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Hospitals Going Tobacco-Free
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When I did my internship at the hospital, I was always puzzled when I saw doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals outside in the gazebo smoking cigarettes. They are supposed to be advocates of health and here they are turning their lungs black! I didn't get it.
Well, now there is good news! Hospitals are taking the next step by going tobacco-free! This initiative to ban tobacco from their property has reached more than 500 health-care institutions nationwide. The use of tobacco by employees, patients and visitors is barred from all areas of the hospital – even outside on the grounds! Some institutions have even gone as far as to offer smoking cessation classes as well as other benefits like nicotine patches and medications.
The hospitals admit that they are 'playing catch-up' to bars and restaurants, but I think we can all agree that it's better late then never.
Tracey, MS, RD
Nutrition Specialist
"Where there's a will, there's a way"
Labels: health care
Heads Up Germaphobes!
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The season is upon us and germs are lurking, perhaps in places we’d least expect them. According to Francis Largeman-Roth, senior editor for “Health” magazine, there are 12 areas in homes where germs tend pop up at alarming rates.First on the list is surprisingly not the bathroom. On average, there are 500,000 bacteria per square inch in the drain of the KITCHEN SINK alone! Not to mention sponges, faucets and basins are often dirtier than the ones in the bathroom. What's the solution? Antibacterial products will help wipe out most bacteria on counter tops and sinks. Also, run your sponge through the dish washer, with the dry cycle, to zap most of the bacteria there too!
Second on the list, and NO surprise to my husband, the airline pilot, but perhaps to you - airplane lavatories. Let’s just say all surfaces within these confines are places where E. coli and other nasty germs are likely to be found. Careful when you flush the toilet in this lavatory environment as the great swirl often swishes upward. Turn your back, flush and run!
Those are just the first two areas where germs hide out. Check out this article for ten more places that might shock you into antibacterial submission as well as to find solutions to get through this otherwise wonderful time of the year.
The wise words of Mrs. Eiker, my kindergarten teacher, still echo in my head, “Cover your sneeze please” and it looks like she was right!
Jerri, DTR
Nutrition Specialist
You never know what you can do, unless you try!
Labels: bacteria
Enjoy the Holidays, Stress Free
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'Tis the season to be jolly, but you are getting panicky and anxious about it. You might want to continue reading these tips to help you save money and enjoy the holidays with your family while minimizing your stress levels.The most important thing is to make a budget for you or your family (the price of gas is also something to consider this year). One idea is to consider buying one gift for an entire family instead of individual presents for each member. Or, you might want to set a dollar limit per gift and try to stick with that. If all else fails, Secret Santa is always a great backup.
If you hate the mall congestions during this season, there is always on-line shopping, you can do it on your own time, pace and your options are limitless. Almost all your favorite stores have on-line shopping sites, such as Walmart, Gap, Macy's, etc. The key is to start early, allowing you to avoid long lines and struggling to find the perfect gift for your loved ones amongst the crowds.
Remember, It is the thought that counts, not the type of gift given. It is a time to share and spend time together.
Happy Holidays everyone!
Wendy, BSc, DTR
Nutrition Specialist
“It only takes one person to change your life – you.”
Labels: stress
What is Your Cold Remedy?
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Mothers around the world have different traditions when it comes to cold remedies. I think we would all agree that chicken soup is America's #1 traditional remedy. In one study, when hot chicken soup was compared to cold water, and hot water, it was the most affective at making one's nose run. Of course, any hot liquid will improve hydration and help loosen secretions, but what's in the chicken?
Taking vitamin C is also very common. Many still believe that regularly taking vitamin C will help decrease the incidence of colds. In reality, studies have only shown that taking larger doses of it will indeed shorten the duration of a cold, but only by about 8% and not necessarily for everyone. Be careful though because too much vitamin C will cause an upset stomach.
Another popular belief is that dairy products increase mucus secretions, but currently there are no scientific studies to back this up. In fact, in one blind test study, a soy-based drink was consumed by subjects and they reported the same effect on mucus production as with cow's milk. That said, dairy products like yogurt actually contain bacteria that may help boost the immune system.
Using zinc to help fight cold symptoms is controversial. Some studies have shown taking zinc lozenges help to shorten the cold but others have shown no advantage over placebo. The controversy lies more in the fact that excessive amounts of zinc can interfere with absorption of other minerals and high doses can be toxic.
Regardless of the cure used, all of us know that the love and attention of a loved one can work miracles! Many experts in the world of food and health share their feelings in this article about how to nurture a cold.
What is your cold remedy?
Renee Brunetti, LD/N, NSCA-CPT, ACSM
“If you had one car to get around in your lifetime, how would you treat it?"
Labels: sick
you can even buy it yourself at www.GrandmasChickenSoup.com - - it is absolutely delicious
Ruptured Bladder?? Ouch!
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Yes, a ruptured bladder is yet another reason why we should cut back on alcohol consumption. Reports indicate that more and more women are binge drinking and this is leading to complications that were previously only seen in men.
What exactly are the complications involved with a ruptured bladder? According to the article, alcohol dulls the senses to the point where you may not “go” when you should. The constant pressure can make the walls of your bladder thinner. Eventually, this can cause it to rupture and leak (leak urine, that is)...I can't imagine that this would feel very good!
So ladies (and men), let's take care of ourselves and use alcohol wisely. Your bladder will thank you!
Nutrition Specialist
Labels: alcohol
What Happened to Safe Sex?
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What happened to all the hype about protecting ourselves from sexually transmitted diseases? I remember seeing a wide range of information in the news and communities about how to help educate ourselves in order to prevent STD's and unplanned pregnancies...now it seems to be nowhere!Labels: sex
Yet Another Reason to Breastfeed
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We know about the benefits of breastfeeding for things like ear, stomach or intestinal infections, digestive problems, skin disease, allergies and cost. Well, now we can add heart disease to that list.
That's correct, breast-fed children were found to have higher HDL levels (good cholesterol) and a lower BMI (Body Mass Index) when compared to bottle-fed babies. The study looked at 962 people, average age of 41, taking part in the long running Framingham Heart Study.
This is an important step in our efforts to reduce the obesity epidemic. In our quest to find the secret of weight loss, youth and incredible looking skin, one thing comes to mind, breast milk!
What are your thoughts?
Michelle, DTR
Nutrition Specialist
"Of all parts of wisdom, the practice is the best."
Labels: breastfeeding
How Healthy is Your State?
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Do you choose where to live based on the health care system or the lifestyle of the people? According to a report by the United Health Foundation, Vermont leads the pack as this year's healthiest state, followed by Minnesota. You may be wondering, “How did they arrive at this conclusion?” The ratings were based on 20 wellness factors ranging from rates of obesity to high school graduation. Unfortunately, Mississippi and Louisiana ranked at the bottom this year. Can you spot the link here? I don't know about you, but I think poverty is the thread that binds these two states to the bottom of this list. Curious to know how your state stacks up in this ranking? Click here.
Samantha, RD, LD/N
Nutrition Specialist
“We are all measured by inches, ages, numbers and all the outside things that don’t add up to who we are on the inside. So let your weight loss journey be one of self-acceptance every step of the way. If you are unhappy with yourself fifty pounds heavier you’ll probably feel the same way when you lose the weight. Happiness is not embedded in outward appearances.”
Labels: Obesity
Have You Ever Eaten Some Weird Foods?
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Food is one of the biggest pleasures in life, but for a lot of us not all food is pleasurable. Why is that? People all over the world eat differently, not only based on their culture but also on the kind of foods available, so what you eat I may find disgusting and vice versa.When my husband was an active Marine he traveled around the world; Korea, Japan, Mexico and different places in the United States were some of them. He has eaten cat, dog meat, monkey, horse meat, bear meat, snake and others I will not dare to mention, but you may see in this article by the Travel Channel.
Andrew Zimmern, the host of their program called Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, compiled a list of the Top 10 Most Bizarre Foods. Have you tried any? Tell us about your experience!
Ivelisse, BS, LD/N
Nutrition Specialist
Take Care, Take Control and Enjoy!
Labels: critters
By the way, our tastes also change in time. Today you hate liver and tomorrow you like it.
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Free builts
Convenience Doesn't Have to Mean High Sodium
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With everyone being extremely busy with life, who has time to prepare meals from scratch? After all cooking it from a box is still cooking. Well, if you have sodium concerns think again. A cup of boxed rice with the flavored packets contains more than half the daily recommended amount of sodium.The U.S. Dietary Guidelines for daily sodium intake recommends limiting your sodium intake to 2300 mg per day. For those who are at higher risk for Hypertension (black men and black women), 1500 mg is the recommended amount. That leaves very little room for boxed convenience.
Use brown rice instead of white. Add spices like, thyme, basil, ginger, garlic powder, onion powder. Instead of butter, add olive oil. For additional nutrients add vegetables; frozen vegetables are perfect. If you really want to be adventurous add dried fruits like pineapples or cranberries.
Finally, prepare for your busy week. Make large portions and freeze, pre-cut vegetables, and prep your meats in advance. If you must use the box, use half the flavor packet and add vegetables.
“He, who has health, has hope; and he who has hope has everything”
Labels: heart healthy
A New Test to Determine Risk of Heart Problems
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Are you at risk for a heart attack? If so, there is a new test you should discuss with your doctor. The lipoprotein subfraction test measures the size of your cholesterol. To clarify, we’re not talking about your cholesterol number (be it LDL or HDL), we are literally talking about a new test that measures the size of your cholesterol particles. The results of this test could determine the degree, if any, of medical intervention necessary to keep you out of the ER with a heart attack. The smaller the particles are, the more deeply entrenched the cholesterol plaque is within your heart vessel, leading to deadly blockages. The end result is a heart attack.It is unlikely your doctor will include the lipoprotein subtraction test in your work up unless you specifically request it or you’re already labeled a high risk patient. This high risk category includes diabetics, pre-diabetics and those with high blood pressure. The test costs about $200.00 but is a small price tag to put on your health and well being.
Jerri, DTR
Nutrition Specialist
Labels: heart healthy
Do You Even Know You Are Drunk?
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With all the new stress of school and life, university students are now using energy drinks to keep up with academics; although, that is not all they are being used for. These energy drinks are being used are mixers for alcohol and becoming the newest trends in cocktails at night clubs.For example, I visited Peru recently and they are using Red Bull in cocktails and martinis served at restaurants and bars. Some have said and consider these mixtures dangerous. Should we be concerned? Do we need to go as far as regulating energy drinks just like everything else?
For starters, the combination of alcohol and energy drinks hides the effect of slurred speech and sleepiness when someone is inebriated. Therefore, you do not know if someone is drunk or not. That can become dangerous if you drive, continue to drink and become impaired to the point that you might not know what you are doing.
For some of us that use energy drinks in cases of extreme fatigue, please be aware that moderation is the key. You are getting three times as much caffeine as a regular cup of coffee. You also want to make sure that consumption of these energy drinks does not interact with other medications you are taking. Finally, these drinks may also affect your sleeping patterns and you will be more tired the next day.
As always, too much of a good thing can't be that good!
Wendy, BSc, DTR
Nutrition Specialist
"Thoughts determine what you want...Action determines what you get."
Labels: alcohol
Kids and Sleep Equal a Healthier Life!
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Studies are now showing that less than an extra hour of sleep each night can actually make kids thinner in life and more alert. To me, this theory makes great sense. When my kids don't get enough sleep, especially during the summer months or when school is out, their normal energetic demeanor changes and they are just somewhat lazy all day.I love the fact that I finally saw this in writing! More now than ever, I am working to get my act together and strive to have my kids get sufficient hours of sleep. Like any parent, I want them to have a healthy and positive life.
Establishing a regimented sleep routine can benefit the whole family; a routine helps make for a happy, well-rested family.
Denise, DTR, CPT-AFAA
Nutrition Specialist
It's one day at a time and that's what you need to concentrate on; each day that you do this will make you stronger for the next!
Ain't Nothing Sweet About Sagging Skin
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Elastin and collagen are two proteins found in connective tissue that provide our skin with elastic and firm properties. Elastin allows tissues in the body to resume their shape after stretching or contraction. Collagen gives cells structure inside and out. It seems the more sugar we eat, the more the aging process is accelerated.Renee Brunetti LD/N, ACSM
Nutrition Specialist
"If you don't take care of your body, where are you going to live?"
Labels: Aging
Is Healthy Eating Too Expensive?
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For some, choosing between a bag of chips or a bag of carrots comes down to which is going to make less of a dent in their pockets. No matter how healthy a person may want to be, sometimes it's finance that makes the final decision.So, is there a solution? Dr. David Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at the Yale University School of Medicine, offers the following: “One idea is to place a small tax on foods with low nutritional value, like soda, for example, and to use the revenue collected to subsidize fruits and vegetables. A tax on low nutritional foods could be the funding source to subsidize foods with a higher nutritional value."
Sounds good, but is it enough?
Some argue that without a change in the eating habits of low income groups, no price cut or financial assistance will help. If you are not used to eating healthy foods, the fact that they are cheaper won't make a difference.
This is a multifaceted problem and many believe the government needs to step in to address this issue- not only economically, but through education for lower income families. What do you think?
Eunice, DTR, CPT-ACE
Nutrition Specialist
“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going”
Greenhouse Gases Could Lead to Blue Children
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Global warming will no doubt affect the world community, but a new study puts focus on how planetary warming may specifically harm children. Lead author, Dr. Katherine Shea, a pediatrician and adjunct public health professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, has this to say, “There's evidence that children are likely to suffer more than adults from climate change.” This new report, sponsored by The American Academy of Pediatrics stresses specific areas where children will be more vulnerable.
Greenhouse gases and an increase in ozone levels will result in a higher number of respiratory problems. Children’s lungs are not fully developed leaving them prone to respiratory ailments. An increase in the earth’s temperature will also result in shifting weather patterns; the end result being that many areas will receive more rain. Areas hit hard with rain lead to waterborne diseases such as diarrhea and other gastrointestinal difficulties. And more water can lead to an increase and shifting mosquito population. This study also cites that “75% of malaria deaths occur in children younger than 5.” These are just some thoughts not often touched upon in the debate on rising temperatures of our planet Earth.
Jerri, DTR
Nutrition Specialist
You never know what you can do, unless you try!
Labels: global warming
It is very sad to me that although global warming by Al Gore is not really true. It is so false that they brought it to court in Great Britain, so when they show his Nobel Peace prize winning film they also have to educate the students of the over 18 points of why it is not true. We really do not need to worry about a bigger and bigger ozone hole. It has been proven that the creator does a good job of making sure it does not get too big, continually.
Is Halloween Candy Giving Your Children Cavities?
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Halloween has come and gone and as the days progress, your kids will eat more and more candy. Before you start to panic about the sugar rush, think of the consequences of restricting the candy as well. The key is to let your children enjoy their treats in moderation. If too many restrictions are in place your children might hide or eat the candy behind your back.Halloween is only once a year and instead of restricting them, moderation and control should be exercised. We should be more concerned about the soda, juices and sports drinks consumed the rest of the year. To help your children prevent cavities, flossing and extra brushing are needed. You might want to consider using the dentist as a deterrent to eating too much candy with your kids. It would definitely work with me!
Wendy, BSc, DTR
Nutrition Specialist
“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
Labels: dentist office
Obesity Epidemic Leading Younger Adults to Take Cholesterol Lowering Drugs
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The younger generation is being affected by diseases that were once common to the geriatric population. Therefore, it's no surprise that they have to take drugs that would normally be prescribed for their parents or grand parents. High cholesterol levels have been linked to an increased risk for heart disease and it appears more doctors are prescribing these medications as a preventative measure. I'm not a fan of popping pills for every singe illness because they all have side effects. So now more than ever, let's encourage our younger generation to improve their health through lifestyle changes including diet and exercise. As I can recall, prevention is better than cure!
Samantha, RD, LD/N
Nutrition Specialist
“We are all measured by inches, ages, numbers and all the outside things that don’t add up to who we are on the inside. So let your weight loss journey be one of self-acceptance every step of the way. If you are unhappy with yourself fifty pounds heavier you’ll probably feel the same way when you lose the weight. Happiness is not embedded in outward appearances.”
Labels: exercise, heart healthy
A Treatment for Diabetes is Being Pulled from Shelves!
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Exubera is an inhaled insulin for the treatment of diabetes. It is a short-acting insulin that helps to control high blood sugar in adults with this condition. For Type 1 Diabetes, you will have to take longer-acting insulin in addition to Exubera. For the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes, you may use Exubera on its own or with oral diabetes medications. When you inhale the insulin, it would distribute it just like an inhaler. However, Exubera is being pulled off the shelves for lack of effectiveness and interest.
As a Type 1 Diabetic myself, I have to take another shot of longer acting insulin along with the inhaled insulin, I find that I am not really even saving a step, since I have to “prick” myself regardless.
I guess the theory was a good thought.
Denise, DTR, CPT-AFAA
Nutrition Specialist
It's one day at a time and that's what you need to focus on; each day that you do this will make you stronger for the next!
Labels: diabetes, health care
MammoMarathons and Breastivals
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The reasons remain unclear as to why the proportion of women getting mammograms has fallen. Nonetheless, this is a frightening statistic that I hope will not become the trend. And there is hope!
A hospital in Erie, PA has come up with the novel idea of holding what they call a MammoMarathon. The purpose of this event is to make mammogram appointments more readily available and less intimidating to women. With manicures, massages and the “buddy system,” women are sure to focus less on being scared and relax some.
Johns Hopkins also deserves recognition for their Breastival which is aimed at college-aged women. These are held on college campuses, and even internationally, to raise awareness for breast cancer with the focus on the importance of getting mammograms.
I commend these hospitals for taking such initiatives and interest in the health of our women world-wide. Sadly, I know too well the feeling of helplessness when a family member is diagnosed and treated for cancer, so ladies please schedule regular mammograms for your own sake and your family's.
To our longevity!
Tracey, MS, RD
Nutrition Specialist
"Where there's a will, there's a way"
Labels: cancer
Food Waste, Environment and Hunger…How Do They Relate?
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This past Sunday, my son and I decided to have our morning meal at a well known breakfast chain. When we sat down, the servers were cleaning the table beside us where a family of eight was eating. I noticed they were cleaning away about 8 biscuits and 2 plates of untouched pancakes stacks, and I am thinking “Hey, can I take those biscuits and pancakes to go?!”I was always taught you don’t waste food, not by eating everything in sight, but by saving it for later; leftovers were not uncommon at home. But living in a country considered having the world's most abundant and varied food supply, who thinks the food we waste could affect the environment and the hungry?
The food we throw in our dump sites rot and produce methane, which is about 20 times more polluting than Carbon Dioxide (CO2), and accounts for about 34% of all U.S. methane emissions. Talk about getting gas from food!
On the other hand, according to the USDA, we waste so much food that if we just recover 5% of U.S. leftovers we could feed 4 million people for a day. Thinking globally, the United Nations World Food Program makes its own calculations too. The total food surplus from the U.S. will fill "every empty stomach" in Africa, where leftovers from France will feed the Democratic Republic of Congo and Italy’s will feed the famished Ethiopians.
A 1997 publication from the USDA indicates that 91 billion pounds of food were wasted in the past by consumers and foodservice. I can only imagine the numbers now that the population keeps growing.
Ivelisse, BS, LD/N
Nutrition Specialist
Take care, take Control and Enjoy!
Labels: Environment
Yes, You Can Quit!
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