Thumb sucking is something all babies do. It’s how they learn about the world around them, by inserting everything they find into their mouths, thumbs included. A baby sucking her thumb may feel relaxed. Safe and soothed. This behavior can even help toddlers when the surroundings aren’t comfortable or well known.

But when does thumb sucking start to become a concern or health problem?

When should you be concerned?

Most children stop thumb sucking on their own between the ages of two and four. Some children though hang on to the behavior longer. When your child’s permanent teeth start coming in, usually around the ages of 5 and 6, is when thumb sucking should start being a concern.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Thumb sucking in older children is not a sign of insecurity. It’s merely a habit that’s hard to break, much the like comfort many adults find in smoking.

What can thumb sucking do to a child’s teeth?

The major problems thumb sucking creates are dental. Tooth alignment and spacing can be compromised along with the development of a child’s jaw. Remember though, this is not a concern until a child’s permanent teeth begin to erupt.

How can I get my child to stop sucking his thumb?

Most children stop thumb sucking spontaneously between the ages of 2 and 4. Ironically enough, it are the children whose parents discourage, scold and yank their thumbs from their mouths that suck their thumbs the longest.

To help your child stop sucking his thumb, try encouragement and praise when he’s not doing it. A little bit of praise can go a long way with your child.

In the same vein of encouragement, you can use a small reward system. I find this one very cool:

Try buying a calendar and placing it on the refrigerator. For each day you don’t see the child sucking his or her thumb, you can put a smiley-face sticker on the day. At the end of a set period of time, say a month, you can offer a modest reward, such as a toy or dinner at the child’s favorite restaurant.
–How Stuff Works

Don’t accent failure. On the days when your child slips and starts sucking his thumb, don’t yell, scold or otherwise belittle the child. This may perpetuated thumb sucking.

Give your child a reason to quit. If you’re afraid your child will be made fun of and you wish to spare his feelings, sit him down and discuss that.

If your child really wants to quit but is having a hard time, you can try some thumb sucking deterrents. Put a bandage on his thumb, so when your child automatically lifts his thumb to his mouth, he’ll realize to stop. If your child sucks his thumb while sleeping, try putting a sock on his hand at bedtime.

–Magdalena

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A healthy dose of darkness can feed fear, especially when an overactive imagination is involved. Nyctophobia, a fear of the dark, is common in children but is also observed in adults to some extent.

What makes the fear of darkness interesting is that it isn’t really darkness that is feared, but rather the unknown. It’s the possibility of horrible things happening in the dark that scares us stiff. Darkness is an unknown entity filled with limitless possibility. If people, especially kids, can’t see what’s in the dark, oftentimes nyctophobia is the result.

In children, near darkness can also skew perception: a stuffed animal may appear to be a monster or a shadow on the far wall may really be the boogeyman. Don’t forget the darkness underneath your child’s bed. It may be filled with all sorts of treachery.

How to help your child get over a fear of the dark

Talk about your child’s fears. Start by finding out what exactly your child is afraid of. Monsters? Someone breaking in? Being alone? Reassure him that these are fears many people share and that he isn’t alone.

Comfort your child. One of the best things to do for a child who’s afraid of the dark is to reassure him that he’s safe and secure at home. If your child is afraid of someone breaking in, show him the locks around the house along with any alarm systems or other theft deterrents you may have.

Rationalize and remove what is making your child afraid of the dark. Is a stuffed animal casting a creepy shadow on the wall? Move it. Are the curtains fluttering in the window? Tie them back.

Use a nightlight in your child’s room. Sometimes the smallest light in the darkness can give a child a huge level of comfort.

Give your child control of the darkness. Leave a flashlight by his bedside and within easy reach. That way when the dark is feeling a little more than uncomfortable, your child can examine the room and make sure everything is okay.

Don’t belittle your child’s fear. To them, it’s a serious matter. Stop and think about it; you probably don’t like the unknown either. And while you may not believe the boogieman is living under your bed, you should be sympathetic toward your child’s sensitivity to things unknown.

Don’t reinforce your child’s fear. Checking under the bed for monsters instills in your child the false truth that monsters exist. Instead of talking about monsters, show your child that shadows are harmless.

–Magdalena

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Who doesn’t like a fluffy, sweet, cuddly kitty cat? Ailurophobes don’t, that’s who, and I happen to be one. People understand a fear of snakes or a fear of spiders, neither of which happen to bother me. But tell them you’re a cat phobic and you can hear their jaw hit the floor, followed by disbelieving uncontrolled laughter.

I don’t know why this phobia kicked in. I was the kid that took in all sorts of wild strays in the neighborhood, cats among them. I just know that once it kicked in, it got much worse before it got better. Kittens don’t jolt this irrational fear into gear, but stray cats will definitely do it. Once I get to know certain cats, they don’t bother me at all.

Cat owners think that if they inform me they have a de-clawed cat it will make all the difference in my comfort level, which ranges from outright panic to calm and attentive. I’m sometimes even able to pet the lovable felines. What they don’t understand is it’s an IRRATIONAL fear. I don’t care if the cats have no claws (front or back) and no teeth—cats just simply freak me out. They’re sneaky, and when they sense my fear, they tease me mercilessly (almost as bad as their owners!)

What is Ailurophobia?

Ailurophobia is simply the fear of cats. Not a dislike, mind you, although fear of cats and a dislike of cats may coincide within the same individual.

Like most phobias, the sufferer of Ailurophobia may not even be able to tell you what it is about cats that causes them to break out into a cold sweat, their heart to beat rapidly, or that leaves them positively panicky in the presence of a cat. Cats may just simply freak them out. They seem sneaky and sadistic to the phobic.

Some ailurophobes may have had an activating event, like a cat attack, to put the fear into motion, but even with an initial event, the individual would already have a predisposition to anxiety which may or may not manifest into a phobia.

Cats are drawn to people who don’t like them mainly because they don’t make contact with the cat, avoiding eye contact, which puts the cat at ease. The more the ailurophobe ignores the cat; the more the lap looks comfortable, calming and inviting. So cats aren’t merely being mischievous and wicked by making a b-line for the ailurophobe, they just feel comforted. That isn’t true for all kitty cats—I have been helplessly terrorized by a rascally cat while the owner laughed hysterically at the cat’s new and apparently hilarious behavior, which only caused me to feel that much more vulnerable and ill at ease. I wasted no time in excusing myself from their home, never to return. (Seriously, it was that bad)

What can be done for Ailurophobes?

As with all phobias, desensitization seems to be the only cure. To overcome fear, one must walk through it. There doesn’t seem to be an exception here. The key is to take it one cat at time, one situation at a time. When becoming desensitized to being around cats, make sure you have an understanding and trusted friend or professional with you. Having someone to talk you through the anxiety, panic and fear will greatly aid in the desensitization process. Having someone tease you and aggravate you will only harden or exacerbate the phobia, causing the anxiety to increase.

Each time you are exposed to cats, and can calmly walk through the fear, it gets easier and easier. The phobia itself may never go away, but you won’t find it intolerable and unbearable to be around cats. Initial hesitation will fade into indifference or amicability instead of bounding into full blown panic and terror.

-Anne

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What is Burning Mouth Syndrome?

Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a complex, confusing condition which causes a burning pain in the mouth on the tongue, lips, or all over the mouth. There isn’t an obvious explanation for the pain.

Menopause, psychological problems, nutritional deficiencies and disorders of the mouth (oral thrush and dry mouth) are other conditions BMS has long been associated with. Dysfunctional or damaged nerves may be a cause as some researchers suggest, but the exact cause is extremely difficult to identify, and the pain may persist for months or years.

Signs and symptoms of BMS vary from person to person as does the underlying causes if they can be identified, so treatment is extremely specific to each individual. Symptoms of BMS can usually be controlled with personalized treatment plans.

BMS is also known as scalded mouth syndrome, burning tongue syndrome, burning lips syndrome, glossodynia and stomatodynia.

Causes of Burning Mouth Syndrome

As stated above, the causes are intricate and numerous. The following list of possible causes may only apply to a fraction of BMS sufferers. Many may have multiple causes. Identifying a cause is important so that with your physician you can find a tailor made treatment plan for your syndrome. Possibilities of causes include:

• Dry mouth (xerostomia)
• Other oral conditions
• Psychological factors
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Irritating dentures
• Nerve disturbance or damage (neuropathy)
• Allergies
• Reflux of stomach acid (gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD)
• Medications
• Oral habits (teeth grinding or tongue thrusting)
• Endocrine disorders (hypothyroidism)
• Hormonal imbalances (menopause)
• Excessive irritation (overuse of mouthwash, over brushing of teeth and gums, or acidic drinks)

Because of the variety of causes and the complexity of symptoms, doctors are sometimes unable to find a cause for burning mouth syndrome.

Symptoms of BMS

A burning sensation involving the tongue, gums, palate, throat, or the entire area of the mouth are the main symptoms of BMS. The sensation described by those with the syndrome is of the affected areas feeling like they have been burned with a hot liquid. Other symptoms may include:

• Dry mouth
• Sore mouth
• Tingling or numb sensation on the tip of the tongue or other affected areas of the mouth
• Bitter or metallic taste in the mouth

The degree of pain as well and the duration and intensity varies from person to person. Some have chronic pain daily while others wake without pain but find that it intensifies throughout the day. Still others feel pain off and on throughout the day and even experience an absence of pain.

Burning Mouth Syndrome affects women up to seven times more often as it does men. It may occur in younger people, but by and large occurs in middle-aged or older adults.

Treatments for BMS

Treatment triggers improvement in symptoms for most people with burning mouth syndrome. But the type of treatment depends on the underlying cause. The treatments are listed below along with the causes.

• Dry mouth (xerostomia). Treating the cause of your dry mouth — Sjogren’s syndrome, use of medications or some other cause — may relieve burning mouth symptoms. In addition, drinking more fluids or taking a medication that promotes flow of saliva may help.

• Other oral conditions. If the cause is oral thrush, treatment is with oral antifungal medications such as nystatin or fluconazole. If you wear dentures, your dentures may also need to be treated.

• Psychological factors. For a burning mouth that may be caused by or associated with psychological factors such as anxiety and depression, your doctor may recommend antidepressant therapy or psychiatric therapy or both together. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors may cause less dry mouth than other antidepressant medications.

• Nutritional deficiencies. You may be able to correct nutritional deficiencies by taking supplements of B vitamins and minerals such as zinc and iron.

• Irritating dentures. Your dentist may be able to adjust your dentures so they are less irritating to your mouth. If your dentures contain substances that irritate your oral tissues, you may need different dentures. You may also improve symptoms by practicing good denture care, such as removing dentures at night and cleaning them properly.

• Nerve disturbance or damage (neuropathy). Your doctor may suggest medications that affect your nervous system and control pain, including benzodiazepines, tricyclic antidepressants, or anticonvulsants. For pain relief, your doctor may also suggest rinsing your mouth with water and capsaicin — the active ingredient in hot peppers, which also is called capsicum.

• Allergies. Avoiding foods that contain allergens that may irritate the tissues of your mouth may help.

• Certain medications. If a medication you’re taking is causing a burning mouth, using a substitute medication, if possible, may help.

• Oral habits. Tongue thrusting and teeth grinding (bruxism) can be helped with mouth guards, medications and relaxation techniques.

• Endocrine disorders. If a burning mouth is associated with conditions such as diabetes or hypothyroidism, treating those conditions may improve your symptoms.

If doctors can’t identify the cause of your symptoms, they may still recommend trying oral thrush medications, B vitamins or antidepressants. These medications have proved effective in treating burning mouth syndrome.

-Anne

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It’s a mouthful for such a small fear. Triskaidekaphobia is the fear of the number 13.

While the number 13 is regarded as a pretty much the epitome of bad luck number in Western society, triskaidekaphobes often go out of their way to avoid the number 13 and numbers associated with it altogether. In some people the fear runs so deep that even numbers whose sum equals 13 are feared and avoided. Try telling a major triskaidekaphobe to go out on 06/07 or 09/04 and see what happens.

Fear of the number 13 in modern society

Triskaidekaphobia in modern society is more common than you may think.

If you’ve ever been to a high rise in the city you may have noticed on your elevator ride up you jump from floor 12 to floor 14. Why? Some building owners believe people would not want to live, rent or otherwise do business on the 13th floor of a building.

Many high rise buildings won’t recognize a 13th floor in its floor plan, meaning the actual 13th floor of a building is labeled the as 14th. Other buildings leave the 13th floor uninhabited or use it for some other purpose. Sometimes 13th floor of a building is marked as 12a or M, the 13th letter of the English alphabet.

In some commercial aircrafts the 13th seating row is missing. The thought behind this is much the same as superstitious building owners: no one would buy tickets in a row with an unlucky number.

Some airports are also lacking a gate number 13 or have it otherwise labeled.

There is a superstition that if thirteen people get together for dinner, one of them will die within the next year. This led to the creation of the Thirteen Club which was formed to debunk this superstition.

This fear of thirteen people dining together may pull from Last Supper, where after dining with his twelve disciples Jesus was soon after crucified. It may also have origins from Norse mythology and the Valhalla Banquet. The story goes that twelve of the gods were invited to a banquet. Loki, who was not invited, intrudes and Balder, the favourite of the gods, is killed.

Even Microsoft, the seemingly unshakable corporate giant, proves it suffers from a bit of triskaidekaphobia when it announced it will be skipping the release of Office 13 and going straight to Office 14.

How to overcome triskaidekaphobia

Rationalizing your fear is probably the best way to overcome triskaidekaphobia. Take a deep breath and think about what makes the 13th floor of a building any different than the 12th or the 14th. How is April 13th different than April 16th? Why would sitting in the 13th row of an aircraft be any more unlucky that sitting in the 9th? If the plane goes down, everyone else is going down with you.

Think about it.

–Magdalena

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