Articles

You are waiting in your car, the bell rings and your little one comes running over to tell you all about the school day.  But wait, what has happened to her face?  Is she going to be okay? The most common causes of contagious viral rashes in children are as follows: Erythema Infectiosum Erythema Infectiosum (aka Fifth Disease or Slapped Cheek Disease) is caused by the Parvovirus B19.  Fever is often low-grade or absent.  This rash begins with bright red cheeks (looks as though your child was “slapped” across the cheek).  1-2 days later a red, itchy rash (which can be made of raised bumps or flat spots) appears on the arms then spreads ...

A Healthy set of nails is as important as wearing sunscreen or getting regular health screenings. A lot of people do not realize that the nails and cuticles are direct entry points into the body. Viruses and bacteria can easily slip into the bloodstream causing illness if the cuticles and nails are not properly cared for. Having regular manicures can actually increase blood flow to the hands, keeping them healthier and looking younger. Your manicurist is an important part of regular nail care, she is trained to properly care for and maintain your healthy set. She is also licensed in nail care and has done training to prevent and detect nail ...

If you are one of the lucky people can easily drift off to sleep, you are certainly the envy of so many others who struggle nightly to get a decent night’s sleep.  Most experts agree that seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep each night is ideal.  By shorting yourself on sleep, you risk your mental alertness, your mood and even your job or school performance.  So, what should one do if counting sheep just isn’t doing the trick in getting you to sleep?  Let’s take a look at some viable options that do not include the use of over-the-counter or prescribed drugs. One of the better ways to achieving a better ...

An estimated 80 million Americans are affected by varicose veins. 1 out of 2 people age 50 and older suffer symptoms. Varicose veins are enlarged veins that can be flesh colored, dark purple or blue.  They occur because the veins have trouble carrying blood back to the heart and lungs due to poorly functioning valves. They generally appear as twisting, bulging, rope-like cords anywhere from the groin to the ankle, while spider veins are the thin threadlike, flatter red or bluish/purple veins that lie closer to the surface of the skin and can look like tree branches or spider webs. The body has 2 systems of blood vessels that make up the ...

What are hormones? It helps to have a basic understanding of what hormones are, what they do, and how they work. Hormones are substances secreted by glands, which are then transported through the bloodstream to a target tissue where they regulate the functioning of that target tissue. Hormones exist in a delicate balance are just one aspect of the complex relationship that exists among our body’s nervous, endocrine, and immune systems. A hormone’s ability to perform its duties is dependent in many factors including receptors that provide a mechanism for making them available to the tissue and plasma proteins that are used to transport hormones throughout the body. In addition, factors such as diet, low ...

Influenza (commonly called the "flu") is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. On the average, more than 200, 000 people are hospitalized and 36,000 people die from seasonal flu complications. Flu-like symptoms include fever, headache, extreme tiredness, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, diarrhea and vomiting (more common among children than adults). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends you to take 3 action steps to protect against the flu. #1 Take time to get vaccinated The CDC recommends flu vaccination each year. Two kinds of flu vaccine are available, the flu shot (approved for use in people older than 6 months, including healthy people and people with chronic ...

As the kids go back to school at the end of this month, many of us are dreading exposing them to the H1N1 virus. In Clark County alone, there are more than 210 confirmed cases of H1N1 as of July 24, 2009. As we and the kids go back to school this month, here are more information about the H1N1 virus. What is H1N1? Novel influenza A H1N1 (swine flu) is a new flu virus of swine origin that was first detected in April, 2009. On June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 6 ...

The annual healthcare cost of obesity in the United States has doubled in less than a decade and may be as high as $147 billion dollars a year. The study was conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and was published in the 27 July 2009 issue of the health policy journal Health Affairs. Considering this staggering amount, learning more about obesity to prevent it is the only solution. What is obesity? Obesity is defined as a Body Mass Index greater than 30. The body mass index is a ratio of an individual’s height ...

Life saving immunizations are so effective that they are generally taken for granted. Through immunizations, many potentially dangerous diseases have been significantly reduced and in some cases, eradicated, as is the case of polio in the United States. Immunizations work by prompting the body to produce antibodies against the disease, which respond rapidly to clear the bacteria or virus from the body once exposed to the infectious agent. To ensure safety, vaccines are subjected to rigorous testing prior to public use as well as austere monitoring for proper use and possible side effects. Discomfort at the injection site is expected, but a small price to pay compared to the distress of managing ...

Many of us wait until the last moment for those back to school haircuts and colors.  Why not get that out of the way first.  Whether for yourself or for your child, if you call now to schedule an appointment with your stylist, chances are you will get in and get those grooming needs out of the way first. Early August is not very busy for most stylists and they would have more time for your style consult.  Some salons are offering summer specials, happy hour specials on certain days, and some offer teacher discounts.  See your local salon for those summer details. Many of us want to stick with the same old ...