Health Help 4u

Kids' Sunburn, Teen Tanning Habits Increase Skin Cancer Risk

2012-01-24T19:29:00.001-05:00

Kids' Sunburn, Teen Tanning, Skipping Sunscreen Increase Skin Cancer Risk A study from the American Academy of Pediatrics found children's sunburn and tanning behavior increased the risk of skin cancer. Moderate amounts of sun help provide needed vitamin D, but sunburns and even excessive tanning is dangerous. Here are tips to balance the health benefits of the sun with precautions for skin cancer prevention, including tanning, indoor tanning beds and sunscreen use for children, teens and parents. Read on...

How I Avoid Antidepressants with Daily Mental Affective Meditations

2012-01-19T15:05:00.001-05:00

How I Avoid Antidepressants with Daily Mental Affective Meditations In nearly 30 years of mental health exploration, personally and professionally, I've tried many different techniques. Nine years ago, I began a regimen of antidepressant therapy but quit 18 months ago. I've since developed ways to tend to my emotional health without medication. Here's a home-grown technique I call "mental-affective meditations." It employs some 12-step work, cognitive therapy, healing of the inner child and family tree and re-parenting tools. Read on...

Nutritional Supplements to Replace Antidepressants

2012-01-02T23:34:00.002-05:00

Nutritional Supplements to Replace Antidepressants I took the antidepressant Paxil for over seven years. According to Drug Alert, Paxil has multiple side effects which I was not informed of when I began taking it. I quit taking Paxil after experiencing many of the listed side effects. When I quit, I knew that I would need to find ways to stabilize chemical imbalances and compensate for the lack of the drug. Here's my nutritional supplement guide to get off from an antidepressant. I take these in combination and have been able to stay antidepressant-free for over 16 months. Read on...

Self-Help Tricks, Mental Health Tips to Quit Antidepressants

2011-12-14T20:32:00.001-05:00

Self-Help Tricks, Mental Health Tips to Quit Antidepressants For seven years, I took Paxil (paroxetine) to relieve anxiety and depression. I began to put on an alarming amount weight and with extended use, the antidepressant didn't work as well, either. I decided to quit. I have been antidepressant-free for 16 months. Here are self-help tips and mental health strategies for quitting SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor). Read more...

Antidepressants Cause Perceptual Distortion, Focusing Problems

2011-12-01T19:32:00.001-05:00

Antidepressants Cause Perceptual, Focusing Problems Nine years ago, I began taking the antidepressant Paxil (paroxetine), an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) to combat anxiety and depression. I weaned myself off from it, when I began to put on weight. Since coming off the Paxil, I've noticed several changes in my functioning, notably in the areas of perception and mental processing. Here's how antidepressants affected my abilities in these areas. Read more...

CPSC Releases Toy Safety Guide

2011-11-22T18:29:00.001-05:00

CPSC Releases Toy Safety Guide The Consumer Product Safety Commission and other safety watchdog organizations have released a toy safety guide for parents. Here are facts about toy-related injuries. In 2010, the CPSC reports 251,700 toy-related injuries were treated in emergency rooms, of which 181,500 were younger than 15 years old. Thirty-five percent of toy-related injuries were by children younger than 5. Those numbers have not changed significantly from the 2006 to 2009 totals. Non-motorized scooters, small balls, magnets and balloons are the toys children most commonly injure themselves on. Read more....

Parents Warned Against Chicken Pox-Laced Lollipops, Parties

2011-11-14T16:24:00.002-05:00

Parents Warned Against Chicken Pox-Laced Lollipops, Parties To avoid having children vaccinated against chickenpox and to get children through the illness at a young age, some parents are taking extreme measures. For decades, parents have purposely exposed kids to the virus via "chickenpox parties." Now some are sharing chickenpox-tainted lollipops. Here are facts about chickenpox and parent advisories about pox sharing. Read more...

Breastfeeding Moms Have Fewer Blood Pressure Problems, Study Shows

2011-11-07T19:43:00.001-05:00

Breastfeeding Moms Have Fewer Blood Pressure Problems, Study Shows Moms who breastfeed their babies have been found to have lower incidence of high blood pressure problems, says a study of nurses. Lower risk of hypertension isn't the only advantage to moms, either. Health care experts urge parents to consider nursing benefits for children. Here are facts about breastfeeding and how it helps mother and baby. Read more...

FDA Issues Warnings About Tainted Weight Loss Supplements, Online Diet Aids

2011-10-24T21:07:00.002-04:00

FDA Issues Warnings About Tainted Weight Loss Supplements, Online Diet Aids The Food and Drug Administration issued new warnings about various nutritional supplements, energy products, sexual enhancement products and weight loss aids. Though these products claim to be "natural" and "herbal," they do, in fact, contain Sibutramine, which raises blood pressure and heart rate. Sibutramine can be deadly for patients taking heart medication or with a family history of coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, arhythmias, or stroke. Read on...

Vegetarian Diabetic Recipes for Juvenile and Type 2 Diabetes

2011-10-18T17:43:00.001-04:00

Vegetarian Diabetic Recipes Type 2 diabetes tops the health risk charts in consumer nations. With obesity and sedentary lifestyle rates skyrocketing, is there hope for Type 2 diabetes? Yes -- a vegetarian diet. Here are recipes for vegetarian diabetics. Although these recipes are vegetarian, fish recipes are included. Many vegetarians include fish in their diet. Fish contains large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, which are necessary for a healthy diet. These recipes are quick and easy to prepare. Read more...

Q-and-A About Cantaloupe, Lettuce Listeria Pregnancy Scare

2011-10-08T18:49:00.001-04:00

Q-and-A About Cantaloupe, Lettuce Listeria Pregnancy Scare Listeria from Jensen Farms cantaloupe sickened 100, killed 18 , and caused one miscarriage. True Leaf Farms recalled lettuce for listeria. Fruit Fresh Up has recalled cut cantaloupe and mixed fruit due to Listeria. Pregnant women, infants in utero and newborns are at high risk for listeria illness. Read more...

Low Back-Friendly Fitness Routine for Computer Workers

2011-09-18T20:40:00.001-04:00

Low Back-Friendly Weekly Fitness Routine I've lived with chronic back pain all my life. Painful or not, however, I still need regular exercise. I've also put on weight from antidepressant use and am working to get those pounds off. As a workaround to my back issues, I've created a low back-friendly fitness routine. If you deal with constant back pain, you can use this regimen to fulfill your exercise needs or tailor it to your specific needs. Read more...

Air Quality Alerts, Seasonal Allergies, Asthma and Health Problems

2011-09-04T17:21:00.001-04:00

Air Quality Alerts, Seasonal Allergies, Asthma and Health Problems I have Weatherbug installed on my browser. Because I work online, I see every bad weather update. Whenever that little red warning icon shows up, I get nervous. Today, it's an Air Quality alert. What in the world is an air quality alert and why should it sound an emergency warning? Like Ozone Action days, air quality alerts signal periods when the air is not as healthy as it could be. The Department of Environmental Quality, MDEQ in Michigan, has a set of parameters that it uses to determine when it issues air quality alerts. Read more...

Salmonella Found in Ground Turkey, Cat Food, Papayas; Dairy Products Recalled

2011-08-03T19:25:00.000-04:00

Salmonella Found in Ground Turkey, Cat Food, Papayas; Dairy Products Recalled The FDA and USDA have issued warnings of several products recalled for contamination. H-E-B is recalling dairy products due to detection of a foreign substance. Ground turkey, papayas, and Nestle Purina One Vibrant Maturity 7+ cat food have been recalled for salmonella. Affected Purina One products include 3.5 and 7-pound bags with May 2012 sell-by dates and product codes of 03341084 and 03351084.

Heat Wave Causes Food Safety Issues

2011-07-21T17:49:00.001-04:00

Heat Wave Causes Food Safety Issues The Midwest United States is under a heat dome that is causing triple-digit temperatures and heat-wave conditions. Among the health warnings and weather advisories, there is an oft-overlooked heat-related concern: food safety issues. Here are tips to avoid food-borne illness from heat-tainted foods. Read more...

First Person: Antidepressants, Acetaminophen, Alcohol and Hepatitis Liver Issues

2011-05-31T18:26:00.003-04:00

First Person: Antidepressants, Acetaminophen, Alcohol and Hepatitis Liver Issues I have always been healthy. I eat right, exercise, don't smoke and only drink red wine in moderation. I started taking the SSRI antidepressant Paxil several years ago. I also occasionally took acetaminophen after drinking wine. I now have hepatitis (liver inflammation). I'm writing this to warn others about the dangers of these combinations and about how to avoid liver problems. Read more...

FDA Gives Green Light to Tradjenta Type 2 Diabetes Pill

2011-05-09T19:03:00.001-04:00

FDA Gives Green Light to Tradjenta Type 2 Diabetes Pill
Tradjenta or linagliptin has been approved for use by type 2 diabetes patients.

Spring Weather Ushers in Allergy and Migraine Season

2011-04-04T20:56:00.002-04:00

Spring Weather Ushers in Allergy and Migraine Season With temperatures rising above freezing (and waking up allergens), the barometer playing tennis and high humidity and precipitation, spring ushers in many health conditions. Barometric pressure migraines, seasonal allergies and aches and pains.

Spring Safety Checklist for Bikes, Skateboards, Skates and Scooters

2011-03-24T13:50:00.000-04:00

Spring Safety Checklist for Bikes, Skateboards, Skates and Scooters - Yahoo! News

Springtime means that kids who have been cooped up all winter are now frolicking in the warm sunshine on their scooters, bikes, roller blades and skateboards. Spring fever tends to make them a little carefree and accident prone. We had two broken arms within a month of each other from roller blade and skateboard injuries one spring! You can't quell spring exuberance, but you can teach kids to make sure that their outdoor wheeled toys are safe. Here's how.

Treatment Reviews and Parenting Tips for Children with Eating Disorders

2011-03-15T22:15:00.000-04:00

When our daughter developed an eating disorder, I explored treatments extensively. She was treated using a variety of methods. Here are our successes, failures and lessons learned about treatments and parenting tips for children and teens with anorexia, bulimia and bulimarexia. Read more

Risks of Homemade Teeth Whiteners

2011-02-28T19:35:00.001-05:00

If you are deciding whether to make your own teeth whitener, purchase one at the store or see your dentist for professional whitening service, consider the risks of homemade teeth whiteners. What could be risky about something you make yourself, you ask? There are three risk factors involved with homemade teeth whiteners: ineffective cleaning agents, improperly handled chemicals and potentially harmful ingredients. We'll look at them in order of risk level. Read more...

Target, Kroger Join Walmart $4 Generic Prescription Drug Program

2011-02-15T20:15:00.000-05:00

Walmart sells generic prescription drugs for $4 for 30 days and $10 for three months, and now Kroger and Target also carry them. Walmart and Target also have $9 (30-day) and $24 (3-month) generic prescriptions for Wellbutrin, Levitra, Clomid, Sprintec, Tamoxifen, asthma inhalers and several other expensive prescriptions. Read more...

Free Online Calorie Counters, Exercise and Fitness Planners, Food Journals

2011-02-07T16:17:00.000-05:00

Dieting and weight loss is a challenging endeavor. Research shows that the most successful weight loss programs are those that are flexible and provide accountability. Here are free online weight loss programs that

offer free calorie counters, fitness and food journals and chat forums. Registered Dietitians usually recommend that dieters keep a food journal to track what foods they are consuming, calorie count, fat content and nutrition data. These sites provide those tools. Read more...

Exercise Guru Jack Lalanne Dies at 96

2011-01-24T18:18:00.000-05:00

Jack Lalanne, fitness expert, health guru and host of "The Jack Lalanne Show" exercise television program from 1951 to 1985, passed away Sunday. Lalanne, 96, was a fitness guru and health activist; he swam several extreme endurance marathons, including Houdini-like races with equipment and even boats strapped to him. In 1956, Lalanne set the world's record by doing 1,033 push-ups in 23 minutes on the television show, "You Asked for It," in which contestants would perform dangerous feat of courage and endurance. His inspiration was the legendary Paul Bragg (you've heard me mention Bragg's Liquid Amino before? Well, that's the guy!). Many of us grew up watching this amazing man. You can watch full episodes of The Jack Lalanne Show on this website. Read more...

FDA Requires Graphic Picture Images, New Cigarette Warning Labels to Curb Underage Smoking

2011-01-14T16:29:00.000-05:00

In an effort to curb smoking and especially smoking by minors, the FDA is placing new cigarette product warning labels. New labeling and stricter rules concerning tobacco sales to minors is part of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. Read more...