Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Health Tips for December 19

Health Tip: Living With Lactose Intolerance

Lactose intolerance makes it difficult for someone to digest a type of sugar found in milk and other dairy products.

Here are suggestions, courtesy of the Nemours Foundation, to help a child who is lactose-intolerant:

* Try consuming dairy products in moderation.
* Try cheese and yogurt, which may be easier for lactose-intolerant children to digest than milk.
* Try lactose-free or lactose-reduced milk.
* Try a lactose enzyme supplement before eating dairy products, to help the body digest lactose.
* Try eating dairy products along with non-dairy foods, which may help ease digestion.
* Try getting extra calcium in the form of calcium-fortified juices, broccoli, beans, tofu and soy milk.

Health Tip: Athletes Should Wear a Mouth Guard

As vital as a helmet is to protecting an athlete's head, a mouth guard can help defend against injury to the mouth and teeth.

The California Dental Association offers these additional reasons for why mouth guards are important:

* Injuries to the mouth are very common in both contact sports (basketball, football, hockey) and non-contact sports (baseball, biking and skateboarding).
* Mouth guards help prevent injuries such as fractured jaw, broken teeth, damage to roots and nerves of the teeth, and serious cuts to the cheek and tongue.
* Mouth guards help provide a cushion for the mouth, jaw and teeth.

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