You can receive Featurettes by e-mail daily, weekly or monthly by request. We can e-mail by your choice of topic or all stories as you may prefer. To make it even more convenient for editors to use our stories, NAPS has added an RSS syndication feed to our Web site. Simply hit the RSS button on our site for automated updates on available content. Please contact us to arrange to receive Featurettes in the format that works best for you at (800) 222-5551 or e-mail your request to us at printmedia@napsnet.com. We can provide Featurettes on CD-ROM or you can download it online at www.napsnet.com. Gary Lipton Media Relations Manager Phone: 1-(800)-222-5551 Fax: 1-(800)-990-4329 Web site: www. napsnet .com e-mail: printmedia@napsnet.com #2531 North American Precis Syndicate, Inc., 350 Fifth Avenue, 65th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10118-0110 Five Ways To Better Manage Your Family’s Health (NAPSA)—Managing health information, making appointments, keeping track of medications and monitoring self-care recommendations are just a few of the routine tasks of today’s family health manager, a role often played by mom. In addition, many already-busy moms are in charge of managing health matters for their spouse or partner, and sometimes an elderly parent or other relative. Taking care of yourself and your family can be overwhelming at times. Mayo Clinic suggests five tips for managing your family’s health: 1. Ask yourself questions. Take a few minutes to sit down and figure out the questions you’ll most likely be asked in the event of an emergency. For instance, if your child’s school nurse called and asked for his health history, what would you be able to provide? Or if your mother fell in the shower, would you have access to critical information needed by emergency caregivers? 2. Get organized. A free online tool like the Mayo Clinic Health Manager gives users the opportunity to store and update personal health records. This security-enhanced application gives you a place to store medical information and receive real-time individualized health guidance and recommendations based on the expertise of the Mayo Clinic. You can give access to family members or your doctor and use the tool no matter where you receive medical care—while being more active and engaged in your own health care. 3. Make doctor visits more efficient. The time you spend with your doctor is typically brief, but valuable. Before you go, write Great Pics Are A Snap (NAPSA)—You may be able to take better baby pictures if you heed a few hints from Nick Kelsh, renowned photographer and bestselling author: “Simplicity is the secret ingredient to creating a great photo of your child,” says Kelsh. “People with new babies don’t have time to learn about f-stops and shutter speeds.” Families now have a free convenient place to store their health information. down any questions you have so you don’t forget to ask them. Bring a list of any medications, vitamins and supplements you’re taking. 4. Let your past guide the future. Use the Mayo Clinic Health Manager to track your own health and the health of your family as well as to gain control of medication schedules and chronic conditions symptoms. Sharing this information with your doctor can act as a health journal and help determine future treatment. 5. Build your health assets. Finances, retirement savings and home equity are all viewed as long-term personal management projects, but people don’t often see their health the same way. Look at your health as a long-term investment and take steps to quickly address any issues while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. For more information on the Mayo Clinic Health Manager and how to manage your family’s health, visit www.MayoClinic.com. A great picture of your baby can be a photographic version of “I love you.” Don’t Fear the Close-Up: By zooming in, you eliminate distracting clutter and put all the attention on your baby. Natural Light Is Key: Experiment with turning off your flash. Use soft natural sidelighting from a window or a doorway. It’s dramatic and flattering. After all, light is what Rembrandt built a career around. Increase the Odds: When that supercute baby decides to be, well, supercute—just keep pushing the button. Increase the luck factor. Sometimes, thinking just slows you down. The more pictures you take, the luckier you get. It’s not unreasonable to take a hundred pictures to get one great one. You can learn more from Kelsh’s “How to Photograph Your Baby” DVD. It’s available at www.how tophotographyourbaby.com. Capturing A Healthy Style With Tile (NAPSA)—There may be a surprising way to help keep germs out of the home: Add ceramic tile. The tile, with its broad range of sizes, textures, colors and finishes, is easily adaptable to most any home’s attributes and palette. But it can also serve as a type of germ repellent. It’s chemically inert, inorganic, and features antimicrobial attributes—meaning the tile not only repels mold and mildew in damp areas of a house such as the kitchen or bathroom, but it also won’t collect dust, dirt and allergens. That helps make it a great choice for floors or even for use as a headboard in the bedroom. It’s a fact the hospitality industry is beginning to take note of as well, with many leading hotels and resorts using tile to offer their guests a healthier environment. Breathe Easier In addition to being germ repellent, products from Tile of Spain branded manufacturers could offer another benefit: improved indoor air quality. Tile will not absorb odors such as smoke, paint fumes or other contaminants. And unlike some carpeting and paint, tile won’t off-gas noxious fumes. Two popular choices are Inalco’s Lounge Series—ceramic tile that looks like antique-white wooden wainscoting and is available in an 18”x26” format—and Roca Ceramica’s Top Green Collection. It includes the Green Earth The right ceramic tile could help improve indoor air quality. and Green Urban series, which are produced with 80 percent recycled pre-consumer waste, yet still have all the advantages of repelling germs. The line’s minimalism complements a broad range of style decor, from traditional to contemporary, in a 19”x19” format. Safe And Stylish As an added benefit, ceramic tile is manufactured with a defined and rated anti-slip factor, so you can better ensure safety in your home. Onix, for example, offers the Geo series, a revolutionary treatment of opalescent circle glass mosaic tile in a dreamy, oceanlike turquoise, combining safety and style. For more information, contact the Tile of Spain Center at the Trade Commission of Spain, 2655 Le Jeune Road, Suite 1114, Coral Gables, FL 33134. You can also call (305) 446-4387 or visit www.spaintiles.info.
