Pot drug screens

I'm seeing lots of kids with a pot problem. Contrary to the common belief, pot does not stay in your system for a month. Most teens are occasional users and can easily pass a drug screen within a few days. If you suspect your teen is smoking pot, drug screen early and often. My typical recommendation is to purchase several urine drug screens through a bulk supplier and test on Monday and Friday. There are multiple online retailers that will fill your order for just a few bucks per test provided you buy about 10 or more. Shop around for good pricing. If you are paying more than 5 bucks per test, check another site. There are simple tests for alcohol and tobacco as well. Most teens are going to lie about substance use if they can get away with it. Screening may be the only way a parent can be sure they know what's going on. Be mindful of headshops in town. They are selling multiple products that are labeled as "incense" but produce a potent high when smoked. Check your computer and child's phone for online ordering of products as well. A child who is rushing home to beat you to the mailbox is a sure sign of ordering one of these.

links:

http://www.americanscreeningcorp.com

http://www.medicaldisposables.us/home.php

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

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.