all work and no play

Play to the top, please

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Your Health - Dr. Gita Mathai

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My parents used to walk to school, a couple of kilometres both ways, in a chatty gaggle that built up a lifetime of friendships. Today's children take automated transport and barely have the time to talk for they are usually cramming - for unit tests, weekly exams or quarterly evaluations. They live and study in a pressure-cooker, their stress levels build up in junior school itself, and by the time they reach the public exams, many are not only physically unfit but may have reached breaking point. Many do not know how to study, or why they cannot recall what they have studied!

Schools contribute to this environment. The 11 o'clock and lunch breaks are reduced from the mandatory half and one hour. This means that children barely have time to gobble their lunch and go to the toilet (no time to play). The games period is usurped for extra classes. Weaker students are coached after school hours or sent to a tuition circuit. There is no time for hobbies, extracurricular activities or sports.

All this is counterproductive. Being a "topper" does not ensure admission to college and the ability to shine in your chosen career. For college, you only need to make the "cut off" grade and good grades do not ensure success in your career After five years, your school marks cease to be relevant. A child who has hobbies and plays a sport is more likely to be a well-rounded individual and be equipped with the character requirements for success.

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Children need to be physically active to cope with studies and the rigours of life. Unlike their inactive counterparts, they have a normal BMI (body mass index), lower body fat, are mentally sharper, and have better cardiovascular health. They tend to concentrate on studies and tasks better and grasp concepts faster. Their performance in reading and mathematics is demonstrably superior to their inactive counterparts.

Studies have shown that school-going children require an hour of physical activity. Since it is difficult to change the academic mindset, it becomes the responsibility of parents to try to ensure that this happens.

The exercise can be split into two or more segments but at the end of the day the minutes should have added up to an hour. It can be cycling, running, skipping, stair climbing, dancing or swimming. It requires parental involvement.

Parents may feel that taking a break for activity cuts into cramming time and is counterproductive. Actually, long study sessions without a break means that brain power is wasted trying to stay focused. The chemicals required for processing information become depleted. Periodic breaks allow chemicals to accumulate. Endorphins released from muscles during exercise boost this process. Adequate sleep is as important for efficient brain functioning. School going children require 8-11 hours of sleep.

Review of study sessions once or twice a few days apart, or even after a bout of physical activity are important to "grease" and establish brain pathways for efficient recall. Repeating the lesson loudly, reinforces the lesson through sight and sound.

Dr Gita Mathai is a paediatrician with a family practice at Vellore. Send questions on health to yourhealthgm@yahoo.co.in

D for Dumb

Dial D for Dumbness

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160912/jsp/knowhow/story_107601.jsp

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Your Health - Dr. Gita Mathai

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Infants and toddlers who come to my clinic are often cranky. Instead of the old techniques of carrying them around, distracting them with toys, or my aquarium, today, more and more parents tackle these behaviour problems by immediately handing the child their smartphone. The child can barely walk or talk, but their podgy fingers swipe the screens expertly as they stare unblinkingly at the coloured images flashing on the screen. Parents think that this is a reflection of the intelligence of their toddler. This is far from the case. It is a disturbing and dangerous trend.

All electronic devices, cell phones, tabs or laptops emit MWR (micro wave radiation). Long-term exposure to this radiation is carcinogenic. There is still speculation about exactly how much radiation is safe, with conflicting reports and claims.

A child's thin skull bones allow greater penetration of MWR. His or her nervous system and brain tissue absorbs about two times more MWR than that of adults. His or her bone marrow absorbs ten times more radiation.

It is recommended that children under the age of two should not use cellphones at all. In all age groups, it is better to place cell phones a few inches away from the ear. They should be carried in backpacks or purses and not in pockets. In the case of laptops, computers and tablets, the minimum safe distance from the body is 20cm.

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Tablets are even more popular than cellphones as pacifiers for children. They have a larger variety of passive and interactive programs. The screen is larger (more radiation), it is also held closer to the face (brain). Children soon learn to video themselves. They replay their own videos in a narcissist fashion. This negates the need for friendship or social interaction. They become self absorbed, and since they are always in control of the happenings on the tab, they are unable to control their impulses. They do not interact with their peers or adults. Children learn and mature by watching adult social reactions to situations.

They become experts at swiping and tapping movements, usually with the dominant hand. Children constantly on these devices develop no dexterity or motor skills. They remain clumsy. They do not use their imagination to make believe and play. With no story telling or reading, lateral thinking, problem solving and the ability to learn maths and science are affected.

As the child becomes older, television replaces family interaction, play and even study time. Studies have documented that increased television viewing time delays and decreases development of language, vocabulary and social skills. Some imitate the exaggerated facial contortions and staccato speech of cartoon characters.

Children under two years of age should not watch television at all. Those older than 3 years who watched an hour or more a day were found to fare poorly academically. Their educational achievements by the age of 26 are behind those of their peers. This is because with television, everything is readily visible, and requires no analysis, reading or language skills. These areas of the brain lack stimulation and develop poorly.

There are educational programmes on television, specifically designed for children. These are seldom watched. Instead the focus is on mindless serials, and cartoons with unrealistic situations, which can desensitise the child to violence.

Dependence on media for entertainment leads to social isolation and regression of skills essential for survival and success. In addition, after school, homework, tuition and relaxation with television, there is no time physical exercise. This has led to an epidemic of unfit or obese children who develop lifestyle diseases in their twenties.

Dr Gita Mathai is a paediatrician with a family practice at Vellore. Questions on health issues may be emailed to her atyourhealthgm@yahoo.co.in

ear aches

A pain in the ear

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160905/jsp/knowhow/story_106287.jsp

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Your Health - Dr. Gita Mathai

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Earaches are what the word describes - a pain in the ear. What the word fails to convey is just how debilitating the attack can be. This is especially true in young children, whose inability to localise the discomfort can lead to prolonged, unexplained crying with fever.

The pain is most often due to a problem in the middle ear (otitis media). This is a small space with three bones (ossicles), the malleus, incus and stapes. The confined space is closed to the outside by the eardrum. Infections cause a build up of secretions (viral) and pus (bacterial), which is unable to escape. This causes excruciating pain. It can press on the ear drum, causing it to bulge. It can eventually burst, discharging the fluid.

The ear, nose and throat are all connected by the Eustachian tube that is situated behind the throat. An infection in any three can cause an earache. Allergies, or viral and bacterial infections can cause the nose to be blocked. In children the inner tonsil (adenoid) may become infected. This can swell, blocking the Eustachian tube.

In bottle-fed infants, milk can enter the Eustachian tube, which is shorter and straighter in infants. This can be caused by the infant sucking too rapidly from the bottle (unlike the breast where the flow is naturally regulated), lying flat while sucking (not at the recommended 45° angle), being put to sleep with a feeding bottle or holding the bottle and feeding themselves.

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Once infection sets in, there is fever and severe pain. The eardrum bulges and can be seen by physicians using an "otoscope". The child may be irritable and refuse to eat as any movement of the jaw aggravates the pain. There may even be temporary loss of hearing or balance. If the infection is not treated adequately and in time, it can recur or become chronic. It can even spread to the base of the brain.

The skin of the external ear canal can become infected because of excessive dampness caused by swimming, rain, allergies, eczema, or if the ear canal is damaged by hearing aids, buds, hairpins or even earphones.

The pinna of the external ear can get infected. This occurs in people who participate in contact sports such as wrestling and boxing, if small scratches occur to the ear or if the skin is pulled off. People may also have multiple ear piercings, with some holes being in the cartilage of the ear. Infection and damage can occur, especially if the procedure was unsterile. The infection can spread rapidly and affect the whole ear. It can become a bag of pus. Even if the pus is drained surgically, the ear may become deformed with multiple bumps forming a "cauliflower ear."

To prevent ear infections:

♦ Use a cup and spoon to feed children. If you must use a bottle, prop the child up at 45° angle. Do not use pacifiers.

♦ Yearly immunisation prevents flu, which predisposes children to ear infection. Common bacteria (Haemophilus influenza,
Streptococcus pneumoniae) which cause ear infection in children can also be prevented by immunisation.

♦ Avoid exposure to cigarette smoke. Even second hand smoke on hair and clothes precipitates infection.

♦ Do not damage the ear by placing foreign objects in it.

♦ Dry out the ear canal with a hair drier after swimming.

♦ If flying causes ear ache, use decongestant nose drops before boarding the flight.

Dr Gita Mathai is a paediatrician with a family practice at Vellore. Questions on health issues may be emailed to her at yourhealthgm@yahoo.co.in