Rachel Hunter Partners with Slim-Fast

FitSugar — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 11:45:00 -0700

Rachel Hunter does not strike me as someone who needs to lose weight. From doing activities likehiking, biking and Pilates, she seems to be pretty on top of her health. Apparently Slim-Fast had another idea in mind when they contact her to be their newest spokes model last March.

People got the scoop from Rachel on her new gig:

"I thought, 'Wow, what's wrong with me?'" says the model, 36, with a laugh. "'Do I look fat?'" Hardly. At 5'10" and 147 lbs. (about 10 lbs. more than her peak modeling size), Hunter is most people's idea of an after picture. She felt better when the rep said they weren't looking for a Kirstie Alley-type loss, but someone for a campaign aimed at women who want to drop 5 to 20 lbs. Hunter, it turns out, is one of them. "There's no target weight, but I'll know when I get there," she says. "I want to feel sexy and hot!"

Despite appearances, Slim-Fast sees in Hunter a regular gal who "can inspire. She's not a size 2, nor does she aspire to be," says brand director Virginia BlakeWest.

"As I've gotten older, I can't eat as much as I used to," says Hunter. But while she'll slurp the 190-calorie shakes for breakfast and lunch, she'll still cook favorites like pasta and steak for kids Liam, 12, and Renee, 15. (Their dad is her ex-husband, Rod Stewart.) "The diet is not something I want to involve my daughter in – there are already too many stresses on teens. We sit down and eat dinner together."

Source

Mental retardation

admin — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:47:12 -0700

HEALTH GUIDE REFERENCE FROM A.D.A.M

Definition

Mental retardation is a condition diagnosed before age 18 that includes below-average general intellectual function, and a lack of the skills necessary for daily living.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Mental retardation affects about 1 - 3% of the population. There are many causes of mental retardation, but doctors find a specific reason in only 25% of cases.

A family may suspect mental retardation if the child's motor skills, language skills, and self-help skills do not seem to be developing, or are developing at a far slower rate than the child's peers. Failure to adapt (adjust to new situations) normally and grow intellectually may become apparent early in a child's life. In the case of mild retardation, these failures may not become recognizable until school age or later.

An assessment of age-appropriate adaptive behaviors can be made using developmental screening tests. The failure to achieve developmental milestones suggests mental retardation.

The degree of impairment from mental retardation varies widely, from profoundly impaired to mild or borderline retardation. Less emphasis is now placed on the degree of retardation and more on the amount of intervention and care needed for daily life.

Risk factors are related to the causes. Causes of mental retardation can be roughly broken down into several categories:

Infections (present at birth or occurring after birth)
Chromosomal abnormalities
- Chromosome deletions (cri du chat syndrome)
- Chromosomal translocations (a gene is located in an unusual spot on a chromosome, or located on a different chromosome than usual)
- Defects in the chromosome or chromosomal inheritance (for example, fragile X syndrome, Angelman syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome)
- Errors of chromosome numbers (such as Down syndrome)
Environmental
- Deprivation syndrome
Genetic abnormalities and inherited metabolic disorders
- Adrenoleukodystrophy
- Galactosemia
- Hunter syndrome
- Hurler syndrome
- Lesch-Nyhan syndrome
- Phenylketonuria
- Rett syndrome
- Sanfilippo syndrome
- Tay-Sachs disease
- Tuberous sclerosis
Metabolic
- Congenital hypothyroid
- Hypoglycemia (poorly regulated diabetes mellitus)
- Reye syndrome
- Hyperbilirubinemia (very high bilirubin levels in babies)
Nutritional
- Malnutrition
Toxic
- Intrauterine exposure to alcohol, cocaine, amphetamines, and other drugs
- Lead poisoning
- Methylmercury poisoning
Trauma (before and after birth)
- Intracranial hemorrhage before or after birth
- Lack of oxygen to the brain before, during, or after birth
- Severe head injury
Unexplained (this largest category is for unexplained occurrences of mental retardation)

Symptoms

Continued infantile behavior
Decreased learning ability
Failure to meet intellectual developmental markers
Inability to meet educational demands at school
Lack of curiosity

Note: Changes to normal behaviors depend on the severity of the condition. Mild retardation may be associated with a lack of curiosity and quiet behavior. Severe mental retardation is associated with infantile behavior throughout life.

Signs and tests

Abnormal Denver developmental screening test
Adaptive behavior score below average
Development way below that of peers
Intelligence quotient (IQ) score below 70 on a standardized IQ test

Treatment

The primary goal of treatment is to develop the person's potential to the fullest. Special education and training may begin as early as infancy. This includes social skills to help the person function as normally as possible.

It is important for a specialist to evaluate the person for other affective disorders and treat those disorders. Behavioral approaches are important for people with mental retardation.

Expectations (prognosis)

The outcome depends on:

Opportunities
Other conditions
Personal motivation
Treatment

Many people lead productive lives and function on their own; others need a structured environment to be most successful.

Complications

Complications vary. They may include:

Inability to care for self
Inability to interact with others appropriately
Social isolation

Calling your health care provider

Call your health care provider if:

You have any concerns about your child's development
You notice that your child's motor or language skills are not developing normally
Your child has other disorders that need treatment

Prevention

Genetic: Prenatal screening for genetic defects and genetic counseling for families at risk for known heritable disorders can decrease the incidence of genetically caused mental retardation.

Social: Government programs to ensure adequate nutrition are available to the underprivileged in the first and most critical years of life. These programs can reduce retardation associated with malnutrition. Early intervention in situations involving abuse and deprivation will also help.

Toxic: Environmental programs to reduce exposure to lead, mercury, and other toxins will reduce toxin-associated retardation. However, the benefits may take years to become apparent. Increased public awareness of the risks of alcohol and drugs during pregnancy can help reduce the incidence of retardation.

Infectious: The prevention of congenital rubella syndrome is probably one of the best examples of a successful program to prevent one form of mental retardation. Constant vigilance, such as limiting exposure to cat litter that can cause toxoplasmosis during pregnancy, helps reduce retardation that results from this infection.

Review Date: 11/12/2007

Reviewed By: Rachel A. Lewis, M.D., F.A.A.P., Columbia University Pediatric Faculty Practice, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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