Eye health tips for kids

Managing your child’s eye health requires vigilance, an early start and a little bit of ingenuity, say the experts.Here are their top tips:

• Make eye appointments with a doctor of optometry part of the regular health checklist, along with a dental checkup, immunization and hearing tests.

• If you notice behavioural issues in your child, especially when discussing anything visual, consider taking him or her to a doctor of optometry.

“If they’re closing one eye when they’re concentrating, have a funny tilt to their head, have poor concentration or get easily irritated and give up on visual tasks, it’s time for an eye exam,” says Kerrie St. Jean, CNIB’s national manager for child, youth and family services.

• Just as we protect our skin from sun damage, eyes need a barrier against ultraviolet light, too.

“A lot of children won’t wear UV protection or any eyewear when playing sports. Buy cute or funky UV-protected sunglasses and let them pick them out. It’s not just a summertime thing, either. There’s so much glare in the winter and that can cause damage,” says Ms. St. Jean.

• If your child gets sand or any other foreign object in their eye, don’t let them rub it.

“Flush it out with saline. Use over-the-counter artificial tear drops as directed and if it’s still bothering the child, see a doctor of optometry. If there’s something in there, or a cut on the eye, they can remove the foreign body or treat the abrasion. We have the necessary equipment to see what’s happening,” says Dr. Paul Savioli, a doctor of optometry in Thunder Bay, Ont.

• Avoid conjunctivitis. Commonly known as pink eye, conjunctivitis can be a bacterial or a viral infection that can start as a cold or respiratory tract infection, and spread from there.

“Quarantine your child if they have conjunctivitis to prevent the spread of infection. Doctors of optometry can treat an eye infection,” says Dr. Savioli. “Make sure if your child has a cold that they wash their hands frequently.”

• Good nutrition is key to eye wellness. Ensure your child has a regular source of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, as well as fish high in eye-protecting omega-3 fatty acids, such as cod, mackerel and wild salmon.

“Our eyes are dependent on the rest of our body,” says Dr. Savioli, “so good overall health affects your eyes as well.”

Source  http://life.nationalpost.com/2013/05/15/eye-health-tips-for-kids/

What are the health benefits of probiotics?

Read enough online and you'd be forgiven for thinking probiotics are some kind of magical bullet that can relieve everything from irritable bowel syndrome and gastro to cancer and high cholesterol.

Probiotics are live microorganisms, such as bacteria or yeast, which when taken in large enough quantities, help improve and maintain the health of your gastrointestinal tract.

Advocates say probiotics boost the populations of good bacteria in your gut, thereby improving not only your gut health, but somehow benefitting all the other aspects of your health that been linked to the gut – including your immune system. This is because the gut encounters foreign substances every day in the food we eat, making it a major line of defence against potentially harmful pathogens.

You only have to head to your nearest chemist, supermarket or health food store to find probiotics, which may come as tablets, powders, drinks and yoghurt. Most of these contain bacteria, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, that already live in your gut and help keep you healthy and digesting food; some may also include the yeast Saccharomyces boulardii.

Probiotics have the added advantage that they are relatively safe, as we already have these populations of bacteria in our gut and the most common vehicles for probiotic medication are dairy products found on the shelves of every supermarket.
What does the evidence say?

For some health conditions, such as diarrhoea and particularly antibiotic-associated diarrhoea, there is clear evidence of a benefit from over-the-counter probiotics.

A 2010 Cochrane review of 63 studies examining the use of probiotics in more than 8000 people – most of whom were children – with infectious diarrhoea found those who took probiotics were generally sick for a shorter period and without any adverse effects. The most common probiotics used were L. casei strain, S. boulardii Enterococcus lactic acid bacteria.

Probiotics have also been found to prevent the bouts of diarrhoea that affect up to one in four people taking antibiotics. A recent meta-analysis, which looked at the results of 63 different trials, concluded that taking probiotics could reduce the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea by 42 per cent.

Irritable bowel syndrome, with its range of unpleasant symptoms, including bloating, flatulence and diarrhoea, is another condition often treated over-the-counter with probiotics although the research evidence on this is mixed.

The link between the gut and our immune system has also prompted great interest in the potential benefits of probiotics in treating a range of allergic and auto-immune conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease and Crohn's. There is growing evidence that gut flora plays a significant part in these diseases, but probiotics are yet to prove conclusively useful in preventing flare-ups. Some studies have found an effect, other studies haven't.

Part of the problem with using over-the-counter probiotics may be that they only consist of a few strains, when we know that the number of potential strains of gut flora run into the millions.

As the evidence suggests, the few strains easily available do have some impact on conditions, such as infectious diarrhoea, but perhaps we are missing the full potential of probiotics.

"You might get a probiotic that contains six to ten strains, so you don't really get the strains that you need, which are the anaerobes," says gastroenterologist Professor Thomas Borody, director of the Centre for Digestive Diseases in Sydney.

Oral probiotics also contain doses of bacteria that are around 3-4 orders of magnitude lower than the estimated 100 trillion individual microorganisms found in the gut.

Borody says another problem with commercial probiotics is that they are too 'tame'.

"Once they've been caught and cultured then they are changed, and they're passaged, which means they're grown over and over and over and the more you passage a bug, the less it is like it used to be," says Borody.
Faecal transplants

What is needed is wild type bacteria that have come from very similar conditions to the human gut. And what better environment to find these in than ... the human gut.

This brings us to another form of probiotic treatment, which you won't find on the shelf of your local pharmacy. It was once known by the descriptive but cringe-inducing name of "yellow soup" but today it is known as faecal transplants, or faecal bacteriotherapy.

"It's probably the only real probiotic, except it's got the 'ick' factor, but it has been done since the fourth century," says Borody.

"So we're using total flora from a donor to put into a recipient, for example, to kill Clostridium difficile, and that has a near 100 per cent success rate."

Faecal transplants are now standard treatment in many places for Clostridium difficile infection, which is the most common cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found this treatment to be significantly more effective, curing 94 per cent of patients, than standard treatment with the antibiotic vancomycin, which cured 27 per cent.

Borody hopes that in the future, faecal transplants might be available in a more palatable form, which he half-jokingly describes as 'crapsules', or a powder that could be added to milk or yoghurt.

In the meantime, in his view 'yellow soup' represents the best that probiotics have to offer.

Source  http://www.abc.net.au/health/thepulse/stories/2013/04/10/3733630.htm#.UWUds9iDHFw

Rebellion announces Sniper Elite 3 in development

Sniper Elite 3 will continue to follow elite agent Karl Fairburne's exploits during World War II only this time it will be on next generation hardware as well.

Rebellion boss Jason Kingsley enthused, "We're very excited to be working with 505 Games again on a sequel that will build on the highly successful Sniper Elite V2. We've got some great ideas to improve on what we did before and feedback from fans has been invaluable."

"Sniper Elite V2 was just the beginning of what we want to do with the franchise," he went on, "there are things we didn't have time to do before that we can really look at featuring this time. We want to focus on making this latest incarnation of Sniper Elite more of a sandbox game but also build on the awesome X-Ray Kill Cam and the atmospheric World War II setting. We're looking forward to seeing what Sniper Elite fans and gamers in general make of the latest chapter in the story."

Sniper Elite 3 is in development for current and next generation consoles and PC.

Source  http://www.play.tm/news/36377/rebellion-announces-sniper-elite-3-in-development/

Donating to a Democrat sparks a rebellion

Lewis & Clark County Republicans Central Committee meeting, what could have been rather routine business — approval of the minutes of past meetings — became a focal point of heated discussion.

Two officers on the Central Committee, Lori Hamm and Bridget Holland, each contributed $25 to the re-election campaign by a Democrat, Secretary of State candidate Linda McCulloch. Hamm works in McCulloch’s office and worked in the office when Brad Johnson ran it. Johnson was running against McCulloch to reclaim the office.

Their donations may well be one of the sparks that has caused smoldering discontent with the committee leadership in past months to flare.

Jay Anderson, a member of the Central Committee, said at the group’s Jan. 21 meeting he wanted the names of Hamm, who was the finance chairwoman, and Holland, who was its treasurer, included in the minutes. Neither Hamm nor Holland attended that meeting where their resignations became official.

After discussion that touched on when, where and under what circumstances names are placed into minutes, Anderson sought to suspend use of Robert’s Rules of Order that help govern the committee meetings to renew the push that their names be in the minutes of a past meeting.

And this drew a rebuke from another of the committee’s members.

Jon Rush said he wanted to know why the group wasn’t adhering to the Constitution. The women’s donations are not unique, Rush pointed out, saying he too has donated to Democrats. He questioned including the women’s names in the minutes before concluding “it’s nuts, it’s crazy.”

As a member of the committee, it is the responsibility of the membership to adhere to the organization’s beliefs that are found on the local party’s website, Anderson said, adding that giving money to another party does not adhere to the mission statement.

He also said he believes there’s a duty everyone on the Central Committee has whether they like the Republican candidate or not.

“It’s the responsibility of this body to support the Republican,” Anderson said.

However, Jean Johnson, the committee’s chairwoman noted, nowhere in the group’s bylaws does it say how a person shall vote or to whom a person can contribute money to.

Jonathan Barbagello is a member of the committee and was recently elected as its state committeeman that gives him a voice at the party’s state convention.

There is a reasonable expectation that officers will support the organization’s mission, he said in an interview on Feb. 12

“What they did was violate our trust. They represent us as officers,” he added.

By a nearly 3-1 margin at the Jan. 21 meeting with three abstentions, the names of Hamm and Holland were added to the minutes.

Barbagello said he wanted his previous motion to oust the two women also included in the minutes. At a previous meeting, Johnson had rejected his motion to punish the two for their donations.

His motion was out of order, said Ward Shanahan, a retired Helena attorney whom Johnson had appointed to be her parliamentarian at that Jan. 21 meeting. The majority would eventually turn its attention to him in this role and vote him out although he remained at Johnson’s side as her attorney.

Those who are accused have a right to respond, Shanahan said.

Barbagello’s motion was included as an addendum.

Hamm wrote in her resignation letter that she’s been a Republican for more than 40 years. She’s donated to Republican Steve Daines’s successful Senate race and to Tim Fox, who won the office of attorney general in November. She also gave to Rick Hill, who failed to win the governor’s mansion last fall. She even contributed, she said, to Mark Perea’s state Senate District 41 race in a district that is heavily Democrat and voted that way.

“I’ve done whatever I could over the years,” said Hamm whose Republican credentials include a couple of years as chairwoman of the local Central Committee.

“And now we’re not Republican enough,” she said.

“For myself and my Central Committee treasurer, we’re being targeted because we supported a Democrat for a statewide race,” Hamm said.

McCulloch, Hamm said, “she’s doing a wonderful job.”

“She was hands down the best,” Hamm said.

“I have a right to vote for and support who ever I want,” she said.

Anderson doesn’t see a conflict between the bid to oust Hamm and Holland and their constitutional rights to support and donate to the political candidates of their choice.

“When their actions and behavior demonstrate that they’re subverting the mission of the body, then the body also has the right to censure them or remove them from office, from their positions of leadership,” he added.

She said that she and Hamm had initially intended to resign much sooner then chose not to, concluding that they hadn’t done anything wrong.

And the more they stood up for themselves, Holland said, the worse the criticism against them became.

“I haven’t done anything to warrant such angriness,” she added.

A member of the Central Committee since the early 1990s – its members are made up from those elected as precinct men and woman in the county – she’s also been a Republican for more than 50 years.

Talking later about the donations by Hamm and Holland, Rush said he never heard why putting their names in the minutes was so important.

“I almost have a feeling that it was something that got stuck in somebody’s craw, and they just wanted to finish it up,” he said.

While he still sees no reason to put Hamm’s and Holland’s names in the minutes, the controversy this has sparked may not last, in Rush’s opinion.

“I think basically it will probably settle down and people will move on with the party business,” he said.

Source  http://helenair.com/news/local/donating-to-a-democrat-sparks-a-rebellion/article_2cfd7574-788a-11e2-a645-0019bb2963f4.html

Rebellion posts cryptic horror teaser, promises Feb. 14 reveal

The developer of Sniper Elite, NeverDead and Aliens Vs. Predator is teasing its next project in the form of a YouTube video with hints about an unannounced horror game coming to PC.

On its Facebook page, Rebellion Developments teases its new game, seemingly set during World War II, by writing, "Footsteps quicken in the fog. Although the lone gunman's pace is swift the growing echoes of shuffling never slacken. They come."

On YouTube, the Oxford, England-based developer reveals a bit more: "One man is utterly alone amidst the chaos of war. But there are worse things to fear than bombs and bullets here..." Promising a Feb. 14 reveal for "PC fans," Rebellion teases "what is in store for those brave enough to venture into the 'Totraum'."

The teaser video doesn't reveal too much, providing a sense of atmosphere and a hint of a John Carpenter-like soundtrack. A QR code at the end of the video leads to a newsletter subscription form decorated with a dripping Nazi Reichsadler with a pentagram in place of a swastika and the letters "NZA." If you enjoy video games that may feature Nazis and possibly even zombies, you may want to sign up for that newsletter.

Source  http://www.polygon.com/2013/1/28/3926316/rebellion-posts-cryptic-horror-teaser-promises-feb-14-reveal

John Boehner survives rebellion to be re-elected Speaker of the House

John Boehner was today re-elected Speaker of the House, despite a small rebellion by conservative Republicans.

The Ohio congressman won a second term after a turbulent week which saw two-thirds of his party vote against him on a compromise to reverse the "fiscal cliff" and public fury from northeastern Republicans over his delay in sending aid to victims of Hurricane Sandy.

A dozen Republicans refused to support him as Speaker, with nine members casting their ballots for other people, two abstaining and one voting "present".

Despite widespread conservative anger over the fiscal cliff deal - which raised taxes on the wealthy but included no serious spending cuts - no other Republican stepped forward to mount a challenge to his re-election.

 Mr Boehner became emotional as he accepted the gavel in the well of the House and urged the newly sworn-in 113th Congress to act quickly to address America's growing debt.

"If you have come here to see your name in lights or to pass off political victory as accomplishment, you have come to the wrong place. The door is behind you," he said.

Congressional rules allow a non-member of the House to become Speaker and two Republicans voted for Allen West, the Tea Party conservative who was defeated in November's election.

One Democrat cast his ballot for Colin Powell, the former general who went on to serve as Secretary of State under George W Bush.

Mr Boehner was ultimately elected with 220 votes, while Nancy Pelosi, the Democrat minority leader received 192.

The small-scale conservative rebellion provided a brief flash of drama in otherwise scripted first day of the 113th Congress.

The new Congress includes a record number of women: 80 of the 435 House representatives are female as are 20 of the 100 members of the US Senate.

Their ranks also include seven openly gay people including Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin, the first openly gay member of the upper house.

Among the freshmen congressman is Joe Kennedy III, the grandson of Robert Kennedy and grand-nephew of JFK. 

Source  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/us-politics/9779509/John-Boehner-survives-rebellion-to-be-re-elected-Speaker-of-the-House.html

Tips for helping children to cope in the aftermath of Newtown

As the school day neared its end Monday, Marci Parizo of Bangor wrestled with what to say to her young son about the shooting in Newtown, Conn., when he returned home.

Five-year-old Landen hadn’t been aware of Friday’s tragic events at Sandy Hook Elementary School, but Parizo wondered what he would pick up from others during class. When she’d pulled up to Fruit Street School to drop Landen off, a police cruiser was parked out front, a sight that both alarmed and reassured her, she said.

“I don’t know what I will say this afternoon, if anything at all,” she said. “I wish I was more prepared.”

Parizo, also mother to 3-year-old Sullivan, said she’d likely wait to see if Landen asked her questions about the shooting. She could reassure him that his teachers would keep him safe, reminding him of the emergency drills he’d practiced.

But what if her son asked the question on everyone’s minds about the terrible losses in Newtown: Why?

“That’s the tricky one,” she said. “We don’t know why, nobody knows why. You want to give them some type of answer better than that.”

Parents across the country are struggling to help their children understand the tragedy as they grapple with it themselves. How to explain enough, but not too much. How to experience the shock and sadness without instilling fear. How to reassure children that they’re safe when the parents’ own sense of security has been shaken.

“It’s always OK to say you don’t know,” said Susan Giambalvo, a clinical social worker and program director at the Center for Grieving Children in Portland. “Children may ask you a question that you can’t answer.”

Let children lead the way with their questions, she said. Use age-appropriate language, and don’t feel the need to go into every detail about Friday’s tragedy, she said.

“Be brief and be honest and if they want to know more, they will ask you more,” Giambalvo said.

Children may need reassurance that the adults around them will keep them safe, said Julie Frost-Pettengill, a Bangor grief therapist. Explain that bad things happen to good people, but emphasize the rarity of such events, she said.

“This is so enormous that if we’re not careful it could paralyze us,” she said. “The reality is it didn’t happen to us — it happened to us in the sense that we’re a collective family.”

Other tips for parents to help children cope with crisis, include:

1. Be prepared for children to ask the same questions more than once as they process their feelings.
2. If a young child doesn’t ask about a tragic event, that typically means the event isn’t on the child’s mind, Frost-Pettengill said.
3. Be patient if a child regresses in their behavior. For example, a child who typically sleeps through the night may want to sleep on the floor in a parent’s room, Frost-Pettengill said. Accommodate the behavior, but don’t indulge it for too long and try return to normal routines, she said.
4. Young children may not grasp the concept of death or killing, Giambalvo said. “It’s important that parents use the words ‘dead’ and ‘died’ when talking with their kids. It can be confusing for kids if you don’t; they take things very concretely.”
5. Don’t be alarmed if a child has an intense burst of feeling, then is ready to play five minutes later. “That’s completely normal,” Giambalvo said.
6. Reach out to others. Organize a vigil or a moment of silence or participate in a recognition of the tragedy. Talk to other parents about your own feelings of shock, despair or grief, so you’re prepared to reassure your children when they need it, Frost-Pettengill said.
7. Find out if your child’s school has a crisis plan and what steps it involves. Talk to your child about the plan and explain that their teachers know what to do to keep them safe, Giambalvo said.

Many parents may also wonder whether to shield their children from media reports of Friday’s shooting. While older children may benefit from watching one news account and then discussing it with their parents, younger children may wrongly interpret the constant coverage to mean that the shooting is still happening or occurring in their town, Frost-Pettengill said.

“Definitely turn the television off because the repeated exposure to the coverage, the stories, the photographs … It’s upsetting, and we can minimize that just by minimizing our exposure to it,” Giambalvo said.

If a child’s concerns or anxiety about the shooting appear intense, persist or worsen, or the child stops showing interest in once-favorite activities, professional support may be in order, Giambalvo said.

As a child grows, their response to a traumatic event can evolve, Frost-Pettengill said. Parents should be on the lookout for warning signs that a child is struggling to cope, even months later, she said.

It’s natural to feel shaken in the days and months following such a tragedy, Giambalvo said, but key to moving on with life will be reaching out to family, friends, and neighbors, she said.

“We need to rebuild our sense of safety and community,” Giambalvo said.

Source  http://bangordailynews.com/2012/12/17/health/tips-for-helping-children-to-cope-in-the-aftermath-of-newtown/