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11 years ago
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New Dietary Guidelines to Replace the Food Pyramid
LET'S EAT FOR THE HEALTH OF IT!Your food and activity choices each day affect your health -- how you feel today, tomorrow and in the future. The tips below are a good starting point toward a change for a healthy diet and a healthier you:- Make at least half you grains whole grains
- Vary your veggies
- Focus on fruit
- Get your calcium rich foods
- Go lean with protein
- Find your balance between food and physical activity
- Keep food safe to eat
Improving what you eat and being active will help you to reduce your risk of chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, some cancers and obesity.
For additional resources check out:• www.DietaryGuidelines.gov
• www.Health.gov/paguidelines
• www.HealthFinder.gov
Information supplied by the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
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30th Commemoration of HIV/AIDS
Thirty years ago this June, an article reporting the first known cases of what we now call AIDS was published in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). Since then, extraordinary progress has been made in treating and preventing HIV, and annual new infections have fallen by more than two-thirds since the height of the epidemic.
National HIV Testing Day (NHTD): June 27
Despite this progress, HIV remains a crisis in our country. Over the last three decades, prevention efforts have helped reduce new infections and treatment advances have allowed people with HIV to live longer, healthier lives. But as these improvements have taken place, our nation's collective sense of crisis has waned. Far too many Americans underestimate their risk of infection or believe HIV is no longer a serious health threat, but they must understand that HIV remains an incurable infection. Today, the most infections are among people under 30—a new generation that has never known a time without effective HIV treatments and who may not fully understand the significant health threat HIV poses. The reality remains that about 50,000 new infections occur each year in the U.S. and, today, more than one million people are living with HIV in our nation. Reducing HIV rates in the U.S. is not only possible – it’s imperative – and new advances in HIV prevention hold promise in changing the course of this epidemic.
How can I find out more about HIV and AIDS?You can call CDC-INFO at 1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636); TTY access 1-888-232-6348. CDC-INFO is staffed with people trained to answer your questions about HIV and AIDS in a prompt and confidential manner in English or Spanish, 24 hours per day. Staff at CDC-INFO can offer you a wide variety of written materials and put you in touch with organizations in your area that deal with HIV and AIDS.
On the Internet, you can get information on HIV and AIDS from www.AIDS.gov or www.cdc.gov/hiv
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Sources:
http://www.cdc.gov
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/brochures/at-risk.htm
http://www.actagainstaids.org more -
New Sunscreen Labels to Help you Get the Best Protection
Beginning next summer the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is changing sunscreen labels to make it easier for you to pick a product that offers the protection level you want. The labels will clearly tell whether a sunscreen protects against sunburn, skin cancer and signs of premature skin aging; and whether it is a broad spectrum product.
Broad spectrum sunscreens with an SPF of 15 or higher will protect against all three. Anything less than 15 SPF will only protect against sunburn and soon will be labeled with a warning that reads "Skin cancer/skin aging alert: Spending time in the sun increases your risk of skin cancer and early skin aging. This product has been shown only to help prevent sunburn, not skin cancer or early skin aging". Future labels will also include information on how much time a user can expect to get the declared SPF level of protection while swimming or sweating.
Spending time in the sun increases the risk of skin cancer and early skin aging. To reduce this risk, consumers should regularly use sun protection measures including:
- Use sunscreens with broad spectrum SPF values of 15 or higher regularly and as directed.
- Limit time in the sun, especially between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., when the sun’s rays are most intense.
- Wear clothing to cover skin exposed to the sun; for example, long-sleeved shirts, pants, sunglasses, and broad-brimmed hats.
- Reapply sunscreen at least every 2 hours, more often if you’re sweating or jumping in and out of the water.
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Improve the Air Quality this Summer
The Air Quality Index is a tool used to express the local air quality on a daily basis to help you determine if there are any health risks. The AQI is expressed on a scale from 0 to 500 with the higher scores indicating greater levels of air pollution and health concerns. There are six color coded AQI categories that range from "good" to "hazardous". Follow this link to check the air quality in your area and obtain important information.
Some groups (children, older adults, and people with lung or heart disease) are more sensitive to poor air quality and may need to take extra precautions by avoiding prolonged periods or heavy outdoor activity.
You can take steps to improve the air quality index this summer by:
- Refueling your car after dusk
- Limiting engine idling
- Avoiding using gas powered lawn equipment
- Conserving electricity and set your air conditioner at a higher temperature
- Combining trips or using public transportation
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Florida KidCare health insurance
Child Health Insurance
You Can Afford
Through Florida KidCare, the state of Florida offers health insurance for children from birth through age 18, even if one or both parents are working. It includes four different parts. When you apply for the insurance, Florida KidCare will check which part your child may qualify for based on age and family income.- MEDIKIDS: children ages 1 through 4.
- HEALTHY KIDS: children ages 5 through 18.
- CHILDREN’S MEDICAL SERVICES NETWORK: children birth through 18 who have special health care needs.
- MEDICAID: children birth through 18. A child who has other health insurance may still qualify for Medicaid.
Some of the services Florida KidCare covers are:- Doctor visits
- Check-ups and shots
- Hospital
- Surgery
- Prescriptions
- Emergencies
- Vision and hearing
- Dental
- Mental health
Follow this link for information on eligibility and cost.
There are several ways to apply for Florida KidCare:- Apply online or
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Featured Condtion/Disease: Heart Disease
We are featuring a childhood/infant disease or condition informational post every other Friday. Today's topic is Heart Disease.
Definition
Heart disease, also called cardiac disease, is a heart defect. The word cardiac refers to the heart. Cardiac or heart disease means the heart muscle can't properly deliver oxygen and other essentials to the organs and tissues. Heart disease includes many different conditions. The heart pumps blood all over the body to bring oxygen and nutrients to the cells of the body.
Evaluation/Screening
If you have a child from the age from birth to three years old, you can have your child screened for heart disease through the Florida Early Steps program. Click here to see a list of Early Steps offices in your area.
More Information
To get more information, click here.
*Most of the information provided here is from the Teach More/Love More site, click here to visit their site.
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Featured Condtion/Disease: Sciolosis
We are featuring a childhood/infant disease or condition informational post every other Friday. Today's topic is Sciolosis.
Definition
Scoliosis is not a disease, but rather a word describing a condition of the spine (also called a backbone) when very curved. Some curves are normal in the spine. Some places we all usually have curves are in the neck, in the upper back and in the lower back. We need these spinal curves to help the upper body maintain proper balance. Curves in the spine to the left or right are not normal, and are called scoliosis.
A child can be born with scoliosis. A child can develop the lateral curves gradually over childhood. We don't know what causes most cases of scoliosis. The curvature of the spine from scoliosis may develop as a single curve like the letter C or as two curves shaped like the letter S.
Signs
Most parents first notice that their child has a crooked back or the body looks asymmetrical (one side looks higher than the other or the child looks tilted). Things to watch for:
- Walks with the head tilted.
- Shoulder blade (a bone in the back) sticks out.
- A tilted hip bone or one hip or shoulder higher than the other.
- Leans to one side when standing or walking.
To get more information about Sciolosis, click here.
*Most of the information provided here is from the Teach More/Love More site, click here to visit their site.
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