Mouth is a window to the body’s health

While the eyes may be the window to the soul, the mouth is a window to the body’s health. The state of one’s oral health can offer lots of clues about a person’s overall physical state of being; indexed, oral health and overall health are more connected than you might realize. Sometimes, the first sign of a disease shows up in the mouth. In other cases, oral infections, such as gum disease, can cause problems in other parts of the body.

Most people are aware that lifestyle choices, such as eating right, getting enough exercise and quitting smoking, can help prevent cardiovascular disease, but they may not know that by just brushing and flossing their teeth each day, they might also be avoiding this potentially lethal condition.

Researchers have found that people with periodontal disease (gum disease) are almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery disease as those without periodontal problems. One theory is that oral bacteria can affect the heart when they enter the bloodstream, attaching to fatty plaques in the coronary arteries (heart blood vessels) and contributing to clot formation. Read more

Dental Health- Whitening The Teeth With Natural Teeth Whiteners

In the last few years, teeth whitening has become extremely popular and most dental offices as well as cosmetic dentists are offering professional whitening services starting at a couple hundred dollars. If you prefer popular at-home treatments in strips, pens or gel trays, they are slightly cheaper than professional applications and most are under $100, but they can strip your teeth by using harsh chemicals and add to the sensitivity of both teeth and gums. Natural remedies have been around for years and most are better for your teeth and your checkbook.

Found in most cupboards, the most popular home remedy for tooth health is baking soda. I remember brushing with baking soda as a kid but I didn’t understand the benefits. I just knew that I didn’t like the gritty, bitter feel of the white paste when I was so used to the delicious three-color mint of my favorite Aquafresh. Baking soda is good for taking plaque off the teeth and making them shine however, the fridge-friendly freshener can be abrasive and can hurt the enamel with use over time.

Strawberries have been in the media lately, appearing on the Tyra Banks Show this season, the suggestion that rubbing a fresh cut strawberry across your teeth whitens them instantly. While this quick remedy has some truth, the malic acid in strawberries turns into an astringent that removes surface stains from your teeth. Read more

Two Solutions for Childhood Obesity

The School Health Action, Planning and Evaluation System (SHAPES) collaborated with the Bluewater District School Board, Bruce Grey Catholic District School Board, Grey Bruce Health Unit and the Centre for Behavioural Research and Program Evaluation at the University of Waterloo have been research project of students.

Research show improving the health of children in Grey-Bruce requires immediate action. The findings illustrate that although children understand the importance of eating well and being active, this is not reflected in their behaviour. The issue requires two solutions in the combination of healthy eating and physical activity to create a culture of wellness.

According to Dr. Steve Manske, lead investigator for the research project, of the 2,255 students surveyed in Grades 5-12 the results indicate:

-Only 25 per cent of students typically consume sufficient fruits and vegetables.

-40 per cent of students reported eating “junk foods” four or more times per day.

-Less than 50 per cent of children are having breakfast each morning before school. Read more

Childhood Obesity, Problem at Both The Governmental and Parental Levels

Obese children and teenagers with arteries like those of middle-aged adults ought to be a wake-up call for anyone interested in public health.

The disturbing findings were documented in a study presented this week at an American Heart Association conference in New Orleans. The findings suggest that obese children have a significant risk of heart disease as they grow older.

It’s heartening that presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain made prevention a plank in their health care reform platforms.

Consensus is a good start. Any overhaul of the nation’s health care system should address prevention in a meaningful and systemic way.

It is imperative that this country deal with physical inactivity and childhood obesity both at the parental and, yes, governmental levels. Read more

Childhood Obesity in Talk Show Host Larry King

To overcome the health crisis in childhood obesity in the United States, we need to change the culture symbolized by drive-through, supersized value meals, agreed panelists at the Nov. 14 Southern California Health Leadership Panel.

Speaking at the Aresty Conference Center on the USC Health Sciences campus, health policy leaders joined CNN talk show host Larry King in discussing the causes, consequences and possible solutions to childhood obesity.

The cause of increasing obesity over the last 20 years, panelists said, is the change in lifestyle – a decrease in exercise and an increase in consumption.

“If your parents both work and you don’t have dinner at home cooked by your mom or your dad, you tend to go out to fast-food places,” said Bill Van Antwerp, distinguished scientist in the Science and Technology Organization at Medtronic. “Kids who are at home alone don’t go out and play any more. Read more

TV advertisements Contribute to Childhood Obesity

Economists have estimated in a new study that banning fast food advertisements from children’s television programs would reduce the number of overweight children in the U.S. by 18 percent and decrease the number of overweight teens by 14 percent.

The researchers used several statistical models to link obesity rates to the amount of time spent viewing fast food advertising, finding that viewing more fast food commercials on television raises the risk of obesity in children. The study appears in this month’s issue of The Journal of Law and Economics.

“There is not a lot of evidence that overweight kids are more likely to watch TV than other kids,” said Michael Grossman, professor of economics at the City University of New York. “We’re arguing the causality is how many messages are aired — seeing more of these messages is leading people to put on weight.” The study’s co-authors are Shin-Yi Chou, an economist at Lehigh College, and Inas Rashad, an economist at Georgia State University.

But the researchers’ estimate relies on older data gathered in the late 1990s, according to Elaine Kolish, a spokesman for the Council of Better Business Bureaus. Since then, two of the largest fast food chains — Burger King and McDonald’s — and more than a dozen other packaged food companies have signed on to the council’s Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, she said, pledging to advertise only their healthier products to children under age 12. Read more

A Beautiful Eye and A Healthy Eye

Ensure your eyes remain healthy and beautiful, you may need to look more closely at the value of an annual exam.

Regular eye exams are not just about obtaining optimal vision through the right eyeglass or contact prescription but can also help detect early warning signs of disease that can affect your eye health and general health.

Since an eye examination can help detect many health problems, eye care practitioners often work in conjunction with internists and general practitioners to help empower individuals on their health and wellness journey.

Many doctors offer new technology, such as digital retinal eye scans, that are quick and comfortable and produce a computerized picture of blood vessels in action. This new technology effectively provides information on eye health and certain systemic health conditions, such as diabetes and glaucoma. Read more

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