Health Center | NC Health Action

4 Most Well Known Medical Organizations

Hospitals, great medical universities, and emergency relief organizations all make up a huge body of well-known medical organizations. But the four most recognized medical organizations are the American Red Cross, the World Health Organization, the AMA, and John Hopkins.

1. The American Red Cross

The first most recognized medical organization can always be found where there is a crisis or disaster. Founded in 1881 by Clara Barton, the Red Cross has become the most recognized emergency response organization in the country. It offers relief not only to those across the world suffering from the ravages of war, but also to those who are victims of natural disasters.

2. The World Health Organization (WHO)

Next is an institution established in 1948, the World Health Organization (WHO). It functions as the coordinating body for world-wide health concerns, including the reduction of the spread of diseases like AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. It was able to declare the complete eradication of smallpox and is attempting to do the same with polio.

3. The American Medical Association (AMA)

The American Medical Association, or AMA, represents one-third of those with careers in medicine. It also publishes one of the most renowned medical journals in the world, “The Journal of the American Medical Association.” Not only does the AMA lobby for and disburse funds for political campaigns, it also runs many health-related campaigns of its own in order to help change government policy in favor of the medical community.

4. John Hopkins Hospital

Finally, the John Hopkins Hospital opened in 1889 with the school of medicine following in 1893. This was the first time a hospital and a school worked together in order to combine research with medical care. Since that time, this facility has gained international recognition for its ground breaking research and unparalleled medical care.

Filed Under: Health Center Tagged With: American Medical Association, American Red Cross, John Hopkins Hospital, Medicine, Organization, World Health Organization

Why Obesity Rates are High in Children?

The obesity rates are rapidly rising for American children and health professionals, parents as well as media is talking about the adverse consequences almost every day.

President Obama and his wife Michelle have decided that government should regulate people’s diet and lives so that obesity rates among the population and especially children can be controlled. There is a campaign by government to regulate and dictate school cafeterias to serve more meals with fruits and vegetables, and less sugary soda or oily burgers.

However, this strategy largely focuses on diet and that too only during school hours. Almost no mention is made of unhealthy amount of time spent in front of television, computers which often leads to mental anxiety, stress and pre-occupation with undesirable material online.

Moreover, the time spent in front of television and computers means time missed to finish homework, get good grades and do physical exercise. Lack of commitment at school means higher anxiety and stress which can also contribute to obesity.

Therefore, it is difficult to attribute obesity to just sugary soda and fatty foods and society must look at the whole lifestyle including time spent during the day and activities performed which contribute to obesity and dullness.

Instead of watching sports, soap operas and dramas, children should be encouraged to go outside and play sports, and aspire to become part of the school hockey, baseball, football, or swimming team.

Playing a sport with other kids will lead to greater levels of physical activity, improvement in mood and mental balance, and reduce obesity.

At the same time less time will be spent in watching harmful television programs and internet gaming sites.

Filed Under: Health Center Tagged With: Health, Obesity, United States

The Impact of Sleep Deprivation on Health

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In some cultures, it is customary to take naps in the middle of the day. Entire towns and villages shut down for the afternoon while people take the time to sleep. In Western cultures, this is less customary. The pressure to work and meet various life demands pushes people to go to bed late and wake up very early. What many people don’t realize is that, over time, sleep deprivation takes its toll on a person’s health and well-being.

Sleep Deprivation and Weight Gain

It may seem logical that if you’re sleeping less, you’re burning more calories because you’re awake and active. The truth, as scientists are discovering, is that when your body is sleep deprived, its hormonal make-up changes. You experience an increase in hormones that strengthen your appetite. So when you do not sleep enough, you tend to eat more.

Additionally, sleep deprivation causes a drop in the hormones that allow you to feel satiated. You can eat and eat and still not feel full. The collective hormonal change in the body causes you to gain weight and feel deprived of energy.

Little Sleep and Mental Health

Not sleeping enough can also lead to fatigue and depression. When you’re tired all the time, everything in life becomes a chore. Even activities that you would normally enjoy become less interesting when you’re not awake enough to enjoy them.

Sleeping for Greater Health

To enjoy optimal health, sleep for seven to eight hours each night. Set and maintain a regular bedtime. When you’re rested, you’ll feel physically and mentally invigorated, allowing greater enjoyment of health and life.

Filed Under: Health Center Tagged With: Health, Mental Health, Sleep deprivation

Another Alternative for E.D

For many years, men who suffered from erectile dysfunction (E.D.) did so in silence. The help available to them was little more than old wives’ tales. Recently, several medications have been developed and approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to treat this often-embarrassing problem. One of the most effective prescriptions is sold under the name Cialis. Taking some time to understand how Cialis works and how to purchase it, including the ability to buy it online will help men overcome this “secret” problem.

How It Works

Cialis is a medication that must be taken prior to participating in a sexual act. It works by producing some of the same chemicals that the body naturally produces during arousal and erection. By increasing the blood flow to the internal structures of the male genitals, Cialis helps men produce and maintain and erection. The medication should not be taken more than once a day.

The Rules

Cialis is a beneficial medication for men, who have met with their doctor, are healthy enough for sexual intercourse, and who have a prescription. For those that do, it is possible to buy Cialis online. Those that do not have a prescription may find websites offering them Cialis without one, but it is best to avoid these sites, as there is no guarantee that the medication purchased is actually genuine Cialis. It is also important to review possible side effects carefully with your doctor before beginning treatment.

Cialis is an excellent medication for men who are healthy enough for sexual activity but who suffer from erectile dysfunction. When used under the supervision of a doctor, the medication is a safe and effective method to correct the problem. If you have trouble achieving or maintaining an erection, talk to your doctor about Cialis. It may very well be the answer you have been seeking.

Filed Under: General, Health Center Tagged With: Erectile dysfunction, Erection, Sexual intercourse

Don’t Let Frostbit Nip At Your Nose, Hand or Feet

On any given day, somewhere in the world it’s really, really cold outside. Recently, there have been several parts of the world that have suffered through their own versions of snowmageddon with absurd amount of snow being dumps on them. Unless you have completely stocked you home with the essentials, you might be forced outside in the cold to shovel your way to the corner grocery store. This is when frostbite becomes an issue for many people.

As the name implies, frostbite refers to a part of your skin that has been exposed to such drastic low temperatures that is actually freezes. From the medical standpoint, this freezing causes your blood vessels to constrict. When that happens then oxygen is being cut off to those exposed areas. Deprive your skin of oxygen long enough and it actually dies. Not you, just the skin. This can mean possible amputation to avoid the spreading of the dead skin.

For those of you keeping score at home, there are three degrees of frostbite. They are frostnip, superficial frostbite and the most severe, deep frostbite. Frostbite can zap any part of your body, but it will always start with those parts which are the most exposed to cold temperatures.

Frostbite is a tricky little bugger because one of the symptoms is numbing of the skin. That means you might not even feel it if you have it. In severe cases of deep frostbite there could be permanent damage caused. We’ve all heard about the wind chill factor. This is when frostbite really kicks into high gear.

If you find yourself the victim of frostbite the best course of action is to immerse the exposed area into warm water. Short of that try body heat. Keep in mind that you should warm up the body just go to back out into the cold!

Filed Under: Health Center Tagged With: Frostbite, Wind chill

Understanding Rheumatoid Arthritis

When you hear the word arthritis you conjure up images of old people in pain. While that might be the case for some, the fact remains that rheumatoid arthritis has around 1% of the entire world’s popular in its grip. Understanding rheumatoid arthritis is to know that it is not like common arthritis. With common arthritis or osteoarthritis, the cause is often associated with an injury or age related wear on your joints. This is the disease that is most prevalent in folks of middle age or with seniors. Although the pain might be the same, rheumatoid arthritis is defined as a chronic and progressive autoimmune disorder. Medical scientists understand that when RA is set off, your body goes into overdrive attacking its own tissues surrounding the joints. That’s the “how” of RA. The “why” still remains a mystery. In response to an unknown trigger, the body makes antibodies that attack its own tissues. These assaults on the joints can be instant flare-ups or long lasting pain. Rheumatoid arthritis can also be called the young person’s arthritis because it can strike anyone from 30 to 55. There are even instances with RA kicking in on patients as young as 8 years old. Some sufferers think that since the “flare-up” pain has gone away, it’s not a big deal. Wrong. Rheumatoid arthritis can be dormant, but never cured. It can also lead to other complications not related to joint pain. That’s why a proper diagnosis along with a prescribed treatment is the best course of action. One common misconception with a RA diagnosis is that it could condemn the patient to a wheelchair for life. That’s not the case. Rheumatoid arthritis affects different people in different ways. Many folks are able to continue living the independent life they’ve built for themselves. This includes staying active, continuing with work and raising a family.

Filed Under: Health Center Tagged With: Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis

Knees Need Nurturing

We’ve all been told many times that part of complete healthy lifestyle needs to include some form of physical activity. Unless we keep moving, we can get into some serious issues with weight, blood flow and a whole host of other items. Does this mean we should all be springing up from our sofas and joining a gym? Yes on the gym, but be careful on the “springing up.” As we make a goal to get into better physical shape, one of our body’s hot zones to protect will be our knees.

Any first year medical student will tell you that the knee is a pretty complicated joint. It’s basically a hinge for our leg that is kept functioning by a system of tendons, cartilage, muscle and ligaments. It’s also extremely prone to injury. Literally getting out on the wrong side of bed could cause knee problems.

There are some steps to take in order to insure your knees’ needs are being met. First of all, don’t ignore the pain. Sure you can bump your knee and be in discomfort, but the real knee pain to watch out for occurs after you’ve worked out. If you wake up with some serious knee pain that persists, head to the doctor. Staying on top of a potential knee problem is the best way to minimize the impact.

Speaking of impact, one of the biggest stress factors for your knees is you own body weight. If you are putting extra stress on your knees because of extra pounds you’ll discover soon enough what it means for a knee to “give out.” To lose that weight, you’re going to need to get physical. Before you do any type of activity, it’s always best to stretch first. Again, check with the doc for stretching tips. Be good to your knees and they’ll be good to you.

Filed Under: Health, Health Center Tagged With: Knee, Physical exercise

What to Do When Allergies Won’t Go Away

Anyone who suffers with allergies will tell you they’re no fun. The runny noses, the pounding headaches, the sneezing and the coughing; it’s enough to make you want to live in an air tight bubble. Fortunately, there is plenty of help. Between over the counter remedies to the more intense doctor prescribed injections, you no longer have to let allergies ruin your life. However, even with all this help there are still some people who can’t find relief. As Shakespeare said, “The fault may not be in the stars, but in ourselves.” If you or someone you know is having trouble with persistent allergies it might be time to reassess how they are coping with the problem.

One of the most common issues with recurrent allergies is that folks simply don’t stick to their remedy routine. They are prescribed a “firewall” pill, take it for a couple of days/weeks and then feel better. Then what happens? They stop taking the pill. If you are prescribed a daily dose of allergy medicine then it has to be a daily dose. Same for injections. Skip on and you throw off the entire protocol. This issue comes into play with nasal sprays as well. If not used properly these sprays will “miss their target.” That means you’re just squirting stuff up your nose for no reason. Make sure you ask you doctor about proper usage.

Persistent allergy problems can also be a problem with the diagnosis. No, not your doctor’s diagnosis, but your own. Just because we have dozens of over the counter remedies at our disposal doesn’t mean we are using the right ones for our specific allergy. For instance, you could have a common tension headache, but treat it like a sinus headache. The pills you take might not work. Then when you really have a sinus headache, you’ll suffer because you think nothing works. Always defer to a doctor.

Filed Under: Dental Health, Health Center Tagged With: Allergy, Headache

Simple Cure for Anxiety: Don’t Worry, Be Happy

Do you think you could make it through a typical day without any worry? Even if you take away the big worries of finances, work and relationship there are a dozens of other little worries that can also cause a fog on our brains. When hit with a feeling of worry, most people process through the issue, find a solution and are able to set it aside and move. However, there are others who let the typical worries of life overwhelm them. As these worries are allowed to grow uncheck, the person can find themselves in a full blown anxiety attack. Worrying this severe has a medical name: generalized anxiety disorder or GAD and there are approximately, 4 million Americans currently caught up in the throes of this disorder.

There are three basic root causes for GAD. They are genetics, brain chemistry or environment. With genetics and brain chemistry, it is clearly not the fault of the sufferer. It can merely be an issue with “rewiring the brain.” This can be easily remedied with any number of effective drug therapies. In fact, taking these types of medications has become so common that they are often advertised on Television. You’ve surely seen spots for Zoloft, Prozac or Lexapro during the evening news.

On the other hand, the environmental causes might not be so easily fixed. In terms of this disorder, environmental causes have less to do with where you live then who you are living with. Traumatic events like a break up with a long time mate, a sudden death of a loved one or even changing jobs can trigger bouts of stress that can become compounded into generalized anxiety. If it has been established that environmental causes are generating anxiety, the best course of action is therapy. The simple act of talking through your worries can help get you to be happy.

Filed Under: Health Center Tagged With: Anxiety, Generalized anxiety disorder

Propecia Stops DHT Dead in its Tracks

One of the things many men must prepare for is hair loss. It is just a fact of life. As many of us age, we find ourselves noticing more and more hair in the shower drain each morning. But even if this happens, there are treatments. Hair loss often occurs in stages. Many medical professionals list these as stages one through stage seven of male pattern hair loss. Stage one is when you might just notice some hair loss and stage seven is when you have lost most of the hair on the top but might still see some on the sides. Causes of hair loss are often said to be hereditary. This can be true but it is possibly not the real reason. One known medical reason is that your hair follicles are susceptible to the chemical dihydrotestosterone. This is also known as DHT. DHT is thought to cause the hair follicles to shrink. Once it shrinks enough, then you no longer will have hair production.

So if you do not want to live with hair loss, can you do something to treat it? Absolutely. One of the treatments out there that helps many men is Propecia. This treatment actually blocks DHT which helps the follicles continue to produce hair. This also stops the progression of male pattern hair loss. The treatment is the only FDA approved pill on the market and available online that treats the problem of hair loss on the top and the front of the head in men. You should continue with the treatment daily for three months to see results and once you stop you might lose those results. A word of caution is also in order. This pill is for men only. Women should refrain from handling it. Now that you know one option, you are better prepared when you notice those first hairs in your drain.

Filed Under: Health Center