Good Health Tips For Your Family

Good Health Tips For Your Family
1. Go to the doctor or health professional every year for acheck-up.• Write down your questions before you go. Or, have someone elsewrite them down as you say them.• Tell your doctor about any health problems you have.• Tell the doctor what medicines you take.• Tell the doctor if you take supplements like vitamins and mineralsor if you take herbal products.• Ask questions. Make sure you understand what the doctor tellsyou.• Take a trusted friend or family member with you if you need to.

2.Find out how to stay healthy and safe.• Practice good health habits like washing hands before eating orpreparing food.• Cook foods long enough and to the proper temperature.• Stop unhealthy habits like smoking and chewing tobacco. Peoplearound you can get sick from the smoke too.• Use safety items to protect children. These include car seats,electrical plug covers, and gates in front of stairs.• Brush teeth at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and flossevery day.• See your dentist for regular check-ups.

3. Make a list of immunizations (shots), sicknesses andsurgeries. Do this for you and others in your family.• Take the list when you go to your doctor or health professional.• Ask what tests or shots you and your family need.

4. Read together.• Reading is fun and good for you.• You and your children can learn more about good health.5. Prepare/Fix healthy foods for you and your family.• Eat whole-grain breads and cereals (whole wheat, oatmeal).• Eat

5 to 9 servings of vegetables and fruits every day.• Eat or drink plenty of foods with calcium, like milk, cheese, oryogurt.• Limit foods with high fat and cholesterol.• Limit foods with a lot of sugar or salt.• Eat more healthy snacks like fruit. Eat less junk food like chips.

6. Get to a healthy weight and stay there.• You can do this by watching what you eat and how much you eat.• Get some exercise every day.• Going for a fast walk for 30 minutes is a good start. Do this mostdays of the week.Exercise helps you feel better and helps to keep you from gettingheart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

7. Talk with your children about risky behaviors.• You can protect yourself from most sexually transmitted diseases(STDs) by not having sex (oral, anal or vaginal).• Using drugs and alcohol increases the chance of risky sexualbehaviors.• If you do have sex, use condoms. Unprotected sex can lead toHIV, other STDs (sexually transmitted disease), and unwantedpregnancies.• Using dirty needles (for drugs, tattoos, body piercing) can causeHIV and hepatitis.• Set a good example for children by modeling healthy behavior.• Telling children the facts about risky behaviors can help them dealwith “peer pressure”.• Learn to be a good listener.

8. What to do before you become pregnant:• Get a check-up with your doctor. Medical conditions likediabetes, high blood pressure, and epilepsy need to be undercontrol before you get pregnant.• Eat healthy foods. Take a multi-vitamin with folic acid.• If you smoke or drink, quit.• Get prenatal care as soon as you think you are pregnant.

9. If you use well water for drinking, have it tested to besure it’s safe. Call your county health department tofind out about testing.

10. Keep from getting mosquito bites.• Cover your body with clothing as much as possible.• Use mosquito repellent with DEET.• Don’t go outside after the sun sets and before the sun rises unlessyou cover up or use repellent.• Empty everything in your yard that has standing water.

11. Your mental health is important, too.• If you are feeling “down” more than you think you should be, youmay have depression.• Your doctor or health professional can help with depression andother mental health conditions. Ask for help.

12. Find out where to get help when you need it.• Your doctor or health professional• Your county health department• Community mental health centers• Schools and libraries• Faith organizations• Look in the phone book or on the Internet