Health
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How Local Emergency Services Are Responding to Firefighter Suicide Rates
More firefighters are dying of suicide than in the line of duty, according to the National Fire Protection Association. What Are The Numbers? In 2018, 64 firefighters died doing their job while 82 died of suicide. The Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance believes that only 40 percent of firefighter suicides…
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How And Why To Create Safe Caffeine Practices Starting in Adolescence
Abusing caffeine can have adverse effects on sleep and lifestyle habits, especially when adopted during adolescence, the years between puberty and adulthood. Early consumption of caffeine is also linked with other substance abuse in later years, according to Juli Bierwirth, a food safety consultant with a master’s degree in nutrition…
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How to Beat the Daylight Saving Time Change Blues
Daylight saving time has just ended and, like many Americans, you may have used that extra hour to sleep longer. While this may help you feel more productive and alert Sunday morning, research shows that the end of daylight saving time can negatively affect your mental health between November and…
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Community Raises More Than $4,000 for Commerce Girl Battling Illness
Karis Gardner, a 2-year-old from Commerce, Georgia, is receiving dialysis treatments at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Back at home in Jackson County, her community is rallying around her. The usually lively, sassy girl was diagnosed with E. coli, a bacterial infection, and Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), a potentially fatal complication…
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National Drug Take Back Day Addresses Vaping Crisis With Local Collections
The Drug Enforcement Administration has been combatting the misuse of controlled prescription drugs with National Drug Take Back Day since 2009, but this year’s collection day is particularly notable. For the first time ever, collection sites are accepting e-cigarettes and vaping devices for disposal in addition to unused medications, according…
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Experts: Americans Only Getting Half Dietary Fiber They Need
Some doctors, nutritionists and dietitians are calling for an increase in dietary fiber intake to help restore diversity in the gut, which is generally lacking in Western diets. Katherine Harmon Courage, the author of “Cultured: How Ancient Foods Can Feed Our Microbiome,” spoke at the AJC Decatur Book Festival on…
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Eating Insects: Entomophagy and the Future of Sustainable Food Consumption
Have you ever eaten a cricket? Mealworm? Grasshopper? What about ants? Several experts in the field of entomophagy sat down with me to discuss what kind of nutrients people can get from eating insects and whether or not this is something that could be sustainable with an exponentially growing world…
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Northeast Georgia Plans Responses To Mental Health on Oct. 6
Mental health affects one in five adults in the U.S., according to The National Institute of Mental Health. If these statistics are concerning, know that Northeast Georgia is recognizing this problem by holding candlelight vigils across the area on Oct. 6. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services…
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Georgia Expecting 27 Percent Increase in Alzheimer’s Disease Cases in Next 6 Years
Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive illness that causes problems with memory, thinking, and behavior is America’s sixth-leading cause of death. The Alzheimer’s Association says the number of Georgia cases is expected to rise from 150,000 to 190,000 by 2025. The Numbers This increase is due to the number of Americans over…
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Prescription Forgery Increasing in Northeast Georgia
Throughout Northeast Georgia, fraudulent prescriptions are becoming more common. Local pharmacies, including Walmart, Kroger, CVS and Buy-Wise have all reported individuals attempting to obtain medicine and drugs without authentic prescriptions. On Sept. 9, the Walmart pharmacy in Oconee County received one of these fraudulent prescriptions. An individual was attempting to…