Health tips blog

Have Clean Air at Home

Polluted air inside the home can aggravate asthma and allergy symptoms.

The American Lung Association offers these suggestions to help keep the air clean at home:

Don't allow smoking in the home.
Have your home tested for radon gas.
Make sure your home's humidity level is below 50 percent. Install a dehumidifier if humidity levels are too high.
To prevent attracting mold, make sure no plumbing is dripping or leaking.
Keep trash covered and food securely stored to ward off pests.
Avoid using candles or sprays to hide odors.
Avoid using household products that contain toxic chemicals.

Risk Factors for Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression is a mental illness that affects women after pregnancy.

The National Women's Health Information Center offers this list of risk factors for postpartum depression:

Having a personal or family history of depression or another mental illness.
Having insufficient support from friends and family.
Feeling negative or anxious about pregnancy.
Having problems in a relationship, or financial difficulties.
Dealing with stressful life events.
Being young during pregnancy.
Having a substance abuse problem.

Protect Your Child at Day Care

Children who attend day care are at increased risk of getting sick or acquiring an infection.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine offers these suggestions to help reduce your child's risk:

Make sure your child always washes his or her hands before each meal or snack, and always after using the bathroom.
Breast-feed your baby, if possible.
Make sure the day-care center you choose has staff that is trained to minimize the spread of germs.
Ensure that food preparation and diaper changes are done in places that aren't near each other.
Check that all staff and children are up to date with immunizations.

Who's a Candidate for Gastric Bypass Surgery?

Gastric bypass surgery, sometimes recommended for obese people, involves re-routing the path that food takes, including shrinking the size of the stomach. But the procedure has a number of risks, including the possibility of post-surgical infection, blood clots or developing gallstones.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine says the following people may be candidates for gastric bypass surgery:

People who are obese and are unable to lose enough weight by dieting and exercising.
People who are committed to a diet and exercise regimen.
People who are not mentally ill.
People who do not have drug or alcohol dependency problems.
People who have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher; generally at least 100 pounds overweight.
People who have a BMI of 35 or greater, in addition to a serious health problem that could get better with weight loss -- for instance, heart disease or type 2 diabetes.

Children Who Are at Risk for Ear Infection

Ear infections are common in children, and may be chronic.

The American Academy of Family Physicians offers this list of risk factors for ear infections in children:

Being around smokers.
Having had a prior ear infection or a family history of ear infection.
Going to day care.
Being born prematurely or having a low birth weight.
Having frequent colds or other infections.
Going to bed with a bottle, or using a pacifier.
Being a boy.
Having allergy-related nasal congestion.
Having nasally speech.