Barb's Daily Dose

Preventing Falls in the Home and Keeping Your Bones Healthy

Watch Nurse Barb on "Home with Lisa Quinn" talking about simple tips in the home to keep you safe.

Avoiding Food Poisoning

How often have you or someone you know had a little tummy upset after a meal or in the middle of the night?  If you said 1 or 2 times a year, then it's not unlike 15% of Americans who have food poisoning every year.

Thankfully most of us just have a bit of mild diarrhea or vomiting, but over 4,000 people were hospitalized last year for serious food poisoning. 

Hearing Loss and Dementia

Which comes first the hearing loss and social isolation or does hearing loss predict future dementia? Researchers have noticed a link between people with hearing loss and an increased risk of cognitive  problems.  It's not clear the exact mechanism and not known if the use of hearing aids will decrease the risk or severity.  Even people who have slight hearing loss and have trouble following a conversation in a noisy restaurant were more likely to develop dementia.

Preventing Falls in the Home and Keeping Your Bones Healthy

Watch Nurse Barb on "Home with Lisa Quinn" talking about simple tips in the home to keep you safe.

Booster Seats Save Lives

After working in a Pediatric Intensive Care unit, I've seen first hand too many children who were seriously injured in car accidents.  These are images that stay with me, so whenever I can encourage, nag, or cajole people into safer routines to prevent accidents, I will.  Whatever works, is my motto.  Once your child graduates from an infant seat, install and use the booster seat. 

Cyber Bullying

Is your child being Bullied on line?   Are they Cyberbullies?  I just read an article in Medscape about Cyberbullying where Dr. Gwenn, the author of CyberSafe was interviewed.  She has some great tips for parents and for kids.

We have to remember that may teens are acting on impulse and may not be thinking about how people receive their messages in the haste to express themselves or get something off their chest. 

Nationwide Egg Recall Underway

Featured Article was showcased on Caring.com by:

Staywell Custom Communications

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 18 (HealthDay News) -- A nationwide outbreak of salmonella in eggs has sickened more than 250 people and led to a recall of more than 228 million eggs, according to news reports.

The outbreak, which apparently began in May, appears to be ongoing, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

On Aug. 13, the CDC said: "There have been confirmed Salmonella enteritidis illnesses relating to the shell eggs and traceback investigations are ongoing."

Rocket Fuel & Perchlorates: How to Protect Yourself

When you do a Google search for Rocket fuel, you find lots of interesting information and a few unexpected little gems. Apparently there are recipes for Rocket fuel chicken that can be spiced up to be Mexican or Thai.  In case you’re wondering, they don’t add Rocket fuel, that’s just the catchy and fun name for the culinary masterpieces out there.

Some of my friends call Red Bull, Rocket fuel, and one of them is an engineer who works for the Department of Defense on missiles and rockets. No, we’re not talking about Red Bull, but coincidently, we are talking about real rocket fuel.

Perchlorate, aka Rocket Fuel, is a component of fireworks, munitions and yes, rocket fuel.  It can also be found in certain fertilizers from Chile. Back in 2004, and 2005, researchers began to develop more sensitive tests to detect minute amounts of Perchlorate in drinking water and guess what, this stuff is everywhere.  Holy, guacamole!  Read on, because it’s an interesting reminder of how interconnected everything is.

Drinking water, milk and lettuce were tested, as was human breast milk.  What was surprising was that in some cases the levels of Perchlorates in breast milk was 5 times that seen in the milk you could by off the shelf in the dairy section. 

Vicks Vapor Rub

I love the smell of Vicks Vapor Rub

 It reminds me of how my grandmother would rub it on my chest to help me breathe as a kid. It's warming and seemed to open up those stuffy airways.

It's a great product, but here's the key:  When it's used AS DIRECTED.

Please don't use Vicks VapoRub in children under the age of 2. And, whatever you do, don't rub it on their upper lip.  A few children who had Vicks applied to their upper lip needed to go to the emergency room when they had trouble breathing. 

How this happens?

Babies and children under 2 have teeny, tiny airways that can swell when they get irritated.  

So follow the manufacturer's instructions and don't use this with children under 2.

Salmonella tracked by Public Health officials

I read this from the Mercury News in San Jose. A great reminder of why Public Health programs exist and how they protect all of us.