Heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory disease and diabetes are among the top ten leading causes of death in Guilford County.  They all have something in common.  They are examples of a chronic health condition – a personal medical issue that a person may have to deal with for years.

Chronic health conditions are some of our most common and costly health problems.  Diseases such as diabetes, arthritis or lupus take a physical, emotional and financial toll on the individuals who have them as well as their family members.  Patients and caregivers often struggle with quality of life issues as well as lost or reduced productivity at work and at home.

ç  The series will be held on six consecutive Thursdays, beginning September 23 and ending October 28 from 1:30 – 4:00 p.m. at the Roy B. Culler Senior Center, 600 North Hamilton Street in High Point.   There is no cost to participate, but interested individuals must pre-register.  Attendance is limited to 15 people due to the high level of interaction during each session.

Living Healthy is an evidence-based program created and evaluated by the Stanford Patient Education Research Center.  It is designed to help individuals better manage their chronic conditions and live healthier and happier lives.  Topics covered include:  symptom management; communicating effectively with your health care provider and family; fighting fatigue; problem solving; and action planning.

For more information or to register for Living Healthy, interested persons should contact Connie Lawson at the Guilford County Department of Public Health at 845-7722.

Thursday’s edition of the New England Journal of Medicine includes an editorial by Dr. Julie Cantor about recent Supreme Court rulings on the rights of private citizens to purchase handguns.

When I was a medical student, my wife and I did a community medicine rotation in Lumberton, NC.  She worked with one of the surgeons and I hung out in the Emergency Room.  One morning a preteen was brought into the ER having been shot in the face with a shotgun.  He and his friend were playing with his grandfather’s gun in their living room.

The shotgun blast hit him squarely in the face at close range.  I rode with the child in the ambulance from Lumberton to Fayetteville where there were doctors more experienced in handling gunshot wounds to the face.

To quote Dr. Cantor, “…for children, ‘gun safety’ is an oxymoron….  In the face of staggering statistics about eminently avoidable gun-related harms, perhaps the wisest play for this newfound constitutional right is not to use it at all.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to take Miracle Mineral Solution, an oral liquid also known as “Miracle Mineral Supplement” or “MMS.” The product, when used as directed, produces an industrial bleach that can cause serious harm to health.

FDA Warns Consumers of Serious Harm from Drinking Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS)

2010 Operation Fan/Heat Relief Now Under Way

RALEIGH: Operation Fan/Heat Relief – a summer fan distribution program that operates each year throughout North Carolina – is now under way.  The Division of Aging and Adult Services in the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has managed the program since it began in 1986.

“Chronic health problems in older people often require medication that can affect the body’s natural defenses against heat and humidity,” said Dennis Streets, Division of Aging and Adult Services Director.  “These fans can be a lifesaver for some and help all recipients stay more comfortable and healthier in their home.”

“For many years, Dominion North Carolina Power, Duke Energy, Progress Energy and the Valassis Giving Committee have donated generously to support this important program,” Streets said. “The program has been successful because of the concerted efforts of the 17 regional Area Agencies on Aging and the local aging and adult service provider agencies which purchase and make fans available to eligible people.”

Last year, donations totaled $98,500, and with these funds, 5,423 fans and 51 air conditioners were purchased. In certain counties air conditioners are made available for people with more serious health problems.  There is no public money associated with this project.

People who are 60 or older or people with disabilities are eligible to receive one fan per year to help alleviate heat problems within their home.

More information can be found by calling the Area Agency on Aging or the local aging agency or on the web at www.ncdhhs.gov/aging/heat.htm.

Guilford County Department of Public Health staff will be planting a community vegetable garden this summer, and they look forward to donating bundles of vegetables to area non-profits that feed the homeless or disadvantaged.  A ceremony to officially open the garden will be held on Tuesday, June 29 at 11:30am. The garden is located at the Department of Social Services/Public Health Department building at 1203 Maple Street in Greensboro. Employees will work the garden before and after work and during lunch, and are donating needed tools including plants and seeds.

Public Health Staff Wins Award (Health Information)

Paula Weston-Cox was awarded the 2009 West Piedmont Environmental Health Specialist of the Year Award by the West Piedmont Environmental Health Association on June 17, 2010 at their quarterly meeting.  Weston-Cox is the Senior Environmental Health Specialist for the Children’s Environmental Health Program, with Guilford County Department of Public Health.  Along with providing inspections of local, licensed childcare centers, she is very involved in the community’s Healthy Homes and childhood lead poisoning prevention programs.

This report just came in from the NCDEH Shellfish Sanitation Department:

“This past Sunday WBTV Channel 3 in Charlotte reported a story that a customer at a restaurant in Mooresville had been served oysters that were contaminated with oil, the inference being that the product had been contaminated in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and shipped to NC.  Apparently the story was picked up by other outlets and broadcast pretty widely.  Our office, along with excellent assistance from Iredell County staff, investigated the allegations yesterday afternoon.

“I wanted to let you all know that the report turned out to be erroneous.  Upon examination of oysters from the same Louisiana growing area we found that the suspicious substance reported by the news media turned out to be mud.  Oysters often grow in very muddy estuaries and it’s not uncommon for them to have dark, sticky, sometimes smelly mud on the outsides of the shells and in the small pocket where the shells fit together at the hinge area.  It can look allot like the pictures we’ve seen of tar balls and oil globs in the gulf, but poses no health risks.

“This was explained in detail to the WBTV reporter who was present yesterday but seems to have been played way down and almost ignored in the resulting interview that was broadcast last night.  Unfortunately the media in this case apparently preferred the sensationalized and erroneous story more so than the actual findings of our investigation; although they did publish the fact that we did not find any evidence of oil contamination which I guess is the best we could hope for.

“We wanted you folks to know how this turned out in case you received questions from your establishments or the public.  Again, our investigation found no evidence at all of any oil contamination of the oysters in question.”

Come participate in a bike rodeo, a fun way for your child to learn bicycle safety, at 2:00 p.m. at Gibson Park, 5217 W. Wendover Avenue in High Point.  This event is for children 8 to 12 years of age.  Children are encouraged to bring their own bike and helmet.

Event is free of charge.

The Center for Disease Control is posting a series of articles about seasonal related health issues.  If you are interested, let me direct you to the following downloadable articles:

Help Your Kids Swim Safely This Summer: Drowning Prevention Tips

No Texting Behind the Wheel

Recreational Water Illness (RWI) Prevention: Take action and stay healthy

Don’t Get Burned! Summer Sun Safety Tips

Stay Safe and Healthy This Summer

Let me know what you think!

I went to Pleasant Garden Community Center last night to hear the scientists from the NC Department of Health and Human Services and the federal Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry present their findings of toluene diisocyanate exposures in five communities. They didn’t find evidence of release of toluene into the environment by these companies.
The news report is here at www.digtriad.com. (I’m sitting in the audience in a bright blue coat.)
The details of the study can be read at the state’s website here.