Raising kids’ IQ scores with heaping helping of fish
A new study from the University of Pennsylvania reports that 9- to 11-year-old Chinese children who eat fish at least once a week sleep better and have IQ scores 4 points higher than kids who eat little or no fish. That’s great, but how do you get American kids to eat fish?
We’ve reported that moms-to-be who ate vegetables while pregnant, passed along a propensity for their kids to enjoy vegetables. The same goes for fish.
But let’s get realistic here. To get American kids to eat fish — researchers say it’s the omega-3s in the fish that’s the real brain starter — a nice tuna salad or an oven-fried salmon filet sandwich could do the trick. However, if that doesn’t work, an added supplement of DHA omega-3 algal oil might have the same effect, even though no supplements were cited in the Penn study. Those supplements are known to help improve eyesight, too.
So whichever you choose, it’s important to try, so your child will sleep better and be more attentive in school (always the case following a good night’s sleep).
Bulging veins
On an episode of “Friends,” the gang arrives late to Monica and Chandler’s for dinner. “I bet that vein on Monica’s forehead is popping like crazy,” says Phoebe when Monica won’t let them in. When Rachel suggests eating leftovers instead, Monica warns, “You touch that, and you will be sorry!”
“Guys, I’d listen to her,” says Chandler. “The vein is bigger than I’ve ever seen it.”
Bulging veins in comedy go back to Sid Caesar in the 1950s, but varicose veins are a different story. They can be painful and disfiguring.
Veins carry blood back to the heart after oxygen is delivered to your cells. They accomplish their mission by using valves that open and close, keeping blood headed in the right direction. But if those valves weaken, blood can back up and pool, causing swollen, twisted veins. If you notice them on your calves or thighs, there are ways to ease the pain and stop them from getting worse:
• Exercise regularly to strengthen vessel walls and move blood through your veins.
• Don’t sit for long periods of time; elevate legs when resting.
• Maintaining a healthy weight relieves pressure on veins.
• Avoid tight clothes around the groin and thighs.
• Wear compression stockings (the right compression pressure!) and put them on correctly, if prescribed.
• Talk to your doc about routine aspirin use.
• If VVs become painful or a clot forms, medical interventions include chemical injections (sclerotherapy); laser therapy (for small VVs); endovenous ablation (heat-sealing of veins); for severe cases, surgery.
Q: I have seasonal allergies, but here it is the middle of winter — no leaves, no pollen — and my eyes sting and my sinuses still bother me. Am I allergic to something in my house (no pets)? Lewis B., Pittsburgh
A: Chances are good there’s something in your home that’s causing your symptoms. It may just be irritants that trigger your symptoms and not an allergic reaction, but don’t rule out allergies. According to the largest indoor-allergy study ever done in the U.S., the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, over 90 percent of homes had three or more detectable allergens present. The most common allergens: • two types of dust mites • cockroach • mouse and rat (dander or poop) • mold • cat and dog (dander) There are a couple of ways to find out what you’re reacting to, and if it’s an allergy: You can go to an allergist for a skin-prick test, or you can systematically eliminate what could be the source of your reaction.
• For dust mites, start by vacuuming not just floors, but upholstered furniture, too; wash sheets, blankets and pillows in nonallergic soap and hot water every week; use new allergen-impermeable covers for box springs, pillows and mattresses.
• If that doesn’t ease your sneeze, change up your laundry detergent and the rest of your cleaning supplies. There’s a good chance that’s where your irritant is hiding.
• For cockroach- or rodent-related allergies, hire exterminators.
• Pets? Keep them outdoors (as much as possible) and out of the bedroom.
• Still no relief ? Check for leaks in the walls (that can stimulate mold growth) and mold growth in bathroom corners and basements. If it’s superficial, using a mask, you can clean it with bleach. For black mold, you need professional help!
Talk to your doc about the possibility that it’s something in your diet instead, and about relieving symptoms with medications such as oral antihistamines like loratadine (Claritin) and fexofenadine (Allegra), decongestants and corticosteroid nasal sprays like triamcinolone (Nasacort) and fluticasone propionate (Flonase).