Each of five major child injury hazards -- motor vehicles, drowning, burns, falls and poison -- can be found in the back yard during the summer. Riding mowers, inflatable pools, home playground equipment and even natural vegetation and sunlight require a few simple precautions. All of the safety guidelines you apply to sports, playgrounds and swimming apply to those activities in your own back yard, says this week's edition of The Medical Minute, a service of the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
If every on-campus student at University Park reduced his or her time in the shower by just five minutes, Penn State would save 100,000 gallons of water each school year. That is enough to fill five swimming pools and lower the University's carbon footprint by 18,980 pounds every year.
The past two weekends were particularly busy ones for Penn State campuses statewide, as the University held nearly three dozen commencement ceremonies, including roughly a dozen on the University Park campus. Penn State Altoona and the Dickinson School of Law got things started, as both held commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 9. The rest of the campuses and Penn College held ceremonies May 15, 16 or 17. In all, the University awarded approximately 10,875 diplomas to students University-wide who are completing 588 associate, 8,627 baccalaureate, 1,083 master's, 131 medical, 212 law and 234 doctoral degrees. While not all Penn state campuses or colleges were able to provide photos of their commencement ceremonies, quite a few have sent them to Penn State Live. In addition, Penn State Public Information photographer Andy Colwell made it to several commencement ceremonies at University Park.
People are living longer compared to 50 years ago. In the days when women did not expect to live beyond 65, osteoporosis was not much of a concern. As a larger portion of the population lives to 80, 90 and beyond, strong bones are essential. Osteoporosis results when bones lose enough calcium to increase the risk of fracture, says this week's edition of The Medical Minute, a service of the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Deep Venous Thrombosis means you develop a clot in one of the deep veins, usually in the leg or pelvis. In the hospital you're more likely to develop a clot for two reasons. First, you do not move around as much as you do at home. This makes your blood tend to stagnate in your veins, which can lead to clots. Second, your blood is thicker when you're sick due to your body's natural immune response. Your risk of developing a DVT in the hospital without any preventative treatment ranges up to 20 percent for a general medical patient and up to 80 percent for a major trauma patient, according to this week's edition of The Medical Minute, a service of the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
A spring break travel alert for Mexico has been issued by the U.S. Department of State for U.S. citizens traveling to that country. Individuals who may be traveling during spring break to any locale are urged to use common sense precautions. Penn State Police and University Health Services offer some general tips and links for more information about traveling abroad.
Q: What is the best age to begin learning to play an instrument?
A: Although I am not an expert in child development, my opinion is based on my experience and that of friends in the profession. I think the best time to start a child with music lessons is when a child shows interest in learning to play an instrument.
It may be uncomfortable to think about after the holidays, but currently two-thirds of Americans are overweight and about five percent are actually clinically severely obese. New Year's resolutions are great, but they probably won't do much to solve this growing epidemic. Very few people are able to lose significant weight through diet and exercise, and even fewer are able to keep the weight off long term.
Colleges and universities are facing difficult financial decisions stemming from the widening global economic crisis. In a discussion this week at Faculty Senate, Penn State President Graham Spanier reassured community members that the University is on solid financial ground, but will face serious challenges because of a $21.2 million recission from the state.
We are entering that wonderful time of year when we can experience some of the many benefits of living in a climate with four seasons. Those who enjoy skiing and snowboarding are anxiously looking at hilltops in the expectation of seeing some beautiful white powder. However, to fully enjoy our participation, we should remain mindful of injury prevention, advises the latest edition of The Medical Minute, a service of the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.