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Safe Alternatives to Tanning for Your Teens

Angela Bishop, beauty blogger

In recognition of Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month, check out these helpful tips for your teens from our guest blogger, Angela Bishop. This make-up connoisseur and mommy of two, usually shares her beauty tips and tricks on her blogs, Beauty Store Dropout and Nine More Months.

With summer around the corner, many people are getting their skin “ready” for the season. It doesn’t hurt to spend small amounts of time in the sun, however more than 15 minutes of unprotected sun exposure can be very bad. The number one danger of too much sun exposure is increased risk for melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer. Many people believe that a tanning bed is safer than going out in the sun, but the truth is that it can actually be worse. 

Luckily, there are safer alternatives:

  • Spray tanning – Gives you almost immediate results, though only temporary. There are many different shades to choose from, so this works well for everyone. Read reviews and ask around to find the best tanning salon in your area.
  • Tanning lotion – Easy at-home way to get color, but can be tricky to apply. Most lotions are one shade only, so test a small spot on your skin before trying. For the best possible results, always exfoliate beforehand, and be sure to wash your hands well after applying.
  • Gradual tanner – Takes a few days to show, but as long as you regularly apply it you’ll continue to have a tan. Choose one with an SPF protection in it, and make it part of your daily routine.
  • Mineral bronzing powder – Instant gratification, can be adjusted to desired shade, and easily removable. One with shimmer will reflect light to give you a nice glow. Just like putting on makeup, make sure to highlight areas that are naturally touched by the sun, such as the top of your arms, shoulders, legs, and chest.
  • Tinted moisturizer – You may be familiar with this as a face product, but check your favorite beauty store and you may be surprised to find a tinted body lotion. Many of these are available with a shimmer as well, which will give you similar results to bronzing powder with the added benefit of moisturizing your skin.
  • Pale and pastel-colored clothing, such as light pinks, blues, or yellows. Try on different things to see what looks best with your skin tone. White is a good option as well, but if you have very fair skin, it can have the opposite effect, so be careful.

Whatever you choose, it’s important to always wear sunscreen if you plan on being outside for more than 15 minutes. Don’t forget about your scalp, either! A big floppy sun hat is a fashionable way to protect your head when you’re out.

 
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CHOC Nurse Shares Compassionate and Courageous Glimpse of the OICU

In honor of National Nurses Week, and the remarkable dedication and care that CHOC nurses provide to our patients and families every day, we’d like to share this narrative by one of our nurses, Kerry Jauregui, from our Oncology Intensive Care Unit.

Kerry Jauregui, OICU Clinical Nurse

Walking onto this unit, is like walking into another world. If you don’t live it, you don’t get it …

• Their hairless, shiny heads are an endearing sight.
• They decorate the face masks they must wear when stepping foot outside their room, with felt mustaches.
• They know how to maneuver their lines – arm up, lying on this side – to get the best lab draw.
• Their NG tubes are referred to as “nose noodles”… and they request that we start making them in pink!
• Their fears and worries are the dreaded painful chemotherapy IM injection they are about to receive, rather than which prom dress to wear.
• Their mile long ‘beads of courage’ hanging from their IV pole resembles so much more than courage… holidays missed at home, trips to the PICU, proms missed, hundreds of chemo and blood infusions, many bad days hurled over the toilet or bucket puking… it is only a mere symbol of their strength during this difficult battle.
• They get gifts and posters, and are sung ‘Happy Transplant Day’ by nurses and child life… while in the outside world, their friends gather and celebrate a birthday party.
• A teenager is not worried about her outfit, hairdo or makeup like her peers, but is more self-conscious of her puffy steroid-induced cheeks.
• They get pulled in wagons down the hallways of the hospital, rather than down the sidewalks to the park.
• They walk holding their IV pole alongside them, rather than the hand of a best friend.
• They wait in anticipation of the morning print out of lab results, comparing and keeping immaculate record of trends and changes… rather than studying algebra.
• They know the names of their chemos rather than their classmates, and will tell you which antiemetic will work best for which chemo.
• Their pain and tears from the injection you gave is disheartening… but seeing them laugh and smile just moments later, realizing the chemo you just gave is saving their life… is truly rewarding.
• Witnessing the newborn who has been on the unit for months, have all of its firsts within the walls of the tiny hospital room… from speaking its first babbles, to teeth beginning to come in… is exhilarating!
• Helping a mother of a child to let go is a heart-breaking, yet sacred, moment.
• The child who was nearing death’s bed in the PICU just weeks ago takes their first step… and from the priceless faces on patient and mom, you know that step means so much more than just a physical act!

I smile in admiration of their strength. I laugh at their playfulness and innocence. I stand amazed by their resilience. I stand speechless in awe of the amount of love and patience the families give. I applaud a mother, who despite her fear and self-doubt, does a perfect CVAD dressing change. I cry worrying about the loss of a child’s innocence and consequently their outlook on life, from such an earth-shattering experience. I hope on behalf of their fight.

I continue to love on these kids and families… and help them to fight their fight alongside of them, because I believe. I believe in a cure. I believe in our science. I believe in our technology. I believe in our mission. I believe in our amazing team. I believe in their resilience. I believe in their strength. I believe in their hope.

Fighting this fight can be tireless, sad, hopeless, draining and frustrating along the way. But saving the life of one of these children, and being there supporting these families every step of the way is the greatest gift and privilege I could possibly ask for! It is my duty to serve. And my honor to join the fight against childhood cancer!

 
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Tips To Prevent Allergy Symptoms

May is National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month. Check out this video with Dr. Christina Schwindt, Allergist, explaining what parents can do around the house to help prevent allergy symptoms for their families.

 
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CHOC Recommends Tips for Choosing the Right Shoes and Avoiding Injury

May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. To avoid pain and injury while participating in athletic activities, check out the following guidelines to ensure that you and your family are wearing the proper shoes for your body and foot type, as recommended by the experts at the CHOC Children’s Orthopaedic Institute. 

The alignment of your feet while standing, walking or running may be described as “neutral” (or “normal”), “flat” or “rigid.”

Neutral means the border of your foot curves slightly off the floor when standing, creating a visible arch.

Flat means that the border of your foot nearly or completely touches the floor when standing.

Rigid means that your weight is on the outside border of your foot when standing or walking.

Choosing the proper shoes for your foot type will help keep your foot and body better supported when walking and playing. Specialty athletic/running shoe stores will be best equipped to help you find the right shoes for your foot type. However, if you know what you are looking for, you should be able to find the right shoe anywhere.

If you have Flat/Overpronated feet, look for shoes that have:
1. A straight last. This means the bottom of the shoes is relatively straight.
2. A rigid sole. When you twist the shoe holding the toe and the heel, it does not move much.
3. Medial posting. The inside border of the shoe has extra firm plastic to prevent the inside border of your foot from collapsing; it is also called “arch support.”
4. A firm heel counter. When you squeeze the heel of the shoe near the sole, it should feel firm.

You can also improve the arch support of your current shoes by removing the insoles and putting in over-the-counter orthotics. These are sold at athletic shoe stores and in the CHOC outpatient pharmacy.

If you have Rigid/Supinated feet, look for shoes that have:
1. A curved last. This means the bottom of the shoes is relatively curved. Turn the shoe upside down and look to make sure the border is curved.
2. A flexible sole. When you twist the shoe holding the toe and the heel, it moves well. Shoe companies may call this “torsion” or “shock absorption.”

Be sure to make an appointment with your child’s physician should you have any questions or concerns, or if your child is experiencing pain tied to his or her feet, ankles, knees, hips, or spine. Your child’s physician will be able to advise on the proper treatment and ensure that your little one’s feet are getting the best care possible!

 
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What is Eosinophilic Esophagitis?

In recogniton of National Eosinophil Awareness Week, coming up May 13-19th, Shonda Brown, RD, CNSC, clinical dietician at CHOC Children’s, explains what Eosinophilic Esophagitis is, and how this unique condition is treated.

Imagine having abdominal pain so severe you are taken to the emergency department in fear of yourself having a heart attack, or unable to eat a meal without thinking if you are going to get food stuck in your throat.  These are a few things I have heard from patients to describe their symptoms of Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE).  EoE is characterized by eosinophil (a type of white blood cell) accumulation in the esophageal lining creating inflammation and a variety of adverse symptoms.  Some common symptoms are vomiting, abdominal pain, reflux-like symptoms, poor weight gain, trouble swallowing and food impaction (when food gets stuck in the throat). 

Currently, the only way to make a diagnosis is by endoscopy with biopsies of the tissue lining the esophagus.  A small tube with a camera at the tip is inserted through the mouth and down through the GI tract.  The doctor looks for any signs of inflammation as well as takes small tissue samples to be examined with a microscope. 

Research has shown that food allergies are the most common cause of EoE.  Once a diagnosis is confirmed, children are referred to an allergist for allergy testing to guide treatment.  Treatment options include food elimination diets, specialized formulas, and/or medication therapy (usually swallowed steroids from an inhaler).  A directed elimination diet is one dietary treatment approach that includes food avoidance of those showing a positive reaction on allergy testing. 

Another approach is to eliminate the top known allergens; this is referred to as the six food elimination diet and includes elimination of milk, soy, egg, wheat, peanuts and tree nuts, and seafood.  Specialized formulas may be recommended (called elemental formulas) if a child has severe symptoms, if all food allergy testing was negative, or if previous treatment options were unsuccessful.  Elemental formulas contain proteins that have been completely broken down into their simplest form, amino acids, making them non-allergenic.

Treatment doesn’t end after foods are eliminated.  To determine the offending foods, a child must undergo another endoscopy after eliminating the possible allergens for a set period of time to see if the eosinophils have gone away.  After a clear endoscopy, foods are reintroduced in a stepwise fashion while monitoring for return of symptoms and confirmation of disease reappearance with further endoscopies.  Food and eating is much more than just providing our bodies with energy and nutrition.  The diet therapies that are used to treat and identify food allergens can radically change the way of life for a family. It’s difficult for a child to eliminate their favorite foods – think about a child who can’t even eat their own birthday cake!

The process of discovering the causative food(s) and establishing resolution of EoE can be a long, stressful and overwhelming experience.  CHOC Children’s has developed a multidisciplinary team centered approach in providing care for children with EoE.  Our clinic combines Allergy, Gastroenterology and Nutrition services so that our families receive comprehensive care for this chronic disease.

For more information on EoE, visit www.apfed.org  (The American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders).

 
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