|
|
Consumer Health
 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a feature this week in anticipation of Mother’s Day and National Women’s Health Week. This feature, Ways to Help Make Mother’s Day Healthy, offers advice on how Moms can keep themselves healthy for their families.
They also created a feature, Celebrate Moms who Protect Children’s Health, so Mom’s who don’t smoke deserve extra love!
We learned from childhood that if you give a mouse a cookie he’s going to want a glass of milk. It is lesser known, however, whether an increase in milk consumption in the general rodent population is directly caused by rampant cookie consumption among mice. Correlation does not necessarily indicate causation. A similar logical fallacy comes from one member of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster who claims that there exists “a statistically significant inverse relationship between pirates and global temperature;” therefore, according to him, more piracy will decrease global temperature and the number of natural disasters. These examples, though silly, illustrate the importance of scientific research in drawing causation in an uncontrolled environment and in distinguishing between folklore, coincidence, and the truth.
One such truth-seeking project involves public health and is the source of long-standing controversy—the issue: community water fluoridation (CWF). Beginning in 1954 in New Orleans, a committee of health professionals convened to address CWF. The committee consisted of several area doctors including LSU Medical Center’s Dr. Russell Holman, who served as Professor and Head of the Pathology Department from 1946 until his death in 1960. An article from the New Orleans Item in 1955 describes the committee as divided and unsure with the exception of Dr. Holman, who planted his support firmly on the side of fluoridation. A final decision was made in 1957 to veto CWF due to a need for further study.
Articles within the past few years on nola.com address CWF in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina as being a lack of supply. Now it appears that fluoride has been returned to our water. A 2010 Sewage and Water Board of New Orleans report defines fluoridation as a way “to prevent tooth decay.” Later in the same report, fluoride is defined as a “contaminant”: its presence on average .8ppm on the East Bank and .81ppm on the West Bank. Likely sources are listed as “erosion of natural deposits; water additive which promotes strong teeth; discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories.”
Though the addition of fluoride to the nation’s drinking water has become common practice, the matter of its efficacy is still unresolved. In weighing the risks and benefits of CWF, the exact nature of correlation between improvements and harm to the public’s dental health remains unclear. Proponents of community health attempt to account for socioeconomic factors, access to dental care, pyorrhea and periodontal concerns in children and adults, as well as fluorosis, a cosmetic issue caused by over-fluoridation.
The CDC has called water fluoridation “one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century,” and in 2010, the center’s statistics show the percentage of the U.S. population receiving fluoridated water at 66.2%. Perhaps we ought to take a cue from the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster: take to sea, forget dental care, and go marauding!
Glimpse of the Past is an ongoing project to promote the Louisiana Digital Library effort. This Month in History will present for your reading pleasure a closer look into a newspaper clipping of note from our Digital Collections and articles relating to the LSU Medical School.
Got Drugs? That’s the question the National Prescription Drug Take Back Initiative is asking. The program promotes an opportunity to properly dispose of expired and unneeded prescription drugs. In recent years, over 2 million pounds of prescription drugs were taken out of circulation and disposed of properly. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there has been no evidence of human health effects from prescription drug remnants on the environment thus far, however precautionary measures are still in affect to prevent cases from developing. So while you embark on this year’s spring cleaning, keep prescription drugs in mind.
Save the Date:
Saturday, April 27, 2013
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
For more info, visit:
http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/
To find a drop off location near you, visit:
https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/NTBI/NTBI-PUB.pub;jsessionid=F97E8C13E24A4F4158917E505D922D9A?_flowExecutionKey=_c3781D16F-8320-60D6-9549-1E08043E201E_k2BCC5296-9265-E6B3-A22D-C9656693160A
The Centers for Disease Control have released 2013 Vaccine Recommendations for adults. Changes include new recommendations for Pneumococcal Vaccine and Tdap/ Td Vaccines. There is also a simple quiz to help patients figure out what vaccines may be necessary. For more complete information, see the complete report, Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Recommended Immunization Schedule for Adults Aged 19 Years and Older — United States, 2013.
Last week, MedlinePlus, the National Library of Medicine and National Institute of Health’s consumer health database, published the top 10 most visited health topic searches of 2012:
Looking at these searches, it would seem that the public are searching for information on the most common health threats in the United States. According to the Mayo Clinic, the top seven threats to women’s health are heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lower respiratory diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, accidents, and type 2 diabetes. The top seven threats to men’s health are similar: heart disease, cancer, accidents, chronic lower respiratory diseases, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and suicide.
Of course the most visited sites could also mean that people who were diagnosed with high blood pressure and diabetes started exercising but they had trouble breathing, had heart palpitations, got sunburned, and hurt their backs!
Walk a Mile with a Child at Xavier university this Saturday from 7:30am – noon as part of a free health fair hosted by the National Medical Association.
Reports the Times-Picayune:
“The walk is free and open to all,” said NMA spokesperson Yolanda Fleming. “We plan to raffle off several items as an incentive to get people to attend. The raffles will occur after each talk and some of the items include Wii Fit, a flat-screen TV, MP3 players, tickets to ‘Laughter is Good Medicine’ (conference event), and a gym bag.
“And I will be giving away tickets to the Paula Deen cooking demonstration on Tuesday,” Yolanda added.
The talks and walks are all free and open to the public. The health fest includes interactive sessions about heart disease, diabetes, prostate cancer and other conditions; health screenings, including cholesterol, dental, vision, high blood pressure and diabetes; and live demonstrations, music and giveaways. Xavier University is located at 1 Drexel Drive in Midcity. Map
The National Medical Association is an 109 year old institution and the preeminent African American-centered health and medical science organization. Its members include physicians, scientists, nurse practitioners, nurses, medical students and a host of other health care professionals.
Walk a Mile with a Child Flier
The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act (ACA) last week (full text of decision here) has major implications for the US health care system. Over 32 million newly insured individuals could conceivably enter the health care system due to ACA, expanding and affecting programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal joined the health care debate on MSNBC’s Meet the Press this past Sunday, suggesting Louisiana would not fully implement the changes brought about by ACA (video here). Whether you call it Obamacare or Health Care Reform, it is important to be aware of the Affordable Care Act and the potential impact on the US health care system. Here are some informational sources and reactions from health associations:
The CDC published another feature on travel earlier this month; this time on Staying Healthy on a Cruise. At least this one isn’t an advisory like the ones for Spring Break or Carnival.
It recommends being up on the appropriate immunizations and vaccines and mentions precautions regarding seasickness and norovirus.
Along these travel lines, the books display at the Isché Library highlight a variety of travel topics.
 As the “locavore” movement continues to blossom across the country, it’s no longer only rural citizens who have access to less-industrialized food options: even residents of cities are finding ways to grow their own produce, or at least acquire it from nearby sources. This provides more economical and healthy options for cooks. A part of this movement has been the choice of some urban homesteaders to raise their own poultry.
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) currently has a page on its website with helpful information about Keeping Backyard Poultry. The major point that the CDC addresses is the prevention of the spread of Salmonella, an illness that is transmitted in a variety of ways. It can be spread through contact with poultry (or any birds), including chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys.
Salmonellosis is an infection with the bacteria called Salmonella. Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without treatment. However, in some persons, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. In these patients, the Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the blood stream, and then to other body sites and can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics.
The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness. The CDC highly recommends hand-washing and careful hygiene to anyone handling live poultry or poultry products such as meat or eggs. All poultry and poultry-related equipment and supplies should be considered contaminated even if the animals look healthy.
Interestingly enough, the Times-Picayune published an article last year that examined troubles with feral chicken populations which have grown since Hurricane Katrina. Recently, local ABC affiliate WGNO-TV covered a story about the difficulties in catching feral chickens in the city. New Orleans has its own special set of issues when it comes to the cosmopolitan bird.
Much like the Carnival Advisory we wrote about last month, the Centers for Disease Control has posted a Spring Break Travel Advisory. I wonder how many Spring Breakers even know that the CDC exists?
Ever wonder why fashion models and fitness buffs are perpetually dining on fish and veggies?
Because Seafood is healthy!
Not only is it full of protein, Omega 3s, vitamins and minerals- it typically contains fewer calories and fat grams than other protein sources (i.e. poultry and eggs).
With all of this positive information let’s take a minute to ponder how lucky we are to live in New Orleans, Louisiana- a veritable wonderland of seafood!
OK. Minute is up.
Now it’s time to take action and join the Louisiana Seafood Fitness Challenge!
Started by Bobby Hebert (former New Orleans Saints Quarterback) and his WWWL Sport’s Talk co-host (Deke Bellavia), Louisiana Seafood Fitness Challenge will follow these men as they see who can lose the most weight in 40 days simply by incorporating more seafood into their diet. The best part? Anyone can join this challenge.
Take the pledge, submit your healthiest seafood recipe and share your inspirational seafood success story all in the name of encouraging all of Louisiana to eat their way to health . . . with Louisiana Seafood of course!
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is today, February 7th. The CDC reports “Among all racial/ethnic groups, African Americans bear the greatest burden of HIV in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 in 16 black men and 1 in 32 black women will be diagnosed with HIV infection during their lifetimes. In 2009, blacks made up 14% of the US population but accounted for nearly half (44%) of all new HIV infections.”
Know the facts about HIV/AIDS in New Orleans and get involved in Louisiana.
*Edit* the Gambit blog has more on this topic.
 Library Shoebox Float - 2010 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have a Carnival Advisory linked from their main webpage at the moment.
A couple of quick points about the page:
New Orleans is the 5th listed city for “most popular Carnival celebrations” after Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Nice, France; Venice, Italy; and Quebec, Canada. I’ll give them Rio & Venice, but really Nice & Quebec have more popular celebrations than we do?
“Most people participate in Carnival and Mardi Gras to have fun, but these festivities are also associated with certain health risks, primarily from crime, unsafe food, excessive drinking, risky sex, and heat-related illness.” I don’t think this year we’ll have any heat related illness but you never know with our crazy weather.
And, of course, the advisory is written for travelers, not carnival natives/locals who know how to prepare and what to expect.
The New Orleans Health Department has issued a new Health Resource Guide entitled a Guide to Behavioral Health Resources in the Greater New Orleans Area which “provides information on accessing mental health and substance abuse resources in the Greater New Orleans area.” This new guide is in addition to A Guide to No or Low Pay Community Healthcare in Orleans Parish which was released in August 2011. Both brochures are available from the Health Department webpage as PDF downloads.
Walkscore.com is a website that designates a number ranging from 0-100 to any address based on its “walkability.”
According to the website “Walk Score uses a patent-pending system to measure the walkability of an address. The Walk Score algorithm awards points based on the distance to amenities in each category. Amenities within .25 miles receive maximum points and no points are awarded for amenities further than one mile.”
The Walk Score for LSUHSC is 75. When compared against the rating chart (below)we see that LSUHSC is Very Walkable.
90–100 Walker’s Paradise — Daily errands do not require a car.
70–89 Very Walkable — Most errands can be accomplished on foot.
50–69 Somewhat Walkable — Some amenities within walking distance.
25–49 Car-Dependent — A few amenities within walking distance.
0–24 Car-Dependent — Almost all errands require a car.
What is the Walk Score of your home? Find out here!
|
