Health Island Exhibits For April

 

 By Gemma Cleanslate

A visit to Health Island during April will present an eclectic set of information and resources for you. When you land there is a sign announcing Exhibit and Display Info. Click it and you will get a notecard giving you slurls to each of the monthly exhibits. This helps one find the particular ones you might be interested in.

Due to the outbreak of measles this year I was definitely interested in the Measles in Adults exhibits.

I bet others will be. Did I have a vaccine shot? I am not positive. I found resources that might help me find out. I also loved the Garlic exhibit since I love garlic! It really is good for us. There is a load of information about the history of all sorts of garlic and how and why it it is healthy.

The information on Testicular cancer will be most interesting to men and their families I am sure.

One that, I am guessing, will be one that most of us will really take time to read all the posters and resources is the Fat Facts! There are more selections on the notecard. Nearby there it the Support

walk where there are posters for all various support groups one might be interested in joining,

This island is a great place to just wander around and find all the relaxing places. The herb garden always entices me and if you keep walking way to the east after you visit the Fat Facts you might be enticed to do a workout in the free gym over at Health and Wellness. I did.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/210/123/22

Gemma Cleanslate

 

HealthInfo Island

 

By Gemma Cleanslate

 

Occasionally I like to remind everyone that there is an excellent source of Health information in SL.Healthinfo Island is a wonderful region to visit whatever your needs. This is the Mission statement:

“The mission of Healthinfo Island is to provide timely, accurate, and accessible information on topics of physical, emotional, and mental health. This is done through interactive displays, links to outside resources, group events, and personalized assistance.

The Consumer Health Library at HealthInfo Island is here to help SL residents with health information needs. “

If you look at the ground you will see a blue arrow . It is a TP hud. Click to see where you want to go.

It is fun to just walk around to discover everything but if you want a certain place use it.

The island is sponsored and maintained by The Virtual Ability group and there are various sites on the island that remain open all the time to visitors. There are sites that change monthly with new information on various illnesses and what is going on in the research and cure information.

This month in the Healthy Living Display area there is an excellent display on Pneumonia. Follow the arrows to learn all about pneumonia , its types, diagnosis, and many resources for more information. Click each poster to read about it.

Check out the exhibit on swine flu and its effects and relationship with humans. That exhibit is down the hill from the Pneumonia exhibit.

The nearby exhibit is so interesting to me. It is a topic I don’t really know that much about so I spent time reading all about tropical diseases. January 29 is World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day so it is very relevant. Since many don’t live in a tropic area we often ignore such diseases but we really should check some of them out for travel purposes, not to mention climate change. I know I have had vaccines before I visited certain countries. Actually I met people who have had a few of these diseases myself.

Not comfortable !!

The Research Pavilion is amazing! It is filled with information about clinical trials from defining them to information about ongoing trials one might be interested in joining. There are some dealing with cancer and heart. It tells one how to contact persons who can talk about enrollment in a study also.

There is a Consumer Health Library nearby with more information about ongoing diseases like Covid.

At the Health Exhibit there are posters with a myriad of questions about certain possible assists for dealing with winter illnesses. Are they real or myths? Click the poster and find out what research says.

Next to that site at the left is one of my favorite places. I have taken many avatars there. It is called the Path of Support. It has posters for the plethora of amazing support groups that exist in sl to help those who need help with so many chronic diseases, addiction, mental health, disabilities and more. Each poster gives a description of the group’s mission and by clicking one can join the group they choose.

This wonderful island gives so much aid to people who need assistance. If you have a question you can contact Eme Capalini or Gentle Heron . I suggest you visit and roam around to see all it has to offer .

This is the center Pavilion. Remember there will be a change of information for February.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/128/126/24

 

Gemma Cleanslate

HealthInfo Island

By Gemma Cleanslate

Right next to Virtual Ability region there is a region called Healthinfo Island. I was asking Gentle Heron for information for two friends and she sent me there to search for a support group I was trying to find . “The mission of Healthinfo Island is to provide timely, accurate, and accessible information on topics of physical, emotional, and mental health.  This is done through interactive displays, links to outside resources, group events, and personalized assistance. The Consumer Health Library at HealthInfo Island is here to help SL residents with health information needs.” The region is supported and maintained by Virtual Ability. 

I was amazed at the wealth of information I found. There seem to be inworld support groups for almost anything you or a friend need! There is a Path of Support that displays a myriad of signs with information about the groups. I was able to locate three groups that seemed to fit and brought my friends there to see.

           
All around the island  there are Health Exhibits that offer a multitude of knowledge about various illnesses, and some slide shows. Each poster contains a notecard with information in most of the exhibits.

 

There is a delightful herb garden with each herb named on a placard. Next to it  a beehive with a warning about the loss of bees going on now.There are some programs that take place either at the Herb Garden, The Farmer’s Market near the garden.

The Research Pavilion is filled with Studies from all over the world on many diseases and all available right here in second life. It is a treasure trove of information . Gentle told me, Researchers”   describe their upcoming research at the Research Pavilion, and recruit there, and come back and tell us the results."

Another treasure is the Consumer Health Library. Here you can find urls to lists of resources on the internet. 

One room is named Daisy’s Reading Room. I went in. I learned the room is named Daisyblue Hefferman .”Daisyblue Hefferman dedicated her time in Second Life to helping those in need. Daisy spent countless hours providing medical knowledge as Consumer Health Librarian on Healthinfo Island.” It is a lovely place to sit and read or work as I did on this article. Gentle told me she loves this place to sit and read also. 

I would recommend anyone with any kind of illness, or a caretaker, or have friends with issues to take a long walk through the region to see what is there that can be helpful. 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/243/128/23

Gemma Cleanslate  

The Avatar Fitness Club

By Wesley Regenbogen

Avatars can actually work out in Second Life!

I recently found the “Avatar Fitness Club,” which was unexpected place to find in Second Life. Owned by Thynka Little, the place was created in September 2012 as part of the project of Cooperative Extension a non-formal community education network run by universities around the USA. (http:// www.extension.org). The place is located across the Reality Check Café. When visitors come from the pub across the street, they get the message with options on how to burn the consumed calories again. High-energy Internet radio stations play tunes in the club, though it is suggested residents turn it off before entering the Yoga room. In the lounge area where people can relax, it turns off automatically.

There’s a swimming pool as well and also a room where you can work out on many work out machines. At the entrance there’s a large trampoline ( or springboard ). You can’t look near it. There are seats when you enter the club as well.

The owners have two professionals who give programs at the club : Leia Kedem, a registered dietician from University of Illinois Extension, and Jason Jarred, an exercise physiologist from Australia. They motivate people to “work out” their avatar by giving L$ 1 every 20 minutes. In January they will together be offering a 4-week series of classes called Post-Holiday Shape Up. Registration information will be posted in the club later in December.

 I later talked to Thynka Little. She said to me, ”Cooperative Extension in the USA is a nationwide network of universities offering research-based community education on various topics, such as: nutrition, agriculture, small business, youth development and personal finance. Their educational programs are delivered in traditional methods, such as workshops, publications, and broadcasts; and also new ways such as social media and virtual worlds.”

The place was developed by 3DFox Design. (http://www.3DFoxdesign.com). Readers can find more information through these channels : SL events calendar, Google calendar, club signage, group messaging, Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/avatarfitness ) and on YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nO-WM3TwIMo ). Residents can also contact Luann Philips, by emailing the project manager luann.phillips@extension.org.

Personally, I like this fitness club very much, but I must admit I haven’t “worked out” there yet. The fact that this place is part of real life research, makes this project very interesting.

You can find the place at this location : http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Morrill3/208/94/24

Wesley Regenbogen