Laughter therapy is the use of humor as a complementary treatment for people suffering from physical or emotional disorders. In medical facilities, laughter therapy is usually available in a special room in the hospital or ambulatory care facility. These are rooms where patients can go to relax and get away for a while from the medical atmosphere. Usually, these rooms contain small libraries that include humorous books, videos, toys, and other amusing objects.

Some hospitals have volunteers who wheel carts filled with books, toys, audio and videotapes, and other objects to patients’ rooms. Trained laughter therapists are also available in some cities, and patients or family members often try humor therapy on their own.

Some states have volunteers with established transportable humor and laughter programs, consisting of cartons of items that they bring to inpatient facilities when invited. The items include rubber chickens and water pistols, which patients apparently use to everyone’s amusement with their physicians and dietary staff.

Humor also involves one on one interactions between patients and caregivers. One can benefit from reading, listening to, or viewing what they find funny. Because people differ in what they think is funny and what makes them laugh, laughter therapy is often individualized.

Laughter as a complementary therapy is recognized as helpful for many patient groups in many medical circumstances, all of which are complementary. Advocates do not claim that humor or laughter cures disease. Humor therapy is brought to cancer patients, sick children, people under treatment for depression, the elderly in nursing homes, cardiac patients, and other groups. The main goal of the therapy is to improve the quality of life, provide symptom relief by distracting the patient from constant awareness of pain, and improve emotional and psychological health by encouraging relaxation and stress reduction.

As part of support programs for patients, humor can provide a means of communication between patients and their caregivers and loved ones. Often it does this by serving as an icebreaker, allowing patients to convey their ideas or feelings that are often difficult or awkward to express in other ways.

Although common sense would seem to be the rationale for including laughter and humor in patient care settings, laughter has a long history in medical practice. Laughter was used as an “anesthetic” to distract patients during surgical procedures in the 13th century, and other references to it appear in ancient medical literature. Reports of the physiological benefits of laughter are also found in the American medical literature from the early years of the 20th century.

The physiological effects of laughter include an increase in heart rate, breathing rate, and oxygen consumption, which in turn stimulate the circulatory system. Laughter also massages and exercises the muscles and organs involved in breathing, as well as causing the release of endorphins, which are the body’s natural morphinelike compounds that help control pain. Advocates believe that these physiological effects explain the therapeutic benefits of laughter and humor.

Researches have documented the physiological effects of laughter, and anecdotal reports describe patients’ appreciation and positive experiences with humor and laughter. A recent university-based research concluded that laughing lowers blood pressure and increases muscle flexibility in addition to releasing endorphins. Endorphins not only reduce pain; they also induce a degree of euphoria, and therefore may further enhance the positive effects of
laughter.

Furthermore, there are evidence indicating that laughter increases immune activity, and that it can reduce levels of cortisol, a stress hormone associated with suppressing the immune system. The results of other investigations show that laughter increases natural killer cell activity in the immune system. These studies are preliminary, and so far have limited clinical implications.

All in all, laughter and humor are distracting and uplifting. They help people cope with stress and illness, and create an environment that is relaxing. They certainly enhances the quality of life for people in general.

There are three forms of cancer of the skin or skin cancer and the most dangerous of all is a cancer in the melancytes. Skin cancer in the melancytes manifests itself as a tumor in those cells that produce melanin which is a substance which helps to colour your skin.

When it comes to the skin cancer malignant melanoma, it means that the cells which decide what color your skin, eyes and hair is, and how easily you tan, develop abnormal characteristics and a colored mole for instance may begin to change shape or color.

It is also possible for malignant melanoma to affect the choroids of the eye, which is the layer just behind the retina. It does not hurt, but it can cause blurred vision and other problems with your vision as it can cause a detached retina. Malignant melanoma is the most common form of eye tumor.

You should know that less than one of three instances of the skin cancer malignant melanoma appears in existing moles. And surprisingly (because they look so awful), hairy moles hardly ever turn into malignant melanomas.

It is very important to get moles that are changing shape etc checked out by your medical doctor as soon as possible because as the cancer tumor from the malignant melanoma starts to get deeper into the skin the risk of the cancer spreading to other parts of the body increases dramatically. (This is known as spread).

The key to successful treatment of a cancer like malignant melanoma is early detection of the cancer symptoms, so consider checking your skin regularly and at least once every 3 months and maybe more frequently during the summer months.

Let us also have quick look at the most common symptoms of malignant melanoma. If a mole appears to change shape, develop irregular outline, change in size, getting bigger and sticking out more, changing in color, irregular coloring as different shades of brown, grey, red or blue, a mole that develops a halo or another mole around the original one, itching, painful or bleeding moles, moles that get softer or begin to crumble, then you need to see a medical doctor about it straight away.

Malignant melanomas are most common in areas that receive the most exposure to the sun but it can show up in any location on your body. For people with fair skin the risk areas are the upper part of the back, and for women there is an added risk are on the legs between the knee and the ankle.

Darker skinned people get malignant melanomas very rarely but when they do appear they usually appear on the soles of the feet or on the palms. It is also possible to get malignant melanomas behind the nails of the fingers and the toes.

The key to avoiding malignant melanoma in the first place is to use sun protection and avoid direct sunlight in the middle of the day if at all possible. Another important thing you can do to protect yourself or your young children is to wear clothes that cover up the parts of the body that are at risk. Getting a malignant melanoma is no fun, and it’s better to be safe than sorry.

There is absolutely nothing in the world that can take the place of sleep. We must not let the body go short on sleep, since there is simply no substitute for it. Experience and observation also tell us that bedtime has something to do with the going and coming of daylight. We are aware of the fact that sleep before midnight is more refreshing and relaxing than sleep afterwards. If we postpone our bedtime mainly to the hours after midnight, we will not derive the healing and strengthening benefits from sleep that we would by going to bed earlier, because the hours before midnight count double.

Not everyone needs the same amount of sleep. The individual requirements lie generally between 6 and 10 hours. Anyone who cuts sleep short so that he can work more will soon notice that he has calculated wrongly. During the day his energy will decline and his efficiency will diminish. If we need much sleep in order to feel fresh during the day, we should not compare ourselves with those who get by with less. We must by all means obtain the amount that our bodies require.

People who are engaged in demanding employment are often so exhausted in the evening that they feel unable to cope with their duties. But how amazed they are the next morning, when after a good night’s rest and refreshing sleep they are able to easily deal with what the evening before seemed an insurmountable impossibility. That is why no one appreciates sleep more and experiences its revitalizing powers better than those who have had a busy day. But he who instead puts it off because of other activities or by means of stimulants, should not be surprised if in time sleep fails to perform its duty.

Many people complain that they cannot sleep. Even children are often unable to do so. All of these disruptions are either connected with overdoing or with taking things that stimulate. Children not yet subject to work pressure can nevertheless have this problem if their parents neglect to observe the routine the children’s age demands.

Years ago it used to be common for children to go to bed early. Today children often watch television late into the night. By thus resisting sleep they disorganize the natural sleep pattern. If in addition they have nutritional deficiencies, one need not wonder why their fresh, healthy looks disappear and become sick often. Children who are robbed of their necessary sleep over any length of time will become nervous and irritable and will gradually lose the benefits of invigorating sleep. This disadvantage cannot be corrected easily in later years.

It is better to take precautions and try to lower the risks of skin cancer then to have to deal with the treatments and worries should you discover that you have contracted skin cancer. There are no guarantees, of course, but taking some simple steps will go a long way to improving your chances of avoiding this all to common form of cancer

Try to avoid being in the direct sun during its peak hours which are between eleven and three o’clock. This is when the suns rays are at their strongest. If you have to be outside for any length of time during these peak hours be sure to wear a hat. Cover what you comfortably can and use sunscreen on the rest. Your sunscreen should have a SPF, sun protection factor, rating of a minimum of fifteen. There are many who believe that thirty is a safer minimum. Although sunscreen is really good to use never assume that it can protect you one hundred percent. It is still important to be smart about your exposure to the sun.

For example, you should never assume that because it is a cloudy dull day that the sun’s rays are gone. You may not be able to see the sun but it is still shining behind the clouds and that means that the ultraviolet light is still coming through. At least sixty percent of it is getting through, maybe more. Equally you should not assume that when swimming the water protects you from the sun’s rays. Unless you are submerged at least a foot under the water the suns ray are still reaching you.

Avoid tanning salons completely. They are not your friends. The use of tanning beds, tanning booths or tanning lamps may give you that healthy glow but they will also give you excessive exposure to ultraviolet light. Studies have proven that a tanning session of fifteen to thirty minutes is equivalent to a full days exposure to the sun outside. That is not a good thing to do to your body. Tanning lotions, creams and supplements do not increase your risk of skin cancer. But, so far researchers have come out against their use sighting other potential dangers. Having a tan is not worth these added health risks.

Although women seem to work harder on their tans, men are more likely to play outdoor sports. Both are just as likely to work in the garden, mow the lawn or work on exterior house maintenance. These are all outdoor activities that require you to cover up. Parents must take care to make sure that their children are also protected. Their skin is much more delicate. Several bad sunburns as a child puts them more at risk for skin cancer as adults.

Learn self-examination techniques. Do this every couple of months as this way if something appears wrong, or wasn’t there in your last self-examination, you will have found it early and go to see your health care provider immediately.

Garlic contains compounds called thioallyls that research shows help dramatically lower blood cholesterol levels. These compounds also keep blood cells from clumping in arteries, thereby diverting a heart attack. These thioallyls may also be effective in lowering blood pressure. One of these compounds, called allicin, is released when a clove of raw garlic is crushed. Allicin not only gives garlic its characteristic smell, but also works wonders at unclogging arteries. Cooking garlic causes yet another heart-healthy compound to form, called ajoene, which acts a bit like aspirin and keeps the blood from clotting.

A large number of research studies show that garlic, either fresh, powdered, or extract, is effective in lowering blood cholesterol levels. In one study from the Brown University of Medicine and Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, researchers gave men with already risky levels of LDLs garlic extract in pill form. The study participants also ate a low-fat diet.

After six months of garlic pills, researchers sampled blood cholesterol levels in the men. Blood cholesterol levels dropped significantly compared to a group of men eating the same low-fat diet and taking a placebo pill. Garlic pills also lowered LDL levels and nudged blood pressure down a few notches. Besides tasting a touch of garlic in their mouths, none of the study participants had any intestinal trouble (common with eating raw garlic).

How much garlic does the trick? A clove a day keeps the doctor away (or take at least the equivalent in powder or pill form). Should you use fresh, powdered, aged garlic extract or other types of garlic pills? According to researchers, get garlic into your diet any way you can. While it’s true that raw garlic has more of the cholesterol-lowering allicin than cooked, cooked garlic has other benefits such as keeping the blood thin. Garlic pills and tablets vary in the amount of active ingredients they contain. Generally, those that are not cooked or heat treated will have more allicin.

Garlic powder available in the spice aisle at your local grocery store is one of the least expensive ways to get cholesterol lowering allicin into your diet. Garlic powder can be added to foods during cooking or sprinkled into salads and other fresh foods. Give garlic powder a try, especially if you like fresh garlic, but it doesn’t like you.

Fresh garlic, crushed or chopped, can be added to virtually anything. When selecting garlic in the produce aisle, look for firm, compact bulbs without any green sprouts coming out of the ends (a sign that it’s old). You can also purchase ready-to-use crushed garlic in jars. Check the label as oil is often added. But since a teaspoon or two of garlic is used in cooking (unless you want to wake up your neighbors with your breath), this extra oil is not worth the worry.

As a cousin to garlic, onions also fight hard for your heart’s health. When taking a quick
look at onion’s nutritional profile, you don’t notice anything too outstanding - a bit of fiber, vitamin C, folate, potassium, and about 30 calories per half-cup raw. Take a longer look, though, and you find a host of powerful phytochemicals. These warriors against heart disease are called flavonoids, and according to several large research studies from around the world, they significantly reduce the risk of death from heart disease.

The standout flavonoid in onions, quercitin, has been shown experimentally to protect the bad cholesterol carriers, LDLs, from oxidizing and damaging artery walls. In addition, quercitin also keeps blood from getting too sticky and jamming up blood vessels leading to an actual heart attack or stroke. In a Finish study, women with the greatest intake of quercitin from onions had half the risk of dying from heart disease compared to women in the study with the lowest intake. The researchers suspect the quercitin performed its two-pronged magic to protect the women from a fatal heart attack.

Quercitin levels in onions depend on their color. White onions have next to nothing in the way of this phytochemical, while yellow and red or Bermuda onions are packed with quercitin. Since onions are so versatile, they can be added to almost every dish - raw or cooked. If the strong odor of onions bothers you, thanks to similar sulfur compounds responsible for garlic’s aroma, try some of the sweeter onion varieties that have less of these offensive chemicals.

Red onions are usually sweeter than standard yellow onions and can be used raw in salads and on sandwiches. The Maui onion from Hawaii is so sweet, you can eat it like you would a piece of fruit off a tree. Select onions that are hard and firm without soft spots, and that are not beginning to sprout. Always store onions in a dark, cool, dry place such as a basement, cool pantry, or cellar. Putting an onion in the refrigerator about 30 minutes before slicing or chopping will help reduce the amount of tearing you may endure when preparing onions.

Skin cancer is a disease that affects a vast cross-section of the population. An approximated one in five Americans will be diagnosed with a case of skin cancer in their lifetime. Many people believe that simply applying a high-SPF sunscreen will be sufficient protection when it comes to avoiding the risk of skin cancer. However, new studies show that the sunscreens that we trust to protect us against the sun’s harmful rays may not be as effective as we once thought they were.

Sunscreen provides the body with a good layer of protection from UV-B rays. UV-B rays are emitted by the sun, and they are the main entity responsible for people getting sunburns. By wearing a high SPF value sunscreen, you block many of the effects caused by the UV-B rays, and you probably won’t get a burned by the sun. However, most sunscreens do not provide sufficient protection from UV-A rays. Also, people that expose themselves to the sun while wearing sunscreen tend to stay out longer, allowing more and more UV-A rays to penetrate their skin. The increased exposure to the sun’s rays can add up; the risks of skin cancer increase regardless of how many UV-B rays that your sunscreen filters out. The UV-A rays tend to penetrate to the deeper layers of the skin, and they are also known to have a greater potential when it comes to giving you wrinkles or even skin cancer.

To that end, it is important to choose your sunscreen products wisely. If you wish to protect your body against all the rays of the sun, it’s important to choose a sunscreen that features broad-spectrum protection. “Broad-spectrum” refers to the different types of rays that the sunscreen protects against, both UV-A and UV-B. These products are known to help ward off the effects of the harmful UV-A rays better than their common sunscreen counterparts. For the best protection against UV-A rays, you should look for a sunscreen that contains the following ingredients: zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, and/or avobenzone. It is also important to ensure that the sunscreen that you select has a high SPF value to keep the UV-B rays at bay. As a matter of fact, the SPF value advertised for sunscreens refers only to their ability to block the effects of UV-B rays. When going to the beach, be sure to pick up a sunscreen that is water-resistant. Also, it’s important to reapply the sunscreen regularly to ensure that you are getting a full protection. Another factor to note is how thinly you are spreading the sunscreen. Many people who use sunscreen apply too thin of a layer, limiting the effectiveness of the compound.

While sunscreen may not be as efficient as we once thought, it is still important to wear. They do protect the body against skin cancer, albeit in a limited way. The number of skin cancer diagnoses increase by the year, so it’s important to do all that you can do to protect your body.

Fasting involves restricting your dietary intake to a liquid. The liquid may be water, tea, or fruit juice. Proponents of fasting recommend occasional regular short fasts, lasting two to five days, as part of a general health-maintenance regimen. Advocates recommend that longer fasts for health maintenance or the healing of illness, lasting a month or more, be conducted under medical supervision.

For fasts lasting more than one week, fruit juices are given to supply the nutrients needed to maintain health. Some add enemas as part of the detoxification fasting regimen. Proponents claim that because the body is relieved of its usual chore of breaking food down into its elemental nutrients, fasting allows the body’s inner resources to focus on cleansing and healing. Cleansing is said to be accomplished through the elimination of existing toxins.

Fasting claims to enhance the immune system and reduces the demands placed on it. In addition to its role as part of health maintenance, some believe that fasting is an effective way to treat illnesses, including arthritis, ulcers, heart disease, asthma, and other problems.

The ancient belief that fasting purifies the soul has been extended to the current view that fasting also can purify the body. Fasting maintains and restores health through physiological mechanisms. Included in these mechanisms are shifting physiological effort from food conversion to the elimination of toxins, reducing the immune system’s workload, releasing pesticides and other chemicals from body fat, and eliminating the body of nonessential tissue.

It is helpful to look at these beliefs in terms of scientific information about the well-studied sequence of events that occurs when people start fasting. When body weight declines, water and fat, but not toxins, are lost from cells. Toxins are left behind. Nutrients are needed to sustain immune competence, the ability of the body’s disease-fighting immune system to make antibodies and other proteins and cells. Immune system failure, not enhancement, occurs when people do not eat enough to provide the nutrients that sustain proper immune function. Instead of reducing its workload, fasting impedes the immune system.

Advocates explain that people feel sick when fasting because toxins are leaving the body. Actually, fasting decreases the immune system’s ability to destroy and eliminate toxins. Fasting also causes a drop in blood sugar levels, which causes a breakdown of tissues needed for energy. This leads people to feel sick because the brain and other tissues fail to receive needed sugars, and the body’s metabolism is forced to remove the needed nutrients from muscle and liver tissue. At the same time, the liver and kidneys are not able to do their work of handling the by-products of protein breakdown.

Fasting can harm all organs. It is extremely dangerous to health, especially for those who are malnourished by chronic illness, yet some proponents recommend fasting to treat chronic illnesses. The slimmer the individual, the more dangerous a fast will be. The longer the fast, the more life-threatening it becomes. Studies show that when people reach 56% of their appropriate body weight, death occurs. The body cannot distinguish between intentional fasting and starvation.

Solid scientific research does not support the claims of fasting advocates. To the contrary, it contradicts those claims and indicates the dangers of fasting, even with water or juices. Reducing the number of calories you eat while maintaining a normal, balanced diet will reduce your weight. But consuming only water, tea, or juice is harmful, not helpful, to health and should be avoided especially by those who are ill.

Advocates believe that fasting can produce fatigue, anemia, irregular heartbeat, body aches, nausea, dizziness, and other negative effects. They refer to these as temporary problems that precede feelings of well-being, mental clarity, internal cleanliness, and other benefits.

Contrary to advocacy claims, fasting does not and cannot heal medical conditions, assist immune or other physiological function, or play a role in health maintenance. The decreased supply of blood glucose leads the body to break down muscle for energy, causing weakness, depression, fatigue, and sick feelings.

There are five different kinds of skin cancer. All of them are dangerous though some are to be worried about more than others. The most common type of skin cancer is Basal cell carcinoma with over a million Americans developing this cancer each year. Seventy five percent of all skin cancers treated are of this variety. This type of skin cancer is believed by physicians to be caused by a person spending too much time in the sun. Which is why this type of skin cancers tends to be found ion the more common places on the body that has sun exposure. This includes the face, scalp, and upper torso. Although they have more than one form basal cell carcinoma often begins like a shiny bump. It takes the form of a sore that does not heal or that heals and then becomes unhealthy looking once again. These are slow growing; rarely spreading to other parts of the body but still must be attended to quickly.

At least two hundred thousand Americans yearly are treated for Squamous cell carcinoma, this is the second most common and accounts for twenty percent of the cases of skin cancer. This one is also blamed on too much sun but is more common among middle aged and the elderly. They first appear as a crusty spot, but one with that appears reddened and irritated looking and does look very much like a small growth or boil. If you notice something that looks like this go immediately to your health care provider as Squamous cell carcinoma can spread to other parts of your body.

The next in line is the most dangerous of the skin cancers. That one is Melanoma and it affects four percent of those who are treated for skin cancers. It is considered the most dangerous because it is the most lethal. Although if found early the cure rate is a stunning ninety five percent effective. But once it begins its spread there is very little hope. So if you see changes to a mole or a new mole, especially if you are over thirty, see your health care provider immediately.

The remaining one percent if divided between Paget’s disease and Kaposi’s sarcoma. Paget’s occurs because of cancers in the sweat glands of the intestines, genitals or urinary tract and so the cancer shows up in the genital area or around the anus. It can also come out around the nipples because of cancer of the milk ducts though both men and women can have this problem. The sores look a like normal patchy skin, rashes, and can be very itchy or even painful. A biopsy is usually needed to determine if its just a skin condition or its Paget’s. Kaposi’s sarcoma is an AIDS related skin cancer related to herpes.

Learn self-examination, its a way to protect yourself that is easy and costs you nothing more than a few minutes of your time once every few months. Aren’t you worth it?

There are many reasons that one may become afflicted with skin cancer. A person’s heredity, skin type and UV exposure are all things to take under consideration when properly weighing the risk of skin cancer. However, more and more, skin cancer cases are being diagnosed at an increasing rate. Could this be due to lifestyle changes? It’s possible, but not altogether a confident hypothesis. One thing that may be increasing our risk for skin cancer is the condition of our planet.
The O-zone layer is a crucial part of our atmosphere. Consisting of triple-bonds of oxygen, this layer found on our planet helps to decrease the amount of ultra-violet rays that hit our surface. This layer, while key to our survival, is under attack by our very way of life. Pollution and climate change has eliminated as much as fifty percent of the higher layers of the O-zone layer, causing concern among scientists. Approximately thirty percent of the crucial layer in its entirety has already been destroyed. Since the depletion of the O-zone layer has reached epic proportions, more and more cases of skin cancer are being diagnosed. The Environment Program of the United Nations has even put out an estimate that for every one percent of the ozone layer we lose, there will be a two to three percent rise in the average person’s chance of getting skin cancer. For this reason, it’s important to take every precaution that you can when exposing yourself to the increasingly dangerous rays of the sun. If you’re not out looking for a tan, cover up the best you can and wear a hat. Thin layers of clothing do little to prevent the transmission of UV rays, so be sure to wear tightly woven clothing, preferably dark in color. In addition to the risks presented to humans by the destruction of the O-zone layer, plants are affected by the increased UV rays as well. Studies conducted in Tierra del Fuego correlated an increased risk of DNA damage to plants that received higher levels of ultra-violet exposure.
So, what can you do personally to help prevent further depletion of the O-zone layer? Unfortunately, as one person, there’s little that you can do. Chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, were discovered to cause damage to the O-zone layer over a decade ago and are now banned, making the individual’s contribution to the destruction of the O-zone layer severely lessened. Most of the damage to the O-zone layer being done now is due to the illegal use of stockpiled CFC products and HCFC products, which similarly damage the O-zone layer and will be phased out by most nations by 2015. The O-zone layer may begin to mend itself, but this is not expected to happen for the next 10 to 15 years, if it happens at all. To that end, all that you can really do is protect yourself from the sun’s rays and hope that corporate responsibility is present in those that would damage the planet that gives us all life.

It is only very rarely that skin cancer affects our children. But if we do not protect them as children their risks of skin cancer as adults are much higher. So, what can be done?

The most important thing we can do for our children as related to skin cancer is not assume that they are infallible. We must begin now to protect them and teach them to protect themselves so that their skin does not get damaged young. Studies show that the average person get fifty percent of their lifetime’s sun exposure by the time they are a mere eighteen years old.

We must be careful when taking our young children out to play. Never think that because they have youth they are not exposing their skin to the UV rays that an adult is. Their skin is more sensitive than ours. So, when they go to play in the yard, at the park or with the neighborhood kids, that need sunscreen higher than that recommended for adults. It is suggested that children use a SPF, sun protection factor, of no less that thirty. They should play outside only if they have their sunscreen on, with any exposed areas, those not covered by their clothes, well coated. Children should wear a hat to protect their heads from ultraviolet exposure. Remember that even when you are in a pool with your child, especially the youngest ones who play in wading pools, that the water does not protect them and they must wear sunscreen then as well. For water to offer any protection you must be submerged at least a foot.

What about our adolescent children? They are far more concerned about looking and acting cool than understanding any serious health risks for later in life can be based on what they do as teenagers. This is the time they begin to express themselves. They take direction from their friends, and want to impress each other with how they know more than their parents. They sunbath so they can look more attractive to the opposite sex. This is the time in their lives when the things that are important to them are what are happening that day not thirty years in the future. Yet research has proven that if in childhood the child has five or more serious sunburns it greatly increases their later risk of skin cancer.

You’ll need to work with your teenagers to convince them of the advantages of sunscreen use and wearing hats. Appeal to their vanity. Explain that without taking these precautions they risk, even at their age, peeling skin, blistering from a severe burn, or freckling. Suggest a sunscreen that has a moisturizer to improve their skin’s appearance. And if the only way to get them to wear a hat is to spend a couple of dollars extra on that funky one she wants, the one you’d never be caught dead in. Remember, you don’t have to wear it, but it will protect your child.