Health briefs
By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Health Writer
'Nine a day' recommended
Just when you got used to the "five a day" campaign urging people to eat a minimum of five fruits and vegetables for a healthy diet, the National Cancer Institute has a new goal, urging men to do more and "shoot for nine."
A recent national survey conducted for the institute found that only 3 percent of men know they should eat nine servings of fruits and veggies each day.
In a new campaign, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the NCI, which serves as the department's lead agency for cancer research, push for the increased fruit and vegetable eating as a way to reduce the risk of a number of diseases including many cancers, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
Sponsors say men develop chronic disease earlier in life and have higher death rates than women. For more information, call (800) 422-6237.
Students asked to get shots
State health officials are asking Hawai'i sixth- graders to update their shot records before summer vacation so they meet immunization requirements to start seventh grade.
To encourage children to complete their seventh-grade student immunization record (or yellow cards) before the last day of class, some schools are offering prizes from local merchants, including Hawaiian Island Creations and Subway Restaurants.
Hawai'i law requires all students entering seventh grade to have the following vaccinations: three Hepatitis B; two MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) and at least one Varicella (chickenpox).
The Department of Health is launching a public service campaign on radio and television, encouraging parents to contact their child's doctor as soon as possible to get the necessary immunizations and documentation. Parents of children who do not have a doctor should call 211 on all islands.
For more information on school immunization requirements, visit www.vaxtoschool.com or call the Hawai'i Immunization Branch at 586-8323. Neighbor Islands can call toll free at (800) 933-4832.
Liver disease seminar slated
A free seminar on liver disease will be held Saturday at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa campus to increase awareness of research, treatment and natural healing approaches.
The program is co-sponsored by the Department of Complementary and Alternative Medicine of the John A. Burns School of Medicine and Master Hong Liu of the Qi Gong Natural Healing Science Foundation. Sponsors say the seminar will address liver disease from natural, complementary and alternative healing perspectives.
Register by tomorrow at 956-2904. The program runs from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
An estimated 1.4 million people suffer from liver disease in the United States. Liver disease is ranked 12th in causes of death and liver cancer is the third most common form of cancer. There is a high incidence of liver disease in Asians and Pacific Islanders.
Sponsors said Western medicine does not have an effective treatment model for liver disease, while Eastern methods claim to have an effect within a relatively short period of time. The focus of this seminar will be on the common forms, Hepatitis B and C, which are most likely to develop into cirrhosis, cancer or spread to other internal organs.
