Melanie Cole's Health Radio - RadioMD.com

Should you enroll your child in martial arts classes?Martial arts teach body control and discipline. Studio classes often have kids teaching other kids. Advancing belts encourage achievement and moving to the next level. Injury risk doesn’t vary by gender. There is less chance for injury in the martial arts that don’t involve contact. Kicking is cool. Kids need to learn safety, avoiding kicks to the head. Proper form is important for physical benefit and sparring security. Protective...

You child comes home with the dreaded note: the class has lice. What do you do?Even the cleanest children get lice. Those little bugs tend to nest in certain colors and textures of hair, which is why some people get repeat visits. Lice are bugs that crawl from one scalp to another. They can crawl from combs, brushes and clothing onto a fresh scalp. The bugs look like sesame seeds, and their eggs stick to the hair shaft. A louse will only live one to two days when not on a scalp. Eggs...

There may be some nutritionally-based solutions to improve the effects of mental illness and depression.The current model for treating depression and mental illness is limited. Medications are not as effective as desired. Everyone who presents with depression might have a different source and/or contributing factors. The biochemical underlying cause can vary from person to person. Individualized, integrative treatment is important. The gut microbiome may be an underlying cause. Stress...

Learn how to survive the dreaded temper tantrum.It’s your worst nightmare. Your child throws a tantrum in a public place. You’re stressed out and are ready to have a tantrum of your own. How can you deal? The most difficult -- yet most important -- thing to do is to ignore your child during the temper tantrum. See if the tantrum dies down. If that doesn’t work, divert your child’s attention. Remove him from the environment. This may be tough because you’re pressed for time and are in a...

Is your picky eater driving you crazy? Learn how to develop good eating habits and work through the selective eating without another fight.Do you have a picky eater? Pickiness and selective eating are fairly common. They develop around age two. The duration of the habit depends on the parental response. You can’t control everything that goes into your child’s mouth, but you can control your approach to mealtimes. Forcing a child to eat something creates a negative reaction. You’re...

How can we improve health and healthcare for all Americans?We have a narrowly defined wellness culture, primarily consisting of the middle class and affluent population. Why is chronic illness on the rise? Why is it so hard to meet the simplest of health goals? Most Americans are struggling for survival within the context of a highly stressful, materially oriented, high performance focused society. They don’t take the time for self-care with diet, exercise and enjoyment of the...

How can you reduce your exposure to toxins?The average person encounters environmental toxins in every day life. It’s impossible to completely avoid them. Our bodies are enzyme machines. We vitamins and minerals for the enzymes to work properly. The nutritional quality of our food supply has decreased in the past fifty years due to modern agricultural procedures. Toxins poison the body’s enzymes so they don’t function properly. There is a correlation between chronic illnesses and toxin...

Are there benefits if your child chooses a sports specialization early?You watch your child participate in sports with a mixture of pride and fear. You may even have hopes for your child to have a successful career in sports. Sports are an excellent form of exercise. Starting sports young creates a lifelong habit of physical activity. Children can also learn leadership, teamwork, and socialization from participating in team sports. When is specialization a good idea and when is it...

What wisdom can we take from the ancient Greeks to improve our lives today?The writings and art of ancient Greece show a civilization that seemed to be balanced, relieved of stress, and focused on living life. And, that focus was on a lifetime, not on a single day’s drama. Tolerance of other cultures was high. People were accepted the way they were. Common grounds were sought so trade could occur. The technology level limited medicinal practices. People went to temples when ailing....

Meet your breastfeeding goals with these expert tips.Breastfeeding is natural, but it isn’t always easy. Before baby comes, you need to learn what to expect. It’s hard to know what’s normal and what’s not when you’re a first-time mom. Most hospitals advise taking a breastfeeding class, and you can always ask your obstetrician for advice. Many mothers are returning to work after the baby comes, which can make breastfeeding problematic. However, insurance companies are now paying for...

It's time to crawl out of your compartment, grab the kids and visit nature.Times have changed with technology. Kids today aren’t spending as much time exploring the outdoors as in previous generations. Seventy-one percent of today’s mothers recall playing outdoors in their youth. Only 25 percent of them recall their own children playing outdoors daily. Even when outdoors, many kids still have a device in front of them. This impacts children negatively. Development of motor skills is not...

Behave better during arguments by working on a few skills. Your compassion will grow.When your blood is boiling and you’re not going to take it any more, it’s tough to keep your behavior in check. Arguments knock all that common sense out the window. A few guidelines can help you improve your behavior during disagreements. It’s so important to take a moment before running off at the mouth. Stop, breathe and stay calm. You have to focus on what you hope to accomplish and why you’re...

Make the holidays less stressful by implementing some of these simple hacks.More than half of Americans surveyed consider the entire 2016 presidential election cycle a huge source of stress. Compounded with holiday stress, many of us could use a little stress relief right now. Our modern day stressors don’t help our health. We act like it’s normal. It’s not normal to suffer from chronic stress. Stress weakens the immune system and precipitates disease. Here are some tips to help you...

Learn the basics of probiotics and how the gut microbiome works.Probiotics products are designed to give you health benefit. The term probiotic actually comes from Greek biota, meaning “life.” Your body hosts a microbiome— a collection of microorganisms. The human body contains more bacteria than anything else. Every aspect of your health is influenced by your microbiome. It may be more important for your health to take a quality probiotic than a multivitamin. Most probiotics contain...

How does evidence-based medicine work for natural treatments?We live in an information age. Your diagnosis and condition can be easily researched for further information. You’re more familiar with your body and how it reacts because YOU live in your body. Your physician can only provide diagnosis and treatment options based on the information presented. By researching your condition, you can make suggestions to your physician. Together you can create an educated plan to address the...

Naturopathic medicine focuses on treating whole individuals, not just masking symptoms.Many people who investigate naturopathic medicine feel they have been failed by conventional Western medicine. It’s important for practitioners to review all of the evidence and not cherry pick what supports their pre-existing ideas for diagnosis and treatment. Naturopathic practitioners try to treat people based on environment, lifestyle and genetics. Identifying and treating the cause of disease can...

Get curious about your own health before you get critical about your health goals.“Inherently You” is all about you being well, inside and out. We have so much access to health and wellness. Experts, websites and apps provide so much information on health and wellness that we should be healthier than ever. But, chronic health issues are on the rise. Cancer will affect 39% of men and women. Cardiovascular events are the leading cause of death worldwide. Diabetes is the seventh leading...

We've accepted technology as part of our daily lives. But, the hustle and bustle is taking its toll on your health, human connections and psyche.Are you being efficient when you multitask and have every device going at once? Or, do you need to focus on one thing at a time? Alvin Toefler was the first one to coin the term "information overload" in a 1980s book about the future. The average American digests 12 hours of information and media every day. Notifications, emails, texts,...

Blueberries may be tiny, but they pack a nutritional punch.Blueberries are more than little blue fruits that help prostate health. Dietary changes can help you experience improved healthy. Eating less than one cup of blueberries a day has proven to boost health in clinical studies. Eating at least three servings of blueberries and strawberries per week can save women from heart attacks. An 18-year study showed that it reduced the likelihood of heart attack in these women by one-third....

Keep that pinkeye from spreading with plenty of hand washing.Pinkeye can be one of the worst experiences for a child. Itchy, watery, sensitive eyes that develop a crust are telltale signs of pinkeye. It's very contagious, prompting daycares and schools to send the affected children home until the condition is gone. You don't want your child to be the reason for the dreaded pinkeye letter to be distributed to all the parents. Bacterial pinkeye or conjunctivitis is highly contagious. It...