Consumer Health

Google & the Flu

Google announced on Tuesday that it was launching Google Flu Trends which will combine flu-related searches that it receives along with information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to estimate flu cases in all 50 states. The CDC offers information on Flu Season for consumers as well as Seasonal Flu information for health professionals, parents, and teachers.

According to Google Flu Trends, incidence of the flu in Louisiana is still low. And they even offer a flu shot locator by zip code, courtesy of the American Lung Association.

November is American Diabetes Month

November is American Diabetes Month according to the Centers for Disease Control. MedlinePlus offers a great deal of patient information on Diabetes that supplements the CDC page.

Tips for Staying Healthy from the CDC

The CDC has created The Ounce of Prevention campaign to give health educators and consumers practical and useful tips. The website offers a variety of resources, including information on food preparation, wild animals, and antibiotics.

Disasters on MedlinePlus.gov

MedlinePlus has added a disasters category to its Health & Wellness section. Check out Hurricanes.

Listen to your buds

Catch the sounds in ‘Bump and Hustle’ and keep the music down!

A 2006 ASHA survey (that’s the American Speech and Hearing Association) indicated that 40% percent of students set their music players’ volumes too loud. In fact, a recent article in the Journal of Pediatrics found that most adolescents are aware that they listen to their music too loud, and (in the tradition of adolescents everywhere) really don’t care.

This online game from ASHA educates kids about the potential risk of hearing loss from unsafe usage of personal audio technology. The little buds even look like the headphones of an ipod. Cute!

Hometown Health Fair

Free blood pressure, HIV, depression and other screenings will be available to the public on Saturday, June 21st at the Wal-Mart at 1901 Tchoupitoulas. This the last stop for the Hometown Health Fair which has been sponsored by the Delta Regional Authority. Participants may enroll in the Healthy Delta Initiative. Local healthcare providers have been recruited to participate. Are you one of them?