SCR Regional Highlight: New YMCA and Library in San Antonio Team Up to Provide Wellness and Knowledge
Photo provided by San Antonio Public Library
Together, the San Antonio Public Library System and the YMCA of Greater San Antonio opened a new facility in the quickly growing northwest San Antonio last November. The new facility has a shared lobby making it easy to learn how to improve your health in the Potranco Branch Library on one side of the facility, and then put that knowledge into action on the other side at the Mays Family YMCA at Potranco.
“Obviously a lot of our goals are the same,” said Cheryl Sheehan, San Antonio Public Library branch coordinator, in a Rivard Report article. “(We want) to change people...
Source: Network News - April 18, 2017 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: NN/LM South Central Region Tags: Community Engagement Fitness General (all entries) SCR Regional Highlight Texas Source Type: news
Prepare Yourself for Flood and Tornado Season in Texas
Untitled by Eutah Mizushima is licensed under CC0.
For native Texans, you may be well aware of the weather episodes that come with the warmer weather that spring brings–often tornadoes and floods. We want to know though, are you prepared if one of these were to happen right now?
There are three steps you need to take to be ready:
Make a plan
Build a kit
Get informed
When making a plan, have one for every sort of disaster or weather even that could happen. Where should family members meet if they need to evacuate the house? Do you have a basement you can take shelter in during a tornado or hurricane? If not, what s...
Source: Network News - April 13, 2017 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: NN/LM South Central Region Tags: Disaster Emergency Preparedness General (all entries) Texas Source Type: news
When Too Many Lab Tests are Bad for Your Health
Running a Test by Myfuture.com is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.
Imagine you visit your doctor and get some shocking news. You have a rare disease with no cure or treatment and only have a few months left to live. After you come to terms with the news, you start making arrangements, perhaps work on some of those things on your bucket list. Then you get a call from your doctor; there’s been a mistake, you’ve been misdiagnosed, and now have a long life to look forward to.
While this may sound like the plot to a feel-good movie or a hypothetical philosophical debate, the issue of over diagnosis is a very real one. Over dia...
Source: Network News - April 12, 2017 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: NN/LM South Central Region Tags: Bioinformatics Consumer Health Health Literacy Webinars Source Type: news
Prepare Yourself for Flood and Tornado Season in Texas
Untitled by Eutah Mizushima is licensed under CC0.
For native Texans, you may be well aware of the weather episodes that come with the warmer weather that spring brings–often tornadoes and floods. We want to know though, are you prepared if one of these were to happen right now?
There are three steps you need to take to be ready:
Make a plan
Build a kit
Get informed
When making a plan, have one for every sort of disaster or weather even that could happen. Where should family members meet if they need to evacuate the house? Do you have a basement you can take shelter in during a tornado or hurricane? If not, what s...
Source: Network News - April 11, 2017 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: NN/LM South Central Region Tags: Disaster Emergency Preparedness General (all entries) Texas Source Type: news
National Library Week
Photo by Lisa Smith, NNLM SCR
This week is National Library Week, which we are proud to celebrate since we are a branch of the National Library of Medicine, and our program office is housed within the University of North Texas Health Science Center, Gibson D. Lewis Library in Fort Worth, Texas.
This year’s theme is “Libraries Transform.” The theme is perfect, particularly for Lewis Library, because the library profession has been trying to transform the public’s perception that not all libraries are filled with tons and tons of books anymore now that we have moved into the digital age. In fact, in the Lewis Librar...
Source: Network News - April 11, 2017 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: NN/LM South Central Region Tags: General (all entries) Hospital Libraries Lending Library Library Workforce Resource Libraries Source Type: news
Loneliness Could Lead to a Worse Cold
Untitled by Mojpe is licensed under CC0.
Having a cold, or being sick in any regard, is never fun. But new research is suggesting that if you’re lonely, a cold might feel even more miserable.
The study looked at 159 individuals who were all single ages 18-55 that were all infected with the common cold through nose drops.
The study was unable to prove true cause-and-effect, however it did show a difference in the severity of symptoms.
“[Chris] Fagundes [psychologist] and [Angie] LeRoy, [study co-author] found that people who said they had less “social support” had cold symptoms that were more severe compar...
Source: Network News - April 6, 2017 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: NN/LM South Central Region Tags: Consumer Health General (all entries) Source Type: news
This Week is National Public Health Week
Untitled by Julia Raasch is licensed under CC0.
It’s National Public Health Week! This annual health observance is hosted by the American Public Health Association, which tries to promote public health so that the United States can become the healthiest nation in one generation (by 2030).
But just what exactly is public health? “Public health promotes and protects the health of people and the communities where they live, learn, work and play,” according to APHA’s website. An example of public health is how a doctor will treat you when you are sick, but public health advocates are trying to prevent you from getting...
Source: Network News - April 4, 2017 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: NN/LM South Central Region Tags: General (all entries) Public Health Source Type: news
Random DNA Cause of Many Cancers
Untitled by PublicDomainPictures is licensed under CC0.
While diet, environment, habits and more are some of the reasons certain people develop cancer, chance plays a pretty big role as well. New research shows that most tumors develop simply because of a genetic “mistake,” also called DNA copying errors.
Johns Hopkins University investigators looked at abnormal cell growth in 32 different types of cancers and found that many cancer cases are the result of gene mutations that are purely random. These random mutations have generally been scientifically undervalued, according to study co-author Cristian Tomasetti in a M...
Source: Network News - March 30, 2017 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: NN/LM South Central Region Tags: General (all entries) Research Source Type: news
The Elephant Sitting On Your Chest: Asthma & Allergens
“Untitled” by Darren Coleshill is licensed under CC0/span>.
From winter into spring, the transition is beautiful. Trees are full of leaves and flowers are in full bloom. In Texas, the bluebonnets grace our highways. The sun is out, shining brightly. Suddenly, some of us start wheezing, coughing, and sneezing.
According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), allergens in the environment can trigger seasonal allergies and asthma. Asthma is an inflammatory disease of the lung and is now the most common chronic disorder in childhood. The prevalence has increased over the years. According to...
Source: Network News - March 29, 2017 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: NN/LM South Central Region Tags: Consumer Health Data General (all entries) Public Health Source Type: news
American Diabetes Alert Day: Are You at Risk?
“Cupcakes and donuts from above” by Jakub Kapusnak is licensed under CC0.
Today is American Diabetes Alert Day, and did you know that diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S.–killing more than 75,000 people annually? In honor of this observance, the Oklahoma State Department of Health is encouraging Oklahomans to check their risk of developing diabetes, as well as sound the alarm for the prevalence of type 2 diabetes. Oklahoma ranks number 9 in the United States for states with most adults with type 2 diabetes.
Finding out if you are at high risk for developing diabetes is simple; just go to di...
Source: Network News - March 28, 2017 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: NN/LM South Central Region Tags: Consumer Health General (all entries) Oklahoma Source Type: news
New Blood Test Could Spot Autism in Children
Untitled by Mi PHAM is licensed under CC0.
Researchers have been working on an experimental blood test that could point out autism in children. So far, the test is 98 percent accurate in children ages 3 to 10 in diagnosing if they have autism.
“The test was able to predict autism, regardless of where on the spectrum an individual was,” according to study co-author Juergen Hahn in the MedlinePlus article. The test was also able to indicate the severity of the autism-related condition with good accuracy.
This new test is a stark contrast to the current approach of diagnosing autism, which entails a consensus from a gr...
Source: Network News - March 23, 2017 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: NN/LM South Central Region Tags: Disabilities General (all entries) K-12 Source Type: news
Washing Your Hands Saves Lives
“clean hands” by Arlington County is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
According to MedlinePlus, you should wash your hands for at least 20 seconds. You may be more familiar with that rule of thumb to sing the “Happy Birthday” song at least two times through before turning off that faucet.
But while we’re admonished to do so, it’s difficult to say what’s actually put into practice even while we know it helps stop the spread of germs. In fact, it can even help stop the spread of superbugs!
How else is it important? The Center for Disease Control has put together some fast facts (and citations) on the importance of...
Source: Network News - March 22, 2017 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: NN/LM South Central Region Tags: Consumer Health General (all entries) Public Health Source Type: news
Why is handwashing so important?
“clean hands” by Arlington County is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
According to MedlinePlus, you should wash your hands for at least 20 seconds. You may be more familiar with that rule of thumb to sing the “Happy Birthday” song at least two times through before turning off that faucet.
But while we’re admonished to do so, it’s difficult to say what’s actually put into practice even while we know it helps stop the spread of germs. In fact, it can even help stop the spread of superbugs!
How else is it important? The Center for Disease Control has put together some fast facts (and citations) on the importance of...
Source: Network News - March 22, 2017 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: NN/LM South Central Region Tags: Consumer Health General (all entries) Public Health Source Type: news
New Blood Test Could Spot Autism in Children
Untitled by Mi PHAM is licensed under CC0.
Researchers have been working on an experimental blood test that could point out autism in children. So far, the test is 98 percent accurate in children ages 3 to 10 in diagnosing if they have autism.
“The test was able to predict autism, regardless of where on the spectrum an individual was,” according to study co-author Juergen Hahn in the MedlinePlus article. The test was also able to indicate the severity of the autism-related condition with good accuracy.
This new test is a stark contrast to the current approach of diagnosing autism, which entails a consensus from a gr...
Source: Network News - March 21, 2017 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: NN/LM South Central Region Tags: Disabilities General (all entries) K-12 Source Type: news
SCR Regional Highlight: Two Louisiana Cities Rank Top Five for HIV Diagnoses
Views of the I-10 Mississippi River Bridge by Billy Metcalf Photography is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
According to the 2016 America’s Health Rankings report conducted by the United Health Foundation, Louisiana is the second most unhealthy state in the nation, just behind Mississippi. The report uses a number of factors to create these rankings, but it has become increasingly clear over the years that the state’s high diagnoses of new HIV cases is one factor.
According to the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report leading up to World AIDS Day in 2016, Baton Rouge ranks number one for newly d...
Source: Network News - March 21, 2017 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: NN/LM South Central Region Tags: Consumer Health General (all entries) Louisiana Public Health Source Type: news
