Health and Fitness News

Stories about exercise, diet and health care for New Jersey living

• Infants need only breast milk or formula
My baby is 2 months old and I have heard different stories about the amount of water she should have. It varies from none to several bottles. Is there any right amount?

• IUDs are effective in preventing pregnancy
I am 39 years old, married and have children. My husband and I are trying to decide on the "best" form of birth control. Is an IUD a good and safe choice?

• Electrical system works to keep heart rate steady
THE ELECTRICAL conduction system in the heart normally triggers a contraction of the upper chambers of the heart, the atria, and then, after a pause, the lower chambers of the heart, the ventricles. The frequency of firing determines the pulse rate, which varies, depending upon the amount of stress or activity the individual is experiencing. Most elders have a resting heart rate between about 60 and 80 beats per minute.

• Fifth-grade girl finding it tough to fit in
My granddaughter is in a small, private elementary school. There are 10 boys and 10 girls in her fifth-grade class. The girls are not very friendly, cliquey and some are bullies. She complains that she is unhappy and without good friends in school. She also lives quite a distance from them. She would be with the same group until the end of eighth-grade. What would you recommend we do? The academic part is good. Should she continue at the school or transfer out? Or perhaps try some other ways to deal with her classmates?

• Jersey reunion finds 'Biggest Loser' alumni still taking off pounds

• OTC medications limited in effect on colds
At least three or four times during the colder months, I get a runny nose, cough or some other cold symptom. Are over-the-counter cold remedies effective?

• Heart infection most common among elders
ONE OF THE most serious bacterial infections an elder can have is endocarditis, an infection in the heart. In the past, this condition was seen especially in young or middle-age people, and was associated most commonly with congenital abnormalities of the heart, rheumatic heart disease and intravenous drug abuse.

• Establish some habits to manage GERD
ONE OF THE most common problems experienced by elders is recurrent bouts of heartburn, a symptom of gastrointestinal reflux disease. A thorough and up-to-date review of this condition appeared recently in the New England Journal of Medicine.

• Inflamed cartilage causes sharp chest pain
For more than six weeks, I have had chest pain. I've been to my doctor and was told I have costochondritis. I think it started while I was lifting weights in the gym. The pain is significant and I feel it with most movements. What can I do to get rid of this problem? Just stopping weight training does not seem to be helping.

• Allow siblings to work out difficulties alone
I have two sons, ages 5 and 3. They seemed to get along fine when they were in the same day care. Now that my older son is in kindergarten, things are different. I don't know if he thinks I spend more time with my younger son, because I drop him off and pick him up from daycare, or what it is. He is acting out in school. They are both big for their ages and are fighting a lot more than they once did. My husband travels a lot and when he is home, it is better, but I don't know what to do. Any suggestions?