What is even more important than sunscreen and eating healthy in the summer?
Answer: Staying hydrated.
Our bodies are made up of about 65% water, and in the summer we are constantly being depleted of it. On a hot summer day, it doesn’t take long for dehydration to set in, and that can quickly become dangerous (even deadly).
Ironically, the summer is also a time when people are less likely to realize they are becoming dehydrated. We find ourselves frolicking on the beach or enjoying a day at the amusement park, and we totally forget about stopping to hydrate.
The best way to prevent yourself and family from suffering the harmful effects of dehydration is to plan ahead, especially if you will be away from your home.
Here’s what I do when I’m planning a day at the beach with my kids…
Is it possible to make fitness fun? I think that depends on whether or not you want to have fun. Let’s face it, if you’re not enjoying your workout, you’re going to find excuses not to do it. But working out doesn’t have to be a drag, we all have the power to make our workouts fun. It’s a choice, if you want to make your workout more fun and exciting, take some time to think about ways you can do that.
Thankfully, we are all wonderfully different, and what’s fun for me, might not be fun to you. That’s why the smartest way to make fitness fun, is to make it your own. If you love the outdoors and wonder why you hate your time on the treadmill, maybe you should try taking a walk on the beach or in a park instead. Do you hate to workout because it’s the only time during the day you can catch-up on your favorite television shows? Well, instead of being a couch potato, get a piece of exercise equipment that you can put in front of the television. Watch your shows and burn calories at the same time.
What ever reason you have for not being able to enjoy your workout, take some time to think of ways to make it more fun for yourself. Here are some tips I have for making fitness fun…
Did you see the headlines linking sunscreen to skin cancer? Are you feeling confused about how to protect yourself and family from the dangers of sun exposure? These stories stem from a report by the EWG (Environmental Working Group). Many of these “fear driven” headlines would lead you to believe that it might be more dangerous to use sunscreen than not. Let me assure you, it is still best to use sunscreen, but you should use it wisely.
A statement from The American Academy of Dermatology says, “scientific evidence supports the beneficial effects of sunscreen” and sunscreen is “an important tool in the fight against skin cancer.”
It seems like a real shame to me that these reports are coming out now, at the beginning of the summer season, when we should all be doing everything we can to protect ourselves and our families from the dangerous effects of the sun. We need to take every measure possible to reduce our risk for developing skin cancer, and using sunscreen is still the first line of defense.
One thing you don’t want to do is buy into claims of 50, 80, and up to 100 SPF. These claims lead consumers into a false sense of security. And many people believe that if they use these high SPF sunscreens, they can put it on once and be protected for the entire day. This is not true.
I contacted the American Cancer Society for a comment. Here is the statement they sent me, from Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, Deputy Chief Medical Officer…
National Public Health Week: Can We Become A Healthier Nation?
I think many people living in the United States would be surprised to know that we are not one of healthiest nations in the world. Not even close.
The American Public Health Association (APHA) would like to change that, but they can’t do it alone. So during the first week of April, the APHA would like to bring more awareness to public health, and offer ways that we can all help this country become a healthy nation.
While the United States spends more on health care than any other nation in the world, it lags behind many developed nations in important health measures. Compared with other developed nations, the United States has relatively low life expectancy, high infant mortality rates, a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS and persistent health inequities.
This is simply unacceptable. Since the early 1900s, APHA has vigorously promoted the need for universal health care coverage. However, while universal access to health care is vital to improving the health of our nation, it is just one element of reforming our health system. In order to more fully and effectively achieve a healthier nation we need to ensure the underlying social and economic conditions that allow individuals and communities to be healthy.
We must shift from a nation solely focused on treating individual illness to one that also promotes population-based health services that encourage preventive and early intervention practices.
What do you think? Can we become a healthier nation? Would you be willing to help us get there?
Have you ever felt like you were addicted to junk food? A shocking new study finds that this can actually happen. Apparently foods high in fat and sugar can be as addictive as cocaine or nicotine. This addictive aspect of junk food can then lead to compulsive overeating and in-turn obesity.
I can certainly see how this could be true. I know I have a terrible time getting off sugar. It usually takes a solid five to seven days of no sugars before I feel like I’m not craving it. It’s hard, but once I get over that hump, I always feel great. But it only takes one bite of a cookie, or one brownie, or one piece of candy, and I am right back where I started…seemingly addicted to sugar. I may have been avoiding sweets for months without any problem, but that one “falling off the wagon” moment sucks me right back into the sugar craving.
a compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly : persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful.
Thankfully, I’ve never been addicted to alcohol, drugs, or even cigarettes…But I do have symptoms of withdraw when I try to stop eating sugar, and when I am eating sugar I crave more and more of it (even when I know it is contributing to weight gain, and negative affects on my health). So I guess it does feel like an actual addiction.
I was honored to have a chance to talk with Greg Grunberg (star of the NBC show Heroes) last week about his work to bring more awareness and understanding to epilepsy. Greg, who’s son Jake was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 7, went to the nation’s capital last week for Saturday’s National Walk for Epilepsy. He also met with members of Congress, including Rep. Ed Perlmutter of Colorado (who has a daughter with epilepsy) about bringing more awareness to this disease.
Greg told me that just before his son’s 7th birthday he began having (what he thought were) staring spells. At first Greg and his wife just thought their son was daydreaming, but during his annual check-up the pediatrician discovered that Jake was actually having seizures.
Even though the diagnosis of epilepsy was scary for Greg and his wife, they were determined to find out everything they could and get their son the best possible treatment. And like many parents, they turned to the internet for answers. But what they found was that there was no one-size-fits-all treatment, because there isn’t any one-size-fits-all type of seizure. Greg told me that every seizure is different, and every patient responds differently to medication. Unfortunately, Jake has been found to be in the 25 percent of children that have seizures which are more difficult to treat. And at the age of 13, Jake has already been on many different medications, tried many different treatments, and even has had surgery.
One thing that Greg says he wished he knew earlier on in his son’s diagnosis, was that there is actually a specialized type of neurologist (known as an epileptologist) who specializes in the treatment of epilepsy. For this reason, Greg’s message to parents with a child suffering from uncontrolled seizures is “don’t settle”. He wants parents to seek out a specialist and not to settle for anything less than seizure-free (or at least as close to seizure-free as possible).
To help parents (as well as friends and family) of children with epilepsy, Greg has come together with some of his friends in the entertainment world and he’s created a wonderful interactive website to bring more awareness to this disease. It’s called Talk About It…at TalkAboutIt.org. He also has a great ning site where anyone can go to get information and Talk About It.
Childhood obesity is taking a huge toll on the health our kids. Diseases that in the past have only been seen in adults are (for the first time) being seen in children. And these are serious medical conditions that can potentially reduce the life span of our children by up to 20 years.
It’s clear that something needs to be done to help children make healthier food choices and reduce their risk of life threatening illnesses. Even the First Lady is getting involved, Michelle Obama recently announced her Let’s Move initiative to help solve the epidemic of childhood obesity.
We also need to address the emotional and psychological toll that obesity is taking on our children. Living with obesity can dramatically effect a child’s self-esteem, and in many cases these children can also become severely depressed.
“Overweight kids are more likely to have depression and low self-esteem, to be teased or bullied, and to bully other children,” said Catherine Davis, associate professor of pediatrics at the Medical College of Georgia. “These can be serious problems for these children.”
That’s why it is so important to make sure that while helping our kids get to a healthy weight, we do everything in our power to protect their fragile psyches.
I’ve written several posts on the problems of childhood obesity. Not only are the number of overweight children on the rise, but even more troubling, is the increase of adult diseases these children are developing. Obese children are developing life threatening conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure at an alarming rate. What kind of life expectancy are these kids going to have? In my own experience, I never had high blood pressure until my thirties, but in less than ten years, my high blood pressure has damaged three of the valves in my heart. If this could happen to me in such a short period of time; I can’t even imagine what the long-term effects of high blood pressure will be on obese children. And I don’t think we can afford to wait to find out.
But what can we do?
In the long run, I think it’s going to take both individual changes as well as policy changes to make a real difference in childhood obesity. And I think banning trans fats in prepared foods is a good place to start. But until then – Parents need to know what foods are highest in trans-fat and then avoid them as much as possible.
In a nutshell, trans fat is an issue because it is associated with all kinds of health problems. Trans fat can wreak havoc on your cholesterol levels – increasing your LDL (the “bad” cholesterol) and decreasing your HDL (the “good” cholesterol). A high LDL is a major risk factor for heart disease. HDL picks up excess cholesterol and takes it back to the liver, so higher HDL is a good thing.
Trans fat also increases triglycerides and causes more inflammation. Triglycerides are another kind of fat that may contribute to hardening or thickening of artery walls. Trans fat consumption is associated with an increased risk of stroke and type-2 diabetes.
Here are two links that can help you avoid trans-fats…
Christmas. Is it the most wonderful time of the year? Or the most stressful time of the year? Would it surprise you to know that 8 out of 10 people suffer some degree of stress during the holiday season?
My kids are big kids now (15 & 18), and I really miss those years when they were younger and I got to be Santa. I loved shopping for toys, the hours wrapping, and especially watching the joy on their faces as they tore through everything in a matter of minutes. Back then, I was blissfully ignorant of all the dangers lurking in those toys. My only concern was getting the best deals I could find and making sure both my kids had an equal amount of gifts to unwrap. But it’s not so easy for moms today.
If you’re a mom, or anyone buying toys for a child this year, here is a round-up of posts that can help you make safe toy choices.
My daughter Nicole, who is a big Miley Cyrus fan, heard about a project Miley was supporting called Get UR Good On. As soon as she heard about it, she wanted to get involved. The idea was to do something good in your community, video it, and then upload it onto the Get UR Good On website to encourage others to do the same.
Nicole loves to cook Thanksgiving dinner, so she decided she wanted to cook a holiday dinner for women and children in need, so that’s what we did.
We contacted the Daytona women’s shelter and they were very excited about Nicole’s idea for a holiday dinner and toy give-away for the children. Then the work began.
Publix donated $50.00 and helped us get good deals on the food. Even so, that didn’t nearly cover the cost of the food, but a few friends and family pitched in to help with the rest. Then Nicole decided to use her own money (that she received for getting straight A’s in school) to buy the children toys. She bought — dolls, puppets, stuffed bears, coloring books, crayons, toy trucks and cars, pom-poms, magic tricks, books, play-dough, and more.
In honor of Word Diabetes Day I’ve decided to do a blog roundup of women blogging diabetes. Most are blogs by women who are living with diabetes, and others are women blogging about parenting a child with diabetes. I’ve also included several informative links and resources at the end of this post.
If you blog about living with diabetes or World Diabetes Day, please leave your link in comments.
When I first saw this, I honestly thought it was a joke.
(CBS) Kellogg, the nation’s largest cereal maker, is making new, controversial claims that its Krispies cereals can help boost kids’ immune systems.
Does fortifying junk food with a couple of vitamins make it healthy? No, of course not. Processed foods and foods high in sugar are not healthy. Period.
So why would Kellogg’s think that by adding a few vitamins to its kid cereals, that they could then call them healthy? Let me take a guess – $$$$$$$$$$. Isn’t it interesting how they are making these claims about “boosting your families immunity” at a time when most mothers are fearful of the H1N1 virus? Coincidence? Or just super good marketing strategy?
The truth is…Sugar (and many of the other ingredients in these cereals) actually weaken the immune system, so claims of boosting immunity are totally bogus. Shame on you Kellogg’s – You are clearly taking advantage of this swine flu crisis to increase your bottom line.
What do you think about this? Let me know in comments.
November is Epilepsy Awareness Month. I hope this post will provide information and facts about epilepsy, while also showcasing women blogging about life with seizures.
Epilepsy affects over 3 million Americans of all ages – more than multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and Parkinson’s disease combined. Almost 500 new cases of epilepsy are diagnosed every day in the United States. Epilepsy affects 50,000,000 people worldwide.
In two-thirds of patients diagnosed with epilepsy, the cause is unknown.
Epilepsy can develop at any age and can be a result of genetics, stroke, head injury, and many other factors.
In over thirty percent of patients, seizures cannot be controlled with treatment. Uncontrolled seizures may lead to brain damage and death. Many more have only partial control of their seizures.
The severe epilepsy syndromes of childhood can cause developmental delay and brain damage, leading to a lifetime of dependency and continually accruing costs—both medical and societal.
It is estimated that up to 50,000 deaths occur annually in the U.S. from status epilepticus (prolonged seizures), Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP), and other seizure-related causes such as drowning and other accidents.
The mortality rate among people with epilepsy is two to three times higher than the general population and the risk of sudden death is twenty-four times greater.
Recurring seizures are also a burden for those living with brain tumors and other disorders such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation, autism, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis, tuberous sclerosis, and a variety of genetic syndromes.
I found this video on a blog called My 3 Peanuts – It is a very informative video that explains exactly what happens during a seizure.
This is my response to seeing so many bloggers and commenters turning the “choice” to vaccinate for H1N1, into a free for all hate fest against moms who are “choosing” not to vaccinate.
To vaccinate or not to vaccinate, that is the question many moms are facing when it comes to Swine Flu and the H1N1 vaccine (including me). As far as I’m concerned, there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to the H1N1 vaccine. There is plenty of information available for parents to educate themselves on both the H1N1 virus as well as the vaccine, and I believe every mother has the right to make the decision she believes is best for her children. But not everyone thinks so, there are many moms on the internet freely venting their disdain for anyone who doesn’t vaccinate their child for H1N1.
Can you imagine being in high school or college and suddenly learning you have cancer? You thought you had a lifetime ahead of you and the whole world at your feet, but suddenly you’re told… maybe not. How would you cope?
That’s the question the twenty young people in this book had to answer when they were diagnosed with childhood cancer. Perseverance shares life lessons learned through their stories and educates the reader on how to incorporate them into his/her life. It tells of their trials and tribulations, of their triumphs, and of the unique challenges that day-to-day life brings them. Perseverance also provides an intimate look at the lives and journeys of these young people and how their courage and strength have affected the lives of others.
The swine flu vaccine will be available very soon, but there is still skepticism surrounding its safety. Generally, I have a strong opinion about these types of things, but my feelings about this vaccine are still uncertain.
One thing I am sure about though…This vaccine should not be made mandatory for anyone (including health care workers). I do believe health care workers should be among the first to have access this vaccine, since they will be the ones treating the sick. However, making it mandatory and threatening peoples jobs (especially in this economy) is totally unacceptable. But that is exactly what is happening in some states.
This week has been designated as a week to raise awareness and change perceptions of adult and child Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). And this year there will be a focus on the reasons why early diagnosis is so important.
Because proper diagnosis is so important, I’m starting this post with information about the common symptoms of ADHD, and I’ve ended it with informative links.
“Go Confidently In The Direction Of Your Dreams” — Henry David Thoreau
With the pressures of daily life, do any of us really have time to think about our dreams? Do we even know what our dreams are? Kids know what their dreams are, just ask them…What do you want to be when you grow up? It is always such and easy answer for them. But once we do grow up, then what? Is is too late for us?
What if we never realized, that we might have been forgetting to follow our dreams? Worse than that, what if we thought we were following our dreams, but it turned out that we were living a nightmare? Then what? Is it too late? Do we get a second chance at our dreams?
When is it too late to follow your dreams? I would like to believe the answer to that question is never. I think our dreams are ever changing, and ever evolving, just as our lives are. I think that it’s o.k. not to be exactly sure what our dreams are, and it’s also o.k. if our dreams change from time to time. The only thing that is not o.k., is to give-up on our dreams. Because, once you give-up your dreams, you lose hope for your future.
But why then, do so many people give-up or deny their dreams? That is an easy one to answer…They give up because they are afraid, afraid of failure. Fear is what stops us from following our dreams. Fear is the darkness that casts a shadow over our light. And, fear is what we need to overcome if we want to reach for our dreams.
The most important thing to remember…Is to never let go of your hopes and dreams, even when you are not sure what they are. So, take some time to figure out what your greatest dreams are for your life, and then walk confidently towards them, without fear.
The controversy surrounding the Gardasil vaccine has been around from the moment it was approved for use in young girls. And from the very beginning I have had a problem with Gardasil being referred to as a cervical cancer vaccine – because it’s not. I also have a problem with the ‘fear mongering’ commercials designed to look like public service announcements, and the possibility of making this vaccine (yet another) required by the government.
In the end, I want to research the facts and be the one to make an educated decision about whether or not to vaccinate my daughter for the HPV virus. To be perfectly honest…At this point I don’t see any indication that the benefits of this vaccine outweigh the risks. Although the risks are very small, the benefits seem to be even smaller.
But don’t take my word for it…Look at some of the most recent facts about Gardasil.
With back-to-school just around the corner…The CDC has just released it’s recommendations to schools for the 2009-2010 school year. I have to say that I am very pleased the CDC is taking a ‘no need to panic’ attitude towards back-to-school and the swine flu. I was worried they were going to pull a mandatory vaccine out of their aaass…(I mean) hat. And if that would have happened, it would have seriously thrown me off the deep end.
As much as the media loved hyping this story and scaring the bee-geezers out of everyone. Fear is never the answer.
If you’re a mom, you probably have concerns or questions about child safety. And you can find a great resource at the Home Safety Council. It’s a great interactive website with tips, links, resources, videos and more.
The Home Safety Council (HSC) is the only national nonprofit organization solely dedicated to preventing home related injuries that result in nearly 20,000 deaths and 21 million medical visits on average each year. Through national programs, partnerships and the support of volunteers, HSC educates people of all ages to be safer in and around their homes.
Like many other moms out there, I’m getting ready to send my child off to college in a few weeks. So I thought a post that addressed some of the health and wellness issues of college students might be helpful.
It’s the time of the year when we need to talk about protecting ourselves and our families from the harmful effects of the sun. Obviously, sunscreen is the most important line of defense…But if you’re using sunscreen that was left over from last year, you may not be getting the protection you think you are. That’s because sunscreen has an expiration date.
That first sunburn of the year can be painful — best to avoid it altogether with a little prevention.
If you’re headed out with your crew, these tips might save you a little hurt later on:
Keep your eye on the clock – The sun is strongest from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Early morning and later afternoon sun are less damaging to the skin.
Stock up on Sunscreen – Did you know that your sunscreen has an expiration date? It is best to purchase sunscreen in small bottles that can be replaced frequently.
As adults we need to take protection from the harmful effects of the sun seriously. But as parents, we need to be even more diligent with our children. Because just one sunburn as a child increases the chances of developing skin cancer as an adult.
Do you have children that suffer with food allergies? It seems like food allergies are becoming more and more prevalent. Why is that? My personal opinion, is that it has something to do with how germ and bacteria free we’ve become as a society.
Last week was food allergy awareness week, so I thought I would use this post to look at food allergies and how some parents are coping.
Food allergy is an immune system reaction that occurs soon after eating a certain food. Even a tiny amount of the allergy-causing food can trigger signs and symptoms such as digestive problems, hives or swollen airways. In some people, a food allergy can cause severe symptoms or even a life-threatening reaction known as anaphylaxis.
Food allergy affects an estimated 6 to 8 percent of children under age 3, and about 4 percent of adults. While there’s no cure, some children outgrow their food allergy as they get older.
A recent study shows that calcium may play an even greater role in a woman’s health than we once thought. Apparently, a higher intake of dietary calcium may decrease the risk of a woman developing colorectal cancer. But this isn’t about taking calcium supplements, it’s recommended that we increase our intake of calcium by choosing to eat more calcium rich foods. Yes, it’s another reason to eat healthy. How many more reasons do you need?
Who is to blame for childhood obesity? There certainly seems to be a lot of blame to go around. What do you think? Are the parents to blame? Take this poll and let me know…
My kids are 17 and 14, so it was quite a long time ago, but I do remember going to one of my first prenatal visits. I remember being asked if I wanted to have a blood test that could detect the possibility of Down Syndrome in my baby. Since the doctor formed this question in a way that made me think that the decision about having this test was up to me, I naively answered.
One of my saddest cases working as a nurse was on the oncology unit. I had a young woman as my patient (she was in her late twenties, only a few years older than I was at the time), and she had been diagnosed with end stage ovarian cancer. I had been working on the oncology unit for over a year, and many times patients came to my unit in the last few weeks or days of their lives, mostly so they could be given large doses of pain medication to keep them comfortable. Everyone knew these patients were coming in not to be cured, but to die. It was always hard and always sad, but this time the woman dying was so young.
My name is Catherine Morgan...I'm a writer, nurse, and mother. I'm also a contributing editor for BlogHer Health & Wellness.
Welcome to my blog...I write a little bit of everything with an emphasis on healthy living, inspiration, nutrition, and health news. I hope you'll find topics that interest you here, and I would love to know what you think in comments. Thanks for stopping by.
My kids are big kids now (15 & 18), and I really miss those years when they were younger and I got to be Santa. I loved shopping for toys, the hours wrapping, and especially watching the joy on their faces as they tore through everything in a matter of minutes. Back then, I was blissfully ignorant of all the dangers lurking in those toys. My only concern was getting the best deals I could find and making sure both my kids had an equal amount of gifts to unwrap. But it’s not so easy for moms today.
Can you imagine being in high school or college and suddenly learning you have cancer? You thought you had a lifetime ahead of you and the whole world at your feet, but suddenly you’re told… maybe not. How would you cope?
