Playsets:

It turns out that many older wooden play sets have been treated with arsenic!
What to do:

• Replace high exposure areas like handrails, steps, or deck boards with non-arsenic alternatives- get help from your local builder!
• Wash your child’s hands( and your own) after playing on the play set especially before eating.
• Be sure to bring a tablecloth to cover potentially arsenic-treated picnic tables in the playground.
• If you have a deck, do not store toys or tools underneath because Arsenic leaches from the wood when it rains.

Skincare

• Just because a label says “natural” doesn’t mean it is safe for your little one’s delicate skin.
• avoid triclosan, BHA, fragrance, and oxybenzone.

• Check out www.vedaPURE.com for more information and healthy products.

Food

• Choose to buy organic fruits and vegetables, or use FoodNews.org to find conventionally grown produce with the least pesticides.
• Please buy only organic when it comes to dairy and and meat to avoid growth hormones.
• Limit canned food and infant formula, as can linings contain bisphenol A (BPA).
• Many plastics contain BPA, which is carcinogenic. Avoid clear, hard plastic bottles marked with a “7” or “PC.”
• Don’t microwave plastic containers. Stay away from toys marked with a “3” or “PVC.”
• Filter your tap water. Mix infant formula with fluoride-free water.

Household Chemicals

• Non-stick cookware can emit toxic fumes. Instead, try to cook with cast iron or stainless steel .
• Use a HEPA-filter vacuum. Household dust can contain lead and fire retardants.
• Have your child remove his shoes and school clothing when he gets home to decrease the risk of him/her speading pollutants and germs inside yourhouse.
• Use greener cleaners & avoid pesticides.
• which can irritate kids’ lungs, especially if your child has asthma.

It’s the New Year, vacation is over, and many children, like their parents, are feeling the post-holiday slump. But, in my practice, it is also a reminder to me that depression in children needs to be checked for, and not ignored. As adults, we talk a lot about our mood, and may even be cognizant of how the light and the seasons impact on our mood. But in children, depression often goes unrecognized. In fact, depression in childhood is a major health problem, effecting about 5% of children at any given time: about 1% of preschoolers, 2% of school-age children, and 5% of adolescents are affected. Depression can interfere with normal development, including school performance, peer relationships, self-esteem and life skill acquisition. In the older child or adolescent it can lead to substance abuse, behavior disorders and suicide.
Unfortunately, the biggest barrier to treatment for childhood depression is a lack of diagnosis. All too often, a child’s behavior is attributed to other problems, such as school learning difficulties, ADHD, “naughtiness” “stubbornness” or poor manners. Understanding childhood depression will help you to be on the look out for signs and symptoms that may merit attention.

What to look for:
The specific behaviors vary according to the age and developmental level of the child. A common complaint from a child or young adolescent who is not able to vocalize that they are sad is to say that they are bored, or mad. In fact, irritability is often the most reliable clue to a child’s shift in mood.
Other symptoms include:

• Argumentative or aggressive
• Lack of curiosity or motivation
• Weight and appetitive changes
• Sleep alterations
• Lack of concentration, focus – disorganized
• Feeling “sick’ a lot, fatigued
• Negative self-comments such as ‘you hate me’, ‘I have no friends’
• Morbid thoughts- worrying about death
• Extremely fearful
• Impulsive
• Crying, feeling sad, helpless or hopeless
• Loss of interest in most activities
• Fatigue and loss of energy nearly every day
• Drop in school performance
• Inability to sit still, fidgeting or pacing
• Repeated emotional outbursts, shouting or complaining

In most pediatric practices, the child typically seems sad, tired and withdrawn. Younger children often complain of stomachaches and headaches, whereas older children and adolescents complain of exhaustion and weepiness.

What can help?

• Treatment for depression is multi-focused:
• Diagnostic evaluation by a professional
• Medication if indicated in more serious cases
• Evaluation of the school environment and its impact on the current situation.
• Evaluation of the home/parental environment and its impact on the current situation.
• Possible Family therapy because there is considerable evidence to suggest that treatment of the whole family, is critical.
• Individual therapy.
• Peer group approaches have been found to be effective for children.
• Play therapy is sometimes appropriate with younger children.

In summary:

• Don’t be shy to ask your child’s doctor for advice and potentially an evaluation if you suspect your child’s mood is down for a prolonged period of time ( greater than 2 weeks)
• Be sure your child is eating well. Do not let him/her skip meals or eat alone in the bedroom. Avoid meal skipping. A healthy diet is critical for your child to have the strength to cope and recover.
• Try to have your child maintain good sleep hygiene. Irregular sleep can prolong or worsen depression.
• Keep your child involved in regular activities and avoid social isolation. This includes regular exercise as well as play dates and social activities.

[ drawing by Samantha, age 13: see mlore drawings about this subject on www.dbsalliance.org]