Some 6.8 million American children have asthma. Help your child breathe easier with these asthma-fighting tips:
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Showing posts with label allergies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label allergies. Show all posts
4 WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR CHILD’S ASTHMA TRIGGERS
Written By Unknown on Wednesday, April 20, 2016 | 5:51 AM
HOW TO IMPROVE AIR QUALITY AT YOUR CHILDREN’S SCHOOL
Written By Unknown on Tuesday, March 29, 2016 | 12:44 AM
A healthy, resting adult takes 12 to 20 breaths per minute.
Children, from school-age to preschoolers and younger, take many more. It’s normal for a toddler to take twice as many breaths as an adult, and an infant may take a full three times more.
Every breath matters, especially for their developing lungs, and approximately 75 million Americans live in communities with unhealthy air. In addition, the EPA reports that half of the 115,000 schools in the United States have problems linked to indoor air quality. So it’s not too surprising that 6.8 million American children have asthma, and the number is climbing.
How can parents and teachers help children breathe easier? Here’s what you need to know about air quality in and around schools and what you can do to improve it.
Indoors
Almost 55 million students and 7 million staff members spend their days in school facilities across the country. If you and your loved ones are among them, you might be inhaling a host of indoor pollutants including building materials (such as asbestos), cleaning products, radon and even mold. In addition to triggering health problems such as headaches and asthma, indoor air quality can affect children’s academic performance and increase absenteeism.
The good news: Administrators, teachers and families have tools to improve indoor air quality (IAQ) in schools. Many are similar to those you may use in your own home.
EPA offers an IAQ Tools for Schools Action Kit that provides guidelines, best practices, sample policies and a sample management plan. Areas to focus on include improving HVAC systems, maintaining filters and carbon monoxide detectors, controlling moisture and mold, managing pests and carefully selecting cleaning and building materials.
EPA does not require schools to monitor their air quality, submit information about it or use these voluntary tools, so it’s important for parents to speak up. Share the action kit with your school and talk to decision makers about what they’re doing to improve indoor air quality. Here are additional recommendations for parents, particularly those whose children suffer from asthma.
Some states and school districts have specific policies or regulations to improve indoor air quality. To learn about your area, visit the Environmental Law Institute’s database of state indoor air quality laws or contact your state’s IAQ or IAQ Tools for Schools coordinator.
Outdoors
When students step outside school buildings for fresh air, that air might not be so fresh. Pollutants such as smoke, road dust, car exhaust and factory emissions can all add up to poor quality air. And some days are better than others.
How can you tell the difference? Check your local Air Quality Index. The daily index reports how polluted your air is and what it means for your health. Among other pollutants, the index tests for ground-level ozone (smog) and airborne particles, the two most hazardous types of air pollution.
Children are particularly sensitive to air pollution, so when air quality is rated orange – “unhealthy for sensitive groups” – it might be wise to limit prolonged periods outdoors and avoid heavy exertion, including outdoor sports.
Some school districts adjust recess and outdoor play based on air quality. Ask your children’s school about its air quality policies and share the EPA’s Air Quality Index Toolkit for Teachers. To find your Air Quality Index, search by zip code on AirNow.com, sign up for email alerts on EnviroFlash.info or check local weather reports on television or in the newspaper.
Do you see buses idling outside your children’s school? Diesel exhaust can damage lungs, irritate eyes and throats and trigger asthma or allergies, so check out these tips and tools for reducing bus idling. These resources are designed not just for schools, but for students, parents and community members as well. Talk to your kids about why air quality matters and encourage them to get involved, too.
Children, from school-age to preschoolers and younger, take many more. It’s normal for a toddler to take twice as many breaths as an adult, and an infant may take a full three times more.
Every breath matters, especially for their developing lungs, and approximately 75 million Americans live in communities with unhealthy air. In addition, the EPA reports that half of the 115,000 schools in the United States have problems linked to indoor air quality. So it’s not too surprising that 6.8 million American children have asthma, and the number is climbing.
How can parents and teachers help children breathe easier? Here’s what you need to know about air quality in and around schools and what you can do to improve it.
Indoors
Almost 55 million students and 7 million staff members spend their days in school facilities across the country. If you and your loved ones are among them, you might be inhaling a host of indoor pollutants including building materials (such as asbestos), cleaning products, radon and even mold. In addition to triggering health problems such as headaches and asthma, indoor air quality can affect children’s academic performance and increase absenteeism.
The good news: Administrators, teachers and families have tools to improve indoor air quality (IAQ) in schools. Many are similar to those you may use in your own home.
EPA offers an IAQ Tools for Schools Action Kit that provides guidelines, best practices, sample policies and a sample management plan. Areas to focus on include improving HVAC systems, maintaining filters and carbon monoxide detectors, controlling moisture and mold, managing pests and carefully selecting cleaning and building materials.
EPA does not require schools to monitor their air quality, submit information about it or use these voluntary tools, so it’s important for parents to speak up. Share the action kit with your school and talk to decision makers about what they’re doing to improve indoor air quality. Here are additional recommendations for parents, particularly those whose children suffer from asthma.
Some states and school districts have specific policies or regulations to improve indoor air quality. To learn about your area, visit the Environmental Law Institute’s database of state indoor air quality laws or contact your state’s IAQ or IAQ Tools for Schools coordinator.
Outdoors
When students step outside school buildings for fresh air, that air might not be so fresh. Pollutants such as smoke, road dust, car exhaust and factory emissions can all add up to poor quality air. And some days are better than others.
How can you tell the difference? Check your local Air Quality Index. The daily index reports how polluted your air is and what it means for your health. Among other pollutants, the index tests for ground-level ozone (smog) and airborne particles, the two most hazardous types of air pollution.
Children are particularly sensitive to air pollution, so when air quality is rated orange – “unhealthy for sensitive groups” – it might be wise to limit prolonged periods outdoors and avoid heavy exertion, including outdoor sports.
Some school districts adjust recess and outdoor play based on air quality. Ask your children’s school about its air quality policies and share the EPA’s Air Quality Index Toolkit for Teachers. To find your Air Quality Index, search by zip code on AirNow.com, sign up for email alerts on EnviroFlash.info or check local weather reports on television or in the newspaper.
Do you see buses idling outside your children’s school? Diesel exhaust can damage lungs, irritate eyes and throats and trigger asthma or allergies, so check out these tips and tools for reducing bus idling. These resources are designed not just for schools, but for students, parents and community members as well. Talk to your kids about why air quality matters and encourage them to get involved, too.
Author,
Megan Boyle
How to Get Rid of Rash On Baby's Face
Written By Unknown on Sunday, October 18, 2015 | 11:10 PM
Has your baby been suffering from facial rashes? Find out how to get rid of rash on baby's face in simple and safe steps...
Baby skin is very delicate and extra sensitive. It needs special treatment and more care. We cannot tend to their skin like the way we do with ours. Since the skin is thinner and lacks enough protective epidermal layering, it is more susceptible to infection and injury. The most common causes for baby rashes on the face are eczema, milia, dribble rash and roseola. These usually need medical treatment and can be easily cured. When the baby's skin develops and becomes more resilient, it keeps most skin infections at bay. Eczema for instance, is also an inherited skin condition, which could have been transmitted, from either of the parents and their respective genealogy. There are but a few measures which can be taken by parents to keep these itchy and uncomfortable conditions away.
Causes for Rash
A rash, may be an indicator of allergies. Your baby may be allergic to the foods you eat, which may be getting transferred through breast milk.
Baby skin is very delicate and extra sensitive. It needs special treatment and more care. We cannot tend to their skin like the way we do with ours. Since the skin is thinner and lacks enough protective epidermal layering, it is more susceptible to infection and injury. The most common causes for baby rashes on the face are eczema, milia, dribble rash and roseola. These usually need medical treatment and can be easily cured. When the baby's skin develops and becomes more resilient, it keeps most skin infections at bay. Eczema for instance, is also an inherited skin condition, which could have been transmitted, from either of the parents and their respective genealogy. There are but a few measures which can be taken by parents to keep these itchy and uncomfortable conditions away.
Causes for Rash
A rash, may be an indicator of allergies. Your baby may be allergic to the foods you eat, which may be getting transferred through breast milk.
These allergies could be due to the foods being given to the baby, perhaps certain ingredients in the baby food is not suiting him.
Allergies could be triggered through the chemicals being used for keeping the baby clean. Detergents and perfumes present in baby soaps and creams, too can cause a lot of trouble for the kid.
It could be due to extreme climatic conditions. Too much of heat or cold can dehydrate the baby's skin even though we may think that the weather is suitable for the baby.
People will usually not care to wash their hands before attempting to touch the baby's face or trying to kiss their cheeks. What eventually happens is that the germs will affect the baby's skin.
If a rash has come and gone, contact with germs will cause a new outbreak.
Try to keep the floor disinfected at all times, or a safer option would be to keep the baby away from the floor or dirty surfaces. As dust and germs can aggravate the rash or lead to a fresh breakout.
Allergies can come from pets as well. Try to keep your pet cat or dog from coming in contact with the baby for some years. Pet hair and saliva can lead to skin infections in human babies.
Ways to Get Rid of Rash
Do not use any soaps to clean your baby's face and neck. Simple water is sufficient for your baby's skin.
Wipe the skin using a soft paper towel and never use cloth on their skin. Cloth being tougher and germ infested will only make the rash persist for longer periods.
You need not use a paper towel either, and could simply let the area air dry. This will soothe the skin and alleviate the itchiness.
Use ice cubes to rub the affected spots on the skin in case it's itching too much and the baby is crying with excess discomfort.
Keep the baby's finger nails short, so that he/she can't scratch the rash and make it worse. A seemingly impossible task to accomplish, knowing that baby's can't take instructions, and we can't keep them from scratching themselves! Nonetheless, trying will help heal the rash to a large extent.
As far as possible, try to not let people touch the baby at all. Let the child grow to about 2-3 years or so, because until then their skin will be less sensitive.
In case the rash has turned red and flaky, or is oozing, the rash has already been growing for a while. Consult a pediatric dermatologist specifically, because they are specialists, and have dealt with baby rashes many times over.
Ask for a cream with hydrocortisone in it. Ask for something mild and effective for baby's. Remember to mention your baby's age and the time since the onset of the rash as well as the number of times it has appeared in the past.
You will need to get your baby tested for food allergies and accordingly eat only the things which your baby can safely consume either directly or through your milk.
When dealing with baby rashes, the safest advice would be to consult a specialist in pediatric dermatology. One can never be too sure that the products in the market may suit your baby specifically or not. While it may suit most, it need not necessarily suit your own. It's better to be cautious and seek medical advice before using any chemicals and creams on your baby's body.
Author,
Rohini Mohan
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