Most people know that the kidneys are important body organs, vital to maintaining an individual’s health by removing waste products and excess fluids from the body. However, many may not understand the full importance of having functioning kidneys and the diminished quality of life those suffering from kidney disease experience.

The critical regulation of the body’s potassium, acid and salt content is performed by the kidneys and the kidneys remove waste products and excess fluid through the urine. This process involves complex steps of excretion and re-absorption to maintain a stable balance of the body’s chemicals. The kidneys also produce hormones that affect the functioning of other body organs including one that stimulates red blood cell production. Other hormones produced in the kidneys assist in the regulation of blood pressure and control calcium metabolism.

Broward County Health Department, the Broward County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc. and Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church will present their annual Health Conference with a focus on issues for the entire family. The conference is scheduled for Saturday, March 29, 2008 from 8:00am to 2:00pm at the church which is located at 816 NW 1st Avenue in Hallandale.

Special guest lecturer is Anita L. Petteway-Tyler, M.D. from North Miami Beach. An Internist in private practice, Dr. Petteway-Tyler will speak on heart disease and the effect that it has on people of color. She is a graduate of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) and The University of Maryland School of Medicine.

The conference will be presented in an entertaining and informative atmosphere and will feature presentations on women's and men's health, teen health, nutrition updates and breakout sessions on family matters. Free breakfast and lunch, giveaways and health screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar (diabetes) will also be available.

Aging is one of those things that strikes fear into the hearts of women of all ethnicities. The prevalence and availability of botox and restylane injections for women concerned with fine lines and wrinkles they fear age them reflects many women’s growing worries. Even women in their early twenties worry about prolonging a youthful appearance nowadays!

There are many contributing factors to the aging process including diet, exercise, lifestyle, sun-exposure and genetics. Two of the worst contributing factors to skin damage are the sun and smoking. Smoking produces free radicals which are defined as formerly healthy oxygen molecules now overactive and unstable. Smokers age themselves a great deal with this negative lifestyle choice.

Ninety percent of people with lupus are women. Lupus is more prevalent in African American, Caribbean, Latino, Native American and Asian communities. It is three times more common in African American women than in Caucasian women. Lupus is also more prevalent than AIDS, sickle-cell anemia, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and cystic fibrosis combined. Despite these facts, the disease is not as well recognized by the public compared to cancer or diabetes. Lupus is not infectious (it cannot be transmitted) or cancerous.

What is lupus? Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease, which causes inflammation of various parts of the body, especially the skin, joints, blood and kidneys. The immune system normally protects the body against viruses, bacteria and other foreign materials. In lupus, the immune system loses its ability to tell the difference between foreign substances and its own cells and tissues. The immune system then makes antibodies directed against itself. These antibodies cause inflammation, pain and damage in various parts of the body.

As if consumers didn’t have enough problems choosing meats and poultry for their families with the steroids, hormones, antibiotic and other chemically enhanced animal products, there is about to be a new addition to the mix – cloned animal products.

This may soon be a reality since the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has declared that meats, milk and other products from cloned animals are as safe to consume as products from conventional animals. The answer might be in how much faith people have in the FDA and how willing people are to embrace the new addition.

The Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology released a poll in December which showed 64 percent of the people surveyed expressing discomfort with eating cloned animal products as opposed to the 22 percent who had no issues with it. Additionally there are ethical and religious issues concerning cloning.

But, while the FDA can put a stamp on it and call it good, there are people who are going to want to have their regular meats (whether the hormones kind, or the organic variety) and not the cloned ones. The problem with that is that meats and other animal products from cloned animals will NOT be labeled. In that case, some people might want to consider becoming vegetarians!