Health

Information on Smoking and Health

December 18, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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Cigarette smoking is currently the # 1 preventable cause of death in the U.S and is estimated to be the cause of around 438,000 deaths annually. This has resulted in a $167 billion health care annual cost. Of adult smokers, 70% cite that they would like to quit smoking and around 42% actually attempt to quit smoking
Tobacco cessation and prevention statewide comprehensive programs have been very effective in decreasing the levels of smoking. There are only 3 % of the available $21.7for states that comes from tobacco legal settlements and tobacco excise taxes spent on control and prevention. There has also been a decline in funding by states for these programs that has led to a decline in the rate of smoking. Many states raise the money allotted for tobacco prevention during tough times by committing tobacco settlement funds and raising cigarette taxes.

Materials and Tools Related to Smoking

1. The Surgeons General’s Report of 2004-This report looks at issues relating to casual criteria, active smoking, and evaluates evidence in order to declare if a condition or disease casually relates to smoking
2. 2007 Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs-The Center for Disease Control Best Practices Program is a guide that is evidence based that helps states establish and plan effective means of tobacco control programs to reduce and prevent the use of tobacco.
3. The CDC Prevention Research Center Network-this is a network of community member, public health agencies, and academic researchers that researches disease control and prevention
4. The CDC Healthy Community Program-This program aids in the funding of communities in order to prevent chronic diseases by the building of skills, resources, commitment, and community capacity in order to create systems, implement policy, and strategies that change the environment.

Much of the above information on material and tools can be located at www.cdc.gov for a comprehensive look at programs and applications.

Environmental Public Health Issues

December 17, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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There have been links made of some environmental hazard with specific diseases from environmental public health professionals. Some examples of exposure include the link between the exposure of lead and a reduction of mental functions amongst children and the exposure to asbestos and that of lung cancer are a few. There are states that are now creating systems that integrate and track data on possible health effects, human exposure, and environmental hazards. The CDC also known as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is developing what is known as an integrated national system. The aim in the tracking by the environmental public health system is to for the protection of communities by supplying data to local, state, and federal agencies on how to do the planning of public health reactions to diseases that are environmentally related. The use of tracking should aid with advance research on the possibilities of links between disease and environmental hazards. In addition, agencies will be capable of distributing and monitoring data to the public concerning the trends in diseases and environmental hazards.
There are a variety of state that now focus on the design of the community the impact it yields on the opportunities for respiratory and mental health as well as physical activity. There has lately been and examination by state governments as a result of scientific comprehension of global climate changes, on ways to prepare for future health risks that may be caused by water and shortages, infectious diseases, and heat stress.
The National Environmental Public Health Tracking Conference
This conference in 2006 was targeted to show the implemental phase of the network. The following are 3 presentations that came from the conference which evaluate policies concerning environmental health tracking:

* Environmental public health tracking and legal issues
* An overview on information access and the private policies that are important to public health tracking

Filed Under: Career & Education Tagged With: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Environment, Environmental health, Health, Public health

HIV and AIDS

December 16, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Today, there are 1.1 million Americans estimated to be infected with HIV, and of these, 1 in 5 are not even aware they have HIV. Some updates to estimations done by the CDC as of August 2008 indicate that in 2006 there were 56,000 new cases of HIV infections and the epidemic has been relatively stable since the time of the late 1990s. The estimations of 2006 indicate that:
* Bisexual and gay men from every race are the groups that have the higher percentages (53%) of all new cases.
* African Americans are impacted more than any other ethnic or racial group with 45% of the new infections.
* African Americans are seven times more likely to have a new infection case of HIV than their white counterparts and are three times more likely to have HIV than Latinos.
* Heterosexuals made up 31 % of new infections cases in 2006.
* New infection cases rates where three times higher amongst Latinos and Hispanics that with whites.

Efforts to reduce HIV infections by Policymaker’s include:
* Eliminating obstacles that will prevent individuals from getting tested
* Helping establish mandates that will make HIV testing routine in medical care closely working with those in the health care field to emphasize the importance of treatment and testing.
* Having local efforts in place to help keep HIV and AIDS on the agenda of state public health issues.

Definitions of HIV/AIDS Terms

1. HIV incidence-This means the amount of individuals that encompass new cases of HIV.
2. HIV diagnoses-This is the amount of individuals that are given a HIV diagnosis regardless of the time that they were infected.
3. AIDS diagnosis-This is the amount of individual that are given a diagnosis of AIDS during a time period. A diagnosis of AIDS happens when a person who is infected with HIV immune system has become compromised or/and the person is now ill with what is known as a opportunistic infection.

Filed Under: Life or Death Tagged With: AIDS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Conditions and Diseases, Health, HIV, Sexually transmitted disease

Controlling Overweight and Obesity Rates

December 16, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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It was estimated that in 2005 1 in 4 U.S. adults were considered obese. Obesity was highest in number amongst African American and Hispanic adults with rates around 33.9 and 26.5 %. The percentage has more than tripled amongst young people since 1980. There are many causes that can be attributed to the growing epidemic rates of obesity and some include unhealthy eating habits and physical inactivity.

Being obese and overweight can contribute to a host of health problems such as depression, osteoarthritis, breathing problems, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. In the United States, it is estimated that the cost of treating these issues when related to obesity in 2003 came to around $ 139 billion. The current health costs that are related to obesity and overweight issues not surpass the costs of tobacco related issues.
Nationwide, state legislators are attempting to provide solutions to the United States epidemic in obesity. Even though an individual’s weight is significantly affected by their behavior, solutions that will be effective will included a joint effort on the part of stakeholders and policymaker in a community. Businesses, representatives of food industries and agriculture, insurance and health care workers, and schools are currently working to reduce the obesity epidemic and the effects of it.
Ways to Help Decrease & Prevent Obesity and Overweight Rates
1. Home
* Individuals can decrease the time that is spent watching t.v. and similar behaviors that a sedentary.
* Incorporate a regular routines of physical activity

2. School
* Make sure that lunch and breakfast programs fall into nutrition standards
* Provide options in food choices that include low added sugars, calories and fat.
* All children from grades k-12 should be provided with a daily physical education program

3. Work
* Work sites can be provided with greater opportunities of physical activity.

Because individual typically make many of their decisions from the influences of community and their environment, changes in the above list can serve to provide them with a host of health benefits.

Filed Under: Personal Stories Tagged With: Conditions and Diseases, Health, Obesity, Overweight, Physical education, Physical exercise

Understanding Cancer Clusters

December 15, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

The term cancer cluster refers to a greater expected amount of cancer cases occurring over time in a geographic area amongst a group of people. It poses a challenge sometimes to actually address, interpret, and identify cancer clusters. The term cancer represents a variety of diseases with various causes. The time between the exposure to cancer causing elements or other factors and when the cancer actually develops can take decades which makes the causes sometimes hard and relatively impossible in some cases to identify.

Cases of cancer are typically common in the United States with one in three individuals developing cancer during their lifetime. The rates of cancer vary by type, risk-factors, gender, race and age. The risks of cancer are known to increase as an individual ages and is caused by both internal (immune conditions, hormones, inherited mutations), and external factors (infectious organisms, radiation, chemicals, and tobacco). Obesity, physical inactivity, poor nutrition and additional lifestyle aspects also contribute to the risk of cancer. These factors can act in sequence or together to promote or initiate cancer. There can be 10 or more years that can pass between mutations or exposures and the detection of cancer.

There are ethnic and racial groups the have higher incidences of cancer deaths. These disparities in number may be largely due to factors such as the differences of exposure to carcinogens in the workplace and the environment, health behavior, genetic and biological differences, a history of additional diseases, obstacles to accesses in health care, late stage cancer diagnosis and additional risk factors.

As stated earlier, identifying cancer clusters may be complex as it may appear to be one and really not. A thorough review may determine that in fact the amount of new cancer cases to a particular geographical area is actually what is expected for that population. Cancer clusters in a population may involve: cancers in children that is usually seen in adults and rare types of cancer.

Filed Under: Medical Questions Tagged With: American Cancer Society, Cancer, CancerCluster, Conditions and Diseases, Health

Understanding Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

December 14, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

The term Lymphoma refers to a group of cancers that start from the lymph system. It is part of the immune system that is called the lymphatic system. One type of lymphoma cancer is called Hodgkin disease and the others are called Hodgkin lymphoma. Hodgkin lymphoma is the type that moves from one set of lymph nodes to the next; and non-Hodgkin lymphoma is the type that spreads disorderly, through out the lymphatic system.

When non-Hodgkin begins a B cell or T cell, which are white blood cells, becomes abnormal. The cell continues to divide which make the cells become more abnormal. These cells then many spread to other areas of the body. In most instances, physician can not make determination as to why an individual develops non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Symptoms of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
* Painless, swollen lymph nodes in the groin, armpits, and neck
* Sudden and unexplained weight loss
* Night sweats
* Chest pain, breathing trouble and coughing
* Tiredness and weakness that sticks around
* Abdominal swelling, pain or feelings of fullness

Risk Factors of Lymphoma

While the basic causes of lymphoma are currently unknown, research shows that individuals who are infected with HIV also known as the human immunodeficiency virus, are at greater risk of lymphoma development. There are other viral agents that create risks of developing lymphoma such as Epstein Barr virus which is connected with some types of lymphoma and the human T-cell lymphotrophic virus.

Treatment Choices

An individual with lymphoma can have their doctor describe for them choices in treatment and specific results that may come from such treatments. A doctor may refer an individual to a specialist who treats non-Hodgkin lymphoma. These specialists include radiation oncologist, medical oncologists, and hematologists. Choices in treatment are dependant on:
* The particular type of non-Hodgkin an individual has
* The stage the lymphoma is in
* The rate at which the cancer is growing
* An individual’s age
* Additional health problems

Filed Under: Medical Questions Tagged With: Cancer, Conditions and Diseases, Epstein-Barr virus, Health, Hematologic, Hodgkin's lymphoma, Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Asking For Help Is Hard

December 12, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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It is often very difficult to ask for help. It does not matter who you are or what your background is. There is often a sense of pride that must be considered and that is often why so many people do not reach out for the help they need. However, there are many situations in which it becomes necessary to do this. If you need help for any type of emergency, get it. When you are dealing with circumstances that could change the rest of your life, such as your addiction, you need help then, too.

I was recently dealing with this exact situation. A friend of mine has had problems with a variety of addictions. I never understood why it was so hard to get help. After all, this person had numerous people in her life that cared about her and that would bend over backward to offer this person the help she needed.

Still, she did not ask for help. She didn’t know how, or understand that she could ask for help without deflating her confidence. Unfortunately, this person did not receive the help sge needed until something dramatically life changing occurred: a car accident.

The good news is that there are ways to get this help even if you cannot ask your family and friends for it. One example of this is turning to a professional treatment organization such as LaPalomaTreatment.com.

When you go to a facility like this, you know you are going to get the type of treatment you need to improve your health and your well being. Not only do organizations like this help to stop addictions, but they can also help people to find the reassurance they need to stop fighting this battle on their own. If you need help, do not be afraid to ask for it.

Filed Under: Ask a Nurse Tagged With: Health, People, Substance abuse

Art-Making, and Other Alternatives for Dealing With the Stresses of Alzheimer’s Disease

December 11, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

As a culture that often ties memory inextricably to a person’s identity, Alzheimer’s is discussed with trepidation. Losing one’s memory is unimaginable, and the prospect of having to care for a family member or friend who is experiencing a cognitive disability like Alzheimer’s is dismal. In the stresses of completing daily tasks, a caregiver and their family member or friend can often feel that it is impossible to interact in any way that resembles their old relationship.

For both people, it becomes increasingly essential, then, to find opportunities to interact with one another in ways that reduce stress, encourage fun, and provide enjoyable moments together. While there are many ways to do this, here are some possible suggestions for how people with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers can connect.

Be creative As talking can sometimes be difficult or frustrating for people with Alzheimer’s, creating art can be an enjoyable alternative for an afternoon. Have a variety of supplies on hand to allow for the most artistic options (paints, markers, magazines for collage materials, etc). Remember that the point isn’t
Museum visits Museums offer a good location to move at your own pace and an endless supply of conversation pieces. Visit a museum together and discuss the art and wherever that line of conversation takes you. Some museums even have formal programs for Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers, or materials you can pick up and use on your own.
Conversation Take a few minutes out of your schedule to sit down and talk. Make the occasion feel more special by having a tea party or coffee break together. As long-term memory is often less affected in Alzheimer’s patients, talk about their past, what they remember, and what they learned about life. Everyone with or without Alzheimer’s enjoys the opportunity to reflect and share about their life.

Dealing with Alzheimer’s can seem overwhelming, but if you can incorporate moments of fun and true connection, it can make the everyday struggles a little less heavy.

Filed Under: Personal Stories Tagged With: Conditions and Diseases, Disease, Health

Feed Your Brain with Brain Foods – Part 1

December 10, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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Part 1: Concentrate Better with Brain Foods

While there are various foods and supplements that are said to possess health-enhancing properties, certain ones are associated with improved brain function with proven health benefits such as optimum brain health, as well as overall health, longevity, and optimal aging. None of these represent a miracle-producing panacea that can take the place of a healthy lifestyle (including physical exercise, daily diet, and brain exercises), but when consistently consumed in moderation over time, the foods cited here can prove to have beneficial results.

Top Brain Food Choices

Let’s take a look at the top choices in brain foods. The first food to mention is wild salmon (not farm-raised salmon!). Wild salmon is an incredible brain health food because it is full of omega-3 fatty acids; in fact, it is one of the best sources. Essential fatty acids can help your arteries, help your mood, and reduce risk of stroke, dementia, and Alzheimer’s. Salmon is low in saturated fat and a rich source of high quality protein, containing lower amounts of ocean contaminants (such as mercury) than other types of seafood. Again, even if it costs more make sure to eat WILD salmon (orange in color), not farm raised which do not contain the benefits of the wild variety.

Secondly – Chocolate! But not your typical chocolate-flavored, candy bars – this must be real chocolate without add the other additives. Minimally processed cacao beans have been shown to help with mood and cognition, while providing antioxidants, flavonoids, catechins, and other brain-enhancing elements. Use 100% organic non-alkalized high quality cocoa powder or a dark chocolate bar that uses at least 85% cacoa. You can take the powder and mix it with unsweetened almond milk (for quality protein), cayenne pepper (for digestion, brain and respiratory enhancement) and cinnamon (to stabilize blood sugar) for a tasty morning drink (add a bit of espresso if you are a coffee drinker). No sweetener needed!

Keep reading for Part 2 of Brain Foods…coming up!

Filed Under: Medical Questions Tagged With: Cocoa solids, Essential fatty acid, Health, Omega-3 fatty acid

How to De-Stress After a Difficult Day

December 9, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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There are many ways you can be thrust into a bad day. There are times when you legitimately are having a bad day, but then there is also the time when you are having a wonderful day. Then, all of a sudden, you are thrown into someone else’s bad day which then becomes your day. This is one of the worst things that can happen since the bad day came upon you by default. The trick is to accept the circumstances and find an outlet for it. Here are a few things you should try.

Meditate – Or as I like to call it sitting and doing nothing. I know it can sound lame to some but sitting in peace and quiet can have a wonderful effect on your outlook. This sounds very easy and boring, but in reality it can be very difficult. You tend to start thinking about your to-do list and it feels like a chore to check off that to-do list. But if you give it a chance, then soon you can take 5 to ten minutes and literally step away from the hustle and bustle of life.

Games – They say that to keep yourself mentally sharp for your older years you have to start conditioning your brain. Playing games online makes your brain work harder and in new and creative ways. Strategizing and tallying math totals on sports betting sites may make use of skills you probably haven’t used since high school. If you use your brain in different ways, this helps the brain function better later in life.

Exercise – This may feel like the last thing you want to do but exercise can be a great way to channel pent up energy or rage and use it to your own advantage. Whether you choose to enjoy a competitive sport with others or just blasting calories on the elliptical machine can be great to clear the mind and the feel-good endorphins that are released will definitely help your mood.

Filed Under: Personal Stories Tagged With: Brain, Google Calendar, Health, Mind, Productivity, Shopping, Tasks, Time management