What is a toxic substance? A toxic substance is any chemical or mixture that is harmful to the environment, animals, or to human health if inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through the skin. A poison is another name for a toxic substance that kills, injures or impairs a living organism. Toxic substances can be found in many of the common products used around the home, including: oven and drain cleaners laundry detergents floor and furniture…

Q. I’m planning a vacation on board a cruise ship. Should I plan on bringing my own medical kit and if so, what products should be included? A. It’s always wise to bring a medical kit with you on vacation, and especially for extended vacations. Even though you will be on board a cruise ship for a portion of your travel, you will be disembarking for day long or longer excursions at various ports of call. Therefore here are some suggested items to pack in your medical kit: Extra pair of…

Talk to Your Partner and Physician About Sexual Health Issues Sexuality is an integral part of being human. Love, affection, and sexual intimacy contribute to healthy relationships and individual well-being. But along with the positive aspects of our human sexuality, there also are illnesses, mixed emotions and unintended consequences that can affect our sexual health. An open discussion of sexuality issues is important to promoting sexual health and responsibility. More attention has been…

What is second-hand smoke? Second-hand smoke (also called passive smoke or environmental tobacco smoke) is the combination of smoke from a burning cigarette and smoke exhaled by a smoker. The smoke that burns off the end of a cigarette or cigar actually contains more harmful substances than the smoke inhaled by the smoker. This means that people who don’t smoke but are regularly around those who smoke are exposed to the health risks of cigarette smoking. How does second-hand smoke affect…

What is a drug allergy? A drug allergy is an allergic reaction to a medication. When the drug enters the body, it triggers a response by the immune system, which creates specific IgE antibodies (proteins made by the immune system to fight specific antigens). The body becomes sensitized, and when the drug is taken again, the IgE antibodies go into action, releasing large amounts of histamine that attempt to expel the drug from the body. What are the symptoms of drug allergy? Symptoms can…

1. Components of Good Health Personal history and prior illness Life style habits including: Diet - Mediterranean is best Exercise Tobacco use - Stop Alcohol use Safety belt use Safer sex practices 2. Evaluating a Person’s Future Risk of Disease Family history of inheritable diseases such as: breast cancer colon cancer diabetes hypertension Physical examinations to evaluate: blood pressure body mass…

Did you know... There’s only a 1 in 4000 chance that an antibiotic will help most acute upper respiratory infections. But there’s a 1 in 4 chance of diarrhea and a 1 in 50 chance of a skin reaction and a 1 in 1000 chance it’ll cause an ER visit due to some side effect. Antibiotics can also lead to more resistant infections that are harder to treat. Bottom line: There’s little to no benefit to taking antibiotics for most acute upper respiratory tract infections...and the downsides are…

9 Tips for Medication Safety Read all labels carefully. Know your drug and food allergies. Make a list of your medications and dosages. Keep this with you and update it as necessary. Eye drops, skin lotions, and vitamins are considered medications and should be included on your list. Also include any herbal products and over-the-counter medications. Make ALL health care providers aware of ALL the medications you are using. Give each a list of your current medications. Use pill boxes…

1. Pharmacy computers predict interactions between medications that may be harmful to your health; therefore, the consumer can depend on the pharmacist to alert them to all problems with their medications. True False 2. Vitamins and nutritional supplements are not considered medication; therefore, they cannot interact adversely with medications. True False 3. "Natural" and "herbal" are synonymous with "safe." True False 4. The effect of alcohol on medications is…

Tell your doctor: If you are allergic to any medications or have had an unusual reaction to any medication, food, or other substance If you are currently taking any other medications (including over-the-counter medications) or dietary supplements such as herbal preparations, vitamins, and minerals If you are pregnant, think you might be pregnant, or plan to become pregnant If you are breastfeeding If you are following a special diet, such as a low-sodium or low-sugar diet If you have…

Anyone at any age can have a drinking problem. Great Uncle George may have always liked his liquor, so his family may not see that his drinking behavior is getting worse as he gets older. Grandma Betty was a teetotaler all her life—she started having a drink each night to help her get to sleep after her husband died. Now no one realizes that she needs a couple of drinks to get through each day. These are common stories. The fact is that families, friends, and health care professionals…

Why Exercise? Exercising is the single most important thing that you can do to keep yourself healthy and to delay the aging process. Keeping physically fit may add up to two to three years to an individual's life span. The benefits of exercise go far beyond improving cardiovascular fitness and pulmonary function. Exercise helps to: Control blood pressure Protect against diabetes Ward off depression, anxiety, and insomnia Enhance balance and strength (minimizing accidental…

Caring for Aging Family Members Today, nearly 100 million people in the United States have chronic conditions — from Alzheimer's disease to serious physical or developmental disabilities—and many of these conditions require 24-hour care. Further, a national survey conducted by the National Alliance for Caregivers and AARP estimates that 80 percent of all care received by older Americans is provided by family members, including spouses, children, grandchildren, or other relatives. As America’s…

Hearing loss is one of the most common conditions affecting older adults. One in three people older than 60 and half of those older than 85 have hearing loss. Hearing problems can make it hard to understand and follow a doctor’s advice, to respond to warnings, and to hear doorbells and alarms. They can also make it hard to enjoy talking with friends and family. All of this can be frustrating, embarrassing, and even dangerous. Do I Have a Hearing Problem? Ask yourself the following questions.…

Q. My mother-in-law has fallen several times in her home, and we’d like to make her home safer. What are some ways we can make her home more "fall-proof?" A. If your mother-in-law is living alone, then you and she may wish to speak your local office of the aging, or a social worker, to determine if she needs more assistance to live more safely at home for as long as possible. A home evaluation can also be conducted to determine what special needs your mother-in-law may have. Some communities…

How does aging affect the nervous system? Almost all of us become aware of changes in memory and thinking (cognition) as we get older. We begin to have difficulty recalling names of persons and places, note that mental processing has slowed and learning is more difficult, and find that certain visuomotor functions (motor skills involving vision, such as eye-hand coordination) are also slower. When should memory loss become a concern? This question is difficult to answer because memory loss…

For most older people, good health and an active lifestyle is an achievable goal with proper nutrition, medical check-ups, treatment of common risk factors, and attention to personal safety. The risk of heart attacks and strokes is reduced with treatment of hypertension and high cholesterol, smoking cessation, and good control of diabetes. Periodic check-ups, mammograms and PAP smears for women help to identify early but treatable diseases; and immunizations (influenza, bacterial pneumonia, for…

Age sometimes brings changes that weaken your eyes, but there are things you can do to maintain lifelong eye and overall health. The solution may be as simple as using brighter lights around the house to help prevent accidents caused by weak eyesight or seeing your doctor more frequently to screen for age-related diseases. Preventing eye problems While eye problems and eye diseases become more prevalent with age, many can be prevented or corrected if you: See your family physician…

Memory and aging Memory: "The power or process of reproducing or recalling what has been learned and retained" (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Our ability to remember and to recall our past is what links us to our families, to our friends, to our community. As we age, subtle changes in memory occur, sometimes unnoticed, but at other times disturbing to ourselves or others. Most normal changes in memory and cognition ("The act or process of knowing including both awareness and judgment")…

Q. My mother is 73 and in good physical health. In the past few years, however, she has developed a worsening word-finding problem. This has progressed to the point where sometimes she can barely get a sentence out. Other times she is more fluent and can make herself understood or ask a question. She has also exhibited signs of confusion and forgetfulness. I suspect she may be depressed, but other than that I don't know what could be wrong. Her doctor cannot find any pathology responsible for…