 |
||||||||||||||||||
| Learning and Sharing --> Health --> Check it Out; Keep in Touch - Part 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
|
CHECK it OUT; KEEP in TOUCH -- Part 1. Unfortunately, what we don’t know can hurt us---and also those we love. Keeping a few facts at hand and staying updated both are smart things to do. Recommended Reading -- websites/newsletters/magazines/books: For All http://www.healthcentral.com/ http://health.dailynewscentral.com/ http://www.cspinet.org/ http://health.yahoo.com/ http://www.healthscout.com/ http://www.reutershealth.com/en/index.html http://www.medscape.com/home http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/333/341.html
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/hp.asp http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/NTMarchive/0702.shtml
For fun and inspiration: How do we stack up, at “Real Age”: http://www.realage.com/ralong/entry.aspx?cbr=GGLE182_R Women’s Health http://www.nytimes.com/pages/health/womenshealth/ http://www.healthywomen.org/ Men’s Health http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/mens_health/index.shtml http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mens-health/MC99999/si=2765 |
|||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
Kids’ and Teens’ Health: http://kidshealth.org/ http://www.kids.gov/k_health.htm http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/kids/html/7teens.htm http://www.cspinet.org/smartmouth/index1.html Prescription and over-the-counter drug information: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/medmaster/a682878.html Newsletters/E-mail Updates: Tufts University Health & Nutrition Newsletter The National Institutes of Health’s Medline Plus
Books: The Safe Shopper's Bible : A Consumer's Guide to Nontoxic Household Products Home Safe Home by Debra Lynn Dadd The Mayo Clinic Family Health Book The Harvard Medical School Guide to Men's Health The New Harvard Guide to Women's Health Jane Brody's Nutrition Book: A Lifetime Guide to Good Eating for Better Health and Weight Control Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn [Top] For a small sum, it’s possible to learn about a doctor’s professional background, board certification and specialties, and to see whether government disciplinary actions have been taken against him/her. This site earns a Better Business Bureau online reliability seal. Find it here. [Top]
Hand washing One of the most common ways people catch colds is by rubbing their nose, mouth or eyes after their hands have been contaminated with the cold virus. Not only colds, but more serious diseases (hepatitis A, meningitis and infectious diarrhea) can be prevented by hand washing. Health experts believe that people don’t wash their hands enough, and probably would become ill less frequently if they did. Hand washing is particularly important before (sometimes during*) and after preparing food, before eating, after using the bathroom, after petting or playing with animals, when someone in the home is ill, or just when hands are dirty. It takes at least 10 (and preferably 15) seconds of good scrubbing with soap and water to actually get hands clean. Encouraging kids to wash? Check out the scrub club: http://www.cdc.gov/germstopper/ scrub club [Top] Another way to stay safe is to routinely clean and disinfect surfaces. In most cases, cleaning with soap and water is adequate to remove germs, but some situations require more. In the kitchen, when working with raw meat (especially chicken*) all work surfaces (and hands) should be disinfected so that germs can’t spread. In the bathroom or baby’s room, routine cleaning and disinfecting helps to prevent illness. Bleach or other chlorine cleansers can be used, but a far better, safer alternative that’s also economical and environmentally friendly is this: Take two new spray misters, one filled with hydrogen peroxide (3%) and one with white or apple cider vinegar. Spray surfaces with one fluid and then the other (it doesn’t matter which), then rinse surfaces with water. Using the mists one right after the other, and not mixing the two is 10 times more effective than using either spray by itself or mixing the liquids in one sprayer, according to tests run in the food sciences lab of Virginia Polytechnic Institute. The mists destroyed virtually all Salmonella, Shigella or E. coli bacteria on heavily contaminated food and surfaces, making this spray combination more effective at killing these potentially lethal bacteria than any commercially available kitchen cleaner, including chlorine bleach. It’s always wise to wear rubber gloves when cleaning surfaces worthy of disinfection. Even if wearing gloves, hands still should be washed after clean up is finished, and towels washed or (if paper) thrown away. Cleaners and disinfectants should be safely stored out of children’s reach. [Top] |
||||||||||||||||||
|
Almost everyone gets a food-borne illness at some point, but it’s not just restaurant food that makes us sick. Food may contain natural bacteria or be contaminated with bacteria from other sources; improper handling gives this bacteria a chance to grow. Contaminated food can be exceptionally dangerous, especially to young children, older adults, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems. Each year in the United States, nearly 76 million people get sick, more than 300,000 are hospitalized, and 5,000 die from food-borne illness.
w Buy perishable food such as meat, eggs and milk last. Avoid raw or unpasteurized milk. Because eggs, meat, seafood and poultry are likely to contain bacteria, don’t let their juices drip onto other food. Take purchased food directly home; avoid leaving it in a hot car. (At room temperature, for example, the bacteria in milk doubles every 20 minutes!) w Store food properly, refrigerating eggs, meat, poultry and seafood. Suspect foods (especially meats) should be stored in containers to prevent contaminating other foods or kitchen surfaces. Refrigerators should be set to 40 degrees and freezers to 0 degrees; and should be cleaned regularly to minimize germs. w Take care with food preparation. Wash hands and clean and disinfect kitchen surfaces before, during (especially if preparing meat) and after handling, cooking and serving food. Wash raw fruits and vegetables before eating them. The safest, least damaging, most nutritious way to defrost food is by placing it on a plate in the refrigerator. Microwave defrosting is subject to several safety and nutritional concerns. Defrosting in cold water is acceptable, but time-consuming, as water should be changed every half hour. Defrosting in warm water or on the counter is unsafe, as the outer portions of the food will reach temperatures above 40 degrees--- the point at which any bacteria present before freezing can begin to multiply rapidly. w Cook food carefully. Because of possible Salmonella infection, cook eggs until firm and not runny, avoid eating raw or partially cooked eggs and other foods that include raw or partially cooked eggs. Cook poultry thoroughly, until its juices run clear and the meat in the middle is white. Depending on its type, cook fish until opaque, white or flaky. Cook beef until brown inside (especially critical with ground beef to avoid E. coli). w Cool and store leftovers promptly after food has been served. Because harmful bacteria grow at room temperature, perishable foods (especially meats, eggs, mayonnaise and other refrigerator items) shouldn’t be left out for more than two hours. Picnic and buffet foods are particularly notorious for making guests ill, and the most common day of the year for food poisoning is Thanksgiving. Promptly refrigerate or freeze leftovers in shallow containers or bags. Meats, cheeses and other oily foods should be stored in glass or metal (not plastic) containers. Store leftovers only a few days...when in doubt, throw it out. [Top] Antibiotics can work well against bacterial infections (like most ear and some sinus infections, as well as strep throat), but they don’t do anything for most sore throats, coughs, colds or the flu--- and shouldn’t be prescribed or taken for these problems. Unnecessary antibiotics can be harmful, both to the individual and to society, as overuse has led to resistant strains of bacteria which can’t be easily tamed. This also is why antibiotics which are prescribed ALWAYS should be taken in the dosage given until they’re all gone (and also why none should be saved or shared with other people). Each time an antibiotic is taken unnecessarily or improperly, the chances of developing drug-resistant bacteria increase. Because of resistant bacteria, some diseases that once were easy to treat now are becoming nearly impossible to cure. [Top] While family pets should receive regular veterinary attention, one aspect of their care merits special safety mention. To prevent infectious diseases (especially Toxoplasmosis) that may cause birth defects, pregnant women should avoid changing the litter in cat boxes, a common source of Toxoplasmosis infection. Infants who become infected before birth with Toxoplasmosis can be born with one or more of a variety of serious mental or physical problems, including retardation, epilepsy, brain atrophy and blindness. [Top] Using and storing chemicals carefully
Tips to stay safer include buying only the amount that’s needed, using it up before buying more and keeping all products in their original containers (with emergency instruction labels). Hazardous products should be stored in a cool, dry place, away from pilot lights, stoves, water heaters or plastic soda and water bottles. If possible (because of fire or fume danger) hazardous materials shouldn’t be kept in the house or even in an attached garage, but in a separate locked storage unit. All containers should have secure lids/caps, should be stacked so they can’t fall over, and stored high enough (or locked up well enough) so that children can’t find them. After use, soiled rags should be thrown away and products promptly returned to their storage place. If no longer needed, these, too, should be discarded using local rules for toxins. Self-protection when handling toxins means reading labels and following directions, wearing gloves and protective clothing (and goggles, if necessary), ventilating the area well (better yet, working outside) and not smoking. Never mix household products together, as toxic fumes or explosions may occur. Stop using any product if it causes dizziness, nausea or headache. See a doctor if symptoms persist. For safety and the protection of the environment, whenever possible, use non-toxic products: http://www.lesstoxicguide.ca/index.asp?fetch=household#vacu More recipes for safety are available at http://www.preventcancer.com/consumers/household/alternative_products.htm [Top] |
||||||||||||||||||
|
For all: Call 9-1-1. |
||||||||||||||||||
|
Heart Attack May be sudden and intense or start out mild and build up Chest pain (pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain) that goes away and comes back Discomfort in other areas of the upper body, in one or both arms, news, jaw, back or stomach Shortness of breath, with or without chest pain. Cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness. |
Stroke Sudden... Confusion, trouble speaking or understanding. Trouble seeing in one or both eyes. Dizziness, loss of balance or coordination Severe headache with no known cause
|
|||||||||||||||||
 |
Cardiac Arrest Sudden loss of responsiveness. No response to gentle shaking. No normal breathing, even when frequently checked. No pulse. No movement or coughing. |
|||||||||||||||||
|
For heart attack: Research shows that getting an aspirin early in the treatment of a heart attack can significantly improve chances of survival. For stroke: Note the time, as hospital staff will ask. A clot-busting drug can reduce long-term disability for the most common type of stroke---if given within three hours of the start of symptoms. Do NOT take aspirin during a suspected stroke, because some strokes are caused by ruptured blood vessels, and aspirin could make these bleeding strokes more severe. For cardiac arrest: Begin CPR. |
||||||||||||||||||
| Check it Out; Keep in Touch - Part 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
