Macular Degeneration (AMD) Awareness Month
Macular Degeneration (AMD) Awareness Month February is known for all the heart-shaped boxes full of candy, but did you know that February is also National Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) Awareness Month? Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) usually affects people 50 years or older. It is a disease of the macula, a small area in the back of your eye that is responsible for your central vision, or what you see directly in front of you. It is like having a spec of dirt on a camera lens. There are two forms of AMD, dry and wet. Most people start with dry AMD which later
How to Start Exercising
How to start exercising With the new year, many people will have a goal to lose weight or get healthier which requires you to get active. "Exercise is the magic pill," says Michael R. Bracko, EdD, FACSM, chairman of the American College of Sports Medicine's Consumer Information Committee. "Exercise can literally cure diseases like some forms of heart disease. Exercise has been implicated in helping people prevent or recover from some forms of cancer. Exercise helps people with arthritis. Exercise helps people prevent and reverse depression." But what if you don’t currently exercise? How do you get started? For those who have not
Choking Hazards During the Holidays
The holidays are a time of year when we get together with friends and family to share a meal or exchange gifts, but did you also know that it is also a time when choking is much more common. Whether its food or foreign objects like small toys, more people choke during the holidays than any other time of year. We tend to get in a hurry, and unfortunately, that is when choking is likely to occur. Consuming alcoholic beverages can also slow our reflexes and contribute to a higher risk of choking. Here are a few tips for how you
How much Tylenol should my child take?
With school in full swing, so are school germs, and it is only a matter of time before your child gets sick. The first course of treatment for fever in most cases is Tylenol or Ibuprofen, but how much should you give your child? Fever is our bodies natural response to infections and can help our bodies fight them. In most cases, fever is not harmful to school-age children unless there is an underlying medical condition or virus. However, if your child is running a fever they likely don’t feel very well, and a dose of Tylenol or Ibuprofen may help
What is heat stroke?
Heat-related illnesses, like heat exhaustion or heat stroke, happen when the body is not able to properly cool itself. While the body normally cools itself by sweating, during extreme heat, this might not be enough. In these cases, a person’s body temperature rises faster than it can cool itself down. Heat stroke occurs when the body becomes unable to control its temperature. When heat stroke occurs, the body’s temperature rises rapidly, your natural sweating mechanism fails, and the body is unable to cool down. Body temperature may rise to 106°F or higher within 10 to 15 minutes. Heat stroke can
5 Pool Safety Tips to Keeping Your Family Safe
During the summer months, one way many families beat the heat is by spending time by the pool. Whether it's your own backyard pool, a blowup kiddie pool or a pool at your vacation resort, all pools pose safety risks. According to the CDC, drowning is the number one cause of unintentional death for children between the ages of 1 and 4. Also, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 390 deaths a year on average are attributed to drowning in a swimming pool or at a spa. So how can you keep your family safe at the pool this summer?
Keep Your Children Active This Summer
Summer will be here before you know it, and if you are a parent that may not be such good news. Soon, your children will be home, with you, for 10 whole weeks. We all love our children, but how do you keep them occupied all summer long? Studies show that too much screen time for children can be detrimental to their health and development. Aside from the obvious consequences lack of physical activity has, too much screen time can affect children’s mental health and has been shown to increase the chances of depression in children. So, what can we do?
Reading Nutrition Labels
So how is your New Year’s diet resolution going? If you answered not so good, read on to find out how reading nutrition labels may help you get back on track. Most medical professionals recommend sticking to a well-balanced diet. Diet fads don’t last and are usually very restrictive making them hard to live with. A well-balanced diet, while it may provide slower weight loss, avoids the side effects of most fad diets, such as low energy or simply feeling deprived, which can lead to giving up. A well-balanced diet is one that gives your body the nutrients it needs to function
Dealing With Diabetes During The Holidays
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In 2015, 30.3 million Americans, or 9.4% of the population, had diabetes, a treatable, but yet uncurable disease that affects the way your body regulates blood sugar. There are two main types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2. People with Type 1 diabetes don’t produce insulin whereas people with Type 2 diabetes don’t respond to insulin as well as they should. In type 1 diabetes, your immune system mistakes your body’s own healthy cells as foreign invaders. The immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. After these beta cells are destroyed, the body is unable
Keeping Your Kids Healthy This School Year
While you are out buying your children’s school supplies you are likely to see hand sanitizer, wet wipes, and Kleenex on the list. As you can imagine, just one child with a cold in a room of 20 children can spread the disease quickly. While hand sanitizer, wet wipes, and Kleenex help reduce the spread, reviewing basic hygiene with your children as they start the new school year is a good idea. Here are some tips to share with your children. Wash your hands with soap and water whenever possible. Hand sanitizer is an alcohol-based gel that kills germs