Page 29 - Florida Sentinel 12-18-15 Edition

Health
Ten Tips For A Healthy Holiday Heart
Is Your Christmas Tree Making You Sick?
People buy fake Christmas trees for all sorts of rea- sons. But are you just as safe with an artifi- cial tree as you are with a real- life tree?
The American Christmas Tree Association says that PVC is “not harmful” or “dangerous.” But many experts disagree. That’s in part because PVC is a fire-resis- tant compound that can use met- als like lead, tin, or barium as stabilizers. In some cases, PVC may also contain phthalates - recognized endocrine disrupting chemicals shown to lower testos- terone.
And then don’t hold onto it forever. PVC plastic begins to weaken after 9 years. So replace your tree before thens. Look for PVC-free trees made from poly- ethylene, a stronger plastic con- sidered safer and not known to leach harmful chemicals.
And no matter your tree, dou- ble-check your lights. A report from Cornell found detectable levels of lead in Christmas tree light cords that exceed the limits set by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency and the De- partment of Housing and Urban Development. Children should not handle lights, and anyone who does should wash their hands immediately afterward.
Be Careful With This Year’s Gift Craze
You’ve probably seen some celebrities or even your neighbors down the street using one of the most anticipated toys of the Christmas season: the two-wheeler “hoverboard” as many call them. But be- fore you play Santa and go out to get one of these for your loved ones, beware. They are causing a lot of injuries, accidents and even blowing up into flames while people are riding them.
Patty Davis, a spokeswoman for the
U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commis-
sion (CPSC), says injuries have become increasingly common. The in- juries treated in emergency rooms include fractures, strains, sprains, contusions, lacerations, and head injury, she says.
Multiple accounts of the devices catching fire and blowing up have been reported around the country, too. The country’s three largest airlines — Delta, United and American — said they would no longer allow them on planes because they pose a fire hazard.
But what is actually causing all these fires? Plugged in or not, the big problem has to do with the quality of the rechargeable lithium- ion batteries inside these things. They’re almost always tucked in one of the foot rests, and they work the same way as the lithium-ion bat- teries in our smartphones, tablets, and laptops. But, they’re just a lot more prone to defects.
Jay Whitacre, Professor of Materials Science & Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, says that the problem doesn’t have to do with these self-balancing scooters themselves, but with the quality of the batteries being used. They’re cheap, and cool to look at when someone is riding them. There are a whole bunch of cheap batteires, but they’re made from cheap components. It’s not just the nature of a cheap battery; it’s the nature of any lithium-ion battery. And when one of these batteries punctures, they catch fire and explode.
Davis says the safety commission is looking at the entire line of hoverboard products because there aren’t any standards for these products.”
Cindy Osborn, a clinical dietitian with the Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute, offers these tips for staying heart healthy during the holi- days:
1. Don’t try to diet to lose weight during the holidays. Rather, set a goal of maintain- ing weight.
2. Make the celebration last one day and eat whatever you want; then go back to your heart-healthy eating plan the next day.
3. Avoid “saving calories” by skipping meals prior to an evening event so you are not tempted to overeat due to hunger.
4. At a party, try new foods rather than going for the chips and dips. If we try new items, we tend to eat smaller portions.
5. Prior to attending a party, have a snack high in protein
such as yogurt, string cheese, cottage cheese, chicken or even a tablespoon of peanut butter.
6. Remember turkey is a good choice—it’s very lean. Eggnog and alcohol, on the other hand, have lots of calories.
7. Stand away from the buf- fet table. Fill your plate once and step away rather than hang- ing around and being tempted to nibble.
8. Take a toothbrush with you. Brush your teeth and then keep a calorie-free beverage in your hand to sip on.
9. Eat slowly and engage in conversation to help control portions consumed at meals. It takes your brain about 20 min- utes to get the signal that it’s full.
10. If you take something to the party, modify it to make it low-fat so there is at least one item that is safe for you to eat.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 17-B