Is 2012 your year to quit tobacco use? The risks of tobacco use and the benefits of quitting are well known. Tobacco use can harm almost every organ in the body, but once you quit the body starts to recover. Quitting is difficult, and smokers often have to try multiple times before they succeed for good. The State of North Carolina and other organizations currently have some helpful resources available for people who are ready to quit. Click to read more about these resources!
The most recent potential location for natural gas drilling may be right here in Chatham County. Click to read more!
It’s that time of year! Critics are compiling their “best of the year” lists, and we thought we’d join in the fun. Below is a list of the three most viewed or favorite posts from the past year on the Chatham County Public Health Department blog. Click to read more!
Posted in General
There has been a lot of mixed press about white potatoes lately. Congress recently debated limiting the amount of starchy vegetables, including potatoes, allowed in school lunches. Studies have also been published linking potato consumption to adult weight gain. On the other hand, you can find plenty of organizations and individuals who consider the potato a healthy part of a balanced diet. We thought it would be good to sort through the pro’s and con’s of the white potato and figure out what place it has on our plates. (Note: Sweet potatoes are a different kind of vegetable and the information presented here does not apply to them. For nutritional information about sweet potatoes, see http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/?page_id=219) Click to read more!
Posted in General
Newborn babies don’t talk much. Or do much. It doesn’t even look like they think about much. But, nothing could be further from the truth! In fact, babies’ brains are constantly making connections and coming to understandings about the world around them and how it works. During the first year of life, babies learn one of their most important lessons—one expert in child development labeled this lesson “trust vs. mistrust”. What babies experience early on completely shapes the way they view the world during the rest of their lives. They learn that they can trust the people around them (that the world is fundamentally good), or they learn that they cannot rely on others to help and comfort them (that the world is fundamentally bad). Click to read more!