Health & Medicine

Lip Smart By now, most people know to protect their skin from the sun's damaging rays. But do you know how to protect and care for your lips? Take this quiz to determine how "lip smart" you are.

1. Other than skin cancer, what effects can sun overexposure have on lips?

A. Lips' collagen can be altered.

B. Cold sores will dry up and disappear.

C. Lips may become very tan.

D. None of the above

Answer: A--The collagen, which gives lips body and resilience, can be altered over time. Fine lines and wrinkles can develop as well. In some cases, it can take more than 15 years to see the cumulative effects of overexposure.

2. Sun protection is only important on sunny summer days.

A. True

B. False

Answer: B--It's important to protectyourself from the sun at all times. While the level of cancer-causing UVB rays is higher in warmer months, the level of harmful UVA rays is relatively constant throughout the year. Clouds do not fully shield dangerous UVB rays and snow does not absorb the sun's rays. In fact, snow reflects them by as much as 90%.

3. Cold sores or fever blisters are caused by Herpes Simplex I, a virus present in many adults. Which of the following is not known to trigger an outbreak?

A. Lip balm

B. Colds or fevers

C. Sunburn

D. Stress or emotional discomfort

Answer: A--Assuming there is no individualized allergic reaction to a particular ingredient in lip balm, wearing it will not cause cold sores to break out. It can actually help prevent an outbreak by keeping lips conditioned and protected from the sun.

Planning for the future

Every 10 years for the past three decades, more than 600 state agencies and national organizations collaborate in an effort known as the Healthy People Initiative. Coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and inspired by a 1979 U.S. Surgeon General's report, the project outlines national health objectives to be achieved over a 10-year period.

During the national consortium meeting (Healthy People 2010) held at the Capital Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. on November 12-13, 1998, Surgeon General David Satcher expressed the need to predetermine new national health improvement goals for the first decade of the new millennium.

"This effort may seem abstract until you realize how far we have come in this decade alone," Satcher said. "Fewer adults smoke or suffer related diseases, more babies were born healthy and more women survived breast cancer because they received mammograms earlier."

According to Satcher, current information and teamwork are the basis for producing advancements within the health field. "Building public-private partnerships is the foundation of Healthy People's success," he said. "We will enter the new millennium working together as a team. Through disease prevention, we can improve the health of all Americans."

Organizations such as the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) contributed their suggestions and research data to help develop and support specific objectives for a healthier tomorrow. "We have been an international organization for fitness education since 1983 and want our knowledge to reach not only the private but also the public and governmental sectors," said Laura Gladwin, Chair, AFAA Board of Certification and Training and organization representative at the Healthy People 2010 consortium.

Increasing the quality and duration of healthy life and eliminating health disparities are the two objectives guiding the current initiative. More than 500 objectives have already been proposed by different organizations.

Critical challenges needing special attention lie in six areas outlined by Satcher:

* Ensuring every child gets a healthy start

* Promoting personal responsibility for healthy lifestyles and behaviors

* Eliminating racial disparities in health status, health care access and quality

* Improving mental health treatment, prevention and outcomes

* Increasing awareness of and attention to global health

* Coordinating national response to emerging infectious diseases

Groundbreaking research and extensive public awareness campaigns are the result of scientific knowledge gained through the Healthy People 2000 initiative. Two-thirds of the Healthy People 2000 objectives have been met and all states currently utilize the national health objectives to guide their health programs and agencies.

A final collaborative document will be issued in January, 2000. It will be a coalition of data gathered from regional, state and national organizations outlining objectives for disease prevention and health improvements.

To learn more about the Healthy People Initiative or comment on possible objectives, visit their Web site at www.health.gov/healthypeople. -- Jennifer X. Hernandez

Naturopathy: An Emerging Profession for a New Health Age

In the medical domain, licensure equals respect. Nobody has learned that lesson better than naturopathic physicians. Their push for state licensure has been complicated by the differences in level of training.