Breast Feeding - Heavenly Nectar For Babies

Breast feeding is the greatest and the best gift any mother can give her child. Yet, the world over, there are millions of infants deprived of this benefit. This is because of many factors and circumstances force mothers use formula milk instead. These circumstances could be physical (such as the mother is incapable of producing milk, or the baby has a lactose digestion problem) or it could be due to the fact that both the parents need to work, and hence the mother cannot be at home to nurse the child at the same time. Promoting Breast Feeding Studies report that breast feeding helps the child cope better physically and mentally with the challenges that the world throws in his/her path. Side-by-side it has been found that the formula are not as good as was believed once upon a time, neither are these really sterile as the public was led to believe. There had been reports where very unusual things were found in the powder milk such as match sticks, foils, paper and so on indicating the quality control in the factories where these are produced supposedly with state-of-the-art-infrastructure is not actually that great for the baby. Women all over the world realized that by depriving their babies of breast milk, they were indeed doing them a great injustice. This is how breastfeeding made a huge come back and now babies all over the world enjoy breastfeeding longer and more often (per day). Not only that women tend to continue with breast feeding after the baby is well past two years of age - and the result is that both the mother and child are feeling great about it. Large corporates accepted and recognized the need for breast feeding and have offered new mothers nursing breaks and creches on their premises so the babies would not be deprived of their due. It is wonderful to see that babies have responded well to this change globally - by reporting less susceptibility to disease, good immune system, proper brain development among others. Formula Versus Breast Feeding There is no argument that can uphold that the formula can ever be better than mother's milk for the baby. You could say that the formula is extremely convenient - especially for working women - but it is definitely not better. Breast feeding was, is and will always be the best food you can give your infant. In case you can, try to be there at home and close your baby for at least the first three to four months.

About Author: Eddie Lamb provides an abundance of information on a range of family related issues. We believe better understanding your family's requirements makes for a happier environment. You'll find a host of useful articles about breast feeding on our site at Breast Feeding Awareness.

Article Source: ArticlesAlley.com

D-Calcium Pantothenate for Acne Therapy - An Entirely New Category in Skin Care

Co-enzyme A is needed to break down fatty acids in the body. When, levels of co-enzyme A are low, the efficient breakdown of fatty acids is thus impaired which leads to excessive accumulation of fatty acids in the blood stream. The fatty acids are the deposited into the sebaceous glands (sweat glands) and secreted as oil, giving the skin an oily complexion. Co-enzyme A is also needed for sex hormone synthesis. When the levels of sex hormone are low, the body has to make use of what co-enzyme A is available for sex hormone synthesis (as hormone synthesis is given priority; without it, sex organs to do not develop) and hence this causes the build-up of fatty acids. This explains why teenagers are more prone to acne than adults; at that age, sex hormone synthesis is at its peak to allow development of sex organs and secondary characteristics such as pubic hair, muscle mass, voice change etc. The human body can obtain co-enzyme A from 3 sources; adenosine (naturally produced), cysteine (naturally produced) and d-calcium pantothenate, which needs to be obtained from dietary intake. Although the naturally produced adenosine and cysteine are able to cope with supplying the adequate levels of co-enzyme A, at time of high demand dietary intakes of d-calcium pantothenate are needed to quench this demand. Treatment Regime 1.For the first five days of treatment, 5 capsules are usually taken twice a day; this equates to 10 capsules per day. 2.After the first five days, 5 capsules are to be taken 4 times a day (equates to 20 capsules per day) for 3 months. 3.After three months, maintenance therapy can be started and this ranges from 4-15 capsules per day. Maintenance therapy can be titrated according to the appearance of your skin and how acne-free it is. Gradually reducing the dose from 20 a day down to 10 then eventually 4 capsules per day is quite a good method. If flare-ups are experienced, this means you have gone below your individual maintenance dosage; increase to the amount taken before the last reduction. One may ask why, the doses of d-calcium pantothenate, are so high. Well, the purpose of taking 20 capsules per day is to kick-start the body to produce co-enzyme A. After the levels of co-enzyme A are high, (after about three months), they can then be reduced to a maintenance therapy levels; as explained above. Efficacy The use of d-calcium pantothenate has been shown to be over 90% effective in a medical study. But one thing to note is that efficacy comes with compliance! In some people, improvements can be seen at 2 weeks of therapy whilst others this can take somewhat longer. During the first week of treatment, some customers have noticed that their acne has increased. Although the reason for this is not entirely known, this should not act as a deterrent; this usually disappears after 1-2 weeks. Safety Being an all-natural water soluble vitamin, d-calcium pantothenate is safe to take in high quantities. The body will just excrete the surplus amounts through the urine. The only contra-indication worthy of note is that d-calcium pantothenate should not be taken when pregnant/ breast feeding. Side Effects 1.Loosening of stool ( reported as the main side effect) The stool consistency is half way between normal and diarrhoea 2.Mild stomach irritation ( occasional) 3.Possible headaches. This may occur at the start of treatment and gradually subsides 4.Must not be taken when pregnant or when breast feeding! If side effects do occur, then please reduce the number of capsules being taken or discontinue and consult your local doctor for advice.

About Author: Asanka Samaranayake (BSc Hons Neuroscience) and Darren Patten (Bsc Hons Surgery & Anaesthesia)have a specialist interest in microdermabrasion and provide you with an indispensable resource at Microdermabrasion Info. Net

Article Source: ArticlesAlley.com

Society and Teenage Pregnancy in Jamaica

Rates of teenage pregnancy in Jamaica are among the highest in the Caribbean, with the birth rate for 15-19 year olds at 108 births per 1,000 women. Forty-five percent of all Jamaican women who are 15 to 24 years old have been pregnant by 19 years of age, and 41% have given birth.

Females between the ages of 10 and 19 account for roughly 25% of all births in Jamaica and about 22% of births in 15-19 year-olds are second births.

There are a number of consequences to teenage pregnancy in Jamaica. First of all, the education of the adolescent mother is disrupted and often completely ended. Indeed, only 36% of teenage mothers complete more than four years of secondary school, compared to 50% of girls who never become pregnant. The mother, then, is severely limited in her job opportunities.

Furthermore, parents and society in general will not look kindly upon a young girl who has engaged in sexual activity at a young age, and often a girl is disowned and must support herself and her child alone. Teenage pregnancy in Jamaica also carries with it health risks to the mother and child, though doubts have been raised as to whether these risks may also be attributed to socio-economic factors. Statistics show that maternal mortality rate is 40% higher for mothers under 15 and 13% higher for mothers in their twenties.

It is not only the teen mother who experiences health risks, but the child of the adolescent mother as well. Research points to the fact that the neo-natal death rate for babies born to adolescent girls is roughly three times higher than for babies born to adults.

Speaking of socio-economic factors, there are further health risks to the child due to the often precarious financial situation of the adolescent mother. Often, the mother passes long periods of time away from the child to try to find work or chooses to work extra hours to make enough money. This often leads to the mother stopping breast-feeding early and switching the child to foods which lack the essential nutrients found in breast milk; this leads to poor health and malnutrition among Jamaican children.

The socio-economic situation of the Jamaican mother also often leads to child shifting, where a child is sent to live with other family members or other families, away from the mother. Studies have shown that 1 out of 5 Jamaican children did not live with either their mother or father; very often the shifted child will be placed in a negative environment.

What Jamaican society is beginning to realize is that the negative effects of teenage pregnancy in Jamaica are not felt solely by the adolescent mother or her child. The Jamaican economy suffers because of a poor labor force due to so many young girls being uneducated and because the resources of the country must be funneled into welfare programs for teenage mothers.

Indeed, teenage pregnancy in Jamaica is obviously a complex and multi-faceted problem.

About Author: Azzam Sheikh Facilitator 'Strengthening families, strengthening communities' parent programme. pregnancy resource center

Article Source: ArticlesAlley.com