Omega-3 Supplements May Lower Anxiety

Is increased anxiety a manifestation of low Omega-3 in our diets? A recent study in Brain, Behavior and Immunology suggests so. The study used "normal" medical students and placed some on Omega-3 fish oil and some on placebo. They measured some standard questionnaires of anxiety as well as the inflammatory molecule IL-6. The questionnaires and the labs showed improvement by as much as 20% in the active treatment group. The surprising thing is that this was not a study of anxious people. These were typical high functioning people who just had a reduction in anxiety by their report on paper tests and on a laboratory marker for inflammation. It's likely that people with anxiety would benefit even more than this study suggests. This further connects the world of our immune system and our brains through a dietary intervention. Pretty Cool. Take home: eat more fish that is high in Omega-3.

PANDAS Parent Support Group

There is a new chapter of the International PANDAS Foundation meeting in Fayetteville.

When: 4th Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM

Location: The Perk 3980 Wedington Dr. Ste 19 Fayetteville, AR

Contact: Kim Hadley krhadley@gmail.com 479-466-9130

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PANDAS is Pediatric Autoimmune Neurological Disorder Associated with Strep

http://www.internationalpandasfoundation.org for more info on this organization

http://intramural.nimh.nih.gov/pdn/web.htm for more info on PANDAS

Common Sense Media

I am consistently visiting and referring parents to the website commonsensemedia.org. This website is a valuable resource for screening your child's media. It is nicely organized into categories including video games, movies, tv shows, books, websites. Each review includes age-appropriateness and tells you exactly why it was rated for a certain age. It also rates each of these categories: messages, role models, violence, sex, language, consumerism, drugs & smoking. These categories can be expanded into more detailed explanations. I reviewed all the shows and games that my kids currently play and learned a lot. I will definitely be modifying my kids viewing habits. I also just downloaded the app for my phone and will refer to it often.

Food Dyes

The FDA is investigating evidence that common food dyes make ADHD worse.

Habits not Habitus

Small things can really make a big difference when it comes to kids weight, but it takes parents to make them effective. An over-focus on weight is not as healthy as an emphasis on increase in healthy habits. A simple change in habits or behavior can make a huge difference in a kids health. Increasing physical activity or reducing food by just 50 calories per day can be simple and effective. Almost every other activity than watching TV burns calories. This takes a little work. Plan meals ahead of time, eat a healthy breakfast, and plan an exercise every day. Going for a short walk, shooting baskets, playing catch can easily accomplish this goal. Simple changes in eating behaviors can lead to healthier habits like eating together as a family, healthy snacking, removing simple sugars, and not letting kids eat in front of TV. When you go out to eat, everyone could order water. These behaviors can not be expected to come from the child, the family must manifest the lifestyle changes and make them a habit for everyone.

Video Games

YES, YOUR KID IS PLAYING TOO MANY VIDEO GAMES.

If you even have to ask yourself the question, you probably already know the answer. Video games are entering the world of addiction medicine and video game and internet addiction may actually become diagnosable conditions in the new addition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for psychiatrists.

I see countless kids who are doing their brains a severe disservice by gaming too much. A recent study in the journal of pediatrics states that kids can definitely give themselves even worse ADHD by playing games and watching TV more than 2 hours average per day. But my thinking is that number is not low enough. For the most part, there is no socially redeeming reason to play video games, especially first-person shooters and massively multiplayer online games. My reasons are many, but my main complaints center around the damage that the games do to family togetherness. Humans are animals who are meant to be around each other, communally, enjoying each other, sharing, cooperating, and helping each other. The endless selfish hours of videogames that many children are allowed undermine the role of the family on human development. My other complaint about videogames is the false sense of self-esteem that develops in children. I see so many kids whose sole talent is that they can beat levels on the hottest XBox game. Who cares? When that kid is applying for college, is the Dean going to ask, "what level are you in World of Warcraft?"

Gaming is reaching the level of addiction for many kids. It impact sleep, worsens grades, and becomes an obsession just like drugs and alcohol. Kids play games for longer than intended, just like drugs and alcohol. They get withdrawals just like drugs and alcohol. They lie about their gaming, just like drugs and alcohol.

If your kid is addicted to video games, I suggest removing the system from your house or disabling the computer. Require your kids to play on the weekends only or play as a family for limited amounts of time. Video games are a huge privilege, but some kids act like they are entitled to play games every day. No they are not. Put your foot down. Your kids will throw a giant fit and be mad at you, and that's ok.

Diet Recommendations

A healthy diet is essential for brain functioning.

Many kids have the false idea that a low-fat diet is healthy for weight control. Fat is a major component of a healthy diet and is essential to keep our brains and many other organs running properly. Your brain is mostly made of fat, so don't skip out on one of your body's most essential building blocks. Carbohydrates are turned into glucose which is the only fuel that your brain can use for energy. Our neurotransmitters are made from amino-acids which are the breakdown products of protein we eat. Without the right amino-acids, we can make ourselves depressed, anxious and slower thinkers.

A balanced diet of an even proportion of fat, carbohydrates, and protein is probably the best diet for humans. We must also account for activity level when we eat. If you are a couch-potato, the calorie requirements are not the same as if you are an endurance runner.

Some helpful tips

1lb=3500 calories

-if you want to lose a pound or gain a pound, it’s all about the numbers. If you eat 500 calories more than you need, you’ll gain a pound per week (500x7=3500calories=1lb). If you eat less or exercise equivalent to 3500 calories less than your base calorie need, you will lose one pound.

Base calorie need:

-take your weight in lbs and multiply by 12 and that’s the minimum number of calories you need to stay your current weight. If you do lots of physical activity, you may need to multiply by 13 or 14 to get you basic needs. If you need to lose weight, then multiply your target weight by 12 and eat that many calories.

Food Diaries:

-keeping a food diary and using web resources to calculate you total calorie intake, fat/protein/carb balance is really helpful. “Lose It” is a great application if you have an iPhone. Caloriecount.com and livestrong.com are other great resources.