Talking to Teens About Alcohol

Posted on April 7, 2017 by Patricia Thao

It’s important to discuss about the topic of alcohol usage and influences among teens. Whether it may be from their parents, schools, peers, friends, and so on. It’s matter of helping teenagers to develop better decision skills and to make decisions based on what they want. Why do we care? Because we want teens to know the risks of early alcohol use and how it can affect them.

So what are some reasons why teens drink?

Social events and social peer pressure
Mental, behavior, school, and/or problems at home
History of abuse or trauma

What are the consequences of early drinking?

Possibility of increased related problems
Alcohol-related accidents
Higher risk of engaging in:
- Sexual activity
- Violent Crime
- Alcoholism

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International Women’s Day

Posted on March 8, 2017 by Patricia Thao

https://www.internationalwomensday.com/

“International Women’s Day celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women. Yet progress has slowed in many places across the world, so global action is needed to accelerate gender parity. In 2016 leaders across the world pledged to take action as champions of gender parity – not only for International Women’s Day, but for every day. Groups and individuals also pledged their support.

For International Women’s Day 2017, we’re asking you to #BeBoldForChange.
Call on the masses or call on yourself to help forge a better working world – a more gender inclusive world. Submit your #BeBoldForChange action via the IWD website.” – https://www.internationalwomensday.com/

The goal is to have everyone, of all backgrounds, both men and women to support this day to showcase the world moving towards a positive direction that ensures equality among all women and men. To name a new things that needs change are equality in wages, education, healthcare, and other opportunities that are limited to women. It may not be the biggest concern in the US, but in other parts of the world these things aren’t available to young girls and women. In support of International Women’s Day, let’s highlight some historical female leaders from all around the world.

Lee Tai-Young was the first official female judge and lawyer in Korea.

Miriam Makeba was a South African leader, singer, actress, and civil rights activist.

Rukmini Devi Arundale was a choreographer, animal activist, dancer, and pioneer of traditional dancing.

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Changing Demographic in the US

Posted on December 22, 2016 by Patricia Thao

“On November 18, the Large Urban County Caucus (LUCC) of the National Association of Counties convened in New York City, bringing together county leaders from across the country to share ideas and develop innovative policy solutions to address their most pressing challenges.

Although they represent just 4 percent of the 3,142 counties in the United States, large urban counties (LUCs) — those with more than 500,000 residents — are home to nearly half of the U.S. population. In other words, as the graphic below illustrates, more than 150 million people live in the 133 LUCs in the United States.

So it is no surprise that these counties are at the forefront of the nation’s shifting demographics. As data in the National Equity Atlas show, the face of America is changing: Just a few years from now, the majority of people under the age of 18 will be youth of color, and by 2044 the United States will be a majority people-of-color nation.” –http://nationalequityatlas.org/

So what can LUCC do to help people develop their fullest potential?

Prioritize in hiring for locals and invest in poorer neighborhoods through providing employment and training opportunities
Require businesses and companies to have equity benchmarks and hold them accountable for delivering it towards people
“Remove barriers to preventive services to improve and safeguard the health of tomorrow’s leaders, innovators, and workers.” – http://nationalequityatlas.org/
Ensure that jobs are provided with benefits of health care, paid sick leave, family support, and such.

World Stroke Day

Posted on October 27, 2016 by Patricia Thao

On Oct 29, 2016, it is recognize as World Stroke Day to bring awareness and provide information on what people can do.

http://www.strokeassociation.org/

“Responding quickly can be the difference between recovery and disability, or even death. Luckily, stroke is largely treatable when you know the signs and act fast. A few seconds could save a life, possibly your own.” – http://www.strokeassociation.org/

What are the signs of stroke?

Numbness in the face and arms
lack of coordination
trouble speaking or understanding

http://www.strokeassociation.org/

Call 911 right away if notice the signs of someone having stroke.

National Health Education Week (Oct 17-21)

Posted on October 17, 2016 by Patricia Thao

“Sponsored by the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE), National Health Education Week (NHEW) is celebrated during the third full week of October. This celebration brings national attention to public health issues and promotes consumers’ understanding of the role of health education and health promotion in society.

Celebrate this week with us as we focus on partnerships to build community health. ” – https://www.sophe.org/

What is the goal of National Health Education Week?

Spread awareness and knowledge of health care cost, healthy behaviors, and health programs to communities and schools.
To highlight the accomplishments and efforts of organizations towards public health.
To share health advises between professionals, the government, and between the people.
To continue to improve health education and other health conditions.

Click here for more info on day to day participation!

Health Topic of the Day: Breastfeeding

Posted on September 22, 2016 by Patricia Thao

www.thehindu.com

Today’s health topic is all about breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is usually defined as a mother providing her infant with food/milk from her breast. It was commonly practiced in the past (nowadays it is more prominent poor/rural areas) in when mothers had to provide for their babies with their own milk and the availability of baby formula or food was not as common. The practice of breastfeeding gradually faded in human society as it advanced. But recent studies showed that we should get back to breastfeeding as it was proven to be more nutritious and beneficial to both the mother and child.

What are the benefits of breast feeding?

Breastmilk has all the nutritions and antibodies passed from the mother to the infant which can contribute to the baby’s overall health and growth
Builds a bond between the mother and child
Breastmilk is easy for the baby to digest
Mothers can choose on how long they want to breastfeed
Breastfeeding can help reduce cost for baby formula/food for a period of time
For more info on the benefits of breastfeeding, click here!

According to CDC:

4 out of 5 (81.1%) started to breastfeed. High breastfeeding initiation rates, or the percentage of infants who start out breastfeeding, show that most mothers in the U.S. want to breastfeed and are trying to do so.
In Minnesota :
- Breastfeeding rate at 12 months increased from 35.8% to 41.0%, a total of 15% increase.
- Exclusive breastfeeding at three months went from 48.6 to 53.9 percent, an 11-percent increase.

“These rates make Minnesota a top breastfeeding state in the nation, ranking seventh for beginning breastfeeding (initiation) and fifth for breastfeeding at six months.

Though the percentage of women initiating breastfeeding in the Minnesota WIC Program has risen from 63 percent to 80 percent since 2001, some women face more barriers to breastfeeding and are initiating at lower rates. Minnesota breastfeeding rates vary significantly by race and ethnicity. MDH and partners promote public health strategies that make it easier for all Minnesota women to breastfeed. This work includes supporting peer counseling and breastfeeding friendly policies and practices in hospitals, workplaces, childcare settings and the community.” – http://www.health.state.mn.us/

Who are the Healthiest Americans?

Posted on June 23, 2016 by Patricia Thao

“Of the population — which includes the Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Japanese, Vietnamese and Korean subgroups — Chinese adults scored the best on five measures of health, including health status, multiple chronic conditions, serious psychological distress in the last month and limitations in work or social participation.

The data was collected between 2010 and 2014 as part of the National Health Interview Survey, surveying about 166,000 people over the age of 18.” – Emma Court, marketwatch

Asian Americans was reported to be the healthiest Americans among other groups of people. But datas have not detailed the reasons why or possible factors that separates Asian Americans from other groups. There could be potential factors that may have helped Asian Americans to remain healthy. So, listed down below are some reasons why:

Asian Americans have more options in terms of what they eat growing up, going out, etc. The food/cuisine of Asian cultures is very vast and uses a lot of different ingredients. Also, they tend to be healthy and include fresh ingredients. Some cultures have a more extensive veggie variety such as the Indian cuisine. Whiles other cultures focus on eating a balance meal such as Korean cuisine that have lots of veggie side dishes.
Asian medicine is a big influence in the beliefs and practices among all Asians. Although they are practiced differently throughout Asia and in the U.S., they all teach important health lessons and influence the lifestyle of others. For example, Chinese philosophies teaches people to live in harmony with their physical body and spiritual being. Want to acquire good life habits according to the Chinese medicine? Click here!
Although Asian Americans are reported to be the healthiest Americans, they still face health issues that are not reported. Therefore, it is important to spread awareness onto others through sharing info with friends, families, and on social media. For more info on health disparities of Asian Americans, click here!

Today’s Health Topic: Diarrhea

Posted on November 18, 2014 by Patricia Thao

According to www.mayoclinic.com, diarrhea is a “loose, watery stools that occur more frequently than usual”. In the old days, diarrhea was known to be able to cause death of people due to dehydration. But nowadays, it is a common health issue that is less threatening under normal conditions. Diarrhea could result because of many reasonings such as :

Expired food/food poisoning that may require your body to force out impurities and waste
Diet that could cause a imbalance in your digestive system
Medications/surgery/bacteria/virus/sickness/parasites that may cause you to have diarrhea as a side effect

Here are the symptoms of diarrhea:

Experience of multiple of watery loose stools (little waste to water)
Stomach bloating/pain/cramps
Dehydration
Sweating
Fever usually can accompany it or/and cause it to occur more

At this point, diarrhea would eventually go away in a day. If the symptoms worsen and last to the second day such as:

Vomiting
Severe sweating
Blood in stool
Fever with high body temperature of 102 F (39 C)

Make sure to contact for emergency help because it could be serious concern. Afterwards, remember to monitor what you eat after experiencing diarrhea so that it doesn’t reoccur. If you had mild diarrhea, drink water/sports water (contain salt and sugar, which your body flushed out) and snack or have smaller meals. If you had mild to severe diarrhea, make sure to drink water little by little and stick to a bland diet that contains no dairy, alcohol, high food saturated, artificial flavors/food dye, non-processed, non-organic, and hard to digest food.

Push for No More Tobacco

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Patricia Thao

From http://www.hhs.gov./

Source: Johnston, L. D., O’Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E. (2014). Monitoring the Future national survey results on adolescent drug use, 1975-2013: Volume I, Secondary school students. Ann Arbor: Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan.

Over the last 40 years, the use of tobacco has steadily decreased due to many enforcement of laws, regulations, government and local support, and established health awareness programs. But the concern is now focused on teens and adults who are still buying and using tobacco in different forms. Once someone has used tobacco, they could eventually or become immediately addicted to nicotine.

So what are the trends of using tobacco besides smoking tobacco:

Oral tobacco products that dissolves in the user’s mouth; they still contain tobacco properties that puts the user’s health at risk and they can come in different forms and flavors.
Hookah is a mouth piece smoking pipe that is commonly popular among teens and is used among groups where they pass it on to each other. Not only is it not sanitary of bodily fluids, it is technically like smoking a cigarette where the toxins are released and inhaled into the body.
Smokeless tobacco is in the form where tobacco can be sniffed and chewed. “For smokeless tobacco use, the highest rates of initiation are in the seventh through 11th grades. Although approximately equal proportions of male and female adolescents smoke cigarettes, users of smokeless tobacco products are nearly all males.” – http://www.hhs.gov/
E-cigarette is a cigarette that can be used electronically to vaporized a liquid that gives off the feeling that one is smoking tobacco. Although e-cigarettes has no tobacco, they still contain nicotine.

Sometimes, people don’t understand the consequences of using tobacco. The fact that tobacco was scientifically proven to lead to other cancer diseases and cause the user to have other health related problems is already a concern. We can’t stop the production of tobacco, but at least try to educate the public what tobacco can do to the body.

Increases the risk of almost every organ disease such as the mouth, bladder, stomach, lung, heart, kidney, and more.
Worsen asthma symptoms
Nicotine is scientifically proven to be a addictive stimulant and can cause people to rely on it for temporarily relaxation
Affects the body’s sexual, thyroid, pituitary, and adrenal hormones
Affects the production and sensitivity of insulin that could lead to type 2 diabetes and other potential health issues
Trying to quit smoking tobacco can cause physical reactions such as strong cravings for the substance, an increased appetite, insomnia and sleep disturbances, gastrointestinal problems and mood-related complaints including anxiety, anger and frustration, depression, irritability and restlessness. – [source: MayoClinic]” – http://science.howstuffworks.com

So before using tobacco in any way of any form, think about how it could affect you, your body, and your health in the long term.

Bicultural Healthy Living

A Balanced Approach to a Bicultural Healthy Life

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