Soothing Sunburns

Ahhhh, the idyllic vacation days of August. Hot, lazy days on the beach. Swimming and boating on crystal clear waters. Hiking through wildflower-strewn meadows. Vacation time is here again!

Hot days in the sun can take a toll on your skin. Just 10 minutes in the sun on a hot August day can result in sunburn. Even if all you're doing this month is weeding the garden and ferrying the kids to the pool or local park, a bad case of sunburn can put the kibosh on your plans and make life miserable for a few days. Prevention is worth a pound of cure, as my grandmother used to say. Slather on the sunscreen and repeat periodically. Even if you're wearing sunscreen that claims to be long-lasting or waterproof, you're safer if you reapply sunscreen every couple of hours. The higher the SPF number the better, particularly if for kids and seniors or if you have fair skin.

If the worst happens and you do get a sunburn, here are some suggestions for soothing sunburned skin:

• Take a cool shower or bath or apply cool compresses to burned areas. Adding baking soda or colloidal oatmeal to the bathwater will also help sooth the skin.
• Keep skin moist with lotion.
• Apply aloe vera gel to cool the skin and relieve pain.
• Adults can take an over-the-counter pain reliever.

Don't Fall for Weight Loss Scams

"Losing weight consistently ranks as one of the top New Year's resolutions,and many people look for fast, easy fixes or an easy way to get back into
shape," said Joan Coughlin of the Ohio Better Business Bureau.

With more than 100 million Americans fighting extra pounds or obesity, it's no surprise that fat-fighting frauds were the most-reported consumer scam last year, according to the Federal Trade Commission. An estimated 4.8 million folks fell for weight-loss scams in 2007, most of them losing money on purchases of bogus products. The only thing many of these "miracle" products will lighten is your pocketbook, the BBB is warning consumers; these products won't do a thing for your waistline. It's another case of buyer beware. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

The BBB offers these tips for spotting weight-loss scams:

• If there's no scientific evidence that the product promotes weight loss, it's a scam.


• If the product promises to reduce fat or cellulite in specific body areas, it's a scam.


• If the product promises, effortless, large or fast weight loss, it's a scam.


• If the product promises weight loss without exercise or without managing food intake, it's a scam.


• If the company requires large advance payments or a long-term contract, it's a scam.

Remember the adage: No pain, no gain. Weight loss is work, pure and simple. But the rewards are life-changing. So stop looking for a quick fix and just get on with it. Start counting your calories, decrease portion sizes, eat 5 small meals a day instead of 3 big ones, fill your fridge with veggies and fruit, stock up on whole grains, drink lots of water, join Weight Watchers, sign up for a session at Curves, join your local gym, lace up those tennies and start walking! Like they say in the commercial: "Just do it! "

Healthy Snacks Satisfy Munchies

If you're like most people in January, you're trying to eat better and exercise more. My downfall is always snacking. I get tired of crunching carrot and celery sticks. It's time to add a little pizazz to your diet! If you've got the munchies, try some of these healthy snacks:

• Popcorn. Popcorn has everything going for it. As a whole grain, it helps fight heart disease, diabetes and cancer. It's also fiber rich which is good for your colon. And it's low glycemic which means it's less likely to make your blood sugar spike which can cause you to feel hungry even when you're not. When air-popped, three cups of popcorn have only 93 calories.
• Dark chocolate. Chocolate when you're dieting? You bet! Rich in antioxidants, dark chocolate can help lower blood pressure and might protect your heart (the verdict isn't in yet, but let's not look a gift horse in the mouth). Dark chocolate does not spike blood sugar. An ounce of dark chocolate (about 3 pieces of Dove) has 126 calories.
• Prunes. Sweet and delicious, prunes have the lowest effect on blood sugar of dried fruits, half the sugar boost of raisins! Recent studies indicate prunes may help fight colon cancer. Three prunes have 69 calories.
• Hard-boiled egg. Packed with filling protein and rich in choline which optimizes brain function, each small white orb packs a nutritional wallop. One egg is just 80 calories.
• Almonds. Rich in fiber and protein, a handful of almonds makes a delicious and filling snack. Eat them in their skins which are packed with antioxidants. Almonds are good for your cholesterol and may cut the risk of lung cancer and heart disease. A small handful of almonds (about 15) is 100 calories.
• Peanut butter. It may be high in fat, but snacking on peanuts and peanut butter helps suppress appetite. Spread a tablespoon on celery sticks or apple slices for a delicious crunchy snack. One tablespoon of peanut butter is 90 calories.

Holiday Sniffles? Could Be Your Tree!

Do you have a case of the holiday sniffles? It could be your Christmas tree! Allergists have long suspected a link between "live" Christmas trees and the rash of runny, itchy noses they see each December. The problem is that once they're cut -- usually weeks before Christmas -- the evergreens are no longer live, but dead. And nature's way of breaking down dead plants is through mold, a powerful allergen.

In an experiment to prove the mold theory, Connecticut allergy specialist Dr. John Santilli placed a cut Christmas tree inside an apartment and took air samples for two weeks. The normal mold count in a typical home is 500 to 700 spores per cubic meter of air. Within 24 hours of placing the tree in the apartment, the mold count rose to 800 spores per cubic meter. By day 14, the mold count had skyrocketed to 5,000 spores per cubic meter.

"The longer you keep the tree up, the worse it gets," said Santilli, who recently presented his findings at a meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology in Dallas. A tree begins decaying as soon as it's cut, Santilli explained. "Mother Nature's cleanup crew is the mold. The molds take over and start decaying it." Add in the dry needles, leaves and grass in their branches and Christmas trees are an allergy disaster waiting to happen.

If you or a family member suffer from allergies, you might consider getting an artificial tree this year. Not only will you breathe easier, but there won't be any needles to pick out of the carpet after the holidays!

If your Christmas tradition demands a real tree, allergists suggest spraying the tree down with a good stiff spray from a garden hose first, then letting it dry before bringing it inside. The less time it spends in your house, the easier you'll breathe.

Lack of Sleep Increases Kids' Risk of Obesity

Lack of sleep leads to fatter kids. Just one more good reason to get the rugrats to bed early. Researchers have found that every additional hour of sleep your third grader gets per night reduces his chances of being obese in sixth grade by 40%. The less sleep children got, the greater their chances of becoming obese. For third graders, sleeping at least nine hours and 45 minutes per night significantly decreased their risk of future obesity. The longer they slept, the more they lowered their risk.

While sleep is only one factor contributing to obesity risk, researchers believe it is a significant one. Experts offer some tips to help promote good sleep habits in elementary school children:

• Consistency. Since the biological clock resets every morning, it's important to have a consistent wake-up time and a consistent bedtime.


• Weekends. Be flexible but avoid letting children stay up too late on the weekends.


• Over-scheduling. Limit activities that crowd out sleep. For example, one sport per season or no late evening activities.


• Temperature. People sleep best in a cool bedroom.


• Caffeine. Limit or eliminate chocolate or caffeinated soda which can keep children away if eaten after lunchtime.


• Electronics. Ban TVs, cell phones, computer games, etc. from the bedroom where they provide ready distractions from sleep.


• Wind down. Spend the last 30 minutes before bed quietly chatting with your child, reading or listening to soothing music to cue the body to relax.

You might try these sleep tips yourself. They'll help anyone get a good night's sleep, not just children.

Know When to Call the Doctor

Everyone gets aches and pains or feels ill from time to time. Many people don't like to go to the doctor so they'll just wait it out -- and often your body will heal itself. But there are times when waiting to call your doctor is the worst thing you can do.

Here are some tips from physicians on how to tell when home care isn't working and it's time to call your doctor:

• If you have a fever of 101 degrees that isn't better by morning, call your doctor. Long or high fevers can harm the brain. Even low-grade fevers, if they persist, can indicate infection or pneumonia.
• If you are ill or have a wound that isn't getting better, or that gets worse after a couple of days, call your doctor. Not healing can indicate infection, undiagnosed diabetes or skin cancer.
• If you are short of breath or wheezing, particularly if it's a new condition, call your doctor. If you're struggling to breathe, call 911 immediately. Breathing problems can signal a heart attack, panic attack, pneumonia and other serious problems.
• If you become hoarse for no reason, particularly if you're a smoker, call your doctor. And until you get a diagnosis, stay away from alcohol, coffee and soft drinks which will only make things worse.
• If you have an incapacitating headache and you're not prone to migraines, call your doctor. Dizziness, nausea, vomiting or pain in one spot can signal a stroke, brain tumor or onset of a migraine problem.
• If you have an earache that is so painful you can't hold your head up, call your doctor. Earaches are often symptoms of more serious problems. They can also be caused by foreign objects like insects or water in your ears.
• If you have face pain, call your doctor. It may be a sinus infection that requires antibiotics or it can be the sign of a stroke.
• If you have pain in a muscle, joint or bone that doesn't respond to heat and ice or is too painful to use, call your doctor. You may have broken a bone or have a severe strain or sprain.

When it comes to your health, there's no reason to play the hero. It's much better to call your doctor's office and talk to the nurse about your symptoms than suffer in silence while you let a little problem grow into a big one. Use common sense, but be smart. If you're not sure about something, or if you're a little worried about a symptom, make the call. Better safe than sorry!

Heart Attack Risk Starts When You're a Baby

We've long associated adult cardiovascular disease with poor eating habits, smoking and lack of exercise. However, numerous research studies show that the precursors for heart disease begin in infancy and childhood.

One of the most well-known, long-range studies is the Bogalusa Heart Study initiated in Bogalusa, Louisiana in 1973. Since then the study has tracked the lifestyles of 16,000 children and adults. Study data have produced conclusive evidence that "risk factors for adult heart disease are established in infancy and perhaps even in the fetal period," writes Dr. John Barnard, president of the Children's Research Institute in Columbus, Ohio.

Among study findings:

• Early signs of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease can be evident in children as young as 5 to 8 years old.
• Children with a low birth weight are at greater risk for obesity, Type 2 diabetes and hypertension as adults.
• Rapid weight gain in infancy affects the body's metabolism often leading to adult cardiovascular disease.

Both physicians and parents have started to address potential cardiovascular risk factors in children. The American Heart Association and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation host a website with many resources for parents and children. (Click here to visit the site.) Heart health begins in infancy and continues throughout life.