Your Health
Empty bottle
Bottled water is healthier than soda, but is less healthy than tap water in at least one respect: fluoride.
Researchers tested 105 samples of bottled water, and found only five met the government's recommended range of fluoride, 0.7 to 1.2 parts per million.
Fluoridated water, as found in most public water supplies, is crucial to strengthening teeth and preventing cavities.
The Academy of General Dentistry recommends that all water supplies - including bottled water - should contain fluoride.
Don't pick your poison
Poisonous plants are more common than you might realize.
Azaleas, rhododendrons, lilies-of-the-valley, amaryllis, foxglove and yews are a few of the garden-variety plants that can cause reactions ranging from skin rash to vomiting, diarrhea, damage to internal organs or even death.
The Illinois Poison Center recommends:
• Keep houseplants out of children's reach.
• Know the names of your plants, indoor and out, and the threats they pose.
• Teach children never to put any part of a mushroom, berry or plant into their mouths.
• Don't assume a plant is nontoxic because birds or squirrels eat it.
• Program the Illinois Poison Center number into your phone: (800) 222-1222.
Shots and checkups
Parents can get reduced- costs immunizations and dental exams at McHenry County's Health & Safety Fair.
Parents must bring their child's latest immunization record to get any shots.
A limited number of reduced-cost physical exams will be available by appointment only for families who have proof of income below the federal poverty level.
The fair will also feature more than 50 exhibits, games and prizes, including a rock-climbing wall, visits from costumed animal characters, and a chance to get free school supplies or win a bike.
The fair will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wed., Aug. 5 at McHenry County College, 8900 Northwest Highway, Crystal Lake.
The fair is open to everyone, but exams and shots are only for McHenry County residents. For exam appointments, call (815) 334-8987.
Hep A shots
Speaking of immunizations, health officials remind parents they should get hepatitis A protection for their children.
The rate of child immunizations for hepatitis A is increasing, almost doubling nationally from 26 percent in 2006 to 47 percent in 2007.
The increase was attributed to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in 2006 recommending immunization for all children in the United States - not just areas with high rates of the disease - and lowering its recommended age for the shot from two years to 12 to 23 months.
Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by ingesting even microscopic amounts of fecal matter in food or other sources.
In Illinois, the immunization rate more than tripled from 12 to 37 percent, while still lagging behind the rest of the country.