Baby-Bottle Caries

How early can a person have tooth decay? The answer is, as soon as a person has teeth erupted.

This means an infant under the age of 1 can start having tooth decay. Tooth decay that happens in infants is called Early Childhood Caries. ECC is a severe problem that causes debilitating tooth destruction in infants and young children.

The prevalence of ECC is estimated to be as high as 90 percent in some Head Start populations. However, by following the guidelines developed by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and by visiting a dentist for the first check-up by the child's first birthday, ECC can easily be prevented.

ECC is a specific form of severe decay found in the teeth of infants and toddlers who fall asleep with bottles of milk, juice or any sweetened liquid in their mouths. ECC is also known as baby-bottle tooth decay, nursing-bottle caries and milk-bottle syndrome. It is the only severe dental disease common in children under 3 years of age.

Bacteria, which are found in the mouth, convert sugar into acids. These acids destroy the enamel and dentin of the tooth. The flow of saliva in the mouth helps to wash acids from the tooth surface during the daytime. However, when an infant is asleep, the flow of saliva is significantly reduced, and this allows acids to pool on the tooth. This, coupled with the sugars found in juices, milk or other soft drinks, will lead to early cavities.

The top four front teeth are most affected by ECC, which appears as white chalky marks on the teeth due to decalcification by the acids. If these teeth are left untreated, unsightly and often painful cavities will develop.

Baby teeth are important to a child for chewing and biting food, making a good smile, and speaking. However, the most important function of baby teeth is that they are holding space in the mouth for upcoming permanent teeth.

The first baby tooth erupts around 6 to 8 months of age, and usually all 20 baby teeth are erupted by the age of 2 or 2-and-a-half. Early loss of baby teeth can cause blocked eruption, drifting, crooking and crowding of the permanent teeth.

A child who prematurely loses baby teeth will have a very high chance of needing braces in the future. If an abscess or infection occurs around baby teeth with ECC, it may affect the development of the underlying permanent teeth.

The best treatment for ECC is prevention. But teeth affected by ECC can still be treated if intervention is early and the underlying causes are stopped.

The following are guidelines, developed by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, for preventing baby-bottle tooth decay:

• Don't allow a child to fall asleep with a bottle containing milk, formula, fruit juices or other sweet liquids.

• Comfort a child who wants a bottle between regular feedings or during naps with a bottle filled with cool water.

• Always make sure a child's pacifier is clean, and never dip a pacifier in a sweet liquid.

• Introduce children to a cup as they approach 1 year of age. Children should stop drinking from bottles soon after their first birthdays.

• See the dentist if any unusual red or swollen areas appear in a child's mouth, or any dark spot on a child's tooth.

Healthy adult teeth begin with healthy baby teeth. Knowing and following the AAPD guidelines, and visiting a dentist for the first check-up around the age of 1, are very important for preventing young children from getting ECC.

Coronary Artery Disease – Causes, Symptoms & Treatments

Coronary artery disease signifies the contraction of arteries as a result of atherosclerosis. Due to the contraction of arteries, enough oxygen does not reach up to the heart muscles. When sufficient amount of oxygen is not received by the heart then it leads to pain in chest. This condition is named as Angina. The occurrence of heart attack is usual in case an artery is blocked completely. Coronary artery disease is one of the most common diseases found in the people all around the world. Every year a large number of people die due to heart attacks. Coronary artery disease may be prevented for reducing the number of deaths caused by heart problems.

If we wish to know about the cause of coronary artery disease then we need to know that the arteries are hardened due to atherosclerosis. As a result of this, heart receives very less oxygen than required by it. Plaques are formed inside blood vessels. Such plaques are formed by fatty acids. Such blockage makes the passage of arteries narrow and heart muscles do not get enough oxygen. Deposition of bad cholesterol in the arteries is the main cause of such blockage which occurs in arteries.

Symptoms of coronary artery disease do not show up until the problem gets very serious. People get to know about such problem when they suffer from pain in their chest or angina pectoris. Angina is the first symptoms which may be experienced by people who have coronary artery disease. People who have this problem may also experience discomfort or pain in chest when they exert themselves. The pain may disappear when proper rest is taken by the people.

The treatment of this disease include intake of drugs which reduce the level of bad cholesterol in body. Antiplatelet medication is used to prevent the formation of blood clots. Drugs to control high blood pressure help in preventing heart attack. In case, someone experiences any of the symptoms of coronary artery disease, he/she should immediately consult a doctor. A heart attack may be prevented if doctors know about it in advance.

Moringa Oleifera Information-Uses and Benefits

Moringa oleifera is a tree which satisfies many nutritional requirements and also works as a medicine for many diseases. This plant is commonly found in areas of Africa as well as in the northern regions of India. Almost every part of this tree can be used for different purposes. Although this tree is a native of Himalayas, but now it can be found in South and Central America, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Philippines, and Africa. This tree is known for providing great nutritional values.

The undeveloped pods of the parts of this plant contain more nutritional values than to the ripped ones. These pods contain vitamins, essential amino acids and other vital nutrients which make these pods very nutritious. These pods can be eaten raw as green beans or green peas. The ripped pods can be cooked or fried and tastes like peanut. These pods have edible, non drying oil which is called Ben Oil. About 38-40% of this Ben Oil is present in these pods. This oil is odorless, sweet, and clear and never becomes sour. The nutrition value of this oil is very much similar to olive oil. The leaves of this tree can be used as salad, greens, pickles, seasonings and in vegetable curries. These leaves are also used in cleaning walls and utensils. The flowers of this tree are enriched with calcium and potassium and are cooked with other food stuff to get a better taste and nutrition value.

Moringa trees are enriched with nutritional values and are the best source for curing malnutrition. The leaves contain vitamin A, B and C along with protein, calcium and iron. A research says that 25 grams of Moringa tree leaf powder can provide about Calcium 125%, Potassium 41%, Protein 42%, Magnesium 61%, Vitamin A 272%, Vitamin C 22% and Iron 71% which is hard to find in any other food stuff.

The seed leftovers which are left after extracting oil from seeds are also used in cleaning water. This is one of the best and natural ways to clean water. Many researches conclude that different parts of this tree can be used in curing different diseases. According to Ayurveda, about 300 diseases can be cured with the help of various parts of this tree.

Weight Loss Tips

Losing weight can be a very challenging thing to do. It will require a commitment on your part to make some changes in perhaps your diet and exercise habits in order to see success long term and experience fast weight loss. However most of us already know that we need to exercise and eat right yet most of us do not do it regularly as part of an effective weight loss program.

For many of us the stress from our jobs and daily lives can cause us to turn to food for relaxation and stress relief which may feel good in the short term but obviously has many negative long term side effects. Here are a few tips to help you get back on track to getting a fit and healthy body.

Tip 1: Set Goals

This is a very important step that is often overlooked by most people trying to lose weight. Goals are very important because they will help to keep you on track and get you back on track quickly even if you make a few mistakes along the way.

The first step in proper goal setting is to decide why you want to lose weight. This is the fuel that will drive you to accomplish a healthy weight. Write down on a piece of paper right now the main reasons why you must lose weight. This is critically important because something magical happens when you write your goals on a piece of paper and doing this can make easy weight loss possible since you will almost automatically do the right things and it will seem effortless.

Now set a date 1 month from now and 3 months from now targeting the weight you want to be at. Be realistic so aim for a weight loss of maybe 10 pounds a month on average. Write down the weight you will accomplish on a piece of paper. Once you have done this you must review this information daily to program your mind for the kind of body you choose to create. Each of these steps matter so do not skip them nor underestimate their power.

Tip 2: Eat Smaller Meals More Often

Most people consume huge meals once or twice a day so as a result your body ends up becoming very good at storing fat instead of burning it. If you go more than 4 or 5 hours without food your bodies metabolism slows down because it thinks you are trying to starve it.

Eat smaller meals every 3 to 4 hours. You can still eat all your favorite foods but break down the portions to smaller amounts. You will find that you get hungry less and your body's metabolism will also speed up because it knows you feed it the right amounts of food on a regular basis which assists in natural weight loss.

Tip 3: Exercise Right

When it comes to exercise it is important to note that you do not need to work out endlessly to see results. All you need to do is walk for 20 to 60 minutes a day and then maybe once a week or so do some weight training to keep your muscles strong.

Remember that muscle burns calories all the time so it is important to build and maintain some muscle mass to get the best weight loss results. Buy a treadmill and some free weights or join a gym and just do some basic exercises regularly.

Another good tip to help you on the road to fast weight loss is to use some sort of a green drink supplementation. Green drinks are concentrated whole food supplements that are rich in green foods which are great at detoxifying your internal system and aiding in rapid weight loss. Go to a local health food store or even a supermarket and ask for a green drink. They are usually powdered and look very green in color and are a great addition to any weight loss diet.