Health News

With temps easily reaching into the 100s during the summer months, the heat can be particularly harmful for anyone working outdoors in direct sunlight or in hot environments.

While everyone is at risk for eye damage and potential vision loss from ultraviolet (UV) radiation, people who work or play in the sun for extended amounts of time face the greatest risk.

Considered the most prevalent cancer today with more than one million new cases diagnosed each year in adults and children, skin cancer is also considered the most preventable—approximately 90 percent of cases—when proper sun protection is practiced consistently.

Because children act fast, parents and caregivers must always be extra careful when using household chemicals or medicines to avoid accidental poisonings.

First and foremost, you must recognize the potential threats that may come your way. With Houston County's geographical location, weather preparedness is a great place to start. First, sit down and establish an Emergency Response Plan. It should be simple and easy to follow, and it can be amended later to better fit different scenarios.

In this article, we'll focus on how to recognize potential threats and building a response plan accordingly.

Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States. Unfortunately, the majority of women still are not aware of this fact. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the statistics are scary.

Not enough American women understand that by taking the B vitamin folic acid every day--even before pregnancy--they can help prevent serious birth defects in their unborn baby.

Parents are the most influential people in their children's lives, especially when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle. In a survey conducted by the American Dietetic Association Foundation, children ranked one or more parent as the person they wanted to be like most, proving that parents have more influence over their children's behavior, including their eating and exercise habits, than anyone else.

One of your New Year's resolutions for 2012 is to start exercising to improve your health. Good for you! Research shows that regular physical activity can reduce your risk of chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, and improve your balance and coordination. Exercise can also help you lose weight, sleep better and boost your self-confidence. But if you are new to the world of exercise, you may be wondering what you should do first. How do you start an exercise program? How much should you be exercising? What's the best type of exercise for beginners?

For younger children, portable pools such as inflatable and wading pools, can pose a significant drowning risk, even more so than in-ground pools, according to a new study conducted by Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. The study found that a child drowned in a portable backyard pool once every five days during the summer months between 2001 and 2009, with the majority of the children drowning being five years old or younger.

Just like women, men also face several health issues that are uniquely their own. Unlike women, however, men will usually ignore the warning symptoms, waiting until a minor symptom escalates to something more serious.

Many stroke survivors find it difficult to eat because parts of the brain that control swallowing were damaged by the stroke. According to the Stroke Association, dysphagia is a swallowing disorder that occurs in nearly 65 percent of stroke patients. If not identified and treated, dysphagia can negatively impact a stroke survivor’s recovery and future health.

Lack of sleep can affect nearly every aspect of a person’s daily life. In fact, research has linked sleep deprivation to car accidents, relationship troubles, poor job performance, job-related injuries, and memory problems. Recent studies also suggest health issues, such as high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and depression could be linked to lack of sleep.

Ladies, it’s a myth that we can’t have a heart attack. Infact, nearly five times as many women—or 200,000 of us—die each year from a heart attack compared to breast cancer. It’s also a myth that heart attacks only happen to older women.

Approximately one in every 33 babies is born with a birth defect each year in the United States. Sadly, birth defects are also a leading cause of death in children under the age of one—causing one in every five deaths. Women of childbearing age should be aware there is a critical link between uncontrolled diabetes and increased risk for birth defects, warns the National Birth Defects Prevention Network (NBDPN).