How can eating habits make your child’s skin healthier? Source: Registered Dietitian (Public Health) (UK), Ng Pui-Yu   Many kids have dry skin or even eczema, and their parents work hard to find the right moisturizers and other skin care products for them. In fact, in addition to topical skincare products, we should also pay attention to children’s diets. The most direct way, of course, is to drink more water. How much water should be drunk? In fact, our body’s need for water is deeply influenced by the weather. For example, in dry weather, we need more water, as well as to account for children’s activity levels and how much they sweat. The water content in food also affects their need for water. If a child urinates every 3 to 4 hours and the urine is light yellow with no strong odor and the stool is not very hard and

How do parents show love to their children? Source: Parenting Education Specialist, Ken Sir Parents may worry that expressing too much love to their children will spoil them and therefore do not know how to express love to them. Generally speaking, Chinese are more introverted and often dare not express their love. Especially when you originally wanted to express that you were very worried about your child, it often turns into another attitude. Once, I saw a mother and her child get lost in Shatin and then reunite. What was the mother’s behavior like after the reunion? She grabbed the child’s hand and hit him while saying, “I couldn’t find you earlier; do you know how scared I was? I was so worried. What would I do if I didn’t find you?” In fact, everyone knows that the mother loves her child, but the child doesn’t feel it. I often

Why do children have a perfectionist personality? Source : Psychiatrist, Dr. Hui Long Kit    Perfectionistic children may have autism spectrum disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder. In fact, perfectionism often stems from a child’s own high demands on themselves to do everything perfectly. When they cannot achieve perfection, they often blame themselves. For some children, when they score 99 out of 100 on an exam, they may cry endlessly at home because they are so worried about the one point they missed.   However, sometimes perfectionistic thinking does not come from the child, but rather from the parents. For example, if a child scores 99 out of 100, have you as a parent ever asked them, “Why didn’t you get 100 points?” If you say this, you are actually adding some perfectionistic elements to the child’s thinking. Children’s psychology is easily influenced by adults. If adults demand perfection in everything, children

撰文：家營營養中心創辦人　資深營養師　吳耀芬   開學了，小朋友上學前有沒有吃早餐呢？很多小朋友有不同的原因，養成了不吃早餐的習慣，但是各位家長要留意，原來早餐對小朋友的成長有很大的影響呢！   早前中文大學的研究顯示，原來早餐對學生的學業成績有重大影響。有每天吃早餐習慣的學生，考試成績較一般沒有吃早餐的學生高出5分之多。為甚麼吃早餐會令我們更聰明呢？   由於腦部需要血糖作為營養的吸收和消耗，但當我們的身體整晚處於沒有食物的狀態下入睡，身體已消耗了我們一整天的血糖。所以，我們更需要進食早餐以補充血糖，令我們的反應變得較快。家長可能會問，有甚麼早餐比較適合小朋友？ 甚麼早餐可以「醒腦醒晨」？ 澱粉質的食物 包括粥、粉、麵、飯、麵包和餅乾等，所以我們可以吃一件三文治、一碗通粉或米粉也可以；甚至飲牛奶、吃燕麥片或粟米片也沒有問題。 補充蛋白質 由於蛋白質本身也可以讓我們的反應會快一點，例如雞絲含豐富的蛋白質，所以早餐可以選擇一碗雞絲湯米粉或雞絲湯通粉，或吃一份芝士蛋三文治，也可以幫助我們補充一天的需要。所以各位家長記得提醒小朋友，要吃了早餐才上學了！ 返回

撰文：姚怡超中醫師 要建立健康快樂的家庭並不容易，先說當母親的，由懷胎十月開始，準媽媽就要面對內外的變化如外形、體重和生理，甚至心理情緒。首次懷孕的準媽媽，心情和精神就更為緊張。此外，壓力還可能來自身邊的伴侶和家人。筆者見過一些懷第二胎的母親，因為緊急孩子性別而過分擔心。其實孩子是上天所賜的禮物，我們應放開懷抱，順從天意，家人亦應該給予支持。話雖如此，產後抑鬱的個案實在很多，故筆者會從中醫角度與大家分享一下治療產後抑鬱的方法。 產前產後受氣鬱、血鬱困憂 中醫的鬱症分為六種：氣鬱、血鬱、痰鬱、濕鬱、熱鬱及食鬱。產後抑鬱頗為複雜，以氣鬱和血鬱多見。中醫理論「邪氣所傷，正氣必虛」，懷孕期的準媽媽身體要為嬰兒付出很多的營養物質和血液，加上生產過程的疼痛、耗氣及失血，令媽媽身體元氣大傷。 及後，媽媽因為忙於照顧嬰孩令體能透支，加上惡露不清，瘀血不盡，令臟腑失於平衡。此時，媽媽開始感到體弱無力、頭暈頭痛、少腹疼痛、煩燥不安及失眠等症狀，甚至影響哺乳分泌，譬如奶水不通或乳汁少等。在這情況下，媽媽會感到氣餒，情緒進一步受到影響，易怒易哭，產生失落和空虛感。這些都是產後抑鬱的病徵。 舒緩緊張情緒小提示 其實產後抑鬱是可以避免的，無論是中或西醫，都有很好的治療效果，所以各位媽媽千萬不要忌諱疾醫，若開始發覺不妥便應尋求幫助。要防止抑鬱，媽媽產前產後也要有規律的作息，加上食療和適量的運動，便可保持身心舒暢。 在家中，丈夫可替太太進行一些簡單的穴位按摩，幫助舒緩太太的緊張情緒： 加速心肺功能，幫助放鬆心情 雙手對握輕輕摩擦，刺激雙手大拇指下的魚際穴和手掌中央的勞宮穴，又或用拇指按壓這兩個穴道數分鐘。 減輕頭部脹痛 將雙手的拇指和中指對按著雙側太陽穴，一收一放地上下輕輕轉動數分鐘，便可減輕頭的脹痛感。 無論懷孕與否，丈夫替太太按摩都可增進夫婦間的感情，令家庭變得更溫馨和諧。如果身邊有朋友將為人母，大家記得好好鼓勵對方，分享自己的經驗，這對準媽媽也有幫助呢！ 返回