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Most Recent Articles
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- Keeping The Sun Fun
Advancements in sun care protection are hot as researchers continue to seek more effective and longer-lasting sunscreens.
Wearing sunscreen is an important part of keeping summer fun from coming back to haunt you later. Not only can sunscreen keep you from burning, it can help prevent skin cancer later in life. - Backyard Fun In The Sun. Learn How To Reduce The Chance For Play Set Injuries This Summer
Now that the weather is warmer and kids are heading outdoors to play, it is important for parents to take some essential precautions to create a safer backyard play environment. According to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), there were nearly 47,000 injuries to children under age 15 on home playgrounds in the last year studied. The chance of these injuries occurring-ranging from bumps and bruises to head trauma-can be reduced by following some simple guidelines.
"Nothing is more important than active adult supervision to enforce the rules that will help prevent a serious injury on backyard playgrounds," says Meri-K Appy, president of the nonprofit Home Safety Council. "In addition, parents and caregivers should make sure their children's play set is age-appropriate and in good condition-and that the surface underneath and around the equipment provides a soft landing if and when their kids do take a tumble." - Get A Jump On Healthy Water Fun
During the warmer months, it can seem like there's water, water everywhere-the beach, the pool, the lake, the sea shore. Before you make a splash, health experts suggest you get a jump on healthy water fun and get the facts about swimmer's ear.
Swimmer's ear is a very common and painful infection of the outer ear canal. When water gets into the ear, it can become trapped in the ear canal, turning the area moist and spongy and allowing bacteria to grow. Most frequently, swimmer's ear develops with consistent, extended exposure to water. For this reason, swimmer's ear is very common during the summer months, and most often in older children and young adults. - Think Sun, Think Zinc
It's a good idea to give zinc its day in the sun. That's the advice from experts who say that the amount of zinc oxide in sunscreen is more important than sun protection factors (SPFs) and "waterproof" claims when it comes to protecting your skin.
"SPF ratings do not have any relation to a product's ability to provide UVA protection. UVA rays are most associated with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. The incidence of melanoma has doubled since 1986 and has increased so quickly that it is one of the nation's most serious epidemics," explains Dr. Don Kilday, Pharm.D., president of Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen. - National Public Education Campaign Under Way To Reduce Underage Drinking Substance Abuse And Mental Health Health Services Administration
Alcohol is the most widely used substance of abuse among America's youth. A higher percentage of young people, ages 12 to 20, use alcohol (29 percent) than use tobacco (24 percent) or illicit drugs (14 percent), making underage drinking a leading public health problem in the United States. A new national effort to encourage parents to speak with their children about this critical problem is under way. Some people find it hard to believe that by the time they reach eighth grade, 41 percent of adolescents have had at least one drink, and almost 20 percent report having been drunk. It's also a fact that adults who had first used alcohol before age 15 are five times more likely to report dependence on or abuse of alcohol than adults who first used it at age 21 or older. In addition to its negative impact on health, alcohol use among youth is strongly correlated with violence, risky sexual behavior, poor academic performance, driving incidents and other harmful behaviors.
Yet many parents do not see drinking as a top-of-mind issue. To help bring this issue to the forefront, a new campaign is encouraging parents to speak with their children about the negative effects of alcohol to delay the onset of, and ultimately to prevent, underage drinking. - Peer Pressure And Alcohol: A Difficult Combination For Many Teens
For most young people, the teenage years are a fun and exciting time, filled with first-time experiences: a new school, a part-time job, getting a driver's license, maybe a first romance. In general, it is a period marked by greater responsibility and freedom.
However, teens can also experience feelings of doubt and may lack self-esteem. For these reasons, they are particularly susceptible to peer pressure: an overwhelming desire to fit in and do "what everyone else is doing," even if it means participating in such high-risk activities as drinking, smoking and sex.
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