Did you know that the family is the most important social influence for physical activity? Research shows that children of active parents are 5.8 times more likely to engage in physical activity on a regular basis. Today, most children do not meet the recommended amount of daily exercise, which is crucial to healthy growth and development. To get your kids moving, it’s important that you’re moving too! Here are a few fun ...
You may start the day off with a filling, healthy breakfast, but your child is bound to get hungry again before lunchtime. For students, long school days can be a bit of a drag, and short lunch breaks isn’t enough to get through the day. With hunger leading to fatigue and difficulty focusing, it’s important to stay satisfied throughout the school day. It may be tempting to grab a bag of chips to ...
The start of the school year also means the start of the fall sports season. Back to school means it’s back to sports. Being involved in sports is a great way to learn social and disciplinary skills, but also leaves you at risk to injury during play. Sports injuries are usually due to overuse, direct impact, or the application of force that is greater than the body part can withstand. Two kinds of sports ...
School is back in session, and we know that can mean (organized) chaos! It may be difficult to get your child fed and out the door in time, but it is crucial for development, both mentally and physically, that children receive proper nutrition throughout the school day. Breakfast keeps your child energized, full and ready to absorb knowledge. Mornings can be a time crunch, but that is no excuse to let your child miss breakfast ...
Everyone knows the importance of getting proper nutrition and rest, flossing your teeth, and wearing a seatbelt, but do you understand the importance of getting vaccinated? Since vaccinations became available some 50 years ago, they have prevented common diseases such as mumps, measles, Hepatitis A & B, and polio that have once killed millions. And if you don’t stay up to date with your vaccinations, you’re at risk for catching those diseases. Think you ...
Summertime brings many opportunities for outdoor activities. From camping and hiking to playing tag in the backyard, kids and adults alike can enjoy the warm weather. Make sure your family takes the following precautions to avoid missing outdoor fun due to mosquito and tick bites. Before you go outside: Use bug repellent on your skin and clothing. The CDC recommends wearing an EPA-registered insect repellent that contains active ingredients such as DEET or picaridin. Wear ...
Poison ivy is the most common allergy in the United States, affecting about 50 million people every year. The rash from poison ivy is caused by an allergic reaction to urushiol, an oily substance in the leaves, stems and roots of poison ivy, through direct contact. Urushiol is also found in poison oak and poison sumac, which means the rash can be contracted by interacting with any of the three plants. Other than direct contact ...
When it comes to treating your seasonal allergies with home remedies, there’s usually more fiction than fact. There are healing claims about everything from apple cider vinegar to local bee pollen. The doctors at American Family Care understand that not everyone wants to grab a drug off of the pharmacy counter, but people want to be able to breathe too! So are there any proven natural remedies that the doctors here at AFC can ...
Life might be easier if kids came with an instruction book. Most parents usually have enough questions to fill one and it can be extra difficult when your child is looking to you for answers and you don’t have any. That is especially true when they don’t feel good. All they want is for you to “fix it and make it better” but that’s hard to do when you aren’t so ...
Many allergy sufferers feel they are waging a battle with the great outdoors this spring season, trying to keep watery eyes, runny noses and itchy throats from keeping them down. But the truth is, allergies can be triggered just as much by allergens hiding inside your home as they can by the ones outdoors. Before you lock yourself indoors to avoid the spring allergy season, the team at American Family Care wants to make you ...
