Parents have a lot to worry about when it comes to their children. From disease, to kidnapping, terrorism, and more, it seem like no matter what parents do they can never be sure their child is safe. Accidents happen all the time. In the United States, a child dies from an unintentional injury every hour. Even though this number seems extremely high, the death rate from unintentional injury has actually plunged about 30% between 2000 and 2009.

A recent report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, found that the rate of child injury death in the United States is among the worst off al high-income countries. Actually, it is more than double that of countries like Canada and France. Ileana Arias, principal deputy director of CDC sates that most of child injury deaths are completely preventable.

Malignant tumors are an increasing problem in the world today. Cancer and heart attack are the top two causes of death around the globe. However there is another type of tumor that does not get all the attention it deserves. Benign tumors are non-cancerous but dangerous. One type of benign tumor is the giant cell tumor of the bone. Although they occur in only one person per million a year, their removal is costly and complicated. In rare cases the tumor can expand to the lungs making the condition life threatening.

For a Vietnamese man named Nguyen Duy Hai, the fight against the giant cell tumor of the bone ended successfully last Friday. He is now recovering in the intensive care unit of the Ho Chi Minh City’s FV Hospital. The tumor got its name from the way the cells look under a microscope where many giant cells are seen. These cells are formed by the fusion of several individual cells into a single, large, cell. Just how large had Nguyen Duy Hai’s tumor got? Well, it weighted at twice the man’s body weight, more specifically 180 pounds. Post-operation it was estimated that the tumor was in fact 200 pounds. It took 12 hours of surgery to remove the tumor in its entirety.

The cold season is upon us… again. If you are like me you have heard many myths about winter’s effect on your health. For example, many people believe that going outside with wet hair during the cold weather will make you sick. Another common misconception is that allergies become dormant in the cold. Are these beliefs true? Turns out that no, they are not; they are just part of the misconceptions of winter. Winter is mean and cold but it also gets a bad rap.

How much do you know about your brain? I don’t know about anyone else but I have always thought of the brain as the most important organ in the body. Not to say that the bladder, spleen, pancreases, and so on are not vital, but without a healthy brain we can definitely not live a healthy happy life. A person can live with a one lung, one kidney, no appendix, I have even heard of cases where a person did not have their spleen or stomach; but without the brain we cannot move, speak, breath, or think for that matter. So, here are a few facts about the human brain that I find interesting.

Pretty much all American citizens have been exposed to facts and statistics about the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol. Media campaigns as well as parents’ advice and school assemblies try to keep citizens informed about the risks of driving under the influence. Whether a person fears jail time, the high fines, or just the idea that they might run over someone when drunk, many steps have been put in place to minimize the appeal of drinking and driving. But as it turns out drunk drivers are not the only ones you should watch for.

Driving while sleepy is just as dangerous as driving after having a few drinks too many. As our society has become more fast paced, Americans everywhere have been dabbing into their sleep time to try and get everything done that they need to. Overtime, a plethora of papers have been published on the dangers of lack of sleep both on the human body and while driving. Still, according to the latest poll conducted by the AAA foundation, one third of surveyed Americans admitted to driving under the influence of sleep within the past 30 days. Even worse, 60% of those surveyed admitted to “drowsy driving” within the past year. And worse of all, 37% admitted that they had fallen asleep behind the wheel at least once. The National Highway Traffic Safety Association estimates that each year over 100,000 accidents are the result of driving while sleeping.

1. The world’s oldest known recipe is for beer.
2. Binge drinking is defined as consumption of 5 or more drinks at a time.
3. Why do men think women cannot handle their liquor (/get drunk faster)? Women absorb alcohol into their bloodstream quicker and metabolize it slower than men.
4. Falling or tripping a lot when you drink? That is normal.  Over 13% of all falls are due to drinking.
5. Alcohol use is implicated in 1/3 of drowning cases.
6. The Bureau of alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms banned the use of the word “refreshing” when describing alcohol.
7. The early Church declared alcohol to be a gift from God.
8. You can be sent to jail for up to 5 years for sending a bottle of spirit, wine, or beer to someone in Kentucky.
9. Kids dink!!! By 8^th grade, 55% of students have tried alcohol at least once.
10. Alcohol is a depressant.
11. Missouri parents, take the trash out! Any person under the age of 21 who takes out household trash that contains even one empty container of alcoholic beverage can be charges with illegal possession of alcohol in Missouri.
12. Alcohol causes both short-term and long-term effects. Even though a glass of wine a day has been proven to be beneficial for the heart, it does have negative side effects.
13.  Tolerance means that although you do not feel the same effects from alcohol as the use increases, you blood alcohol concentration level are still high. Just because you do not feel like you are over the limit does not necessary mean that you can safely drive.
14. Do not drink if you are pregnant! Drinking while with child can cause the baby to be born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome which means that the baby can have a smaller head and brain than average, some degree of mental retardation, abnormal facial features, poor coordination, and more.
15. Experiencing a blackout happens during an amnesia-like period in which a person might be acting normal, but they will have no recollection of what happened once they sober up.
16. The Manhattan cocktail was invented by Winston Churchill’s mother.
17. Don’t drink and drive! A Blood Alcohol Content of over .08 can get you a fine, probation, community service, mandatory driving coursers, jail time, license revocation, and a significant increase in your insurance rates. And also, you might run someone over!!!
18. Wait until you are old enough! In New Jersey it is illegal for parents to give children under 18 years old even a sip of alcohol, religious and non-religious celebrations included.
19. If you are planning on opening a bar in Iowa make sure you know that it is illegal to have a drink in your own bar after closing for business.
20. Texas state law prohibits taking more than 3 sips while standing.
21. Do Nebraskans eat more soup than the national average? It is illegal in Nebraska to sell beer unless the establishment is brewing a kettle of soup at the same time.
22. The national anthem of the U.S, the “Star-Spangled Banner” was written to the tune of a drinking song praising wine.
23. Methyphobia is the fear of alcohol.
24. In old England, bartenders would advise nosey customers to mind their pints and quarts (volume measurements). This was the beginning of the expression “Mind your P’s and Q’s”.
25. North Dakota state law prohibits the serving of beer and pretzels simultaneously in all restaurants and bars.
26. Feeling warm after drinking?! Actually, drinking lowers the body’s temperature.
27. Tragic! Every year thousands of people choke on their on vomit after drinking alcohol around the world.
28. To “toast” in ancient Rome referred to dropping a piece of toasted bread into wine.
29. Deaths related to alcohol are highest from black males although white males are more likely to drink. During senior year of high school black males are least likely to consume alcohol while white males are most likely.
30. The U.S has the highest minimum drinking age in the entire world.

The rate of diagnose for conditions like ADHD has been on the rise for the past few years. It seems like everywhere I turn a child is taking ADHD drugs to help with focusing problems. For the past few years, many parents, teachers, and scientists have tried to explain this trend. Many say it is technology’s fault. And to a certain degree this is true. Technological progress has resulted in a fast paced world where every person has a million things they have to be thinking about or even doing every minute. Attention to detail and focusing on a project for hours at a time has been replaced by “How many things can I get done today?”

This is true for children as well. As time passes, children have more and more activities to do each day: school, homework, family obligations, sports, debate club, and the list can go on forever. And this comes on top of relaxation while watching television or playing videogames. It seems like no matter what we do, both us and our children have to pay attention to a million things at once. Thus, there is no wonder that the attention span and focusing capabilities of children are diminishing.

Did you feel that shaking?  Was the buildings foundation falling apart? Was there a terrorist attack happening before my eyes?  Nope, it was an earthquake!  Luckily I was only a victim of faint tremors. 

On August 23, 2011, 10 minutes before 2:00pm EST there was an earthquake reaching a whopping 5.9 on the Richter scale!  The quake’s epicenter is believed to be in Virginia, with tremors reaching all the way to DC, Rhode Island, and even New York!  Although you may or may not have felt the earthquake or its accompanying tremors, it’s very important to address health issues related to earthquakes.

First and foremost, an earthquake can cause injuries immediately! If the quake is strong enough, you may need to evacuate your location as soon as possible. You don’t want the roof to fall on your head!  People can face cuts, scrapes, bruises, bone fractures and other physical injuries.  Buildings can often collapse, or get damaged and you must be very careful to evacuate or seek protection wherever you are.  You may also experience psychological trauma; let’s say your building may have stood strong and tall but you watched the building across the street collapse to the ground and you knew that there were people inside of it. 

A lot of the time, earthquakes can cause fires or other electrical mishaps.  Fires are obviously dangerous and if there are multiple fires in one location, it’s difficult to predict which order the firemen will extinguish fires in an emergency.  Victims may face asthma from all of the smoke, or have difficulty breathing.  Another thing to keep in mind is the fact that there are often aftershocks that accompany an earthquake.  An aftershock is a mini-earthquake that usually happens shortly after an earthquake. 

So what should you do if you’re in the middle of an earthquake? Drop, Cover, and Hold On!  “Drop” means drop down to the ground and get onto your hands and knees.  “Cover” means to cover your neck and head and any other part of your body that is exposed, if you can!  Lastly, “Hold” means to hold onto something, whether it’s a desk or other piece of furniture, or pole, or whichever seems sturdy and is nearest to you.  If you have nothing to “hold” onto, be sure to protect your head and neck!

Even though earthquakes are unpredictable, you should know what to do in case you face this natural disaster!

A friend of mine told me about this girl who had breast augmentation. What is new about it? Lots of girls are doing it these days. But there is something weird about this story. This girl was only 7!!!! Why would she even do need a breast augmentation for? Isn’t teenage supposed to be the age of growth? So, if her body still has to grow, why would she do a plastic surgery? It is not only about young kids; sometimes even young people do the kind of plastic surgery which is not suitable for their age. As your physical appearance matures, the plastic surgery options that yield the best results will change as well. Depending upon your unique aesthetic needs and physical characteristics, which change with age, some procedures are more suitable than others for achieving the look you desire. I feel that everyone should grow naturally and even if that is not perfect, that should be fine. Tampering with the natural way of growth is definitely harmful. What if someone gets a nose job done and his bones are still growing? What would happen to their growing bones?
 
It is often heard and seen that even when one of the best cosmetic surgeons is on the job, the surgery is not a success. There are many complications that can occur because essentially they are an invasive method of enhancing the features of an individual and could cause numerous different types of infections, illnesses and diseases. The human anatomy is very complex and delicate; even a slight mistake while making an incision or altering this anatomy from its normal state can disrupt other structures such as nerves and blood vessels. Often, damage to a facial nerve while performing this procedure on the face can lead to loss of sensation or partial paralysis. Other complications include abnormal heart rhythm, airway obstruction, blood clots, heart attack, brain damage, malignant hyperthermia and a stroke.
 
Also it is not possible that the surgery would go as you expected it to be. What if the surgery goes wrong and the body part that you got surgery done on, looks even worse? Would you spend such huge amount of money on correcting that again or would you live with this even worse part forever?  

My point: Plastic surgery is not good for you at any age, especially if your body is still growing. Nice habits, smiling face and a helping nature are far more important and valued than having a perfect body.