Health And Fitness
How the Brain Pays Attention to Faces and Places
Researchers identified areas of the brain that help us target our attention to objects, such as faces. The finding offers insight into how our brains are able to focus attention on key tasks amid a barrage of distracting sensory information.
Have you ever tried to find a friend in a large crowd? If you know where your friend is located, you can focus your attention on spatial details to search for her.
Poison ivy - oak - sumac rash
Poison ivy, oak, and sumac are plants that commonly cause an allergic skin reaction. The result is typically an itching, red rash with bumps or blisters.
Considerations
Poison ivy is one of the most frequent causes of skin rash among children and adults who spend time outdoors. The plant can be found throughout the United States, except in the Southwest, Alaska, and Hawaii.
HELP BOOST THE BLOOD SUPPLY BEFORE THE SUMMER
As the temperature rises, it is a reminder that summer is on its way. It is also a reminder that local hospital patients still rely on generous, volunteer blood donors to make life-saving donations even in the midst of enjoying all that summer has to offer.
Blood donations often decrease during the summer months; however, the need for blood remains the same.
Soothing a Sore Throat
We’ve all had sore throats around this time of year. Your throat feels scratchy and may hurt when you swallow. What can you do to soothe a sore throat? And when is it a sign of a more serious infection?
Most sore throats are caused by viral infections such as the common cold or the flu. These throat problems are generally minor and go away on their own.
Are You Getting Enough Sleep?
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.
Understanding how pollen can cause allergies
What Is Pollen?
Plants produce round pollen grains. Individual grains are too tiny to see with the naked eye, but some can form large, visible clusters. For fertilization to take place and seeds to form in some plants, pollen must be moved from the flower of one plant to that of another of the same species—for example, from one oak tree to another oak tree—by a process called cross-pollination.
Alcohol Awareness Month: IDPH warns of binge drinking dangers
Binge drinking is a problem in Iowa, affecting people of all ages, genders, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds. For men, binge drinking is defined as having five or more drinks of alcohol on the same occasion. For women, it equates to having four or more drinks. People who binge drink often are at higher risk for injuries, sexually-transmitted diseases, neurological damage, and poor control of health issues like diabetes, liver disease, high blood pressure, and stroke and other cardiovascular diseases.
Worried Sick: Living with Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety is an uneasy feeling that something may harm you or a loved one. This feeling can be normal and sometimes even helpful. If you’re starting a new job or taking a test, it might make you more alert and ready for action. But sometimes anxiety can linger or become overwhelming. When it gets in the way of good health and peace of mind, it’s called an anxiety disorder.
Obesity primes the colon for cancer, according to NIH study
Obesity, rather than diet, causes changes in the colon that may lead to colorectal cancer, according to a study in mice by the National Institutes of Health. The finding bolsters the recommendation that calorie control and frequent exercise are not only key to a healthy lifestyle, but a strategy to lower the risk for colon cancer, the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States.
Seniors in Assisted Living See Skype as Solution for Staying in Touch
By Tom Bedwell
Distance can make the heart grow fonder, as the saying goes, but when one’s life is in the care of hospice distance can be a painful reality, which prevents relationships from being realized at an important period of life.
Such is the case for Windsor Manor in Vinton, Iowa resident, Gertie, who is 90 years (young) and recently overcame a great distance to re-connect with her sister in North Dakota.