Personal Care

If students get a bad teacher in third grade, their test scores will still be suffering two years later, according to a new University of Tennessee study.
And students who get three bad teachers in a row are at a huge disadvantage to students who get three average or highly effective teachers.
"It basically says that school administrators should pay special attention in assigning students to teachers," said Dr. Williams Sanders, the University of Tennessee statistician who conducted the study.

The spine you have is the only one you ever get!
Through the miracle of modern medicine, many organs that fail or wear out can now be replaced. Heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and even artificial lenses for the eyes can make someone feel like new. Unfortunately for the spine, the one you were born with must last you your entire lifetime!

If you are aware of possible cases of Medicaid or Medicare health fraud, it is your patriotic duty as a Citizen of The United States to report them. Not only is it your duty, but it's a smart thing to do, since Medicaid and Medicare fraud costs The United States millions of dollars each year. And guess who winds up paying? That's right, you and me, the taxpayers in this country.

Injuries and deaths of children associated with child safety seats and passenger-side air bags have been reported. Parents, therefore, should be reminded that the safest place for any infant or small child when riding in a car is buckled into a safety seat or seat belt in the back seat. This is true whether or not the car is equipped with a passenger-side air bag.

How many women have made the dreaded trip to the drug store to purchase some personal product like tampons, birth control, a pregnancy test -- only to run into a friend, a co-worker or, worse, a drug store clerk who screams for a price check for the condoms the woman wants to buy?
The fact that women's most private of products are sold in the most public of places seems strangely contradictory. Particularly strange when you consider that, very often, retail drug stores stock women's personal products behind the pharmacy counter -- forcing women to ask the pharmacist or clerk for them.

More children under age 10 die from home accidents than from any single disease. Older Americans are also at a higher risk from home accidents which, each year, kill more than 21,000 and injure 25 million Americans of all ages. However, with a little planning, any home can be made safer for its youngest as well as its oldest residents.
Child Safety.
Here are a few tips to make your home safer for children.
Keep plastic bags and deflated or broken balloons away from young children. Cover unused electric outlets with plastic inserts.

Physicians Who Care

An otherwise healthy patient presents to the emergency department of her local hospital after falling onto her out-stretched arms. She has an obvious deformity of her wrist. The ER physician consults an Orthopedic surgeon who successfully reduces her broken wrist and places a cast over her wrist and lower arm. The patient is discharged home in good condition. Several days later she returns to her Orthopedist for a check-up; she has no complaints and is doing well. She returns to her Orthopedist several weeks later and is complaining of a burning pain in her wrist and arm.

Be clear about your own sexual values and attitudes.
It will be far more difficult for you to approach the topic of sex with your child if you do not have a clear understanding of your own attitudes toward sex, love and feelings. Ask yourself the following questions:
What do you really think about children and teens having sex, and putting themselves at risk for becoming parents or contracting STIs?
Who is responsible for setting sexual limits in a relationship? Does this always work?

Here's proof that you should not believe everything you hear about health. Nancy Snyderman, surgeon and editor of NBC News, tells you which are the myths about health that you may cause problems. Here are some stories that you hear every day and find out which ones are true:
Myth: Annual Medical Control is Beneficial
The Truth: it is! If you go to regular monitoring, as otherwise you discover problems in time.
Myth: Storage of Medicines in the Bathroom is the Best Option

Five different hepatitis viruses have been identified: type A; type B; type C; type D, or delta virus; and type E. Type A is probably the most prevalent type of viral hepatitis worldwide, followed by types B, E, C, and D.
Hepatitis A and E are transmitted through fecally contaminated food or water. Other modes of transmission include needle sharing among intravenous drug abusers; sexual contact; maternal transmission; and transmission by blood transfusion.

(HealthDay News) -- If you have a young athlete at home, it's important to educate him about the importance of drinking enough water, advises the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Here's what your child should know:
Drink before you're thirsty.
Avoid caffeine. It causes water loss and can deplete calcium levels.
The best drink choices are water, 100 percent fruit juice and milk. During exercise, cold water is ideal since it clears the stomach quickly. Have sports drinks during events lasting more than an hour.
While we fret about the most complex and controversial aspects of our health care, don't forget to do these basic things that will definitely help your health. You don't need to go to medical school to be the most important member of your healthcare team - just follow these time-tested ways that really work.
Stop smoking
There is no question that if you smoke, stopping will be the very best thing you will ever do for your health. If you fail this time, keep on trying!
Get some exercise

Health and nutrition experts continually advise us that the more we exercise the healthier we will be so:
Get active and stay active: This will be the most important step to achieve. It is so easy to find reasons not to exercise. Just remember a little light to moderate activity each day will bring great results.
One size does not fit all: Understand your own unique body type and find out what works best for you. Set realistic goals for yourself and stay on track. Each day will bring it’s own reward as you feel fitter and energized.

Easier ways to exercise
If you're overweight, exercising can be an "exercise" in feeling self-conscious -- especially if you must go to a gym filled with thin, muscular types.
Ideas that can help
Join a health club that caters to heavy individuals. These facilities downplay mirrored walls and other bodybuilder trappings. Check your phone book to see if there's one near you.
Buy a piece of exercise equipment for your home -- a treadmill, rowing machine or stationary bike for aerobic conditioning, and a set of weights for strength.

Love thyself. "Decide to lose excess weight because you are a wonderful person, not in order to become one."
Choose an eating plan that you can live with."Slow and steady wins the race." If you lose just one pound a week this year, on December 31st, you'll be 52 pounds lighter.
Make a commitment.Make a commitment that's so strong that "slipping" off your well-laid plan is simply a non-negotiable issue.

If you are having sleep problems, whether you are not able to fall asleep, wake up too often, don't feel well-rested when you wake up in the morning, or simply want to improve the quality and quantity of your sleep, try as many of the following techniques below as possible:

Remember stick nothing in your Ears : not even a cotton swab. All you will end up doing is pushing the ear wax deeper into the ear. Hears what you do if you don't have a ear irrigation & cleaning kit from the store. First never irrigate if a perforation or tear exists to the ear drum. Then proceed by placing A few drops of Hydrogen Peroxide or Mineral Oil into the ear cannel, This will help soften & loosen the wax Try this for a day or to. Once the wax is soft irrigate your Ear with tepid water using a bulb syringe.

Foreign objects are frequently placed in the ear by young children or enter the ear accidentally during cleaning or scratching the ear. It is not uncommon for this to lead to an infection of the outer ear.

Wash your feet regularly and dry them well - especially between the toes.
Choose socks made of natural fibre like cotton.
Change your socks and/or tights regularly.
Make sure your shoes are roomy and comfortable.
Use a special insole to absorb sweat and beat odour - available from your local pharmacy.
Smelly feet may be helped by special foot deodorants - take a look at your local pharmacist
Give your favourite shoes a rest - don't wear them all the time