For further information, please contact the Employee Health Promotion/Disease and Impairment Prevention Office at:

AskVHAemployeewellness@va.gov

Healthy Life ®

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August 2012 Promot ing Heal th . Enhancing L i fe . Reducing Costs .

Inside This Issue: Self-Care Corner 2

Health Tips 3

Healthy Eating 4

Success Over Stress 6

Family Life 7

6 ways to make your HEART SING Embrace lifestyle choices that can help maintain a healthy heart. Those choices might include social connections, a healthy diet, and stress reduction, said UCLA cardiologist Dr. Karol Watson.

Much of heart disease can be prevented, he said. So it is very important to follow a healthy lifestyle and to control your cardiovascular risk factors. Here are some other tips:

1. Get your heart pumping. Take part in aerobic exercise for 30 to 60 minutes daily. The good news is that new research confirms this can be done in increments as short as 10 minutes at a time.

2. Eat well to maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese has been shown to increase the risk of heart attacks, heart failure, and diabetes. A healthy diet is one of the best ways to maintain a normal weight.

3. Follow your heart. Get the appropriate screening tests that you need for cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and blood glucose, and see your doctor regularly.

4. Take your medications as recommended by your doctor. Many patients stop taking their prescribed medications without discussing this with their doctors. Studies show if you stop taking medications for blood pressure or other drugs, you are at a much higher risk for heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, and reduced survival compared to those who take their drugs as prescribed.

5. Reduce stress. By finding a positive outlet, like exercise, meditation, and spending time with family and friends, you can relieve stress and also improve your health.

6. Quit smoking. Quit smoking since it markedly increases the risk of heart attacks and heart failure.

Headline News from Your EHPDP Program Office: Upcoming Events: Healthier Federal Workers 2012 Conference | September 19-21, 2012 Washington, DC For more information and registration: www.eagleson.org/healthyfeds

Congratulations to: Annamarie Hyne and Heidi Vandewinckel, whose “Beacon Of Health” Stairwell project at Northport VAMC was featured in their local newspaper “Newsday. Funded by an EHPDP grant, the stairwell features improved nautical style lighting, music and paintings which create the illusion of climbing stairs inside a lighthouse looking out at the Harbor.

Also… Nancy Gendreau who spearheaded the renovation of a stairwell in Jamaica Plain, MA (pictured) with beautiful murals. EHPDP funded twenty stairwell projects over the last three years.

And… Ingrid Renwanz, Employee Wellness Coach in East Orange, NJ for her new Healthy Community Wellness Center. Ingrid successfully incorporated two grants (fitness equipment and health monitoring kiosks) from the EHPDP program to create the center. EHPDP provided 75 health kiosks to VHA facilities to help employees keep tabs on their wellness status.

And… The 70 VHA facilities who received equipment and funding to create fitness centers where employees can exercise at no cost. Thank you site coordinators! You made it all possible!

Self-Care Corner Move in minutes

Sitting for extended periods can raise the chances of developing cancer even for people who exercise regularly, says recent research. In response to these findings, fitness experts at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center share advice on how to get moving in minutes.

“Taking just one- to two-minute breaks from sitting may help lower your cancer risk,” said Dr. Karen Basen-Engquist, professor in the Department of Behavioral Science. “That’s because even short spurts of movement can help minimize inflammation, insulin resistance, and long-term weight gain—all factors that make it harder for the body to fight off cancer.”

Basen-Engquist, who uses a pedometer and tries to get at least 500 steps an hour, offers these tips to get moving—no matter how many minutes you can grab each day.

Have 5 minutes? Stretch. Take breaks from sitting at work or home by standing up and stretching your back, forearms, wrists, legs, and hamstrings. Among the benefits: more energy, better circulation, and less muscle tension and stress.

Have 10-15 minutes? Take a brisk walk. Head out during your lunchtime. Take walking meetings with coworkers. Plan a quick trip around the neighborhood. Walking helps maintain a healthier blood pressure, boosts metabolism, curbs stress, and possibly reduces breast and colorectal cancer risk.

Just keep in mind that brisk walking yields more benefits than a casual stroll. So you should feel a little out of breath and feel your heart beating a little faster.

Have 20-30 minutes? Tidy the house. Tidying up does more than limit couch time. It can also qualify as aerobic activity. To get your heart rate up, focus on repetitive activities that use large muscle groups, like the legs and back. This includes vacuuming, mopping, scrubbing, gardening, and even taking multiple trips upstairs to put away laundry.

Have just 1-2 minutes? Take the stairs.

Skip the elevator or escalator and take the

stairs at work and when doing errands. Stairs

get your heart pumping, build muscle, strengthen bones, and burn calories. The more often you take one step at a time, the

bigger the payoff.

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{Note: Many topics like the one on this page are contained in a medical self-care guide, such as Healthier at Home®, Health at Home®, and HealthyLife® Self-Care Guide, and/or addressed by a nurse advice line. They serve as excellent resources. If you have a self-care guide and/or access to a nurse advice line, use it whenever you are unsure about what to do for symptoms and health issues you are experiencing. They can help you make better decisions about when to seek professional assistance and when you can treat yourself at home using self-care.}

Health Tips Latex allergy If you are allergic to latex, you usually know it. You can react with sneezing or worse symptoms because your body is reacting to proteins in natural rubber latex, which is made from the rubber tree.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America suggests you do this: Always wear a medical ID that alerts others about your allergy if you need emergency care. Ask doctors, dentists, and others who examine you to wear latex-free exam gloves. Carry gloves with you to give your dentist or doctor. Check labeling. Do not assume a product labeled “hypoallergenic” is latex-free. Know that latex can be found in some elastic in clothing, rubber bands, condoms, balloons, disposable diapers, and many more products. If you’re allergic to latex, you may have reactions to bananas, kiwi, and cantaloupe, which contain some of the same allergens found in latex.

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Pop a packet Don’t you just love those new laundry

or dishwasher single-load packets of detergent? Convenient? Yes.

Dangerous to kids? Yes.

The American Association of Poison Control Centers recommends you always keep detergents locked up and out of the reach of children. Children have been reported to try to eat these

packs and have become dangerously ill.

If you think a child has been exposed to a laundry detergent

packet, call your local poison center at (800) 222-1222 immediately.

My aching tooth A toothache is any pain or soreness within or around a tooth that could mean inflammation and possible infection. Generally, a toothache occurs if tooth decay is very close to or has penetrated the pulp chamber that contains nerves and tiny blood vessels.

See your dentist at once, advises Dr. Michael Tischler, listed as one of America’s Top Dentists by the Consumer Research Council.

He offers these home remedies to ease the pain before you can see your dentist: •

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Thoroughly rinse your mouth with warm water. Use dental floss to remove any lodged food. If your mouth is swollen, apply a cold compress to the outside of your mouth or cheek. Pain relievers may help, such as aspirin or NSAIDs, but some people cannot and should not take them.

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Healthy Eating Put your grocery bill on a diet Food prices continue to rise, but you can have your chocolate cake and eat it too, without breaking the bank, says Toni House, author of Savvy Shopping: How to Reduce Your Weekly Grocery Bill to $85 Per Week—or Less!

“It takes savvy shopping,” she says. “You can have great everyday meals and special-occasion feasts and trim the household budget with planning, patience, and grocery shopping ‘guardrails’ to keep your cart in line.”

House offers these tips: Plan ahead. Plan a menu for at least 3 meals in advance; combined with leftovers that should give you 5 days or more of meals, depending on the meal. This puts you in control of your shopping list. Instead of always playing catch-up, replacing what you’ve run out of, you buy only when it’s on the menu.

Instead of making expensive foods (meat) the centerpiece of each meal, design menus that use the most expensive foods less often. For instance, from now on at least twice a week, try using meat as more of a filler than a main dish. Instead of making spaghetti with meat balls, or sausage, or chicken breasts, make spaghetti with a meat sauce of ground turkey, ground sausage, or ground chicken breakfast sausage.

At the grocery store, buy only what you can eat. That means no paper plates, toilet paper, plastic cups, toothbrushes, jar candles, or greeting cards. Grocery store prices for non-food items are higher than you’ll pay almost anywhere else, so make a hard-and-fast rule and stick to it.

Use coupons, but only for products you actually need.

Red and ripe tomatoes The best place to store tomatoes is at room temperature (above 55 F) until they’ve fully ripened. A ripe tomato is red or reddish orange, depending on variety, and yields to slight pressure. Store them stem end up as the “shoulders” are the softest part and bruise most easily. Keep them out of direct sunlight. If you must store them a longer time, place them (after they’ve ripened fully) in the refrigerator, advises the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension Service.

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What does it mean? Food labeled organic must be third-party certified to meet USDA’s criteria. Organic foods cannot be irradiated, genetically modified, or grown using synthetic fertilizers, chemicals, or sewage sludge. Organic meat and poultry cannot be treated with hormones or antibiotics and must be fed only organically grown feed (with no animal byproducts). Organic meat animals must have access to the outdoors, and cattle must have access to pasture.

There are two ways to identify organic fruits and veggies: by the “100% organic” or “organic” label and by the unique Price Look-Up (PLU) code sticker. Organic produce has a 5-digit number that begins with a 9, according to the Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org).

Featured Recipe:Blueberry & Banana Cream Milkshake

Ingredients: 1 cup blueberries 1 medium banana 1 cup nonfat milk 1 tablespoon vanilla whey 1 tablespoon honey 1 serving (6 oz.) light vanilla yogurt 1 cup ice

Directions In a blender, mix all ingredients until smooth. Pour into a glass and garnish with blueberries.

Serves 2. Per serving: 237 calories, 0.7 g total fat, 51 g carbs, 7.1 g dietary fiber, 10.8 g protein, 132 g sodium, 289 mg calcium

For more news and information on milk, visit www.gotmilk.com/news for great tips and nutritious meal ideas to share with your family.

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Success Over Stress Enjoy everymoment The idea of enjoying each moment may be good for your health, say scientists at NIH. Yes, but how? The idea is called mindfulness. This ancient practice is about being completely aware of what’s happening in the present.

Becoming more mindful—instead of going through life on autopilot—requires commitment and practice: Take some deep breaths. Breathe in through your nose to a count of 4, hold for 1 second, exhale through the mouth to a count of 5. Repeat often. Enjoy a stroll. Notice your breath and the sights and sounds around you. As thoughts and worries enter your mind, note them but then return to the present. Practice mindful eating. Be aware of taste, textures, and flavors in each bite. Listen to your body when you are hungry and full. Find mindfulness resources. Yoga and meditation classes, mindfulness-based stress reduction programs, and books are helpful.

Caregiversneed care too Family caregivers give a precious gift to their loved ones. But as you care for another person, it’s easy to forget to take care of yourself. SCAN Health Plan of Arizona offers these suggestions for caregivers:

Reward yourself. Giving care can be a tiring and difficult job. Accept help and give yourself permission to take a break. You and the person you’re caring for will be better off.

Don’t go it alone. Turn to the many community resources available to help such as senior centers, senior day care, respite care, and hospital-based home care. And when other family members and friends ask, “How can I help?” keep a list of to-do items handy and give them a task.

Take care of your back. Caring for another adult often means a lot of lifting, pushing, and pulling. Bend at the knees and pull with your arms while keeping your back straight.

Immunize. To ensure your own health, immunize yourself against some of the most preventable infectious diseases, including influenza, pneumonia, shingles, and tetanus.

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Family Life Dangers of sippy cups Mom was right about not running with scissors. Now moms and dads need to make sure toddlers are not running with baby bottles, pacifiers, and sippy cups. A study by researchers in the Center for Biobehavioral Health and the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital examined injuries to kids from these items.

Thousands of kids are being seen in ERs for injuries to the mouth and head, face, and neck when the children fall while walking or running with the products in their mouths.

Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommend that children be transitioned to regular, lidless cups at 12 months of age. The AAP also suggests that parents try to limit pacifier use after 6 months of age as use after that age may increase the risk of ear infections.

Of course, the obvious solution is for children to sit down while using these products.

Back to school (for mature students) Thinking about taking some college classes? Finishing a degree? Or returning after having been away from college for a few years or longer?

Don’t be afraid to ask other students for help, suggest experts from Ryerson University. The student services department, writing center, and placement offices at your university or college will also offer a variety of programs and services that can help mature and returning students succeed. Plan to attend the free workshops that all institutions offer. Taking a campus tour and library tour before classes start is also a good idea.

Seek out a mentor (an upper-year student in your program).

Embrace the generation gap. Your life experience can add value to a discussion. You will find that any age-related anxiety you experience will dissolve and that class interactions will become more open and relaxed as the semester progresses.

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TRUE FRIENDS? Although the average

Facebook user has about 130 “friends,” in reality,

Americans have, on average, slightly more than

2 close friends, down from 3 true friends in an inner circle 25 years ago, finds a Cornell

University study.

Copyright 2012, American Institute for Preventive Medicine.

All rights reserved. 30445 Northwestern Hwy., Ste. 350

Farmington Hills, MI 48334 248.539.1800 • aipm@healthylife.com

www.HealthyLife.com

Stroke signs Seek immediate medical care for someone who shows one or more of the following warning signs: sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body; sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding; sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes; sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination; or sudden, severe headache with no known cause.

To remember the signs of stroke, the National Stroke Association recommends using the acronym FAST:

Face: Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?

Arms: Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?

Speech: Ask the person to speak. Does the person have slurred speech or trouble speaking?

Time: If you observe any of these signs, call 9-1-1.