Heena Sharma Blog

I t is natural for parents to protect their children from any harm, including the endless array of germs they are exposed to every day. As children grow up, they are continuously exposed to various germs, especially in places such as daycare centres and preschool. Children with low immunity are highly susceptible to various types of infections. The high incidence of infections has led to an increased and inappropriate use of antibiotics, which has further resulted in antimicrobial resistance . Antimicrobial resistance, a widespread problem, takes places when microbes build resistance against the medications intended to kill them due to overuse. It is one of the world's most pressing public health problems. The best way to tackle this is to build a strong immunity, which naturally protects your child from infections. Dr. Rajesh Kumawat, Head - Medical Services & Clinical Development, The Himalaya Drug Company, shares a few tips that can help boost your child's i...

Turns out, teenagers dealing with stress because of their families may affect certain processes in the body, including blood pressure and the immune system . The researchers at the Penn State explored the strategies adolescents used to deal with chronic family stress and their effects on various metabolic and immune processes in the body. Strategies could include cognitive reappraisal -- trying to think of the stressor in a more positive way -- and suppression, or inhibiting the expression of emotions in reaction to a stressor. The team found that when faced with greater chronic family stress, teens, who used cognitive reappraisal, had better metabolic measures. "These changes are not something that will detrimentally impact anyone's health within a week or two, but that over years or decades could make a difference," said Hannah Schreier, a researcher. "That may be how small changes in metabolic or inflammatory outcomes may become associated with...

In a first, an oral immunotherapy drug derived from peanut protein could help build tolerance and eliminate potentially deadly reactions in children and adolescents with severe peanut allergies. The study showed that controlled ingestion of the medication, called AR101, derived from peanut protein, could build tolerance as well as reduce severe allergy symptoms . "Almost 6 million American children are currently living with a life-threatening food allergy," said Christina Ciaccio, Associate Professor from the University of Chicago in the US. "Every three minutes a food allergy reaction sends someone to the emergency room, contributing to the total annual cost of caring for children with food allergy to nearly $25 billion. Despite this, not a single treatment for food allergy has been approved by the FDA," she said. However, the drug "is not a quick fix, and it doesn't mean people with peanut allergy will be able to eat peanuts when...