We all know that swimming pools can be dangerous, but some people aren’t so aware of hot tubs and their potential dangers – for both adults children. Sadly, there are injuries and deaths because of hot tubs, so it pays to pay heed to the warnings. They’re not just there for the sake of it and we have to always remember that a hot tub is not the same thing as a swimming pool.
Understandably, one of the biggest dangers is drowning, particularly in children under six years old but, it’s an astounding 73% of injuries that occur in people who …read more

Teens and alcohol have long been a source of concern for many parents – and adults in general. Different cultures believe different things and even legal ages for alcohol consumption change according to where you are.
I live in Quebec where the legal age is 18, while our neighboring province Ontario’s legal age is 19. At the same time, an hour south of us, across the Canada/United States border, the age is 21. (One thing I can’t figure out is why you can allow an 18-year-old to own a gun, join the army, get married, vote, buy a house, etc, but …read more

According to a Mayo Clinic study published this month in Gastroenterology journal  Celiac disease is four times more common today than it was 50 years ago.
Using subjects at Warren Warren Air Force Base (AFB) in Wyoming between 1948 and 1954, the Mayo Clinic study tested blood samples for the antibody that people with celiac disease produce in reaction to gluten. They then compared those results with two sets more recently collected samples from Olmsted County, Minnesota.
The results indicated that today’s young adults are 4.5 times more likely to be suffering from celiac disease than those in the 1950s.
People with celiac …read more

New York City and subways go together like bacon and eggs or coffee and donuts. But subways, like bacon and donuts,  aren’t necessarily good for you.
Seems a new study that compared the numerous mass transits modes available in NYC has found that subways, with noise levels ranging between 80 and 102 decibels, were the loudest means of transport around.
That’s not good.
The EPA and WHO both recommend that in order to protect your hearing your daily average level of noise exposure should be no more than 70 decibels. To give you an idea of the level that is, normal conversation is …read more

Bad for your health and bad for the environment.
But for some reason that doesn’t seem to deter the one billion or so people around the world who smoke.
Governments have tried to encourage smoker’s to stop with ‘quit smoking’ programs. Many countries and cities have banned smoking from inside public buildings. But unfortunately that has resulted in increased cigarette litter outside the same buildings that ban smoking.
So what to do? The World Health Organization has designated today World No Tobacco Day and are focusing on health warnings on tobacco product packaging as a way of encouraging smokers to quit.
But does it …read more

The sad news of the death of four-year-old Exodus Tyson who died as a result of strangulation from a treadmill cord offers a somber reminder to parents everywhere of the dangers of treadmills.
Treadmills and other home gym equipment is great for keeping adults fit but are a definite danger to children.
In fact, the Australian Office of Fair Trading has become so concerned the increase in reports of treadmill injuries to children that they issued a public education campaign in 2008.
Called  Treadmills and Kids Don’t Mix, this campaign highlights the dangers of treadmills for children, especially how a treadmill’s moving belt …read more

Today is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDs Awareness Day, so why not join Healthbolt and The Red Pump Project and spread the word. 
HIV/AIDS remains one of those subjects that not talked about so much over the dinner table or when out for coffee with the girls. But prehaps it should be because the numbers tell us it’s a disease that does not seem to be going away. In fact, according this Snapshot of the U.S. Epidemic provided by the Kaiser Family Foundation, it seems to be growing…
• Number of new HIV infections, 2006: 56,300
• Number of people living with HIV/AIDS: 1.1 million, …read more

‘Just one drink. Okay, maybe just one more.’ Does that sound familiar? We have all been there at some stage or another. However, most of us never develop a drinking problem. We know when to stop and how much is too much. 
But even if you don’t have a problem with alcohol, it never hurts to learn more about what alcohol can do to your body and your life.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) have created a great interactive website called  ”Rethinking Drinking” that’s definitely worth checking out. Aimed at helping people, especially those between 18 and 30, determine what type of drinker they are and …read more

Did you know that in the United States alone, there are 19 million new sexually transmitted disease (STD) cases diagnosed each year?
Scary numbers.
But most people will look at those numbers and say, ‘yeah, but that won’t happen to me. I’m safe. My behavior is not risky.”
Unfortunately, it could easily happen to you. All it really takes to get a sexually transmitted disease is one instance of unprotected sex.
Which is why I suggest that anyone who is sexually active or intending to become sexually active read Seductive Delusions: How Everyday People Catch STD’s by Jill Grimes MD.
It’s an easy to read …read more

It’s something that we all know is possible. It’s also something that we all think won’t happen to us. So here’s a cautionary tale from a University of Alabama student to remind us that although developing a blood clot is a rare side effect of taking birth control, it is one that can occur.
Birth Control Has Side Effects: I Should Know
by
Caitlin from the University of Alabama
As college students, we pretty much think of ourselves as invincible, I know I certainly have. Until recently that is. I’ve been in car accidents, including one where my car hydroplaned off a cliff. I’ve drank …read more