Celiac Disease Awareness Campaign

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) today announced the launch of a campaign to heighten awareness of celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder marked by a wide range of gastrointestinal symptoms. An independent panel of experts, convened by the NIH to assess current diagnosis, treatment, and management of the disease, found that celiac disease is more prevalent than previously thought.

People with celiac disease have trouble absorbing gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. It is believed that when people are exposed to the protein gluten, the body mistakenly mounts an attack on the tiny, fingerlike protrusions lining the small intestine causing poor absorption of many important nutrients. People with the condition may have gas, recurring abdominal bloating and pain, chronic diarrhea, pale, foul-smelling, or fatty stool, changes in weight, fatigue, anemia, and bone or joint pain. Children with celiac disease have delayed growth and failure to thrive. Treatment for celiac disease is adherence to a gluten-free diet.

Permalink | 1 Comments| Email Post

Post your comment

Breastfeeding is Best

World Breastfeeding Week: There’s nothing more important for newborns, infants and toddlers than providing ideal nutrition that contributes to their healthy growth and development. There is strong and growing evidence that breastfeeding offers natural health benefits to both mother and child. Breastfeeding reduces incidence and severity of infectious diseases by providing live antibodies delivered in breast milk as a protection. It also promotes sensory and cognitive development. Some recent studies have shown that the woman who breast feed have a lower incidence of breast cancer, ovarian cancer and postpartum stress.

Ever since the Innocenti Declaration was produced and adopted by participants at the WHO/UNICEF policymakers' meeting on “Breastfeeding in the 1990s”, there has been a world-wide initiative to promote breastfeeding. In observance of this global initiative La Leche League and other organizations in over 120 countries will celebrate World Breastfeeding Week to promote and advance the breastfeeding movement. The U.S. government recently spent $2 million on an ad campaign to promote breastfeeding.

The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months as the optimal way of feeding infants. Thereafter infants should receive complementary foods with continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond.

American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that mothers breastfeed their infants unless there are some contraindications such as infants with classic galactosemia; mothers who have active untreated tuberculosis disease, mothers who are receiving diagnostic or therapeutic radioactive isotopes or have had exposure to radioactive materials; mothers who are receiving antimetabolites or chemotherapeutic agents or a small number of other medications until they clear the milk; mothers who are using drugs of abuse; and mothers who have herpes simplex lesions on a breast. In the United States, mothers who are infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have been advised not to breastfeed their infants.

Permalink | 0 Comments| Email Post

Post your comment

Protect Your Eyes from Sunburn

UV Safety Month : For many people sunglasses are an expression of style; a new pair for each new outfit. Tempted by new frames sold on the street corner, many of these glasses don’t have the protection your eyes need. Fashion forward as we like to be, consumers might want to be looking at a label of another sort. In order to protect your eyes from the sun’s damaging effects, sunglasses should protect you from both UV-A and UV-B rays. Excessive exposure to ultraviolet light reflected off sand, snow, water or pavement can damage the cornea. And the cumulative effects of UV exposure can put you at risk for cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. According to The American Academy of Ophthalmology UV exposure combined with wind and dust also puts you at risk for benign growths on the eye’s surface called pterygia.

So, while you are out romping around in the sun this summer, and all year long, protect your eyes. The Food and Drug Administration says to buy glasses that protect 99-100 percent UV-A and UV-B rays and that offer the most coverage; wrap around is best. Wear a hat with a wide brim. That goes for kids too.

Permalink | 0 Comments| Email Post

Post your comment