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KEEPING KIDS SAFE -- Unintended injuries are the number one health risk for children age 14 and under. Each year, thousands of children die or become permanently disabled from their injuries. Fortunately, many injuries can be prevented. Here are some tips to help children stay safe on bicycles, skateboards, scooters, and in-line skates: 1. Check equipment before use and look for loose, broken, or cracked parts; 2. Have children wear appropriate safety gear, including a helmet. Make sure protective gear does not interfere with hearing, movement, or vision; 3. Make sure helmets cover your child's forehead and straps should fit snugly; 4. Instruct children to ride solo on bikes, skateboards, and scooters; 5. Teach children the rules of the road and to obey all traffic signs and lights; 6. Supervise children age 8 and under when they ride on anything with wheels.

KID SAFETY IN THE CAR -- Do restrain your child appropriately for his or her age, weight and height. Do follow directions that come with the child safety seat, as well as the child passenger restraint directions in your vehicle’s owner’s manual. Do not put your child in the front seat. Children 12 and under should sit in the back seat appropriately restrained. Do not place a child in front of an active airbag because they are made to protect adults, not children.

DIET TRICKS -- For a quick weight-loss boost, garlic and papaya tablets are a favorite of many models. You can get these tablets at the health food store.

WHITER TEETH -- To make your teeth appear whiter, use lipstick with cool, bright hues (pink, raspberry, plum) with a glossy/frosty finish. For beautiful teeth, mix a little baking soda and peroxide together and use as a "paste" once a week. This will help remove stains and plaque.

HEALTH EFFECTS OF DIESEL EXHAUST -- Coughs and phlegm. Lightheadedness, nausea. Increased susceptibility to allergens like dust or pollen. Irritation of eyes, nose, throat and lungs. Inflammation of lungs, and increased asthma attacks. Respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Lowered resistance to respiratory infection. Macrophages overwhelmed by particles result in immune reactions that cause inflammation and 'sticky' blood, increasing risk of clots and both heart and lung disease. Mutations in chromosomes and damage to DNA. For people exposed chronically to 1µg/m3 of diesel exhaust, a rate of lung cancer in the range of 34 to 650 people per million. Possible cause of multiple chemical sensitization, leading to changes in red and white blood cells, bleeding, liver damage, and degeneration of the nervous system.

CALCIUM DOES A DIET GOOD -- Researchers with the Quebec Family Study investigating the link between calcium consumption, body composition, and cholesterol levels found that the benefits of calcium go far beyond keeping your bones strong. The 470 adults in the study were divided into three groups based on their calcium intake: group A, which got less than 600 mg per day; group B, which got between 600 and 1,000 mg per day; and group C, which got more than 1,000 mg per day. Women in group A had higher body weight, BMI, fat mass, percentage of body fat, total abdominal adipose tissue, and waist circumference than women in the other two groups. For both men and women, higher dietary calcium intake was associated with levels of total, LDL, and HDL cholesterol that are associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease.

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FEATURED ARTICLE

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With homes full of potpourri, scented candles, and plug-in air fresheners, we escape inside, leaving the air pollution caused by smog and smokestack emissions outside. Wrong. We actually retreat from the smog into an environment that may smell better but is actually potentially five times worse than the air outside. And the very sprays and scents we use to make our homes smell clean are actually affecting the quality of our inside air. It is not only the sweet-smelling products that affect our air's purity but many of the cleaning products we use every day. If you are badly affected by allergies to certain chemicals, you may want to examine your utility closet and under your sink for products that you could replace with less toxic alternatives.

Potential Indoor Pollutants

• Bleach and other chemical cleansers. A great many cleansers contain environmental pollutants. Look carefully at their labels and try to substitute natural cleansers whenever you can. You can often find natural cleaning products at health food stores, or you can make them yourself out of non-toxic cleaning ingredients like pine oil, baking soda, vinegar, and lemon juice.

• Mothballs. Not only do they smell bad, they are unhealthy - to moths as well as people! There are a lot of ways to repel moths, not the least of which is simply protecting wool items with a moth-proof barrier. You can also use cedar chips, which repel moths just as well.

• Cooking and heating appliances. Gas stoves and appliances release fumes into the air. If you use gas, make sure that rooms containing gas appliances are well ventilated.

• Candles. Candles release soot and other pollutants into the air, and those made with metal wicks may release lead into the air. Paraffin is a petroleum-based ingredient use to make candles and is a known pollutant. Try natural, paraffin-free, beeswax candles instead.

• Perfumes. Perfumes made with other than natural oils may smell like flowers but breathe like chemicals. Look for perfumes that use only natural ingredients, or try creating your own scents from natural oils instead.

• Incense. Smoke is an air pollutant, even when it smells sweet. Use dried-flower potpourri and fresh air to get the same effect.

• Dry cleaning. Many professional dry cleaners use a carcinogenic cleaning agent. Hand-wash your delicate clothing with a gentle, natural cleanser instead. If you must dry clean a piece of clothing, hang it outside to fumigate before you wear it or store it in your closet.

• Furniture and rugs. Think natural - avoid plastics as much as possible and use all-wool or silk rugs instead of wall-to-wall carpeting.

• Teflon coated cookware. Respected natural health advisor, Dr. Andrew Weil, cautions against using pans with a non-stick Teflon surface. He says Teflon emits toxic fumes when heated to high temperatures, and caged birds in kitchens have been poisoned from overheated Teflon-coated cookware. Never overheat Teflon-coated pans or leave them on the stove with nothing in them.

Recently, the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit organization in Washington, D.C., asked the Consumer Product Safety Commission to require cookware coated with Teflon and similar chemicals to carry a label describing potential health risks of the non-stick coating. They found that Teflon-like coatings on pans could reach 700 degrees F. in three to five minutes, releasing their toxic chemicals far more quickly than was suspected.

Internal documents from the DuPont Company, which produces Teflon, show that toxic particles which kill birds are given off at temperatures as low as 464 degrees F.

The EWG's research suggests that consumers often do not use temperatures in excess of 500 degrees F. when cooking. Dr. Weil recommends stainless steel pans with copper bottoms for better heat conduction, and advises all cooks to keep kitchens well ventilated.

Increased Ventilation Helps

To further increase your indoor air quality level, open windows and doors for ventilation whenever safety and weather conditions permit. Also consider installing a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter in your favorite room to create a pollution-free zone. This is especially important if you live in a big city, where there just is not as much fresh air to go around.

The issue of ventilation is a huge one, according to the Virginia Home Inspection Code. Ventilation is required in the kitchen, laundry, and bathrooms to exhaust warm, moist air to the outside. It is required of some appliances like the clothes dryer and stove to exhaust lint or smoke and grease to the exterior. It is required in the under floor crawl space and attic spaces to evaporate moisture, and is especially needed in winter months, the very time when so many people attempt to close off those vents.

Without adequate ventilation, moisture begins to rust the metal, dampen the wood, and grow mold. The crawl spaces of your home should have enough screened vents so that you can see to get out on a sunny day.

In conclusion, even if you do not have allergies, these tips can help make your home safer for your lungs.

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WELLNESS QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

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** Q & A #1:

Does eating an apple-a-day really provide health benefits?

Exciting research continues to show that apple-eaters have better lung function and are less likely to have certain cancers, strokes, and deadly heart attacks. Scientists believe this is because apples contain certain antioxidants known as procyanidins that protect against free radicals. Procyanidins are also found in tea, chocolate, and red wine. Red delicious apples contain an average of 208 mg, and a 1.3 oz chocolate bar contains an average of 165 mg according to Dr. H. Schmitz, a researcher at the University of California at Davis. The antioxidants are concentrated in the apple skins, where the red color is located, rather than the pulp. A British study showed those that ate five or more apples a week have nearly four times better breathing capacity. The University of Hawaii showed high apple consumption reduced the risk of lung cancer by 40%. The University at Helsinki, Finland showed apple-eaters were 20% less likely to develop any cancer. The Finnish National Public Health Institute also showed that eating half an apple a day cuts risk of stroke by 40%. It has also been shown that women who ate apples are 43% less likely to die of heart disease. So go ahead and eat your apple every day!

** Q & A #2:

What Is Blood Pressure?

Think about the air in a car tire. This air exerts pressure against the tire walls - usually about 30 pounds per square inch. Similarly, the blood in your veins exerts pressure against the veins themselves. That is what blood pressure is.

** Q & A #3:

My blood pressure is 150/80. What does this mean?

Your heart alternates between pumping blood and resting. So, the pressure on your blood vessels switches back and forth between two values: the pressure experienced when your heart is pumping, and the pressure experienced when your heart is between pumps. The top number, 150 in our example, is called systolic blood pressure, It is the pressure your veins experience during the pumping phase. The bottom number, 80, is called diastolic blood pressure. It is the pressure experienced between pumps.

** Q & A #4:

Why should I keep my blood pressure at a healthy level?

If blood pressure stays too high for too long, it can permanently and severely damage your heart, your brain, your kidneys and your arteries.

** Q & A #5:

What are the most important things I should do to protect my blood pressure?

1. Reduce the stress in your life. Blood pressure rises during times of stress, and falls when you are relaxed or asleep.
2. Eat a diet low in cholesterol and high in fiber. This keeps blood vessel walls clear, which reduces pressure.
3. Get some exercise. It raises your spirits and lowers your blood pressure.
4. Visit your doctor regularly to find out how you are doing.
5. Many pharmacies have a blood pressure checker. Use it to check your pressure regularly.

Is there any evidence that shows x-rays can help doctors care for people with simple back pain?

Getting an x-ray to uncover the source of lower back pain does not reduce suffering. In fact, in a past study, patients who had an x-ray, or radiography, reported more pain 3 months later than those who did not have an x-ray! So the answer is no, there is no evidence that having radiography helps doctors to care for people with simple back pain. However, there is even evidence that the very act of having an x-ray can, perhaps by appearing to increase the perception of severity, delay recovery. Low back pain is a common medical problem, and doctors often x-ray the lower spine to diagnose the cause of the pain. In most cases, however, x-ray results do little to change the treatment of back pain. Most of the time, x-rays are performed to reassure patients or doctors. Interestingly, even though x-rays did not appear to help relieve back pain, more than 80% of patients in both groups said they would choose to have an x-ray if they could. By nine months, most of the differences between the groups diminished, although having an x-ray still did not appear to provide any benefits, the report indicates. Patients in the x-ray group tended to be more satisfied with their care, however. The findings highlight the need to let people know that x-rays are of little use to most people with low back pain. Since so many people believe that radiography is an essential feature of the management of back pain, there is a need for a campaign to inform the public. When doctors order an x-ray to investigate low back pain, patients may interpret the move as a sign that they really are unwell, so they may be more likely to report pain and to think that the pain interferes with their activities.

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THE HERBAL CORNER