Health News

Karen Walls and Jeanne Corrin have each survived breast cancer.
Because of their personal experiences with the disease, they want to share what they’ve learned and found to work for them.
“We are on a new journey to help educate other people too, to look at their individual health, so they don’t join our breast cancer club,” said Walls.
Walls said the two women’s journey was not by choice, but after being introduced to the benefits of essential oils and the damage toxins can cause, they felt an obligation to share the information.

Several informational sessions are scheduled at the Duluth Clinic-International Falls Monday to discuss Medicare plans that the Duluth Clinic will no longer accept.
The Duluth Clinic will cease to accept only Medicare private fee for service plans beginning Jan. 1.
The sessions are scheduled for 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and are expected to be conducted by Karen Tveit, a certified health insurance counselor with the Arrowhead Area Agency on Aging’s Senior Linkage Line.
Session sizes are limited and the Duluth Clinic encourages residents to register by calling the clinic at 283-9143.

By JACI DAVID and TIFFANY MADSEN

“EWW!! This looks gross! I am not hungry!”
Do you ever feel like meal time is less than fun? Do you catch yourself saying: “Two more bites,” “Please sit down at the table,” “Drink your milk” or all of the above?
What would you give for a peaceful conversation-filled meal time that ended with everyone a winner? Here are some strategies that can help make meal time more enjoyable and less of a struggle for everyone involved (and it doesn’t involve doing the airplane…).

Twenty people from the community and Falls Memorial Hospital attended a one-hour seminar Aug. 27 at Fairview University Medical Center-Mesabi.
Paula Stoddard, infection control coordinator, led the class on methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus, an antibiotic resistant organism.
The seminar was presented to inform the health care community and general public about these organisms and how to prevent infections caused by bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics.

By MICHELLE INGLE, Kootasca Head Start

School is back in session and many parents are having a hard time getting their kids to go to bed at night. Every parent knows that their children need a good nights sleep. Surprisingly, many parents don’t realize how much sleep their children actually do need in order to function at their optimal level.

The Arrowhead Regional Development Commission’s Area Agency on Aging is offering free on-site health insurance counseling at the Northome VFW Building/Temporary Library Location, Northome on first Tuesday of each month from 10 a.m. to noon. Assistance regarding benefits, appeals, forms, Medicare Savings Programs and the Prescription Drug Program applications, sorting and organizing of Medicare statements and supplemental statements is provided.

Q. I usually get a bit light-headed when I stand, but this feeling is much worse when I get up from the dinner table. I don’t drink. Any ideas?

A. There’s a possibility you have “postprandial hypotension,” or, in layman’s language, low blood pressure after a meal. This is a senior malady; few younger people experience this. Other possible symptoms include dizziness, blurred vision, nausea and fainting. I recommend going to a doctor to have your symptoms checked.

By MICHELLE INGLE, Kootasca Head Start

While everyone knows that smoking is bad for the smoker, many people don’t think about the effects that smoking indoors can have on children and other family members.
Not only should people not smoke in their homes, they should also not smoke in their cars. The following is some information from the United States Environmental Protection Agency:
• Breathing smoke from someone else’s pipe, cigar or cigarette can make you and your children sick.

By MICHELLE INGLE, Kootasca Head Start

More than 50,000 children are treated each year in emergency rooms for accidental ingestion of medications, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The following are some things that parents and other adults can do to stop this from happening.
• Keep all medications out of the reach of children. This includes over-the-counter medications and vitamins.
• Always buy medications that have a child-proof cover.
• After taking medication, always put the cover back on tightly.
• Store medications in a locked cabinet.

ST. PAUL (AP) — Minnesota has recorded its first human West Nile cases of 2008.
The state Health Department says the cases involve a man in his 60s in Clay County, and two people under the age of 20 in Becker and Carver counties.
All three experienced onset of symptoms in early to mid July. They were later diagnosed with West Nile fever, a milder form of the illness, and are now recovering.