Symptoms of Anemia In An Infant

Anemia is a state in the blood when the count of red blood cells reduces below desired level and common in infants below 2 years of age. The cause of anemia is deficiency of iron which affects development and growth. Iron is either not absorbed or not sufficient in the infant's blood.

Reduced RBC implies reduced hemoglobin. These are transporters of oxygen to various organs and parts of the body. Growing infants require adequate amounts of oxygen for overall development. Their deficiency will become evident only when it is severe. Hence regular check-ups of the infant's health at prescribed time durations become essential. Some of the symptoms of this condition are:

• Pale skin, nail beds and lips: This indicates insufficient circulation of oxygen and RBC in the blood stream. Severity can be judged by grayish or bluish coloration of the skin. Paleness usually goes unnoticed causing anemia to be detected only when it becomes severe, which can be hemoglobin count of approximately 7 gm/deciliter.

• Delay in growth and development: Such delays are due to anemia which occurs due to the lack of oxygen supply to the heart or brain. Consult the pediatrician if the infant's progress digresses from the normal rate or if certain milestones and not reached as required at that stage.

• Jaundice: Anemic infants can get jaundice easily. The skin or the white portion of the eyes will begin to turn yellow. This is caused by the build up of bilirubin in the blood caused by the body breaking down too many RBC. The liver assists in filtering broken down RBC. When the numbers become too many, bilirubin does not get filtered thus causing a yellowish coloration of the skin.

• Rapid heart beat or heart murmur: The natural tendency of the heart will be to beat at a faster rate and pump more blood if the organs do not receive enough oxygen due to anemia. This causes stress and murmurs.

• Reduction in appetite: Anemic babies will tire easily and feed less. One should note the frequency and duration of feed or volume of baby drink formula in order to report the decrease in appetite.

• Excessive fatigue and sleep: Weakness will not permit staying awake or being playful for long due to lack of oxygen thus inducing sleep. One should note the wake -time and activity levels in a day's period.

• Irritability: Anemia causes weakness even to feed making the infant over-tired and hungry, yet unable to feed well, resulting in irritability.

Analyzing Common Medical Issues & Acquired Benefits Of Chiropractic Care

Like any doctor, especially those that specialize, there are, for the most part, 6-12 issues that seem to be the most common problems that people come into our office for.  I am going to touch on those here and the benefits you can get from chiropractic.

1) Neck and lower back pain- this may be something someone has been dealing with for a long period of time or something quite sudden due to a known cause such as sleeping wrong or picking up a heavy object. You can expect your chiropractor to give you a thorough chiropractic, orthopedic, and neurological exam. From there she will typically adjust you and do some modalities such as massage, traction, ice or heat, and therapeutic exercises.

2) Sciatic and radicular pain- sciatic pain is typically pain shooting down the back of the leg, but sciatica pain is radicular pain and it can happen in any extremity and any location. It can be in the front or lateral side of the leg or it can be in the arm. Obviously, this is a more serious condition and will require more intervention in terms of number of visits and treatment. Furthermore, you doctor may order a MRI, or NCV (nerve conduction velocity) test, or refer you to an orthopedic or neuro surgeon.

3) Headaches-Books have been written on this symptom and a careful history is needed here. Most headaches, regardless of the cause are often relived with chiropractic adjustments, massage, and behavior modification, whether it's sleeping with a better pillow, decreasing allergies, or positioning your computer monitor correctly. If you are a family member is experiencing any of these problems, please contact me or your local chiropractor to see if chiropractic is the right choice for you.

If you are a family member is experiencing any of these problems, please contact me or your local chiropractor to see if chiropractic is the right choice for you. Stay tuned for other common ailments that would benefit from chiropractic care.

At Alta Mesa Chiropractic, we take great pride in providing the finest chiropractic wellness care to our patients. Please sample different chiropractic services we offer in our Mesa office. Visit http://www.drmichone.com/ for more information.

Are You Suffering From Eating Disorders?

Do you struggle with your weight? Do you have a desire to eat even when you are not hungry or a desire to eat when you are stressed? Realizing that you have an unhealthy relationship with food is the first step to getting the help that you need.

Many people struggle with their weight and do not have an eating disorder. What is the difference between having an eating disorder and just struggling with your weight? How do you know if you are in the category of people who need help? You know you need help when you start eating based on your emotions. Getting help for an eating disorder can allow you to learn other ways of coping when you want to eat because of a certain emotion. By seeking help you can begin to take control of your life.

You may need to seek help in dealing with your eating disorder if your binge eating episodes are based on your emotions rather than your appearance. Eating disorders begin when you have a negative relationship with food. By eating a lot of food you may feel satisfied and happy for those few brief moments. You can improve your relationship with food and begin to work on the emotional part of your binge eating by asking someone to help you with your struggles. This assistance will also help you process past events that may be contributing to your overeating behaviors. Processing past events can help you move on and develop a healthy relationship with food.

Many times when we struggle to maintain a healthy relationship with food we develop a pattern of eating during stressful or sad events. Eating food becomes the way that we comfort ourselves. Have you ever had one of those days? Have you ever come home and drown yourself in a mountain of food to deal with your stress? It may be a scary thought that there are other ways to handle the day besides eating. When food has been your only way of coping, you may not know anything else. When you reach out for assistance with your eating disorder, you will begin to find better ways to handle stress.

So you may be wondering how you can overcome the desire to eat when the day is just not going the way you had planned. You may just need some to teach you some new coping skills. Many times the solution is as simple as making a list of activities that you love that do not involve food. Listening to music, spending time with friends and shopping are some great alternatives to eating. When you have "one of those days" you can begin to replace eating with something else that brings you happiness.

Seeking out help can be a life changing decision. You have the ability to take control of your life and begin developing a healthy relationship with food. Do not be afraid to ask someone to help you process the events that have led up to your struggles with food. It is important to learn the coping skills you need in order to replace overeating with something more positive.