- Tattoos: I mentioned my conversation with a surgeon who specializes in facial reconstructive surgery. I told him what I had learned about tattoos and he asked me to share this with you:
- Physicians prefer piercings to tattoos because the skin can recover from being pierced, but tattoos are nearly impossible to remove completely. ALSO, tattoo ink can leak into lymph glands and cause very serious infections even 10-15 years later.
- Tattoo ink is not regulated and toxins can travel in the form of "nanoparticles" (tiny parts) to all parts of your body.
- In terms of piercings, do not pierce cartilage such as that in the upper part of the ear or the nose. Cartilage is unable to fight off infection that may occur after a piercing.
- Avoid piercing nipples. Nipple piercings don't seem to ever heal completely because of the intricate "plumbing" of the nipple, especially for women. The "path" of infection can be very severe. Nipple piercings are very high risk for infection even long after the piercing is done and can significantly interfere with a woman's ability to nurse competently.
- He doesn't care about tongue piercings. Go for it.
- He recommends that parents encourage their kids to get multiple piercings. It's likely one will get infected and treating them is a real "pain" and it's likely that piercings will "lose their thrill".
You heard it from the doc's mouth! Needless to say, getting the whites of your eyes tattooed or sclera tattooing is not recommended.
- Want to learn more about being a non-food "trick or treat" home? Go to foodallergy.org.
- Big Boy Syndrome...when boys are tall while they are still young. People regard them as being immature because their behavior doesn't "mesh" with their size. This "syndrome" is likely to be a factor until they are in college.
- Kids who are exposed to alcohol in the womb are vulnerable to a diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Their level of disability is related to how early and how consistently mother drank alcohol after conception. Children who were exposed early and often typically have the physical deformities and severe cognitive deficits that makes it obvious that "something is going on". Previously, we called that disorder Alcohol-Related Birth Defects and the group of cognitive and behavioral disorders were called Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorders. As with autism, the way the conditions presents from one person to the next is different. As a result of these variations, both conditions are called Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. There's a lot of accurate information online about the symptoms and causes, but what is important is how parents help their children. There are many local organizations that can be of significant support to you. Reach out, learn.
- Peanut proofing your kids. Click on this article. It just about says all that I related this morning. However, the latest studies indicate that by eating peanuts during the period of time when you're nursing will also reduce your child's sensitivity to peanuts. As always, ask your doctor about this "passive exposure through breast milk".
Serious stuff...Claudia
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