Get Your Vaccination Before Summer Vacation

The Orange County Health Department (OCHD) will offer free immunizations for children, birth to age 18, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 17 at the OCHD office at 832 West Central Blvd., Orlando, 32805.

Remember to bring the child’s shot record. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian and a valid ID is required.

For more information on this event, call 407-836-2502, or visit : www.orchd.com

Depressed Teens Who Self-Medicate Could Develop More Serious Mental Illness

Millions of American teens report experiencing weeks of hopelessness and loss of interest in normal daily activities and many of these depressed teens are using marijuana and other drugs, making their situation worse, according to a new White House report.

The report, from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), reveals that marijuana use can worsen depression and lead to more serious mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, anxiety and even suicide.

Read the complete story on the ONDCP website.

 

Soccer’s a Winner for Building Bone Health in Girls

The sport of soccer gets an A plus when it comes to helping girls prevent low bone density when they get older.

Sports like soccer, which has a combination of weight-bearing exercise and repetitive “impact-loading” activities including jumping and running, help build bone density better than some other sports.

To read the complete HealthDay story and find out other things kids can do to build strong bones, go to the Medlineplus website.

Whole Foods Market Hosts Hunger Banquet With Local High Schools

Whole Foods Market in Winter Park, in collaboration with Winter Park and Timber Creek High Schools, will present a Hunger Banquet to benefit the Whole Planet Foundation at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, May 3 at Glenridge Middle School.

A Hunger Banquet illustrates the disparity in distribution of the world’s resources by randomly assigning attendees to dinner tables representing different areas of the world to highlight the circumstances involved in the distribution of food in those areas. The event is open to the public, ages 12 and over.

For more information, go the the Whole Foods Market website.

Lip Products May Increase Cancer Risk

Lip glosses may be fashionable, but they don’t provide much in the way of sun protection for lips, and they may do just the opposite.

Dr. Christine Brown, of the Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, says those who regularly use lip balm or lip gloss may have a greater risk of developing skin cancer because the products attract sun rays to the lips. Those who use these products should apply a layer of sun protection under lip gloss or lip balm, she said.

Click here to read the complete Medical News Today story.

Colas Could Harm Bone Health

Drinking too many colas–especially those containing sugar–can be unhealthy for anyone, but a new study suggests they could jeopardize bone health.

“There is enough evidence that high consumption of soda and carbonated beverages is associated with somewhat lower bone mass in children and that’s a real concern and people should be aware of it,” said Dr. Lawrence Raisz, director of the University of Connecticut Center for Osteoporosis.

Experts don’t know the exact cause of the problem, but believe it may be related to the caffeine or phosphoric acid in colas or the fact people drinking colas may consume fewer nutritious beverages with calcium and vitamin D.

Click here to read the complete HealthDay news story.

Everything You’ve Always Wanted to Know About BPA and Plastic Bottles

If you are wondering about all of the buzz surrounding plastic bottles and the dangers of the chemical BPA found in some of them, you may want to check out a new story on the KidsHealth website sponsored by the Nemours Foundation.

The story, “Behind All the Buzz on the Chemical BPA,” reviews how BPA is absorbed, where it is found and what it all means to consumers.

Click here to check it out on the KidsHealth website.

TV Turnoff Week Good for the Whole Family

Too much TV isn’t good for anyone, especially children and teens who spend more than a couple of hours each day in front of TV and computer screens. That’s why organizations such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are supporting national TV Turnoff Week, April 21-27.

“We know that the more time a child spends in front of the TV or computer, the more likely he or she is to be overweight,” said Acting U.S. Surgeon General Steven K. Galson, M.D., M.P.H. “Kids are spending more time sitting in front of screens every day than they do anything else except perhaps sleeping. For Turnoff Week, we are asking parents to turn off the scrreens and get active with their kids.”

Read more on the NIH website.

Childhood Migraines Linked to Sleep Disorders

It’s bad enough to be plagued by migraine headaches, but children who suffer from them are also likely to be troubled by sleep disorders and a lack of sleep, according to new research.

“Sleeping problems can exacerbate the problems migraine causes on a child’s health and may hinder a child’s performance at school,” study author Dr. Martina Vendrame of Temple University in Philadelphia, said in a prepared statement. “Parents and doctors need to be aware of the strong likelihood of sleep disorders in children with migraine and seek appropriate preventions and treatments.”

Read more at the Healthscout website.

It’s National Infant Immunization Week

The Orange County Health Department, in recognition of National Infant Immunization Week, is working to raise awareness of the importance of childhood immunizations.

Each year, thousands of children become ill from diseases that could have been prevented by basic childhood immunizations, and the health department wants to remind parents to check their children’s shot record to make sure it is up-to-date.

For more information, go to the Orange County Health Department website.