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CountryNurse \| Home	September 6, 2008

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Leaves of Three, Leave Them Be!
Watch out. Unfortunately poison ivy now has more potential than ever to make you miserable!

Ask a Pharmacist
Sorting through the numerous pharmacy shelves for just the right over-the-counter product to suit your needs can be confusing. However, consumers can get help with their in-the-aisle decisions by simply asking their pharmacist for help.

Is Sugar the Scapegoat?
Is Sugar the Scapegoat? In 2002, The National Academy of Sciences completed a three- year analysis of the science on diet and health including Body Mass Index (BMI). The conclusion: "There is no clear and consistent association between increased intakes of added sugars and BMI.

Stem Cells Used To Repair Skull
German surgeons have used stem cells from fat to help repair skull damage in a 7-year-old girl.

State-Of-The-Art Disaster Hospital
. . . Demonstrates Preparedness For Terrorist Attack, Bio/Flu Crisis Or Natural Disaster Communities throughout America are unprepared for a sudden surge in demand for hospital care; durable Disaster Medical Facility is military proven.

FDA Panel Weighs 'Female Viagra'
The Food and Drug Administration is considering whether to approve the first prescription treatment for women with decreased sex drives.

Living With Breast Cancer
A woman's chance of remaining cancer-free following successful treatment for five years with tamoxifen for early breast cancer just got better, thanks to the approval of a new therapy for postmenopausal women.

New Test for Breast Cancer
Painless, Non-Invasive Breast Fluid Test Discovers Breast Cancer at Early, Most Treatable Stage Doctors will soon have a powerful tool - a non-invasive, painless nipple fluid test - in their fight to make breast cancer a more treatable, non-fatal disease.

FDA Issues Suicide Warning on Antidepressants
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday issued warnings for popular antidepressants, saying the drugs could invoke suicidal tendencies among patients taking them.

Wonder Drug
Yet another potent benefit has been discovered for aspirin, one of the world's most widely-used drugs.

Help for Senior Regarding Prescription Drugs
Seventeen Million Elderly Americans are searching for a better way to pay for their medications.

Coughing May Be Helpful During Heart Attack
A Polish cardiologist has told an international gathering of heart experts that a well-timed cough can save a heart attack victim's life.

Tadeusz Petelenz says the pumping action caused by vigorous coughing can push blood to the brain for valuable minutes while an ambulance arrives.

Is Your Doctor's Office Online?
Getting non-Urgent medical care without leaving home may have gotten much easier. Find out if your Doctor is available online.

West Nile Can Cause Spinal Damage
Health officials say the West Nile virus can attack and damage the spinal cord, causing paralysis, fatigue and other symptoms that persist for months after infection, USA Today reported Wednesday.

Lifestyle Changes And Meds Help Reduce Risk ..
....of Another Stroke or Heart Attack Each year, 700,000 Americans will have a stroke and 168,000 will die from it. Stroke can strike at any age, and risk doubles with each decade over age 55. What can you do?

Promising Drug May Prevent Prostate Cancer
Scientists say a drug used to fight baldness and shrink enlarged prostates could also be used to combat prostate cancer, the number 2 cancer killer of men.

Cataract Surgery Now Safer
More than 2.5 million people undergo cataract-removal surgery in the U.S. each year, and now researchers have recently devised a new technique that could make the most commonly performed surgery in the U.S. a little safer.

Put Back Pain to Rest
Is back pain getting the best of you? Two new studies show that low level heat may hold the key to fighting acute low back pain.

New AIDS Drug Wins FDA Approval
The FDA has approved a new class of drugs in the battle against AIDS. Called 'fusion inhibitors,' these drugs prevent the aids virus from entering into immune cells.

Diabetes Risk for Unfit Teens
Teenagers who are out of shape and overweight are at greater risk of developing diabetes at a young age, according to a new medical study.

Going National with Diabetes
With 17 million Americans suffering from this once rare disease, Chris Saudek sounded a wake-up call during his year as president of the American Diabetes Association. Read the latest Hopkins Medical report and informative wake up call written by Anne Bennett Swingle.

Puzzled over Car Seat Instructions?
Parents are often criticized for improperly installing car seats, but a new study suggests that the instruction manuals that come with such seats are often too complex to understand.

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Sun Safety

Sunburn, skin cancers, and other sun-related adverse health effects are largely preventable when sun protection is practiced early and consistently. Despite the fact that suntanning and burning increase skin cancer risks, most Americans do not protect themselves from the sun's damaging rays (CDC, 1998).

Attitudinal barriers to the sun must be addressed and changed before behaviors will change. Attitudinal barriers to sun protection include the beliefs that it is necessary to use sunscreens only while at the beach or pool rather than year round, "a suntanned body is a healthy body," and "you can only get sunburn in the summer". To overcome these barriers, education must begin early so habits can be developed early and consistently. Still, it is never too late to start sun protective habits.

The best sun protection is provided when all the sun-safe behaviors are practiced together. Sun protection habits include

� Limit sun exposure during the hours when the sun's rays are the strongest, 10am to 4pm. To the extent possible, people should limit their exposure to the sun during these hours and practice all of the sun protective behaviors. Your shadow is an indicator of the sun's intensity. If your shadow is shorter than you are, the sun is at its highest intensity. The American Academy of Dermatology has established the Shadow Rule: No Shadow-SEEK SHADE.

� Refer to the daily UV index when planning outdoor events. The UV Index is a daily forecast of the intensity of the sun's UV rays. The Index indicates the risk of overexposure to skin-damaging UV radiation and can be used to help plan outdoor activities to minimize overexposure.

� Seek shade whenever possible. Shade structures such as trees and umbrellas provide year round protection. Although trees do not offer complete sun protection, they provide about 60 percent blockage from the sun's rays.

� Wear a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and long-sleeved, tightly woven clothing. Clothing can physically block out the sun's harmful rays and should be one of the first lines of defense against sun exposure. Sunglasses should block out 100 percent of UVA and UVB radiation to protect the eyes from damage. Hats are the best way to minimize UV radiation exposure to the face, head, ears, and neck.

� Use broad-spectrum sunscreens whose active ingredients block UVA and UVB rays. The Sun Protective Factor (SPF) should be a minimum of 15. Sunscreens should be used every day, including cloudy days. They should be applied liberally and evenly before going out into the sun and should be applied frequently, especially after swimming.

� Avoid tanning salons. Artificial UV radiation is just as bad for your skin as sunlight. Most tanning devices use UVA rays which have been shown to go deeper into the skin and contribute to premature wrinkling and skin cancer (AAD, 1994).

� Limit exposure to the reflective surfaces like snow and water. UV rays can be reflected off of sand, tile, water, snow, and buildings. It is important to practice all the sun protective behaviors even when you are in the shade.

National Safety Council, Washington, DC