Why Human Milk is so Special

baby, EAT By December 22, 2010 Tags: , , , , , , , , No Comments

The most common reason mothers probably choose to breastfeed is the knowledge that human milk is the superior infant food. It contains live cells, like those in blood. Some components of human milk also enhance the effects of others, so the ingredients of human milk work together.  Here is Why Human Milk is so Special.In contrast, only a small percentage of some ingredients of formula are absorbed; mixing ingredients in formula does not guarantee they will act together the way they do in human milk.

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Muriel's Famous Brown Bread

EAT, snacks By December 20, 2010 Tags: , , , , , , , , , , 4 Comments

Muriel Swetnam used to bake this unbelievable bread the old-fashioned, Nova Scotian way: using huge recycled coffee cans for the actual baking.  She would sell it at church bake sales and I remember one day, she popped over to the house with a few loaves which we devoured in one evening.  Eat it warm with real butter.  Here’s Muriel’s Famous Brown Bread recipe.

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Mother Dorothy’s Pork Tenderloin

EAT, family meals By December 20, 2010 Tags: , No Comments

What’s a traditional Canadian Christmas meal? Recipes, like family heirlooms, are often passed down through generations and Ancestry.ca, Canada’s leading family history website, turned to its customers to find out some of Canada’s favourite ancestral concoctions.  Here is Mother Dorothy’s Pork Tenderloin.

With hundreds, if not thousands, of customs making up the Canadian cultural identity, what Ancestry.ca discovered was a true mosaic of meals.

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Great-Great-Aunt Eliza’s Scottish Shortbread

EAT, snacks By December 20, 2010 Tags: , , , , 2 Comments

Ok, so there might not be any thing “light” about these Christmas delights, but the way these cookies melt in your mouth you’ll think they are! They are so easy to make and will be a Christmas tradition if they aren’t already.  Canada is made up of so many cultures and we are very lucky to sample the world in our cuisine.  Thank you, Scotland, (and Aunt Eliza) for these gems.

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Bedwetting

baby, FAM By December 14, 2010 Tags: , , , , No Comments

Bedwetting is also known as nocturnal enuresis. This is a common problem in children and it is really a source of great concern for many parents especially when they expect their children to learn potty training and stay dry at night at a very tender age. This condition is quite complex with medical, physiologic, and behavioural causes; and to some extent environmental issues may be all responsible for it. Genetics is also implicated in the cause of this condition in children. Studies have indicated that there is a high chance of a child to bed wet if any of the parents did the same. There is actually no specific reason of cause for this condition in children.

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Kawasaki Disease

FAM, health By December 14, 2010 Tags: , , , No Comments

Kawasaki’s is an auto-immune disease that affects blood vessels, mucous membranes, skin and lymph nodes. It also normally exhibits its serious effects on the heart leading to severe coronary artery aneurysm in untreated cases. The disease normally affects children who are under 5 years of age. The condition is usually accompanied by a fever during the onset period or acute phase of the disease. The fever is normally high with temperatures of about 400c (1040F) or higher and it does not yield to treatment with paracetamol or acetaminophen.

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hair lice

Treating Head Lice

FAM, kids By December 14, 2010 Tags: , , , 1 Comment

Lice are a parasitic infestation of the hair and skin. The most common site of the parasite is the scalp of the head and hair of the host. The insect feeds on the blood of the host and bites from the parasites often cause itching. Yeah, yuck. Cases of this parasitic infestation are widely common in children but the good thing about it is that it is not known to be a vector of any disease.  As parents, we must pay attention not only to the infection, but to the emotional ramifications of acquiring and treating head lice.

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What is Attention Deficit Disorder and ADHD

FAM, health By December 14, 2010 Tags: , , , , No Comments

Attention Deficit Disorder is a biological and neurological condition that is characterized by either poor attention or hyperactive and impulsive behaviours. It is very common in children and when nothing is done about it, a child will grow with such behaviours. This normally has an adverse effect on academic performance and social relationships of the child. The exact cause of attention deficit disorder is yet to be ascertained but there are various proponents to what may be the cause. There are reports that the disorder may be genetic and neurologically related. Some of the risk factors also identified include genetic and hereditary factors as well as brain disorders and injuries or trauma to the brain.

Children with this disorder manifest it in several ways. It is difficult for a child with this disorder to follow through on a task and complete it without being distracted. They may be so forgetful and often look like they are not listening to instructions especially in a class. It is also common to see these type children lose their belongings easily, and they find it difficult to arrange or organize their stuff orderly. It is difficult for such children to sit down in one place to wait for someone or get involved in an activity that entails concentration and efforts for a long time.

Parents are advised to seek medical help if they are concerned that their child may have attention deficit disorder. However, you must know that most of these signs are what most children exhibit when growing up.  Before you run to a specialist, always familiarize yourself with the stages of development for your child’s gender.

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treating diaper rash

Treating Diaper Rash

baby, FAM By December 14, 2010 Tags: , , , 1 Comment

Diaper rash is also known as irritant diaper dermatitis or napkin dermatitis. This is a skin rash that occurs as a result of various skin disorders or irritants in the area covered by diaper in a baby. The rashes are normally characterized by redness of skin and scaling of skin. This usually occurs on the convex or exposed surfaces while areas within the skin folds are spared. Treating diaper rash can be fairly straightforward unless the condition is complicated with bacterial or fungal involvement, and it makes the rash spread even to skin fold areas.
The condition is not caused by the diaper itself but by the materials trapped or contained in the diaper i.e. feces and urine.

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Jaundice in Newborns

baby, FAM By December 14, 2010 Tags: , , , No Comments

Jaundice is the yellow coloration or pigmentation of the skin, conjuctival membranes and mucous membranes. It occurs as a result of high levels of a substance known as bilirubin in the blood and extracellular fluids. This condition is known as hyperbilirubinemia. It occurs when the levels of bilirubin exceed the usual concentration of 1.5mg/dl in the blood and extracellular fluids. Bilirubin is a bye product of destroyed red blood cells that is normally broken down by the biliary system. When it is not broken down for various reasons, its levels rise in the blood and body fluids which leads to jaundice.

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