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When it comes to protecting vision, don't skimp on eyewear
Copley News Service Summer's almost here, and it's not just your skin that needs attention. Your eyes deserve some TLC, too. Limited doses of sunshine are good for you – 10 to 15 minutes, twice a week is healthy, according to the National Institutes of Health – but prolonged exposure, especially to harmful UV rays, is not good for your skin or your eyes. But let's face it, when you're in the market for a pair of shades, you're often choosing based on style instead of safety. "People want what the celebrities are wearing," says Stacy Pehau, a certified optician in San Diego. "They want fashion, not protection."
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By ANDREW SMITH
More than 800 nurses are included in the Southeast Georgia Health System's 1,600 total employees. As National Nurses Week was observed last week across the U.S., SGHS took the time to honor those who play one of the most vital roles in health care. "By population, nurses are the largest group of health care providers," said Ellen Hamilton, vice president of patient care services for SGHS. "Nurses are the essential element in the delivery of care. For inpatients, they are there 24 hours a day, doing what patient would do if they were capable." Along with a pancake breakfast, hand treatments and other gifts, the System presented registered nurse team members, licensed practical nurses, and nurse management with Nurse of the Year awards. From the Health System's Brunswick campus, the RN of the Year was Leola Holton, the LPN was Alisa Keith and Michelle Atkinson, RN earned the Nurse Manager of the Year honor.
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By ANDREW SMITH
After opening hyperbaric chamber therapy last October at the Southeast Georgia Health System Wound Care Center in Brunswick, the first group of patients receiving hyperbaric treatment is nearly complete. Hyperbaric treatment is a therapy in which a patient breathes in 100 percent oxygen while enclosed in a pressurized chamber. The therapy is commonly used to treat wounds such as lower extremity diabetic wounds and radiation tissue damage. Delivering oxygen at a rate and pressure higher than that found naturally simulates blood flow, tissue regeneration and effectively speeds up the healing process. Hyperbaric technician Don Adams said patients can receive treatment of 90 or 120 minutes, depending on diagnosis. Treatments are administered once daily Monday through Friday.
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By COLIN STEWART
SANTA ANA, Calif. – Want to bring home a brighter smile the next time you shop at the mall? Entrepreneurs at many malls are eager to sit you down at their new teeth-whitening booths for 20-minute treatments that typically cost $49 to $99. Their businesses are part of a countrywide expansion of teeth-whitening kiosks, which dentists greet with reactions ranging from skepticism to outrage. Some consumers who have sat at a kiosk for 20 minutes with a plastic tray full of peroxide gel in their mouths say they're happy with the results.
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By LAURAN NEERGAARD
WASHINGTON — Everyone's genes spell out a risk for some disease, and a coming anti-discrimination law is about to give genetic testing a boost. But discrimination is just one hurdle. The bigger quandary: Doctors don't yet know how many of the genetic tests being pushed for dozens of conditions are truly useful — and how many are misleading at best. "Some of these tests are complete rubbish," warns Dr. Howard McLeod, a personalized medicine specialist at the University of North Carolina. "The big challenge for a consumer is figuring out which data is real or not without having to go to medical school." President Bush is expected soon to sign into law federal protection against genetic discrimination, a bill barring employers and insurers from using test results against patients.
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Drugs, teens, pot are dangerous mix
By JENNIFER C. KERR The Associated Press WASHINGTON — Depression, teens and marijuana are a dangerous mix that can lead to dependency, mental illness or suicidal thoughts, according to a White House report being released Friday. A teen who has been depressed at some point in the past year is more than twice as likely to have used marijuana as teens who have not reported being depressed — 25 percent compared with 12 percent, said the report by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
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By KAWANZA NEWSON
Women who stop smoking dramatically reduce their risk of heart disease and stroke by 20 percent within five years, and have a lung cancer risk similar to that of a non-smoker after 30 years, a new study shows. The findings support previous research that removing tobacco from the body is beneficial to health. Meanwhile, a U.S. panel headed by a University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher is releasing updated guidelines on the best way to quit. The new recommendations encourage use of both counseling and medication to fight the addiction, and stress that physicians should ask every patient at every visit about their smoking status.
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By MIKE STOBBE
ATLANTA — People who sleep fewer than six hours a night — or more than nine — are more likely to be obese, according to a new government study that is one of the largest to show a link between irregular sleep and big bellies. The study also linked light sleepers to higher smoking rates, less physical activity and more alcohol use. The research adds weight to a stream of studies that have found obesity and other health problems in those who don't get proper shuteye, said Dr. Ron Kramer, a Colorado physician and a spokesman for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. "The data is all coming together that short sleepers and long sleepers don't do so well," Kramer said.
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By MIKE STOBBE
ATLANTA — More than half of U.S. adults with diabetes also have arthritis, raising a serious obstacle for diabetic patients urged to exercise, according to a government study. The survey of nearly 800,000 people is the first extensive look at the overlap between the two conditions, said Dr. John Klippel, president of the Arthritis Foundation. And its findings highlight a significant challenge: Most diabetics are told exercise is important to their health, but experts say many of them don't do it. People with diabetes who exercise have better control of their blood sugar and a much lower risk of heart disease complications. But the new research suggests many diabetics see themselves as unable to exercise because of arthritis, said Julia Simard, a Harvard School of Public Health researcher who has studied rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes.
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See who's buying and who's selling at the St. Simons Island farmers market. 
