Health Tip – Audio Version - Old but on their feet
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step: Preventing Falls Among Older Adults (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

An occasional fall can be a bother to younger people but a danger to older ones. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tallied the risk.

The researchers say falls led to nearly 14,000 deaths and over 1.5 million emergency room visits in 2003. Dr. Judy Stevens says falls are the leading cause of death from injury among people over 65. And she says it’s been getting worse.

“From 1993 to 2003, the rate of fatal falls increased 55 percent. This is a significant increase.’’

And Stevens says seniors who fear falls may be less active – which, she says, really makes things worse. She says regular exercise – especially things like tai chi, which help balance – can help seniors prevent falls.

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: August, 22 2007

Health Tip – Audio Version - Men, women, dying and diabetes
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step:Diabetes Control (National Diabetes Education Program)

Men with diabetes live longer now than in earlier decades, but women have not fared as well. That difference came out of an analysis of three large databases.

Researcher Edward Gregg of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the findings in Annals of Internal Medicine.

“It is important to understand that death rates did not actually increase in women. However, we found that death rates did not actually go down in women, either.”

The study wasn’t set up to explain the difference in death rates. Gregg says other studies suggest it might be due to differences in care or in the way the disease works.

But the advice is the same for both sexes: Keep tight control of your blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, and weight. Get regular exercise and health care. And don’t smoke.

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: August, 24 2007

Health Tip – Audio Version - Born in the U.S.A.
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step:Immigrant, Refugee and Migrant Health (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Researchers say Mexican immigrants to the United States might be healthier in some respects than Mexican-Americans born here. The researchers say U-S-born Mexican-Americans are more likely to have conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Ellen Crimmins of the University of Southern California looked at national health survey data. Her study in the American Journal of Public Health was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Crimmins says the trek to the United States might deter Mexicans who are less healthy. But she says the differences she found are linked to lifestyle:

“Those who are raised in Mexico are less likely to drink, less likely to smoke, and less likely to be obese. People who are raised in the United States are more likely to do all of those things.’’

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: August, 27 2007

Health Tip – Audio Version - Babies’ hearing
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step:Early Hearing Detection & Intervention (EHDI) Program (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Children begin learning language when they’re babies. Usually, they learn from what they hear, but that’s not the only way. Babies who can’t hear – or who can’t hear well – can also learn language and communicate.

Parents need to spot the hearing problems early, so they can help their children learn language in other ways. Dr. June Holstrum from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

“Babies just a day old can be tested right in the hospital to see if they have a hearing loss. These screening tests are quick and painless.”

If the baby does not pass the screening test, a diagnostic evaluation should be completed before 3 months of age. If hearing loss is identified, early intervention should begin as soon as possible.

Starting early will help the child develop age-appropriate communication skills.

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: September, 17 2007

Health Tip – Audio Version - When germs get in the food
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step:Foodborne Illnesses (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

When there’s an outbreak of illness from bacteria in food, America has a system to get that food out of the supply chain.

But people still have to act to protect themselves and their families. A study from the University of California, Berkeley, in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Emerging Infectious Diseases journal, has practical steps that could help people.

Using a mathematical model, the researchersestimate that good hygiene could have prevented up to 11 percent of illnesses in the 2006 outbreak involving E. coli bacteria in spinach.

CDC’s Martin Meltzer:

“These interventions included hand washing, avoiding contact with anybody who had diarrhea, making sure that kitchen surfaces and utensils are properly cleaned up after preparing food, and staying home from work or school for any gastrointestinal illnesses.’’

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: August, 28 2007

Health Tip – Audio Version - What is Healthy Living?
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step:Pocket Guide to Good Health for Adults (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)

Healthy living is a buzz phrase used commonly today, but not everyone knows what it means. For some, it may even sound hard to do – especially if they’ve already picked up some unhealthy habits.

However, it’s never too late to start living a little healthier. Even if you have a lifetime of unhealthy habits, taking action now can have a positive effect on your overall health.

The director of HHS’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Dr. Carolyn Clancy, has some tips for getting on track:

“Get recommended screening tests; be tobacco free; be physically active; eat a healthy diet; stay at a healthy weight; and drink alcohol in moderation.”

You don’t have to make lots of drastic changes all at once. Start by incorporating a few healthy changes, and you just might feel better today.

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: August, 30 2007

Health Tip – Audio Version - Heads up
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step:What is Traumatic Brain Injury? (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

It’s tempting to just shake off a head injury and walk away. That’s the thing about concussion – you can’t see inside your own skull, where the damage might be. That job takes a professional, with expertise and imaging equipment.

To help make the job go better, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has developed a package of information, called Heads Up: Brain Injury in Your Practice.

Dr. Jean Langlois, one of the authors, says the toolkit is designed for physicians but tells patients things they should know, too.

“Rest is key for recovery from a concussion, but it’s more than that. Patients shouldn’t participate in any high-risk activities – these include things like sports, riding a bike – if any symptoms remain.’’

Similarly, be aware that a concussion can affect your ability to think or concentrate.

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: August, 31 2007

Health Tip – Audio Version - Stay sharp
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step:Can Alzheimer’s Disease Be Prevented? (National Institute on Aging)

Here’s something worth thinking about: A researcher says doing things that require thinking may reduce the odds of Alzheimer’s disease.

Robert Wilson of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago looked at how often older people did things that were mentally stimulating. He followed those folks for warning signs of Alzheimer’s. And he looked at autopsy results.

Older people who kept mentally active were less likely to develop subtle losses in memory and thinking ability that indicate Alzheimer’s could follow. And Wilson says the autopsy results indicated mental activity could reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s.

“It’s very important to stay mentally active as we age – reading books, writing letters, visiting museums, reading newspapers and magazines, , and the like.”

The study in the journal Neurology was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: September, 04 2007

Health Tip – Audio Version - Moms smoke – babies don’t sleep
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step: Independence from Smoking (Office on Women’s Health)

New moms get scant rest, and smokers may get less. Julie Mennella of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia found that in a study of breastfed infants.

For the study, which was supported by the National Institutes of Health, researchers monitored breastfed babies’ sleep for 3 and one half hours on two days. One day, their mothers smoked beforehand; the other, they didn’t. Mennella’s results are in the journal Pediatrics.

“We found that, on the day that infants breastfed from their mothers after they had smoked, the babies spent less time sleeping and they woke up from their naps sooner.”

Babies napped a half hour less when moms smoked, sleeping for 53 minutes.

This could be because chemicals such as nicotine were passed through the milk, which also ends up tasting like tobacco.

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: September, 04 2007

Health Tip – Audio Version - Odds on the flu shot
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step: Protecting Children From Flu (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Getting a kid a flu shot. Is it worth the trouble? Researchers ran the numbers to find out, and they say the answer is yes.

Elizabeth Lewis analyzed how many kids from ages 6 months to 5 years would have to get a flu shot to prevent one of those kids from needing medical care.

“If 50 children or fewer are vaccinated, that would prevent one outpatient visit or doctor’s office visit due to influenza.”

And Lewis says that’s based on statistically lowballing the power of the vaccine to prevent disease. So the real benefit may be greater.

Lewis’ conclusion: That shot is worth it.

Lewis, who’s at MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston, did the study while at Vanderbilt. The research in the journal Pediatrics was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: September, 05 2007