Child Health
5 Natural Wound Care Solutions
(Family Features) Many people look for natural products with “clean” ingredients, especially in the food, beverage, skin care and beauty categories. In fact, the market for clean label ingredients is projected to reach $64.1 billion by 2026, according to Allied Market Research.
For many common ailments or minor injuries, there’s a natural treatment that can be used in place of hard-to-pronounce ingredients and preservatives.
“This same kind of clean ingredient demand is migrating to the first-aid space with many of these natural alternatives being used to treat anything from scrapes and bug bites to wound odor and pulled or sore muscles,” said Dr. Billy Goldberg, a “New York Times” best-selling authorand emergency room physician. “In fact, some companies are beginning to incorporate these kinds of natural and efficacious ingredients right into their products.”
Goldberg and the first-aid experts at CURAD, which have made adhesive bandages since 1951, offer these suggestions for natural ingredients you can use at home to treat common ailments:
Epsom Salt – Named for a bitter saline spring at Epsom in Surrey, England, Epsom salt is not actually salt but a naturally occurring mineral compound of magnesium sulfate. Long known as a natural remedy for several ailments, Epsom salt can be used to relax muscles and relieve pain in the shoulders, neck and back. It can also be applied to sunburns or dissolved in the bath to help relieve sore muscles or detox.
Aloe Vera – Few things soothe sunburn like aloe vera. With analgesic, anti-inflammatory and soothing properties that ease the healing process, aloe vera gel contains phytochemicals that help reduce pain and inflammation. Also helpful in the healing process of cuts and scrapes, the CURAD Naturals line of adhesive bandages are infused with aloe vera in the wound pad and surface of the bandage, which is enriched with the antioxidant vitamin E to help soothe and moisturize skin.
Hydrogen Peroxide – A mild antiseptic that can be used to prevent infection of minor cuts, scrapes and burns, hydrogen peroxide is often used for the initial cleaning of wounds. Simply apply a small amount on the affected area – alternating with water to avoid killing good bacteria – to help release oxygen, which causes foaming that aids in cleaning and the removal of dead skin.
Baking Soda – Bicarbonate of soda, commonly known as baking soda, can be used for more than baking. From removing stains to cleaning teeth and more, it can also be used to help treat a variety of wounds. In addition to being an odor absorber, it can be applied to insect stings and bites, such as those from bees or mosquitoes.
Whether making a paste using baking soda and water then applying to the bite or using an option like CURAD Naturals adhesive bandages featuring baking soda, the chemical compound can help soothe the skin. In addition to absorbing wound odor, the bandages provide skin-friendly comfort and stretch with a four-sided seal to keep dirt and germs out.
Manuka Honey – A honey native to New Zealand, manuka honey contains methylglyoxal as an active ingredient and has unique antibacterial properties that speed healing and help prevent and fight infections when applied as a topical wound treatment. It may also help soothe coughs and sore throats, prevent tooth decay and improve digestive issues.
Learn more about natural first-aid products at CURAD.com.
Photos courtesy of Getty Images
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CURAD
Lifestyle
Saving a Life This Summer: Ways to Step Up Safety Practices
Regardless of where you are, summer is a reminder that emergencies like cardiac arrest can happen anywhere. Take the safety of those around you into your own hands this summer with this checklist.
(Feature Impact) The busy summer season can take you almost anywhere – baseball fields, backyard cookouts, long workdays or road trips across the country. Regardless of where you are, summer is a reminder that emergencies like cardiac arrest can happen anywhere.
More than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States each year, and 90% of people will not survive, according to the American Heart Association, a nonprofit organization devoted to changing the future for a world of healthier lives for all. Sudden cardiac arrest can happen anytime, anywhere. People often hesitate to step in. In fact, nearly 2 out of 3 adults believe CPR can only be performed by medical professionals. This mistaken belief can cost lives and contributes to the low survival rate.
Ordinary people have extraordinary power. You don’t need to wear scrubs or have a medical background to save a life – you just need the courage to act.
Take the safety of those around you into your own hands this summer with this checklist.
Plan Ahead
Summer is often a time for welcome disruptions, including vacations, camps, sports and parties. Before traveling or attending events, check if your destination has a cardiac emergency response plan, which establishes specific steps to reduce death from cardiac arrest in any setting, from schools and community organizations to workplaces and sports facilities.
Learn CPR
Cardiac arrest can happen anywhere: at home, at work, in schools, at a soccer game or on vacation. When it happens, the first chance for survival often rests with the people nearby.
Anyone can be the difference before professional help arrives. The power to save a life is in your hands. CPR is a human responsibility, not just a medical skill. When friends, family or even strangers step in during cardiac emergencies, survival rates can double or even triple.
Hands-Only CPR for adults consists of two easy steps:
- Call 9-1-1 or shout for someone else to call.
- Push hard and fast in the center of the chest to the beat of a familiar song that’s 100-120 beats per minute, such as “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees.
Share Resources with Your Family and Community
Once you’ve learned simple, two-step Hands-Only CPR, share resources with your community to help expand the American Heart Association’s Nation of Lifesavers. Raising awareness with family, neighbors and colleagues can help people feel confident in the face of an emergency.
Families can watch short instructional videos that demonstrate the life-saving steps for adults as well as techniques for infants and children.
Travelers can also get trained in about 5 minutes with a Hands-Only CPR Kiosk, located in many airports and public spaces across the country.
To find more information about learning CPR, visit Heart.org/Nation.
Summer Safety Tips
In addition to learning CPR and sharing valuable resources with your family and community, consider these ways to keep yourself and loved ones safe throughout the summer months.
- Stay Hydrated: High temperatures can quickly lead to dehydration and heat-related illness. Drink water regularly throughout the day, especially during outdoor activities, and pack extra water when away from home.
- Protect Your Skin: Hats, sunglasses and lightweight clothing can protect skin from sun exposure, but it’s important to use broad-spectrum sunscreen and reapply every 2 hours.
- Swim with a Buddy: Hopping in a pool, lake or ocean is a hallmark of summer but can be dangerous without precautions. Never swim alone and ensure children are always supervised by an adult near water.
- Identify the Locations of Safety Equipment: When attending camps, heading to a sporting event or enjoying the pool or beach, identify where lifeguards, AEDs and emergency exits are located. Knowing where to find help can save valuable time when every second counts.
- Practice Grill Safety: Some of your most memorable summer moments may happen during a backyard barbecue or cookout, and it’s important to keep those gatherings safe. Use grills away from homes, decks and dry grass. Never leave them unattended while cooking, and be sure kids and pets stay at a safe distance from hot surfaces.
Saving a Life Within 1 Year of Learning CPR
On a chilly Tuesday, dawn was breaking as Matthew Lynch reached his highway exit, but traffic was backed up at a particular intersection. He waited through three cycles before finally getting close enough to see the holdup: a stalled SUV.
While most cars buzzed by, Lynch moved slowly and peered into the vehicle. He saw people inside and parked his sedan, flipped on the hazard lights and ran to the stalled SUV. As he knocked on the driver’s window, there was no response. The doors were locked. Two people – a male driver and female passenger – were unresponsive.
Lynch ran back to his own car and called 9-1-1 before managing to open the driver’s side door. He discovered the driver was not breathing normally, signaling to Lynch he’d need to start CPR – which he’d learned 10 months earlier during a training session he’d helped organize for a work-sponsored men’s group.
Knowing he had to do something, Lynch started pushing hard and fast in the center of the man’s chest. Within a minute, the man gasped for breath.
Just as Lynch leaned over to see if he could help the female passenger, first responders arrived and Lynch backed away, knowing there was nothing more he could do.
“It was just a lot to take in,” said Lynch, a member of the American Heart Association’s 2026 Nation of Lifesavers Class, a small group of volunteers, dedicated to raising awareness of CPR by sharing their own personal stories of survival or rescue. “Mostly I felt an incredible sense of gratitude that I could help someone.”
A strong admirer of the Good Samaritan parable, Lynch is always on the lookout for the opportunity to help others. He learned a lot about himself in that moment and about the importance of learning CPR, along with the confidence that comes from knowing you could be a lifesaver.
“I quickly realized the certification was way less important than the actual CPR training,” he said. “Your ability to help in any capacity is better than doing nothing. If I hadn’t done that training, I probably would not have helped.”
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Child Health
9 Steps for a Lifetime of Heart-Healthy Eating
Heart Healthy: More than half of adults and about 60% of children in the United States have unhealthy diets, which can contribute to higher rates of health factors such as high blood pressure and obesity. However, these nine key features of a heart-healthy dietary pattern may help reduce cardiovascular disease risk and improve quality of life.
9 Steps for a Lifetime of Heart-Healthy Eating
(Feature Impact) More than half of adults and about 60% of children in the United States have unhealthy diets, which can contribute to higher rates of health factors such as high blood pressure and obesity, and lead directly to poor health outcomes including death from chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease.
These findings come from the American Heart Association, a global force changing the future of health for all, which published its “2026 Dietary Guidance to Improve Cardiovascular Health” in its peer-reviewed, flagship journal “Circulation” recommending Americans follow a lifelong healthy eating pattern that may reduce cardiovascular disease risk and improve quality of life based on the latest in evidence-based science.
The statement outlines nine key features of a heart-healthy dietary pattern:
- Adjust energy intake and expenditure to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight: Try to balance how much you eat with how active you are to reach and maintain a healthy body weight.
- Eat a variety of vegetables and fruits: Include different colors, textures and types of produce. Remember, even canned and frozen can be nutritious and affordable.
- Choose foods made mostly with whole grains: Foods such as whole‑wheat bread, brown rice and oatmeal are typically better choices than refined grains including white bread or rice.
- Choose healthy sources of protein: Shift from meat to plant-based sources such as legumes, including beans, peas and lentils, along with nuts and seeds; regularly consume fish and seafood; select low-fat or fat-free dairy products; and, if red meat is desired, choose lean cuts, avoid processed forms and limit portion size.
- Choose sources of unsaturated fats: Replace saturated fats with healthy unsaturated fats, including those from nuts, seeds, avocados and nontropical plant oils.
- Choose minimally processed foods: Go with foods close to their natural state, with minimal added commercial ingredients, rather than those that are highly processed with additives.
- Minimize intake of added sugars: Limit the sugar-sweetened beverages you drink and the foods with added sugar you eat.
- Choose foods low in sodium and prepare foods with minimal or no salt: Be aware of hidden sources of sodium in prepared and packaged foods, and season food with healthier options such as herbs, spices or lemon instead of salt.
- If alcohol is not consumed, do not start; if alcohol is consumed, limit intake: Alcohol can increase your risk for high blood pressure and other health conditions, so if you don’t drink, don’t start.
“For healthy eating to be more attainable and sustainable, we recommend people focus on their overall eating pattern rather than specific nutrients or foods,” said Alice H. Lichtenstein, D.Sc., FAHA, volunteer chair of the scientific statement writing committee and senior scientist and leader of the Diet and Chronic Disease Prevention Directive at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. “Every time you choose to make a swap for a healthier alternative, you’re making a step toward a healthier life.”
While the updated guidance is specifically designed to improve cardiovascular health, it’s generally consistent with dietary recommendations for other conditions like Type 2 diabetes, kidney disease, some cancers and brain health as well due to shared risk factors, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, excess weight and reduced kidney function.
“A healthy dietary pattern can support lifelong health and well-being beyond cardiovascular health,” Lichtenstein said.
To learn more about eating for heart and brain health, visit heart.org/healthydietand talk to your health care provider about what will work best for you.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
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The Food and Drink section at STM Daily News delivers fresh coverage on dining, drinks, recipes, and the food stories bringing communities together.
Child Health
A Parent’s Guide to Navigating Picky Eating with Confidence
For families with young children, mealtimes can often feel like negotiations or even battles. If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Picky eating is one of the most universal challenges families face. With the right strategies, parents can reduce stress, build healthier habits and help children become more confident, curious eaters.
Last Updated on April 27, 2026 by Daily News Staff
(Feature Impact)For families with young children, mealtimes can often feel like negotiations or even battles. If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Picky eating is one of the most universal challenges families face.
With the right strategies, parents can reduce stress, build healthier habits and help children become more confident, curious eaters. Dr. Lauren Loquasto, senior vice president and chief academic officer at The Goddard School, and registered dietitian Ali Bandier, founder of Senta Health and member of the Expert Council at Little Spoon, share these insights and guidance to help parents navigate picky eating.
Why Young Children are Picky Eaters
Picky eating isn’t just common; it’s an expected part of early childhood development. In fact, it would be more surprising if children didn’t experience a picky eating phase.
Picky eating is a natural expression of independence. As children enter toddlerhood, they discover they can assert control, and food becomes a typical place to do it. They can’t decide whether to go to school or take a bath, but they can decide whether to take a bite of broccoli.
Avoid the Power Struggle
The key for parents: stay calm, consistent and neutral. Pressuring children only makes picky eating worse.
Telling your child they must try one bite, celebrating excessively when they do eat a vegetable or resorting to negotiation (“three more bites then dessert”) can actually reduce their desire to eat. It also creates a dynamic that only reinforces the power struggle.
Instead, recognize the division of responsibility when it comes to eating. Parents decide what food is served, when it’s served and where meals happen. Children decide whether to eat and how much to eat. As a parent, you can’t force your child to eat; recognizing this is critical to reducing the mealtime tug‑of‑war and creating a calmer, more predictable environment for the entire family.
Exposure, Not Pressure
Young children often need repeated, low‑pressure exposure to a new food before trying it. Offering broccoli once likely isn’t enough. It’s important to offer it repeatedly, without commentary, bribing or coaxing.
Trying new foods is more than just ingesting them. Touching and smelling are steps toward tasting and acceptance. Involving children in food preparation – washing vegetables, stirring batter, mixing ingredients – lets them gain familiarity without the pressure of having to eat. Inclusion in this process increases curiosity and that curiosity is often followed by a willingness, or even desire, to try the food.
It’s also important for parents to model desired eating habits. If you want your child to try salmon but you’re eating pizza, they’re unlikely to want to eat the salmon. Daily family mealtimes – often dinner in busy households – where you’re modeling manners and eating the food you want your child to eat is key.
The Importance of Routines
For young children, routines provide structure, predictability and comfort. A consistent meal and snack schedule helps children learn what to expect and can reduce not only their anxiety around mealtimes, but parental anxiety, too.
Notably, there is no right or wrong schedule; every family needs to figure out what works best for their circumstances. What matters is setting a schedule and maintaining consistency. For example, if you provide a snack between breakfast and lunch, do it every day, not just a few days a week. This helps children know what to expect and feel comfortable.
Schedules also help parents resist “secondhand cooking.” When a child refuses the meal offered, parents often scramble to make alternatives, but this teaches the child if they hold out long enough, a preferred food will arrive. Instead, calmly remind your child when the next snack or meal will be: “OK, you don’t want to have the yogurt and fruit. That’s fine, but I’m not going to make something else. Snack time is in two hours.” This builds trust and reduces anxiety for everyone.
With patience, low-pressure exposure and consistent routines, most picky eaters gradually broaden their palates and mealtimes become more enjoyable for the whole family. For more parenting guidance, including the Parenting with Goddard blog and webinar series, visit the Parent Resource Center at GoddardSchool.com.
Photos courtesy of Shutterstock
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