COPING WITH THE HEAT!

By Terry Orr

The Dog Days of Summer are in full swing – new record highs have already been recently established – 124 out west – Hot, Hazy and Humid here in Washington, DC. It is time once again – to refresh our minds on the does and don’ts in dealing with the heat. Lets start by following OSHA’s link to read this informative and helpful fact sheet – recommend that you print it and put with your other health and preparedness material.

A Heat Safety Fact Sheet https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/heatillness/3422_factsheet_en.pdf

Heat kills by pushing the human body beyond its limits. In extreme heat and high humidity, evaporation is slowed and the body must work extra hard to maintain a normal temperature.

Most heat disorders occur because the victim has been overexposed to heat or has over-exercised for his or her age and physical condition. Older adults, young children and those who are sick or overweight are more likely to succumb to extreme heat.

Heat Related Conditions

Heat Disorder	Symptoms	First Aid
Sunburn	Skin redness and pain, possible swelling, blisters, fever, headaches.	Take a shower, using soap, to remove cells that may block pores preventing the body from cooling naturally.  If blisters occur, apply dry, sterile dressings and get medical attention.
Heat Syncope (Fainting)	Light-headedness, dizziness and or fainting.	Sit or lie down in cool place when they begin to feel symptoms. Slowly drink water, clear juice, or a sports beverage.
Heat Cramps	Painful spasms usually in legs and abdominal muscles.  Heavy sweating.	Firm pressure on cramping muscles or gentle massage to relieve spasm.  Give sips of water.  If nausea occurs, discontinue.
Heat Exhaustion	Heavy sweating, weakness, skin cold, pale and clammy. Week pulse. Normal temperature possible. Fainting, vomiting.	Get victim to lie down in a cool place.  Loosen clothing. Apply cool, wet cloths. Fan or move victim to air-conditioned place. Give sips of water. If nausea occurs, discontinue. If vomiting occurs, seek immediate medical attention.
Heat Stroke (Sun Stroke)	High body temperature (106+). Hot, dry skin. Rapid, strong pulse. Possible unconsciousness. Victim will likely not sweat.	Heat stroke is a severe medical emergency. Call 9-1-1 or emergency medical service or get the victim to a hospital immediately. Delay can be fatal. Move victim to cooler environment. Try a cool bath or sponging to reduce body temperature.  Use extreme caution. Remove clothing. Use fans and/or air conditioners. DO NOT GIVE FLUIDS.

Air-conditioning is the number one protective factor against heat-related illness and death. During conditions of extreme heat, spend time in locations with air-conditioning such as shopping malls, public libraries, or public health sponsored heat-relief shelters in your area.

Get informed. Listen to local news and weather channels or contact your local public health department during extreme heat conditions for health and safety updates

Drink cool, nonalcoholic beverages and increase your fluid intake, regardless of your activity level. http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/heat_guide.asp

Workers at risk of heat stress include outdoor workers and workers in hot environments such as firefighters, bakery workers, farmers, construction workers, miners, boiler room workers, factory workers, and others. Workers at greater risk of heat stress include those who are 65 years of age or older, are overweight, have heart disease or high blood pressure, or take medications that may be affected by extreme heat. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/heatstress/

Here are the links to our previous two articles on Heat – Beating the Heat: Preventing Heat Exhaustion and Stroke and Heat Stroke – plus a link to CDC’s information on Heat Stress.

Beating the Heat: Preventing Heat Exhaustion & Stroke http://kisbyto.blogspot.com/2011/07/beating-heat-preventing-heat-exhaustion.html

Heat Stroke http://kisbyto.blogspot.com/2012/07/heat-stroke.html

Heat Stress http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/heatstress/

(Photos from Google) 

Aphasia Awareness

By Nurse Diane

A friend of my husband, a very lovely lady who was married to my husband's pastor, had a stroke.  She has recovered from her stroke, however her ability to speak did not return to 100%.  Much like Kirk Douglas who suffered a stroke in 1996.  Although he has some ability to speak, the progress has been long and slow and requires much work with a speech therapist.  Both are able to communicate; however their speech is slow, and sometimes difficult to understand.

A good friend of mine's brother in law suffered a stroke last month that attacked the top of his brain and he totally lost the ability to speak, however that doesn't mean that he lost his intelligence.  They all suffer from a condition known as Aphasia.

Aphasia is an impairment of language ability ranging from having difficulty remembering words to being completely unable to speak, read, or write. It can occur suddenly as with a head injury or stroke, or develop over time with dementia, infection or brain tumor.

Signs and symptoms

People with aphasia may experience any of the following behaviors

• Inability to comprehend language
• Inability to pronounce, not due to muscle paralysis or weakness
• Inability to speak spontaneously
• Inability to form words
• Inability to name objects
• Poor enunciation
• Inability to repeat a phrase
• Persistent repetition of phrases
• Uncompleted sentences
• Inability to read
• Inability to write
• Limited verbal output
• Difficulty in naming

Treatment

Treatment is according to the cause of aphasia, but the main course of treatment involves working with a speech therapist.

June is National Aphasia Awareness Month.  For more information see: http://www.aphasia.org/ 

(Images from Google) 

World No-Tobacco Day – 2013

By Terry Orr

(Former smoker of 20+ years)

America and most of the world has known for more than 50 years that smoking is hazard to our health and subsequently the dangers of second-hand smoke – yet it is still legal to smoke despite the dangers – not only to the individual smoker – but those folks near them being attacked by second hand smoke. The cost associated with smoking-related health in America exceeds $150 Billion Dollars – and I believe this figure is probably grossly understated. Between 5.4 and 6 million people die each year due to smoking-related health issues.

Just the Facts (Source: CDC):

Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body.  Smoking causes many diseases and reduces the health of smokers in general.

Smoking and Death

Smoking causes death.

The adverse health effects from cigarette smoking account for an estimated 443,000 deaths, or nearly one of every five deaths, each year in the United States.

More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined.

Smoking causes an estimated 90% of all lung cancer deaths in men and 80% of all lung cancer deaths in women.

An estimated 90% of all deaths from chronic obstructive lung disease are caused by smoking.

Smoking and Increased Health Risks

Compared with nonsmokers, smoking is estimated to increase the risk of:

Coronary heart disease by 2 to 4 times;

Stroke by 2 to 4 times;

Men developing lung cancer by 23 times;

Women developing lung cancer by 13 times; and

Dying from chronic obstructive lung diseases (such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema) by 12 to 13 times.

Smoking and Cardiovascular Disease

Smoking causes coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.

Cigarette smoking causes reduced circulation by narrowing the blood vessels (arteries) and puts smokers at risk of developing peripheral vascular disease (i.e., obstruction of the large arteries in the arms and legs that can cause a range of problems from pain to tissue loss or gangrene).

Smoking causes abdominal aortic aneurysm (i.e., a swelling or weakening of the main artery of the body—the aorta—where it runs through the abdomen).

Smoking and Respiratory Disease

Smoking causes lung cancer.

Smoking causes lung diseases (e.g., emphysema, bronchitis, chronic airway obstruction) by damaging the airways and alveoli (i.e., small air sacs) of the lungs.

Smoking and Cancer

Smoking causes the following cancers:

Acute myeloid leukemia

Bladder cancer

Cancer of the cervix

Cancer of the esophagus

Kidney cancer

Cancer of the larynx (voice box)

Lung cancer

Cancer of the oral cavity (mouth)

Pancreatic cancer

Cancer of the pharynx (throat)

Stomach cancer

Smoking and Other Health Effects

 Smoking has many adverse reproductive and early childhood effects, including increased risk for:

Infertility,

Preterm delivery,

Stillbirth,

Low birth weight, and

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

Smoking is associated with the following adverse health effects:

Postmenopausal women who smoke have lower bone density than women who never smoked.

Women who smoke have an increased risk for hip fracture than women who never smoked.

Conclusions

The World Health Organization, Cancer Organizations, and many others continue to implement and encourage countries and individuals to quit smoking. Quitting is NOT EASY – but with your personal support team – including your healthcare provider and family – it is doable! So please – start today – thank you.

Worldwide - 6 million people die each year from tobacco and 600,00 die from exposure to second-hand smoke.

National Stroke Awareness Month

By Nurse Diane

I recently found out my blood pressure is seriously high.  The first thing I thought about was I could have a stroke.  I immediately started steps to lower my blood pressure, such as taking blood pressure medication prescribed by my doctor, taking fish oil pills and garlic pills.  The garlic was recommended by a friend of mine who has had high blood pressure for many years, and had kept it under control.   I have been walking nearly every day along with other exercising at the gym, and in general trying to lower my stress.  Watching what you eat is also important.  I have been eating oatmeal regularly as it is known to lower cholesterol, and I have almonds and walnuts on hand to munch on.  Im trying to drink more liquids, and I never add salt when cooking, only to flavor after food is cooked if needed.

A Stroke is when a blood clot blocks the flow of blood to the brain.  This causes brain cells to die, or be damaged. How a stroke patient is affected depends on where the stroke occurs in the brain and how much the brain is damaged.  Some people recover completely, and around 2/3 will have some sort of disability.  Strokes can be treated with a drug called Activase if given within the first 3 hours.  This drug will work to quickly dissolve the clot so that minimal damage is done.

To determine if someone has had a stroke, look for these symptoms:

• SUDDEN numbness or weakness of 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;
• SUDDEN severe headache with no known cause.

An easy way to remember things to check for if a stroke has occurred is the work FAST

F: Face -is there any drooping or change to one side of the facial expression

A:  Arms - are they able to raise their arms over their head

S:  Speech - Are they able to speak and answer simple questions

T: Time - check the time that the stroke occurred, and call 911 immediately to get the necessary medications to break up the clot.

Strokes can occur at any time, to any one.  Be aware of the symptoms, and how to get the necessary help.  For more information, visit this site: http://www.stroke.org/site/PageNavigator/HOME

(All images from Google) 

High Blood Pressure Education

By Nurse Diane

This is National High Blood Pressure Education month.  According to the CDC, who's theme this year is Make Control Your Goal, states that you may not have any symptoms of high blood pressure, but it can damage your health in many ways. For instance, it can harden the arteries, decreasing the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart and brain.

This reduced flow can cause:

• A heart attack, which occurs when the blood supply to your heart is blocked and heart muscle cells die from a lack of oxygen.
• A stroke, which can occur when arteries that supply blood and oxygen to the brain become blocked or burst.
• Chest pain, also called angina.
• Heart failure, which occurs when the heart can't pump enough blood and oxygen to other organs

Ways to keep your pressure under control include:

• Achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.
• Participate in 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days of the week.
• Eat a healthy diet that is high in fruits and vegetables and low in sodium, saturated fats, trans fat, and cholesterol.
• Manage stress.
• Limit the amount of alcohol you drink (no more than one drink each day for women and two for men).

If you have a family member who has high blood pressure, you can help by taking many of the steps listed above with them. Go for walks together or cook meals with lower sodium. Make it a family affair, and keep your blood pressure under control.

(All images from Google) 

Pharmacists War on Diabetes Month

By Terry Orr

(Type 2 Diabetic)

A War with Diabetes!!!

Why the War?

An estimated 23.6 million Americans have diabetes.  Unfortunately, 5.7 million Americans don't know they have the deadly disease.  Pharmacists are one of the most available health care professionals and have the greatest potential to impact the threat of diabetes. 

Complications of Diabetes:

Heart Disease & Stroke: Diabetics are 2 to 4 times more likely to die from heart disease and stroke than non-diabetics.  Sixty-five percent of diabetics will die of heart disease or stroke.

Blindness: Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in adults age 20-74.

Kidney Disease: Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure.

Nervous System Disease: 60 to 70% of diabetics have a mild to severe form of nervous system damage.  The results of such damage include impaired sensation or pain in the feet or hands, slowed digestion of food in the stomach, carpal tunnel syndrome, and other nerve problems.

Amputations: Diabetes is the leading cause of non-traumatic lower limb amputation.  

Complications of Pregnancy: Poorly controlled diabetes can increase the risk of miscarriage or cause major birth defects.

Sexual Dysfunction: Diabetes significantly increases the risk for sexual dysfunction in both men and women. 

Here are some of the new drugs in the War on Diabetes:

Invokana will be sold by Johnson & Johnson and treats patients with type 2 diabetes in a new way, by causing blood sugar to be excreted in the urine. Many existing drugs work by affecting the supply or use of insulin. FDA approved this drug in late March of this year.

Dapagliflozin by AstraZeneca/Bristol-Myers Squibb, The drugs offer a different way than insulin therapy to lower blood sugar, preventing excess sugar in the kidneys from reentering circulation and allowing glucose to exit the body via urine.

LY2605541 - by Eli Lilly/Boehringer Ingelheim, a potential long-acting insulin option.

MK-3102 by Merck & Co., a once-weekly DPP-4 inhibitor.

Taking Control

Mayo Clinic Type 2 Diabetes Prevention: 5 tips for taking control (Changing your lifestyle could be a big step toward diabetes prevention — and it's never too late to start) consider these tips:

Tip 1: Get more physical activity

There are many benefits to regular physical activity. Exercise can help you:

Lose weight

Lower your blood sugar

Boosts your sensitivity to insulin — which helps keep your blood sugar within a normal range

Research shows that both aerobic exercise and resistance training can help control diabetes, but the greatest benefit comes from a fitness program that includes both.

Tip 3: Go for whole grains

Although it's not clear why, whole grains may reduce your risk of diabetes and help maintain blood sugar levels. Try to make at least half your grains whole grains. Many foods made from whole grains come ready to eat, including various breads, pasta products and many cereals. Look for the word "whole" on the package and among the first few items in the ingredient list.

Tip 4: Lose extra weight

If you're overweight, diabetes prevention may hinge on weight loss. Every pound you lose can improve your health. And you may be surprised by how much. In one study, overweight adults reduced their diabetes risk by 16 percent for every kilogram (2.2 pounds) of weight lost. Also, those who lost a modest amount of weight — at least 5 to 10 percent of initial body weight — and exercised regularly reduced the risk of developing diabetes by almost 60 percent over three years.

Tip 5: Skip fad diets and make healthier choices

Low-carb diets, the glycemic index diet or other fad diets may help you lose weight at first, but their effectiveness at preventing diabetes isn't known nor are their long-term effects. And by excluding or strictly limiting a particular food group, you may be giving up essential nutrients. Instead, think variety and portion control as part of an overall healthy-eating plan.

Be sure to see your primary healthcare provider and discus the plan best for you.

References and Links:

http://www.miracledkc.com

http://www.curediabetesblog.com/2013/diabetes-pick-me-ups/tips-for-the-newly-diagnosed-diabetic-some-ideas-but-by-no-means-the-only-way/

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/30/business/invokana-wins-fda-approval-for-diabetes-treatment.html?_r=0

http://henhouseforms.mywebgrocer.com/PharmacyNewsletters/2009/04/page2.html

(All images from Google)