Health
HEALTH AND WELLNESS
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU CALL US:
DISCLAIMER
Homeless To Independence Inc. is an All-Volunteer, Faith-Based, 501©3 non-profit organization. We do NOT receive any grant funding what-so-ever to pay bills for anyone in any situation. We do not give away money. We do not give out loans against any money.
This ministry is supported with generous financial donations that are used to help keep us functioning. Our purpose is to help supply individuals and families with personal needs such as food, toiletries, clothing, household items, furniture and baby/adult diapers/wipes both locally and to areas effected by disasters . At this time, we do not offer any shelter or transitional housing services. Again, we DO NOT pay any bills. We DO NOT pay any rents or mortgages.
If you are actually homeless, or about to be homeless or need emergency assistance of any kind, DIAL “211″ from a land-line telephone. This will not work from a cell telephone. Tell the receiver your situation and what you need. They will give you information specific for the location you are currently in plus any referrals you may need. They have the most up to the minute information for your specific area. Dialing “211” will get you help and much more info than this office can provide. Homeless to Independence wants you to have all the information you need to get through the situation you are in.
Don’t have a land-line telephone??? Go to your local police department, library, or house of worship and ask to use their land-line telephone. They may even make the call on your behalf.
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For those of you looking for employment through-out the United States, District of Columbia or Puerto Rico, simply send me an email to:
Ann@homelesstoindependence.org with:
1) the name of your State/Commonwealth, District of Columbia or Puerto Rico and
2 if you have a conviction and your record contains something more serious than a traffic conviction within the past 7-years. We do NOT need to know what the conviction was, we do not want to waste your time with opportunities you will not be qualified to apply for at this time.
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Homeless To Independence Inc. is not responsible for misprints or cancellations of events by the event holders, landlord and/or their agent, or ourselves. Homeless to Independence Inc. also reserves the right to “NOT” offer services to people and/or persons that are rude, unpleasant, and untruthful in any way shape or form, belligerent and the like.
OCCASIONALLY, THERE WILL BE ARTICLES BY OTHER WRITERS. HOMELESS TO INDEPENDENCE MAY NOT NECESSARILY AGREE WITH THEIR VIEWPOINTS, BUT WE DO RESPECT THEM. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION!
OFFICE INFORMATION IS AS FOLLOWS:
OFFICE NUMBER IS: 1-732-264-7500
Please note that our office does have very limited volunteer staff and if we are one telephone line we cannot answer the other line. There is simply not enough time in the day to answer and/or return each and every telephone call.
IF YOU ARE ASKING FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, NO ONE WILL CONTACT YOU BACK.
Thank you!
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MedLine Plus Health Updates 06-18-13
MedLine 06-18-13
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MedLine Plus Health Updates 06-06-13
Medline 06-06-13
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June 2013′s Health Letter by Eun-Young Kim CPT, C.H.H.C
Exercise to live, never live to exercise – Jack LaLane
Eun-Young Kim CPT, C.H.H.C
Exercise to live, never live to exercise – Jack LaLane
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Protect Your Unborn Baby from Infections
Protect Your Unborn Baby from Infections
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9 Surprising Ways to Ward Off Colds and Flu
Washing your hands and getting a flu shot is just the start to keeping nasty germs at bay.
By Linda Rodgers
Stay healthy during flu season
Even if you’re the most diligent hand-washer and get your flu shot, you could still be laid low by any one of the hundreds of viruses that can cause the common cold or flu. After all, your body is assaulted by thousands of nasty germs every day.
Even the flu shot is only about 60 percent effective at fending off influenza (though the vaccine can minimize symptoms and prevent serious side effects, if you do get sick), according to a study published in 2011.
So what is the secret to staying healthy this season? Strengthen your immune system, so it can fight off those nasty bugs, say experts.
Serve protein at every meal
The older you are, the less likely you are to get enough protein, says Lisa Hark, Ph.D., R.D., a family nutritionist and the author of Nutrition for Life. The main reason: Foods high in protein, like lean meats, poultry, fish, and beans, can be time-consuming to prepare—and who wants to bother when you’re cooking for two (or one)? But eating protein-rich foods helps your body make antibodies that fight colds.
Another reason to consume lean meats, beans, or poultry at every meal: All these foods are rich in zinc, which plays a role in white blood-cell production. One easy way to sneak in some extra protein: Snack on nuts, suggests Hark. They also contain magnesium, another mineral with immune-boosting properties.
Meditate
When researchers in Wisconsin studied the effects of exercise and meditation on 149 adults over the age of 50, they were surprised at the results. Not only did the group who ran on the treadmill or biked for 45 minutes a day cut the number of colds and flu by almost half, but so did the group who meditated, did yoga, walked, or stretched for the same amount of time per day. Plus, those who meditated tended to miss fewer days at work than even those who exercised.
One reason why meditation and yoga may be cold-and-flu fenders: They reduce stress, which has a negative effect on your immune system, says Neil Schachter, MD, a professor of pulmonary medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and author of The Good Doctor’s Guide to Colds and Flu. Can’t spend 45 minutes every day doing something mindful? Take ten minutes from your busy day and relax with a distraction, says Dr. Schachter—even if it’s just playing Fruit Ninja on your cellphone.
Limit how much wine you drink.
There are many ways that drinking too much alcohol can wreck your body. For one, it lowers your ability to absorb nutrients, says Hark, which makes it harder for your immune system to stay in fighting shape. Another reason: Overindulging can suppress your cough reflex, which is your body’s way of expelling germs and bacteria before they can borrow too deeply in the lungs and make you sick, says Dr. Schachter.
To reap the healthy benefits of a glass of red wine, don’t go beyond the recommended limits—one glass for women, two for men.
Carry your Kindle
How do cold and flu viruses make their way into your body? One way is through hand-to-hand contact. Someone who’s sick touches a surface, and you touch it, too—and then transfer those bugs to your mouth, nose, or eyes whenever you touch your face (which the average person does about 16 times a day).
Stashing hand sanitizer in your purse or pocket can keep infections at bay, but so will carrying your own reading material the next time you visit the doctor or dentist.
The reason: Public surfaces are teeming with germs—and that’s true for the magazines in waiting rooms as well as “elevator buttons, handrails, light switches, pens on credit card machines, cash-machine buttons, airplane and train seats, and poles and straps in buses and trains,” says Dr. Schachter.
Gargle
When you’ve got a cold, the mucus in your respiratory system turns thick and sticky, making it tougher to expel. That’s why gargling with salt water is such a popular home remedy for soothing sore throats—gargling can liquefy the mucus, so you can get rid of germs more easily.
But one study, done in Japan, showed that gargling might prevent colds and flu too. Researchers tracked nearly 400 healthy people during one winter season and found that the group who gargled regularly decreased their chances of coming down with a respiratory illness by 40 percent. Try a simple salt-water solution: Mix half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water, and gargle for a few seconds before spitting it out.
Watch your weight
The more fat cells you have, the lower your ability to fight off infections, notes Dr. Schachter. That’s because fat cells have fewer T-cells, a type of white-blood cell that searches out and destroys the many pathogens that invade your body.
Being overweight also makes you prone to inflammation. Normally, inflammation is a good thing, a sign that your body is fighting off an infection. But when fat cells release too many infection-fighting cells, it throws your immune system off balance and ups your chances of catching a cold—or developing a host of serious conditions, from diabetes to Alzheimer’s.
Plus, “the more overweight you are, the more sedentary you’re likely to be,” adds Dr. Schachter. Any type of exercise can boost your immune system by reducing stress and helping antibodies circulate through the body more quickly.
Load up on whole foods
Eating a varied diet is something that people can do every day, notes Hark. That way you are bound to consume the many nutrients, vitamins, and antioxidants your body needs to keep the immune system in its best shape—from iron to selenium to vitamins A, C, B6, and E.
Even though processed foods have added vitamins and minerals, they’re synthetic—“and there’s not a lot of data that shows that synthetics work as well on the body,” says Hark. So mix and match your fruits and veggies, whole grains, and a variety of protein. And when a fruit or vegetable isn’t in season, buy frozen. “They’re cheap and convenient—there’s no chopping or cutting required,” she adds.
Stay away from school-age grandchildren
Of course you can’t (and wouldn’t want to) stay away from them all the time, but here’s why you might want to pass up a visit when there’s a cold going around the classroom, especially if you suffer from COPD or emphysema.
While experts have long known that being around school children ups a person’s chances of catching a virus, a new study, which looked at people with lung disease, found that an infection was twice as likely to turn into a full-fledged cold—runny nose, coughs, sore throats—after people came in contact with germy kids.
Researchers speculated it might have something to do with the nature of kids’ colds, which are nastier and last longer than adult ones. Even if you aren’t suffering from a pulmonary disease, think twice before babysitting your sick grandkid. And if you can’t say no, wash your hands and teach your grandchild to sneeze and cough into his elbow.
Drink warm liquids
While it won’t prevent an upper respiratory infection, a bowl of chicken soup or mug of hot tea and lemon will relieve the worst of your symptoms and shorten the duration of your cold or flu, says Dr. Schachter.
Like gargling, hot liquids can help thin out infected mucus, and make it easier for you to cough or blow it out. And the oils in chicken soup stimulate the release of cytokines, molecules that play a role in clearing up infections. Plus, the very act of sitting down to enjoy a steaming bowl or mug can be a soothing stress-buster—and just what the doctor ordered.
Posted 10-10-12
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52 Weeks for Women’s Health App
52 Weeks for Women
GO TO: http://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/USAGOV-552077?reqfrom=share
Posted 09-27-12
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Flu Prevention and Vaccination
USA.gov sent this bulletin at 09/26/2012 08:10 AM EDT
Getting an annual flu vaccine is the best way to protect yourself from the flu. It’s recommended for most individuals, ages six months and older.
Get answers to common questions about the flu vaccine, including locations where you can get it.
Here are some other ways to avoid getting the flu and passing it to others:
Wash your hands often with soap and water.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Avoid close contact with sick people.
Practice good health habits (get adequate sleep, exercise, eat healthy, and drink plenty of fluids).
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
If you have the flu, stay at home for at least 24 hours after your fever has returned to normal without the use of fever-reducing medications.
Learn more about the flu, including symptoms, types of vaccines, and high-risk indviduals.
GO TO: http://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/USAGOV-54d45f?reqfrom=share
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West Nile Virus Info:
West Nile Virus is a potentially dangerous illness that is primarily spread by bites from infected mosquitoes
Posted 09-11-12
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Information on Adolescent Health
Information on Adolescent Health
Posted 09-11-12
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The Wiser Women Action Kit provides practical health tips for women on a range of topics, including:
The Wiser Women Action Kit provides practical health tips for women on a range of topics
Posted 09-11-12
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More than 16 million people with Medicare get free preventive services in 2012
Affordable Care Act made many preventive services no cost to beneficiaries
The Affordable Care Act – the new health care law – helped over 16 million people with original Medicare get at least one preventive service at no cost to them during the first six months of 2012, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today. This includes 1.35 million who have taken advantage of the Annual Wellness Visit provided by the Affordable Care Act. In 2011, 32.5 million people in Medicare received one or more preventive benefits free of charge.
“Millions of Americans are getting cancer screenings, mammograms and other preventive services for free thanks to the health care law,” said Secretary Sebelius. “These new benefits, made possible through the health care law, are helping people stay healthy by giving them the tools they need to prevent health problems before they happen.”
Prior to 2011, people with Medicare faced cost-sharing for many preventive benefits such as cancer screenings. Through the Affordable Care Act, preventive benefits are offered free of charge to beneficiaries, with no deductible or co-pay, so that cost is no longer a barrier for seniors who want to stay healthy and treat problems early.
The law also added an important new service for people with Medicare — an Annual Wellness Visit with the doctor of their choice— at no cost to beneficiaries.
For more information on Medicare-covered preventive services, please visit: http://www.healthcare.gov/law/features/65-older/medicare-preventive-services/index.html
To learn what screenings, vaccinations and other preventive services doctors recommend for you and those you care about, please visit the myhealthfinder tool at www.healthfinder.gov.
Posted 07-15-12
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Red Yeast Rice: An Introduction
On this page:
Key Points
About Red Yeast Rice
Safety
What the Science Says
Legal Status of Red Yeast Rice
If You Are Considering Red Yeast Rice
Selected References
For More Information
Red yeast rice is a traditional Chinese culinary and medicinal product. In the United States, dietary supplements containing red yeast rice have been marketed to help lower blood levels of cholesterol and related lipids. Red yeast rice products may not be safe; some may have the same side effects as certain cholesterol-lowering drugs, and some may contain a potentially harmful contaminant. This fact sheet provides basic information about red yeast rice, summarizes scientific research on effectiveness and safety, discusses the legal status of red yeast rice, and suggests sources for additional information.
Key Points
Some red yeast rice products contain substantial amounts of monacolin K, which is chemically identical to the active ingredient in the cholesterol-lowering drug lovastatin. These products may lower blood cholesterol levels and can cause the same types of side effects and drug interactions as lovastatin.
Other red yeast rice products contain little or no monacolin K. It is not known whether these products have any effect on blood cholesterol levels.
Consumers have no way of knowing how much monacolin K is present in most red yeast rice products. The labels on these products usually state only the amount of red yeast rice that they contain, not the amount of monacolin K.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has determined that red yeast rice products that contain more than trace amounts of monacolin K are unapproved new drugs and cannot be sold legally as dietary supplements.
Some red yeast rice products contain a contaminant called citrinin, which can cause kidney failure.
Tell all your health care providers about any complementary health practices you use. Give them a full picture of what you do to manage your health. This will help ensure coordinated and safe care.
About Red Yeast Rice
Red yeast rice is made by culturing rice with various strains of the yeast Monascus purpureus. Some preparations of red yeast rice are used in food products in Chinese cuisine, including Peking duck. Others have been sold as dietary supplements to lower blood levels of cholesterol and related lipids.
Some red yeast rice products contain substances called monacolins, which are produced by the yeast. Monacolin K is chemically identical to the active ingredient in the cholesterol-lowering drug lovastatin, which is one of the drugs in the category known as statins. These drugs lower blood cholesterol levels by reducing the production of cholesterol by the liver.
The composition of red yeast rice products varies depending on the yeast strains and culture conditions used to manufacture them. The strains and conditions used to produce culinary red yeast rice differ from those used to produce products that are intended to lower cholesterol. Tests performed by the FDA indicate that the red yeast rice sold as a food product contains only traces of monacolin K or none at all.
In both 2008 and 2009, the most recent years for which data are available, sales of red yeast rice dietary supplements were approximately $20 million per year. According to the 2007 National Health Interview Survey, which included a comprehensive survey of the use of complementary health practices by Americans, 2.1 percent of respondents (an estimated 1.8 million Americans) had used complementary health practices for cholesterol in the past year.
Safety
The same types of side effects that can occur in patients taking lovastatin as a drug can also occur in patients who take red yeast rice products that contain monacolin K. Potential side effects include myopathy (muscle symptoms such as pain and weakness), rhabdomyolysis (a condition in which muscle fibers break down, releasing substances into the bloodstream that can harm the kidneys), and liver toxicity. Each of these three side effects has been reported in people who were taking red yeast rice.
Red yeast rice supplements should not be used while pregnant or breastfeeding.
Lovastatin can interact with a variety of drugs to increase the risk of rhabdomyolysis; these drugs include other cholesterol-lowering agents, certain antibiotics, the antidepressant nefazodone, drugs used to treat fungal infections, and drugs used to treat HIV infection. Red yeast rice containing monacolin K could interact with drugs in the same way.
If the process of culturing red yeast rice is not carefully controlled, a substance called citrinin can form. Citrinin has been shown to cause kidney failure in experimental animals and genetic damage in human cells. In a 2011 analysis of red yeast rice products sold as dietary supplements, 4 of 11 products were found to contain this contaminant.
What the Science Says
Red yeast rice products that contain substantial amounts of monacolin K can lower blood cholesterol levels. Researchers have not reported results of any studies of red yeast rice products that contain little or no monacolin K, so whether these products have any effect on blood cholesterol is unknown.
Results of Clinical Trials
In clinical trials (studies in people) of red yeast rice products that contained substantial amounts of monacolin K, the products lowered blood levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the so-called bad cholesterol that is linked to increased heart disease risk). It is important to emphasize that all of these clinical trials used products that contained substantial amounts of monacolin K. A 2011 analysis showed that some of the red yeast rice products on the market contain very little monacolin K. These products may have little or no effect on blood cholesterol levels. Therefore, even though the participants in the clinical trials were able to lower their cholesterol levels by taking red yeast rice, you might not be able to achieve the same results.
In one of the clinical trials, the tested product produced a cholesterol-lowering effect greater than would be expected based on its monacolin K content. Further investigations, supported by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), suggested that other monacolins or other substances present in the product might contribute to its cholesterol-lowering effect.
Tolerability of Red Yeast Rice Products
Two studies supported by NCCAM have indicated that some people who had been unable to tolerate statin drugs because of side effects (muscle pain or weakness) were able to tolerate red yeast rice. It is uncertain whether the smaller amount of monacolin K in the red yeast rice products, as compared with the amounts of active ingredients in the drugs, accounted for the greater tolerability or whether other factors were responsible.
Legal Status of Red Yeast Rice
In 1998, the FDA determined that a red yeast rice product that contained a substantial amount of monacolin K was an unapproved new drug, not a dietary supplement. On several occasions since then, the FDA has taken action against companies selling red yeast rice products that contain more than trace amounts of monacolin K, warning them that it is against the law to market these products as dietary supplements.
Despite the FDA actions, some red yeast rice products currently on the market in the United States may contain monacolin K. (Some products tested as recently as 2011 have been found to contain it in substantial amounts.) Other products may contain little or none of this component. Consumers have no way of knowing how much monacolin K is present in most red yeast rice products, and therefore have no way of knowing whether a particular product is safe, effective, or legal. The labels on these products usually state only the amount of red yeast rice that they contain, not the amounts of monacolin K or other monacolins.
If You Are Considering Red Yeast Rice
Do not use red yeast rice to replace conventional care or to postpone seeing a health care provider about a medical problem.
Do not use red yeast rice dietary supplements if you are pregnant, might become pregnant, or are nursing a baby. If you are considering giving a child a red yeast rice dietary supplement, it is important to consult the child’s health care provider.
Do not take red yeast rice in addition to prescription statin drugs.
Many Web sites, including sales sites, have information about red yeast rice. Be cautious when you evaluate information from the Web; not all of it is trustworthy. For more information, see the NCCAM fact sheet Evaluating Web-Based Health Resources.
Federal regulations for dietary supplements are very different from—and less strict than—those for drugs. For more information about dietary supplements, see NCCAM’s fact sheet Using Dietary Supplements Wisely.
Tell all your health care providers about any complementary health practices you use. Give them a full picture of what you do to manage your health. This will help ensure coordinated and safe care. For tips about talking with your health care providers about complementary and alternative medicine, see NCCAM’s Time to Talk campaign.
Selected References
Barnes PM, Bloom B, Nahin RL. Complementary and alternative medicine use among adults and children: United States, 2007. CDC National Health Statistics Report #12. 2008.
Becker DJ, Gordon RY, Halbert SC, et al. Red yeast rice for dyslipidemia in statin-intolerant patients. A randomized trial. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2009;150(12):830–839.
Gordon RY, Becker DJ. The role of red yeast rice for the physician. Current Atherosclerosis Reports. 2011;13(1):73–80.
Gordon RY, Cooperman T, Obermeyer W, et al. Marked variability of monacolin levels in commercial red yeast rice products: buyer beware! Archives of Internal Medicine. 2010;170(19):1722–1727.
Halbert SC, French B, Gordon RY, et al. Tolerability of red yeast rice (2,400 mg twice daily) versus pravastatin (20 mg twice daily) in patients with previous statin intolerance. American Journal of Cardiology. 2010;105:198–204.
Heber D, Lembertas A, Lu QY, et al. An analysis of nine proprietary Chinese red yeast rice dietary supplements: implications of variability in chemical profile and contents. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2001;7(2):133–139.
Klimek M, Wang S, Ogunkanmi A. Safety and efficacy of red yeast rice (Monascus purpureus) as an alternative therapy for hyperlipidemia. P&T: A Peer-Reviewed Journal for Formulary Management. 2009;34(6):313–327.
Li Z, Seeram NP, Lee R, et al. Plasma clearance of lovastatin versus Chinese red yeast rice in healthy volunteers. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2005;11(6):1031–1038.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA Warns Consumers to Avoid Red Yeast Rice Products Promoted on Internet as Treatments for High Cholesterol: Products Found to Contain Unauthorized Drug. U.S. Food and Drug Administration Web site. Accessed at www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/2007/ucm108962.htm on March 8, 2012.
For More Information
NCCAM Clearinghouse
The NCCAM Clearinghouse provides information on NCCAM and complementary health practices, including publications and searches of Federal databases of scientific and medical literature. The Clearinghouse does not provide medical advice, treatment recommendations, or referrals to practitioners.
Toll-free in the U.S.:
1-888-644-6226
TTY (for deaf and hard-of-hearing callers):
1-866-464-3615
Web site:
nccam.nih.gov
E-mail:
info@nccam.nih.gov
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
NHLBI is the NIH institute that focuses on diseases of the heart, blood vessels, lungs, and blood, and sleep disorders. It is also the administrator of the NIH Women’s Health Initiative research program.
Web site:
www.nhlbi.nih.gov
Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)
ODS seeks to strengthen knowledge and understanding of dietary supplements by evaluating scientific information, supporting research, sharing research results, and educating the public. Its resources include publications and the International Bibliographic Information on Dietary Supplements database.
Web site:
ods.od.nih.gov
PubMed®
A service of the National Library of Medicine (NLM), PubMed® contains publication information and (in most cases) brief summaries of articles from scientific and medical journals.
Web site:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez
NIH Clinical Research Trials and You
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has created a Web site, NIH Clinical Research Trials and You, to help people learn about clinical trials, why they matter, and how to participate. The site includes questions and answers about clinical trials, guidance on how to find clinical trials through ClinicalTrials.gov and other resources, and stories about the personal experiences of clinical trial participants. Clinical trials are necessary to find better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases.
Web site:
www.nih.gov/health/clinicaltrials/
Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools Expenditures & Results (RePORTER)
RePORTER is a database of information on federally funded scientific and medical research projects being conducted at research institutions.
Web site:
projectreporter.nih.gov/reporter.cfm
NIH National Library of Medicine’s MedlinePlus
To provide resources that help answer health questions, MedlinePlus brings together authoritative information from the National Institutes of Health as well as other Government agencies and health-related organizations.
Web site: www.medlineplus.gov
Acknowledgments
NCCAM thanks the following people for their technical expertise and review of this publication: Ram Gordon, M.D., Chestnut Hill Hospital, Philadelphia; Zhaoping Li, Ph.D., M.D., David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles; and Craig Hopp, Ph.D., and John (Jack) Killen, Jr., M.D., NCCAM.
This publication is not copyrighted and is in the public domain. Duplication is encouraged.
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FROM THE FDA:
Should You Put Sunscreen on Infants? Not Usually
Shade is the best way to protect your infant from the sun.
Here are some of the most important ways to protect your infant from the harmful rays of the sun: an umbrella and brimmed hat for shade, a cooler for liquids, a bottle for hydration, and clothing for covering the skin.
On this page:
Cover Up
Sun Safety Tips for Infants
You’re at the beach, slathered in sunscreen. Your 5-month-old baby is there, too. Should you put sunscreen on her? Not usually, according to Hari Cheryl Sachs, M.D., a pediatrician at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“The best approach is to keep infants under 6 months out of the sun,” Sachs says, “and to avoid exposure to the sun in the hours between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., when ultraviolet (UV) rays are most intense.”
Sunscreens are recommended for children and adults. What makes babies so different?
For one thing, babie’ skin is much thinner than that of adults, and it absorbs the active, chemical ingredients in sunscreen more easily, explains Sachs. For another, infants have a high surface-area to body-weight ratio compared to older children and adults. Both these factors mean that an infant’s exposure to the chemicals in sunscreens is much greater, increasing the risk of allergic reaction or inflammation.
The best protection is to keep your baby in the shade, if possible, Sachs says. If there’s no natural shade, create your own with an umbrella or the canopy of the stroller.
If there’s no way to keep an infant out of the sun, you can apply a small amount of sunscreen—with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15—to small areas such as the cheeks and back of the hands. Sachs suggests testing your baby’s sensitivity to sunscreen by first trying a small amount on the inner wrist.
Cover Up
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggests dressing infants in lightweight long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and brimmed hats that shade the neck to prevent sunburn. Tight weaves are better than loose. Keep in mind that while baseball caps are cute, they don’t shade the neck and ears, sensitive areas for a baby.
Summer’s heat presents other challenges for babies.
Younger infants also don’t sweat like we do, Sachs says. Sweat naturally cools the rest of us down when we’re hot, but babies haven’t yet fully developed that built-in heating-and-cooling system. So you want to make sure your baby doesn’t get overheated.
In the heat, babies are also at greater risk of becoming dehydrated. To make sure they’re adequately hydrated, offer them their usual feeding of breast milk or formula, says Sachs. The water content in both will help keep them well hydrated. A small of amount water in between these feedings is also okay.
Sun Safety Tips for Infants
Here are some things to keep in mind this summer when outside with infants:
Keep your baby in the shade as much as possible. If you do use a small amount of sunscreen on your baby, don’t assume the child is well protected.
Make sure your child wears clothing that covers and protects sensitive skin. Use common sense; if you hold the fabric against your hand and it’s so sheer that you can see through it, it probably doesn’t offer enough protection.
Make sure your baby wears a hat that provides sufficient shade at all times.
Watch your baby carefully to make sure he or she doesn’t show warning signs of sunburn or dehydration. These include fussiness, redness and excessive crying.
Hydrate! Give your baby formula, breast milk, or a small amount of water between feedings if you’re out in the sun for more than a few minutes. Don’t forget to use a cooler to store the liquids.
Take note of how much your baby is urinating. If it’s less than usual, it may be a sign of dehydration, and that more fluids are needed until the flow is back to normal.
Avoid sunscreens containing the insect repellant DEET on infants, particularly on their hands. Young children may lick their hands or put them in their mouths. According to AAP, DEET should not be used on infants less than 2 months old.
If you do notice your baby is becoming sunburned, get out of the sun right away and apply cold compresses to the affected areas.
This article appears on FDA’s Consumer Updates page, which features the latest on all FDA-regulated products.
THE WEBSITE PAGE FOR THIS IS: http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm309136.htm?source=govdelivery
Posted 06-25-12
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Health Services in Your Community!!! Up to the minute information for health services specific to your location….
http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Health/CommunityServices.shtml
Updated 06-19-12
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Potential Dangers of Pain Relievers for Teething
Visit FDA’s Benzocaine and Babies: Not a Good Mix to learn more about the possible dangers of benzocaine, a local anesthetic found in some over-the-counter products, including Anbesol, Hurricaine, Orajel, Baby Orajel, and Orabase. The use of benzocaine gels and liquids can lead to a rare but potentially fatal condition called methemoglobinemia.
Parents sometimes use products with benzocaine as pain relievers for teething babies. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), children under 2 years of age are at especially high risk. Adults with heart disease or breathing problems and smokers are also at increased risk.
Review FDA’s warning for a list of symptoms of methemoglobinemia and see suggested alternatives for soothing teething babies.
Go To: http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm306062.htm
Posted 06-04-12
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Long Term Care & Independent Living Resources
Find information about long term care services and supports in your state. Centers for Independent Living, Area Offices on Aging and many other organizations help older adults and people with disabilities live independently in their communities. They also provide information about benefit programs and other financial assistance, transportation, help finding housing and resources for caregivers.
Visit Disability.gov for information about other health and independent living topics, including home health care, Medicare, Medicaid and help paying for prescription drugs. Visit Disability.Blog for more news and stories about people with disabilities as active participants in their communities and in the workplace.
GO TO: http://www.longtermcare.gov/Main_Site/Finding/
Posted 05-31-12
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Johns Hopkins Update
This is an extremely good article.
Everyone should read it.
AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY (‘TRY’, BEING THE KEY WORD) TO ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHNS HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY .
Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins:
1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer
cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have
multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients
that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after
treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the
cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable
size.
2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a
person’s lifetime.
3. When the person’s immune system is strong the cancer
cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and
forming tumors.
4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has
nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic,
but also to environmental, food and lifestyle factors.
5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing
diet to eat more adequately and healthy, 4-5 times/day
and by including supplements will strengthen the immune system.
6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing
cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells
in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract etc., and can
cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.
7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars
and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.
8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often
reduce tumor size.
However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.
9. When the body has too much toxic burden from
chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either
compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb
to various kinds of infections and complications.
10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to
mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy.
Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.
11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer
cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.
*CANCER CELLS FEED ON:
a. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc. are made
with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute
would be Manuka honey or molasses, but only in very small
amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in
color Better alternative is Bragg’s aminos or sea salt.
b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the
gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancer cells are being starved.
c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based
diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little other meat,
like chicken. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.
d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole
grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into
an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked
food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live
enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to
cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance
growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building
healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most
vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw
vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at
temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C)..
e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high
caffeine Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer
fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or
filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap
water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.
12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of
digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the
intestines becomes putrefied and leads to more toxic buildup.
13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By
refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes
to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the
body’s killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.
14. Some supplements build up the immune system
(IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals,
EFAs etc.) to enable the body’s own killer cells to destroy
cancer cells.. Other supplements like vitamin E are known
to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body’s
normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or
unneeded cells.
15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit.
A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior
be a survivor. Anger, un-forgiveness and bitterness put
the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to
have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.
16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated
environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to
get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.
1. No plastic containers in micro.
2. No water bottles in freezer.
3. No plastic wrap in microwave..
Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well. Dioxin chemicals cause cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don’t freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Dr Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital , was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food. You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Paper isn’t bad but you don’t know what is in the paper. It’s just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.
Please share this with your whole email list…………………….
Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.
This is an article that should be sent to anyone important in your life…
Posted 05-21-12
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5 Often-Overlooked Dangers in the Homes of People With Alzheimer’s
By Paula Spencer Scott, Caring.com senior editor
Managing safety for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia can be daunting, because needs are constantly changing. The person may seem fine one minute but do something unexpected or out of character the next.
Here are five dangers that often catch families off guard:
1. Excessive clutter. It’s a tripping hazard, as neurological changes cause your loved one to shuffle his or her feet when walking.
2. Old or extra medications. Don’t store any family member’s leftover drugs, vitamins (especially iron pills), aspirin, or other medications — prescription or over-the-counter — where they’re accessible.
3. Electric blankets and heating pads. These can cause burns as the person’s sensitivity to temperature declines. Don’t use.
4. Garbage disposal. Your loved one may drop important things down it or place his or her own hands there. Better to disconnect and toss waste in the trash.
5. Doorknob covers. They’re useful to deter a wanderer but a danger if your loved one needs to escape a fire or exit quickly in another emergency, so only use them when a caregiver is present.
Posted 04-25-12
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First Aid for Seizures
First aid for seizures involves responding in ways that can keep the person safe until the seizure stops by itself. Here are a few things you can do to help someone who is having a generalized tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizure:
•Keep calm and reassure other people who may be nearby.
•Prevent injury by clearing the area around the person of anything hard or sharp.
•Ease the person to the floor and put something soft and flat, like a folded jacket, under his head.
•Remove eyeglasses and loosen ties or anything around the neck that may make breathing difficult.
•Time the seizure with your watch. If the seizure continues for longer than five minutes without signs of slowing down or if a person has trouble breathing afterwards, appears to be injured, in pain, or recovery is unusual in some way, call 911.
•Do not hold the person down or try to stop his movements.
•Contrary to popular belief, it is not true that a person having a seizure can swallow his tongue. Do not put anything in the person’s mouth. Efforts to hold the tongue down can injure the teeth or jaw.
•Turn the person gently onto one side. This will help keep the airway clear.
•Don’t attempt artificial respiration except in the unlikely event that a person does not start breathing again after the seizure has stopped.
•Stay with the person until the seizure ends naturally and he is fully awake.
•Do not offer the person water or food until fully alert
•Be friendly and reassuring as consciousness returns.
•Offer to call a taxi, friend or relative to help the person get home if he seems confused or unable to get home without help.
Here are a few things you can do to help someone who is having a seizure that appears as blank staring, loss of awareness, and/or involuntary blinking, chewing, or other facial movements.
•Stay calm and speak reassuringly.
•Guide him away from dangers.
•Block access to hazards, but don’t restrain the person.
•If he is agitated, stay a distance away, but close enough to protect him until full awareness has returned.
Consider a seizure an emergency and call 911 if any of the following occurs:
•The seizure lasts longer than five minutes without signs of slowing down or if a person has trouble breathing afterwards, appears to be in pain or recovery is unusual in some way.
•The person has another seizure soon after the first one.
•The person cannot be awakened after the seizure activity has stopped.
•The person became injured during the seizure.
•The person becomes aggressive.
•The seizure occurs in water.
•The person has a health condition like diabetes or heart disease or is pregnant.
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If you, or someone you know, wants to quit smoking, smokefree.gov can help. They have a step-by-step quit guide and other free tools to help you kick the habit. You can also talk to an expert by telephone or chat, or find a local resource.
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Bulb Planting Tips
* Go for the biggest bulbs for the best spring show.
* Do not plant your bulbs in wet areas of your garden, they prefer sunny well drained areas.
* Dig a hole or trench for several bulbs. Some people prefer simple swaths of 3s or 5s
* Experiment with living bouquets of 12 – 24 bulbs for colourful impact.
* Try tossing your bulbs in the air with finesse and planting them where they land for the “natural” look.
* Use a shovel or a trowel to get deep in the ground
* Check your package to get the correct depth for your bulbs.
* Remember to plant pointy end up.
* In my garden I add bonemeal underneath the bulb to ensure huge healthy blooms.
* Protect from squirrels with chicken wire perfectly shaped to your hole
* Cut chicken wire with wire cutters and place over bulbs.
* Tamp the soil well into the ground with your feet.
After you put away your tools and wash up, its time to put your feet up and have a hot beverage and cozily dream of your beautiful spring garden to come.
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Totally updated is the Find A Flu Shot Site at: http://www.flu.gov/
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The Affordable Care Act was passed by Congress and signed into law on March 23, 2010. Many insurance plans are now required to cover the full cost of preventive services, like medical screenings and vaccines.
The link is: http://healthfinder.gov/prevention/ACA-crosswalk.aspx
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Created by caregivers, for caregivers
That’s the philosophy behind Caring.com. Giving is central to Caring.com. And so is giving back.
We hope Caring.com has been helpful to you. Perhaps you learned something new about an illness your loved one is facing. Or discovered a great local resource to help with your mom or dad. Maybe you were comforted by words of support from another member in our community.
What can you do to help others?
Share your experiences: Rate and review an eldercare service or facility in your community in our Senior Living Directory.
Offer tips and insights about what worked for you by answering questions in our Ask & Answer section.
Spread the word: Introduce friends to the wealth of information and support at Caring.com. Encourage them to sign up at www.caring.com/newsletters to receive the latest news and tips.
Thanks for being a part of our vibrant community of caregivers, where the more we all give, the more we all get.
Best wishes,
All of us at Caring.com
You’re there for them. We’re here for you.
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Whether or not you’re ready to act publicly on a dementia diagnosis, and even if that diagnosis isn’t specifically for Alzheimer’s, consider making a call now to a local chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. No, it’s not too early. Knowledge is power, and it’s wise to tap into a variety of resources.
The Association’s national helpline is (800) 272-3900. You’ll be able to find many resources specific to your area, such as professional referrals and support groups.
– Help you find camaraderie and advice in a support group for Alzheimer’s caregivers
– Help you find nearby clinical trials for drugs in development
– Act as a clearinghouse to point you to other community services for support, respite, and information
– Enroll you in an Alzheimer’s Association workshop to learn more about the disease and how to cope with it
– Tell you about Comfort Zone and MedicAlert + Alzheimer’s Association Safe Return, two programs that locate wanderers
Links: Alzheimer’s Association: http://www.alz.org/index.asp
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It can be hard to identify a pill if you’ve lost the container.
Pillbox, from the National Library of Medicine, can help you quickly and easily identify unknown pills. Search by shape, color, size, and more. Once you’ve identified the pill, you can also find drug information and labels.
Go to: pillbox.nlm.nih.gov
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When Waters Recede, Mold Can Take Hold
Release Date: September 9, 2011
Release Number: 4019-018
RALEIGH, N.C. — When waters flood a home or business it may cause mold to grow on walls and flooring within 24 to 48 hours. Even worse, mold will continue growing until steps are taken to eliminate the problem.
Mold and mildew can cause serious health problems, as well as structural damage to a home when a property has experienced flooding. Cleaning up quickly and drying out thoroughly may help prevent immediate and long-term health problems.
Molds are simple microscopic organisms. When present in large quantities, mold could cause allergic symptoms similar to those caused by plant pollen.
Typical symptoms reported from mold exposure include:
•respiratory problems including wheezing and asthma attacks
•burning or watery eyes, nose or throat irritations
•skin irritations like rashes or hives
•nervous system disorders including headaches and memory loss
Allow areas to dry two to three days before replacing damaged materials. Identify and correct the moisture source. Remove all water and fix any leaks before cleaning.
Porous materials such as paper, rags, wallboard and rotten wood can trap molds and should be thrown out. Harder materials such as glass, plastic and metal can be cleaned and disinfected.
To remove moldy materials, wear a filter mask and gloves to avoid contact with the mold. Remove porous materials such as ceiling tiles, wallboard and wood products. If wallboard is flooded, measure and cut at least two feet above the high water mark.
Carpeting can be a difficult problem because drying does not remove the dead spores. If there is heavy mold, consider disposing of the carpet.
After thorough cleaning and rinsing, disinfect the area with a solution of household bleach and water (1½ cups of bleach per gallon of water). Never mix bleach with ammonia – the fumes are toxic!
Let disinfected areas dry naturally overnight to kill all the mold.
Download FEMA’s mold and mildew cleanup brochure at: www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=3049&fromSearch=fromsearch
To order a free copy of FEMA’s Mold & Mildew; Cleaning up your Flood Damaged Home (FEMA 606) call: 800-480-2520 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Publications can also be ordered by e-mail at: fema-publications-warehouse@fema.gov or fax:
240-699-0525.
Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY call 800-462-7585.
FEMA’s temporary housing assistance and grants for public transportation expenses, medical and dental expenses, and funeral and burial expenses do not require individuals to apply for an SBA loan. However, applicants who receive SBA loan applications must submit them to SBA loan officers to be eligible for assistance that covers personal property, vehicle repair or replacement, and moving and storage expenses.
FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
Last Modified: Friday, 09-Sep-2011 09:50:00
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Suicide
If this is an emergency, please contact a mental health professional or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at any of the following numbers:
1.800.273.TALK (1.800.273.8255) (Veterans press option 1)
1.800.SUICIDE (1.800.784.2433)
1.888.SUICIDE (1.888.784.2433)
1.877.SUICIDA (1.877.784.2432) or 1.888.628.9454 (Spanish)
1.800.799.4TTY (1.800.799.4889) (TTY)
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has partnered with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to help military veterans. When calling, military veterans should choose option 1, which will route them to the Veterans Suicide Prevention Hotline. Specific information for military veterans is available. For veterans who prefer reaching out for assistance using the Internet, the VA provides a one-to-one chat service called Veterans Chat. This service is also available to the family and friends of veterans who wish to speak anonymously with a trained VA counselor.
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) offers additional information on suicide prevention, including suicide facts and statistics.
You may also wish to view suicide prevention information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They also provide information on violence and suicide prevention.
Suicide is the eleventh most common cause of death in the United States. People may consider suicide when they are hopeless and cannot see any other solution to their problems. Often, serious depression, alcohol or substance abuse, or major stressful events play a roll.
Suicide Warning Signs:
•Threatening to hurt or kill oneself or talking about wanting to hurt or kill oneself
•Looking for ways to kill oneself by seeking access to firearms, pills, or other means
•Talking or writing about death, dying, or suicide when these actions are out of the ordinary for the person
•Feeling hopeless
•Feeling rage or uncontrolled anger or seeking revenge
•Acting reckless or engaging in risky activities– seemingly without thinking
•Feeling trapped– like there is no way out
•Increasing alcohol or drug use
•Withdrawing from friends, family, and society
•Feeling anxious, agitated, unable to sleep or sleeping all the time
•Experiencing dramatic mood changes
•Seeing no reason for living or having no sense of purpose in life
Therapy and medicines can help most people who have suicidal thoughts. Treating mental illnesses and substance abuse can reduce the risk of suicide.
Additional Resources:
•Mental Health
•Anxiety Disorders
•Dealing with Grief
•Guidance on Addressing Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors in Substance Abuse Treatment
The short link for this FAQ is http://1.usa.gov/ncBQVi
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Mammography Use & Women with Disabilities
Tip sheet for public health professionals from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services with data on women aged 40 and over, with and without disabilities, who have had a mammogram. The data show that women with disabilities are less likely to have been screened for breast cancer.
This information has recently been updated.
For more information visit https://www.disability.gov/health/caregiver_%26_provider_resources/health_care_providers.
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Former Worker Medical Screening Program (FWP)
Managing Agency U.S. Department of Energy http://www.energy.gov/
Program Description
The Former Worker Program (FWP) identifies, notifies, and makes medical screening services available, at no cost, to the more than 600,000 former employees who have worked in the weapons complex during the past 60-plus years for the Department of Energy (DOE) or its predecessor agencies (the Atomic Energy Commission and the Energy Research and Development Administration). DOE funds external teams of health experts to independently offer medical screening to former workers for potential adverse health outcomes related to occupational exposures to such conditions as radiation, noise, beryllium, asbestos, lasers, silica, and other occupational exposures. The FWP was first established following the issuance of the Fiscal Year 1993 Defense Authorization Act (Public Law 102-484), which called for DOE to assist workers with determining whether they had health issues related to their prior work with DOE.
General Program Requirements
Workers eligible for this program include all former DOE Federal, contractor, and subcontractor employees from all DOE sites.
Your Next Steps
The following information will lead you to the next steps to apply for this benefit.
Application Process
For more information, see the Program Contact Information below.
Program Contact Information
A list of the FWP projects by state in which the DOE site is located, including toll-free phone numbers and websites associated with each project, can be found at:http://www.hss.doe.gov/HealthSafety/FWSP/formerworkermed/factsheets.html
For additional information on the FWP, visit: http://www.hss.doe.gov/HealthSafety/FWSP/formerworkermed/index.html
Updated 07-23-11
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High Blood Pressure & Cholesterol: Out of Control in US
Every 39 seconds, an adult dies from a cardiovascular disease such as a heart attack or stroke. Cardiovascular
disease claims the lives of more than 800,000 adults each year, 150,000 of whom are under the age of 65. Learn
what you can do to reduce your risk.
Every 39 seconds, an adult dies from a cardiovascular disease such as a heart attack or stroke. Cardiovascular
disease claims the lives of more than 800,000 adults each year, 150,000 of whom are under the age of 65. Learn
about two of the biggest risk factors for cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and high LDL-C
cholesterol, and what you can do to reduce your risk.
For American Heart Month, the February edition of CDC Vital Signs focuses on cardiovascular disease and what
we can do to increase control of high blood pressure and cholesterol — reducing the number of heart attacks,
strokes, and other cardiovascular diseases in the United States.
Highlights from the report
•Cardiovascular diseases kill more than 800,000 adults in the US each year. Of these, 150,000 are younger than
age 65.
•68 million US adults have high blood pressure.
•71 million US adults have high LDL cholesterol.
•Nearly 2 out of 3 adults with high LDL cholesterol and about half of adults with high blood pressure don’t have
their condition under control.
•Having health insurance is not sufficient to achieve the control
•Improvements in the way health care is delivered in the US are needed.
Common, Deadly and Preventable
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the US. Two main reasons people have cardiovascular
disease, such as heart disease or stroke, are high blood pressure and cholesterol, which are common, deadly
and preventable. 68 million US adults have high blood pressure and 71 million US adults have high cholesterol.
Far too few people have these conditions under control, even if they have health insurance. In fact, more than
80% of people who don’t have their high blood pressure or cholesterol under control already have health
insurance, indicating that for most patients, health insurance is not sufficient to achieve control. Clinical
services that detect and help control high blood pressure or cholesterol are not being delivered to all those in
need. Improvements in the way health care is delivered are needed in order to achieve greater levels of control.
What Can Be Done
This issue of CDC Vital Signs includes direct calls to action for:
Policymakers at all levels to develop programs and policies that will increase effective prevention and chronic
disease management strategies and champion policies to reduce salt and eliminate artificial trans-fats in the
nation’s food supply.
Health care providers to work with their patients to manage these conditions at every opportunity. Further,
these providers should use current guidelines and technology so patients get the follow up care they need and
providers get feedback on their performance.
Individuals to make healthy lifestyle choices, such as eating a healthy diet, daily physical activity, and not
smoking. People also should follow their doctors’ instructions and stay on their medications to control their
blood pressure and cholesterol.
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Does Your Family History Include Type 2 Diabetes?
If your mother, father or grandparents have type 2 diabetes, you are more likely to develop it, too. Making
healthy food choices and staying active can help you prevent or delay the disease.
February is Black History Month. This is a time set aside to commemorate African Americans who have made
contributions to society, whether they are world renowned figures, family members or people from your
community. It is also a time to remember what health concerns and conditions your family has faced, such as
diabetes.
Family history is closely associated with developing type 2 diabetes later in life. This is especially true in the
African-American community since nearly 13% of African Americans over the age of 20 are living with
diabetes. And the numbers are still rising. Maybe you have diabetes and are worried about your family members
developing the disease, too. CDC estimates that as many as 1 in 3 U.S. adults could have diabetes by 2050,
unless something changes.
Diabetes is a serious problem within the African-American community, but there is good news. A study, the
Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), proved that type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed in those at high
risk for the disease.
How to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
The National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) – a joint initiative between the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health – has developed a tip sheet, More than 50 Ways to Prevent
Diabetes, to help African Americans learn how to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. More than 50 Ways includes
tips to help you follow a low-fat, reduced-calorie meal plan and to be more active physically. Although these tips
were developed with African Americans in mind, they are helpful to anyone interested in learning about
preventing or delaying type 2 diabetes.
In the 2002 findings of the Diabetes Prevention Program study, scientists found that people can prevent or
delay type 2 diabetes by losing some weight (5–7 percent of their weight, or about 10-14 pounds in a 200-pound
person), making healthy food choices (consuming less fat and fewer calories), and participating in physical
activity (such as 30 minutes of brisk walking, 5 days a week).
Diabetes Education and Resources
The National Diabetes Education Program offers a range of resources that provide the foundation for
conducting outreach activities in communities across the country. To help fulfill its mission of changing the
way diabetes is treated, the NDEP has created awareness campaigns to spread the good news about diabetes
prevention and control. Each campaign provides a wealth of tools—brochures, tip sheets, provider kits, public
service advertising, and more—that you can use to reach out to people with diabetes, people at risk, or
healthcare professionals.
More than 50 Ways to Prevent Diabetes is a companion piece to the NDEP Small Steps. Big Rewards. Prevent
type 2 Diabetes [PDF - 997KB]campaign. The key theme of this campaign is that people at risk for type 2
diabetes can reap big rewards – such as the delay or prevention of type 2 diabetes and its complications – by
taking small steps to implement healthy lifestyle behaviors. For more information on More than 50 Ways to
Prevent Diabetes, please contact the CDC National Diabetes Education Program by e-mail (CDCINFO@cdc.gov)
or call 800-232-4636. To learn more about diabetes or to access free diabetes resources, visit www.
yourdiabetesinfo.org or call 1-888-693-NDEP (6337).
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Get the Facts on Diabetes
Nearly 26 million Americans have diabetes and an estimated 79 million adults have prediabetes. The new
estimates show how important it is to make healthy lifestyle choices to prevent type 2 diabetes.
The number of Americans with diabetes continues to increase, according to CDC’s most recent National
Diabetes Fact Sheet. So does the number of Americans with prediabetes, a condition that increases their risk of
type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
The National Diabetes Fact Sheet, 2011, provides data on how many Americans have diabetes, as well as
information on age, racial and ethnic differences in diabetes, and on complications of the disease. Below are
some highlights from the fact sheet.
Diabetes affects 8.3% of all Americans and 11.3% of adults age 20 and older. Some 27% of people with diabetes
– 7 million Americans – do not know they have the disease. In 2010, 1.9 million Americans were first diagnosed
with diabetes.
Prediabetes affects 35% of adults age 20 and older, and half of Americans age 65 and older. Prediabetes is a
condition in which blood glucose (sugar) levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as
diabetes.
CDC estimates that as many as 1 in 3 U.S. adults could have diabetes by 2050 if current trends continue. Type 2
diabetes, in which the body gradually loses its ability to use and produce insulin, accounts for 90% to 95% of
cases. Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include older age, obesity, family history, having diabetes while pregnant,
a sedentary lifestyle and race/ethnicity.
Age, Gender, Racial and Ethnic Differences in Diabetes
Diabetes is more likely to affect older Americans, although there are Americans of all ages with the disease.
Almost 27% of people age 65 years and older had diabetes in 2010.
About 215,000 people younger than 20 years have diabetes (type 1 or type 2). This represents 0.26% of all
people in this age group.
As in previous years, disparities exist among ethnic groups and minority populations including Native
Americans, blacks and Hispanics. Rates of diagnosed diabetes include:
•Native Americans and Alaska Natives (16.1%)
•Blacks (12.6%)
•Hispanics (11.8%)
Among Hispanics, rates include:
•Puerto Ricans (13.8%)
•Mexican Americans (13.3%)
•Cubans and Central and South Americans (7.6%)
Women who develop diabetes while pregnant (gestational diabetes) have a 35% to 60% chance of developing
type 2 diabetes in the next 10 to 20 years.
Complications from Diabetes
•Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death and can lead to permanent disability and poor health. People
with diabetes can experience numerous serious and deadly complications, including heart disease and stroke,
blindness, chronic kidney disease, and amputations.
•The risk for stroke is 2 to 4 times higher among people with diabetes. Adults with diabetes have heart disease
death rates about 2 to 4 times higher than adults without diabetes.
•Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults aged 20–74 years.
•Diabetes is also the leading cause of kidney failure, accounting for 44% of new cases in 2008.
• More than 60% of leg and foot amputations not related to accidents and injuries were performed on people
with diabetes. In 2006, that amounted to 65,700 amputations.
Preventing Type 2 Diabete
It is possible to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes in those at high risk for developing the disease. Clinical trials
have shown that losing 5 to 7 percent of body weight – that’s 10 to 14 pounds for a 200-pound person – and
getting at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes by
nearly 60 percent in those at high risk for developing the disease.
CDC’s National Diabetes Prevention Program supports establishing a network of community-based, group
lifestyle intervention programs for overweight or obese people at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Thirty-
three U.S. sites will offer group lifestyle interventions in 2011, with plans to expand to other communities.
Diabetes Management and Control
Diabetes can lead to serious complications and premature death, but people with diabetes can take steps to
control the disease and lower the risk of complications, such as:
•Talk to your health care provider about how to manage your blood glucose (sugar), blood pressure and
cholesterol.
•Learn about what foods and drinks belong in a healthy diet, and proper portion sizes.
•Be physically active for 30 – 60 minutes on most days of the week.
•Stay at a healthy weight.
•Check your blood glucose and take medicines the way your doctor tells you to.
•Get routine care. See your health care team at least twice a year to find and treat problems.
***************************************************************
Cervical Cancer: The Power of Early Detection
Each year, approximately 12,000 women in the U.S. get cervical cancer. As the second most common cause of
cancer deaths in women, cervical cancer has an impact on females around the world.
Dr. Laurie Zephyrin, the national director of Reproductive Health at the Department of Veteran Affairs, says
making screenings part of a woman’s regular physical can save lives.
For her, the goal to increased and early detection is simple and clear.
“It’s about ensuring access to high quality care and educating women on how to take care of themselves.”
Screening
The first step of care is informing women of the critical test for cervical cancer: the Pap test. The test reveals
abnormalities in cells in the cervix. It can detect cancer early, when treatment is most effective.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force guidelines recommend a Pap test starting at age 21; from ages 21 to 65, the
test should be at least every 3 years. For patients over 65 with normal Pap test results for several years, the
doctor may say it’s OK to stop getting regular screenings. However, patients should speak with their health care
provider — the frequency of screenings may vary based on past Pap tests, past surgeries, or age.
Dr. Zephyrin cautions that an abnormal Pap test does not mean a patient has cervical cancer.
“Depending on the test result, sometimes it requires something as simple as repeating the Pap test or taking a
closer look at the cervix with an electronic microscope called a colposcopy. With a closer view of the cervix,
many abnormalities seen can be biopsied and sent to the lab for a more in-depth evaluation.”
Another test that can be included with the Pap test is one that screens for the human papillomavirus, or HPV.
On its own it is not a routine screening test. But infection with certain types of high risk HPV, a sexually
transmitted infection, can be associated with cervical cancer.
Many sexually active people will contract HPV at some point in their lives but few will get cancer. HPV infection
may be cleared over time. Condoms offer some protection against HPV infection, and one can also decrease the
risk of infection by limiting the number of sexual partners.
Persistence of the HPV infection and progression to cancer can be influenced by poor nutrition, a suppressed
immune function (from autoimmune diseases such as HIV/AIDS), and cigarette smoking.
Female Veterans younger than 26 can receive a vaccination called Garadasil or Cervarix that prevents high-
risk strains of HPV. Despite vaccination they should still have regular Pap tests.
Taking Care of Women Veterans
Cervical cancer screenings are one of the VA’s quality measures and it’s a quality measure VA takes seriously.
In both 2008 and 2009, 92 percent of women ages 21 to 64 who were enrolled in a health plan had received at
least one Pap test in the past 3 years.
According to the 2010 VA Hospital Report Card, “Overall, provision of gender-specific care to women, e.g.,
screening for breast and cervical cancer, substantially exceeded that in other settings including commercial
managed care systems, Medicare and Medicaid.”
With more women Veterans receiving VA health care each year, Dr. Zephyrin reports VA is employing a
comprehensive approach in caring for women Veterans.
“We definitely need to continue to ensure that our women Veterans are provided routine gynecological care
and that women are receiving the best care in a timely fashion. It’s very important that women Veterans know
that they can come to us to get their care.”
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How to Save Thousands on Groceries
Quick tips from the military spouse coupon queen.
by Ellie Kay, Army spouse
Be like Ellie Kay and shop smarter and faster by getting organized and taking advantage of multiple savings
offers. She saved up to 80 percent on her food bill — and you can, too.
The List
Stephanie Grierson, an Army spouse from Germany, says, “I shop with a list, and it keeps me from going over my
budget.” Grierson is right: Those customers who make out a list — and stick to it — usually save 30 percent or
more. When you compile the list, use weekly grocery sale ads that come in the mail or newspaper inserts. You
can also check out sales at commissaries.com . Match sale ads with some of the other savings listed, and you’ll
soon find yourself with products for pennies. Go to couponmom.com to find sales and coupons in your area.
Store Cards
These are also known as “clipless coupons,” and they can be used to save lots of money in civilian stores. “I’ve
told my husband to sign up for the clipless store coupon when he’s TDY and has to shop at a grocery store,”
Navy spouse Jordan Smyles said. “He added up his savings on one TDY to San Diego, and it totaled $150 for the
two weeks he was there — that’s a big savings.”
Sign up for the card at the customer service desk or at the register, and as it is scanned at the checkout, you’ll
receive all the store’s special values for the week. This is not available at military commissaries.
Manufacturer’s Coupons
These are traditional coupons issued and reimbursed by the manufacturer. If you read the fine print, you’ll see
the manufacturer’s name and mailing address. You can go to mygrocery.com to find downloadable coupons to
print. LaKeisha Johnson, who lives at Fort Bragg, N.C., said, “I used to think manufacturer’s coupons were not
worth my time. But after I read your blog, I started using them, and I invest about 30 minutes a week organizing
them. Now I’m saving around $90 every time I shop, which means I’m ‘earning’ $150 per hour in the money I’ve
saved.”
Double Coupons
Some stores offer double (or triple) coupons. This is where the coupon is worth twice or three times the face
value, so a 50-cent coupon is now worth $1 or $1.50. Rules vary, so check at the store for details. For a
complete listing of stores that double coupons, go to elliekay.com and select the “links” page. Military
commissaries do not offer double coupons. In some promotions, however, the commissary gives you two
manufacturer’s coupons to redeem on the same item on the same day.
Ellie Kay is a national radio commentator, a regular expert on ABC NEWS NOW Good Money Show, a popular
international speaker and the best-selling author of 14 books, including her newest release, The Little Book of
Big Savings (Waterbrook, 2009)
******************************************************
3 Tips For Resisting Unhealthy Cravings
Before you reach for that decadent snack, heed this advice
by: Carole Carson | from: AARP | December 2010
Most of us, at some point, have an irresistible urge to eat a particularly fattening or unhealthy food. My
weakness is a craving for sugar late in the afternoon when my energy and spirits sag.
— Michael Marcelle
According to a study published in May 2010 in the Scientific American, women are more susceptible to these
urges than are men. But whatever your sex, at some point you’ll be tested and it helps to have a strategy for
coping. Here are three FIT tips that I find helpful in controlling my unhealthy food cravings:
F: Focus on what triggered the craving and forgo responding immediately. Let me explain. Recently, I got off an
airplane and walked into the middle of an airport food court. As soon as I smelled warm chocolate chip cookies, I
desperately wanted one — even several. But I reminded myself that when I came off the plane I wasn’t hungry.
So I shut out the enticing aroma and the sight of all the people around me eating and kept walking. As soon as I
left the food court, the craving disappeared.
I: Inventory your prior food intake. When deciding whether to indulge a craving, review what you have already
eaten that day, particularly at the last meal. Researchers report that such a review triggers the “I’m satisfied”
experience. When I had my airport cookie craving, I reviewed what I had eaten that day and realized I’d had
enough. This research is consistent with the conclusion of Dr. Edward Abramson, author of Body Intelligence,
that “only a small part of our eating is actually triggered by physical hunger.”
T: Take time to plan and prepare your meals. When you are looking forward to creating and eating a meal, you
are less inclined to snack. If you plan wisely — with fresh ingredients and healthy recipes — you will eat better
and, probably, save money because good planning means less waste. In general, home-prepared meals tend to
be more nutritious and generally lower in fat than restaurant food.
When you sit down to eat, don’t eat until you are stuffed. Try to pause when you are about 75 percent full. Try
not to take another bite for 10 minutes or so, at which point you should feel satisfied. Mindful eating will help
you eat less while enjoying the food more.
Temptations to indulge never go away, and they will challenge you in your efforts to maintain the weight and
fitness you desire. But by recognizing them for what they are — i.e., impulses, not genuine hunger — and
responding with self-control, you can gain the upper hand over the munchies.
***********************************************
6 cancer-fighting superfoods.
By Leslie Barrie
To reduce your risk of cancer, look no further than your fridge. “All the studies on cancer and nutrition point to
eating plant-based foods for their phytonutrients and other special compounds,” says Richard Béliveau, PhD,
chair in the prevention and treatment of cancer at the University of Québec at Montreal and author of Foods to
Fight Cancer.
Aim for five to nine daily servings of all kinds of fruits and vegetables—especially these six superstars.
Broccoli
All cruciferous veggies (think cauliflower, cabbage, kale) contain cancer-fighting properties, but broccoli is the
only one with a sizable amount of sulforaphane, a particularly potent compound that boosts the body’s
protective enzymes and flushes out cancer-causing chemicals, says Jed Fahey, ScD. A recent University of
Michigan study on mice found that sulforaphane also targets cancer stem cells—those that aid in tumor growth.
Helps fight: breast, liver, lung, prostate, skin, stomach, and bladder cancers
Your Rx: The more broccoli, the better, research suggests—so add it wherever you can, from salads to omelets
to the top of your pizza.
Health.com: 13 easy pizza recipes
Berries
All berries are packed with cancer-fighting phytonutrients. But black raspberries, in particular, contain very
high concentrations of phytochemicals called anthocyanins, which slow down the growth of premalignant cells
and keep new blood vessels from forming (and potentially feeding a cancerous tumor), according to Gary D.
Stoner, PhD, a professor of internal medicine at The Ohio State University College of Medicine.
Helps fight: colon, esophageal, oral, and skin cancers
Your Rx: Stoner uses a concentrated berry powder in his studies but says a half-cup serving of berries a day
may help your health, too.
Health.com: Go wild for berries!
Tomatoes
This juicy fruit is the best dietary source of lycopene, a carotenoid that gives tomatoes their red hue, Béliveau
says. And that’s good news, because lycopene was found to stop endometrial cancer cell growth in a study in
Nutrition and Cancer. Endometrial cancer causes nearly 8,000 deaths a year.
Helps fight: endometrial, lung, prostate, and stomach cancers
Your Rx: The biggest benefits come from cooked tomatoes (think pasta sauce!), since the heating process
increases the amount of lycopene your body is able to absorb.
Health.com: 10 tasty tomato recipes
Walnuts
Their phytosterols (cholesterol-like molecules found in plants) have been shown to block estrogen receptors in
breast cancer cells, possibly slowing the cells’ growth, says Elaine Hardman, PhD, associate professor at
Marshall University School of Medicine in Huntington, West Virginia.
Helps fight: breast and prostate cancers
Your Rx: Munching on an ounce of walnuts a day may yield the best benefits, Hardman’s research found.
Health.com: 8 super nuts
Garlic
Phytochemicals in garlic have been found to halt the formation of nitrosamines, carcinogens formed in the
stomach (and in the intestines, in certain conditions) when you consume nitrates, a common food preservative,
Béliveau says. In fact, the Iowa Women’s Health Study found that women with the highest amounts of garlic in
their diets had a 50 percent lower risk of certain colon cancers than women who ate the least.
Helps fight: breast, colon, esophageal, and stomach cancers
Your Rx: Chop a clove of fresh, crushed garlic (crushing helps release beneficial enzymes), and sprinkle it into
that lycopene-rich tomato sauce while it simmers.
Health.com: Surprising health benefits of garlic
Beans
A study out of Michigan State University found that black and navy beans significantly reduced colon cancer
incidence in rats, in part because a diet rich in the legumes increased levels of the fatty acid butyrate, which in
high concentrations has protective effects against cancer growth. Another study, in the journal Crop Science,
found dried beans particularly effective in preventing breast cancer in rats.
Helps fight: breast and colon cancers
Your Rx: Add a serving—a half-cup—of legumes a few times a week (either from a can or dry beans that’ve
been soaked and cooked) to your usual rotation of greens or other veggies. .
***********************************************************
Heart attacks don’t always strike out of the blue — there are many symptoms we can watch for in the days and
weeks leading up to an attack. But the symptoms may not be the ones we expect. And they can be different in
men and women, and different still in older adults. Last year, for example, a landmark study by the National
Institutes of Health (NIH) published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Institute found that 95 percent
of women who’d had heart attacks reported experiencing symptoms in the weeks and months before the attack
– but the symptoms were not the expected chest pain, so they went unrecognized.
How to Tell if Someone Is Having a Heart Attack
Don’t let that happen to you. Here, 10 heart symptoms you’re likely to ignore — and shouldn’t.
1. Indigestion or nausea
One of the most oft-overlooked signs of a heart attack is nausea and stomach pain. Symptoms can range from
mild indigestion to severe nausea, cramping, and vomiting. Others experience a cramping-style ache in the
upper belly. Women and adults over age 60 are more likely to experience this symptom and not recognize it as
tied to cardiac health.
Most cases of stomach ache and nausea aren’t caused by a heart attack, of course. But watch out for this sign
by becoming familiar with your own digestive habits; pay attention when anything seems out of the ordinary,
particularly if it comes on suddenly and you haven’t been exposed to stomach flu and haven’t eaten anything
out of the ordinary.
2. Jaw, ear, neck, or shoulder pain
A sharp pain and numbness in the chest, shoulder, and arm is an indicator of heart attack, but many people
don’t experience heart attack pain this way at all. Instead, they may feel pain in the neck or shoulder area, or it
may feel like it’s running along the jaw and up by the ear. Some women specifically report feeling the pain
between their shoulder blades.
A telltale sign: The pain comes and goes, rather than persisting unrelieved, as a pulled muscle would. This can
make the pain both easy to overlook and difficult to pinpoint. You may notice pain in your neck one day, none
the next day, then after that it might have moved to your ear and jaw. If you notice pain that seems to move or
radiate upwards and out, this is important to bring to your doctor’s attention.
3. Sexual dysfunction
Having trouble achieving or keeping erections is common in men with coronary artery disease, but they may
not make the connection. Just as arteries around the heart can narrow and harden, so can those that supply
the penis — and because those arteries are smaller, they may show damage sooner. One survey of European
men being treated for cardiovascular disease found that two out of three had suffered from erectile dysfunction
before they were ever diagnosed with heart trouble.
4. Exhaustion or fatigue
A sense of crushing fatigue that lasts for several days is another sign of heart trouble that’s all too often
overlooked or explained away. Women, in particular, often look back after a heart attack and mention this
symptom. More than 70 percent of women in last year’s NIH study, for example, reported extreme fatigue in the
weeks or months prior to their heart attack.
The key here is that the fatigue is unusually strong — not the kind of tiredness you can power through but the
kind that lays you flat out in bed. If you’re normally a fairly energetic person and suddenly feel sidelined by
fatigue, a call to your doctor is in order.
5. Breathlessness and dizziness
When your heart isn’t getting enough blood, it also isn’t getting enough oxygen. And when there’s not enough
oxygen circulating in your blood, the result is feeling unable to draw a deep, satisfying breath — the same
feeling you get when you’re at high elevation. Additional symptoms can be light-headedness and dizziness. But
sadly, people don’t attribute this symptom to heart disease, because they associate breathing with the lungs,
not the heart.
In last year’s NIH study, more than 40 percent of women heart attack victims remembered experiencing this
symptom. A common description of the feeling: “I couldn’t catch my breath while walking up the driveway.”
6. Leg swelling or pain
When the heart muscle isn’t functioning properly, waste products aren’t carried away from tissues by the blood,
and the result can be edema, or swelling caused by fluid retention. Edema usually starts in the feet, ankles, and
legs because they’re furthest from the heart, where circulation is poorer. In addition, when tissues don’t get
enough blood, it can lead to a painful condition called ischemia. Bring swelling and pain to the attention of your
doctor.
7. Sleeplessness, insomnia, and anxiety
This is an odd one doctors can’t yet explain. Those who’ve had heart attacks often remember experiencing a
sudden, unexplained inability to fall asleep or stay asleep during the month or weeks before their heart attack.
(Note: If you already experience insomnia regularly, this symptom can be hard to distinguish.)
Patients often report the feeling as one of being “keyed up” and wound tight; they remember lying in bed with
racing thoughts and sometimes a racing heart. In the NIH report, many of the women surveyed reported feeling
a sense of “impending doom,” as if a disaster were about to occur. If you don’t normally have trouble sleeping
and begin to experience acute insomnia and anxiety for unexplained reasons, speak with your doctor.
8. Flu-like symptoms
Clammy, sweaty skin, along with feeling light-headed, fatigued, and weak, leads some people to believe they’re
coming down with the flu when, in fact, they’re having a heart attack. Even the feeling of heaviness or pressure
in the chest — typical of some people’s experience in a heart attack — may be confused with having a chest cold
or the flu.
If you experience severe flu-like symptoms that don’t quite add up to the flu (no high temperature, for example),
call your doctor or advice nurse to talk it over. Watch out also for persistent wheezing or chronic coughing that
doesn’t resolve itself; that can be a sign of heart disease, experts say. Patients sometimes attribute these
symptoms to a cold or flu, asthma, or lung disease when what’s happening is that poor circulation is causing
fluid to accumulate in the lungs.
9. Rapid-fire pulse or heart rate
One little-known symptom that sometimes predates a heart attack is known as ventricular tachycardia, more
commonly described as rapid and irregular pulse and heart rate. During these episodes, which come on
suddenly, you feel as if your heart is beating very fast and hard, like you just ran up a hill — except you didn’t.
“I’d look down and I could actually see my heart pounding,” one person recalled. It can last just a few seconds or
longer; if longer, you may also notice dizziness and weakness.
Some patients confuse these episodes with panic attacks. Rapid pulse and heartbeat that aren’t brought on by
exertion always signal an issue to bring to your doctor’s attention.
10. You just don’t feel like yourself
Heart attacks in older adults (especially those in their 80s and beyond, or in those who have dementia or
multiple health conditions), can mimic many other conditions. But an overall theme heard from those whose
loved ones suffered heart attacks is that in the days leading up to and after a cardiac event, they “just didn’t
seem like themselves.”
A good rule of thumb, experts say, is to watch for clusters of symptoms that come on all at once and aren’t
typical of your normal experience. For example, a normally alert, energetic person suddenly begins to have
muddled thinking, memory loss, deep fatigue, and a sense of being “out of it.” The underlying cause could be
something as simple as a urinary tract infection, but it could also be a heart attack. If your body is doing
unusual things and you just don’t feel “right,” don’t wait. See a doctor and ask for a thorough work-up.
And if you have any risk factors for cardiac disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, or
family history of heart disease, make sure the doctor knows about those issues, too.
************************************************************************************
CAREGIVER TIPS FOR PROVIDING DENTAL HYGIENE FOR LOVED ONES WITH DEMENTIAS/ALZHEIMER’S
by Carol Ware Duff MSN, BA, RN
Dental hygiene or brushing teeth or dentures is often a neglected area of care in the person with dementia and
it can be overlooked. Your assistance may become necessary early in the dementia process because good care
requires many steps and many steps may be difficult for a person with memory loss. You may need to remind
your loved one, give assistance, or encourage your loved one to perform as much of his or her dental care as
possible.
What can you do to assist your loved one with dental hygiene?
Using the familiar routine that the person has established will cause less confusion.
Teeth should be brushed at least twice daily and may require reminders.
The tooth brushing routine should be broken into small steps such as:
Pick up your toothbrush.
“Here is the tooth paste.”
“Put the toothpaste on the brush.”
“Now, brush your teeth.”
You can hold the toothbrush and show your loved one how to brush his or her teeth, or you can place your
hand over his or her hand and move it in a brushing motion.
Do not use harsh mouthwashes, which have large amounts of alcohol in them.
Daily inspection of the mouth of your loved one for sores or irritations is important.
Flossing should be continued for those who have their own teeth.
Twice a year visits to the dentist are suggested for good dental health.
For those with dentures:
The management of dentures also requires many steps and a well-established routine.
Dentures should be cleaned or soaked once daily using denture cleansing agents.
Dentures can be removed at night but you may need to remind your loved one to replace them in the morning.
Dentures should fit correctly.
Weight loss can alter the fit of dentures.
A dentist should fix poorly fitting dentures that could affect eating and cause sores.
The following are websites to provide you with more information on dental care.
About.com: Dental care in dementia.
http://alzheimers.about.com/od/treatmentoptions/a/dental.htm
National Alzheimer’s Association: Dental care. http://www.alz.
org/professionals_and_researchers_tips_on_personal_care.asp#dental
*********************************************************************************************************
For a free mammogram, please call:
The Susan G. Komen Reach Out For Life Program
1-877-MAMMOS1
Another program that offers free mammograms to women who meet
eligibility requirements:
New Jersey Cancer Education and Early Detection (NJCEED)
609 – 394-4045 or 1-800-328-3838
*********************************************************************
Breast self-exams: One way to detect breast cancer
Breast self-exams — along with clinical breast exams and mammography — raise your awareness of your
breast health. Find out what breast familiarity entails and review self-exam techniques.
Breast self-exams, long advocated as essential for early breast cancer detection, are now considered optional.
What’s stressed today is breast awareness, which involves being familiar with the normal consistency of your
breasts and the underlying tissue.
Breast self-exams contribute greatly to breast awareness, teaching you how your breasts vary in sensitivity and
texture at different times during your menstrual cycle and different stages of life. This sense of what’s normal is
known as breast familiarity.
Benefits of breast familiarity
When you know the normal feel of your breasts, it’s easier to notice subtle but potentially serious changes.
These changes may become apparent quickly, over the course of just a few months.
Say, for example, you feel a barely perceptible area of thickening in the upper quadrant of your breast, next to
your arm. If you’ve become familiar with how your breasts look and feel, you know your breast usually feels
completely smooth in that area. Without a tactile memory from having done many breast self-exams, though,
you might not notice this difference. Detecting such a change should prompt you to see your doctor.
Although most breast abnormalities discovered on breast self-exams aren’t cancers, a small proportion are.
Some of those cancers are at an early stage, when prompt treatment can be lifesaving. That’s why regular
breast self-exams — examining your breasts in a way that’s comfortable to you, with an awareness of what’s
normal for you — are particularly important if you’re at increased risk of breast cancer.
To gain the greatest benefit from regular breast self-exams, ask your doctor to review your technique at your
next checkup.
How to perform a breast self-exam
Patterns for breast self-exam
Start by looking closely at your breasts. Disrobe and stand in front of a mirror with your arms at your sides.
While facing forward and turning from side to side, look for puckering, dimpling or changes in size, shape or
symmetry. Check to see if your nipples are turned in (inverted). Inspect your breasts with your arms in two
other positions: hands on your hips and hands raised overhead, palms pressed together.
Perform the manual part of the exam in the shower or lying down with no shirt or bra on.
If you choose the shower, lather your fingers and breasts with soap to help your fingers glide more smoothly
over your wet skin. If you do the exam lying down, choose a bed or other flat surface to lie on.
Move your hand over your breast using one of three techniques: the clock pattern, the wedge pattern or the
sweeping technique. No matter which method you choose, be sure to check your nipple for any discharge. Do
this by gently pinching the nipple with your fingers positioned at 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock and again with your
fingers at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock.
Touching or gently pressing a breast lump may cause some discomfort. If you do detect any changes, such as a
lump, thickening, asymmetry, dimpling, redness, nipple discharge or nipple inversion, see your doctor promptly.
Breast self-exam using a clock pattern
Visualize your breast as the face of a clock.
Place your left hand behind your head and examine your left breast with your right hand.
Place your right hand at 12 o’clock — at the very top of your breast.
Press the pads of your three middle fingers firmly on your breast in a slight circling, massaging motion.
Move your hand down to 1 o’clock, then 2 o’clock, continuing until you return to 12 o’clock.
Continue in the same pattern, moving your hand in smaller circles toward your nipple.
Check the tissue under the nipple and look for discharge.
Check the tissue under your armpit and surrounding your breast.
Place your right hand behind your head and repeat the examination on your right breast using your left hand.
Visualize your breast as a circle divided into wedges, like pieces of a pie.
Place your left hand behind your head and examine your left breast with your right hand.
Press the pads of your three middle fingers firmly on your breast in a slight circling, massaging motion.
Start at the top of your breast about a half-inch below your collarbone and slide your fingers in toward your
nipple as you massage.
Examine the breast tissue in the entire wedge — or piece of pie.
Move your fingers clockwise to the next wedge in the circle.
Continue examining your breast in this manner until you’ve completely examined your breast and underarm.
Place your right hand behind your head and repeat the examination on your right breast using your left hand.
Breast self-exam using a sweeping technique
Place your left hand behind your head and examine your left breast with your right hand.
Instead of a circling, massaging motion, sweep your three middle fingers from your collarbone down to your
nipple.
Work clockwise around your breast.
Sweep your fingers from the outside of your breast in toward your nipple.
To feel deeper breast tissue, repeat the process using a walking motion with your fingers.
Continue examining your breast in this manner until you’ve completely examined your breast and underarm.
Place your right hand behind your head and repeat the examination on your right breast using your left hand.
Breast lumps: Next steps after discovering suspicious breast tissue
When should you start breast self-exams?
The American Cancer Society recommends that doctors inform women about the benefits and limitations of
breast self-exams when they reach age 20. That’s the age you should begin breast self-exams. Whether or not
you perform breast self-exams, you should have a clinical breast exam by a health professional every three
years until you’re 40. After age 40, schedule a clinical breast exam and a mammogram every year.
What’s the best time for breast self-exams?
The best time to perform a breast self-exam is about a week after the start of your period. That’s when your
breasts are least likely to be tender or swollen. Your breast tissue undergoes changes each month during your
menstrual cycle. Changes in hormone levels associated with menstruation cause your breasts to swell. Once
your period starts, the swelling subsides and your breasts return to normal.
During pregnancy and nursing, your breasts may feel more lumpy than usual. If you have any questions about
how your breasts look or feel, don’t hesitate to ask your doctor about them.
Pros and cons of breast self-exams
One benefit of breast self-exams is the potential to identify and treat a cancerous breast lump while it’s still
small and in an early stage of development. On the flip side, however, you might need a biopsy to evaluate an
area of concern. If the biopsy results are noncancerous (benign), you might feel that you’ve undergone an
invasive procedure unnecessarily. Breast self-exams may also be challenging if you have normally lumpy
(fibrocystic) breasts.
Breast self-exams alone don’t reduce the number of deaths from breast cancer. Breast self-exams can miss
tumors, as can other methods of screening. That’s why it’s important to rely on more than one method to screen
for breast cancer. A combined approach to breast cancer screening — including breast self-exams, clinical
breast exams, mammography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for certain high risk women — increases
your chances of finding breast cancer at an early, treatable stage.
*******************************************************************************************************************
A GREAT SENIOR SITE: http://nihseniorhealth.gov/listoftopics.html
**********************************
PLEASE CHECK WITH YOUR LOCAL HOSPITAL OR PERSONAL PHYSICIAN REGARDING THE FOLLOWING,
WHERE EVER YOU ARE LOCATED……
Proper Disposal of Home-Generated Medical Waste
The Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the county Division of Solid Waste Management are
asking residents to properly dispose of home-generated medical waste, including needles and syringes. Medical
waste is not accepted as part of any county recycling or household hazardous waste program.
Home-generated medical waste includes syringes, needles, and lancets used to monitor blood sugar levels at
home.
“If medical waste objects are placed in plastic garbage bags or recycling bins, it poses a health risk to family
members, housekeepers, and recycling and waste workers,” said Freeholder Rick Fontana, solid waste
management liaison. “Used needles can transmit infection and serious diseases, including HIV and hepatitis.”
According to the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, over 700,000 syringes, needles and
lancets are used by New Jersey residents each day. A Safe Syringe Disposal Guide for Home Generated
Medical Waste can be found on the state’s Web site at: http://www.state.nj.us/health/eoh/phss/syringe.pdf. The
disposal of medical waste is regulated by State law.
Used sharps should be placed in a rigid container that has a screw-on cap and is clearly labeled with a warning,
e.g., Syringes – Do Not Recycle. The local pharmacy may sell commercial containers specially designed to hold
sharps for disposal.
Check with your physician or local hospital to see if they will accept used syringes that are placed in a proper
container.
Many hospitals in and around Somerset County participate in the New Jersey Hospital Association’s Safe
Syringe Program. These hospitals provide sharps containers to residents that can be returned to the hospital
when the container is full. Contact the hospitals listed below for more information.
Somerset Medical Center – Somerville
Safe Syringe Program
(908) 685-2200, ext. 3258
St. Peter’s Hospital – New Brunswick
Safe Syringe Program
(732) 745-8600, ext. 8282
Princeton Medical Center – Princeton
(609) 497-4266
Hunterdon Medical Center – Flemington
Diabetic Dept.
(908) 788-6100
Additional information about the Safe Syringe Disposal Program may be obtained by contacting:
New Jersey Hospital Association
760 Alexander Road
Princeton, NJ 08543
(609) 273-4058
Waste Management, a waste hauling company, offers a “Sharps Disposal by Mail” program. Call Waste
Management for prices and details at 1-877-WASTE-MD.
For more information, contact the Somerset County Division of Solid Waste Management at (908) 231-7681.
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Need Prescription Drugs?
Many of these companies will send you meds
for free or at low cost
diabetes, and more.
Transplants.
Sangstat, a leader in transplant drug therapy.
companies with programs for the medically indigent.
The American Society for RSD/CRPS offers the following website:
www.americansocietyforrsd-crps.org/societypages/freemeds.html
This site includes 1-800 telephone numbers to contact directly regarding their programs. Some of the
companies include: Astra, World Share Pharmacy, Zeneca, Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Assoc. Free
Medications Directory, Bayer, Pharmacia & UpJohn, Schwarz and others.
*************************************************************************************************************
FROM OUR FRIENDS AT H.O.P.E………………
Mission Statement:
The mission of H.O.P.E. is to assist recently widowed persons of all ages in evolving through the natural stages
of grief by giving support and encouragement for the future, by providing essential information, and by helping
them to set and achieve new goals for living.
H.O.P.E. is a non-profit, federally registered 501(c)3 organization in existence since 1978 and is not affiliated
with any religious organization.
Program topics:
The four sessions (winter, spring, summer, and fall) of the H.O.P.E. program each have different topics so
members may continue through the sessions without repeating topics unnecessarily.
The first meeting of every session consists of introductions and orientation to the program. The expected
stages of the normal grief process are reviewed and complicating factors are explained. Some of the
subsequent topics may include: surviving emotional upheaval; understanding depression; life style changes;
healing and growth; motivation and goal setting; exploring independence; building a personal support network;
effective problem solving; and, in every session, loneliness. (See sample ten week course
Details of Meeting Times and Locations
The information on this and linked pages is for the use and convenience of registered participants in the H.O.P.
E. program. Please register by calling: (856) 751 HOPE (856-751-4673)
Mercer County
Hamilton Square Chapter
Saul Colonial Funeral Home, 3795 Nottingham Way, Trenton, NJ 08690
Mondays, 7 p.m.
Burlington County
Pemberton Chapter
Calvary Baptist Church, 5 Scrapetown Rd, (Magnolia & Scrapetown Rd) Pemberton, NJ 08068, Tues, 7 p.m.
Marlton Chapter
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 61 E. Route 70, Marlton, NJ 08053, Wednesdays, 1 p.m.
Moorestown Chapter
St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 318 Chester Ave., Moorestown, NJ 08057, Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.
Camden County
Berlin Chapter
Virtua West Jersey Hospital – Berlin, 100 Townsend Ave., Berlin, NJ 08009, Mondays, 7 p.m.
Cherry Hill Chapter
St. Andrew United Methodist Church, 327 Marlton Pike W., (Route 70 E.), Cherry Hill, NJ 08022
Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m.
Collingswood Chapter
Camden County Division of Senior Services, Suite 11, 700 Browning Rd., Oaklyn, NJ 08107
Thursdays, 10 a.m.
Gloucester County
Mantua Chapter
Mantua United Methodist Church, 201 Mantua Blvd., Mantua, NJ 08051, Thursdays, 7 p.m.
Cape May County
Swainton Chapter
Holy Redeemer VNA Hospice, 1801 N Route 9, Cape May Court House, NJ 08210, Thursdays, 10 a.m.
Cumberland County
Vineland Chapter
South Vineland United Methodist Church, 706 East Sherman Ave., Vineland, NJ 08361
Tuesdays at 7 p.m.
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Info on Poisons Available 24 Hours A Day
The New Jersey Poison Control Center is available to provide information and answer questions on any issues
related to poisons. Poisons can be found in more than chemicals and plants. Poisoning can occur when taking
medications or cleaning the house. If you have a poison emergency, suspect something is poisonous or need
prevention information, call the New Jersey Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222. The hearing impaired
may call 1-973-926-8008. Help is available from trained doctors, nurses and pharmacists 24 hours a day, 365
days a year. To receive a free information packet and telephone sticker, call 1-800-222-1222
*********************************************************
WOMEN 40-64 – THE BRAVA NJCEED PROGRAM PROVIDES FREE!!!!! CLINICAL BREAST EXAMINATIONS
MAMMOGRAMS – PELVIC EXAMINATIONS – PAP TESTS – BREAST HEALTH EDUCATION
IF YOU ARE: UNINSURED OR UNDER-INSURED, A MERCER COUNTY RESIDENT AND MEET INCOME EDIGIBILITY
GUIDELINES CALL: (609) 394-4045
*************************************************************
WE LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED WHEN IT COMES TO HELPING OTHERS!!