Aloha Ohana!

Here are a few low-cost, easy-to-implement ways to beat the heat this summer.

Hydrate regularly. Water is low-cost, abundant, and accessible. Water makes up about 60 percent of our body weight and is vital for almost every function in the body. Proper hydration can reduce fatigue and improve endurance.

Eat lighter. Eating salads, full of high-water-content fruits and vegetables, won’t tax and overheat your digestive system.

Change light bulbs. Long-lasting LED bulbs produce about 70 percent less heat than standard incandescent light bulbs.

Make a cold compress. Fill a cotton sock with rice, tie the sock with twine, and freeze it for two hours before bedtime. Then slide it between the sheets. The dense and starchy rice retains cold for a long period to help you sleep better.

Spice it up. The people of Mexico and India, two nations known for their sweltering climates, well know that eating hot stuff can help them stay cool. For example, chili peppers contain capsaicin, a chemical compound that can make you perspire, which is the body’s natural air-conditioning system.

Block the sun with curtains and shades. As much as 20 percent of summer heat enters your home as sunlight pouring through windows.

Create a frozen fan. It may be old tech but it works. Turn on and aim a simple house fan at a big bowl filled with ice. The cool air will circulate, lowering the room temperature to help keep you cool.

Get misty. To a cup of brewed and chilled green tea, add 2 tablespoons of strained cucumber juice, 1 tablespoon of aloe vera gel, and 1-2 drops of your favorite essential oil, like rose water or peppermint. Pour into a spray bottle, shake and store in the refrigerator. When you’re running hot, give yourself a cool, refreshing spritz.

To stay comfortable all summer long, simply remember your ABCs: Always Be Cool :)

Aloha Ohana!

Let’s Start School Smiling

It’s time for keiki physicals, dental check-ups, and cleanings. 

Ko’olauloa Health Center - Pediatric Dentistry
Call 808-293-9231 to schedule an appointment

Ko’olauloa Health Center
56-119 Pualalea Street
Kahuku, Hawaii
96731

Mahalo!

Aloha Ohana! Here are a few Summer Sunday Skin Care tips for you and your family.

So…How Much UV is Too Much?

Prolonged exposure to solar UV, or ultraviolet radiation, may result in acute and chronic health effects on the skin, eyes, and immune system. Though small amounts of UV are essential for the production of vitamin D, overexposure may result in acute and chronic health effects such as sunburn, the best-known acute effect of excessive UV radiation exposure.

However, over the longer term, UV radiation induces degenerative changes in cells of the skin, fibrous tissue, and blood vessels leading to premature skin aging, photodermatoses, and actinic keratoses. Another long-term effect is an inflammatory reaction of the eye, and in the most serious cases, skin cancer and cataracts can occur.

Top 10 Tips For Sun Protection

• UV rays are strongest and most harmful during midday, or 10am-4pm.

• Contrary to popular belief, clouds do not block UV rays, they only slightly filter them. You can get a sunburn even on an overcast day.

• Trees, umbrellas, or canopies do not offer complete sun protection, but they do offer some. Remember the shadow rule: “Watch your shadow – short shadow, seek shade!”

• Like it or not, but tanned skin is damaged skin, any change in color is an indication of UV damage.

• Use SPF 15+ liberally and re-apply every two hours, or after working, swimming, playing, or exercising outdoors.

• When buying clothing, keep an eye out for some articles that have been certified under international standards and come with information on UV protection.

• Remember though, a wet T-shirt offers far less UV protection than a dry one, and darker colors may offer more protection than lighter colors.

• Sunglasses protect your eyes from UV rays, which can lead to cataracts later in life.

• Encourage your children, of any age, to wear sunglasses as well!

• Before heading out for the day, check the UV Index to ensure that you pack the proper items to keep you protected all day.

Happy Aloha Friday ohana!

Don't forget to check out or CSA pick-up and produce sharing program at Koolauloa Health Center, Kahuku Clinic tomorrow between 12:30 pm ~ 1:30 pm.

Hope to see you there!

Happy Thursday everyone!

Here is a friendly reminder of the great CSA pick-up and produce sharing program at Koolauloa Health Center, Kahuku Clinic.

Join our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) for a direct connection to our farms and get a bag of fresh seasonal produce. You'll receive an assortment of seasonal fruits, roots, vegetables, and herbs from a collective of local farms that grow food in responsible and sustainable ways that is both good for you and the land, some of our farms are also certified organic. Pre-order our assorted produce bag, meat, & fish below.

Wishing you a wonderful time on this special day. Happy Fourth of July from all of us at KHC!

Aloha Ohana! Here is some great advice from our friends at Everyday Health for all of you on this Wellness Wednesday.

~

#bewell

#staywell

More good news! Hawaiʻi is expected to reach a 60% fully vaccinated rate by July 8. Because of that, we will be able to safely relax some of the travel and social restrictions currently in place. 

Beginning July 8, Hawaiʻi will accept vaccination records from other states and US territories to bypass quarantine/pre-travel testing. Social gatherings will increase to 25 indoors and 75 outdoors statewide. Restaurants can also increase to 75% capacity. 

Mahalo to everyone for doing their part to keep our community safe as we continue to begin resuming life “normally.”

Aloha Ohana!

Today is Child Tax Credit Awareness Day!

Here's what you should know and share this to spread the word:

The #ChildTaxCredit has been expanded this year to $3,000 per child 6-17 years old and $3,600 per child under 6. Most families will automatically start receiving this new credit through monthly payments.

Low-income families who don't normally file taxes can still get this benefit. They can sign up at childtaxcredit.gov.

This increased tax credit is currently only for this year. President Biden’s American Families Plan calls for extending this for more years to come.

Mahalo from the team at KHC.

Aloha Ohana!

Did you know about the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)? WIC is a federally funded program that provides Hawaii residents with nourishing supplemental foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding promotion, and health and social service referrals.

The participants of WIC are either pregnant, breastfeeding, or postpartum women, and infants and children under age five who meet income guidelines and have a medical or nutritional risk.

Click on the link below for more information or to apply:

https://health.hawaii.gov/wic/

#bewell

#staywell

Aloha Ohana! It’s “Mindful Monday” here at Ko’olauloa Health Center. Here are a few tips on seven things mindful families do differently.

Busy schedules, digital devices, long commutes—all of this leads to families who are disconnected from each other as never before. Here are 7 ways mindfulness can strengthen your relationships, increase your well-being, and bring the family back together.

As the world gets seemingly faster, it’s more important than ever to build the strength of presence within ourselves and in our families. Our culture is sensing this need and that is why we see an increasing amount of people in all sectors of life exploring ways to become more grounded through yoga, diet, and mindfulness. This yearning is making its way into our homes as many of us have searched for practices and experiences to slow down and bring more connection into our family life as well. 

7 Things Mindful Families Do Differently

1. Embrace Imperfection

2. Listen with Curiosity

3. Communicate Courageously

4. Practice Appreciation and Gratitude

5. Forgive Ourselves and Each Other

6. Practice Support and Generosity 

7. Don’t forget to play and have fun!

#bewell

#staywell

Happy Father’s Day from all of us at KHC!

This Father’s Day we were touched by a beautiful letter from a father to his two young daughters. Here are a few excerpts:

~~~~

Every year, I make time to reflect on the promises, lessons, and ideas that I want my two young daughters to learn when they’re older.

This Father’s Day I wrote a short letter encompassing many of those things that I look forward to sharing with my kids one day:

Always look for opportunities to grow as an individual, in both your personal and professional lives.

Beyond family, there are broader cultural forces that will continue to shape your lives and world views, and I’m increasingly seeing the positive, amplifying role they can play.

I hope you’ll join these conversations - not merely to participate, but to grow. Seek out diverse perspectives. Find ways to educate yourselves.

The conversation will always be just the start.

Starting a conversation makes a huge difference. But taking action is the standard, in part because there are fewer barriers today. It’s so much easier to discover and support causes you believe in.

Amplify your voices, share your stories and listen to other people’s stories, too.

Understand the power of using your voice and sharing your stories. Welcome the opportunities to speak on panels and sit in on listening sessions to better educate yourself and those around you.

Be an ally to the communities around you, but also to yourself.

Have deep ownership of your identity. Your passion, energy, and commitment will make you an ally to all communities around you. 

Don’t let your support for others overshadow the progress you want to make for your own community. Teach others, and yourselves, about the richness of your culture and history.

Find ways to proudly stand with- and stand up for - all in the broader Pacific Islander community. As with every dimension of your voice, the world will become a better place for hearing it.

Love always,

Dad

~~~~

Click the link below to view the full letter:

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/20/a-google-vps-fathers-day-letter-to-his-kids-lessons-to-learn-when-youre-older.html

Today reminds us of our incredible capacity to heal, hope, and emerge from our darkest moments with purpose and resolve. Happy Juneteenth from the entire staff at Ko'olaluloa Health Center.

Happy Aloha Friday everyone!

Here is a friendly reminder of the great CSA pick-up and produce sharing program at Koolauloa Health Center, Kahuku Clinic.

Join our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) for a direct connection to our farms and get a bag of fresh seasonal produce. You'll receive an assortment of seasonal fruits, roots, vegetables, and herbs from a collective of local farms that grow food in responsible and sustainable ways that is both good for you and the land, some of our farms are also certified organic.

Pre-order our assorted produce bag, meat, & fish below.

** New **

Each week we'll also email an updated produce list if you'd like to create a custom bag with items of your choosing.

Here's a list of produce we might rotate in depending on what's growing each week:

Lettuce, kale, baby lettuce mix, ong choy, bok choy, arugula swiss chard, collard greens, watercress, cabbage, carrots, beets, turnips, radish, daikon, olena, cilantro, parsley, green onion, basil, papaya, banana, seasonal lilikoi, mountain apple, citrus, tomato, green beans, peppers, eggplant, ulu, and kalo.

We pack 5-7 different items, usually, 1-3 items will be some kind of greens. Portions and the number of items vary due to farm prices, when there's abundance on our farms we like to share it with our CSA subscribers/members. $20 per bag.

We also offer farm & art goods add-ons (baked goods, eggs, poi, jams, greeting cards, etc.) to go along with your produce.

#bewell

#staywell

Great news from the Office of the Governor:

Don’t forget! Two new travel rules are now in effect. Starting today there are NO restrictions for inter-island travel (test or quarantine), whether you’ve been vaccinated or not. The second rule allows those who’ve been vaccinated in Hawaiʻi to use their vaccine card to bypass testing when traveling back from the mainland.

We’ll begin accepting vaccination cards from other states when we hit a 60% vaccination rate, which I hope will happen in late June or sometime in July. We’re currently at a 55% vaccination rate.

Cheers!

.

.

#bewell

#staywell

Aloha gang!

With the state entering Tier 4, school out, and summer in full swing, many of us are enjoying our island’s great outdoors, BBQs, and other ocean adventures. Here are healthy tips to Protect Your Skin from the Inside out:

• Science recommends 15 minutes of sunlight a day to provide a healthy dose of Vitamin D, but excess sun exposure can activate free radicals that can damage skin and stimulate aging.

• Wearing sunscreen daily and using other forms of sun protection such as clothing are essential, but you can also support your skin by eating certain foods for UV protection from the inside out.

• Wild salmon – Salmon contains a powerful antioxidant, astaxanthin, which helps to support the skin during sun exposure. Pacific Sockeye salmon contains an average of 10mg of astaxanthin per serving – which is an adequate dosage of astaxanthin for skin health.

• Tomatoes & Watermelon – Watermelon and tomatoes contain the antioxidant lycopene, which studies have shown to be helpful with protecting skin from sunburn when exposed to UV light.

• Carrots – This healthy snack staple may not only help prevent sun damage, but it might also even help reverse it due to the antioxidant beta-carotene found in carrots.

Have fun and be safe out there!

Happy King Kamehameha Day! Photo credit: Adrien Ace / Ka Leo O Hawai'i

Aloha! It’s Throwback Thursday here at Ko’olauloa Health Center. We wanted to share a wonderful article published by Honolulu Civil Beat late last year that highlighted how the Hawaiian Monarchy was ahead of its time when it came to addressing public health.

Here is an excerpt:

~~~~

What We Can Learn From Hawaii’s Past Pandemics

Hawaii’s monarchy was ahead of its time when it came to addressing public health.

On Jan. 20, 1881, a large crowd gathered in Honolulu Harbor to bid farewell to King David Kalakaua, who was leaving for a yearlong diplomacy tour around the world.

Less than a week after he left, in part to work on labor negotiations with other countries, a foreign ship entered Oahu’s bustling harbor carrying Chinese laborers sick with smallpox — a disease that 30 years prior had killed 10% of the Native Hawaiian population.

Before his departure, Kalakaua had appointed his sister, Princess Lili‘uokalani, to govern in his place. It was a huge responsibility for any ruler – let alone an acting ruler who had no way to communicate with the king.

The decisions Lili‘uokalani made to keep people safe – and the pushback she received from angry citizens and frustrated business owners who didn’t want to quarantine or close down business activity – should sound familiar to people living through the coronavirus pandemic today.

Hawaii’s long history of dealing with foreign diseases made the Hawaiian monarchy ahead of its time when it came to addressing health issues. And Hanohano is not the only teacher looking to the past for lessons on how to get through the coronavirus pandemic of 2020.

~~~~

View the entire article on Honolulu Civil Beat by clicking on the link below:

https://www.civilbeat.org/.../what-we-can-learn-from.../

#bewell

#staywell

Today all of us at KHC celebrate World Ocean Day!

Here are just a few of the gifts we all enjoy from our oceans:

The air we breathe: The ocean produces over half of the world's oxygen and absorbs 50 times more carbon dioxide than our atmosphere.

Climate regulation: Covering 70 percent of the Earth's surface, the ocean transports heat from the equator to the poles, regulating our climate and weather patterns.

Recreation: From fishing to boating to kayaking and whale watching the ocean provides us with many unique activities.

Economic benefits: The U.S. ocean economy produces $282 billion in goods and services and ocean-dependent businesses employ almost three million people.

Food: The ocean provides more than just seafood; ingredients from the sea are found in surprising foods such as peanut butter and soymilk.

Medicine: Many medicinal products come from the ocean, including ingredients that help fight cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, and heart disease.

Aloha Ohana - it’s Wellness Wednesday here at KHC.

Did you know that water keeps every system in your body functioning properly?

The Harvard Medical School Special Health Report 6-Week Plan for Healthy Eating notes that water has many important jobs, such as:

- Carrying nutrients and oxygen to your cells

- Flushing bacteria from your bladder

- Aiding digestion

- Preventing constipation

- Normalizing blood pressure

- Stabilizing your heartbeat

- Cushioning joints

- Protecting organs and tissues

- Regulating body temperature

- Maintaining electrolyte (sodium) balance

Giving your body enough fluids to carry out those tasks means that you're staying hydrated.

Cheers!