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Bulletin, Progressive, Record, Reporter Wednesday, April 20, 2011 7B
HERE'STO
YOUR HEALTH
AURA WHITTAKER
While they may think of
themselves as indestructible,
even children can have health
problems. Some problems are
serious and some are not so
serious. In fact, many are
perhaps embarrassing and
annoying, but very common.
Lice
Head lice is a possibly the
most prevalent childhood
condition, especially among
children ages 3 to 10 years old.
Every year an average of 6 to
12 million people worldwide
get head lice. Most of those
millions are children because
outbreaks often occur m
schools and group settings
such as preschools and
nursing homes.
Lice are very, very small in-
sects. In fact, they are so tiny
you can barely see them. Each
louse (the name for one of the
lice) is brown and gray and
only about the size of a sesame
seed.
Because lice are parasites,
they will set up house on any- these special circumstances: and white. Their eggs get every day. get ear infections when they
one's head. All people should .Women who are pregnant inside the body through the Although pinworm infec- have conjunctivitis because
know that outbreaks of head or breastfeeding should not mouth and they pass through tions can be annoying, theythe same bacteria can cause
lice have nothing to do with a use head-lice medications,the digestive system, rarely cause serious healthboth problems. You can also
family's income, social status -Consult a health care Pinworm eggs can end up problems and are usually not get conjunctivitis because of
or level of personal hygiene, provider before using lice- on anything that someone dangerous. Treatment with allergies or because you get
Thankfully, lice cannot killing products on a person who has pinworms touches: prescription medications orsomething irritating in your
jump or fly. They spread wheh who has allergies, asthma or on a counter in the kitchen, in over-the-counter products can eyes, but these kinds of con-
people's heads touch or when other medical conditions, a bed or on a desk at school, provide an effective cure in junctivitis are not contagious.
they share hats and other .Do not use extra amounts The eggs can live for about almost all cases. Viruses, like the kirid that
clothing, combs, brushes, of lice-killing medicines,two weeks on a surface, and can give you a cold, can cause
headbands, barrettes and -Do not use lice-killing when you accidentally touch Pinkeye conjunctivitis as well. Con-
bedding. If lice are stuck on medicines on the eyebrows or them and then put your Conjunctivitis, or pinkeye,junctivitis is easy to catch just
any of these items and that eyelashes, fingers in your mouth, youis the most common eye through touching. You can get
thing touches another per- can swallow the eggs without problem children can have. it by touching the hand of an
son's head, that person may Pinworms even knowing it. It can cause redness, itching, infected person who'has
also get lice. Pinworms are tiny worms People who have pinworms inflammation or swelling, touched his or her eyes. If you
Although lice can live for that commonly infect the in- are not dirty children canand a clear, white, yellow or then touch your eyes, the in-
only one to two days offa testines, most often in chil- get pinworms no matter howgreenish liquid or crust tofection can be spread to you.
person's head, it's a good idea dren between 5 and 10 years often they take a bath or play collect or form in the eyes. Washing your hands often
to wash all your bedding, hats, old. Many school children in the mud. Students in schoN It's called pinkeye becausewith warm, soapy water is
clothing and stuffed animals have probably had pinwormsget pinworms easily because the white part of the eye and the best way to avoid being
in hot water. Or you can seal at one time, and the wormsthey spend a lot of time with inside the eyelids becomes red infected with conjunctivitis.
these things in airtight bags are nothing to worry about~ other children, who are likely or pink when you have it. If your eyes are itchy, red or
for 10 days. That also will kill Occurring worldwide, thereto have pinworms. The eggsPinkeye may start in one eye, more crusty than usual in the
the lice and their eggs. are more than 40 million cases are so light that a few may but many people get conjunc- morning, don't wait, because
Vacuuming the carpets, in the United States each year, even end up in the air. where tivitis in both eyes at the same conjunctivitis spreads easily.
upholstery and car seats will making it the most common they could be swallowed when time. Conjunctivitis usually Call the doctor for an appoint-
take care of any lice that fell worm infection in America.you breathe in. doesn't hurt, but the itching ment.
off before treatment. Combs, Pinworm infections occur in The best way to keep fromcan be annoying. Sometimes it. If you have pinkeye caused
brushes and hair accessories all socioeconomic groups; getting pinworms is to wash feels like you have an eyelash by bacteria, the doctor will
need to be soaked in hot wa- however, human-to-human your hands with warm, soapy or a speck of sand in your eye probably prescribe antibiotic
ter, washed with medicated' spread is favored by close, water before you eat, after you and can't get it out. eye drops or ointment for you.
shampoo or thrown away. crowded living conditions and play outside and after you use Conjunctivitis lasts a short It's important to use whatever
Sometimes it is difficult to get spread among family mem- the toilet. Try to keep your time, usually about a week or the doctor prescribes so the
rid of the lice; if that happens, bers is common. Animals fingernails short and clean, less, and then goes away by infection doesn't come back.
talk to your doctor. There are do not harbor pinworms and don't scratch around your itself or after treatment.Unfortunately, these drops
stronger medicines and other humans are the only natural bottom or bite your nails.Pinkeye develops for won't work ira virus is
treatments that they may host for this parasite. Because pinworm eggs can different reasons. Most causing your conjunctivitis or
decide to use. A Pinworm is really small hang around in clothes, bepeople get it from bacteria or if allergies are causing your
Take extra precautions for about as long as a staple -- sure to change underwear viruses. Sometimes children itchy, red eyes.
Alcohol Awareness
Abuse and Mental Health Ser-
j~ vices Administration (SAMH-
SA) reported on underage
drinking in the United States.
It found that more than half of
American teens have con-
............. sumed alcohol; 11 million un-
C-FORCE derage youths drink; and 40
HEALTH AND FITNESS percent of those are provided
CHUCK NORRIS alcohol at times by their par-
info@creators.com ents. Alcohol consumption by
underage drinkers continues
Q: Chuck, as a health and to be a public health problem,
fitness expert, how do you feel contributing to thousands of
about alcohol consumption? highway fatalities and count-
"'A Toronto Teetotaler" less other casualties and prob-
A: April is Alcohol Aware- lems.
ness Month, so I'm doing a The SAMHSA report includ-
two-part series on the issue, ed the U.S. surgeon general's
Last week's column was indictment of parents as en-"
geared to those who legally ablers. Some addiction spe-
can drink, and this week's ad- cialists, however, rebutted his
dresses those who are under- commentary, saying that
age. drinking will happen regard-
In Part 1, though not over- less of parental participation,
looking health risks or high- and who better than the par-
way statistics, I decided to fo- ents to oversee it?
cus on one of the reasons Despite which side of the-
many people justify drinking parental supervision debate
or become alcohol-dependent we land on, we all can agree
-- discontentment or a dissat- that alcohol is an addictive
isfaction with life as it is. substance that can kill quick-
If you didn't read Part 1, I ly by impairing judgment or
encourage you to do so. My slowly by destroying vital or-
main point was that I belie,¢e gans. For those reasons alone,
we all should go against the we should fight for our kids
tide in our culture that erro- being free from not only its
neously convinces us that we chemical dependency but also
need mood-altering sub- an emotional need for it.
stances (legal and illegal) to A culture embedded in he-
settle our nerves or elevate donism should not be sur-
our happiness. I'm convinced prised when its youths in-
that if we addressed internal crease their passion for plea-
issues that seek to rob us of sure and escape. But it can
personal peace and content- combat the tides of lies that
ment, we'd see alcohol and try to convince young and old
other drug consumption rates that life cannot be good
drop in both adults and young enough without mo0d-altering
people, substances.
In 2008, the Substance My question to underage
Q,
onth, Part H Undera2e drinkin2
youths is the same that I ask
of legal-age adults, whether
they're addicts or not: Is it
possible that life in itself can
be good enough that we d~)n't
need any mood-altering sub-
stances to steady us?
I'll say it again: I believe it
can. I really do. I live that type
of life and have plenty of
friends who do, too.
I have noticed that a lot of
people's substance dependen-
cies are steeped withir/a back-
ground of dysfunctional or
meaningless relationships m
which love was conditional at
best and absent and abusive at
worst. I believe that being de-
prived of love creates a cavity
that many seek to fill with
aberrant relationships and
mood-altering substances.
As I also mentioned last
week, the issues of alcohol and
alcoholism hit close to home
for me because I grew up with
an alcoholic father. He also
was addicted to cigarettes.
Both booze and tobacco con-
' tributed to his early death, at
53 years of age in 1971.
Before finally physically
leaving our home when I was
a teenager, my father emotion-
ally abandoned our home far
earlier because of his addic-
tions and bad choices. It left a
hole not only in our family but
also in our hearts.
Thank God my mother
loved us unconditionally and
raised us encouraging us that
God does the same. In my fam-
ily's Christian tradition, the
Fatherhood of God filled a gap
that my alcoholic father had
created. In addition, our
church was an extended lov-
ing family to us. Today youth
groups can do a fantastic job ditional love and support is reason to drink alcohol. As
there as well. one of the reasons my wife, we do with anything in our
My point is that we must Gena, and I continue to invest lives, we should test its
never underestimate the love our time, talents and trea- worthiness for our consump-
we can offer one another and sures in our nonprofit organi- tion, asking how it can affect
the power of organizations zation, KickStart Kids (Kick- our lives, health and relation-
that rally youths together in StartKids.org). Our instruc- ships. And only when we are
caring ways, whether they be tots are our heroes, but more convinced that we would be
church youth groups, the Y, imPortantly, they are heroes better off with it than without
Boys & Girls Clubs of America to thousands of kids in Texas, it should we proceed to
or others. The power of those instilling self-worth and build- partake of it.
"families" brings personal ing strong moral character in As Socrates put it so
worth and love to young our youth through martial eloquently and wisely a Couple
people in ways that often are arts. of millennia ago, "worthless
neglected today in their In the end, with its perils people live only to eat and
homes, outweighing its pleasures, drink; people of worth eat
Providing a basis of uncon- we shouldn't be.fighting for a and drl k only to hve.,
"n " '~
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i i i i i