Digestible tidbits about health trends
1. Scrub it up
Americans spend more than $2 billion on over-the-counter cold and flu remedies, but the best way to prevent the spread of germs and disease is simply washing your hands. Scrub up for at least as long as you can sing the ABCs and soap up frequently.
2. Tap into your medical history at a family reunion
As much as it’s fun to reconnect with your relatives, family reunions are an excellent place to put on your detective hat to research your medical family tree.
It’s good to know what ailments and diseases your relatives may have. Why? Because you may have them, too.
To help, the Surgeon General’s “My Family Health Portrait” is an Internet-based tool online at familyhistory.hhs.gov that makes it easy to record your family health history.
The tool is easy to access on the Web and simple to fill out. It assembles your information and makes a “pedigree” family tree that you can download. It is private — it does not keep your information.
3. Leprosy and the Elizabeth Dane
If you’re a fan of the supernatural horror flick, “The Fog,” you know that the disease of leprosy plays an important role in the film.
What is leprosy? A disease that mainly affects the skin and nerves. If left untreated, progressive and permanent damage can occur in skin, nerves, limbs and eyes.
According to the World Health Organization, the prevalence rate of this disease has dropped by 90 percent — from 21.1 per 10,000 inhabitants to fewer than one per 10,000 inhabitants in 2000. The first-known written mention of leprosy is dated 600 B.C. Throughout history, those afflicted with the disease have been ostracized by society.
In case you haven’t seen “The Fog,” the Elizabeth Dane is a ship carrying a group of lepers who want to found a colony near the town of Antonio Bay. The town’s founders, however, want nothing to do with them, so they murder the lepers and steal their gold. The film fast-forwards to present day when the descendants of the town’s founders are haunted by the ghosts of the murdered lepers who emerge out of a weird fog bank that blankets the coast.
4. Keep West Nile Virus at bay this season
West Nile virus is here to stay, so what can you do about it? Here are some tips to reduce your risk:
<< Support community mosquito reduction and education programs.
<< Apply an approved insect repellant to all exposed skin when going outdoors for any period of time.
<< Eliminate all areas of standing water around the home.
5. Pain in the heel?
The 2009 American Podiatric Medical Association survey, which polled close to 420 Americans age 18 or older, found 39 percent of adults have experienced heel pain more than any other foot ailment within the past 12 months.
Additionally, nearly 60 percent of respondents believed they suffered heel pain while wearing ill-fitting footwear. However, 64 percent of respondents said they had not yet visited a medical professional to diagnose and treat their heel pain.
What is the most frequent cause of heel pain? Plantar fasciitis. Too much running or jumping can lead to inflammation of the tissue band (fascia) connecting the heel bone to the base of the toes. The pain is generally centered under the heel. It can be mild at first, but tends to flare up when you take your first steps after resting overnight.
To avoid heel pain the APMA recommends wearing the proper shoes for each activity, no wearing shoes with excessive or uneven worn heels or soles, and stretching the heel before exercising.
To learn more, visit the APMA’s Web site at www.apma.org.
6. Stroke: Do you know the signs?
Each year 780,000 Americans suffer a stroke. It’s important to know the symptoms:
<< Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg (especially on one side of the body)
<< Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech
<< Sudden trouble walking, dizziness or loss of balance or coordination
<< Sudden severe headache with no known cause
For more information on stroke, call toll-free (800) 352-9424, or visit online at www.stroke.nih.gov.
7. Small changes, big impact
When it comes to making lifestyle changes, many take the plunge by trying to change too many things too fast. Bob Greene, founder of the Best Life program and best known as Oprah Winfrey’s trainer, recommends making one change at a time. For instance, replacing a 12-ounce sugared soda daily with a 12-ounce glass of water will cut 3,650 teaspoons or 38 pounds of sugar a year from your diet.
8. How to avoid a flip-flop fiasco this summer
It’s easy to slip on a pair of flip-flops when you’re on the go. Here are some tips to help avoid painful foot ailments attributed to flip-flop wear:
<< For the best fit, take the time to shop for a sandal made of high-quality, soft leather. Leather minimizes the potential for blisters and other types of irritation.
<< Gently bend the flip-flop from end to end, ensuring it bends at the ball of the foot.
<< Shoes of any kind should never fold in half.
<< Wear a sturdy pair of flip-flops when walking around a public pool, at the beach, in hotel rooms and in locker room areas. Walking barefoot can expose foot soles to plantar warts and athlete’s foot.
<< Make sure the flip-flop fits your foot.
<< Don’t ignore irritation between toes, where the toe thong fits. This can lead to blisters and possible infections.
To learn more about proper footwear and foot care, visit the American Podiatric Medical Association’s Web site at www.apma.org.
9. The healing power of laughter
We’ve all heard the old saying, “laughter is the best medicine,” but is there any truth in it?
To find out, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore used laughter-provoking movies to gauge the effect of emotions on cardiovascular health.
Early findings suggest that laughter appears to cause the tissue that forms the inner lining of blood vessels, the endothelium, to dilate or expand in order to increase blood flow.
If you’re looking to laugh your way to better health, a good place to start is with the American Film Institute’s list of “The 100 Funniest American Movies Of All Time.”
The top 10 funniest are: 1. “Some Like it Hot”; 2. “Tootsie; 3. “Dr. Strangelove”; 4. ”Annie Hall”; 5. “Duck Soup”; 6. “Blazing Saddles”; 7. “M*A*S*H”; 8. “It Happened One Night”; 9. “The Graduate”; and 10. “Airplane.”
10. Apple powers
We’ve all heard the saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Do you know where it comes from? According to the U.S. Apple Association, it came from the old English saying, “Ate an apfel avore gwain to bed makes the doctor beg his bread.”
Why are apples good for you? Apples are fat-free, saturated fat-free, sodium-free, cholesterol-free and an excellent source of fiber.
11. Biking for dollars
Raise money for Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota by riding in its 17th annual Habitat 500 Bike Ride — a seven-day, 500-mile, fully pledged bicycle ride through the bluff country of southeastern Minnesota.
More than 120 riders participate in bringing hope to individuals and helping build families, lives and communities on their 500-mile journey. The goal this year is to raise more than $330,000 to support the Habitat for Humanity mission.
The ride takes place July 12–18. This year’s route starts and ends in Faribault with stops in Rochester, Rushford (two nights), Grand Meadow, Albert Lea and Lake Crystal.
Bikers will ride approximately 60 to 100 miles per day with three rest stops hosted each day.
Can’t do it this year, but would like to know more for the future? Visit online at www.habitat500.org, or call toll-free (877) 804-3466, ext. 4.
12. Get the facts on exercise
If you want the facts on fitness activities, visit online at www.fitness.gov. This is the information Web site of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
To find out how you can start a physical activity program today and stay active and fit for life, visit the free Web site at www.presidentschallenge.org.
13. Feed your head
Learn about headaches at Headache U: It’s all about YOU, a new program launched by the National Headache Foundation or NHF.
This is the first education program of its kind designed to help people with headache take important steps toward getting relief. Headache U is offered online at www.headaches.org/headacheu.
14. Relay for Life
Help raise money for the fight against cancer by donating to the 16th annual American Cancer Society Relay for Life For McLeod County. This year’s event will be Aug. 7-8, at Masonic/West River Park in Hutchinson.
In 2008, McLeod County’s Relay For Life raised more than $131,000 and featured 27 teams and more than 350 volunteers.
For more information or to volunteer, call Missy Wiedow at (962) 836-8729, or e-mail: missy@wiedow.com.
15. Arthritis by the numbers
<< Nearly 46 million Americans have been diagnosed with arthritis by a doctor.
<< Nearly 300,000 children 17 or younger are affected by juvenile arthritis.
<< Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the United States.
<< Arthritis prevalence increases with age. Among adults 65 or older, the prevalence of arthritis is 50 percent.
<< Arthritis affects every racial and ethnic group including: 34 million Caucasians, 4.5 African Americans and 2.6 million Hispanics.
<< Each year arthritis results in: 39 million physician visits, 744,000 hospitalizations, 3 million visits to outpatient departments, 2.2 million visits to emergency departments and $128 billion in costs of treatment, lost wages and other associated costs.
For more information, call toll-free (800) 568-4045, or visit online at www.arthritis.org.