: North Texas Kids : Your family guide to raising happy, healthy kids

Making Healthy Choices in the New Year

Making a Few Healthy Choices can Lead to a Healthy Lifestyle

By Sonja Kabell

Did you know that one of the TOP resolution for a New Year is to get more healthy and to lose weight? No surprise I am sure! We all know that being at a healthy BMI (body mass index) will add years to our lives. It is not only important for the parents to be slim, but also our kids. Making a few changes can make a big difference in achieving a healthy lifestyle! Here are some quick and easy tips you can started today:

Overprescribed Antibiotics Could Lead to C-diff

Hospital Council Foundation Initiates Antibiotics Education Push

Coinciding with Talk About Prescriptions Month; area healthcare organizations are on a mission to encourage patients and providers in North Texas to discuss appropriate use of antibiotics to limit C-diff incidences

The Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council Foundation, which unites North Texas hospital and industry leaders to advance quality healthcare in the region, has initiated an antibiotics education push as part of its recently-launched public awareness campaign about “C-diff,” a type of acute diarrhea caused by the Clostridium difficile bacteria. The bacterial infection, which is linked to 20,000 deaths in the United States every year, is prevalent among medical care recipients who are overprescribed or take unneeded antibiotics.

Free Health Screenings for Kids August 9, 2014

Sam’s ClubPromotes Back-to-School Safety with Free Health Screenings for Kids

In-club screenings available to members and non-members, Saturday, August 9 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Back-to-school brings shopping for clothes, buying school supplies and securing updated health information for children, but why not also use this time to take a few simple steps to help ensure their safety? Fingerprints and DNA samples have become the standard tools for personal identification and can be useful for parents should they ever be needed, which is why Sam’s Club is offering DNA testing and fingerprint kits as part of their annual free children’s health screenings on Saturday, August 9 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

How to Prevent Sports Related Eye Injuries

Wearing Protective Eyewear is Important

April is Sports Eye Safety awareness month. Each year in the United States, more than 100,000 eye injuries are estimated to be sports related, according to the National Eye Institute. Eye injuries are a leading cause of blindness in children and most eye injuries among kids aged 11 to 14 occur while playing sports. Every 13 minutes, an emergency room in the United States treats a sports related eye injury. With statistics like these, raising awareness about how to prevent sports related injuries is crucial.

The good news is that more than 90% of all eye injuries can be prevented with the use of appropriate protective eyewear. Here are some important facts to know and tips to prevent sports related eye injuries:

Non-Invasive Blood Test to Check for Birth Defects in Early Pregnancy

Noninvasive genetic test for pregnant mothers to check for baby’s health

Synapse Diagnostics, a Hyderabad based laboratory launched a new genetic blood test for pregnant mothers called Materni T21. Materni T21 PLUS is a highly accurate test for specific chromosome (Genetic) conditions in the baby associated with birth defects. It is conducted on blood collected from the mother as early as 10 weeks of pregnancy. Genetic/(Chromosomal/DNA) abnormality in the fetus (baby) such as Downs Syndrome and multiple other defects in the baby can be now detected early

Are You Losing the Diet Game?

Avoiding Common Dieting Mistakes

When trying to shed weight, many of us turn to fad diets and drastic calorie cutting and with the positive energy of new years resolutions in the past and the cold winter months still in full force, it is not surprising that February and March are the most common months for diet failure and “cheating” to occur. Experts at nationally recognized Pritikin Longevity Center have found that fad diets leave us not only hungry and miserable but often lead to setbacks and cheating that cause additional weight gain.

Tips on Relieving Seasonal Allergies

How to Relieve Seasonal Allergies

Spring is just around the corner, and along with the sun and beautiful weather also comes the dreaded allergies! No one wants to be sniffling and sneezing during this beautiful season so here are a few tips to relieve your allergies. Instead of having to skip the sunshine, there are plenty of things you can do to say ‘so long’ to the side effects of pollen.