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WebMD Health News

Friday, June 27, 2008

July 4th Friday Five

Our lovely Louise always posts a Friday Five on the Health Cafe message board for our members to enjoy. This week's five is all about the July 4th holiday.

Here is the post. We hope you'll drop in and share your answers with us.

Leona

~*~*~*~*

Louise_WebMD_Staff
Fourth of July Friday Five


1. How will you celebrate the Fourth of July?

2. What was the best fireworks show you ever saw?

3. Have you ever been in a Fourth of July parade?

4. Which do you like better-the Declaration of Independence or the U.S. Constitution?

5. Do you wear any special red, white and blue clothes for the holiday?

Posted by: Leona_WebMD at 2:18 PM

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Post of the Day: Sunscreen & Sunburn

Hi WebMD community peeps!

I've not been posting this week because I am actually on vacation! We took our family on a week-long beach excursion to Edisto Island, South Carolina. It's lovely here, but I just had to take a moment to pop in and see how all of our WebMD community members and fans are doing.

Almost everyone loves the beach, but we all know that, though the sun is fun, sunburn is extremely dangerous for our skin. We've been packing on the sunscreen all week, and trying to avoid the lobster look. The kids don't leave the condo without at least SPF 30 slathered all over. (Despite the insistance of my teens that they just DON'T NEED sunscreen that strong!)

So far, we've managed to avoid the burn.

To keep in line with my theme of fun in the sun, I found this post by one of our board moderators - Pam -- on the Skin Care: Share Your Tips board. Take a peek and share your thoughts about sunscreen and sunburn remedies.

Be good to your skin this summer!

Leona

~*~*~*~*~

Pam_WebMD_Staff
Sunscreen? Sunburn Remedy?

The summer sun can be so damaging, and we all know it's important to use a good sunscreen. But there are so many to choose from! From PABA-free to Active Sprays to gels and pastes, I don't think we've ever had this many choices when it comes to UV protection.

I'm fair-skinned, and I live in Florida, so I opt for a high SPF all the time. I use a lotion most of the time, but if I'm working in the yard, or playing at the beach, I prefer a no-run active spray so that it doesn't get in my eyes. My youngest child likes the kind of lotion that goes on purple but dries invisible. It helps him apply it evenly.

What sunscreens work best for you and your family? Do you use different products for different situations?

And what do you do when you experience sunscreen failure and wind up with a burn? I've seen some interesting remedies, from fresh aloe leaves (my own favorite tried and true remedy) to Solarcaine spray or other commercial product, to sponging vinegar onto the burned area.

I pick fresh aloe and slice the spines off. Then I pop the leaves into the fridge for about 15 minutes before I split them open and rub the goop onto the affected area. So very soothing, even if it's not the nicest-looking or -smelling thing ever.

I look forward to hearing what works for you.
Pam_WebMD



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Posted by: Leona_WebMD at 10:30 AM

Friday, June 13, 2008

Sun-damaged Skin Slideshow

We're doing a little maintenance on our message boards until tomorrow afternoon. So, in lieu of our Post of the Day today, I am featuring one of WebMD's NEW slideshows for your viewing pleasure.

Summer. For most of us, it's the favorite time of year. Time to go to the beach, play outside, cookout...enjoy the warm sunshine. Unfortunately, it's also the time of year for sunburns.

We're pretty rough on our skin, and as we age we need to keep an eye out for any changes that may herald wrinkles, freckles, age spots, and yes, SKIN CANCER.

This Sun-damaged Skin slideshow offers you a visual roadmap that will help you know if something is going on with your skin that may need your doctor's attention.

  • How many times in your life do you think you've been sunburned?


  • Have you noticed any of these changes?


  • What steps have you taken to turn back the clock on skin damage?


  • Here are some posts from members who are dealing with summer skin problems:

    Aerosol Sunscreen

    Grandma Forgot the Sunscreen!

    Beach & Babes

    Brown Spots & Thinning Skin

    Best All-Day Sunscreen?

    Have a GREAT summer, and remember your hat and sunscreen!

    Leona

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    Posted by: Leona_WebMD at 1:56 PM

    Wednesday, June 11, 2008

    Post of the Day: Tomatoes, Salmonella & You

    tomato-image
    Staff Photo

    Not only is our food skyrocketing in price, but now there is yet one more scare from tainted vegetables. Several types of tomatoes are now being yanked from grocery store shelves because they may be harboring a deadly type of salmonella -- Salmonella serotype Saintpaul.

    It's bad enough for all of us regular tomato lovers, but what if you were pregnant and CRAVING something with tomatoes? Ugh! That's what happened to WebMD member amee0812 from our Pregnancy: 2nd Trimester board. Check out her post below.

    How has this latest "Frankenveggie" episode affected your family? Do you think there is a solution to keep our food safe?

    We'd love to hear what you have to say!

    Leona


    ~*~*~*~*~

    amee0812
    not the same w/o tomatoes


    Last night i had a bad craving for a chicago style hotdog but the closest james coney island is 25 min from my house and it was too late to get one. so today for lunch i when straight to james coney island ordered the hotdog then realized that i would have to say no tomatoes. I hoped that it would still satisfy my craving but of course it wasn't the same. I hate this I think i'm just gonna start growing my own vegetables from now on. I just had to let it out, i don't think non preggo people would understand me.

    ~*~*~*~*~

    And, here some links to other message board posts from WebMD members discussing the tomato scare:

    Are you feeling better?

    Salmonella Question

    Tomatoes?

    Two for Tuesday

    Farmer's Markets


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    Posted by: Leona_WebMD at 1:45 PM

    Monday, June 09, 2008

    Post of the Day: Animals Sense Pregnancy?

    Does your pet know that you're PG? WebMD member Beadlady78 from our Pregnancy: 2nd Trimester message board says her parakeet sensed what was going on in her expanding tummy.

    Did your pet seem to know when you were pregnant? What was his reaction?

    Read Beadlady78's post and share your own stories.

    Leona

    ~*~*~*~*~*~


    Beadlady78
    Animals sensing your pg

    This is really cute. DH and I have a parakeet. We take her out everyday and talk to her and she sits on us while we watch movies and stuff. Well, on Saturday DH thought it would be funny to have her sit on my baby bump. He put her there and she would not get off! Any time DH tried to take her off, she would bite him and she is not the biting type of bird. While she was on my tummy, she would lean down as far as she could without touching my skin. Is this animal instinct that she knows I am pg or I am just loosing it! I know its just a bird, but she has NEVER acted this way before!



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    Posted by: Leona_WebMD at 7:44 PM

    Be a Fan of WebMD on Facebook!

    WebMD has recently created a page on Facebook. If you have a Facebook profile, you can become a fan of WebMD and see all the latest feeds from our health news, blogs, and more. You can be one of the first to find out about anything NEW here on your favorite Internet health destination.

    Be sure to drop by and leave a note on our wall.

    Leona

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    Posted by: Leona_WebMD at 7:13 PM

    Thursday, June 05, 2008

    WebMD's Health Cafe -- Friends & Fun

    Today instead of featuring a thread from our boards, I am featuring a whole board. Woo Hoo!

    The Health Cafe is the forum at WebMD where members from all over our site can meet to talk about the latest health news, what's going on with their families, what's going on with a favorite TV show...you name it. There are no limits. It's a place where members who may have different reasons for belonging to the WebMD Community can meet new friends.



    Our moderators and members are always starting stimulating conversations and polls there. Louise, who is the main moderator at the Cafe, posts a wonderful Friday Five poll at the end of each week to lead us into the weekend.

    Whether you are already a dedicated member of another WebMD board or you are new to the community, we hope you'll stop by the Health Cafe, grab a cup of your favorite healthy beverage, and get to know us!

    See you there!
    Leona

    Photo: (c)iStockphoto.com/1001nights


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    Posted by: Leona_WebMD at 7:42 AM

    Wednesday, June 04, 2008

    Post of the Day: Too Late to Quit Smoking?

    Is it ever too late to quit smoking? This is the question WebMD member 40Something1960 ponders on our Smoking Cessation: Support Group board.

    Are you considering quitting? Maybe you've already quit? Chime in with some words of wisdom for this member and others.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~

    40Something1960
    feeling like it's too late


    Do you ever feel that way? and what do you do about it? I know in the quit smoking commercials they all say "it's never too late to quit smoking" but you can't exactly say that to someone who's already on an oxygen tank or already got cancer.

    Sometimes I see posts from people who talk about other people who quit many many years ago but ended up with lung cancer anyway.

    So what do you do if you feel like giving up because it's possible that it's already too late? Some times I feel like I am going through the torture of quitting for nothing.



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    Posted by: Leona_WebMD at 11:08 PM

    Tuesday, June 03, 2008

    Post of the Day: Husband & Online Porn

    When one person in a relationship is addicted to online porn, how does it affect the other partner? What if the online antics appear to be headed offline?

    WebMD member ygetmarried doesn't know what to do. Maybe you can offer her some helpful advice...

    ~*~*~*~*

    ygetmarried
    on line porn


    I have read every concerns about porn. My husband loves to watch porn on line. I am not ok with that, now I notice he has asked one of the pron stars to meet him out of town. I do no understand what a man want with some one who show their body to the world. Can some one please tell me how to handle this problem?



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    Posted by: Leona_WebMD at 8:00 PM

    Monday, June 02, 2008

    WebMD Support Badges

    If you are a dedicated member of our WebMD Community (and maybe even a little addicted to your favorite message board), you probably tell your friends, family, and folks you meet on other websites all about it.

    Well, now you can download one of our brand new WebMD Support Badges and take them with you around the Net!

    Add your WebMD Badges to your Blog or Social Networking site, and your email signature to let others know you are part of the WebMD Community. (see the detailed instructions below!)

    We've got a few intitial badges ready for you to choose from right now, and we're designing others for the rest of our communities that will be ready soon. If you don't see your community represented, post a comment to this blog and let us know you want one!

    Start enjoying your WebMD Support Badges today.








    Add a badge to your blog or social networking page


    Facebook

    Click on the WebMD Badge of your choice, and copy the code that appears. Then sign in to Facebook. On your Facebook profile page, click Edit next to the Applications heading. If you don't already have an HTML application installed, click on Browse More Applications toward the top of the page, then type My HTML into the search box. Choose My HTML, and add it to your page. (If you already have a My HTML box on your page, click to edit it.)

    In the HTML Entry Form, paste the code you copied earlier. If you want, you can add more text under your badge, by typing <br /> and then the text you would like to add.

    Click Save Changes and then go check out your badge on your profile!

    MySpace

    Click on the WebMD Badge of your choice, and copy the code that appears in the box underneath it. Sign in to your MySpace page and click on Edit Profile. Now paste the Badge code into the section of your MySpace page where you would like it to show.

    For instance, you can copy it in the About Me section, or your Interests section. After copying the code, click Preview Section button to see if the badge is where you want it. If it's not in the right spot, click Return to Edit Section, and try again. If it's right where you want it, click Save All Changes.

    Blogger

    Click on the WebMD Badge of your choice, and copy the code that appears. Sign in to your Blogger account and go to your Dashboard. Click on Layout in the Manage Your Blogs module. On the Layout page, click Add a Page Element either in the left column or at the bottom of your blog layout. On the Choose a New Page Element pop up page, click the Add To Blog button under the HTML/JavaScript choice and paste the copied code into the content area. Then give it a title like WebMD Badge and click Save Changes.

    Live Journal

    Click on the WebMD Badge of your choice, and copy the code that appears in the box underneath it.Sign in to your Live Journal account. Click on Post an Entry, or go to the Journal menu, and click on Post an Entry.

    With the Rich Text tab selected, click on the Embed Media icon (it looks like a little CD). Copy the WebMD badge code into the box, and click on Insert. Or, with the HTML tab selected, click on Embed Media. Paste the WebMD badge code into the box, and click on Insert. Then add anything else you would like to your Live Journal entry, and select Post to Username.

    TypePad/WordPress

    Click on the WebMD Badge of your choice, and copy the code that appears. Sign in to your blog's dashboard. Click the Presentation tab, and the Widgets subtab. If there is no text widget in your list of available widgets, scroll down to the Text Widgets section and increase the number in the drop menu by one.

    Once you have a text widget available, drag it to the sidebar in which you'd like the badge to appear. Click the edit button, in the top right corner; it looks like a window with lines in it. Paste the code in the pop up box that appears. You can give it a title like WebMD Badge and click the X to close. Click the Save Changes button on the Sidebar Arrangement page, and check your blog for correct placement.


    Add a badge to your email signature

    Yahoo Mail

    Click on the WebMD Badge of your choice, and copy the code that appears. Sign in to your Yahoo email account, and click on Options (or Mail Options). Select Signature, then select View HTML and also select Color and Graphics. Copy the code into the Signature box. You can choose to "Add signature to all outgoing messages." Then click Save.

    AOL 9.0 VR (Vista Ready)

    Click on the WebMD Badge of your choice, and copy the code that appears in the box. Sign in to your AOL account. Click the Write button at the top of the page. A New email window will open. At the bottom of the window, click the Signatures button and choose Set Up Signature.

    When the Pop-up window appears, click the Create button. Give your new signature a title (like WebMD Signature). Then under "Signature", paste the WebMD badge code. Click the OK button. You'll be brought back to main pop-up window, and your new signature title should appear.

    To make your WebMD badge a default signature, click on the signature title and then click the Default On/Off button. A red check mark will appear next to the signature's title.

    Hotmail and Gmail don't currently allow HTML signatures

    Outlook and Outlook Express

    Adding a badge in Outlook Express, Outlook, and Outlook 2007 requires a simple HTML file. To create the file, open Notepad (included in all versions of Windows) and copy the full text below:

    <html>
    <head>
    <title>WebMD Badge<title>
    </head>
    <body>


    </body>
    </html>

    Now click on the WebMD Badge of your choice, and copy the code that appears in the box underneath it. Now paste it between <body> and </body>.

    In Notepad, click on File and Save As. When the window opens, choose where to save it on your desktop, and near the bottom, , under Save as Type, select All Files and name it "badge.htm". Now you have completed your WebMD Badge HTML file.

    To complete the badge installation, please see the directions under your version of Outlook:

  • Outlook

    Complete the HTML file described above. Click on the Tool Menu, and select the Mail Format tab. Under Message Format, choose Compose in this message format. Select HTML. Now click on the signature button. Name your new signature "badge" in lowercase letters. Select Use this file as a template.

    Click Browse and go to your Desktop, and select your HTML file "badge.htm". Click Next. Then click Finish.

    Now in the Mail Format window, choose the new signature under "Signature for new messages". For the Signature for replies and forwards, choose None (or have a separate plain text signature).

    Click OK and send yourself a test email.


  • Outlook 2007

    Outlook 2007 requires a few extra steps. Begin by completing the HTML file described above. Choose the Tools menu. Select Options: Mail Format. Click on Signatures. Select New, and choose the name "badge". Click OK. Now click OK again to close the Signatures and Stationary window. Now close Outlook completely.

    In Windows XP, click on your Start menu, and My Computer: Local Disc. Click on Documents and Settings, and then your computer user name. Now click on Application Data. If you don't see the Application Data, go to Tools: Folder Options: View, and check Show hidden files and folders.

    In Application Data, click Microsoft, and the Signatures folder. You will see 3 files called "badge". Now go to your desktop and locate the HTML file you created called "badge.htm". Once you have located it, click and drag the file into the open Signatures window. A box will appear asking if you want to replace the existing document with your new one. Choose Yes. Ok, almost there!

    Now open Outlook 2007 again, and choose New. Select Insert: Signature. Choose "badge". If you don't see your WebMD badge, choose Options, and select HTML.







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    Posted by: Leona_WebMD at 9:00 AM

    Post of the Day: Baby Vaccinations?

    SAHM81, a mom on our Parenting: Newborn to 3 Months message board, wants to know how other moms and dads feel about vaccinating their infants.

    Check out her post below and let her know what you think about this often controversial topic!

    (Reminder: Be sure to respect the opinions of others.)

    Leona

    ~*~*~*~*~*~

    SAHM81
    poll: alternative immunization


    are you doing the traditional AAP recomended immunization schedule or are you using an alternative schedule? Why?

    if your using an alternative schedule what is is? why did you choose it?

    Posted by: Leona_WebMD at 8:31 AM

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