Most Popular Articles

November 2006 Archives

Choosing Your Child's Doctor in the Twin Cities

Choosing the right healthcare provider for your child is an important--and sometimes daunting-- decision. There are also a few steps you can take to help you in the decision-making process:

• Talk to others about doctors--family, friends, and neighbors and coworkers can be a great resource
  
• Check your insurance to make sure doctors you're interested in are covered by your plan
  
• Conduct a 'phone interview.' Call the office and ask some of your most important questions--how easy is it to get an appointment? What kind of coverage does the office have on weekends and nights? Who can I cal ... Continue reading Choosing Your Child's Doctor in the Twin Cities.
  

Menu Aerobics: How to Eat Out Without Pigging Out: Energy Express

By Marilynn Preston

Dining out has become our national pastime. So has porking up. Is there a link between the two? You bet your Krispy Kremes. We're a fast-food nation of overeating eater-outers, and if you wish to trim down and stay healthy, you've got to wise up when it comes to ordering a meal. Eating out isn't the enemy, I tell myself on the way to a fun evening of wining and dining. Making stupid choices is.

So listen up. Menu aerobics is all about activating your awareness and exercising good judgment. What'll it be? Chicken fajitas or a beef chimichanga? Veal parmigiana or spaghetti bolognese? Take the following bri ... Continue reading Menu Aerobics: How to Eat Out Without Pigging Out: Energy Express.

Umbilical Cord Blood: A Precious Resource

By Melissa Ramsdell for Your Baby Today

Kathie DiLoreto was pregnant with twins when her doctor discovered a tumor on her ovary during a routine ultrasound. "The doctor said it was a blessing," she says. "If I wasn't pregnant, I wouldn't have known." After surgery and chemotherapy, DiLoreto now is in remission.

When the twins, Dakota and Sierra, were born, DiLoreto and her husband decided to preserve their umbilical cord blood as an insurance policy. If the ovarian cancer ever came back, her doctor explained, the cord blood cells could save DiLoreto's life.

Umbilical Cord Blood: A Precious Resource.

Cut Out Snoring for a Happier Marriage

By Karen Barrow

It is a scene that has played out in countless bedrooms for years; a wife tries to fall asleep as her husband snores loudly next to her. The wife angrily shushes her husband, tries to roll him over and ultimately leaves the bed for the stiff couch in the living room. Often, the husband barely notices his raucous rumblings, but can his snoring be hurting their marriage?

"This is a frequent problem within marriages that nobody is paying enough attention to," says Dr. Rosalind Cartwright, founder of the Sleep Disorders Center at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and director of a new study looking into ... Continue reading Cut Out Snoring for a Happier Marriage.

Emotional-Strength Training: How to Visit The Sick: Energy Express

By Marilynn Preston

Eventually, it happens to all of us. One minute, a loved one is healthy and happy, and you're mildly annoyed about something silly like why is she always late for our tennis game --and the next minute, life does a 180. She has breast cancer. Or he has a heart attack. Next thing you know, they're in treatment, or a hospital, seriously ill, perhaps even dying, very much in need of a friend.

That friend is you. Are you up to the task? Do you know what to say? Probably not. When it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, we have all sorts of books to tell us how to build bigger biceps and tighter abs. But good ... Continue reading Emotional-Strength Training: How to Visit The Sick: Energy Express.

Relief for Tired Moms

By Kristyn Kusek for Your Baby Today

"No doubt about it, being a mom is exhausting," says Martha Davis, Ph.D., author of The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook (Harbinger, 1995). Feel like you can't squeeze a single drop of energy out of your sapped self? Try these "feel better fast" tips:

ENERGY STRATEGY: Diet

• Keep up the protein. "Don't skimp on protein -- it's what sustains energy," says Cynthia Sass, R.D., a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association in Tampa, Florida. Try no-preparation-required protein snacks like cottage cheese, a golf ball-sized serving of n ... Continue reading Relief for Tired Moms.
  

What's-the-Weather Wheel: Kid Krafts

By Tracey C. Agranoff

Ages: 9-36 months
You Will Need:
• White paper plate
• Washable markers
• 1 white index card
• Scissor
• 1 Brass fastener
• Pencil

STEP 1 - Using a pencil lightly to divide the plate into 4 equal sections.

STEP 2 – Use markers to draw a different kind of weather, one in each of the four sections – ex. Sunshine = sun, Rain = umbrella, Snow = snowman, an ... Continue reading What's-the-Weather Wheel: Kid Krafts.

Preparing for Delivery: The When and Why of C-Sections

When Larissa Thomson was pregnant with her son, she hoped for an uncomplicated birth. But soon after labor began, Larissa and her doctor realized that something was wrong.

No matter how smoothly your pregnancy is going, there is always the possibility that you will need to have a c-section to deliver a healthy baby. Here's what you need to know about the procedure and how to prepare.
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Grandparent Preferences: Good Enough Moms

Q: My husband & I have two children. Our daughter is 8 months old and our son is 2 ½. Due to our very busy schedules as working parents, we rely on help from my parents and my in-laws. My son has a close bond with my father- and mother-in-law, whom he sees almost daily. He only sees my parents on the weekends when they baby-sit or have dinner with us. Now, when my parents come over to care for my son he gets upset and asks for his other grandparents. We frequently get together with both sides of our families (my parents and my husbands parents together), which has become something I dread because I know my parents are hurt by ... Continue reading Grandparent Preferences: Good Enough Moms.

Study: Parents Do Make a Difference in Teen Sex Practices

Many teens say that their parents' influence is important in decisions they make about sex, according to a recent survey of teen and adult attitudes released by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. When asked which forces most influenced them in sexual decision-making, teens were more likely to say parents (38 percent) than friends (32 percent).

But having an influence is only half the battle; being a good influence is a further challenge. The first step is to understand what your teenagers are going th ... Continue reading Study: Parents Do Make a Difference in Teen Sex Practices.