Walking and Alzheimers

Nothing feels better to me than taking a nice walk especially after a stressful day, so it is no wonder that the article about exercise/walking caught my attention.  According the National Institutes of Health, just regular walking can reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease.  Research also supports that even those already diagnosed with this dreadful brain disease that causes the loss of memory, show slower decline of the disease with regular exercise, especially walking.  It is because exercise increases blood flow to areas in the body and brain.  The best part about this type of exercise is that most people can do it, and it doesn't cost anything.  

Facebook and Asthma????

I found this article interesting especially in light of this week's Facebook focus.  Apparently, according to Medline Plus, a man whose girlfriend recently broke off the relationship continued to view her Facebook page under a new name.  As he continued to see her "friend" new men, this apparently triggered and exacerbated his asthmatic condition.  The article opens up new thoughts on social networking as a potential health issue trigger, hmm. 

Exercise and common cold

Based on information from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, people who exercise at least 5 days a week have 43% less respiratory infections than those who only exercise 1 day a week.  I think this is a good reminder to all of us to get out there and exercise, especially during those winter months.  Grab some warm clothing and non-skid boots and go for a walk, enjoy the beautiful glistening trees and the fresh air.  It also makes us feel better mentally when we can get out of the house during those long winter months, I think.  

Antibiotics

Working in a college health clinic, we see lots of people coming in with respiratory illness.  Most of these illnesses are caused by viruses, making antibiotics useless in these cases.  Many times these patients want to be prescribed antibiotics.  It is important for people to realize that an antibiotic is not always the best thing to take, because if they are prescribed too often or when not necessary, a body can develop a drug resistance.  Also, when you are prescribed an antibiotic, make sure you finish the entire prescription because even though a person is feeling better, it doesn't necessarily mean that the pathogen is gone. This is reiterated in the recent article I read from the CDC. 

Cholera outbreak in Haiti

When I read stories such as this, it makes me think twice about what we take for granted.  In Haiti, there is a cholera outbreak according to the CDC.  Cholera is an infectious disease that is caused by a bacteria and is basically transmitted through unclean water and food.  I remember as a kid my grandpa used to talk about cholera and how many people he saw get sick and die from it as his family was migrating from Germany to the United States.  I think that is why this story piqued my interest, because of my grandpa's experience. I would recommend anyone traveling outside of the United States to consult with a travel health clinic or physician to reduce risks of acquiring diseases that are prevalent in other countries.  Sometimes vaccinations are recommended before traveling to certain countries, other suggestions might be to bring own water or boiling the water before drinking. 

CDC - Making us Aware

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is expanding awareness efforts relating to homelessness.  Homelessness continues to be a problem, especially in light of this economic climate.  Because homelessness is associated with larger rates of disease, they feel that there is a need to provide more services or make them available to those who are in need.

Twittter

Just read an article from the Read Write Web regarding twitter and the potential for individuals who tweet in different languages.  This global tool enables translation for a variety of languages.  What will they think of next??

Sleep and vocabulary

Just read an article from Health Day News.  I always felt that people who get adequate sleep are healthier and better able to perform, especially in school.  This article reinforces that, as it was based on a study done on new word recall after sleep.  It was shown that participants were able to remember new words much better after sleep compared to within a few minutes following learning them  This is because the brain activity that occurs during sleep helps strengthen memory. 

ADHD & Adult Obesity

According the National Institutes of Mental Health, a new study conducted and reported in the International Journal of Obesity recently released supports that kids who have ADHD  are more likely to be obese as adults.  The study was conducted between the years 1995 - 2009 of more than 15,000 young adults.  The survey asked participants about symptoms of ADHD and concluded that the more symptoms the student had, the more likely they were obese as a young adult.  It is believed that it is because the ADHD medications are appetite suppressants, and it is strongly advised that physicians pay close attention to the weight of these individuals as they get older, especially for those whose medication dose decreases or is discontinued. 

Grants for Public Health

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced via CDC newsroom that grants are being awarded to public health agencies to maintain and offer preventative health services.  As a health educator this is critical because research that I have read supports prevention costs a lot less money than the treatment of illness in the long haul.  Michigan was awarded $400,000 to be used over a 5 year period according to the report. 

teen drivers

Just read an article posted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), stating that teen crash/fatalities have declined since 2004.  They feel that it is due to the requirements placed on new drivers, such as limited night time driving.  I have a 15 year old who will get his license this month, so as a parent I am glad to hear this news. 

Edutopia/Math

I viewed a video on Edutopia highlighting an elementary school in Oregon.  The curriculum is unique because they integrate math throughout all of the subjects taught.  It is felt by incorporating their math skills throughout each subject area, it fosters good problem solving skills.  Each student that was interviewed at the school stated that Math was their favorite subject.  Perhaps, if I was taught this way, I would have liked math too. 

Energy Drinks/Alcohol

There has been a growing concern about combining alcohol and energy drinks.  One would think that combining these two drinks would be safe, in  a sense cancel each other out, since energy drinks are stimulants and alcohol is a depressant.  This is not the case, the energy drinks only intensify the effects of the alcohol and gives the one who is consuming a higher likelihood of consuming more alcohol.    Most recently these dangers were outlined in an article in "Medline Plus", which discusses drinks that contain alcohol and caffeine all in one drink. One example is Four Loko, states the article.    These are sold in stores and because of the can design. appear to be innocuous.  This is not the case, as some of these drinks contain the equivalent of about 4 drinks in one can.  I feel that there needs to be more awareness and education and clerks in stores need to be held responsible if these drinks get sold to minors.