Shady Grove Adventist Hospital - Health Tip

Adolescent Stress

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Stress in adolescence is just as prevalent as in adults. The physical, intellectual, emotional, and social changes that middle schoolers are experiencing rival those of babies and toddlers. Drives and impulses become stronger. Restraints become weaker. Sources of stress might include: school demands, changes in their bodies, problems with friends, divorce of parents, death of a loved one, moving, family financial problems, too many activities, and having high expectations.

Anemia

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

About one in five women, three percent of men, and 50 percent of pregnant women in the United States have iron deficiency anemia, the most common form. Also, 7 percent of children ages 1-2 years and about 175,000 nursing home residents suffer from low levels of iron. Anemia can be temporary or long term and can range from mild to severe. There are many types of anemia such as iron deficiency, vitamin deficiency, sickle cell anemia, and Thalassemia (Cooley’s anemia).

Probiotics

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 05:00:00 GMT

There is a growing interest in probiotics and some researchers believe probiotics may improve general health. Probiotics refers to dietary supplements or foods such as yogurt, fermented/unfermented milk, some juices, miso, soy drinks, etc. that contain beneficial or “good” bacteria that are similar to those normally found in the body. Probiotics can help treat several gastrointestinal ills, delay the development of allergies in children, reduce bladder cancer occurrence, prevent eczema in children, and improve lactose intolerance.

Procrastination

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Research indicates that at least 20 percent of people classify themselves as procrastinators. Procrastination is associated with higher stress, a greater number of acute health problems, the practice of fewer wellness behaviors, and less frequent dental and medical check-ups. It prevents people from having success and being happy. It kills dreams, interferes with relationships, and causes financial difficulties.

Marijuana

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the country. An estimated 25 million Americans smoked it within the last year and close to 100 million have smoked it at least once in their life. The strength of today’s marijuana is as much as ten times greater than the marijuana used in the early 1970s. There are more teens in drug treatment for marijuana dependence than for alcohol or any other drug.

Chronic Heartburn

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Complications from chronic heartburn are on the rise. Five to 15 percent of heartburn sufferers have chronic heartburn. Esophageal cancer is the nation’s fastest growing malignancy and about 25 million Americans have some form of esophageal disease, the most common is GERD. Heartburn leads people to spend nearly $2 billion a year on over-the-counter antacids.

Lung Cancer

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women. It claims more lives than colon, prostate, lymph, and breast cancers combined. Smoking accounts for nearly 90 percent of lung cancer cases. According to a Surgeon General’s report, nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at home or at work increase their risk of developing lung cancer by 20 to 30 percent.

Hygiene

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Dirt, warmth, sweat and other secretions are all factors that encourage germs to multiply. Clean clothes should be worn daily; a fabric contains 10,000 germs per square centimeter after one day of wear. Aside from genetic causes, the two main reasons hair can be lost are stress and poor diet. Poor oral health is linked to a number of diseases. Nails are made up of layers of keratin (protein) and can be indicative of our general health. There are 250,000 sweat glands in a pair of feet.

Metabolic Syndrome

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 05:00:00 GMT

It is estimated that over 50 million Americans have metabolic syndrome. The syndrome has become increasingly common in the United States due to the rise in obesity rates among adults. Metabolic syndrome is diagnosed when a person has at least three of these heart disease risk factors: abdominal obesity, elevated blood pressure, high triglyceride level, low level of HDL “good” cholesterol, and elevated glucose (blood sugar) level after fasting.

Family Time

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 05:00:00 GMT

It is important to make family time a priority. In a study that followed 65 children over eight years, Harvard researchers looked at which activities most fostered healthy child development: play, story time, events with family members, and other factors. Family dinners won out. Also, set up a regular family game night, make family time physically active, and involve the whole family in choosing a vacation destination.