With the summer vacation coming to a close, most kids and their parents are busy planning things for the brand new school year. An item on almost every list is a backpack.

Every year, close to 6,000 children in the US suffer from injuries due to their backpacks, according to Linda Rhodes, who is an occupational therapist at the MCGHealth Children’s Medical Center in Augusta, Ga. She offered some tips for parents in order to ensure maximum backpack safety:

The backpack should be fairly light and of a weight that your child can manage. Ensure that the shoulder straps are padded fairly well and wide. If the back of the backpack is padded – even better as it will not only add to your child’s comfort, but protect him from be poked in the back from rulers, pens, pencils, etc.

Ensure that the backpack you purchase is of an appropriate size for your child. If unsure, check that the backpack is at maximum ¾ of the expanse of your child’s back.

Packing should be done carefully. The heavier books should be placed closest to the back. This way, it will have the least amount of stress on your child’s back. Otherwise leaning forward could pose a challenge for your child. Also, ensure that the weight of the backpack, once loaded does not exceed 15% of your child’s weight.

Always make sure your child has his backpack on correctly – with both shoulder straps. Some kids tend to carry it on one shoulder, which means that particular shoulder is being strained. The shoulder straps should fit fairly snugly, but should not be too tight. If the backpack comes with a waist strap, then it will help to support the load better.

A recent study by the University of Michigan Health System showed that having a one-on-one discussion with teens who exhibit violent behavior after drinking can reduce future outbursts and other alcohol-related problems.

Alcohol can be a trigger for violent or aggressive behavior in anyone — all you need to do is think about how a simple disagreement at a bar, sporting event or concert between two people who have had too much to drink can turn into a brawl. This is especially true for teens, who are also going through hormonal changes and development of their brain which can make them more aggressive and more prone to drug, alcohol and prescription drug abuse.

Talking to teens about alcohol use can sometimes feel like a pointless task for many parents, who can never be sure that their message is getting through. It can be easy to assume that the only thing that will get through to a teen who is drinking too much — and acting violently when they do — is a stint in alcohol rehabs. However, a report published in the August 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that discussing alcohol addiction with a teen can have a positive impact.

The study by the University of Michigan Health System tracked 726 teens from 14-18 who were offered help by researchers after having reported feeling violent or overly-aggressive behaviors while drinking. Those who received a talk from an addiction treatment therapist about the dangers of alcohol abuse and the related rise in violent behavior saw a 34 percent reduction in outbursts of peer aggression. Patients who only received a brochure saw a reduction in their aggressive behavior but in a rate half of patients who received one-on-one counseling.

According to the University of Michigan report, having a chance to talk to an expert from an addiction treatment program not only reduces the frequency of peer violence with teens but also can help them reduce their overall alcohol use. The study found that counseling in an emergency department for teens after a violent incident while drinking reduced the frequency of alcohol-related issues by up to 32 percent for the following six months, reducing the odds that a teen would wind up in alcohol and drug rehab or injure themselves or someone else after drinking.

Opting for a water filtration system at home is good decision to make. But a water filter sink alone cannot give you the best filtered water that can be produced. For that you will need a good home water filtering system.

Recent studies have concluded that many bottled mineral water brands are unsafe for consumption. This is due to a variety of factors, but the main culprit is the plastic bottle which is used to store the water. The various countertop water purifiers that are available in the market do better job of providing you with clean and safe drinking water. You should go for this option, unless you are more discerning and wish to have the best type of drinking water possible.

A home water filter system is one of the best appliances you can install in your home. One of the most important things it does is to output water at the proper alkaline levels. Drinking water alkalinity should range between 8.5 and 9.5 in PH values. It should never go beyond 10.0 at any time as it will be too acidic for human consumption. The other important thing it does is to ionize the water. This imbues the water with antioxidant properties which are immensely beneficial to the body. However, be sure to consume this water within 24 hours. The hydroxyl ions which provide this detox benefit start to decay from the moment they leave the ionizer/purifier. By the time 24 hours pass, they are all gone and therefore the water is more or less the same as water from a normal counter top purifier.

Diindolylmethane is a very useful component of cruciferous vegetables. The term “cruciferous vegetables” include a wide variety of vegetables like the broccoli, cabbage, turnip greens, kale etc. These vegetables release Diindolylmethane in the human body when they are digested. Scientists discovered that these vegetables are a treasure trove of nutrients and can prove to be highly useful to fight against fatal dieses like cancer. This discovery was due to the scientist’s observation of nations and communities which consumed vegetables that released Diindolymethane on a habitual basis. These nations and communities were found to have lesser cases of both breast and prostate gland cancer.

DIM has been found to be an active component with anti carcinogenic properties. In addition to playing an active role in preventing the occurrence of cancer DIM is said to have a potent anti-carcinogenic activity which in lay mans terms means that it could actually kill cancer cells.

This particular component has shown encouraging results and can be clearly stated as a natural immune booster. Considering the high occurrence of cancer especially in developed countries this discovery could save millions of lives if this compound could be used to prevent the occurrence of cancer. The DIM has also been linked to prevention of unnatural proliferation or multiplication of the cells within the prostate gland found in the male sex. Prostatic hypertrophy is a very common disorder in men over the age of 50 which can lead to prostatic cancer. These discoveries have made the study of DIM very important in the medical community.

Drug Addiction is a problem that has been growing exponentially over the years and sadly, it is a global problem. The most unfortunate thing about it is that until a couple of decades ago, it was largely ignored and was more or less taboo subject to be discussed.

This is possibly the main reason why many countless lives were lost in those early days. Addicts were shunned, ignored and even persecuted for their reliance on abusive substances. Very few people realized that addicts needed help – desperately. An addiction is not really based on choice; no one gets addicted to substances thinking “I think I shall get addicted to Heroin”. It begins with a sampling of a drug due to a variety of reasons and continues because that person starts having a reliance on the drug to give them a boost on one level or another.

An Addiction Treatment Program is the best way to combat Drug Addiction. It is fortunate for all concerned that these programs are well developed now and are being ever improved to be as effective as possible. An Addiction Treatment Program or Drug Rehab Program as they are generally known, is best followed at a reputed treatment center. Places like Cirque Lodge offer very specialized treatment plans that give a patient the best possible chance for recovery.

Kicking the habit is a very difficult task, but it is never impossible. All it needs is the right approach and the best practices. So make the right choice and don’t ignore someone who needs your help.