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Trouble in Toyland | Getting a Grip on Medical Terminology | Women and Heart Disease: More Common than You Think  |Community Calendar

Each holiday season, American parents spend hundreds of dollars on playthings for their children. Amid all the hustle and bustle of shopping, parents may forget to consider the safety or age appropriateness of the toys they select.The Maryland Public Interest Research Group (MaryPIRG) offers tips from experts about selecting safe toys. Chris Fick, field organizer for MaryPIRG, says parents should ask themselves four questions when choosing a toy:

• Does the toy have small parts that could pose a choking hazard?
• Does the toy make a very loud sound (greater than 85 decibels)?
• Does the toy have components that could cause strangulation (i.e., strings, cords or elastic bands)?
• Does the toy contain toxic or flammable chemicals?

Dolls, for example, frequently come with small accessories that can be swallowed by young children, who put everything in their mouths. Check sizes with a tissue paper roll tube. If the part fits in the tube, it's too small for children under 3 years of age.
Some toy trucks make realistic sounds that are so loud they can damage hearing. If it seems too loud to you, it's too loud for your child.

The popular water yo-yo has been linked to 400 strangulation-related injuries in the United States. This toy has been banned in France, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Skip this toy altogether. Children's play cosmetics, such as nail polish or glittery hair spray, may contain chemicals that are toxic if swallowed or could easily ignite. Read the label and avoid products that contain xylene and dibutyl phthalate, Chris says.

Internet shoppers also take heed. "Two-thirds of online toy sellers do not include warning labels with their Web descriptions," says Sinai Hospital pediatrician Oscar Taube, M.D. "Even if warning labels are included, there's nothing like handling a toy yourself to see if it's safe for your child."

The experts also recommend adding proper safety equipment (helmets and kneepads) to your shopping list when buying bikes and scooters. Also, keep toys meant for older children away from younger siblings.

A little vigilance will keep the holidays safe for everyone in your family. To view a list of potentially hazardous toys and to read the full report, "Trouble in Toyland," visit www.toysafety.net on the Internet.

Getting a Grip on Medical Terminology

You've worked at the hospital now for almost three years. You like your job as an administrative assistant, and you do it well. There's just one little problem: You're still tripping up on medical terms.

You thought with time, you'd master those awful words and abbreviations. After all, they're bandied about you all day, you never miss an episode of "ER," and you've glanced through a few copies of JAMA.

Sure, you've picked up a few words, but you're never quite sure if the word you want is prostrate or prostate. And what's the difference between polyuria, hematuria and dysuria? Does anyone really know what pneumococcus is?

Don't fret: Lots of health care workers are stymied by medical terms. That's why many have signed up for LifeBridge Health's 16-hour medical terminology course. Course instructor Sister Marie Seton Walsh, one of LifeBridge Health's community nurse educators, understands that medical terms can be extremely confusing.

"I started offering this course to help health care workers interact appropriately with doctors, nurses and visitors," says Sister Seton. Indeed, she adds, it can be embarrassing when an employee can't explain abbreviations like URI, UTI, CVA and MI. Using handouts, transparencies and reference books, Sister Seton demystifies medical terminology. And there is a lot to demystify.

There are prefixes and suffixes to master, singular and plural forms, root words for body parts and organs, bacteria, pharmacology, and, of course, ultrasound technology terms. More often than not, the words are not spelled the way they sound.

If this all sounds tedious, Sister Seton couldn't agree more. "But with time and practice, you'll absorb the material and be able to apply your knowledge." Still, be prepared to work hard: There are quizzes and written assignments in her class.

Medical terminology is a free class offered to all LifeBridge Health employees. For a schedule of classes and to register, call the Education Resource Center at 410-601-5270.

Test Your Medical Terminology Aptitude
What do you call an instrument you use to look into the human body?
What is the name of the lower arm bone?
What is another name for stroke?

The correct answers are: 1, scope; 2, radius; 3, brain attack.

Women and Heart Disease: More Common than You Think

Did you know that
more women die from heart disease than from breast cancer?

And while many women have detected lumps in their breasts, many other women found out entirely by accident that they had heart disease.
Bernie Rubin, M.D., chief of Cardiology at Northwest Hospital, explains: "Both women and their doctors can easily miss the signs of heart disease. First, the pain may not be typical anginal (chest) pain. Second, the tests do not always provide clear-cut proof of heart disease. False-positives are not uncommon among women." Dr. Rubin also notes that women have hormonal protection from heart disease at an early age, so doctors may not take heart symptoms seriously.

But there are psychosocial factors to consider as well. Traditionally, women have been the caregivers and nurturers in their families. So when a woman has chest pain, she is more likely to downplay it. There is also the perception that heart disease affects mostly men. The good news is, there appears to be a greater awareness among women about heart disease, especially in the postmenopausal years, when risk increases. In fact, Dr. Rubin says women typically present with chest pain 10 years later than men do. So if you are a woman between the ages of 50 and 60, you should be on high alert (although heart disease can strike at any age).

"Pay attention to your body!"

Dr. Rubin urges women and men to eat low fat, balanced meals, exercise, get your cholesterol checked and be vigilent about monitoring your blood pressure.

To get a listing of heart screenings, click on the Health Buzz at www.lifebridgehealth.org .