Bone Health in Children and Vitamin D - Why You Need to Drink Your Milk

Vitamin D plays a major role in the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus. Therefore, it's essential for normal growth and development in children, and bone and teeth maintenance in adults. A deficiency of vitamin D may result in rickets for children, and osteomalacia for adults. Both conditions lead to the softening and deformity of bones.

Many Americans are not meeting the recommended daily intake of vitamin D. Populations who are at especially high risk for low vitamin D levels are teenage girls, women, and older adults. Also, individuals with lactose intolerance who do not consume lactose-free milk fortified with vitamin D, or do not take a supplement, are at high risk for vitamin D deficiency.

Emerging research suggested that vitamin D might play a crucial role in prevention of serious health problems. According to scientists, vitamin D deficiency is linked to chronic diseases, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Research showed that women taking calcium and vitamin D supplements had fewer breast, colon, lung, leukemia, and uterine cancers than women taking calcium supplements only. Inadequate intake of vitamin D is also associated with weak muscles and increased risk for hip fractures among older adults.

Unfortunately, there are very few foods that contain vitamin D naturally. Those that do are liver, fish liver oils, and eggs. But more and more foods are being fortified with vitamin D--the best source being fortified milk.

Vitamin D is one of few vitamins that are produced by the human body. Its synthesis is triggered by sun exposure. Most likely, exposing uncovered skin to sunlight three times a week should be sufficient. However, keep in mind that high altitude and dark skin tone do not allow for optimal exposure.

Dr. Hillary is a pediatric nurse practitioner with a doctoral degree in health promotion and risk reduction. She works as a pediatric clinician and writes for Plugged in Parents. Plugged In Parents provides up-to-date info on pediatric health, safety and nutrition along with movie reviews, recipes, tech-savvy tips, and a parent's only forum. You can also contact Dr. Hillary for personal questions related to health and nutrition.

Please visit http://www.pluggedinparents.com

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How To Get Rid Of A Pimple Know The Underlying Causes And Be Pimple-Free For Life

Are you the center of attention (the bad, self-esteem damaging type) because of your pimple breakouts and acne? Youve probably been called pizza face once, twice, or quite several times. That hurts, that really hurts. That leaves lesions in your face, and scars in your heart.

Are you fighting a losing battle with pimple breakouts and acne? Youve probably tried several treatments, medicines, dermatologists, and what have you, just to realize that your pimples are getting worse and worse and youre just wasting and wasting money. You wasted your money, your time, and your hope dwindles slowly and slowly.

Have you ever considered that the environment, climate, your ethnicity, part of the globe you live in, etc. are also factors to consider when it comes to skin care and is also an important consideration in the prevention of pimples? For example, people in tropical countries (warm parts of the globe) tend to have oilier skin than most. If you live in a tropical country and use products designed from a dry-climate country, youd be in trouble. No one product is designed to work for everyone.

Now, you have to understand this basic principle, the key to battling pimple breakouts and acne is not a product or a dermatological procedure yeah, its really not. The way to really get rid of a pimple is to stop the underlying causes of it. You eliminate the cause, you eliminate the effect and prevent it from ever occurring again. Pretty elementary isnt it? But who have told you that until now?

How does a pimple develop?

Starting with the basics, lets take a look at our face. You would notice tiny dots with thin hair growing out of them. These are called pores. Inside each pores, there is a gland (sebaceous gland) that continually secretes oil (sebum). This oil functions to lubricate and protect our skin.

Now, up until this point we dont see any problem. The glands secrete oil that goes out through the tiny dots and into our skin to lubricate and protect our skin. Thats one mechanism. Now lets add another one.

Our skin continuously renews itself which leaves an outer layer of dead skin cells (we usually remove them by using exfoliants and facial scrubs, but thats another story). So no problems there either.

The problem occurs when these two mechanisms act together (as they normally do), more specifically when the oil and the dead skin cells combine and plug the pore. The oil, since its continually secreted by the gland, cant go out of the plugged pore. This plugged pore is the first sign of pimple formation.

Now, at this point we have a plugged pore (due to a blockage formed by the combination of dead skin cells and oil) and oil that is continually produced but cant get out because of said plug. Were actually still ok at this point, from the surface it wouldnt be that noticeable at all. Here is where the serious problem comes in. Bacteria thrive and feed on dead skin cells. The plug composed of oil and dead skin cells serve as a great breeding ground for bacteria. The bacteria then cause inflammation, swelling, and generally worsening the whole situation. This is when the pimple appears as an ugly, big, irritating, reddish spot on your face.

There you go, knowing the underlying causes of pimple breakouts and acne is half the battle. For specific tips and practical information on how to control these factors, do visit my blog: http://nopimples.wordpress.com

Kurt Kiwahko is an anti-aging specialist and distributes exclusive, high-end skin care products. Blogsite: http://nopimples.wordpress.com

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