November is National Diabetes Month. In 2010, nearly 26 million persons in the United States had diabetes, and an estimated 79 million adults had pre-diabetes. Persons with diabetes can take steps to control the disease and prevent complications, and those with prediabetes can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes through weight loss and physical activity .
Category: Health
Assessing Your Weight and Health Risk
Risk Factors for Health Topics Associated With Obesity
Along with being overweight or obese, the following conditions will put you at greater risk for heart disease and other conditions:
Risk Factors
- High blood pressure hypertension
- High LDL cholesterol “bad” cholesterol
- Low HDL cholesterol “good” cholesterol
- High triglycerides
- High blood glucose sugar
- Family history of premature heart disease
- Physical inactivity
- Cigarette smoking
Heart Attack Symptoms and Early Warning Signs
A heart attack is a medical emergency. If you have symptoms of a heart attack, call 911 or your local emergency number right away.
- DO NOT try to drive yourself to the hospital.
- DO NOT WAIT. You are at greatest risk of sudden death in the early hours of a heart attack.
Chest pain is the most common symptom of a heart attack. You may feel the pain in only one part of your body, or it may move from your chest to your arms, shoulder, neck, teeth, jaw, belly area, or back. The pain can be severe or mild. It can feel like:
- A tight band around the chest
- Bad indigestion
- Something heavy sitting on your chest
- Squeezing or heavy pressure
The pain usually lasts longer than 20 minutes. Rest and a medicine called nitroglycerin may not completely relieve the pain of a heart attack. Symptoms may also go away and come back. Other symptoms of a heart attack can include:
- Anxiety
- Cough
- Fainting
- Light-headedness, dizziness
- Nausea or vomiting
- Palpitations (feeling like your heart is beating too fast or irregularly)
- Shortness of breath
- Sweating, which may be very heavy
Some people (the elderly, people with diabetes, and women) may have little or no chest pain. Or, they may have unusual symptoms (shortness of breath, fatigue, and weakness). A “silent heart attack” is a heart attack with no symptoms.
Joint Pain at Work
Joint Pain at Work – That creaking you hear may not be your co-workers Halloween skeleton decoration but their actual knees, hips, wrists and shoulders. Joint pain at work can be very SCARY… and painful… and costly. Arthritis, one example of joint pain, is the leading cause of work disability. In 2007, the annual cost of arthritis and other rheumatic conditions was $128 billion.
via The NIOSH Science Blog has been updated: Joint Pain at Work.
Smoking Raises Surgery Risks
S
mokers Are Nearly 40% More Likely Than Nonsmokers to Die After Surgery
Smokers who undergo surgery are more likely than nonsmokers to have complications or to die shortly after surgical procedures, according to a study. The risk of death within 30 days of a wide variety of surgeries was nearly 40% higher in smokers than in nonsmokers, says Alparslan Turan, MD, associate professor of anesthesiology at the Cleveland Clinic. There was also an increase in cardiovascular complications,” Turan says. In his study comparing more than 82,000 smokers with nonsmoking patients, the smokers were:
- 57% more likely to have cardiac arrest
- 80% more likely to have a heart attack
- 73% more likely to have a stroke
The risk of pneumonia was double [for smokers],” Turan says.The patients had a range of common surgeries, such as colon procedures, breast surgeries, appendix removal, and hysterectomy. Smokers were also more likely to contract infections and to be put on mechanical ventilation after surgery because of complications.
How To Prevent and Control Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors
You can prevent and control many coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors with lifestyle changes and medicines. Examples of these controllable risk factors include high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, and overweight and obesity. Only a few risk factors—such as age, gender, and family history—can’t be controlled.
To reduce your risk of CHD and heart attack, try to control each risk factor you can. The good news is that many lifestyle changes help control several CHD risk factors at the same time. For example, physical activity may lower your blood pressure, help control diabetes and prediabetes, reduce stress, and help control your weight.
via How To Prevent and Control Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors – NHLBI, NIH.
Aging Workers
Are there any specific health and safety concerns related to aging workers?
A few. Most studies say that older workers tend to have fewer accidents, but when an older worker does get injured, their injuries are often more severe. They also may take longer to get better. Plus, the types of injuries can be different. Younger workers tend to get more eye or hand injuries, while older workers who have been working for many years report more back injuries.
Recognizing Hazards Both On and Off the Job
The threat of danger surrounds every person, every day. Challenging employees to look beyond tasks to identify and eliminate hazards before exposure is key to working safely at home and in the workplace.
via Recognizing Hazards Both On and Off the Job | Training content from EHS Today.
Healthy Aging
People in the U.S. are living longer than ever before. Many seniors live active and healthy lives. But there’s no getting around one thing: as we age, our bodies and minds change. There are things you can do to stay healthy and active as you age:
- Eat a balanced diet
- Keep your mind and body active
- Don’t smoke
- Get regular checkups
- Practice safety habits
Prevent Poisoning
Chemicals in and around the home can poison people or pets and can cause long-term health effects. Every 13 seconds, a poison control center in the United States answers a call about a possible poisoning. More than 90% of these exposures occur in the home. Poisoning can result from medicines, pesticides, household cleaning products, carbon monoxide, and lead.
via CDC – Healthy Homes | Health Topics | Poisoning Prevention.