It’s true – there are a lot of unexpected surprises that can happen in life, but colon cancer doesn’t have to be one of them. Thanks to improvements in prevention, early detection, and treatment, more than a million people in the US count themselves as survivors of colon or rectum cancer (also called colorectal cancer). Click the links below to read more on preventing this second leading cause of death caused by cancer among men and women in the US.
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/colonandrectumcancer/
http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/colorectal/pdf/basic_fs_eng_color.pdf
WHAT IS DIABETES?
Diabetes is a problem with your body that causes blood glucose (sugar) levels to rise higher than normal. This is also called hyperglycemia.
When you eat, your body breaks food down into glucose and sends it into the blood. Insulin then helps move the glucose from the blood into your cells. When glucose enters your cells, it is either used as fuel for energy right away or stored for later use. In a person with diabetes, there is a problem with insulin. But, not everyone with diabetes has the same problem.
There are different types of diabetes – type 1, type 2, and a condition called gestational diabetes, which happens during pregnancy. If you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin, it can’t use the insulin it does make very well, or both. The resource library website below provides basic information with many links for more in-depth information on defining and managing diabetes.
How do we build in time for exercise when each day includes too many tasks to manage? Though it's an understandable conundrum, failing to exercise can be deadly. Numerous studies have attributed 250,000 annual deaths to lack of exercise. Some say it accounts for one in 10 premature deaths worldwide and is as dangerous as smoking. Luckily, once you commit to embracing exercise, you don't have to train for a marathon. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services advises Americans to engage in physical activity no less than three times weekly. While that sounds feasible on paper, many still struggle to find another hour (or even half hour) in the day for simple exercise. While there's no one-size-fits-all approach to squeezing exercise into an already packed day, many people have succeeded by employing some or all of the strategies found in the article below into their physical routine.
http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/index.htm
Blood pressure is important to your health. The guide linked below is published by the American Society of Hypertension includes blood pressure basics and outlines the dangers of high blood pressure. High blood pressure has no symptoms. It is considered to be a silent condition and over time it can damage your heart and other organs. Click on the link for a printable guide to help talk to your doctor about blood pressure.
http://www.ash-us.org/documents/BloodPressureHealthEnglish.pdf
Learn how to keep your lungs healthy and get facts about lung disease symptoms, causes and treatments, as well as advice for managing various lung diseases including Asthma, COPD, Influenza, Lung Cancer and Pneumonia at the America Lung Association website below
American Lung Association
Most MRSA infections occur in people who've been in hospitals or other health care settings, such as nursing homes and dialysis centers. When it occurs in these settings, it's known as health care-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA). HA-MRSA infections typically are associated with invasive procedures or devices, such as surgeries, intravenous tubing or artificial joints.
Another type of MRSA infection has occurred in the wider community — among healthy people. This form, community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA), often begins as a painful skin boil. It's spread by skin-to-skin contact. At-risk populations include groups such as high school wrestlers, child care workers and people who live in crowded conditions.
Find out more about symptoms, causes, risk factors, complications, how to prepare for your appointment, and treatment and drugs for a MRSA infection by clicking on the link below.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mrsa/basics/definition/con-20024479
If you're currently at a healthy weight, you're already one step ahead of the game. To stay at a healthy weight, it's worth doing a little planning now. Or maybe you are overweight but aren't ready to lose weight yet. If this is the case, preventing further weight gain is a worthy goal.
As people age, their body composition gradually shifts — the proportion of muscle decreases and the proportion of fat increases. This shift slows their metabolism, making it easier to gain weight. In addition, some people become less physically active as they get older, increasing the risk of weight gain.
The good news is that weight gain can be prevented by choosing a lifestyle that includes good eating habits and daily physical activity. By avoiding weight gain, you avoid higher risks of many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, and some forms of cancer.
CDC's Obesity website focuses on policy and environmental strategies to make healthy eating and active living accessible and affordable for everyone.
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/prevention/index.html
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/strategies/healthy-food-env.html
Quitting smoking may be the most important step you take to save your life. For references to learn more about how smoking affects your health and the healthiness of those around you, and to learn about ways to quit, click on the links below:
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/2010/myths/pdfs/myths.pdf
A Guide for Quitting Smoking with many tips to get started quitting smoking are offered in the link below—choose what works best for you. You can quit for good, even if you've tried before. In fact, most smokers try to quit many times before they succeed.
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/quit-smoking/guide/index.html
or try this link to get started on your quit plan: