National Drug Facts Week

Shatter the Myths Now!

This week is National Drug Facts Week (January 28-February 3, 2012). Launched in 2010 by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to help teens dispel the myths they get from media sources, National Drug Facts Week looks to present what scientists have learned about drug abuse and addiction.

Teens are bombarded with conflicting information that may leave them confused about where to go for accurate information about drug abuse.  In the past year alone, 7.4% of teens reported abuse of prescription drugs and in just the past month, 22.6% of 12^th graders report using marijuana. It’s important to get teens the facts now!

There are so many ways you can participate and help NIDA “shatter the myths” about drug use for teens. First, visit the National Drug Facts Week website, where you will find videos, fact sheets, links and other tools to help teach and educate. Take the National Drug IQ Challenge, and find out how much you know about drugs and drug addiction. Be a social media partner and get the word out. Click here for Facebook statuses, tweets and pins to promote National Drug Fact Week via social media sources.  Finally, you can share the link to this blog post with friends. These are ways that everyone can easily get involved.

re:TH!NK Winnebago has additional resource links, which you can access by clicking here.   Educate yourself about drug abuse today and you can help shatter the myths!

Contributed by guest blogger Kim Hageman

http://www.survivingoshkosh.com

http://www.facebook.com/SurvivingOshkosh

Soda and Sugary Drinks Lead to Dangerous and Life-Threatening Disease

In direct opposition to its reputation as a slice of good ol’ American fun, soda and sugary drinks provide both adults and children with a large list of very serious and life-threatening health problems.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, (CSPI), has presented a list of "Soda Facts 101" on their website, in conjunction with a very eye opening video about the real health risks attributed to the consumption of these types of beverages. Click here to learn more and see this important video:

http://www.cspinet.org/

Sugary drinks are the single-largest source of calories in the American diet. Those calories equal 38 pounds of sugar and are devoid of nutrition. Drinking just one or two of these beverages a day increases your risk for Type 2 Diabetes by 25%. Each sugary drink consumed per day increases a child’s risk of obesity by about 60%. Diabetes increases an individual’s possibility for amputations and erectile dysfunction. Obesity increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and many other health problems. These dangers can be easily avoided by eliminating these drinks from our diets. This is a very easy way to greatly reduce the risk of many of these dangerous and chronic illnesses.

Big soda would have us think differently. Our children see soda commercials and logos everywhere. They are on clothing, stuffed animals and featured as advertisers during children and youth television programs. By making the choice away from sugary drinks, we ultimately help our children avoid the awful outcomes of these diseases.

Locally, re:THINK Winnebago is active promoting health lifestyles and nutrition. Check out their EatSmart resources for dining out:

http://www.rethinkwinnebago.org/nutrition_initiatives.html

contributed by guest blogger Kim Hageman

http://www.survivingoshkosh.com/　

http://www.facebook.com/SurvivingOshkosh　

　

Doctors Prescribe Fruits and Vegetables to Encourage Healthier Eating

In a remarkable new program, Unity Healthcare and Community Non-Profits in Washington, D.C. is giving 35 families "prescriptions" for $60 a week in fruits and vegetables from local farmers markets. According to Mirna Valdez of Unity Healthcare, this will help patients understand the importance of a healthy diet.　 　

"It makes them feel like, they think medicine is important for their health, but also the vegetables", says Valdez.　

By honoring the prescription at 5 different farmers markets throughout the city, patients are also being exposed to the wide variety of produce that is available. For Janet Lopez, an eighteen year-old mother of two, she is already feeling the impact. She says, "I feel healthier because I’m eating stuff that I need and I should be eating".

To read the larger article and see the NBC Latino report, go to this link:

http://nbclatino.com/2012/07/31/doctors-prescribe-fruits-and-vegetables-literally-to-encourage-healthy-eating/

To see some of the healthy food initiatives in Winnebago County, click on the link here:

http://www.rethinkwinnebago.org/nutrition_initiatives.html.

MARC!

Partnerships work! Re:THINK, a program of the Winnebago County Health Department recently teamed up with the Oshkosh Area School District on a special project. MARC (Make A Right Choice) is an 8 foot tall kiosk installed with a video monitor, which will play Public Service Announcements and other important informational media. Beginning with topics such as the dangers of binge drinking, MARC will be seen in public places such as festivals, pools, parks and events. Shaped like a giant red exclamation point, you can be sure this will be a noticeable tool to help our community promote the importance of being healthy and substance free.

We thank the Oshkosh Area School District Woodworking Department for all of their energy and expertise in developing MARC! 

Synthetic Drugs Banned With New Federal Law

Have you heard the words “K2”, “Spice” and “Bath Salts” in recent news broadcasts and wondered what they were? These are names for dangerous synthetic drugs that have been sold over the counter in stores across the country. Poison Centers reported severe side effects from using these synthetic substances to include: increased blood pressure and heart rate, agitation, hallucinations, extreme paranoia and delusions, suicidal thoughts, combative/violent behavior and death or serious injury.

On July 11, 2012, President Obama signed the Synthetic Drug Abuse Prevention Act of 2012 into law. This places these synthetic compounds under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act and will serve as a valuable tool in keeping these substances off the shelves. Although this law will have an impact on the sales of these drugs nationwide, Federal agencies will have to continue to update the list of banned substances, as new synthetic compounds emerge.

We are fortunate that our state and community was way ahead of the game! In February 2011, an ordinance was passed banning the sale of K2 in our local area. One year ago, in July 2011, our state passed a law to ban these synthetic drugs. As a community we need to remain watchful, as there will be new types of synthetics coming, and diligent, to make sure the new substances are banned. You can read more about these issues here: http://rethinkwinnebago.blogspot.com/2012/06/emerging-drug-threats-right-under-our.html.

We all need to get involved! re:THINK ,Winnebago's Healthy Living Partnership, has a Substance Prevention Committee that is open to anyone ready to join and welcomes new members. The next scheduled meeting is Thursday, September 20th, 1-3PM at the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office. You can also check out the re:THINK website for other ways to take action: http://www.rethinkwinnebago.org/take_action.html. Help push drugs out of our community now!

Kim Hageman
http://www.survivingoshkosh.com/
http://www.facebook.com/SurvivingOshkosh