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February is American Heart Month
Eat For a Healthy Heart
American Heart Month, beginning February 1, is a good time to make simple changes in your diet to reduce your risk for the nation's No. one killer—heart disease. (learn more)
March is National Nutrition Month
The theme for March 2009 is “Eat Right.” National Nutrition Month® is a nutrition education and information campaign created annually in March by the American Dietetic Association (ADA). The campaign focuses attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. Registered Dietitian Day, also celebrated in March, increases awareness of registered dietitians (RD) as the indispensable providers of food and nutrition services and recognizes RDs for their commitment to helping people enjoy healthy lives.
Check the web site eatright.org for information and educational resources. The site provides event ideas and fact sheets on diet and healthy eating habits among numerous other resources.
To obtain permission from ADA for theme or artwork usage, see the Guidelines for Using NNM Service mark and slogan on their web site www.eatright.org, or if you have questions, e-mail ADA at nnm@eatright.org.
April is National Cancer Control Month
Can you prevent cancer or reduce your cancer risk? How can you detect cancer early? What are the risk factors for different types of cancer? Concerned about cancer because it runs in your family? Frequently exposed to tobacco or environmental hazards? Just want to stay healthy? What you eat and drink, how you live, where you work . . . all these factors can affect your risk for cancer. Find out more about these risks and what you can do to minimize them.You can find answers to these questions and more by visiting cancer.org.
BlueCross BlueShield Focuses on Colorectal Cancer During Cancer Control Month
Colorectal cancer usually begins as a growth of tissue, called a polyp, in the colon or rectum. Removing a polyp early may prevent it from becoming cancerous.
The primary risk factor for colorectal cancer is age; more than 90 percent of cases are found in people over age 50. Other risk factors include personal or family history of the disease, smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity, lack of exercise, and a high-fat/low-fiber diet.
Early detection is the key to controlling colorectal cancer. Beginning at age 50, everyone should be screened for colorectal cancer. Consult your health benefit plan for what tests are covered and at what age, so this information is communicated accurately and clearly to employees.
Risk can be lowered by eating plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole-grain foods, and limiting high-fat foods, as well as exercising at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week.
May is Asthma Awareness Month
World Asthma Day is held every year on the first Tuesday of May.
You Can Control Your Asthma
Asthma is the most common long-term disease of children, but adults have asthma, too. Asthma causes repeated episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and nighttime or early morning coughing. If you have asthma, you have it all the time, but you will have asthma attacks only when something bothers your lungs. You can control your asthma by knowing the warning signs of an attack, staying away from things that trigger an attack, and following the advice of your healthcare provider. When you control your asthma, you won't have symptoms like wheezing or coughing; you'll sleep better; you won't miss work or school; you can take part in all physical activities; and you won't have to go to the hospital. To learn more about how you can control your asthma, visit CDC's asthma site at http://www.cdc.gov/asthma/default.htm.
Asthma can be hard to diagnose, especially in children under 5 years of age. In most cases, we don't know what causes asthma, and we don't know how to cure it. If someone in your family has asthma, you are more likely to have it. Regular physical checkups that include checking your lung function and checking for allergies can help your healthcare provider make the right diagnosis. With your healthcare provider's help, you can make your own asthma management plan so that you know what to do based on your own symptoms. The important thing to remember is that you can control your asthma. (taken from the CDC web site - learn more at http://www.cdc.gov/asthma/default.htm)
June is National Safety Month
Summer Travel Safety
Summer travel plans are just around the corner. The Alabama Pharmacy Association (APA) would like to remind everyone to plan ahead and stay safe while traveling this summer. Simple preparations will help to avoid accidents and make your vacation travels a fun time for all.
Following are a few tips to help travelers stay safe such as have your vehicle checked, plan your route, bring a map or GPS system, pack a cell phone (and charger), flashlight, jumper cables, flares or white flag, basic tools, duct tape, drinking water, non-perishable food, all medications, and a first aid kit. Items to consider in your first aid kit are acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and/or aspirin tablets, antihistamine, anti-nausea/motion sickness medication, bandages of assorted sizes, safety pins, elastic wraps, gauze and adhesive tape, a thermometer, sharp safety scissors, antiseptic swipes, antibiotic ointment , hydrogen peroxide, instant-activating cold packs, and a first aid manual. If you wear glasses or lenses, take along an extra pair, and bring your prescription with you. Create a wallet-sized card that includes the medical information of each traveler. A list of your children’s medical history, allergies, medical problems and emergency contact phone numbers may prove very helpful.
Check with your health plan about coverage in your vacation destination. Be sure to share arrival, departure and destination information with close friends and family so that people know where and when you are expected. If traveling abroad, check with the Department of State for travel warnings. Know how to contact the local U.S. Embassy or Consulate and keep this information in several different places.
When driving to your destination, make sure everyone wears safety belts at all times. Children should ride in the back seat of a car and those younger than six or under 60 pounds should ride in an approved car safety seat. Never leave children (or pets) alone in a car. Avoid taking medications that make you drowsy while you drive, and do not drink alcohol while driving.
Always wear life vests when boating or safety helmets when biking, roller-blading, etc., and have a designated adult to watch children during any activity. Young children should be kept close at hand, and insist that older children use the buddy system. Always wear sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher during outdoor activities and drink plenty of water. Have a plan to meet in a specific location should you get separated. Planning ahead and being prepared will help keep your holiday safe and uneventful.
July is Children's Health and Safety Month
Learning to foresee accidents is the best way to prevent them. Child-proofing your home can reduce the risk of injury to children. Check your safety knowledge with the following quiz:
1. True or false: Safety caps on drug containers are childproof.
2. Which of these foods are often responsible for childhood choking? (a) hot dogs, (b) hard candies, (c) grapes, (d) nuts.
3. In recent years, the use of car safety seats for children has (a) dropped slightly, (b) stayed the same, (c) increased slightly, (d) risen dramatically.
4. True or false: An infant car seat should be used in the front seat so you can keep an eye on the child.
5. True or false: If your car does not have shoulder straps in the rear seat, or if the shoulder strap crosses over the neck or face of your four-year old, it is better to let him ride with no seat belt.
6. What type of home exercise equipment injures the most children? (a) rowing machines, (b) weights, (c) stationary bicycles, (d) cross-country ski machines.
7. True or false: Touching a hot stove is the leading cause of childhood burns.
8. Why are five-gallon plastic buckets, which originally contained paint, food, or other supplies, a danger to infants? (a) infants can be strangled by the handles, (b) they can eat the toxic materials in them, (c) they can drown in them.
ANSWERS
1. (false) Safety caps are merely child-resistant, not childproof - a toddler can often open a safety cap within 10 minutes - the cap is just a delaying tactic.
Tips: It's vital to keep drugs, even those with safety caps, out of the reach of children. Better yet, keep drugs out of sight and/or locked up.
2. (all - hot dogs, hard candies, grapes, nuts) These four foods cause more than 40% of all childhood choking deaths. Until toddlers have all their teeth and are able to chew their food well, they are inclined to swallow such foods whole. That can block a child's narrow airway and cause choking, a particular problem because of a child's underdeveloped ability to cough up obstructing foods.
Tips: Don't give young children small foods like grapes or nuts. Cut up solid foods in small pieces, and serve them in small quantities. Encourage children under five to chew vigorously; monitor their eating sessions. Don't let them eat while talking, running, or lying down. Don't let children toss or pour food into their mouths.
3. (d - risen dramatically) But car crashes remain the leading cause of death for kids under age five. Eighty-four percent of one- to four-year-olds and 83% of infants used safety seats in 1990. Use of child safety seats reduces the likelihood of fatal injury in a crash by 69% for infants and by 47% for children aged one to four, according to federal estimates. All 50 states have enacted child safety seat laws.
Tip: Don't think that it's ever safe to hold an infant when riding in a car - in a collision, the child is likely to fly out of your arms or be crushed against the dashboard.
4. (false) It is much safer to buckle an infant car seat into the rear seat.
Tip: Above all, do not use the infant seat in the front seat of a new car equipped with a passenger-side air bag since the deployed bag can seriously injure the infant by striking the back of the safety seat (which is designed to face the rear), according to the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration.
5. (false) Any belt is better than no belt - for a child as well as an adult.
Tip: Use a booster seat for a child age four to eight and weighing 40 to 65 pounds who has outgrown his infant safety seat. If your rear seat has shoulder straps, you can buy the kind of booster seat that raises your child so that the shoulder strap crosses his chest, not neck. If the rear seat has only lap belts, choose a booster seat that has a harness or shield, which will act as a torso restrainer.
6. (c - stationary bicycles) As more and more people buy exercise equipment, doctors are seeing a dramatic rise in the number of related injuries to young children. Stationary bikes injure thousands of kids each year, with more than a third of them suffering hand or finger injuries.
Tip: Don't let young children use or play with exercise equipment without supervision.
7. (false) Hot liquids are the leading cause of nonfatal burns. Kids have thinner skin and thus are severely scalded at lower temperatures than adults. Water at 140 degrees F. will cause a serious burn in three seconds; even at 130 degrees F. it can produce a burn in 30 seconds.
Tip: Set the thermostat on your water heater at 120-125 degrees F.
8. (c - they can drown in them) Each year about 50 infants drown in American homes after falling head-first into these large buckets (often kept for household use) while the bucket is filled with water or other liquids and left unattended.
Tip: If you have young children, do not leave these buckets around the house - and never leave even a small amount of liquid in them.
Reprinted with permission from the National Network for Child Care - NNCC. In M. Lopes (Ed.)CareGiver News (November, p.4). Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Cooperative Extension.
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August is Immunization Awareness Month
August observation of National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) is a great way to rally local organizations in your immunization education efforts. Communities are encouraged to plan local health screenings or fairs, media events and other related immunization outreach efforts during the month of August to promote the benefits of immunization.
August is recognized as National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM). The goal of NIAM is to increase awareness about immunizations across the life span, from infants to the elderly.
August is the perfect time to remind family, friends, co-workers, and those in the community to catch up on their vaccinations. Parents are enrolling their children in school, students are entering college, and healthcare workers are preparing for the upcoming flu season.
Why are immunizations important?
Immunization is one of the most significant public health achievements of the 20th century. Vaccines have eradicated smallpox, eliminated wild poliovirus in the United States. and significantly reduced the number of cases of measles, diphtheria, rubella, pertussis and other diseases. But despite these efforts, people in the U.S. still die from these and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
Vaccines offer safe and effective protection from infectious diseases. By staying up-to-date on the recommended vaccines, individuals can protect themselves, their families and friends and their communities from serious, life-threatening infections.
Who should be immunized?
Getting immunized is a lifelong, life-protecting community effort regardless of age, sex, race, ethnic background or country of origin. Recommended vaccinations begin soon after birth and continue throughout life. Being aware of the vaccines that are recommended for infants, children, adolescents, adults of all ages and seniors, and making sure that we receive these immunizations, are critical to protecting ourselves and our communities from disease.
When are immunizations given?
Because children are particularly vulnerable to infection, most vaccines are given during the first five to six years of life. Other immunizations are recommended during adolescent or adult years and, for certain vaccines, booster immunization are recommended throughout life. Vaccines against certain diseases that may be encountered when traveling outside of the U.S. are recommended for travelers to specific regions of the world.
Resources from the CDC
Adult Immunization Schedule
2009 Child & Adolescent Immunization Schedules
for persons aged 0-6 years, 7-18 years, and "catch-up schedule"
Parents' Guide to Childhood Immunizations
National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) materials
Flyers, posters, brochures, public service announcements (PSAs) etc.
Pre-teen Vaccine Campaign
Links to galleries of materials located elsewhere on the CDC site
Flyers, brochures, posters, etc.
September is National Fruits and Vegetables Month
Fruits and Vegetables Can Protect Your Health
A growing body of research shows that fruits and vegetables are critical to promoting good health. To get the amount that’s recommended, most people need to increase the amount of fruits and vegetables they currently eat every day.
Fruits and vegetables contain essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber that may help protect you from chronic diseases. Compared with people who consume a diet with only small amounts of fruits and vegetables, those who eat more generous amounts as part of a healthful diet are likely to have reduced risk of chronic diseases, including stroke and perhaps other cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers.
Be sure you are getting you daily recommendation of fruits and veggies. Check out the new CDC Fruit & Veggies Matter Web site for tips, recipes, and more! The recipe database lets you search by meal, ingredients, or cooking needs. Visit the fruit and vegetable of the month pages to find seasonal fruits and vegetables, preparation tips, and great recipes. You can find easy ways to add more fruits and vegetables into your daily eating patterns along with other helpful information at FruitsAndVeggiesMatter.gov.
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October is American Pharmacists Month
National Pharmacy Week is October 17-23
“Know Your MEDICINE, Know Your PHARMACIST”
This is the time to recognize the significant contributions to health care and the commitment to patient care by pharmacists in ALL practice settings from around the country. The pharmacist’s role in the health care system is constantly changing. Pharmacy has expanded its role from a profession focusing on preparing and dispensing medications to patients, to one in which pharmacists provide medication therapy management services to maximize the medicine’s effectiveness and patient’s outcome. Many medications interact with certain foods, OTC medicines, and supplements which can cause medications not to work properly and may cause serious side effects. Pharmacists are the general public’s most accessible health care professional, yet many people are unaware of the knowledge they possess.
November is American Diabetes Month
November is a time to bring even greater awareness and attention to the seriousness of diabetes, its deadly complications, and the importance of proper diabetes control. Check www.diabetes.org to find tools and resources for American Diabetes Month 2009.
Scale Back Alabama
http://scalebackalabama.com/
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