Why You Should Drink More Water!

Water is the elixir of life, but do we get enough of it? Many people think that substituting sodas, coffee and juice for water is enough to keep us hydrated and healthy, but nothing can beat the original and the best ñ water.
Our bodies are made up of 43-75% water, and it's an essential component of our health. The wide range in percentages comes from measuring different populations ranging from newborns (~75%) to obese people (~45%), with normal adult hydration at about 57-60%.
We can survive a month without food, but we'll die after a week without water. The body is able to absorb many nutrients and salts better thanks to water's ability to transport these nutrients and oxygen to our body's cells and organs. Detoxifying is vitally important to our health, since it cleans our bodies of impurities. The best way to excrete these impurities is through urine and sweat ñ both of which depend on our water intake. Upping your water intake may help to reduce the risk of kidney stone formation. The kidneys filter our waste products through the blood and out via urination. If the concentration of salt in our urine is high, and our water content low, this increases the risk of kidney stone formation. By drinking more water, this concentration of salts is reduced.
We are at risk of sunstroke if our bodies become dehydrated. When we sweat, this cools our body down. If dehydrated, the body cannot sweat and overheats, which can damage the bodyís internal organs.
If you suffer from high blood pressure, maybe itís your water intake that is the problem. When our bodies excrete and lose more than the optimal amount of liquid, our blood vessels constrict, which can cause our blood pressure to increase. If blood pressure is increased by a deficiency in water, this may also increase the risk of heart disease. Because the constricted blood vessels cause an increase in blood pressure, the heart works harder to compensate for the reduced volume of blood. Lower blood pressure and greater consumption of water help lower stress on the heart.
What's more, drinking more water can help you stay younger looking. Drinking a lot of water helps keep the skin clean and fresh-looking by removing impurities through sweating. Water also helps to keep the skin hydrated, which means younger looking skin ñ sagging and wrinkled skin is usually a sign of dehydration. Drinking water also cuts hunger pangs and acts as a good filler. Water has zero calories, so consider trading in your sugary drinks and juices to help control your weight.
If increasing your water intake seems like a chore, why not add lemon or mint to your bottle to make it taste better? Eat more fruits rich in water such as watermelon, and try to drink water more regularly over the course of the day. Having a glass of water or water bottle near you during the day has been shown to increase water consumption without effort.

References Used
[1] http://www.jbc.org/content/203/1/359.full.pdf Accessed October 2011
[2] http://thetaoofgoodhealth.com/10-health-reasons-why-you-should-drink-more-water-4/ Accessed October 2011
[3] http://www.uihealthcare.com/topics/generalhealth/ghea5288.html Accessed 2011

Childhood Concussions: What to Look For and What to Do as a Parent

Concussions arise from an injury to the tissues or blood vessels in the brain. These can occur when the soft tissues are pressed against the bone of the skull, resulting from an impact or blow to the head experienced during a fall or from sports injury. They can also occur from being forcefully shaken. Mild concussions in childhood are common and often are not a cause for serious health concern. However there are rare cases of childhood concussion that should not be taken lightly and itís important to know what symptoms need to be looked for.
The general symptoms of concussion are varied, and depend on the severity of the injury and the individual themselves. Possible symptoms include dizziness, loss of consciousness and seizures. The latter two symptoms indicate a severe case of concussion (although a loss of consciousness itself may not be dangerous if short lived [1]). However, symptoms that appear later could also be danger signs. A very common symptom experienced after a concussion is headache [2] that may be mild to moderate in intensity. A blow to your child's head could also cause changes in their mood [3], such as crankiness and loss of interest in favorite items [4]. The way a child plays or works at school may be affected. After a concussion, a child may forget things or have difficulties in thinking [1], with possible short-term memory loss. Drowsiness and reduced energy are also common.
Concussion may be dangerous, because some of the symptoms are so mild that they are difficult to notice in some children act normal, even if they don't feel normal. Concussion makes it difficult to detect the symptoms in your child, unless they tell you they're feeling strange. Ask your child if they have any of the symptoms, and make sure to observe them closely for a few weeks. Your child is at increased risk if they have experienced previous head injury, are taking a blood thinning medicine, suffer bleeding disorders, are under one year old, have other neurological problems, have difficulty walking or are active in high contact sports.
If your child is harder to wake up than normal, shows worsened symptoms, won't stop crying, doesn't eat well, has worsening headaches or symptoms that have lasted longer than six weeks, then contact your doctor or caregiver. If your child shows a change in personality, bleeds out of the ears or nose, has trouble recognizing people, or vomits repeatedly, go to the emergency room. For seizures, unequal pupil size and longer-term unconsciousness, dial 911 [5].
Irrespective of advice you get on the internet or by phone, if you have any doubt in your mind about your child's health after a head injury, seek the help of a professional. You know your child best!

References used:
[1] Cantu RC (2006). "An overview of concussion consensus statements since 2000" (PDF). Neurosurgical Focus 21 (4:E3): 1ñ6.
[2]Kushner D (1998). "Mild Traumatic brain injury: Toward understanding manifestations and treatment". Archives of Internal Medicine 158 (15): 1617ñ1624.
[3] Heegaard W, Biros M (2007). "Traumatic brain injury". Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America 25 (3): 655ñ678, viii.
[4] Mayo Clinic Staff (2007). "Concussion". Mayo Clinic. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
[5] http://www.drugs.com/cg/concussion-in-children.html Accessed October 2011