Month: March 2014

Living with asthma: Help your child breathe easy

When parents hear that their child may have asthma, their minds are immediately filled with ideas of their child out of breath, puffing on an inhaler, and having trouble keeping up with friends. That does not have to be the case!  Living with asthma is much more about preventing an asthma attack and promoting a healthy life.

You can help your child to always breathe easy if you follow some important guidelines for managing asthma.

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Strong Muscles May Boost Kids’ Heart Health

Having strong muscles as a child may help to lower the risk of future heart disease, a new study suggests. The study included more than 1,400 sixth graders. Researchers tested their hand-grip strength. This has been shown to reflect overall muscle strength. The study also included tests of blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar. Kids with greater grip strength tended to have lower levels of LDL (“bad cholesterol”) and triglycerides, another blood fat. They also had more HDL (“good cholesterol”) and slightly lower blood pressure. Their blood sugar levels also were a bit lower, which could lead to a lower risk of diabetes. Researchers adjusted their numbers to account for other things that can affect heart disease risk, such as being thinner or getting more exercise overall. They found that strength by itself was linked with healthier measurements.

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