Sample Resources for Children's Health (01)

Kids and Their Chiropractors
Thought chiropractic care was just for adults? Think again—children are visiting chiropractors at an increasing rate. In fact, MedicalNewsToday.com's web page about this developing trend says that the number of patients under 17 seeing a chiropractor has increased 8.5 percent since 1991. If you've been considering chiropractic for your child, this web page offers a great overview of the practice from a pediatric perspective. The page also includes links to professional chiropractor organizations, where you can further research the issue.

Developing Your Child’s Emotional Health
It takes a lot of patience along with good judgment and warm, nurturing relationships to raise emotionally healthy children in today’s world. This site explains some of the psychology associated with kids emotional health, including Dr. Erik Erikson’s stages of development, which include trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame and doubt, and initiative vs. guilt. The site talks about choices and limits, and how to set boundaries with your kids, whether it comes to how they act to what healthy foods they should eat.

Diagnosing Lactose Intolerance in Children: How to Know
Lactose intolerance occurs when a person cannot digest lactose. It's a sugar found in milk and other diary products. People who are lactose intolerant don't create enough lactase, a natural enzyme in the intestine that digests lactose. According to this article in HealthyChildren.org, many parents confuse lactose intolerance and milk allergy; although they share many symptoms, they're complete different conditions. The former is a digestive problem, while the latter concerns the immune system. Symptoms of lactose intolerance include stomach cramps, bloating, gas, diarrhea and nausea, usually 30 minutes to atwo hours after eating or drinking foods containing lactose. This article explains a strategy to tell if your child has a problem digesting lactose.

Chiropractic Care: Basic Education, Statistics and Research
This page at ACAToday.org provides basic education about chiropractic care, statistics, and research. This website is owned and being managed by the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), the largest professional association in the United States representing chiropractic doctors. Here, there is an article that explains some facts about back pain in the US and the world. It also has some tips on how to prevent back pain. A separate article mentions some excerpts and summaries of recent studies showing the benefits of chiropractic care. Another article talks about the education that doctors of chiropractic have reached and the number of years they spent studying their profession.

Avoiding Childhood Obesity
The American Heart Association says that about one-third of all Americna children are overweight and 17 percent are obese. This article by the AMA provides steps to follow to help your kids avoid these problems. A lack of physical inactivity is a major risk factor for developing coronary artery disease, this article states. When kids are inactive, it increases the risk of stroke and such other major cardiovascular risk factors as obesity, high blood pressure, low HDL ("good") cholesterol and diabetes. That is why the American Heart Association recommends that children and adolescents get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. This website discusses why exercise is so important, and how to promote exercise to your children.