July 2015 - Page 2 of 2 - Health BeatHealth Beat

Do You Have a Deviated Septum?

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Michael Hinck

If one side of your nose is often more congested than the other and if you have difficulty breathing, the problem might be a deviated septum.

What is a septum? It is the wall of bone and cartilage that separates your left and right nasal cavities. When this wall is crooked or displaced to one side, it can obstruct airflow and make breathing more difficult.

Some people are born with a deviated septum and others develop one as a result of an injury or a trauma to the nose. A deviated septum is not at all uncommon. In fact, four out of every five people have some degree of non-symmetry to their nasal septum. For most, the misalignment is not significant enough to cause any complications, but those with a more severe imbalance can suffer significant breathing problems and require treatment.

Common symptoms of a deviated septum are:
• Nasal congestion
• Difficulty breathing through your nose
• Recurrent sinus infections
• Frequent nose bleeds
• Sinus headaches and facial pain
• Post nasal drip
• Loud snoring or breathing while asleep

For some, a deviated septum can be treated with medications. If medications are unsuccessful in correcting the deviation, an otolaryngologist, or an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctor can perform a surgical procedure called a septoplasty to repair a crooked septum and improve breathing.

The surgery is usually performed in an out-patient setting under either local or general anesthesia. The procedure is usually completed in one to two hours with the patient being able to go home within three to four hours after surgery. There is normally little or no swelling after the procedure.

Jamaica Hospital’s team of ENT specialists can diagnose and treat patients with deviated septum. To make an appointment, please call 718-206-7001.

All content of this newsletter is intended for general information purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult a medical professional before adopting any of the suggestions on this page. You must never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment based upon any content of this newsletter. PROMPTLY CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN OR CALL 911 IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY.

Car Accidents Still A Leading Cause of Death in Children

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Xavia Malcolm

Despite growing public service advertising campaigns and state enforced child restraint laws, information collected from agencies such as the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) supports the notion that parents still need to do more to protect their children while driving. According to the CDC, motor vehicle accidents are still a leading cause of death and injury among children in the United States.

Further investigation has shown that one in every three children involved in a fatal car accident was not buckled up or incorrectly restrained. Many of these deaths could have been prevented with the proper use of car safety restraints such as car seats, booster seats or seat belts.

It is estimated that proper usage of car seats reduces the risk of death for babies by 54%. In children between the ages of four to eight years old the use of booster seats decreases the risk of premature death by 45%. In older children the proper use of seat belts reduces fatalities by approximately 50%.

Safety precautions vary with children’s ages. Parents need to practice and enforce appropriate seat belt, car and booster seat use. By following these tips they can reduce the risk of injuries if involved in a car accident.

Children under the age of one: Children should always be secured in a rear-facing car seat.
Ages one to three: Your child should continue using a rear-facing car seat until they outgrow the recommended height requirement suggested by the car seat manufacturer.
Ages four to seven: If your child has outgrown the recommended height requirement for a rear-facing car seat, they can graduate to a forward-facing car seat that is secured with a harness and seat belt.
Ages seven to twelve: Once your child has outgrown the car seat it’s time to use a booster seat. Continue to use the booster seat until they fit properly in a seatbelt. To ensure that the seat belt is a proper fit, make certain that the shoulder belt lies snugly across the shoulder and chest and the lap belt lies across the upper thighs.

To learn more about child car safety please use resources provided by organizations such as the NHTSA (www.nhtsa.gov), the CDC (www.cdc.gov) and the American Academy of Pediatrics’ www.healthychildren.org.

Teaching Your Kids How to Swim & Be Safe in the Water

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Michael Hinck

Summer is here and with it comes fun in the water. Whether it’s the beach, pool, or a water park, kids love splashing around under the hot summer sun. However, sometimes playing in the water can lead to tragedy. Getting your children properly acquainted with the water and teaching them age-appropriate swimming skills and techniques as well as learning proper safety precautions will lead to many years of fun in the water for you and your kids.
Here are some introductory swimming and safety tips for all age groups.

CHILDREN UNDER 1
Swim Tips – It is a good idea to introduce your baby to water at six months old. The goal at this age is not to teach them to swim, but get them comfortable in this environment. Encourage your baby to have fun by playing games with them, showing them how to splash and bobbing them up and down, all while in your arms.

Safety Tips – You should never submerge your baby’s head under water as they could ingest a large amount of water. Also never leave your baby unattended in or around a pool of any size, including small inflatable pools. An infant can drown in less than an inch of water in under 30 seconds.

CHILDREN 2-3 YEARS OLD
Swim Tips – At this age, your child will develop a curiosity about the water and become more active in it. It is recommended to play games that require your toddler to move their arms, kick their legs, and float on their stomach and back while you support them. Also teach them how to blow bubbles in the water so they learn how to get their face wet without swallowing water.

Safety Tips – Even though your toddler may feel more comfortable in the water, you should never leave them alone for a second. Do not rely on any air filled flotation devices, including water wings. They provide a false sense of security and can deflate, resulting in drowning. This is the age to begin to stress proper pool safety to your child. Discuss such rule as no running along the side of the pool and only going into the water with an adult.

CHILDREN 4-5 YEARS OLD
Swim Tips – Your child is now beginning to develop the proper coordination necessary to swim by themselves. This is the age to begin swimming lessons. Lessons, whether through an instructor or by a parent, should include teaching the child how to float independently, submerge their face underwater for five-ten seconds, and use coordinated kicking and arm movements.

Safety Tips – Even though you don’t need to hold your child at this age, you should practice what is called “reach supervision” or being in the water, within reaching distance of your child.

CHILDREN 6 YEARS & UP
Swim Tips – At this age, your child should be able to hold their breath for longer periods of time, swim underwater and be able to jump into water and resurface on their own. This is a good time to learn the various types of swim strokes as well. Learning these strokes will increase their strength and endurance.

Safety Tips – Your child can swim in the water without you at this age, but they still need to be supervised. Make sure diving is done only at the deep end of the pool. Also, be mindful that your child’s swimming skills in a pool don’t always translate to swimming in the ocean or lake so be extra careful.

History of Sunglasses

Posted on July 9, 2015 by Andrew Rubin

Sunglasses were used in the 12th century in China. These sunglasses were made out of flat panes of smoky quartz. Though they didn’t do anything to correct eyesight, they were used to protect the eyes from sun glare. In the 1400’s sunglasses were starting to be developed by the Italians who also sought to correct vision problems with them.
In the late 19th century and early 20th century, sunglasses were prescribed for people who had syphilis as they were known to be sensitive to light and these glasses would be helpful.
Sunglasses became popular fashion accessories for Hollywood movie stars in the early 20th century and from that time the general public also started to wear them.
Mass production of sunglasses began in the late 1920’s when they were introduced by Sam Foster. He began by selling them on the boardwalk in Atlantic City. In the 1930’s the inventor Edwin Land introduced polarized sunglasses based upon his patented Polaroid filter. During World War II the Ray Ban company developed eyewear that protected pilots from glare and soon these became popular with the general public as well.
There are many styles and manufacturers of sunglasses today and they still serve the same concept that was discovered in China almost one thousand years ago.

Health and Beauty Benefits of Coconut Oil

Posted on July 7, 2015 by Xavia Malcolm

coconut oil -176906001 The use of coconut oil has grown in popularity over the years. It has been discovered that ingesting the oil or using it topically has countless benefits. The benefits are often attributed to its healthy saturated fats such as lauric, caprylic and capric acid. Coconut oil is also composed of linoleic acid, poly-phenols, oleic acid, several essential minerals such as iron, as well as vitamins such as E and K. It is also known to have many anti-fungal, anti- bacterial, anti-parasitic and anti- oxidant properties.

Studies have shown that coconut oil can improve thyroid and heart function, insulin levels and several skin conditions. Whether you choose to ingest coconut oil or use it topically it can provide these additional benefits to your health:

Promotes weight loss– The medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) contained in coconut oil boosts the metabolism and increases energy.
Lowers cholesterol– It has been shown that the lauric acid increases the level of good cholesterol (HDL) in the blood.
Improves digestion– It supports the absorption of nutrients during the digestive process.
Improves hair and scalp condition– Coconut oil provides the hair and scalp with optimal hydration. It is often used as a conditioner to repair damaged hair and maintain lustrous locks. It also serves as an effective anti-dandruff agent because of anti –fungal properties.
Promotes healthy skin– This essential oil can moisturize, treat and soothe dry skin. It is rich in vitamin E which prevents premature aging and wrinkling. Coconut oil is sometimes used in the treatment of eczema, acne and psoriasis.
Improves Immunity- Lauric and caprylic acid contains anti-viral properties and anti- bacterial properties which can help in strengthening the immune system.

There are several forms of coconut oil available for purchase; however, experts highly recommend the use of fresh-pressed virgin coconut oil because it is the least refined, is extracted from fresh coconuts and is of a higher quality. It is also easy to digest.

Be sure to talk to your physician about adding coconut oil to your daily diet or applying it on your body.

The Facts About ‘Dem Bones

Posted on July 2, 2015 by Michael Hinck

Most of our understanding of the human skeleton is limited to what we see around Halloween, but there are many interesting facts about our bones. Here are a few:

• Adults have 206 bones in their bodies, but the same is not true for infants. The skeleton of a newborn has approximately 300 bones. Over time, the “extra” bones in infants fuse to form larger bones, reducing the overall number of bones to 206 by adulthood.

• Each hand has 27 bones, and each foot has 26, which means that together the body’s two hands and two feet have 106 bones. The hands and feet contain more than half of the bones in your entire body.
• The largest, and by most accounts, the strongest bone is the thigh bone, or femur. It is roughly over 25% of our total height. The smallest bone in the human body is the staples (or stirrup) bone, found in the middle ear. It is only 2.8 millimeters long.

• Most adults have 24 ribs (12 pairs), but about one in every 500 people has an extra rib, called a cervical rib. This extra rib can cause health issues for some if it squashes nearby blood vessels or nerves. Symptoms are marked by pain in the shoulder or neck, loss of limb feeling, blood clots and other problems.

• Every bone is connected to another bone — with one exception. The hyoid is a horseshoe –shaped bone found in the throat, located between the chin and the thyroid cartilage. It’s the only bone in the human body not connected to another bone. The hyoid is important for speech because of it works with the larynx (voice box) and tongue to produce the range of human vocalizations.

• Bones are strong and rigid – In fact, they are stronger than steel, but they are not the hardest substance in the body. That title goes to another part of the skeletal system; tooth enamel. This substance protects the crown of teeth and owes its strength to its high concentration of minerals.

Your Fourth of July can be Safe and DYNAMITE!

Posted on July 1, 2015 by Joann Ariola

With the Fourth of July celebrations arriving soon, how much do you know about firework safety? Take a quick quiz provided by The National Council on Firework Safety to test your knowledge –

Keep in mind that, while the Fourth of July is fun celebrating with family and friends, they are still illegal in New York State (including the five boroughs). Fireworks burn at extremely high temperatures and can rapidly burn through clothing and skin. Items, such as sparklers, are mistakenly thought to be safe, when they can be very dangerous. This year, have a safe Fourth of July and leave the Fireworks displays to the trained professionals.