Tips for staying healthy in hot temperatures

With the arrival of summer and hot weather upon us, Dr. Ron Chapman, director of the California Department of Public Health, is encouraging California residents to follow these top-10 helpful tips to stay safe this summer:

• Reduce exposure to the sun from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. when UV rays are strongest, and keep physical activities to a minimum during that time. When working outside, drink plenty of water or juice even if you are not thirsty, and take rest breaks in the shade.

• Wear a wide-brimmed hat to cover the face and neck, and wear loose-fitting clothing to keep cool and to protect your skin from the sun and mosquitoes.

• Wear sunglasses that provide 100 percent UVA and UVB protection. Chronic exposure to the sun can cause cataracts, which left untreated, can lead to blindness.

• Liberally apply sunscreen (at least SPF 15)

15 minutes before venturing outdoors and re-apply at least every two hours — sunscreen prevents skin cancer, the number one cancer affecting Californians and prevents premature aging.

• Never, EVER leave infants, children or frail elderly unattended in a parked car. It can take as little as 10 minutes for the temperature inside a car to rise to levels that can kill.

• To prevent overheating, use cool compresses, misting, showers and baths — if you or someone experiences a rapid, strong pulse, feels delirious, becomes unconscious or has a body temperature above 102, call 911 immediately.

• Prevent children from drowning by providing adult supervision at all times and having a safety barrier that surrounds a pool or spa. Drowning is the leading cause of injury deaths for children under five.

• Make sure that your doors and windows have tight-fitting screens to keep out mosquitoes. Some mosquitoes carry West Nile Virus, which can mimic influenza symptoms such as fever, body aches and eye pain.

The virus can cause serious health complications and in rare cases, death.

• Apply insect repellent containing DEET, picaradin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR 3535 according to label instructions.

Mosquitoes usually bite in the early morning and evening so it is important to wear repellent during those times.

• Eliminate all sources of standing water on your property, including flower pots, old car tires, rain gutters and pet bowls — mosquitoes breed and lay eggs in standing water.

For more tips on staying cool in the summer sun, go online to www.cdph.ca.gov.

Source http://www.hidesertstar.com/articles/2011/06/29/the_desert_trail/sports/doc4e0b9d8aab378652657286.txt

Keep Your Kids Eating Healthy

Fast food is a big part of modern life these days, making it very hard to teach a child how he or she should eat healthy. The cheapest and easiest foods are those that are normally the least healthy. If you give your child the choice between healthy food and junk food, you normally won't like the results.


Even though it isn't possible to get a child to like all healthy foods, there are some ways to get your child to try and hopefully like at least a few of them. You can be as creative as you like, as getting kids to eat healthy foods can be a little harder than you may think.

- Sneak the healthy food in. Even though it would be great if your kid understood the importance of fruits and vegetables, this isn't always possible. If you can't get them to eat good food willingly, there are ways to sneak them in, such as making muffins out of bananas or apples, or pizza with spinach on it.

- Call fruits and vegetables by funny names. You can refer to broccoli as "trees", making them more fun to eat. There are many different names you can call fruits and vegetables, even making up your own if you prefer. Most kids prefer to eat foods that sound fun.

- Make the foods taste better. Ranch dressing is great for broccoli, while peanut butter is a great topping for celery. There are several combinations for vegetables that can make them taste much better. You can let your child pick a topping for a vegetable, even if it's something you wouldn't normally like yourself.

- Dress the vegetables up. Just as much as calling them names help kids eat healthy foods, making them look funny also helps. You can do this by making funny designs on the plate, or setting them up to look like people. Although some parents don't like their kids playing with their food, sometimes it helps to get them to eat healthier.

There are several ways to make your kids eat healthier, but to make them enjoy it also has to be fun as well. This isn't always an easy task, because kids normally don't like foods that are good for them. It can however, be done with a bit of creativity. Hopefully, doing this will help your child develop a love of healthy foods for the rest of their lives.

Stroke prevention and getting enough sleep

Health tips for Wednesday include a healthy diet to prevent stroke, and getting ample sleep for both adults and children!

Strokes are probably one of the more debilitating and disabling health downturns we could have, if we survive one at all.

Healthy weight and healthy eating lower our risk, but now, one thing we can have in our diet could protect us from stroke, that comes from an encouraging report to be published tomorrow in the Journal of Neurology.

The Mediterranean diet is a healthy way to eat and very beneficial for our hearts.

It comprises of fruits, vegetables, fish, whole grains and includes olive oil. In this study of over 7 thousand people who reported they used lots of olive oil, the researchers also found a 41 percent lower risk of stroke when compared to the people who used no olive oil.

So olive oil might be the protector against that awful attack to our brain vessels that's called a stroke.

So what I tell people is that olive consumption is good but to keep in mind that we don't know how much you should take and that olive oil is a fat. However it is a good fat so we encourage people to substitute bad fats with good fats

In another story, we have more information on women's sleep out today from sleep experts.

Many of us, both men and women, use weekends to try to catch up the snooze we didn't get enough of during the week. And while we may feel more rested, sometimes it's not enough, because our brain functions don't recover totally.

But one study reported today finds that women don't suffer the effects of sleep deprivation as much as men do.

The researchers think that is because women, when they do sleep, get "deeper" sleep and that is what protects them more when they're deprived of sleep.

That's one for the women.

And another sleep study reported today looked at pre-schoolers and what happens when they don't get enough sleep. The study involves about 6,860 children with analyses controlled for gender, ethnicity and family income

While most moms can probably tell you what happens, this scientific research found this: Kids not getting enough sleep at home might make them more likely to be hyperactive and inattentive in Kindergarten.

"ADHD is usually diagnosed during the school age years, but the onset of hyperactivity and impulsivity starts much earlier", said the researcher.

Doctor's recommendation: toddlers to age 3 should get 12 to 14 hours of sleep , and preschoolers and kindergarteners need to get 11 to 13 hours. So doctor's orders: see that those little ones get their sleep.

Source http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/health&id=8192612

Health tips for pregnant women dealing with diabetes

We all know that the condition of pregnancy can be difficult for any women but it can be more challenging if the woman has Diabetes. So if any of you is about to get pregnant then there are many precautions that you need to take care of and bad habits like smoking or drinking should be avoided. Here are certain health tips that help you out in dealing with pregnancy and diabetes at the same time:

Maintain a healthy weight

Maintaining a healthy weight can help you in avoiding injuries and keeping a check on the blood sugar level. It is very easy to maintain a healthy weight by performing routine exercise designed for pregnant women. Loosing excess weight and taking prenatal vitamins can assist in keeping blood sugar under control.

Women who are dealing with diabetes type 2 are more at risk for PCOS, which is also known as polycystic ovary syndrome. In this complex situation, it is very difficult for a woman to get pregnant. However, there are certain medications that can assist in stimulating the ovulation like Clomid and Serophene.

Constant checkups

Woman dealing with pregnancy and diabetes at the same time deal with complex problems quite often, that is why it is very important for her to undergo regular checkups with her doctor. Regular monitoring, blood sugar level checkups and ultrasounds with the doctor can be of great help in detecting any sort of problems earlier on before it gets late. It is very important to keep the blood sugar under control by regular blood glucose monitoring so that your diabetes does not create problems in pregnancy stages.

Source http://www.womencitizen.com/health/3261-health-tips-for-pregnant-women-dealing-with-diabetes.html

Tips on how to reduce exposure to cell phone radiation

How do you cope with the fact that the cell phone, the means of communication by which million of people communicate, may cause brain cancer?

News that exposure to the phones' radio frequency and electromagnetic fields may put consumers at an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer, will likely have panicked users reaching for their land lines.

While there no direct evidence that cell phones will give you cancer, there are proven way to help you reduce your risk:

If you're going to talk on your cell phone, go hands free.

These devices emit far less radiation than the actual phone, according to the Environmental Working Group. If you're alone, you could also use the phone's speaker mode.

Got a weak signal?  While it seems counterintuitive, that's the time when radiation is the strongest. The fewer bars you have, the more important it is to wear that headset.

Like to talk on your cell phone while you drive? Be aware that your iPhone may be more dangerous while you're in the car.  The reason?  While your phone is searching hard for a signal, it's emitting more radiation.

We've all become used to having our phones within a moment's grasp. But think twice before you keep it in your pocket or on your belt, right next to your body while you're chatting, advises the environmental group.

Little kids shouldn't talk on cell phones for more a few minutes – their brains absorb more radiation.  Tell Grandma to call on the land line.

Some phones cause more radiation to be absorbed by the human body.  Here are a few to consider avoiding, according to the group.

1. Motorola Bravo (MB520) AT&T 1.59 W/kg
2. Motorola Droid 2 GlobalVerizon Wireless *1.58 W/kg
3. Palm PixiSprint1.56 W/kg
4. Motorola Boost i335Boost Mobile 1.55 W/kg
5. Blackberry Bold 9700AT&T, T-Mobile1.55 W/kg
6.Motorola i335Sprint 1.55 W/kg
7. HTC Magic (T-Mobile myTouch 3G)T-Mobile 1.55 W/kg

Source   http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2011/05/31/2011-05-31_cell_phone_rancer_risk_tips_on_how_to_reduce_exposure_to_cell_phone_radiation.html?r=news

Healthy cooking methods

Stir frying and sauteing with olive oil or canola oil are both great methods, as you shouldn't dip your food in batter and fry it anymore. If you cook chicken, remove the skin and bake it in the oven in foil.


Instead of frying your fish you should always bake it. Steaming your vegetables can help maintain the most nutrients. You should use cream sauces or lots of butter anymore either. When you eat vegetables, try squeezing lemon juice on them or using your favorite seasonings.

As you make the proper changes to your diet, keep in mind that it takes time for them to become habits. Eating healthy is always great for your body and your lifestyle, especially when it comes to your heart and the prevention of heart disease.

HOw to help prevent heart disease

To help prevent heart disease and improve your health, put the tips below to good use.
Eat plenty of fish Herring, sardines, and salmon are all excellent sources of Omega 3 essential fatty acids. Other fish are great to, although Omega 3 may help to get your cholesterol down to a healthier level.

Choosing healthy fats and oils
Saturated fat will increase the risk of heart disease. It's found in meat, butter, and even coconut oil. You should avoid them until your cholesterol levels are down and you are at a healthy weight. Even those that love red meats can enjoy seafood and nuts for their main sources of protein.

Monounsaturated fats such as olive oils will help you to protect your heart. Olive oil is an ideal choice for cooking, dressing, or even as a dipping sauce.

Plenty of fiber
Fiber can help you control your cholesterol. You can find fiber in whole grain products to help control sugar absorption as well, which will help you keep your digestive system healthy.

Choosing carbohydrates
Eating for your heart involves staying away from sugary foods such as candy, cookies, cakes, and pastries. Eating a lot of sugar isn't good for your heart disease at all. Healthy carbohydrates involve whole grain breads, whole grain pasta, brown rice, and a lot of vegetables. You should make fruits and vegetables the main aspect of your diet.