A new Iowa State University study found that a family, school and community intervention program helps children live healthier lives and could be a new tool in the fight against the nation’s childhood obesity epidemic. In the study, children who participated in The Switch® program — a program developed by the Minneapolis-based National Institute on [...]
As a parent, you know that a healthy diet is one of the best things you can provide your child. Making sure your child eats well EVERY DAY is vital to their well being. That’s why I recommend the following: Feed your children breakfast everyday. Whether it’s leftovers or simply a yogurt or whole wheat [...]
General Guidelines Treatment for head lice is recommended for persons diagnosed with an active infestation. All household members and other close contacts should be checked; those persons with evidence of an active infestation should be treated. Some experts believe prophylactic treatment is prudent for persons who share the same bed with actively-infested individuals. All infested [...]
What are head lice? The head louse, or Pediculus humanus capitis (peh-DICK-you-lus HUE-man-us CAP-ih-TUS), is a parasitic insect that can be found on the head, eyebrows, and eyelashes of people. Head lice feed on human blood several time a day and live close to the human scalp. Head lice are not known to spread disease. [...]
Adult head lice are 2.1-3.3 mm in length. Head lice infest the head and neck and attach their eggs to the base of the hair shaft. Lice move by crawling; they cannot hop or fly. Head lice infestations (pediculosis, pronounced peh-DICK-you-LO-sis) are spread most commonly by close person-to-person contact. Dogs, cats, and other pets do [...]
Everyone needs some salt to function. Also known as sodium chloride, salt helps maintain the body’s balance of fluids. Salt also functions in many foods as a preservative, by helping to prevent spoilage and keeping certain foods safe to eat. But nearly all Americans consume more salt than they need, according to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines [...]
Patients who ask their doctor about information they have read on the Internet, or webs that better inform them of their diagnosis, are no longer a rarity and a new study finds it complicates the relationship. A study undertaken by Spanish researchers reveals 31% of doctors believe that the Internet complicates their relationship with patients [...]
Births in most of the Gulf Coast areas hit by Hurricane Katrina plunged in the 12 months following the deadly storm, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report from CDC′s National Center for Health Statistics, “The Effect of Hurricane Katrina: Births in the U.S. Gulf Coast Region, Before [...]
Childhood immunization rates in the United States remain stable at high levels, according to data from CDC′s 2008 National Immunization Survey (NIS) published in this week′s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). “Vaccination is one of the most important things parents can do to protect their children′s health,” said Dr. Melinda Wharton, Deputy Director, National [...]
Though it’s often portrayed as a scourge of the teen years, acne can affect people of all ages. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), about 80 percent of people between the ages of 11 and 30 have outbreaks of the skin disorder at some point. “Many see their acne go away by the [...]