Do you notice your child putting off going to bathroom because he/she is busy doing more important things? Do you notice avoidance of bathroom for fear of a painful bowel movement? Is your child not experiencing daily bowel movements? These actions may be signals of constipation. Parents often hope their worries about their children's bathroom habits will end with final diaper. But successful toilet training doesn't prevent occasional troubles with bowel movements. Constipation is among most common but should never be considered normal. Unfortunately most of medical literature defines childhood constipation as not frequency of bowel movements but hardness of stool. According to Physicians’ Manual for Patients, “Daily bowel movements are not essential to health.” Parents are told that as long as child is having three bowel movements a week AND they are soft that this is totally normal. Not so! Just as we eat three meals per day, a child should be experiencing between 1 to 3 bowel movements per day. Food should never be sitting in digestive track longer than 24 hours. Ideally, everyone should have comfortable, unforced bowel movements 20-30 minutes after every meal.

Because discussion of bowel movements between child and parent usually brings out total dread in parents, it is often ignored and assumed that child is experiencing bowel movements each day. Many of us remember cringing when a grandparent asked us “Have you had a bowel movement today?” The cringe was not necessarily because of question but because it was usually asked very loudly at dinner table! You see, in their generation this was considered a very important function for good health. Somewhere along line we have stopped looking at this as an important clue in overall health. Digestive track health is considered by many to be most important function in keeping body healthy.

Causes Of Childhood Constipation Diet & Nutrition - Not eating enough foods with fiber; Dehydration; Consuming a lot of sugar and desserts; Milk and dairy products; Food Allergies; Acid forming foods (meat). Lack of Exercise – With popularity of computer games and TV many children are leading a very sedentary lifestyle. Emotion Upsets & Anxiety – Fear, grief, worry and frustration have all been known to affect digestive tract. Holding stools – This means child has feeling of needing to have a bowel movement, but ignores urge. Reasons such as not wanting to take time to go to bathroom, unfamiliar bathrooms or pain in passing a stool are very common. Prescription Drugs - Antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine (Temaril or Benadryl), found in nonprescription cold medications; Antidiarrheal medications; Antispasmodics, such as atropine and scopolamine; Narcotics, such as codeine and hydrocodone; Chemotherapy; Anticonvulsants, such as carbamazepine and valproic acid; Tricyclic antidepressants, such as amitriptyline hydrochloride or doxepin hydrochloride; Iron supplements. Other less common causes of constipation are depression, attention deficit disorders, and sexual abuse.

If you work and are spending one third to one half of your day in an office setting then your surroundings there are as important as those in your home. Although we usually have little control over buildings we work in, being aware of problems that can affect us will enable us to take counter-measures and may encourage creation of stimulating and nurturing environments. Below are 10 steps that will help to provide an office that is balanced and conducive to good health and well-being, which will ultimately benefit your health and health your company.

1) Ergonomically Correct Chair: Make sure that your chair is comfortable and has adjustable height and arms. When you are sitting straight with feet flat on floor your arms should be at a 90-degree angle when typing on computer. If you are having to strain or stretch to reach your computer then you are putting stress on back and shoulder area. Chairs can certainly be expensive but in long run it will cost much less than spending time at chiropractor.

2) Green Plants: Plants do more than just enhance beauty of your surroundings, many actually clean pollutants out of air as they add oxygen and humidity to indoor environment. New findings suggest, however, that they may add more than just color and interest. They also filter air, and can fight against common high-tech ill, sick building disease. Recent research undertaken by NASA Space Administration in America has yielded some very interesting results. In a test lasting two years conducted by Dr. B.C. Wolverton at Stennis Space Centre in Mississippi it was discovered that common houseplants are capable of converting chemical air pollutants into harmless substances. Ivy, one of smallest of houseplants, does an excellent job of cleaning air of toxins, especially benzene and TCE. The humble potted Chrysanthemum is another goodie. You can place a number of plants around your office or make up a high scoring clean-air cocktail by adding such plants as Peace Lilies and Parlour Palms. Better still are various forms of Dracaena, Dracaena Warnecki and Dracaena Janet Craig are real pollutant sucking types. Chinese Evergreen and humble Philoderdron are also two to watch out for.

3) Lighting: Studies suggest that natural light increases human productivity and reduces fatigue and stress. By simply replacing your antiquated fluorescent tubes with full-spectrum tubes, you can instantly enhance your environment and your well-being! Full spectrum lighting emits a natural, balanced spectrum of light that is closest you can get to sunlight indoors. Based on years of study not only do they bring out true, vibrant colors but they can also ease eye fatigue, improve your mood, reduce cortisol (stress hormone) levels, slow aging of retina and reduce glare.

4) Aromatherapy: Aromatherapy is practice of using volatile plant oils, including essential oils, for psychological and physical well-being. Not only does aroma of natural essential oil stimulate brain to trigger a reaction, but natural constituents (naturally occurring chemicals) of essential oil are drawn into lungs and can also supply physical benefit. Aromatherapy can help with a physical condition, can help with symptoms, can affect your mood, or help alleviate or temporarily eliminate stress or other psychological factors. Scenting your office with Lavender essential oil is said to reduce computer errors at least 25%. The following is a good blend to use in office (must have an aromatherapy diffuser): 2 drops of lemon, orange or bergamot; 2 drops of grapefruit; 1 drop ylang ylang, rose or neroli. Multiply your blend by 4 to obtain a total of 20 drops of your chosen blend. Add your oils to a dark colored glass bottle and mix well by rolling bottle in between your hands. Add appropriate number of drops from your created blend to your diffuser by following manufacturer’s instructions. There are also many “recipes” on Internet to use during cold and flu season when “office-air” can be extremely contagious.

5) Air Quality: The EPA informs us that 6 out of 10 buildings are "sick" and that indoor air quality is United States' number one environmental health problem. A recent study by U.S. Dept. of Agriculture found that ionizing a room led to 52% less dust in air, and 95% less bacteria in air (since many of pollutants found in air reside on floating dust particles). The U.S.D.A. also performed another study to test effectiveness of negative ionization at removing airborne Salmonella Enteritidis. The negative ions drastically reduced airborne salmonella particles, prompting following statement from USDA. I recommend a negative ion air purifier for office setting. These units are small enough to fit on a credenza or desk and are very modestly priced.