Some tips that parents of a pupil should put on notice
The first of September has fallen behind and nine long months of school lie ahead, but right now your child is hitting the books eagerly day by day. However each academic year is stressful for a child from physical and psychical view, and the age is not important here.
The most important is to wash your hands frequently
Unfortunately, not all of our schools are equipped with soft soap containers, dry disposable wipes or hand dryers. Therefore, well tried remedy that should be in the knapsack of each student – is a bottle of antiseptic gel or antibacterial wet wipes. Both means kill the most common bacteria and viruses, and therefore the probability that the child will be infected with rotavirus, enterovirus, or influenza, is reduced to a minimum. By the way, just recently the World Health Organization issued a special guidance on implementation strategies to improve hand hygiene. It’s a 48 pages research about the consequences of neglecting hand hygiene, the process is gradually described (it is about washing hands in public restrooms). In short it looks like this: Apply to wet hands liquid soap, rinse, dry with disposable wipe and then turn off the faucet with a new dry wipe. Parents, remember, the child should wash his hands, not only in school but also at home before eating, after walking in the street, after contact with animals and with any chemical cleaners.
Healthy foods in a pail
Have you heard that Michelle Obama set out a small kitchen garden in the courtyard of White House? So, the main purpose of this is to attract the attention of parents to what their children eat outside the home, especially, in schools. The best food is the one that is cooked at home and packed in a pail. As a snack you can take any fruits, nuts, yogurt drinks, as well as vegetable or meat pie, cheesecake, and of course sandwiches. Try to replace the sausage with boiled meat, butter and mayonnaise with the low-fat yogurt and put more greens, parsley for example. One hundred grams of this familiar herb contain approximately two daily doses of vitamin C. And be sure to provide a child with a bottle of fresh still mineral water.
ARVI prevention
On an average, the level of incidence of viral respiratory infections increases by 20% specifically in September. To prepare the pupil’s body for numerous infections, which abound in a big team, doctors recommend using anti-viral drugs with extended spectrum of activity. Most of them should be ingested or dripped. If you start to use these medications since the first days of school, you can avoid infection by numerous viruses. These medicines can only be prescribed by your medical doctor.
Vaccinated means protected
Besides the basic vaccinations, present in the immunization schedule, the most effective way to protect your child from the flu – get him vaccinated. Each year new vaccines against influenza are developed considering the new strains of the virus appeared. Any vaccine against influenza has so-called non-specific immunogenic properties. This means that besides the influenza this vaccine protects the body from other respiratory viral infections. Early autumn is the best time for vaccination, which can be made at any age.
Eyes are the essence
Statistically, one out of four students has poor eyesight. The main and essential reason is long –term visual concentration while writing and reading. If you notice that your child squints, while looking into the distance, has difficulties in seeing at the dark, has red and watery eyes, you have to go with him to an ophthalmologist. To prevent eye diseases, follow the simple rules: provide the sufficient light in the place of study of your child (if he is left-hander, put the lamp on his right side if the right-hander – vice versa), try to control the time spent at the computer or TV (40 minutes at the screen, 10 minute break) more often wash your windows, pollution leads to a reduction of 40% coverage, include in the child’s diet products that are good for the eyes: cottage cheese, yogurt, boiled fish, beef and beef tongue, turkey, rabbit, carrot, cabbage, cranberries and parsley.
Autumn hypovitaminosis
Parents, remember, avitaminosis is a disease caused by a deep and prolonged deficiency of a vitamin. Nowadays genuine deficiency disease is extremely rare, the most frequently diagnosed is hypovitaminosis. It is a condition when the body receives insufficient amounts of certain vitamins. At risk are children of all ages. To understand exactly what vitamins are missing, you need to consult a doctor. In the “vitamin issue” in any case, do not rely on your own intuition or advertising, as uncontrolled and constant use of vitamins can lead to the fact that the body simply stops independent synthesis of necessary substances from the food. As for “antistress vitamins”- it is an advertising trick. To relive stress, which occurs during adaptation to the new school year, it is enough to have proper rest and get enough sleep.
How much should a schoolboy sleep?
When it comes to children of the first-second grade, some children get used to sleep at lunch time and it is not necessary to wean them from it, because during sleep they restore power. The optimal duration of an afternoon nap is up to one hour and a half a day. As for the night’s rest, a child should sleep 9-10 hours, and every day should go to sleep at the same time, regardless of the day of the week. In this case the transition from holidays and weekends to everyday school will not be a burden to you or your child.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Symptoms of this syndrome are frequent headaches, muscle pain, sore throat, drowsiness, and irritability. Such syndrome does not occur for any reason in particular. Often the cause of this syndrome may be the iron deficiency. The hemoglobin(Hb) level test will show it. As well, chronic fatigue can be caused by iodine deficiency and dysfunction of the thyroid gland. Scientists estimate that the average age of the children, during which the signs of fatigue appear most often is 15 years. In girls the syndrome is more common than in boys. Much of it is owed to puberty, body restructuring and maturing. The proper rest, change of environment and a pleasant pastime may help to overcome fatigue.
Dr. Visnevschi-Rusnac Liliana,
pediatrician
(published 2013)