Health And Fitness
Spring: An Egg-citing Time of Year!
Cooking, coloring, hiding, and eating eggs are a sign of the season. Follow these easy tips to ensure the safety of the eggs.
1. Use eggs that have been properly stored in the refrigerator and are not past their “use by date.” Uncooked eggs can be stored three to five weeks in the refrigerator.
2. To hard cook eggs, put eggs in a single layer in a pan; completely cover all eggs with cold water.
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) Explained
Misinformation about the safety of GMOs is widespread today, especially on the Internet. Dr. Ruth MacDonald, professor and chair of the department of food science and human nutrition at Iowa State University, answers some common questions about GMOs.
Why do we use GMO technology?
GMO technology allows farmers to use fewer pesticides and fertilizers on their fields and produce higher quality and greater yields of crops.
VGH Transitioning to Electronic Health Records
NOTICE: Starting in April 2014, the clinics of Virginia Gay Hospital which are Urbana, Atkins, Van Horne and Vinton Family Medical Clinics will be transitioning to electronic health records. You may experience a possible delay in your routine visits.
You may be questioning why the conversion to electronic health records is happening? With the help of electronic health records, your providers will have access to:
1. Diabetes Support Group to learn tips, tools for facing vision loss
Want to stay living independently? Want to be gainfully employed despite declining vision?
See what tools are available for you to reach these goals by attending the VGH Diabetes Support Group.
Barb Weigel of the Iowa Dept for the Blind will speak on Monday, March 24th at 4:30- 5:30 pm VGH cafeteria. She will have tools available to show for use by those with declining vision. Help boost local blood supply; donate during LifeServe/VGH event today
The winter months can often impact the local blood supply, but this winter has been especially harsh. The brutal temperatures along with winter storms have created many challenges for blood donors to get out and give a donation. Now, blood donors are needed to help boost the blood supply so that hospital patients in need of life-saving blood products receive them the moment they need them.
What To Do When Your Head Hurts
Most of us get headaches from time to time. Some are mild. Others cause throbbing pain. They can last for minutes or days. There are many different types of headaches. How you treat yours depends on which kind you have.
Headaches might arise because of another medical condition, such as swollen sinuses or head injury. In these cases, treating the underlying problem usually relieves headache pain as well.
Efforts Continue to Reduce Underage Drinking in Benton County
Over the past decade many important prevention steps have been taken to reduce alcohol use among Benton County youth and these steps have produced some impressive results. Comparing numbers from the 1999 and 2012 Iowa Youth Survey there has been a 26% decrease in youth who reported the use of alcohol within the past 30 days. Along with this there have also been decreases in the amount of tobacco, marijuana, and other substances being used by the youth in Benton County.
World Salt Awareness Week
Too much sodium increases your blood pressure, a leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
Check the label! This year's World Salt Awareness Week focuses on the need for clear and consistent nutrition labelling so consumers know how much sodium they are consuming each day and can choose foods with lower sodium.
Too much sodium increases your blood pressure, a leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
What is COPD?
COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) makes it hard for you to breathe. The two main types are chronic bronchitis and emphysema. The main cause of COPD is long-term exposure to substances that irritate and damage the lungs. This is usually cigarette smoke. Air pollution, chemical fumes, or dust can also cause it.
At first, COPD may cause no symptoms or only mild symptoms.
Prevalence of allergies the same, regardless of where you live
In the largest, most comprehensive, nationwide study to examine the prevalence of allergies from early childhood to old age, scientists from the National Institutes of Health report that allergy prevalence is the same across different regions of the United States, except in children 5 years and younger.
“Before this study, if you would have asked 10 allergy specialists if allergy prevalence varied depending on where people live, all 10 of them would have said yes, because allergen exposures tend to be more common in certain regions of the U.