Asthma Education is Critical for Community Health

Title:Asthma Education is Critical for Community HealthWord Count:520Summary:One of the keys to effective asthma treatment is asthma education ?not just for the patient butfor everyone involved in his or her life.Keywords:asthma. allergy, allergiesArticle Body:Rather than treating asthma like a string of isolated asthma attacks, doctors are now treating抯asthma as a chronic condition that is affected by nearly every aspect of the patient life.Instead of focusing on acute care intervention, doctors now focus on daily management,medication and monitoring to help minimize symptoms of asthma and lessen the severity ofasthma attacks when they do happen.Asthma education is a key part of that management. By teaching the patient and his family howto monitor his own condition, what causes flare-ups of symptoms and how to avoid them,doctors can reduce the number of hospitalizations and emergency room visits due to asthma.Using a peak flow meter, an asthmatic can keep track of his lung capacity ?and seek appropriatetreatment if it wanders into the danger zone. Education about asthma can impress upon him theimportance of measuring every day ?and keeping careful records.抯Extending that education into the community can literally save your child life. Something assimple as spending an hour with a third grade class to show them how to help someone having抰an asthma attack can pay back unexpected dividends. After all, wouldn you rather know that抯all of your child classmates will recognize an asthma attack ?and do the right thing when

they see one?抯The administration of your child school is another place where asthma education can pay off抰big dividends. Many schools still don understand how vital it is that a child with asthma hashis inhaler with him at all times. When schools deny an asthmatic child his right to carry hisinhaler for fear that other children will find a way to abuse it, the results can be disastrous.Making the effort to do a bit of advocacy and asthma education can literally make the differencebetween life and death.抰Community asthma education can also make a big difference in whether or not children withasthma are properly diagnosed. Many people still don recognize the symptoms of asthma抯unless they see an acute attack ?but mild asthma, and the symptoms of chronic asthma can bedevastating to a child life. Chronic respiratory illnesses, bronchitis, pneumonia and chestpain can keep children out of school and in the emergency room. By educating the communitythrough public service announcements, school outreach programs, clinic visits and physician抯incentives, many children with hidden asthma can be reached and treated, reducing the overallcosts of health care as well as improving the individual child health.Like diabetes education ten years ago, asthma education today can help alert parents, identifythose who suffer from asthma and make sure that appropriate treatment is available to everyonewho needs it. This is especially important in the case of childhood asthma, where the diagnosesand treatments and standards of care so often seem to be inequitable. Asthma education canhelp ensure that all parents are aware of the standard of treatment that their children SHOULDbe getting ?which is the first step to ensuring that the children get the care that they require.Title:Healthy Lifestyle Can Minimize Pregnancy Risk FactorsWord Count:633Summary:Practicing a healthy lifestyle several months prior to conception can minimize risk factors thatcan hurt the baby and future parents. Sometimes, it only takes a healthy lifestyle change toboost the chances of pregnancy especially those who are having problems with infertility andother medical conditions.Keywords:pregnancy, infertility, depression, stress, counselingArticle Body:It's every couple's dream to start building a family of their own by having a healthy baby.Pregnancy appears to be a natural expectation from any healthy couple but in a world wherelifestyles are always on the go, planning is necessary to make sure that everything goes well.Being a party animal, getting by on a little sleep, too much alcohol and cigars ?all these will

have to take a back seat in order to accommodate the beginning of a new life.Several months prior to conception, both the man and the woman should make sure they arepracticing a healthy lifestyle to keep their body in a good condition. This can help minimizerisk factors that can hurt the baby or the future parents.Sometimes, it only takes a healthy lifestyle change to boost the chances of pregnancy especiallythose who are having problems with infertility and other medical conditions.The first two to four weeks of pregnancy is very critical. During this time, a tiny placenta andembryo are already attached to the uterine wall. The baby's development can be greatlyaffected by the following health and lifestyle issues:?Serious birth defect called spina bifida is a condition characterized by a baby born with a spinethat is not closed. To help prevent this condition, many food items, such as bread, bagels andbreakfast cereal, are fortified with folic acid which is effective in reducing the risk of this birthdefect.?Alcohol is associated to premature delivery, mental retardation, birth defects andlow-birth-weight babies.?Smoking can cause conception difficulties and may increase the risk of preterm labor and lowbirth weight.?Pregnant women should consult their physicians before taking any over-the-counter andprescription drugs due to the health risk it may cause to the unborn. Non-SteroidalAnti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, aspirin compounds and ibuprofen cancause a decrease in the amount of amniotic fluid and cause closure of the ductus arteriosa, animportant blood vessel in the baby.?Cocaine use is detrimental and life-threatening to both mother and baby.?Pregnant women who have periodontal infections and gum disease can increase the risk ofpre-term delivery up to eightfold. Babies born to mothers with these infections are twice aslikely to be admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit, and three times more likely to needhospitalization beyond seven days.According to Michael Greene, MD, Director of Obstetrics at Massachusetts General Hospital inBoston, obesity is an especially critical issue for women of childbearing age. \"Obesity is梕associated with many complications, because it greatly increases a woman's risk of developinghigh blood sugar and diabetes ither before they get pregnant or during their pregnancy,\" addsGreene.The unborn is placed at high risk for a variety of congenital malformations, including defects ofthe brain and spinal cord brought about by the mother's obesity and diabetes. The babies arelikely to grow large in size making it difficult to have normal delivery and may requireceasarean section.Depression can also affect pregnancy. Women who get depressed when during pregnancytend to smoke, drink alcohol or use illegal drugs which are harmful to the baby. Difficultybonding with the baby and postpartum depression may also occur which is usual in women witha history of depressive illness. The cortisol hormone that the body releases during times ofstress seems to make conception more difficult. However, exercise and getting plenty of sleepcan help reduce stress.Women are adviced to see either a doctor or midwife at least 3 months before getting pregnantfor pre-conception counseling. This will help women learn about what steps to take to ensurea healthy pregnancy. Keeping a healthy lifestyle over the years can translate into a healthypregnancy especially when it's past the prime of fertility years.

Title:Prevent Health Complications - Reduce Weight!Word Count:387Summary:These days we are becoming increasingly aware that we may be overweight or even obese andthat this increase in weight can lead to health complications. Excess weight places a strain onour backs, heart and other parts of our body and health professionals advise us to take a closerlook at our diet and lifestyle in general and make the necessary changes to control our weight.Exercise is one major consideration in any weight loss program and we often do not fit enoughinto ou...Keywords:diet, loss weight, fitnessArticle Body:These days we are becoming increasingly aware that we may be overweight or even obese andthat this increase in weight can lead to health complications. Excess weight places a strain onour backs, heart and other parts of our body and health professionals advise us to take a closerlook at our diet and lifestyle in general and make the necessary changes to control our weight.Exercise is one major consideration in any weight loss program and we often do not fit enoughinto our increasingly hectic lifestyles.Exercise can come in many forms and can focus on toning different parts of the body as well ashelping us to lose weight caused by excess body fat. Gyms are a familiar sight in most towns抯and cities and the vast array of equipment available can help us to control our weight andimprove our overall fitness levels. This may not be everyone ideal method of losing weightas you may feel self-conscious when surrounded by all those perfect bodies, but we all have tostart somewhere in our fight against excess body weight.抰Gyms aren the only option available to us if we want to exercise more to lose weight. Simplywalking more each day can provide us with an increase in activity that soon leads to us losingweight and feeling better. As our fitness levels increase we can then move onto jogging or evenrunning. Believe it or not, climbing the stairs is one of the easiest and most effective exercisesthat most of us can do very easily. Not only does this help to shed some of our extra weight butalso provides a great workout for our heart and cardiovascular system. Once you have brokenyourself into exercise gently and begun to see your weight falling you may want to take up anew sport or other physical activity to further your weight loss.The hardest part about exercise is actually starting to do it. Once you have made the effort to fitmore exercise into your daily routine, and stick to it, you will find it becomes easier and almostautomatic. If you become really enthusiastic about toning your body and want to begin weighttraining you must seek the advice of a professional trainer to prevent serious injury.