Skip to content

Lose Weight the Right Way with Online Resources

Losing weight is a popular new year’s resolution, but it can become a perennial resolution for those who don’t go about it sensibly. Weight loss gimmicks abound, and every January would-be dieters seek to sort out the real tips and tricks from the gimmicks. Fortunately, there are many online resources and support systems for safe and sensible weight loss.

Some such resources include:

  • Weight Watchers online: Many people may associate Weight Watchers with group meetings and weekly weigh-ins, but the longtime company has taken its game online. The online Weight Watchers program allows users to develop personalized diet plans based on the Weight Watchers point system, access articles and tips for healthy weight loss, and track their progress from a computer or mobile device. Weight Watchers also is making an effort to appeal to men. Check out this link for Charles Barkley’s promotional videos of why Weight Watchers is a good choice for men looking to lose weight.
  • Shape magazine online: The online version of Shape magazine is aimed at women who want to improve their health and fitness. It consistently features smart tips for sensible weight loss by exercising and eating healthfully. Shape also includes “success stories” of women who lost large amounts of weight by combining a healthier diet with a consistent exercise routine.
  • Sparkpeople.com: Unlike some other online weight loss programs, this one is free. Features include articles and tips for weight loss through healthy eating and exercise, the ability to design a personalized weight loss plan to meet your needs, such as a diet that focuses on low sodium or low cholesterol. Another bonus is the active online support community, which can help dieters stick with their plans.
  • Dukediet.com: This online weight loss program was developed at Duke University, and it may be a good choice for those who don’t require as much feedback or support. Duke medical experts will respond to questions, but this program doesn’t have the online community aspect of Weight Watchers and others. Still, it includes useful tools to help with safe, healthy weight loss, including calorie and fitness calculators, a shopping tool, and even a behavioral health assessment to help manage the emotional and psychological hurdles faced by some dieters.

It’s also important for anyone who wants to lose weight to be wary of products that claim to be a quick fix or magic bullet. To help keep consumers safe, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration provides a “For Consumers” page on its website that warns against several fraudulent weight loss products.

Posted on: January 24, 2012, 9:47 am Category: Health Information Resources Tagged with: , , ,

By: heidisp

No comments

Keeping Skin, Lips and Eyes Protected in Winter

According to the Melanoma Education Foundation, temperature does not affect the intensity of UV radiation. Winter sun exposure can be just as damaging to your skin as summer sun exposure. The reflection of UV radiation off of snow can also be especially harmful, so skiers and snowboarders need to give extra attention to preventive measures. In fact, the combination of high altitude and glaring white snow can make skiers highly susceptible to sunburn. The Skin Cancer Foundation notes on its website that UV radiation exposure increases 8 to 10 percent with every 1,000 feet above sea level.

If planning to partake in winter outdoor sports activity, experts recommend wearing a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30 and one that is designed for athletic activity so you won’t sweat it off. Repeated applications of sunscreen are advised as both snow and wind can wear an initial coat away.

Lips are also susceptible to winter elements like sun and wind. A lip balm with SPF of 15 or higher is recommended to keep lips safe. Reapply often. To protect sensitive scalp skin, be sure to wear a hat. Ski masks may also help limit the amount of sun and wind exposure touching your skin.

Eyes are another body part vulnerable to winter sun and wind. Eyes can be sunburned, which can lead to photokaratitis, also known as snow blindness, which can result in pain and blurry vision. Wearing wraparound goggles or sunglasses that offer 100 percent UVA and UVB protection is highly advised when hitting the slopes.

As with summer sun exposure, peek winter sun exposure time is between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., so try to get your skiing or snowboarding in early or late in the day to avoid the sun’s most harmful rays. More tips for eye, skin and lip protection in winter can be found on the Skin Cancer Foundation website.

Other resources for skin protection include the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Dermatology.

Posted on: January 17, 2012, 10:35 am Category: Health in the News, Health Information Resources Tagged with: , , , , ,

By: jbluethmann

No comments

Medical Information on YouTube

With the rise of YouTube and the presence of video cameras in phones, recording videos and making them public has never been easier. This technology extends to medicine. Patients are increasingly proactive in searching for health and medical information, and doctors, hospitals, and other medical centers are responding.

The National Library of Medicine now takes health information to the next level with the launch of its YouTube channel.

The channel is just getting started, but its video collection already includes information about current exhibits at the NLM and information about the NLM itself, which celebrates its 175th birthday this year.

The site allows unregistered users to watch videos, but only registered users may post videos. These videos are useful to physicians and patients alike.

But the real bonus for information seekers is that the NLM channel also includes links to other National Institutes of Health video channels on YouTube, including the following:

National Cancer Institute:  Videos discuss current cancer research in general, and others focus on more specific topics, such as pediatric cancer.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Video topics range from information about LASIK surgery to keeping food safe during a power failure.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): SAMHSA’s channel includes short videos about mental health programs and services, and in-depth video interviews with experts on certain topics, such as depression in older adults.

The NLM channel also provides links to the National Institute of Mental Health, Veterans Health Administration, and AIDS.gov channels.

Another site, Video MD,  features videos specifically for patient education and aimed at a general audience. The site is not related to the NLM or any government website, but it was created by physicians for the benefit of patients. The site includes videos from the United States and Canada, and topics range from a 2-minute news report on the benefits of getting an annual flu shot to a 5-minute video that educates patients about gestational diabetes.

Keep in mind that some employers may block YouTube, in which case information seekers may need to conduct searches at home, armed with the correct links.

Check out this FDA video about LASIK surgery as an example of the video medical information now available on YouTube:

Posted on: January 10, 2012, 10:18 am Category: Health Information Resources Tagged with: , , , ,

By: heidisp

No comments

Librarians, Plan Ahead for April: National Donate Life Month

To support your library’s health programming strategy, here are April health program ideas – brought to you by The Pulse, part of the Gale Health and Wellness Resource Center. Keep looking for us on the first of each month to find resources for three months out. Still working on winter? Check out January: Maintaining a Healthy Weight, February: Children’s Dental Health Awareness Month, and March: National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Is your library focusing on Autism Awareness Month this April? Check out our April 2011 library health programming ideas.

Every day 75 people receive life-changing, if not life-saving organ transplants, but every day 20 people die while waiting for transplants, and at any given time more than 100,000 people are waiting for transplants, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. With more than 2.5 million deaths in the United States each year, the number of people waiting could be significantly lower if more people would register as donors.

By promoting National Donate Life Month this April, your library can make a difference. Promoting it will be easy with these free resources and with information from Gale Health and Wellness Resource Center:

  • Quick and Easy: printable coloring pages and other activities for children and teens.
  • Featured Resources: books for children and their caregivers and links to reliable online information
  • Book Club: adult book club ideas
  • Tie In:  ideas for library programs
  • Community Resources: local agencies to contact
  • Publicity Resources: free resources to help you publicize National Donate Life Month at your library through social networking sites or traditional printed materials
  • Fun Stuff: links to interactive websites and apps

Quick and Easy

Coloring Pages:

Activity Pages:

Featured Resources

Books

Reliable Online Information for Adults:

Book Club

Unwind by Neal Shusterman (Simon & Shuster, 2007). ALA Best Books For Young Adults, ALA Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

From the publisher: “In America after the Second Civil War, the Pro-Choice and Pro-Life armies came to an agreement: The Bill of Life states that human life may not be touched from the moment of conception until a child reaches the age of thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, a parent may choose to retroactively get rid of a child through a process called ‘unwinding.’ Unwinding ensures that the child’s life doesn’t ‘technically’ end by transplanting all the organs in the child’s body to various recipients. Now a common and accepted practice in society, troublesome or unwanted teens are able to easily be unwound.

With breath-taking suspense, this book follows three teens who all become runaway Unwinds: Connor, a rebel whose parents have ordered his unwinding; Risa, a ward of the state who is to be unwound due to cost-cutting; and Lev, his parents’ tenth child whose unwinding has been planned since birth as a religious tithing. As their paths intersect and lives hang in the balance, Shusterman examines serious moral issues in a way that will keep readers turning the pages to see if Connor, Risa, and Lev avoid meeting their untimely ends.”

My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult (Book: Simon & Shuster, 2004; Feature Film: New Line Cinema, 2009)

From the author’s website: “Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate – a life and a role that she has never questioned… until now.”

Tie In

Earth Day / Arbor Day Story Time: The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

The giving tree is a classic children’s story that demonstrates the same kind of self-sacrifice that organ donors make. It also ties in Earth Day (April 22nd) and Arbor Day (April 27th) :

Community Resources

Find a local agency to partner with, a speaker, or other local resources here:

Publicity Resources

Use these free publicity resources alongside your library’s April programming information – newsletter, blog, posters, or fliers – to promote National Donate Life Month at your library.

Donate Life America Promotional Materials

Fun Stuff

Add these interesting and helpful interactive links to your library’s website, Facebook page, or Twitter feed:


Do you have additional  programming ideas that you’d like to share? Feel free to leave a comment.

Posted on: January 3, 2012, 10:56 am Category: Library Programming Tagged with: , , , ,

By: hwatkins

No comments

Medicine Safety in the Home

The U. S. Food and Drug Administration has come out with a new video reminding parents and others who are caregivers to children that pills can look like candy to little ones who don’t know better. Thousands of children are hospitalized annually after taking medicine not meant for them. Some even die. The video also brings light to a safety concern for older children who may be raiding their parents’ medicine cabinets to engage in “pharm parties” with other teens. These parties involve using prescription drugs recreationally, and the toll can be deadly.

The video and other efforts to call attention to medicine safety encourage parents to lock up all prescription medications. The American Academy of Family Physicians provides its own recommendations on medicine safety in the home and urges parents to call poison control immediately if their child swallows one or more pills not meant for them. To be prepared, parents should have the number for poison control somewhere near their phone.

Safe Kids provides additional medicine safety tips to parents on its website. Parents should never refer to medicine or vitamins as candy, something they may do to encourage children to take their vitamins or other prescribed medicine. This can lead unknowing children to seek out the medication or others at a later time to appease a sweet tooth.  Likewise, parents should not have their children help them take their own medication. Strict adherence to the instructions on the medication packaging is always the way to go.

Safe Kids also encourages parents to be aware of other places medications are sometimes stored that are within children’s reach like a handbag. Young children love to go through mommy’s purse and may again mistake pills for candy.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is yet another resource for home medicine safety and provides recommendations on its website. For more from the FDA, visit http://www.fda.gov/lockitup.

The following video was created by the FDA to remind parents about medicine safety in the home.

Posted on: December 27, 2011, 1:00 am Category: Health in the News, Health Information Resources Tagged with: , , , ,

By: jbluethmann

No comments