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Commonly called 'heart burn', acid reflux disease is a condition in which the liquid content of the stomach regurgitates (backs up, or refluxes) into the esophagus. It's annoying and painful. But you want to know the truth, the reflux of the stomach's liquid contents into the esophagus occurs in most normal individuals. However, when heartburn becomes acid reflux disease or Gastro esophageal reflux disease, commonly referred to as GERD, it is s real problem. That is because with GERD, the acid is stronger and stays in the esophagus longer causing more discomfort. Most often, you will experience this during the daytime when you are upright, sitting straight, or standing. You body handles this reflux by the fluid flowing back down into your stomach. You swallow more during the daytime therefore draining the acid back to where it belongs. Your salivary glands produce saliva that also contains bicarbonate that acts to neutralize the acid your stomach has kicked up. At night though, you may have a greater problem when acid reflux disease occurs that is because while sleeping, gravity does not work as well lying down, your constant swallowing stops, and the production of saliva is reduced. Certain conditions make a person more prone to acid reflux disease, this GERD. For example, while you are pregnant, this can be a serious problem. Elevated hormone levels of pregnancy probably cause reflux by lowering the pressure in that part of your body known as the lower esophageal sphincter. Also, the growing baby puts more pressure on the abdomen. Both of these effects of pregnancy tend to increase the risk of GERD. If your acid reflux disease is a minor condition, then you should only experience minor symptoms. These would include primarily heartburn, regurgitation, and nausea. However, if the condition is complicated, then watch out for the following symptoms. The liquid that comes back into the esophagus damages the lining of the esophagus. The body tries to protect itself from the acid reflux disease by 'inflaming' the esophagus. Trying to speed the healing process through the inflammation, the wall of the esophagus may form an ulcer. The ulcer is a break in the lining of the esophagus wall. Then what happens is that there may be bleeding. If the bleeding is very severe, patients might need a blood transfusion or even surgical treatment. If your heartburn is severe or acute, happening very frequently, you need to see a doctor. What can you do for yourself to help the condition? Try sleeping a pillow a night that raises your chest up slightly so that gravity can bring the acid back down more easily. Since this condition usually occurs on a full stomach, eat earlier and eat less to keep the stomach from being too full. Ease off on the chocolate, peppermint, alcohol, and caffeinated drinks. Reduce fatty foods and of course, cut down or quit smoking. Other foods may aggravate the conditions. Avoid spicy or acid-containing foods, like citrus juices, carbonated beverages, and tomato juice.

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Parenting Skills

Parenting skills Honestly, some people's parenting skills truly need some adjustments. I have witnessed so many things in public places that make me think that some people should be tested before they are allowed to reproduce. There are classes out there that teach basic parenting skills but not enough of people enroll in them. It is almost as if when you have a baby, they send you home from the hospital without the faintest clue as to what you are supposed to do with this child. Perhaps a manual should be written and given to parents when they leave the hospital. Anyone can be a parent but not everyone has the parenting skills required to raise a child. Many parents' parenting skills come from their own experiences in growing up. They pass down the same values and traditions that their parents instilled in them. I have had two young clients in my office who were both parents before the age of 18. Neither of these individuals had the first clue as to what kind of parenting skills they should have. Interestingly enough, both of those individuals had been born to young parents as well. Their young parents lacked the values, knowledge and parenting skills to raise their children as properly as they should have. One of those children had been primarily raised on the streets because their young parents could not have cared less what he was doing. It is a miracle he didn't end up in jail or dead. At the age of 16, a girl came to him to announce that she was pregnant. Suddenly, he was the one who was in need of some common sense and parenting skills. My other client gave birth when she was 17. Her mother didn't even know that she was pregnant and had no interest in helping to raise her grandchild when she had barely even cared to raise her own daughter. My client is now struggling to finish school and raise a child. While some parenting skills are merely common sense, some people truly lack that common sense. This holds true especially if they never had parental figures that demonstrated common sense for them. You've heard people say that children are a reflection of their parents and there is a great amount of truth to that. Parenting skills are the same way. A parent will reflect the parenting skills that their parents showed to them. Of course, this does not hold true for everyone. There are people who break out of the cycle and I have nothing but praise for them. What is ever so important is that before becoming a parent, make sure you have the common sense parenting skills that are needed to raise your child. Never be afraid to ask someone for advice or answers. Your child will thank you for it. So will the rest of the world.

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Help For Troubled Teens

Are you the parent of a teenager? If the answer is yes, then welcome to the club. I swear, not a lot can be more stressful and annoying, than raising a grouchy teenager. Don't get me wrong, I love my children and I always will. However, why can't they just stay sweet and innocent for the rest of their lives? Is that really too much to ask? I think not. Anyway, if you have experienced the teen years, then you're well aware of how hairy things can get. Anything from drugs, to alcohol, to sex can become a serious issue. If things progress and get too out of hand, you may find yourself in a center that provides help for troubled teens. But, hopefully it won't get that bad. Have you noticed that help for troubled teens is becoming more accessible these days? You know why this is, right? It's simply due to the fact that children now days are facing even more difficulties and pressures. Although you probably dealt with teen sex and pregnancy back when you were in high school, you most likely didn't deal with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. This has changed the whole scheme of things. Pregnancy is no longer at the top of list of concerns. I must say that I have been rather fortunate in this respect. We spoke with our teenage daughter about sex and the usual teen stuff, and she decided it wasn't for her yet. Thank God! Now I won't have to shove her away in one of those clinics that offer help for troubled teens. Just a joke! However, we've had our bout with alcohol. Although we did encourage her not to drink, she still went out and stole some liquor with her friends. Yes, I did say stole. Believe me; she is now paying the price. I guess one method of help for troubled teens is community service. Acquiring help for troubled teens is not all that difficult any more. If you have a teenager who is in desperate need of some counseling or "straightening out," then you may want to try the World-Wide-Web. The Internet can introduce you to various programs that provide help for troubled teens. The key is taking the initiative early. Don't wait for things to get worse. This can end horribly. Get the help for troubled teens that you and your child need. He/she is worth it. Growing up can just be a tad overwhelming.

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Special Baby Gifts

My niece is pregnant with her first child. She and her husband have tried to get pregnant for several years, so they are very excited about getting their family started. I was invited to a baby shower. I knew that my niece had been doing a great deal of shopping for the baby already; so I wanted to purchase special baby gifts that she had not already purchased or seen. The department stores did not offer any special baby gifts; they had items that have been around for years. I mentioned to one of the sales clerks that I needed special baby gifts for my niece’s baby. She stated that the store did have a line of infant things that can be personalized with the baby’s name. This sounded intriguing to me so I asked to see what was available in this line of merchandise. The clerk had several items in stock that she was able to show me. She showed me bibs that were embroidered with the infants name on them. She showed me a baby blanket that was embroidered with not only the baby’s name, but the date of birth and weight and length at birth. Each of these special baby gifts needed to be special ordered and would be available in a week to ten days after the order was placed. The clerk also showed me several items in a catalog including diapers that were personalized with the baby’s name. I did like the unique aspects of these special baby gifts; however the shower was going to be held prior to the baby’s birth so I would not have the information that was needed to have the items personalized. I found a small store that was filled with special baby gifts. This store had many of the same things from the department store, but they have a local seamstress that will complete the personalization within a day. I decided to purchase several of the special baby gifts. I bought the baby blanket that could have the baby’s personal information embroidered on. I also bought a picture frame that had a place to engrave the baby’s name. The picture frame also had space to frame the birth certificate next to the baby’s photo. I had the clerk wrap the gifts and she included a card with the shops name and telephone number so that my niece could have the embroidery and engraving completed once the baby was named. The shop charges a flat rate for the embroidery and engraving, which I paid for at the time of purchase. My niece would not have to pay anything to complete the personalization. My niece was very happy with the special baby gifts. She knew where the shop was, but had not gone into it. We made plans that I would go with her during her maternity leave to have the special baby gifts finished off.

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Child Support Laws

Having children can certainly be a gargantuan turn in the road called life. Although some folks assume they are ready in every way, they soon find out that they're not. What a surprise. I think the greatest thing that surprised me after my daughter was born was the power of the bond. Wow, there is definitely nothing in the world as strong as a parent-child connection. I'm talking about a substantial nexus even prior to the child's birth. It's truly wonderful. I can still remember how anxious and happy I was when my wife was pregnant. That child meant the world to me and I hadn't even met her yet. So if you don't already have one of your own, but plan to, get ready for something amazing. One aspect of having a child that most happy families naturally avoid is child support laws. Are you up to speed on the system? I can still remember back in the 80s when child support laws completely sided with the mother. The female would get the children no matter what. Although I don't agree with this process, I'm sure sometimes it was for the better. However, when my parents split due to my father's unfaithful behavior, she took us three boys and bolted. I mean she literally left the state. While I didn't really understand her actions at the time since I was only five, I sort of do today. The only problem was that when I was young, I wanted to live with my father, and so did my brothers. Hey, we were young boys; what would you expect? We knew nothing but the way he treated us. Regardless of our wishes, we stayed with our mother because the courts ruled it. This meant that my father had to pay a child support. Those were the child support laws. I find it funny how so many fathers now days do not want to pay. If this is the case, why did they ever contribute to having children? Get a clue! It's a good thing that decent child support laws are in place these days. Otherwise a close friend of mine would not even receive child support from her ex-husband, who is the father of her two children. He's not interested whatsoever in taking care of or spending time with his kids. The sad part is that he just had a couple more with a different lady. I believe that men like this are the reason strict child support laws are in place.