Health And Fitness
Three Strains of Influenza Currently Circulating in Iowa
The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) says all three flu viruses covered by this year’s vaccine - A(H3N2), A(H1N1) and B - are currently circulating in Iowa.
Nationally, an additional A(H3N2) strain is accounting for about half the illness seen across the country so far this year. The CDC today announced the current influenza vaccine does not offer as effective protection against this strain.
Feeling Stressed? Stress Relief Might Help Your Health
Winter holidays—do they fill you with joy or with worries about gift-giving and family gatherings? Do summer vacations leave you relaxed or fretful over travel and money? If you’re feeling stressed out over supposedly fun things, it might be time to reassess. Take a few moments to learn how stress affects your health and what you can do about it. Drunk and Drugged Driving December, Impaired Driving Prevention Month
December marks that perfect time of year when everything but the weather is winding down, a time of holidays, family, friends, food, and celebration. It’s a month that closes out the year, only to help usher in what promises to be an exciting new year ahead. It’s a month of joy, bonding, and laughter. Yet may it also be a month of reflection and a month of action, as December is, by Presidential proclamation, National Impaired Driving Prevention month.
Make Tighter Pants Your Only Thanksgiving Meal Regret
Families across Iowa will gather for their annual Thanksgiving feast soon, and the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) wants to help ensure the only post-meal regret they may have is that they ate too much – not that they ate something that made them sick. “IDPH often sees a rise in foodborne outbreaks following holidays that include big meals,” said IDPH Medical Director, Dr. Available resources for Veterans
It is estimated that twenty American Veterans commit suicide each day. There are a number of resources available to veterans and their families that can provide help. I have listed three of them below and a website that can direct people to additional resources.
Veterans Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255 and press 1
Online Chat: http://www.veteranscrisisline.
Preventing Type 2 Diabetes: Steps Toward a Healthier Life
People with diabetes have a problem with blood sugar. Their blood sugar, or blood glucose, can climb too high. Having high levels of sugar in your blood can cause a lot of trouble. Diabetes raises your risk for heart disease, blindness, amputations, and other serious issues. But the most common type of diabetes, called type 2 diabetes, can be prevented or delayed if you know what steps to take.
Quitline Iowa Offers Support for Great American Smokeout Participants
Nicotine replacement therapy offers patches, gum and lozenges
The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) reminds Iowans who need help quitting smoking or using smokeless tobacco of a great incentive to enroll in Quitline Iowa before the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout® on November 20. Any participant who enrolls could be eligible for eight weeks of free nicotine replacement therapy, including patches, gum or lozenges.
Benton County Extension offers Words on Wellness
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Could Flavanols Reverse Age-Related Memory Decline?
As we get older, remembering new stuff—an updated computer password or the name of that person whom we met last night (or was it two nights ago?)—can bring a busy day to a head-scratching halt. But are these “senior moments” just something that we have to accept? Maybe not.
In a study published in Nature Neuroscience, a research team partially funded by NIH has provided evidence that changes in a specific brain region are associated with age-related memory loss.
Community Blood Drive
Donate Blood at Virginia Gay Hospital during the Vinton Community Blood Drive
Donating blood is safe, simple and it saves lives! It takes just one hour to make a life-saving blood donation, which will impact the lives of up to three different hospital patients. You can make a difference in our community by helping to maintain our local blood supply.