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Prevention and awareness are key essentials in maintaining our physical bodies. Many resources may be found here including: statistics, demographics, and basic health regulations to assist you in a lifelong journey of whole health focusing on the first component of wholeness, the body. The health and faith resources found on this site combined can bring balance between our body, soul (mind, will and emotions) and spirit. Learn more about the continuum of care in whole health while increasing your faith, utilizing wisdom, and bringing wholeness to your overall being, body, soul and spirit.
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Wondering how you can be more health conscious and are unsure where to start? You can check the National Health Observances calendar and see how you and your congregation celebrate health and honor those you love by making them aware of resources and agencies that provide support and materials to help you succeed!
Focus on health observances throughout the year.
Timely Topics:
Here's how to fight the "flu"...
Use this guide to discover the most common causes of the most common symptoms for your illnesses...
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Cystic Fibrosis
Description: A progressive, chronic, and eventually fatal lung disease caused by a recessive genetic defect that causes mucus in the lungs to be very thick, leading to recurrent infections and lung destruction.
Incidence: Most common deadly genetic disease (one in 2000 births among Anglo-Americans)
Prevalence: Mainly diagnosed in infants, children, and young adults; males more than females; seen less in African-Americans, Asians, and Native Americans than Anglo-Americans
Signs and symptoms:
- Wheezing
- Chronic cough
- Cyanosis
- Barrel chest
- Failure to thrive
- Clubbing of fingers
- Pale skin
- Recurrent respiratory infections
- Struggling to breathe
Risk factors: Family history
Usual Treatment:
- Medications
- Care by an experienced interdisciplinary team
- Respiratory therapy
- Oxygen when needed
- Regular exercise
- Healthy diet high in protein and calories
Usual course: Chronic and progressive; there is no cure. Treatment is aimed at thinning the lung secretions and preventing and treating infection. Death most often occurs in childhood, though patients are living longer because of the newer, more potent antibiotics.
Spiritual Considerations:
- A most difficult diagnosis for children and families to hear—offer continual support.
- Be aware that parents may lose more than one child to cystic fibrosis since it is genetic in nature.
- The end result of this disease is a difficult death related to respiratory failure or complications preceded by months or years of medical treatment; strengthen social and spiritual support network; develop a long-term plan
- Help patients and families feel less isolated by making regular home visits if church attendance is not possible.
- Educate youth in the congregation about the disease and encourage them to give support to the child who suffers from this disease and “feels different” from everyone else.
Suggested scriptures: Psalms 34:18; Psalms 40: 16—17
Resources:
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
6931 Arlington Road, Suite 2000
Bethesda, MD 20814
1-800-344-4823
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Faith, hope, and love coupled with wisdom assists the believer in achieving health harmony in the soul (mind, will, and emotions) and spirit. Strengthen your inner man's soul and spirit by the associated articles, resources, and inspiration in our faith section. May the Lord prosper you with whole health. Learn more about the continuum of care in whole health while increasing your faith, utilizing wisdom, and bringing wholeness to your overall being, body, soul and spirit.
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We welcome collaboration with any professional health care agencies, as well as, church leaders. Also, if you are interested in linking, contributing or assisting Congregational Health ReSource with content, please contact us.
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