Now that children are headed back to school, it’s time to brush up on the best ways to avoid seasonal flu and other illness.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published information on its web site to help parents keep their children healthy.

First, the facts:

• Approximately 1/5 of the U.S. population attends or works in schools. (U.S. Dept of Ed, 1999).
• Some viruses and bacteria can live from 20 minutes up to 2 hours or more on surfaces like cafeteria tables, doorknobs, and desks. (Ansari, 1988; Scott and Bloomfield, 1989)
• Nearly 22 million school days are lost annually due to the common cold alone. (CDC, 1996)

Illnesses like colds and flu are generally spread from person to person in respiratory droplets of coughs and sneezes.  This can happen when droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person move through the air and land on the mouth or nose of people nearby.  Sometimes germs can be spread when a person touches another person’s respiratory droplets on a surface such as a desk and then touches his or her own eyes, mouth or nose before washing their hands.

The CDC urges parents to teach children the following common sense rules:

Avoid close contact
Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.

Stay home when you are sick
Stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick to help prevent others from catching your illness.

Cover your mouth and nose
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing and then throw the tissue away.  If you don’t have a tissue, cover your cough or sneeze and then clean your hands each time you cough or sneeze.

Clean your hands
Wash your hands with soap and warm water for 15 to 20 seconds. That’s about the same time it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice.  When soap and water are not available, alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers may be used.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth
Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

Practice other good health habits
Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food

The CDC website also provides recommendations for who should get the flu vaccine.

SOURCE:  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, http://www.cdc.gov/flu/school/

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Fascinating work being done at Dr. William Seiple at Lighthouse International in New York City. This device uses a patch that sits on the tongue, and vibrates in differnet ways depending on what the camera mounted on the glasses picks up. With training, one can “teach” the brain to pick up visual images based on the vibration being received.

This device can an even be used by people who have been blind from birth.

For quick video on yahoo, go to http://gmy.news.yahoo.com/vid/15259030

For more information on natural ways to help preserve vision, go to www.naturaleyecare.com

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Scientists have found an association between fungicide use and retinal degeneration in the wives of farmers who are pesticide applicators. Researchers had already found an association with retinal degeneration among the farmers themselves in the Agricultural Health Study, a large study of farm families from Iowa and North Carolina.

Researchers reviewed data from questionnaires given to 31,173 women from 1993 to 1997 to determine whether wives of these farmer pesticide applicators were at increased risk of retinal degeneration. This information was evaluation to determine associations of specific pesticides and groups of pesticides based on function (fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, and fumigants) or chemical structure (organophosphates, organochlorines, and carbamates) with eye disorders.

Their findings suggest that exposure to some fungicides and other pesticides may increase the risk of retinal degeneration; specific fungicides that appeared to drive this association were maneb or mancozeb and ziram.

Study authors noted that although these findings for retinal degeneration are based solely on self-reported disease, they are consistent with those reported for farmer pesticide applicators.

Learn more about macular degeneration at the Natural Eye Care website

SOURCE: Retinal Degeneration and Other Eye Disorders in Wives of Farmer Pesticide Applicators Enrolled in the Agricultural Health Study, Kirrane, et al, American Journal of Epidemiology 2005 161(11):1020-1029; doi:10.1093/aje/kwi140

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Survey by The College of Optometrists finds 76% of parents do not protect their children’s eyes in the sun.

A new survey of 2000 British families shows that parents are risking their child’s eyesight by exposing them to bright sunlight without appropriate protection.  Over three-quarters of parents questioned admitted to not making sure their child wears sunglasses when out in the sun.

Overexposure to sunlight can damage the retina and lens of the eye, increasing the risk of developing cataracts, macular degeneration and other eye conditions later in life.  According to the World Health Organization, up to 80% of exposure to UV over a person’s lifetime occurs before the age of 18, so it is crucial that children wear sunglasses to minimize long-term damage.

The survey found that while 43% of parents ensure their child’s time in the sun is limited and 76% make sure they apply sunscreen to their child, buying sunglasses appears to be a much lower priority:  29% of those questioned do not even buy sunglasses for their children.  Of those who do, only 25% choose sunglasses from a reputable brand or supplier, and 46% of parents surveyed choose price over protection when selecting sunglasses.

Dr Susan Blakeney, optometric adviser at The College of Optometrists, stated: “I am shocked to see that so many parents aren’t ensuring that their child’s eyes are protected in the sun, and am equally astounded to see that of those who do, many are opting for ‘cheap and cheerful’ over quality.”

The College of Optometrists recommends purchasing good quality, dark sunglasses that guarantee a safe level of UV protection.

SOURCE:  Parents Risk their Children’s Eyesight in the Sun, The College of Optometrists, August 18, 2009, http://www.college-optometrists.org/index.aspx/pcms/site.News_and_Events.collegenews.parents_risk_their_childrens_eyesight_in_the_sun/

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Recent study data provide preliminary evidence that vigorous physical activity may reduce glaucoma risk, which, in the absence of medical record validation, could represent ocular hypertension in addition to frank glaucoma. Additional follow up with validation is needed to identify the type of glaucoma affected.

SOURCE: Williams PT. Relationship of incident glaucoma versus physical activity and fitness in male runners. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2009;41(8):1566-1572

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• Low levels of lycopene increases chances of macular degeneration. For more info http://bit.ly/SHP3J #

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Scientists in Greece have released results of a study in which they questioned whether there should be limits on exercise with regard to effects on inter-ocular pressure (IOP) of the eyes.  This study, published in the August issue of BMC Ophthalmology, found that people with glaucoma do not need to limit exercise, as IOP decreased during aerobic activity.
145 participants were given a preliminary ophthalmologic exam.  45 participants had primary (open-angle) glaucoma; 100 did not have glaucoma.  The IOP of both eyes was measured before and after exercise (biking or jogging).

A significant decrease in IOP was found during exercise.  Researchers found that the aerobic exercise reduced  IOP in those eyes in which a b-blocker, a prostaglandin analogue or an alpha-agonist were previously instilled. The IOP was also decreased in glaucoma patients who were already under antiglaucoma treatment.

Study authors determined that glaucoma patients benefited from aerobic exercise regardless of the antiglaucoma medication instilled, as all participants had a post-exercise reduction of IOP.

Learn more about glaucoma, including natural treatment options

SOURCE:  Aerobic exercise and intraocular pressure in normotensive and glaucoma patients, Natsis, et al, BMC Ophthalmology 2009, 9:6doi:10.1186/1471-2415-9-6.

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A team of Italian researchers may have developed a new type of eye drop for glaucoma, according to an article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.  

Researchers noted that elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) in glaucoma leads to loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) as well as damage to the optic nerve.  Although IOP is controlled with medication, no treatment is currently available to restore retinal and optic nerve function.

In this new study, rats with glaucoma were treated with the eye drops containing a protein known as nerve growth factor.   When researchers determined that these drops prevented nerve degeneration in these rats, human tests were initiated on three patients with advanced glaucoma.

After three months of treatment all three participants showed improvements in visual sharpness and ability to detect contrast.  Two of the three participants showed improved visual fields, while the visual field stabilized for the third.

The team, led by Alessandro Lambiase of the University of Rome, reported that improvements were still evident three months after the treatments were finished. 

SOURCE:  Experimental and clinical evidence of neuroprotection by nerve growth factor eye drops: Implications for glaucoma, Lambiase, et al, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, Aug. 3, 2009.

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Cross-sectional data analysis revealed a small deleterious effect of space radiation for cortical cataracts and possibly for PSC cataracts. These results suggest increased cataract risks at smaller radiation doses than have been reported previously.

SOURCE: Chylack LT Jr, Peterson LE, Feiveson AH, et al. NASA study of cataract in astronauts (NASCA). Report 1: Cross-sectional study of the relationship of exposure to space radiation and risk of lens opacity. Radiat Res 2009;172(1):10-20.

For more information, go to Natural Eye Care for Cataract Treatment and Prevention

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• Mini-Strokes May Cause Vision Loss for Those with Normal Tension Glaucoma. For more info http://bit.ly/oRSv #
• Study: Glaucoma linked to Heavy Computer Use.For more info http://bit.ly/10r5ST
  - Natural Eye Care for Glaucoma #
• Study Suggests Lutein and Zeaxanthin Offer Eye Lens Protection. For info go to http://bit.ly/5yAuH #
• Harvard Study - Relationship Betw Higher Intake of Lutein & Lower Incidence of Cataracts - http://bit.ly/LIYU6 #

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