Vim & Vigor - Spring 2014 - North Mississippi - (Page 46)

VIRTUAL HEALTH BY LAURIE DAVIES Your Family Portrait Heart disease, cancer and diabetes can run in families. That's why knowing your family history is important. Yet, a recent survey found that only one-third of Americans have tried to collect and record their family's health history. The U.S. surgeon general's "My Family Health Portrait" can make this effort fun and easy. The online tool helps users organize, update and save information-even creating a graph representing health concerns that may be generational. Access the tool at familyhistory.hhs.gov. A Tangled Web 46 SPRING 2 014 Supplement T Savvy he majority of adults in the U.S. take one or more dietary supplements at least daily. Keeping them straight-especially if you take prescription medications-is essential. The My Dietary Supplements (MyDS) mobile app can help. The app offers an easy way to track the vitamins, minerals, herbs and enzymes you're taking. Users can access the latest medical information on each supplement or email their supplement list to their healthcare provider. MyDS, created by the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements, is free and can be downloaded at myds.nih.gov. PHOTOGRAPHY BY THINKSTOCK; ENDOMONDO The Internet has opened up a virtual world of health information, tools and advice. Patients and caregivers, however, must also navigate a minefield of medical misinformation. For example, a group of neurologists reviewed the most frequently watched YouTube videos about movement disorders, only to find that the people in the videos did not even have movement disorders. Their conclusion, published in a letter to the editor in the New England Journal of Medicine, is that patients suffering from neurological disorders could end up confused about treatment options. This quick checklist from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration can help you evaluate online health content. K Can you easily see who sponsors the site? K Is the sponsor a government agency, a medical school or other reliable health-related organization? K Is there contact information? K Can you tell when the content was written? K Is your privacy protected? K Does the site make claims that seem too good to be true? Does it promise miraculous cures? When in doubt, talk to your doctor about any health concerns. He or she is your best resource for diagnostic options or treatments that apply to your specific health needs. http://familyhistory.hhs.gov http://myds.nih.gov

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Spring 2014 - North Mississippi

Vim & Vigor - Spring 2014 - North Mississippi
Contents
Opening Thoughts
Cardiac Caretakers
Mending Hearts
Occupational Hazards
The New Rules of Play
Shopping for Two
Back to Basics
Burn, Baby, Burn
Angelina Jolie
Rock Your Health
Breaking Up with Salt
Disgusting! (or Not?)
Virtual Health
One Day at a Time
The Doctor Will See You Now
Catch the Spirit

Vim & Vigor - Spring 2014 - North Mississippi