• Solvents such as paint thinners, degreasers or dry-cleaning fluids
• Office products such as correction fluid and felt-tip markers
• Gasoline
• Glues
• Aerosol canisters such as spray paint, hair or deodorant sprays and fabric protector sprays
• Amyl nitrate (available only by prescription)

How do inhalants work?

Most abused inhalants work like an anesthetic and slow down the body’s function. If enough of the substance is inhaled, the person may feel intoxicated for a few minutes or for several hours. In the beginning, users may feel stimulated, but as more of the substance is inhaled, they may become uninhibited, lose control and eventually lose consciousness.

Chronic use may cause brain damage similar to multiple sclerosis. Users also may experience damage to the heart, lung, liver and kidneys. Long-term use affects thinking, movement and hearing.

Even more troubling is that long-term use isn’t needed for serious, sometimes fatal consequences to occur. In high enough concentrations, solvents and aerosol sprays can directly cause heart failure and death when the heart’s ability to regulate its rhythm is interrupted. This can occur even during the first use of the inhalant. Deaths also occur due to asphyxiation, suffocation, convulsions or seizures, coma or choking.

What are the signs of inhalant use?

Parents should watch for the following signs that a teen may be using inhalants:

• Chemical odors on breath or clothing
• Paint or other stains on face, hands or clothing
• Chapped lips or face
• Runny nose
• Bloodshot eyes
• Headaches, dizziness, trouble sleeping or memory problems
• Hidden or empty containers, chemical-soaked rags or clothing
• Drunkenness or disorientation
• Slurred speech
• Nausea or loss of appetite
• Inattentiveness, lack of coordination and irritability
• Missing household items

Depression may also be associated with use of inhalants. Not only are teens who use inhalants more
likely to show signs of depression, depressed teens are three times more likely to start using inhalants
than those who aren’t depressed.

What can parents do?

The most important thing parents can do is talk to their children and teens about the dangers of drugs, including inhalants. Let your children know that you expect them to avoid the dangers of inhalant use
and that you want them to be safe.

If your child shows symptoms of inhalant use, take him or her to a doctor. You also may want to talk to the child’s teacher, guidance counselor, school nurse or coach for help.

Should you find your child using inhalants, stay calm. Check and see if the child is still breathing. If the child is breathing, move to a well-ventilated area and call the nearest poison control center for advice.
Seek immediate medical help if the child is unconscious, not breathing or suffering seizures or convulsion.

Some teens become addicted to using inhalants and may need professional help to recover. Ask your child’s doctor for recommendations on an appropriate treatment center.

Backpacks can be a great way for children and teenagers to take books and supplies to and from school. When used properly, backpacks are better than purses, messenger or shoulder bags because the weight in the backpack is supported by the back and stomach muscles, which are the strongest muscles in the body.

What to look for in a backpack

First of all, remember that you should carry no more than 10 to 15 percent of your body weight in the backpack. That means an 80 pound child should have no more than 8 to 12 pounds of books and supplies in the pack.

A bag with too much weight may force the child backward and to compensate, the child will lean forward at the hips or arch the back. This posture may compress the spine and may cause shoulder, back or neck pain.

A good backpack will have two wide, padded straps and a waist strap. Although your child may want to sling the pack over one shoulder (which may be considered “cool”), you should have the child place both straps across the shoulders and wear the waist strap. This will help distribute the weight in the backpack more evenly.

Other buying tips:

• Consider the size of the backpack to the size of the child. Younger, smaller children need smaller backpacks.
• Look for a lightweight pack with lots of compartments to help distribute the weight of books and supplies.
• Find a backpack with a padded back to increase comfort and keep sharp objects from poking through the fabric.
• Wheeled backpacks may help with heavy loads but some schools don’t allow them. Also, the wheels make it hard to get the backpack up stairs and the design may not fit in a locker.

Backpack Safety Tips

So, you’ve looked at all the options and have selected the right backpack for your child. Let’s talk about some backpack safety measures you and your child can take.

• Make sure your child knows how to wear a backpack. He or she should use both shoulder straps. Check to be sure the straps are tight enough so that the backpack rests close to the body. Look at how the backpack rests on the back: It should be even in the middle of the back and not fall below the curve of your child’s lower back.
• As with any weight, proper lifting is essential to protecting the back. Teach your child to bend at the knees, grab the pack with both hands and then lift it to the shoulder.
• Backpacks can be a hazard to others. Encourage your child to look around before taking the backpack off and try to place it away from walkways so no one trips.

Continue to look for signs that your child is carrying too much in a backpack, such as:

Struggling to get the backpack on or off

Leaning forward or hunching over while carrying the backpack

Talking about back pain or numbness or weakness in the arms and legs

How to Lighten the Load

When your child first brings home the loaded back pack, you may be astonished at the number of materials and heavy books your child is carrying. Try to limit unnecessary items in the backpack such as laptops, cell phones and video games. Talk to your child’s school and see if paperback or CD-ROM versions of books are available. Some schools have started placing curriculum materials on the school’s website.

Talk to your child about using a locker during the day for books and supplies instead of carrying everything throughout the day. Also, only materials needed for homework or studying should be brought home at night.

If you notice that your child is bringing more stuff home on Friday, check to see if he or she is putting off homework during the week. Good planning may save your child’s back!

If your child continues to complain about physical symptoms of back or neck pain, you should consult a doctor.

Looking for a physician?  You can get a FREE referral to a physician on staff at Lake Pointe Medical Center by calling 1-866-525-LPMC (5762) or on our website at www.lakepointemedical.com.   While you are there, download our FREE mobile app for your smartphone – Mobile Health for Mobile Families.  You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Hernias can stay the same or slowly increase in size over time. Common activities or medical problems that increase pressure on the abdominal wall tissue and muscles and could contribute to a hernia include straining to have bowel movements, chronic cough, cystic fibrosis, additional weight, heavy lifting, poor nutrition, pregnancy, smoking, overexertion, enlarged prostate and undescended testicles.

Hernias can be present at birth or they develop during adulthood. The different types and causes of hernias include the following:

Inguinal hernias occur when part of the intestine or bladder protrudes through a weakness in the inguinal canal, which is a natural passageway through the abdominal wall in the groin. Inguinal hernias account for approximately 75 percent of all hernias and are more common in men.

• Femoral hernias appear more often in women. In femoral hernias, the intestine enters the canal that carries the femoral artery into the upper thigh.
• Epigastric hernias happen when a small amount of fat bulges through a weakness in the abdominal muscles between the navel and breastbone.
• Incisional hernias occur when intestine comes through a weakness in the abdominal wall where there has been previous surgery.
• Hiatal hernias happen when the stomach slips upward through an opening in the diaphragm and goes into the chest.
• Umbilical hernias are bulges of fat or intestine that come through the abdominal wall under the navel. They are common in newborns and may disappear gradually over time.

Hernias are often discovered by people when they notice a bulge or swelling in their groin, abdomen, scrotum or thigh. A doctor can confirm the presence of a hernia during a physical examination. Smaller hernias may not require treatment except to be watched. Hernias that are getting larger or causing pain could require surgery, which is the only treatment that can permanently fix a hernia.

The kind of surgery necessary to repair a hernia will depend on the type, size and location of the hernia. Options include standard surgery, which involves making an incision over the hernia site and closing the hole with sutures, or a combination of sutures and a plastic mesh. The hernia also can be repaired laparoscopically using a tiny camera and special surgical instruments that are inserted through small incisions.

“Most hernia surgeries are performed on an outpatient, non-emergency basis,” explains David Ritter, MD, general surgeon on staff at Lake Pointe Medical Center.  “However, urgent surgery may be necessary if part of the intestine becomes trapped in the hernia and cannot slide back into the abdomen (an incarcerated hernia) or the contained intestine dies because its blood supply has been cut off (a strangulated hernia).”

For more information about hernias, talk with your doctor or call 1-866-525-LPMC(5762) for a free referral to a general surgeon on staff at Lake Pointe Medical Center.

SWD is a sleep disorder that occurs when the body’s internal sleep/wake clock, or circadian rhythm, becomes out of sync with your work schedule. When this happens, you want to sleep when you should be working and are awake when you need to sleep. Because of the disruption to the sleep/wake cycle, people with SWD then have trouble sleeping or are extremely tired. They also tend to get one to four hours of sleep less than average and do not feel refreshed when they wake up. People who may be more susceptible to SWD are those who are over the age of 50, and have diabetes, heart disease, and a history of sleep or stomach disorders.

This continuous strain of unbalanced sleep can manifest itself it other areas, causing difficulty focusing, missed family or social activities, irritability, headaches, lack of energy, decreased alertness, stress, and problems with appetite and memory. People with SWD also are at increased risk for accidents, work-related errors and absenteeism. In the long-term, people who have shift positions for longer than 10 years have considerably higher rates of heart and gastrointestinal diseases compared to the general population.

SWD affects both men and women of all age groups. It typically lasts as long as you are on a shift work schedule. While on the job, shift workers can stay better rested by: reducing the number of times they change shifts; changing shifts forward in time rather than backward; taking regular rest breaks or exercise breaks if available; and working in a brightly-lit environment.

If you are unable to change your shift to normal work hours, you can take steps to manage symptoms.

• Try to avoid caffeinated foods and drinks before going to bed.
• Make sure you get eight hours of sleep each day.
• Turn on bright lights when you need to be awake to lessen drowsiness.
• Have a sleep area that is dark and quiet.
• Maintain the same sleep schedule even on weekends.

“SWD can be diagnosed after a doctor reviews a record of your sleep patterns and work schedule,” explains Dr. Jessela Tan, board-certified in sleep medicine and medical director at the Lake Pointe Sleep Center  “In some cases, an overnight sleep study may be done to see if other sleep disorders may be causing difficulties sleeping.”

The length of time someone has SWD and the severity of associated problems will vary from person to person. In general, symptoms tend to disappear after you start sleeping at regular times again, although it may take the body up to an entire week to adjust to the changes.  For more information about SWD, visit the American Sleep Association website at www.sleepassociation.org.

Looking for a Sleep Medicine physician, call 1-866-525-LPMC (5762) for a referral to Dr. Jessela Tan or another physician on our medical staff at Lake Pointe Medical Center.

Trouble finding your ZZZZs?  The Lake Pointe Sleep Center can help.  Contact us at 972-526-7500 for more information.