By Michelle Donaghey 

Summer. The season of fun-filled days spent outdoors at the beach, pool, backyard and parks. While the weather is warm and the kids want to spend every waking moment out of the house, make sure that as a parent you are ready to take care of any summertime “emergency” that can happen without a moment’s notice.

STINGS! Yikes!!

If it hasn’t happened at your house, it will most likely at sometime during the time your children are still at home. Often, stings from bees and or wasps can easily be prevented with a little awareness and care.

In order to prevent a sting from happening, the first thing you should do is to make sure your kids always have footwear on! Most stings happen when a person steps on a bee with their bare feet, often walking near or through a garden. Be sure to avoid areas where bees and wasps are noticeable.

Don’t have your kids wear bright clothes or clothing with flowery prints! While they may look nicer, they attract bees that are attracted to dark colors and prints. If possible, cover up with clothing. Lightweight cotton is a good choice for summertime.

While you or your child might smell good, don’t use any kind of soaps, perfumes, scented powders or hairsprays or gels. They attract winged creatures! Do not think that insect repellents will protect you from stings! They are not made to do so.

If you or your child is being chased by a bee or a wasp, DON’T yell or make a big commotion! This only annoys and scares the bees and wasps. Be calm!

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Dr. Caron wrote this wonderful article on childhood asthma. As a child growing up with asthma I could relate to everythign she said. I had some pretty bad episodes, some that landed me in the hospital emergency ward and a couple where I was admitted. An attack can be a very stressful and scary time for your child, it is very important that the adult remains calm so as not to make the situation even worse. ~ Kevin ~

Stressing Out Over Asthma by Dr. Caron B. Goode

Asthma attacks are stressful. They start innocently enough with a slight wheeze or a little cough. Then it is all downhill from there. First, the asthmatic feels his chest tighten and is unable to breathe. This justifiably produces feelings of panic, anxiety, and helplessness. These emotions escalate with the episode, which in turn perpetuates and lengthens the attack cycle.

As if an attack is not bad enough, this scenario can be easily repeated at the drop of a hat. The cells in our bodies have many functions, one of which is to store memory. During asthmatic episodes, they record the emotional trauma and intensity of the attack. This is so the body can be prepared should it face the situation again. Even though this sounds like a solid plan, it actually ensures that just thinking about an episode can trigger one.

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by Michelle Donaghey

“Would you please look at me? Did you hear what I just told you?”
It seemed every time that I talked to my son, Patrick, he just did not listen. And not the typical child tune-out behavior, but a kind of spaced-out looking and listening type I just did not understand until his teacher told me she thought he had an attention deficit disorder.
Instead of immediately running to a specialist, I waited for a change. He was in first grade when I first learned of ADD. At that time, I immediately thought of the ADD drug, Ritalin, and thought there would be “no way” I would put him on medication. Instead, I tried a natural approach I read about called the”Feingold Diet.” The additive free diet did not allow ANY sort of dyes or preservatives or wheat and is totally natural- try it for a week and you will find it nearly impossible- it didn’t work for Patrick either. In fact according to CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) dozens of studies published in journals over the past 15 years have not found support of this diet. So, I put ADD out of my mind and ignored any sort of problems occurring at school and home. Patrick is now in the third grade and I am finally going to have him evaluated by a professional after dragging my heels thinking he would outgrow this somehow.

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The FDA has put out an alert for trainted raw milk solf by Lebanon County Dairy. Anyone who has purchased raw milk from Green Acres Jersey Farm in Lebanon County any time after May 8 should discard it immediately due to the risk of Listeria contamination, Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff said. 

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Its a fact that we can't watch our children 24/7 and that we want our children to be safe and healthy. So what can we do? One way to keep our children healthy is to make sure they eat right, but if we don’t prepare all their meals ourselves, that’s hard to do. Schools are taking steps towards making school lunches healthier, but you still may need to step in to make sure your child is being given healthy options.

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Exercise and a proper diet are fundamental to good health. As we have become conscious of various health risks, we want our family to be physically and emotionally healthy as well. To this end, family fun exercise: bike riding, is one way in which parents and kids can not only enjoy exercise, but benefit from it as well.

Whether the family goes out for a traditional bike ride after dinner, or reserves this activity for the weekends, it is important that exercise be part of a family’s routine. Bike riding is a fun activity, but should be approached in a safe manner. If you have not been on a bike for a while, there are certain safety tips you’ll need to adhere to. To ensure you and your family enjoys this activity; you’ll need to have the proper equipment.

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