Fletcher Allen, a Vermont university hospital and medical center, serves all of
Vermont and the northern New York region. Located in Burlington, Fletcher Allen is a regional, academic healthcare center and teaching hospital in alliance with the University of Vermont.
Disease and Injury Prevention
Learn about disease and injury prevention
Knowing how to take care of yourself is the key to living longer and better. Our Learning Center has hundreds of topics to answer your questions. From bath safety and food poisoning to rattlesnake bites and car seats for children, the information is here. Do you want to know about immunizations? Are you wondering if you should have a cholesterol test? We can help.
Get the information you need in topics such as:
Health Topics
- Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening
- Abnormal Pap Test
- Abuse: Signs of Abuse-Related Injuries
- Accidental Needle Sticks: Chances of Infection
- Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy
- Alcohol and Drugs: When to Get Help for an Intoxicated Person
- Alcohol Increases the Risk of Cold Injury
- Allen Test
- Alzheimer's and Other Dementias: Making Your Home Safe
- Antioxidants
- Aqua Therapy
- Ashkenazi Jewish Genetic Panel (AJGP)
- Assistive Devices and Orthotics
- Autism and Vaccines
- Avoiding Mercury in Fish
- Babies' Sleep Position and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
- Basic Dental Care
- Blood and Body Fluid Precautions
- Blood Pressure Screening
- Body Mechanics
- Botulism
- Breast Cancer Screening
- Breast Self-Examination
- Breast-Feeding: Avoiding Toxic Substances
- Brushing and Flossing a Child's Teeth
- Burns and Electric Shock
- Campylobacteriosis
- Carbon Dioxide Laser Surgery for Abnormal Cervical Cell Changes
- Carbon Monoxide Detectors
- Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
- Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: Protecting Your Home
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Activities to Limit
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Safe Posture and Movements
- Cerebral Palsy: Safety Tips
- Cervical Cancer Screening
- Child Car Seats
- Child Safety: Air Pollution
- Child Safety: Bathing
- Child Safety: Bicycles and Tricycles
- Child Safety: Fires
- Child Safety: Guns and Firearms
- Child Safety: Pets
- Child Safety: Preventing Burns
- Child Safety: Preventing Child Abduction
- Child Safety: Preventing Drowning
- Child Safety: Preventing Falls
- Child Safety: Streets and Cars
- Child Safety: Strollers and Shopping Carts
- Child Safety: Swimming Pools and Hot Tubs
- Child Safety: Washing Toys to Prevent Germs
- Chili Pepper Burns
- Choking Prevention in Small Children
- Cholesterol in Children and Teens
- Cold Exposure: Emergency Equipment
- Cold Exposure: Ways the Body Loses Heat
- Cold Exposure: What Increases Your Risk of Injury?
- Cold Temperature Exposure
- Colorectal Cancer Test Recommendations
- Concussion
- Cone Biopsy (Conization) for Abnormal Cervical Cell Changes
- Controlling Dust, Dust Mites, and Other Allergens in Your Home
- Controlling Indoor Mold
- Controlling Pet Allergens
- Coronary Artery Disease Risk Screening
- Crib Safety
- Cryotherapy for Abnormal Cervical Cell Changes
- Depression Screening
- Developmental Problems: Testing
- Diabetes in Children: Care Plan for School or Day Care
- Diabetes: Protecting Your Feet
- Diabetes: Travel Tips
- Effects of Diethylstilbestrol (DES) Exposure
- Elbow Bursitis and Tendon Injury: Preventing Pain
- Emergency First Aid for Heatstroke
- Emergency Food and Water Supplies
- Eye Exams for Adults
- Feeding Your Child Using Division of Responsibility
- Finding Good Footwear
- Fishhook Injuries
- Fluoride During Childhood
- Food Poisoning and Safe Food Handling
- Food Poisoning During Pregnancy
- Food Poisoning: Clostridium Perfringens
- Food Poisoning: Toxoplasmosis
- Food Poisoning: Vibrio Vulnificus
- Food Safety: Cooking
- Food Safety: Following the Package Instructions
- Food Safety: Preparing
- Food Safety: Serving
- Food Safety: Storing
- Food Safety: Tips for Grocery Shopping
- Genetics
- Glaucoma Screening
- Good-Health Attitude
- Handling a Dead Bird
- Handling Wild Birds
- Hand-Washing
- Hantavirus: Advice for Hikers and Campers
- Hantavirus: Cleaning Up Rodent-Infested Areas
- Hantavirus: Keeping Rodent Numbers Down
- Head Injury, Age 4 and Older
- Health and Safety, Ages 2 to 5 Years
- Health and Safety, Birth to 2 Years
- Health Screening: Finding Health Problems Early
- Health Tracking Forms and Checklists
- Healthy Aging
- Healthy Eating for Children
- Healthy Habits for Kids
- Healthy Habits to Prevent or Reduce Problems From Osteoporosis
- Hearing Protectors
- Heat Waves
- Heat-Related Illnesses
- Heatstroke Prevention: Acclimating to the Heat
- Heatstroke Prevention: What to Wear
- Heatstroke: Emergency Symptoms
- Helping Children During Immunizations
- Helping the Overweight Child
- Helping Your Teen Become a Safe Driver
- Hepatitis B: How to Avoid Spreading the Virus
- Hepatitis Immunoglobulin (HBIG)
- Hip Bursitis or Tendon Injury: Preventing Pain
- HIV: Preventing Infections
- HIV: Preventing Other Infections When You Have HIV
- HIV: Risks of Sexual Contact
- HIV: Tips for Caregivers to Avoid Infection
- How to Get Up Safely After a Fall
- Immunization Safety
- Immunization Schedules
- Immunizations
- Immunizations and Pregnancy
- Immunizations for Premature Infants
- Immunotherapy for Allergies to Insect Stings
- Importance of Immunizations
- Insect Repellents
- Interactive Tool: Are You at Risk for a Heart Attack?
- Interactive Tool: Are You Depressed?
- Interactive Tool: Are You Ready to Quit Smoking?
- Interactive Tool: How Does Smoking Affect Your Lifespan?
- Interactive Tool: How Does Smoking Increase Your Risk of Heart Attack?
- Interactive Tool: How Much Is Smoking Costing You?
- Interactive Tool: Is Your BMI Increasing Your Health Risks?
- Interactive Tool: What Is Your Stress Level?
- Interactive Tool: Which Health Screenings Do You Need?
- Interactive Tools
- Knee Bursitis and Tendon Injury: Preventing Pain
- Lead Poisoning
- Lead Poisoning in Children: Questions Before Screening
- Lead Poisoning Screening
- Lead Poisoning: Contaminated Drinking Water
- Lead Poisoning: Jobs and Hobbies That May Increase Risk
- Lead Poisoning: Nutrition and Food Preparation
- Lead Poisoning: Reducing Lead in Your Home
- Lead Poisoning: Tips for Those Who Work With Lead
- Lifestyle Changes That May Prevent Cancer
- Listeriosis
- Low-Dose Aspirin Therapy
- Low-Vision Accommodations in Your Home
- Managing Job Stress
- Marine Toxins
- Medicines That Can Cause Pancreatitis
- Mitral Valve Prolapse: Children Who Play Sports
- Mouth Guards for Sports
- Needle Punctures for Health Reasons
- Neurological Exam for Parkinson's Disease
- Noroviruses (Norwalk Viruses)
- Nursery Equipment Safety Checklist
- Office Ergonomics
- Oral Rehydration Solutions
- Osteoporosis Screening
- Overtraining
- Overweight Child: Medical Evaluation
- Pap Test: Classification of Cell Changes
- Pediatric Preparation for Medical Tests
- Pets, Vaccinations, and Rabies
- Physical Therapy
- Playground Safety
- Poisoning
- Posture: Standing and Walking
- Preeclampsia: Checkups and Monitoring
- Pregnancy: Chemicals, Cosmetics, and Radiation
- Pregnancy: Hot Tub and Sauna Use
- Premature Infant: Safe Travel With Your Baby
- Preparing for a Healthy Pregnancy
- Prevent Giardia When Traveling
- Prevent Medical Errors
- Preventing ACL Injuries
- Preventing Bee Stings
- Preventing Blisters
- Preventing Children's Injuries From Sports and Other Activities
- Preventing Choking
- Preventing Falls in Older Adults
- Preventing Falls in Older Adults Who Take High-Risk Medicines
- Preventing Falls: Exercises for Strength and Balance
- Preventing Flea Bites
- Preventing Foot Cramps
- Preventing Insect Stings
- Preventing Lead Poisoning
- Preventing Poisoning in Young Children
- Preventing Spider Bites
- Preventing Tetanus Infections
- Proper Sitting for a Healthy Back
- Prostate Cancer Screening
- Protect Your Back as You Lie Down
- Protect Yourself From Hepatitis A When Traveling
- Protecting Your Child From Infections
- Protecting Your Skin From the Sun
- Purifying Your Drinking Water
- Quick Tips: Adding Fruits and Vegetables to Your Diet
- Quick Tips: Baby-Proofing Your Home
- Quick Tips: Getting Active as a Family
- Quick Tips: Giving Over-the-Counter Medicines to Children
- Quick Tips: Helping Your Child Stay Safe and Healthy
- Quick Tips: Modifying Your Home and Work Area When You Have Arthritis
- Quick Tips: Staying Active in Cold Weather
- Quick Tips: Staying Active in Hot Weather
- Quick Tips: Taking Medicines Wisely
- Quick Tips: Using Backpacks Safely
- Quitting Smoking
- Quitting Smoking: Temptations and Cravings
- Rabies
- Rabies Vaccine for Travel
- Rabies: Areas Where It's More Common
- Rabies: HRIG Injection
- Radiation Exposure: Risks and Health Effects
- Radon
- Radon Prevention: Sub-Slab Depressurization
- Returning to Play After a Head Injury During a Sporting Event
- Rodents That Carry Hantavirus
- Roomy Shoes
- Safe Hand and Wrist Movements
- Safer Sex
- Safety Around Irrigation Canals
- Salmonellosis
- Screening for Gestational Diabetes
- Screening for Hearing Problems
- Screening for Weight Problems
- Sexually Transmitted Infection Testing
- Sheltering in Place
- Shigellosis
- Shoulder Bursitis and Tendon Injury: Preventing Pain
- Skin Cancer Screening
- Snake Antivenom
- Sports-Related Dehydration
- Staph Food Poisoning
- Sunblocks to Prevent Sunburn
- Sunburn
- Sunburn: Skin Types
- Tattoo and Piercing Safety
- Teen Smokers: Reasons to Quit
- Terrorism and Other Public Health Threats
- Tetanus
- The Bethesda System (TBS)
- Thinking About Child Safety
- Tips for Reducing Indoor Pollutants in Your Home
- Tips for Reducing Pesticide Exposure in Your Home
- Travel Health
- Tuberculosis Screening
- Type 2 Diabetes: Screening for Children
- Ulcerative Colitis: When Surgery Is Needed
- Ultraviolet Rays From the Sun
- Using a Cane
- Using a Walker
- Using Crutches
- Vertigo: Level 1 (Easy) Balance Exercises
- Vertigo: Level 2 (Harder) Balance Exercises
- Vertigo: Walking Exercises
- Virtual Colonoscopy
- Ways HIV Cannot Be Spread
- Well-Child Visits
- West Nile Virus
Medical Tests
- Breast Ultrasound
- Cholesterol and Triglycerides Tests
- Clinical Breast Examination
- Colonoscopy
- Colposcopy and Cervical Biopsy
- Dental X-Rays
- Digital Rectal Examination (DRE)
- Endometrial Biopsy
- Genetic Test
- Lead
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the Breast
- Mammogram
- Pap Test
- Phenylketonuria (PKU) Test
- Rubella Test
- Self-Examination for Dental Plaque
- Sigmoidoscopy (Anoscopy, Proctoscopy)
- Stool Tests for Colorectal Cancer
- Tay-Sachs Test
Make a Wise Decision
- Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm: Should I Get a Screening Test?
- Allergies: Should I Take Shots for Insect Sting Allergies?
- Blood Transfusions: Should I Bank Blood Before Surgery?
- Colon Cancer: Which Screening Test Should I Have?
- Flu Vaccines: Should I Get a Flu Vaccine?
- Healthy Aging: Is It Time to Stop Driving?
- Heart Disease: Should I Have an Angiogram?
- HPV: Should My Child Get the Vaccine?
- Osteoporosis: Should I Have a Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA) Test?
- Pap Test: Should I Have Colposcopy if My Pap Test Shows Minor Cell Changes?
- Prostate Cancer Screening: Should I Have a PSA Test?
- Shingles: Should I Get a Shot to Prevent Shingles?
Take Action
- Aging Well: Making Your Home Fall-Proof
- Asthma: Identifying Your Triggers
- Back Problems: Proper Lifting
- Dental Care: Brushing and Flossing Your Teeth
- Diabetes in Children: Preparing a Care Plan for School
- Diabetes in Children: Preventing Low Blood Sugar
- Quitting Smoking: Preventing Slips or Relapses
- Vertigo: Balance Exercises
- Vertigo: Staying Safe When You Have Balance Problems
- Vision Problems: Living With Poor Eyesight
- Wrist Care: Preventing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Last Revised: October 28, 2012
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review: Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine
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