Four Reasons to Immunize Your Children

First, although newborn babies are immune to many diseases because they are born with antibodies from their mothers, the duration of this immunity may only last from one month to about a year. Further, young children do not have maternal immunity against some vaccine-preventable diseases, such as whooping cough.

Second, children have weaker immune systems than adults. If a child is exposed to a disease germ without vaccination, the child’s body may not be strong enough to fight the disease. Before vaccines, many children died from diseases that vaccines now help to prevent (see list below). Those same germs exist today, but we do not see these diseases as often because more and more babies are regularly vaccinated.

Third, immunizing individual children also helps to protect the health of our community, especially those people who are not immunized. People who are not immunized include those who are too young to be vaccinated (e.g., children less than a year old cannot receive the measles vaccine but can be infected by the measles virus), those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons (e.g., children with leukemia), and others who choose not to be vaccinated. Immunization also slows down or stops disease outbreaks.

Fourth, there is no relationship between vaccines and autism. Groups of experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Institute of Medicine (IOM), agree that vaccines are not responsible for the number of children now recognized to have autism.

Diseases that childhood vaccines prevent:





-Haemophilus influenzae Type B (major cause of bacterial meningitis)
-Hepatitis A
-Hepatitis B
-Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
-Measles
-Meningococcal
-Mumps
-Pertussis (Whooping Cough)
-Pneumococcal (Causes bacterial meningitis and blood infections)
-Polio
-Rotavirus
-Rubella (German Measles)
-Tetanus (Lockjaw)
-Varicella (Chickenpox)

-Diphtheria

Check out these schedules for childhood immunizations:

Immunizations for Ages 0-6 years

Immunizations for Ages 7-18 years

Catch-Up Immunizations for Ages 4 months-18 year

Summer is Ending

With summer coming to a close, we are all ready for an exciting beginning to a new school year at BYU. The BYU Wellness Program is on-board with the start-of-school activities. Here is what is coming up in the next month:

• University Conference Fun Walk--learn more about this beautiful university, take a nice walk around campus, and enjoy our signature Wellness Cookies on August 26.
• Wellness University--this is the next health challenge. It begins on September 13 and is a great way to work on your personal goals for six whole weeks!
• Blended Families Well & Wise--this seminar will focus on the strategies for welcoming step- and half-siblings, step-parents, and in-laws into the family. It will be on September 15 at noon in 3104 JKB.
• Weight Loss Series Nutrition Workshop--come learn in small, hands-on, question-oriented classroom experience about the principles of healthy living and weight loss.
• Fall Triple Screening--get your important blood values measured, report these numbers to Deseret Mutual Insurance via the Personal Health Assessment (available online), and receive $50 cash back!

New Way for Women to Calculate an Easier Maximum Heart Rate

Women, do you feel like you are pushing yourself to exhaustion when trying to reach your maximum heart rate during a workout? Do you feel like you have pushed yourself past the point of a challenging workout and into the point of it being completely uncomfortable and painful? No worries, new research brings hope to help you push yourself to a comfortable level when trying to reach your maximum heart rate. 


Dr. Martha Gulati from Northwestern University conducted a study that shows that the old-fashioned way women are supposed to calculate their maximum heart rate is wrong (220-age).The new way reduces the maximum heart rate by almost 8 beat per minute. 


To check out the full article and get details on a new way to calculate your maximum heart rate go here

Prevent the Preventable! Second Step: Immunizations

Screenings are only the first step toward prevention. Your next step is Vaccinations! Many adults have already received their childhood shots, but what many don't know is that booster shots are required to keep the vaccine effective. Also, there are many recommendations for additional vaccinations for people at risk of or diagnosed with many immune suppressing diseases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have put out the following Adult Immunization Schedule Recommendations: 

 For more information and online charts, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/downloads/adult/2010/adult-schedule.pdf

Prevent the Preventable! First Step: Screenings

What is the best way to stay healthy you ask? PREVENTION of course! All too often men and women find themselves on the slippery slope when it comes to their health and there is no turning back once you have gone over the edge. Healthcare professionals have strongly suggested that staying tobacco free, participating in regular physical activity, and eating a healthy diet are three of the most important things you can do to prevent disease. Additionally, many screening guidelines have been provided to increase awareness of probable diseases and encourage change before it is too late. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has provided the following Preventive Care Timeline:

Chart available online at: http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/timelinead.pdf

Have you ever wondered...

...why you don't see Daily Values (DV) on nutrition labels for protein? Many different foods have a different digestibility for protein which makes calculating a %DV very difficult. Along with that, protein is not normally a concern for most people. The average American is consuming well over the required amount of protein each day.

...whether or not foods marketed as "healthy for women" are actually beneficial? Foods designed specifically with women in mind may have some nutritional benefit. Foods like soy products, calcium-fortified foods, and cereals supplemented with folic acid are important for female health. You may not need these specialty foods if you get enough of these nutrients in your diet already. These choices may also be more expensive, so it's up to you to read the labels and decide if you need what they provide.

...if combining certain foods can help you lose weight? No! There is no scientific evidence to back up this claim. The simple principle is that if you consume fewer calories than you burn throughout the day, you will lose weight.

Ideas for this blog post modified from the American Dietetics Association's Complete Food and Nutrition Guide by Roberta Larson Duyff MS, RD, FADA, CFCS

10 Tips for Healthy Brown Bag Lunches

We are all aware that eating out makes it harder to control calorie intake. So why not bring lunches to work? Here are some ideas to make your own lunches and the lunches you pack for your children a little bit healthier.

1. Choose whole grain bread, such as whole wheat or rye.
2. Aim for at least two servings of colorful fruits and vegetables.
3. Choose a low-fat protein.
4. Limit condiments such as mayonnaise, butter, or creamy dressings. Check out veggie condiments including roasted red pepper and hummus. They are flavorful alternatives that help keep calories and fat content down!
5. If you do bring a dessert, enjoy it in a smaller portion size.
6. Choose baked chips over the fried versions. They still taste great!
7. Take along bottled water so you're not tempted by sweet drinks.
8. Stock up on a variety of healthy ingredients so that making a nutritious lunch is quick and easy.
9. If you have access to a refrigerator during the day, bring a low-fat yogurt. It can act as a delicious sweet snack after your sandwich.
10. Try new items to add variety, color, nutrients, and excitement at lunchtime!

Ideas modified from Marla Brodsky, DR, LD, CNSD