

Here they are…

#1 Having A Positive

Mental Attitude…

            That’s right, positive thinking actually makes you live longer… much longer.  In fact, a study done at the Mayo Clinic revealed that optimists lived 20% longer than pessimists!!!  Imagine that… looking on the bright side and cracking a smile every once in a while may put 10 or 15 years on your life.  There’s another interesting side note to optimists… They Have More Friends!

#2 Exercise…

            Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Everyone’s always yapping about how good exercise is.  You’ll slave away in the gym.  Run around that stupid track, and, maybe… just maybe… You’ll live an extra year.  The last year when you’re too old to care anyway.  Well, it gives me great pleasure to tell you…

Just How Wrong You Are!

            Listen to this… A groundbreaking study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1994, showed that the bodies of 40 postmenopausal women became…

15 To 20 Years More Youthful

 After The Women Lifted Weights

 Twice A Week For A Year!

            Do you understand what that means?  Lifting weights twice a week is hardly slaving away in the gym.  That’s something anyone can do to look 15-20 years younger.  I know it’s not quite as intriguing as the “fountain of youth in a jar,” and may take a little more time… but… it really works.

            Here’s another interesting exercise fact…

Exercise Can Even

Overcome Bad Genes!

That’s right… it just got better. In a study of 16,000 sets of healthy twins, researchers kept track of the twins' lifestyles for nearly 20 years. At the end of the study, they discovered that those who exercised moderately - 30 minutes of walking twice a week - cut their risk of dying almost in half when compared to their sedentary sibling.

That’s amazing!  Makes you want to start lifting weight and walking 30 minutes twice a week… doesn’t it? That brings us to…

#3 Decreasing Free Radicals

Although experts disagree about exactly what causes our bodies to age, one of the leading theories attributes it to damage caused by free radicals. These molecules that are missing an electron, bind with healthy cells and wreak havoc on those cells' ability to function.

Our bodies produce antioxidants to counteract the damage, but if there is not a large enough supply, cellular damage may not be repaired and sooner or later, we become ill.

According to this theory, the best approach to slowing the aging process is to

provide the body with plenty of ammunition against free radicals. You can do this by increasing your intake of antioxidants.

Forget for a moment about carbohydrates, protein and fat, and instead focus on food as a source of antioxidants. The most powerful food sources of these all-important nutrients are vegetables and fruits, so those should be the most abundant things on your plate.

Round out each meal with whole grains, like brown rice, whole wheat bread, cereal and pasta, plus low-fat dairy products and lean meats. Sugar and fat should be the smallest category.

One recent study by the National Cancer Institute, shows how powerful a diet like this can be the key to your health. Researchers examined the eating habits of more than 45,000 women and found that those who ate a diet high in fruits, vegetables, grains, low-fat dairy and lean meats cut their risk of dying from any cause by 30%! That’s phenomenal!

  

So you have a number of ways to really drink from the fountain of youth! Maintaining a positive mental attitude, exercising, and eating well can keep you happy and healthy as you become older and wiser! And hopefully you will enjoy the process of growing older with all life has to offer!

And don’t forget, if you ever have any questions or concerns about your health, talk to us. Contact us with your, questions. We’re here to help, and don’t enjoy anything more than participating in your life long good health!

Back Pack Tip For Parents.

So a little late in the year, but never too late for a tip, especially a Simple & Inexpensive Solution To A Common Problem…
If you take a moment to look into your child’s backpack, you may find a couple of textbooks, a notebook, gym clothes, lunch, a CD player…add it all up, and it equals back strain. Kid’s today carry heavy school loads, and these equal heavy back loads.
Although the packs may be too heavy, your child may be reluctant to forego the convenience offered by them. Children often travel a distance to school, then between classes with little time to unload and reload again at their lockers.
Says Russell Windsor, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at New York City's Hospital for Special Surgery, "We are seeing students in fourth and fifth grade who are complaining about backaches, fatigue, and physical stress. They just don't have the body strength to remain erect under these very substantial loads, and it puts their skeletons under substantial duress."

"Children are carrying far too much weight in their backpacks and they are carrying them fashionably but improperly, slung over one shoulder," says Jerome McAndrews, M.D., a Chiropractic physician and spokesman for the American Chiropractic Association. "We're concerned that the damage that is inflicted now will be showing up 30 years later in even more serious back injuries."

If your child is going to continue using his or her backpack, consider this advice:
Guidelines created by The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) state that students should carry no more than 10% of their body weight in a backpack. Although backpacks slung over one shoulder may be fashionable, this posture puts further stress on the back and spinal cord. Children should support the pack with both padded shoulder straps to balance the weight and prevent shoulder, neck, and back problems.
Better yet, give your children a Backpack on wheels…they look cool, hold a ton of stuff, and reduce and often eliminate neck and back pain and strain!

Did You Know?...

1. The discs in your spine are great shock absorbers! You have 24 vertebrae in your spine, and each is separated from one another by these shock absorbers called discs. These discs are pads of cartilage, and have a fairly tough outer layer and a soft interior to cushion against the shocks and strains created by you during everyday activities.
-The discs are subject to injury, disease, and degeneration with use over time. Certain activities and types of work increase the risk your discs can be damaged or deteriorate. If the soft interior material of a disc pushes out through a tear or weakening in the outer covering, you have a slipped disc.
-A slipped disc goes by a number of names; it is also called herniated, protruding, bulging, ruptured, prolapsed, or degenerated discs. There are fine distinctions between these terms, but all really refer to a disc that is no longer in its normal condition and/or position. Slipped discs cause pain by intruding on or pinching and even injuring nerves in the spinal column.
2. Calcium is the most common mineral in your body. It’s essential to the growth and maintenance of strong, healthy teeth and bones. It’s also necessary for regulating the heartbeat and lowering cholesterol levels.
-But what if you don’t get enough calcium? You may suffer from aching joints, dry, brittle nails, tooth decay, high blood pressure/high cholesterol levels in the blood, and even muscle cramps. Perhaps the most significant potential complication from inadequate calcium intake is bone loss, often leading to osteoporosis and increasing the risk for bone fractures. These are real dangers for women who have gone through menopause already. So play it safe, and get plenty of Calcium in your diet!

“I wish more and more that health were studied half as much as disease is. Why, with all the endowment of research against cancer is no study made of those who are free from cancer? Why not inquire what foods they eat, what habits of body and mind cultivate? And why never study animals in health and natural surroundings? Why always sickened and in an environment of strangeness and artificiality?”~ Sarah N. Cleghorn