Page 22 - Florida Sentinel 8-28-15 Edition

Health
5 Ways To Help Your Child Make The Back-To-School Transition
The Sweet Smell Of Sleep
Looking for ways to get high quality sleep? Try the calming aroma of lavender and/or chamomile. Some research has shown that these scents (or a combination thereof) may help reduce stress, put your body in a restful state and promote high quality sleep.
Seven to eight hours of high quality sleep play a critical role in optimal health. Some of the benefits of high quality sleep in- clude:
• Weight loss
• Assist with appetite control • Energy improvement
• Stress relief
• Improves immunity
• Promotes production of lean
calorie-burning muscle mass
• Optimal performance dur-
ing exercise
• Maximum results for race /
competitive sporting event
Here are a few ways to use lavender and/or chamomile as you prepare for sleep:
• Add lavender or chamomile bath float to warm bath water.
• Apply a light layer of laven- der or chamomile body butter or lotion on entire body.
• Use lavender or chamomile pillow mist on pillow/bed area.
Sweet dreams!
For optimal fitness results, balance exercise with healthy nutrition and high quality sleep.
Managing Your Child’s Asthma: Things To Know For Back To School
The following suggestions from the American Psychological Association may be helpful for parents to help their child tran- sition back to school.
1. Get organized: Organiz- ing things at home — backpack, binder, lunchbox or cafeteria money — will help make the mornings go smoothly. Having healthy, yet kid-friendly lunches will help keep them energized throughout the day.
2. Get to know your neighbors: Walk around your block and get to know the neigh- borhood children. Find out where neighborhood kids might go to safely hang out, like the recreation center or park.
3. Talk to your child. Com- municate with your children about their fears or worries about going back to school. In- quire as to what they liked about their previous school or grade and see how those positives can be incorporated into their new experience.
4. Empathize with your children. Change can be diffi- cult, but also exciting. Let your children know that you are aware of what they’re going through and that you will be there to help them in the process. Nerves are normal, but highlight that not everything that is different is necessarily bad. It is important to encourage your children to face their fears in- stead of falling in to the trap of encouraging avoidance.
5. Get involved and ask for help. Knowledge of the school and the community will better equip you to understand your child’s surroundings and the transition he or she is under- going. Meeting members of your community and school will foster support for both you and your child. If you feel the stress of the school year is too much for you and your child to handle on your own, seeking advice from a men- tal health professional, to help you better manage and cope.
Approximately 6.8 million children are living with asthma, according to the Centers for Dis- ease Control and Prevention. Furthermore, African-American children are nearly 2x more likely to have asthma compared to white children.
Dr. Bola Oyeyipo, a family physician in San Antonio, Texas and co-founder of Healthgist.com offers these 5 tips to help keep your child safe and healthy this year and for many more years to come.
Inform Your
Child’s School
Sit down and have a one-on- one conversation with your child’s teacher, the school nurse, principal, and whoever else will be interacting with your child on a daily basis. Let him or her know how severe your child’s asthma is and what his or her triggers are.
Talk To Your Child
Depending on how young your child is, you will need to explain
his or her condition in a way that he or she can understand and ex- plain to others if necessary.
You Can Never Be Too Safe
Although many kids look for- ward to gym class, a half-hour of physical activity can be ab- solutely grueling and potentially deadly for someone with asthma, especially if it’s exercise-induced asthma.
Don’t Skip Out On Key Vaccinations
Dr. Oyeyipo says the flu shot can be key when it comes to man- aging asthma: “Make sure your child is immunized against the flu when flu season rolls around in order to limit asthma flare ups.”
Consider Other Options
Feel like your child’s asthma isn’t improving? Then it may be time to talk with doctor about the possibility of trying some new op- tions.
PAGE 10-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2015