Recent research concluded that “light” drinking during pregnancy may not cause adverse behavioral or cognitive effects. I’m not buying it.
The researchers didn’t define “light drinking”. But, every person metabolizes alcohol differently and pregnancy impacts metabolism. Will some women be convinced that “light drinking” is OK? So, how many drinks are you willing to risk? if you have just a bit too much at a vulnerable stage of your baby’s development, can you live with the potential problems? No one knows exactly which days during the 40 weeks your baby is vulnerable. Think about how you will feel if your child ends up with behavioral problems, learning disabilities or other, lifelong developmental disorders. You will blame yourself. Just don’t drink while you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Don’t drink. It isn’t worth the risk. Claudia Join me on Facebook at Dr. Claudia McCulloch At drclaudia.net, click on the "Ask Me" button and send me a question. Kids younger than 5 have no molars and their ability to swallow is uncoordinated creating a choking hazard.
Their airways, which are the size of a pinky finger and are high up in the neck, give food direct access to their windpipe. What to do? Cut up hot dogs into quarter moon shapes; peel grapes and cut into quarters, spread peanut butter thinly and cut cooked vegetables into small pieces. Avoid dried fruit, chunks of meat and cheese, nuts, popcorn, hard sticky candy, and gum. Eating should be an activity unto itself. Children should be sitting up, not running around or eating in the car. They should be supervised at all times and food shouldn’t be a babysitter. If your child chokes and then, seems fine, the object can still be a threat. See your pediatrician immediately. Be prepared. Check with your local hospital for first aid classes where they teach the Heimlich maneuver and CPR for children. You can't live with the consequences. Claudia Join me on Facebook at Dr. Claudia McCulloch At drclaudia.net, click on the "Ask Me" button and send me a question. So, what’s the deal with ADHD and motivation? Dopamine is responsible.
The architecture of the ADHD brain causes reduced levels of dopamine which is the brain’s pleasure chemical. It’s involved in many brain functions like motivation, memory, behavior, thinking, attention, sleep, mood and learning. Many medications for ADHD increase dopamine in the brain. Its real job may not be in rewards, but in getting us motivated to act to achieve something or avoid something bad. Dopamine spikes occur in soldiers with PTSD when they hear gunfire. Do you find yourself getting the job done to avoid humiliation? That’s dopamine in action. Go-getters have higher levels of dopamine in the areas of the brain involved with motivation and reward whereas “slackers” have dopamine in the areas of emotion and risk perception. Increase your dopamine by achieving small goals! Claudia Join me on Facebook at Dr. Claudia McCulloch At drclaudia.net, click on the "Ask Me" and send me a question. To quote Einstein, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as if nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is a miracle”. You encounter miracles every day.
Recently, I sat next to a woman who was nearly 9 months’ pregnant. She was focused on the lecture and I was focused on how she was creating a life while going about her day. Miracle. That day, I took 23,000 breaths and my heart beat 100,000 times pumping blood through 60,000 miles of arteries and veins. Miracle. I sit at my keyboard and compose this 60-seconds of fun while trillions of chemical reactions are taking place every second. Miracle. The odds of something going wrong are really steep, but usually, most things go right. The moral of this story? I’m not wringing my hands over every little hiccup. I’m focusing on the everyday miracles. Claudia Join me on Facebook at Dr. Claudia McCulloch At drclaudia.net, click on the "Ask Me" button and send me a question. |
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