Your Pets Can Improve Your Family's Health

You know that exercise is good for you. It helps you maintain a healthy weight, manage stress, sleep better, and increase your energy level. The great thing is that activity does the same for your pets! Not only will exercise help them live longer, but an exercising animal is also more alert and more content. Some people believe that their pets misbehave to get even for being left alone; but in reality, the cause is usually boredom from lack of exercise. Many other behavior problems like chewing, digging, and barking go away once the animal starts getting regular activity. 

Some recent studies have shown a link between pet ownership and better health. A dog, for example, becomes a stimulus for exercise. Therefore, pet owners in these studies tended to have better cardiovascular fitness levels than people without pets. In addition, pets have been shown to reduce anxiety, be a source of physical contact and comfort, and decrease feelings of loneliness and depression. 

Exercising with your dog is a great time saver! Whether you like to run, walk, or play in the backyard with your pet, you can get your own workout at the same time. Although walking is probably the most common activity, there are other opportunities for exercise that you may not have thought of--hiking, backpacking, jogging, swimming, and rollerblading (be careful!) can all be done with pets in tow. Many sporting goods stores now carry items such as canine backpacks, hands-free leashes (to make jogging easier), and life vests to protect pets in the water. 

Working out with a buddy can be motivating and make exercise more enjoyable. So think about making a buddy out of your four-legged friend! Exercising with your dog is a great way to get the whole family involved in fitness. 

U.S. Health Officials Support Vaccinating Boys Against HPV

The sexually transmitted virus causes a range of cancers, including cervical, penile and oral malignancies.

U.S.health authorities on Tuesday recommended that young males be vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted virus that causes most cervical cancers, as well as anal cancer and some cancers of the throat and mouth.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday morning that its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has approved "recommendations for routine vaccination of males 11 or 12 years old with 3-doses of HPV4 (vaccine)" to shield against the virus.

The CDC added that vaccination of boys "will afford protection against certain HPV-related conditions and cancers in males, and vaccination of males with HPV may also provide indirect protection of women by reducing transmission of HPV."

An HPV vaccine has been available since 2006, but until now the CDC had only recommended inoculation for females between the ages of 9 and 26 to limit their risk of cervical cancer.
One expert agreed with the CDC panel that vaccinating boys should help prevent cancers in both genders.

"In a perfect world, immunization of all girls might be the most cost-effective way of preventing HPV disease in women," said Dr. Kenneth Bromberg, chairman of pediatrics and director of the VaccineResearch Center at The Brooklyn Hospital Center, New York City. "However, since we do not live in a perfect world, a very strong argument can be made for immunizing boys in order to prevent genital warts in males and the prevalence of HPV-related cancers in both boys and girls. The increasing awareness of the role HPV plays in other diseases, such as head and neck cancers and, possibly, heart disease, would be yet another reason to consider universal immunization."

Vaccination against HPV is pricey, with the three-shot series for the Gardasil vaccine typically costing about $390.

The vaccine has been controversial with some parents who contend it could encourage young women and men to engage in sexual relations at an early age.

HPV is widespread among men. An international study published in March in The Lancet found that half of all adult males in the United States may be infected with the virus.
More than 40 strains of HPV exist, and all are passed along by skin-to-skin contact, usually during sexual relations, according to the CDC.

The most well-known strain of HPV causes genital warts. But other strains show no obvious symptoms and clear up on their own with no medical treatment, Dr. Jean Bonhomme, an assistant professor at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, told HealthDay.

"Because it normally causes no symptoms, men and women can get it and pass it on without even knowing they have it," Bonhomme said.

Since the virus spreads through skin contact, normal protections that prevent the spread of disease through body fluids won't work, Bonhomme said.

"Diseases like herpes and HPV cannot be completely prevented by condoms because they are both spread by contact with skin," Bonhomme said. "If the virus comes into contact with the scrotum or thighs, you can still be infected."

Men don't have the screening tools for HPV-related cancers that are available to women. A Pap test can detect cervical cancer in women, Bonhomme said, but there's no comparable test for penile or anal cancer in men. As a result, many men don't realize they have these cancers until they begin showing late-stage symptoms.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the HPV vaccine Gardasil for use in women in 2006. Three years later, the FDA approved a second HPV vaccine, Cervarix. Vaccination is recommended for 11- and 12-year-old girls and for young women ages 13 through 26 who have not yet been vaccinated.

"The idea is to vaccinate before they become sexually active," said Debbie Saslow, director of breast and gynecologic cancer programs for the American Cancer Society. "Afterward, it's much less effective."

Saslow and Bonhomme, who is also president of the National Black Men's Health Network, said that beyond the direct health risks, there are other compelling reasons to extend HPV vaccinations to males.

For one thing, it would be simpler to vaccinate everyone than to have separate guidelines for boys and girls, Saslow said. There's also an argument for gender equity, in that only women are being vaccinated for a disease that affects both sexes, she added.

Another strong argument in favor of male HPV vaccination, Bonhomme said, is that by only immunizing half the population, health officials are not attacking the problem with full force.

"Where are women getting the virus from?" he asked. "If you don't vaccinate the guys, then you aren't helping the women."

HPV has been shown to increase a man's chances of contracting penile and anal cancer, particularly for gay males. Men who have sex with men are about 17 times more likely to develop anal cancer than straight men, according to the CDC.

About 1 percent of sexually active men in the United States have genital warts at any particular time, according to the CDC. Annually, about 800 U.S. men contract HPV-related penile cancer and about 1,100 men get HPV-related anal cancer.

"These are relatively rare cancers," said Saslow. "However, for men who have sex with other men, their risk is significantly higher than the general population."

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston reported Monday that HPV may increase a woman's chances for heart disease, even if she doesn't have any recognized cardiovascular risk factors.

More information
The U.S. National Institutes of Health has more on HPV.

The Family Breakfast

Maybe your older children have over-scheduled evenings. Maybe you or your spouse work second shift. Or maybe your toddler is especially cranky at dinnertime. For some reason, you just can't make family dinner work in your house. The experts say that sitting down and eating dinner together strengthens families, but there's no reason you can't strengthen your bond during the morning instead. 

Rather than reflecting on the day that has passed, use the family breakfast hour to talk about the funny dreams you had last night, discuss what you'd like to accomplish today, or figure out how many mini-pancakes you can stack before they fall. The point is to make it fun! Slow down and enjoy what life's all about--family. 

Don't forget to make that family breakfast a healthy one. Whole-grain pancakes or waffles, fresh fruit smoothies, and veggie omelets will keep your whole family humming all day long. 

Teach Your Kids to Love their Bodies

Your kids look up to you and emulate your own habits. That means that whatever lifestyle you live, whether you smoke, eat healthy, watch too much TV or even complain about your appearance, your kids will likely grow up doing the same. 

Body image is how a person sees herself in the mirror, or the image of herself in her own head. It deals with what she believes, remembers, assumes and feels about her appearance and body. Adults and children can have either positive or negative body images. A negative image is distorted, causing a child to feel ashamed, embarrassed, or self-conscious about how they look. These feelings can lead to more serious problems, such as depression, anxiety, isolation or even eating disorders. 

You can help your children enhance their own body image by starting with your own. Your children will see how you view your own body in a positive light and learn to do the same. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Stop picking yourself apart. Look at your body as a whole and appreciate all the positive attributes you have instead of focusing on the negative parts that you're unhappy with. 
  
  
• Consider the marvelous functions of your body. There are millions of microscopic functions that go on in our bodies every day, and you don't even have to think about them. They just happen! How much time are you spending each day worrying about your weight, your body shape, the size of your rear? Maybe you're supposed to be the first female president, but you'll never know because you're too busy obsessing about your abs! 
  
  
• Get real. Did you know that most of the images you see on television, movies and magazines aren't even real? A model for a magazine cover goes through hours of professional hair and make-up, top photographers, and professional lighting, and that's all before the chosen photo goes to a company where they remove stray hairs, wrinkles, blemishes and "extra" curves. Find real role models who emulate the qualities you desire. 
  
  
• Change your inner dialogue. Don't speak to yourself in a negative way if you wouldn't speak to your friends, mother, or children that way. Choose to believe that you are worth taking care of and that you have the right to be respected and treated with dignity. 
  
  
• Take care of your body. Diets, pills, quick-fixes, binging, not exercising, over-exercising--all these things disrespect one of the greatest gifts you have been given--your body! You only get one per lifetime, so give it the respect it deserves. You will not only feel better, but you'll be a more positive role model for your kids.