Q: How much exercise do I need each week? 
Summer time is great! The kids are out of school, they have all sorts of time to make up games, and the weather is nice enough that you can shoo them out into the backyard to play their games outside. Of course, having more time to play also can mean more injuries. All summer long, kids will fall down, scrape their hands and knees and find all sorts of creative ways to hurt themselves accidentally .
Do you know what to do if your kids get hurt? Here are a few tips to help you treat the cuts and scrapes that happen when kids play.
Whenever there is a scrape or a cut, put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding before you do anything else. Use a clean cloth or bandage to soak up any bleeding, and try not to touch the wound with your bare hands (your hands are home to all sorts of things that could infect the wound without your knowing it).
Before putting a bandage on a wound, no matter how minor, place the cut or scraped area under running water. The water’s movement will help rid the wound of debris that, if left in the wound, could cause an infection and do further damage. It’s also a good idea to treat the area with some mild soap.
Believe it or not, antibiotic ointment has not been proven to help the healing process! If you choose to use it, only use a small amount and apply it to the wound very lightly.
If a cut or wound is deep, it might need stitches. The best way to tell if a wound needs stitches is to pinch the sides of the cut or scrape together. If the wound looks significantly better, stitches might be your best option. Call your doctor!
White table sugar (sucrose) can lead to obesity, diabetes and a host of other health problems. It’s found in a variety of foods, including some you might not suspect: canned foods, fast foods, and prepared foods. While table sugar can be bad for you, artificial sweeteners can be worse. Saccharine and Aspartame, which can be found in diet drinks and sugar free foods, have no health benefits, can cause diarrhea, and have been linked to cancer. Fortunately, there are healthy alternatives to white sugar and alternative sweeteners.
Sucanat: This sweetener is made from sugar cane juice. It comes in granules and can be used in place of white or brown sugar in a recipe.
Maple Syrup: This is not the pancake syrup made of high fructose corn syrup, but the pure maple syrup taken from the sap of a maple tree. It can be used in baking, but you may need to reduce other liquids in the recipe.
Maple Sugar: This is dehydrated maple syrup. It can be used in place of sugar.
Honey: More nutritious and having less calories than sugar, honey is a good sugar substitute. You may need to reduce the oven temperature and increase the baking time when using it in baked goods.
Stevia: Taken from dried stevia leaves. It comes as a liquid extract, a whole leaf, or as a powder. Stevia has no calories and is 100-200 times sweeter than sugar. It can be used in place of artificial sweeteners. It is a good sugar alternative for diabetics and people wanting to lose weight.
Blackstrap Molasses: Because it is sweeter than sugar, blackstrap molasses can be used in smaller amounts in a recipe than table sugar. It also has many nutrients, including iron and calcium.
According to a report released by Reuters Monday, May 26, using Acutane to clear up your skin more than doubles your risk of clinical depression. The article talks about a study that has linked the chemical isotretinoin (Acutane’s active ingredient) to symptoms of clinical depression. The researchers say the study is new and the first of its kind, but they emphasize that doctors should probably start screening their patients for depression symptoms before prescribing the acne treatment.
Luckily, Acutane is just one acne treatment available. For people who suffer from severe acne problems, it might seem like a lifeline, but what’s more important? Your outside or your inside? If you are worried about Acutane possibly having a detrimental effect on your psyche, but also want to clear up your skin, here are a few natural skin treatments you can try:
Oatmeal, when mixed together with warm water, works as an excellent mask. Simply leave it on for fifteen minutes or so, and then rinse it off with warm water.
Aloe vera is known for its healing properties and many people say that applying aloe vera directly to acne will help clear it up and heal the skin around it.
Lemon juice also has been touted as a wonderful natural acne treatment. Jan Brady may have used it to get rid of her freckles, but when you apply lemon juice directly to pimples, it helps dry them up!
If you don’t mind smelling like garlic, rub some raw garlic onto your face a few times a day. Apparently it will clear up even the most stubborn acne problems.
There are plenty of other home/natural acne remedies out there, and it is worth looking into, particularly if you are worried about the possible harmful side effects of products like Acutane.
