Do you smoke cigarettes or chew tobacco? If yes, then you know how addicting nicotine can be. But do you also know that tobacco is harmful? In fact, “tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States.†And, “between 1964 and 2004, cigarette smoking caused an estimated 12 million deaths, including 4.1 million deaths from cancer, and 5.5 million deaths from cardiovascular diseases.â€
These statistics, provided by the educational website Above the Influence, show the devastating effects of tobacco use on our population. Think about it. Don’t we all know someone who died
MyPlate, an Improvement?
by Louise August 4th, 2011 | Health News
Ever since its release in 1992, the USDA Food Pyramid has been a guide for the American diet. The pyramid was divided into six horizontal sections which featured foods from each section's food group. It was updated in 2005, with colorful vertical wedges replacing the horizontal sections, and the silhouette of a person climbing a staircase added on the side to represent exercise. It was even renamed as MyPyramid.
The USDA's pyramid was actually quite controversial. Some point out that it makes little sense that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, whose responsibilities include developing and executing U.S. federal government policy
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The USDA's pyramid was actually quite controversial. Some point out that it makes little sense that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, whose responsibilities include developing and executing U.S. federal government policy
New FDA Rules for Sunscreens
by Louise July 28th, 2011 | Health News
When buying sunscreen, it is often hard to understand what kind of protection each product offers. Sunscreen isn't cheap; we want the bang for our buck. The FDA has finally made some reforms to the rules for the labeling of sunscreen:
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- Water and sweat resistance - Products may no longer claim to be waterproof or sweat-proof; that is a misleading overstatement. Sunscreen labels may claim to be water resistant, but must indicate the amount of time the product remains effective, either 40 or 80 minutes. Sunscreens that are not water resistant must include directions to use a water resistant sunscreen if swimming or
Hooray for Public Health!
by Lori Sciame July 19th, 2011 | Health News
In May, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) named the top ten public health achievements in the United States from 2001 – 2011. They list strides in improving maternal and child health, as well as motor vehicle safety. Other advances have been made in cancer prevention, occupational safety, and childhood lead poisoning prevention. Rounding out the list are emergency preparedness, vaccine-preventable disease prevention, prevention and control of infectious diseases, cardiovascular disease prevention, and tobacco control.
Since I’ve worked in public health for 20 years, I find this list extremely exciting, because I’ve overseen countless projects addressing the concerns listed above.
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Since I’ve worked in public health for 20 years, I find this list extremely exciting, because I’ve overseen countless projects addressing the concerns listed above.
Using Health Information Wisely
by Lori Sciame June 21st, 2011 | Health News
I am middle-aged, yet I take no medications, and on a recent health screening I scored 98.8 points on a 100 point scale. Why, then, am I so afraid of becoming sick?
Maybe I am part of a group known as the “worried well.†These people, although they eat right, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep, become upset every time they hear about a new illness or public health concern. They think that they, too, will automatically become sick, even though they may be hundreds or even a thousand miles away from the hazardous area (such as with the recent
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Maybe I am part of a group known as the “worried well.†These people, although they eat right, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep, become upset every time they hear about a new illness or public health concern. They think that they, too, will automatically become sick, even though they may be hundreds or even a thousand miles away from the hazardous area (such as with the recent