Gong Xi Fa Cai!

CHILDREN'S BALL PITS – Are they safe?

I just received this in my email and I think it is important that I share this with so that you can take precautions for the safety of your children.

“Hi. My name is Lauren Archer, a friend of mine that resides in The Hill, Johannesburg, took his only son to McDonald's for his 3rd birthday.
After he finished lunch, his parents allowed him to play in the ball pit. When he started whining later on, and his mother asked him what was wrong, he pointed to the back of his pull-up and simply said 'Mommy, it hurts.' they couldn't find anything wrong with him at that time. After bathing him when they got home, they found what looked like insect bites at the time.
Upon investigating, it seemed as if there was matter coming out of the wounds. They were on their way to the hospital, but soon he started vomiting and shaking, then his eyes rolled back into his head. From there, they went to the emergency room. He died later that night.
He was found to have snake bites all over his legs & buttocks. When they cleaned the ball pit they found that there was a snake's nest in the ball pit. He had suffered numerous bites from a very poisonous snake.”

THIS WAS FOUND IN THE BALL PIT!!!!




















There was a similar incidence in one of the department stores in the Klang Valley about five years ago. Unfortunately, the case was not highlighted in the local media. My advice is to be careful about letting your children play in areas where you cannot see what may be hiding there. It may not necessarily be snakes but sharp obstacles and even germs from other children.

Update on using onions to prevent flu

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! May 2010 bring you health, happiness and wealth.



On 25 December I mentioned that I will start putting onions all over the areas where the babies are and so far the children seems to be ok with less runny noses and coughs. However, the most significant outcome is its’ effect on Nash. Two weeks ago Nash had a very severe chest infection and was hospitalized for 6 days. When he came back to the centre, he was still coughing and had a lot of phlegm.


I placed an onion next to him and surprising by evening he was coughing less. Could this be due to the medication that he was taking? He was on antibiotics and ventolin. However, the next day he had stopped coughing and his chest was clear. I asked his mother if she used the onions and she said that being “kiasu” she put 2 onions in his cot and all over the house.






Maybe this is a fluke shot but I am monitoring the other children to see if the onions are helping to prevent them getting the flu so frequently. Have you tried it out? Do let me know the results.

Use onions to prevent flu

Just received this interesting email from a baby’s mother and thought that I will share this with you.

“In 1919, when the flu killed 40million people, there was this doctor that visited the many farmers to see if he could help them combat the flu. Many of the farmers and their family had contracted it, and many died. The doctor came upon this one farmer, and to his surprise, everyone was very healthy.
When the doctor asked what the farmer was doing that was different, the wife replied that she had placed an unpeeled onion in a dish in the rooms of the home (probably only two rooms back then). The doctor couldn't believe it, and asked if he could have one of the onions, and place it under the microscope. She gave him one, and when he did this, he did find the flu virus in the onion. It obviously absorbed the bacteria, therefore keeping the family healthy.
Now, I heard this story from my hairdresser in Arizona. She said that several years ago, many of her employees were coming down with the flu, and so were many of her customers. The next year, she placed several bowls with onions around in her shop.
To her surprise, none of her staff got sick. It must work . .. (And no, she is not in the onion business.)
The moral of the story is, buy some onions and place them in bowls around your home. If you work at a desk, place one or two in your office, or under your desk, or even on top somewhere. Try it and see what happens. We did it last year, and we never got the flu. If this helps you and your loved ones from getting sick, all the better. If you do get the flu, it just might be a mild case.
Whatever, what have you to lose? Just a few bucks on onions!
Now there is a P. S. to this for I sent it to a friend in Oregon who regularly contributes material to me on health issues. She replied with this most interesting experience about onions: I don't know about the farmer’s story, but I do know that I contracted pneumonia, and needless to say I was very ill. I came across an article that said to cut both ends off an onion, put one end on a fork, and then place the forked end into an empty jar, placing the jar next to the sick patient at night.
It said the onion would be black in the morning from the germs. Sure enough, it happened just like that. The onion was a mess, and I began to feel better. Another thing I read in the article was that onions and garlic placed around the room saved many from the black plague years ago. They have powerful antibacterial, antiseptic properties.”

I searched the net for more information and apparently this is an old wives tale. Most people rubbished it but there were a couple of people who claimed that it worked. So I thought that I may as well try it at my centre. If it works, the parents will thank me for helping them save on medical fees and if it does not, all I lose is a few onions. Maybe you might want to try it out and let me know the outcome.

An effective way to prevent spreading germs is to cover your mouth when you cough as Jeremy demonstrates.

Are cell phones safe?

I just received this letter from Dr Al Sears and I had to share this with you.

Dear Cecilia,
When I was hiking through the Andes, I saw people chatting on their cell phones. In Kerala, India, I saw fishermen call into shore from their boats to negotiate a price for the day’s catch. They even send pictures!
Cell phones are ubiquitous. Especially in the third world, they give people that wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford it access to the internet. And in that way, the cell phone is one of the greatest inventions of our time.
But I’m conflicted about the health consequence.
A new study from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) warns that many of the new internet phones bombard your brain with dangerous electromagnetic waves.
1. These waves penetrate your skull and can double your risk of a brain tumor.
Back in 2003, the Food and Drug Administration assured us that cell phones do not cause brain cancer. Unfortunately, they based their study on only three years of cell phone use.
2. But if you use a cell phone for a decade or more, your risk goes up. Researchers in Scandinavia and the United Kingdom discovered that people who used cell phones for more than 10 years had a significantly higher risk of developing brain tumors.
3. Even more alarming is what happens to kids that use cell phones.
Young skulls are less than half the thickness of adults, making it much easier for radio waves to penetrate and damage the brain. Multiple studies show young children absorb more radiation than adults do, putting them at high risk for brain tumors.
4. A two-minute call can alter the natural electrical activity in your child’s brain for one hour. Multiply this by the average 2,600 minutes a month your child is on the phone…and you get 22 hours (nearly a day) of unnatural brain activity.
Wireless earpieces and keeping the phone in your pocket are not good options. The earpiece relies on radio waves for transmission – these go into your brain. The phone in your pocket is emitting radio waves straight to your vital organs, especially your genitals.
So what should you do? I for one don’t want to give up my cell phone. And I don’t suggest you give up yours either. But I do take certain steps to limit my radiation exposure.
Here are some steps you can take:
Check what kind of radiation your phone emits. The lower, the better.
EWG has an updated list of the best and the worst phones.
Put your phone in ‘airplane’ mode when you’re in places you can’t (or shouldn’t) use your phone – driving, theaters, meetings, and doctor’s offices. This reduces the number of radiation exposure hours.
Go ‘hands-free’. The further away your phone is from your body – the less radiation penetrates you. Twelve inches (one foot) is the closest you should be to your phone.
Use a wired head set for all calls – make sure the cord is long enough so your phone is at least twelve inches away from you.
Send text messages instead of calling. Or keep your calls short.
And possibly the hardest advice of all to implement… limit use of cell phones by your children and teens. I tell my son Dylan to text instead of call. This limits his exposure.
I keep my phone in my desk drawer while I’m at work. In the car, I keep it on the console. And when I’m going back and forth, I keep it in my briefcase. And I don’t use it for long. When I’m going to be on the phone for a while, I use a landline.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD
11903 Southern Blvd., Ste. 208
Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411

Cell Phone Radiation – Science Review on Cancer Risks and Children’s Health – Environmental Working Group http://www.ewg.org/cellphone-radiation

Introducing my new super baby models

It has been some time since I updated the status of my super models. The latest addition are:





Nash





Jayden





Ee-Wern





Jason

Birthdays galore

All my little 'rats' are one year old now and toddling. The 'rats' are those born in the Chinese lunar year of the rat.






The first birthday party started in September with Renee






Then it was Isaac and the twins Marrisa and Mirabelle in early October











Finally it was Xuan's turn in mid October