Diabetes, a serious disease with complications that can cause disability and death, has reached epidemic levels in the American population. Millions of people considered at risk of developing diabetes could prevent or delay the disease by changing their lifestyle.

Learn how you could prevent or delay diabetes at Small Steps big Rewards, a diabetes education program prevented free of charge by FHN. this two-hour workshop focused on the importance of regular exercise and a healthy diet will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 24 in the Globe Room on the lower level of FHN Memorial Hospital in Freeport.

Registration is required for this program. call toll-free 1-877-6000-FHN (1-877-600-0346) ext. 952 to register. for more information on Small Steps big Rewards and other diabetes education programs at FHN, visit fhn.org.

For more information about FHN, please visit fhn.org.

By Mark Knie Knie Appliance & TV inc.

One of key elements of a more healthful and satisfying lifestyle is a good night’s sleep. On average, one third of our life is spent sleeping. If you toss and turn through out the night, your body is telling you that you are not comfortable. your body wants to be comfortable! it needs comfort in order to reach the deeper stages of the sleep cycle that truly “recharge” your brain and body.

So what happens if we don’t get enough sleep? Missing one night’s sleep is not fatal; however, if we miss two nights of sleep, concentration becomes more difficult and our attention span decreases. After three days, hallucinations begin to occur and a person begins to loose grasp of reality. Eventually, a sleep deprived person would die!

Your mattress is the key to true comfort and a good night’s sleep. The Simmons Beautyrest™ mattress utilizes a unique individually Pocked Coil® spring design that virtually eliminates motion transfer, making it the perfect bed for couples. Strong and durable, these legendary springs are individually wrapped and conform to the unique shape of your body. this design, combined with various layers of traditional, latex and Advanced Memory foams, allow you to choose the comfort level you want without sacrificing support you need!

At Knie Appliance & TV in Polo and Sterling, we offer the complete line of Simmons Beautyrest™ mattresses. our staff will help guide you to the mattress that is “just right” for you, one that allows you to sleep peacefully and undisturbed. In fact, all you’ll feel is rested™!

(SPM Wire) Remember the food pyramid you learned about in school? It’s gotten a facelift.

Revamped a few years ago, the new food pyramid from the U.S. Department of Agriculture treats each food group as equally important and has new measurement recommendations. But the most interesting aspect of the new food pyramid is the new interactive features that have just been unveiled.

You now can create personalized food and exercise plans online at mypyramid.gov, to plan meals and track dietary goals. The site also boasts a new resource called MyFoodapedia, a database providing the calorie count of almost any natural food. you can search for any food, specify how you will prepare it and then get a calorie count.

(StatePoint) each year, approximately 2.4 million people — more than half under age 6 — swallow or have contact with a poisonous substance, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. The most dangerous potential poisons are medicines, cleaning products, antifreeze, windshield wiper fluid, pesticides, furniture polish, gasoline, kerosene and lamp oil.

Most child poisonings occur when parents or caregivers are home but not paying attention, so it’s important never to leave poisonous substances within reach of children, even for a minute. If your child comes in contact with a poisonous substance, and is unconscious, not breathing, or having convulsions or seizures due to poison contact, call 911 immediately. for mild or no symptoms, call your poison control center at 1-800-222-1222.

(StatePoint) If your children have chronic, cold-like symptoms, such as a runny nose, sore throat, sneezing, and itchy, watery eyes, they may be suffering from allergies. Other allergic reactions can include skin rashes, hives, swelling, or breathing problems that are not due to asthma.

Parents who suspect their children may have allergies should consult a pediatrician to determine exactly what they’re allergic to, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Common household allergens include dust mites, which hide in bedding and upholstered furniture, furry animals, mold, pollen, and certain foods. After testing, doctors can then determine whether to treat children with medication, allergy shots, or other therapies.

It may seem odd that being stuck with needles can help reduce pain, but that is the case when acupuncture is used for pain relief. As acupuncture use in veterinary medicine is growing, one common use is for treating pain.

At the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Urbana, Dr. Stuart Clark-Price, head of the anesthesiology section, offers acupuncture therapy for dogs and horses to promote orthopedic rehabilitation and, increasingly, to manage pain.

“Acupuncture is one of many pain management options available for veterinary patients, and it is typically used in conjunction with other approaches,” says Dr. Clark-Price. “It is nice to have a non-pharmaceutical option for dealing with pain.”

It does seem counterintuitive, but acupuncture needles do not hurt. The needles used are sterile and very thin. The goal is to stimulate the nerve. because acupuncture can affect nerve signaling, it is a logical tool for managing pain. it seems to be most effective in treating cases of chronic pain, but patients recovering from surgery are also good candidates for acupuncture therapy. Dogs that have undergone orthopedic surgeries, such as repair of a torn cruciate ligament or hip surgeries, can benefit.

In horses, acupuncture may be used for pain management in colic surgery cases. it is also useful for treating chronic pain in horses. Horses get sore muscles, especially back muscles that are stressed from the saddle. this type of pain is more often seen in athlete-horses that experience great physical demands. Horses with chronic lameness can benefit from the added relief provided by acupuncture.

Acupuncture had been added to the “toolbox” for pain management at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital and elsewhere. whether you are looking for a new pain relief option for your animal or wish to reduce the number of pills you have to give, acupuncture may provide an answer.

Like your grandma said: there’s nothing more important than having your health. what we’ve found out over the years is that cleanliness and good nutrition are the two factors that reduce disease and chronic Illness. In fact, cleanliness and nutrition far out-weight the beneficial effects of vaccinations and drugs when it come to your good health.

Over the years, with heavy farming of land, soil can become sapped of its nutrients and so can the food grown on it. That’s why it’s a good idea to consider growing some of your own food. you know if your garden is adequately fertilized and producing nutritious fruits and vegetables. Remember that your garden’s nutrients become depleted over the years and to feed your garden as well as you feed your family.

Another benefit in eating nutritious foods is that your body will not constantly remind you that it needs more nutrients with hunger pains. you won’t eat as much because your body’s nutritional requirements are being met, making it easier to maintain your weight.

Better yet, spending time gardening is a good time to enjoy fresh air, sunshine and some peace and quiet.

For some excellent information on good nutrition, go to bragg.com

Nutritional requirements are rarely researched. Most of the research has been to find an amount of a nutrient to prevent a disease known to be caused by a deficiency in that nutrient. The Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for example will keep you from getting scurvy from lack of Vitamin C or rickets, bending of the bones, from lack of Vitamin D.

Recent studies are showing that Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin which is really a hormone and not a vitamin, is vital to every cell and system in the body. it boosts the immune system, and your mood along with many promising studies in helping Multiple Sclerosis, Diabetes and a number of other chronic diseases. The RDA for Vitamin D is 600 International Units (IU) while research is showing that most adults need about 4000 IUs/day or 15-20 minutes of full sun in June or July.

Go to vitamindhealth.org/ and vitamindcouncil.org/ to learn the proper dosage for all ages and other benefits of supplementing Vitamin D.

Helping children to live healthier lives is one goal of the Community that Cares project of Carroll, Ogle, Lee, and Whiteside Counties. But before the project can begin to embark on their mission, they need the public’s help.

Four thousand local families’ homes will be able to help guide family and youth services in Carroll, Lee, Ogle and Whiteside Counties. your home may be among those chosen randomly to receive a Family needs Survey. The survey is designed to draw a picture of residents’ lives and needs in order to plan for a better future. The results will be used by a wide variety of local organizations and groups who are working together to serve families and children.

The Survey of Family needs is the result of a cooperative effort by the over 54 local organizations who have banded together in the Community That Cares project. this partnership will use the findings of the survey to develop actions to improve our communities and services. “Instead of collecting information separately and duplicating each others efforts, we are working together to send out this one survey that is all encompassing of childrens’ and adolescents’ needs,” says Amy Adams, Community that Cares Coordinator.

“This is a landmark study,” says Adams. “This is the first time that medical, public health, early intervention, mental health, education, criminal justice and other human services groups have joined together to study the system of care. our combined efforts are truly aimed at improving the overall health and wellness of children and their families across Carroll, Lee, Ogle, and Whiteside County.”

The survey is just one part of information gathering efforts by the Partnership. Other methods include ideas put forth by committees in each county plus the assembling of existing social, demographic and economic information. Results from all study components will be compared to decide what issues to address through action. The Health Systems Research office of the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford is conducting the survey and collecting the data for the Partnership.

Residents receiving a survey are urged to complete the questionnaire whether they currently use services or not to reflect all homes in the four-county area and to create the most complete picture possible.

The project is funded by the Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation, one of five such projects being undertaken statewide.