After a slow summer, autumn brings us lots of health-related events in the form of awareness campaigns, observances as well as podcasts and webchats. Once again, I’ve compiled a list which I think might be interesting to out BOL readers.

EVENTS ABOUT CHILDREN’S HEALTH

• October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month
  National Down Syndrome Society

• October is National Spina Bifida Awareness Month
  Spina Bifida Association
  Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness Month
  First Candle/SIDS Alliance

• October 5 is National Child Health Day
  Maternal and Child Health Bureau
  Health Resources and Services Administration
  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

• October 12 to 16 is National School Lunch Week
  School Nutrition Association

EVENTS ABOUT MOM’S HEALTH

• October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
  National Breast Cancer Awareness Month Board of Sponsors

• October 13 is Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day
  Metastatic Breast Cancer Network

• October 14 to 17 is NPWH 12th Annual Premier Women’s HealthCare Conference
  Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health

EVENTS ON FAMILY SAFETY

• October is Eye Injury Prevention Month
  American Academy of Ophthalmology

• October is Halloween Safety Month
  Prevent Blindness America

• October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
  Domestic Violence Awareness Project
  National Resource Center on Domestic Violence

• October 4 to 10 is Fire Prevention Week
  National Fire Protection Association

• October 5 to 11 is Get Smart About Antibiotics Week
  Division of Bacterial Diseases
  National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• October 14 is Stop America’s Violence Everywhere Today
  American Medical Association Alliance

ONLINE CHATS AND PODCASTS ON FAMILY HEALTH

Webchats at Cleveland Clinic

• October 15
  Are You Concerned About Your Baby’s Motor Development? by A. Pace, PT and MJ Somodi, PT

• October 16
  Breast Reconstruction hosted by Risal Djohan, MD

• October 27
  Male Infertility: Your Questions Answered by Edmund Sabanegh, MD

Available Radio Podcast at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

• Gestational Diabetes: A Guide for Pregnant Women, from September 30 on

Available Podcasts at CDC

• Snort Sniffle Sneeze: No Antibiotics Please from September 29 on

• 2009 H1N1 ACIP Vaccination Recommendations

In many parts of the world, including the US, September marks the month when kids start or go back to school. It is most appropriate that a lot of health observances in the month of September have something to do with children and family health. Below is a list I have compiled for Babies Online readers.

EVENTS ON PHYSICAL FITNESS

• America On the Move’s September Campaign
  America On the Move Foundation (AOM)
  AOM’s annual one-month promotion for healthy eating and active living

• America on the Move Week – September 21 – 27r
  YMCA of Greater Hartford

EVENTS ON CHILDREN’S HEALTH

• September is Childhood Cancer Month
  Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation
  Pediatric cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children younger than 15
  

• September is Craniofacial Acceptance Month
  Children’s Craniofacial Association
  “Empowering and giving hope to those affected by facial differences”

• Leukemia & Lymphoma Awareness Month
  The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

• September is National Infant Mortality Awareness Month
  National Healthy Start Association
  “healthy families = healthy babies”

• September is National Pediculosis Prevention Month/Head Lice Prevention Month
  National Pediculosis Association, Inc.
  “Precaution, Preparedness & Peace of Mind”

• September is Reye’s Syndrome Awareness Month
  National Reye’s Syndrome Foundation
  Check your medications for salicylates!

• September 15 is Get Ready Day
  American Public Health Association
  “get ready for the flu season“

EVENTS ON FAMILY NUTRITION

• September is Fruit and Veggies – More Matters Month
  Fruit and Vegetable Program Office

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH)
  How much fruit and veggies you and family really need. Get tool kits with timely ideas on how to stretch food dollars with fruits and veggies.

• September is National Cholesterol Education Month
  National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Health Information Center

• September is Grains Month
  Whole Grains Council

• September 13 is National Celiac Disease Awareness Day
  Celiac Sprue Association

EVENTS ON PARENTAL HEALTH

• September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
  National Ovarian Cancer Coalition
  “…raise awareness and promote education about ovarian cancer”

• September is Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month
  American Cancer Society

• September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
  Zero – The Project to End Prostate Cancer

• September 21 – 27 is Prostate Cancer Awareness Week
  Free or low cost screenings available!

• September is Healthy Aging®Month
  Educational Television Network, Inc
  “because there’s lots of living left to do...”

• September is Sports and Home Eye Safety Month
  Prevent Blindness America

What does the month of March have in store for us? Here is a list of events for March that might be of interest to Babies Online readers.

Health

• March 1-8, 2009 National Sleep Awareness Week
• March is Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
• The third week of March is Poison Prevention Awareness Week

Food

• March is National Nutrition Month
• March is National Peanut Lovers Month – what a shame because of the recalls!
• March is National Frozen Food Month

Arts and Crafts

• March is Youth Art Month
• March is Music in Our Schools Month
• March is National Craft Month

In addition, the Cleveland Clinic is once again organizing free Live Web Chats on children’s health with the clinic’s health experts:

Pediatric Sleep Disorders Overview
Friday, March 6, 2009, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. (EST)
Did you know that as many as 25 to 30% of babies and children suffer from sleep disturbances? In this session, Dr. Jyoti Krishna, Head of Pediatric Sleep at Cleveland Clinic Sleep Disorders Center will answer your questions.

Epilepsy in Children and Adolescents: Treatment & Care
Thursday, March 26, 2009 – 12 noon (EST)
More than 2.7 million Americans have epilepsy and every year, more than 45,000 children under 18 are diagnosed with epilepsy. Your questions about this disorder will be answered by Dr. Ingrid Tuxhorn of the Neurological Institute  and Epilepsy Center of the Cleveland Clinic.

We are firm believers that when it comes to our health, fast food is the enemy. My family and I have lived in 2 European countries where burger chains are not necessarily found in every corner. My husband especially abhors anything that has to do with fast food and would only resort to going to McDonald’s when he is about to die of starvation.

So it was not surprising when, 2 years ago, the sight of the tell-tale yellow M and the colorful slide sparked an argument between our 3-year twin boys at the back seat. And it’s not what you think.

R: Look it’s M and M’s

F: No, it’s McDonald’s

M & M’s!

McDonald’s…!

You got it.

Now, this ignorance on the part of our boys might be a viewed as strange, even stupid in certain cultures so we decided we should educate them and introduce them to the enemy. We had a family outing to McDonald’s. They enjoyed the play corner but not the food. It was nothing special really. Other self-service restaurants in our area have much better play things.

Fast forward two years later. We were on a European tour last June and we needed a place to stop where we would be protected from the pouring rain, where the kids can burn off some energy and where I can stretch my legs after sitting for hours behind the wheel. So I was happy to see the yellow M at the Autobahn.

My, my, McDonald’s has certainly changed. McCaf? and fresh veggie cuts were available on the menu.

After little F got tired of playing with balls, he sat next to me as I sipped my Latte and started looking at the poster ads on the walls. “One, two, three, four, five – five hotdogs,” he pointed! Hotdogs?

“Sweetie, they are hamburgers,” I whispered, while the people at the next table looked at us as if we came from another planet. Now, which galaxy did this kid grow up that he doesn?t know the difference between hotdogs and burgers?

Then, the rain stopped and the boys went for a walk with Daddy while I finished my coffee. Five minutes later, they were back, wide eyed, telling me how they saw people in cars getting their food through a window.

On the next opportunity, we went to a Mac drive thru. My, they were thrilled as their Daddy explained the process. But no, they weren’t thrilled by the food.

So now our kids are no longer ignorant. They’ve been to McDonald’s three times, and they know what hamburgers are and how drive thru restaurants work. And they weren’t impressed or addicted. They now know the enemy and they are now prepared for life.

Thousands of children die of cancer every year. It is only appropriate that a month should be dedicated to increasing awareness of these diseases.

In the US, September is the month of Childhood Cancer Awareness. The objective of this initiative is “to spotlight childhood cancer and survivorship issues related to childhood cancer nationally.”

The organization CureSearch formed together by the Children’s Oncology Group, and the National Childhood Cancer Foundation, gives us the following statistics:

In the age group of 20-below which accounts for about 30% of the US population, about 12, 400 are diagnosed with cancer annually.

About 1 in 300 boys and 1 in 333 girls will develop cancer before they reach the age of 20.

Incidence of cancer in children is highest during the first year of life. The cancer rate is higher among children aged below 5 and those aged 15 to 20 years old compared to those in the age group 5 to 14.

Among young children, the most common types of cancer diagnosed are neuroblastoma, Wilms tumor, retinoblastoma, ependymoma, and hepatoblastoma. Among those aged 15 to 19 years old, germ cell tumors, Hodgkins disease, and bone cancers are the most common types of cancer observed.

In 2007, US President George W. Bush proclaimed September as the National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. This month is dedicated to raise awareness about ovarian cancer, to remember the victims of this disease, and to show appreciation to the health care professionals who are helping fight the disease.

It is no coincidence that the 7^th Biennial Ovarian Cancer Symposium is being held in Seattle this month. During the two-day symposium (September 4 to 5), new scientific knowledge on ovarian cancer will be presented. More than 50 researchers will share their latest research findings.

It is estimated that more than 15,000 women die from cancer of the ovary every year. Those who survive lose their ovaries through surgery, resulting in infertility and premature menopausal.

Ovarian cancer is used to be called the “silent killer” because the symptoms of the disease only become evident at a very late stage – thus making it difficult to treat. Research is therefore being stepped up on early detection diagnostic tests – with promising reuslts. Last June, a combination of symptom screening and blood tests increased the efficiency of early detection of ovarian cancer by 20%. It is expected that this month’s symposium will bring more good tidings and bring us a step closer to beating ovarian cancer.

According to the Marsha Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research, the most common symptoms of ovarian cancer are as follows:

• Bloating, discomfort or pain in the abdomen
• Increased abdominal size
• Feeling full right after eating
• Increased frequency in urinations
• Constipation
• Lack of energy
• Vaginal bleeding

In case of an emergency, would you know how perform a CPR? Or use an AED?

CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. AED is the abbreviation for automated external defibrillator. And this week is National CPR/AED Awareness Week.

But why are CPR and AED important?

A CDC report estimates that 47% of cardiac deaths happen before the arrival of emergency services or arrival at the hospital. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), cardiac events can be fatal if CPR or AED is not applied with minutes of collapse. CPR alone can double or even triple a person’s survival chances in such situations. However, less than one-third of the victims receive CPR from bystander.

As part of this week’s CPR/AED Awareness program, AHA conducted an online survey of life-saving skills of the general public and the results are sobering.

Of 1,132 people who participated in the survey, 89% were willing to help in an emergency situation. However, only 21% of those asked felt confident enough to be able to perform a CPR and only 15%felt they could use an AED.

AHA is now stepping up on its campaign to convince people that CPR and AED can basically be done by anybody – not only those who have had medical training.

Most of us are familiar with CPR as we’ve seen in films and movies. We know that ordinary people like you and me, with practice, can do it. To make CPR even easier, AHA gives this tip: “The most effective rate for chest compressions is 100 compressions per minute – the same rhythm as the beat of the BeeGee’s song, “Stayin’ Alive.” Other tips can be found in this site.

But using an AED is another thing. Giving electric shock with a defibrillator is a pretty daunting task. Actually, AEDs are portable easy-to-use defibrillators which can be found in places where they might be needed in an emergency – schools, churches, and sports competitions. In the city of Zurich where we are now residing, they started a pilot project of placing AEDs in several public phone booths all over the city.

AEDs have been designed so they can be used by almost anybody even without previous medical training. According to AHA, AEDs are equipped with clear audio and visual instructions telling users how to use them. They are fairly simple and user-friendly. And a shock is delivered only when absolutely needed.

11% of the respondents to the AHA survey were not willing or were hesitant to help in an emergency situation due to several reasons – among them lack of confidence in their life-saving skills, fear of harming the victim, and – take note – fear of possible legal consequences. From my point of view, the latter is an excuse of utmost selfishness.

Performing CPR and using an AED in emergency situation are life-saving actions. We never know when we will be needed to act and whose life we will be saving. It could be the stranger on the street but it could also be our children, our partners, our friends. That is why we should always be prepared.