y
t
It' not th t lmple, however, to
pic out nutrien that re the mo t
important for h althy kin, hair and
nail . A good balance of protein, fa ,
and carbohydrate , with adequate
amoun of vitamins and mineral, i
e ntial for kin health.
Myth 1
Eight glasses of water a day
prevents dry kin
While it is important to drink
plenty of liquids each day, drinking
eight glas es of water won't olve
It's everywhere. Window sills,
counters, tables, dresser --dust
remains one of the mo t pervasive,
ever-renewing housekeeping chal­
lenges. Yet unle it's actually
obscuring the picture on your TV
screen, it also can be the challenge
most often ignored.
However, recent scientific find­
ings indicate dust is not the harmle
house guest we may have thought.
Consider that:
- One common component of
dust is dust mites-c-stghtless, eight­
legged cousins of the spider and tick,
less than one-half millimeter long
and therefore invisible to the naked
eye ..... ,u
Ever since AIDS became a
household word and a national
epidemic, controversy has sur­
rounded the deadly disease
syndrome. From its cause to its
treatment to ethical issues concern­
ing the care of AIDS patients, no one
fully unde�tands the illness that has
taken over 50,000 lives in five years.
One significant AIDS controver­
sy is the disagreement over the cause
of the disease. Some scientists
believe the mv virus is not the
reason, but merely another infection.
Doubts still remain about the
likelihood that everyone infected
with mv will develop AIDS. There
are no easy answers.
There bas been increasing atten­
tion paid to AIDS treatments. Many
..
HEALTH
yth2
Certain food cau e in
• problem
There i commonly-heard
rumor th t chocolate m e you
"brea out," nd that eating fried
food giv you oil y skin. Mo t foods
aren't related to the common kin
conditions like acne, and your kin
will usually make much oil it
wants, no matter how many french
frie you eat. Some food , however,
can cause allergic skin reactions like
rashe or hiv .
On gram of house dust can con­
tain up to several thousand dust
mites.
- In a study published in the
New England Journal of Medicine,
British researchers reported that one­
year-Old children whose homes had
high levels of dust-mite allergens
(i.e., the fecal pellets produced by
dust mites) were almost five times
more likely to subsequently develop
asthma.
- According to the American
College of Allergy and Immunol­
ogy, dust is the single biggest cause
of year-round rhinitis, the sneezing
and runny nose associated with aller­
gies.
doctors and patients alike have ac­
cused the government of slowing
down Food and Drug Adminis tration
approval for medication and-treat­
ment that could save lives. Why
haven't there been more or quicker
clinical trials?
These and other issues are the
subject of CDC AIDS Weekly and
Infoline, a non-government peri­
odical and computer database dedi­
cated to presenting accurate and
timely AIDS information. A free
sample copy and information on sub­
scriptlons and databases can be ob­
tained by calling 1-800-633-4931, or
writing to: Subscription Office, P.O.
Box 830409, Birmingham, AL
35283-�.
One of the most memorable
moments of pregnancy is the fir t
time you feel your baby move. Thjs
event, caned quickening, usually oc­
curs by about 1�20 weeks. From
this point on, as your baby rolls,
kicks, tretches and hiccups, you
will constantly be reminded of your
new life ahead and your new role as
a parent.
Nobody can describe to a first­
time mother exactly what she will fed
when her baby moves. Many women
in their flJ'St prqnancies mistake the
earliest movements for omach
rumblinas or muscle twitches. Often,
the fedina is likened to ubuttcrllies
in the stomach. tt
As the fetus 11'0 , activity
becomes more reauW and clearly
defmed. You should notice periods
of rest and periods of activity. Un­
fortunately, many expectant
mothers discover that the wo
period of acrobad is t night. This
may be because the fetus' lulled by
your movements durina the day, or
it may be that yO\! are just too busy
to notice the kicks and punches.
Some omen also report that eatin
to increase fetal activity.
Although you may enjoy hari
bats)' kickina ori lth other,
keep in mind that no two fetuse
have the same types or' patterns of
movements. An "average" fetus
can show a wide range of ctivity.
Don't become overly anxious if you
don't feel movement as often or as
trongly as someone el .
Toward the end of pregnancy,
you may notice a drop in the level of
fetal activity. This i because kicks,
punches, and rolls are now
restricted due to the cramped
quarters of the uterus. You hould
still feel gentle movements
, throughout the day, however.
Some doctors recommend
regularly checking fetal activity
after about the 28th week of'
pregnancy. One way to do this' to
pick a time period, for example
three hours, and count the number
of movements .you feel over that
time. Do this each day. If at any
point you notice a dramatic drop in
the number of movements, you
hould contact your doctor. This
chan e may be the ign of a
problem.
, AlthOugh fetal activity i an im­
portant indi tor of well-being,
don't become obsessed with waitin
for each movement. Very few
babi actually have problem.
Chances are that just when you fear
your b by '11 never move qain,
you will et a strona tic in the ribs.
Next �k:·Whol is Q Biopsy?
I
yth3
e hibit,"I ide ichi n
opened u t2,1992
ichig n Women' Hi tori-
eal Center, 213 W t in Street
in Lansing, chigan.
. The display will continu t The
Center now through Febru ry,
1993. I focus' on in ' con­
tribution to ociety. It highlight
the connection between omen'
hi tory nd nursing tory.
Through the efforts of the N -
tion I Center for the Ad ncement
of Bl c in the Health Prof ions
( CABHP), "In ide Michig n
ursing" will be incl ive of th
Blac experience depicted in ex­
hibi ts of African - American Nur­
e in the Military, Public Health
and Education.
Della McGraw Goodwin,
founder and president of NCABHP
ha collaborated with repre­
entative of the Detroit He lth
Department, Mahoney ProCe -
can wo en ene.
Vi min Die enti in main­
Ding your body' upply of cal­
cium for tron on nd te tho
Sm I moun of unlight, pi a
ell-b lanced diet give you all the
vi min D your b dy n ed . There i
no need to b in the un... 0
your u creen regularly.
Maintaining well-bat need
healthful diet will provide your body
with all the nutrien you n d to
have healthy hair, kin nd nil. If
you have a kin condition and
wonder if a ch ng in diet might hurt .
or help, dicus it with your der­
matologi t.
Ing:
I
"People who had allergle or
asthma used to be told to clo e the
doors and windows tum on the air
conditioning," aid Rita Rooney,
R.N., health education specialist
with the Asthma and Allergy Foun­
dation. "Now there' more thought
given to what's being closed in with
you. We're telling people to main­
tain as pure and pristine an environ­
ment as possible."
Some consumer product com­
panies have, respond to new concerns
about indoor air pollution with
products designed to do just that.
Some vacuwn cleaner manufactures,
for example, including Burek Co.,
Hoover Co. and Royal Appliance
Co
already have launched new model
that they claim better trap small con­
taminants, including dust mites.
On another home cleanlng front,
S.C. Johnson & Son h long been
promoting use of its Pledge furniture
polish a more efficient way to
dust, since a dust cloth that has first
been sprayed with poll h will pick up
and hold dust rather than just carter­
ing it around;
Now the company has come out
wi th an improved version of Pledge
that it claims will actually repel dust
from funiture (presumably diverting
dust particle onto the floor where
they can be vacuumed up more' em­
ciently."
Th dU8t mite 18 a elghtl. t
elght-Iegg d coualn to the
plder and tick commonly
found In hou hold dust.
- The Environmental Protection
Agency ranks house dust mites as
No.6 on its list of top 20 indoor air
pollutants.
I
Sales of air purifiers ppear to be
benefiting from worries about indoor
air pollution. Industry repre­
sentativ project the current les of
$1 billion a year from th ca gory
will grow to $5 billion by 1995.
Products that help create a cleaner
lodoor environment can provide real
benefits to consumers.
·With a person or child who has
a tendency to be allergic, if you can
limit expo we [to dust mite and
other dust allergens] with dust-con­
trolling techniques; then you can
limit the severity and delay the on­
slaught of thanirst thma attack or
allergy,· said Rooney of the Asthma
and Allergy Foundation.
. "Most people .
think HIV is only a .
problem in big cities.
. Unfortunately, I
Was one of those
people:'
AIDS is increasing faster in small towns than big
cities.
..
Do yoi.f milow
you should about AIDS?
"You probably think HIV mostly happens in
big cities - certainly not In IItd towns. I bet
you think only certain people get it. And you
probably think it won't happen to you. Sound
familiad Well, think about this.
"I'm 19. I live in a town with a population of 5,000.
I've never touched drugs and guess whatl Myoid
boyfriend has HIV, the virus that causes AIDS,
and noVl( so do I. Do you know whyl I used to
think like you." ,
To find out how you can prevent HI¥. call the
CDC National AIDS Hotline at 1-800-342-AIDS.
\ " I I I I \
I
I I " (I' ,
I I) \' I l
WHEN YOUR BABY KICKS