Tag: health

American Football: Fears Over Player Safety

big-hitSome 100 million Americans will sit down to watch what they call the “greatest show on earth” this weekend – with the very future of a beloved sport apparently in doubt.

The Super Bowl is the showpiece of American Football – last year’s game was the most watched television programme in American history – but a dark shadow looms over the sport.

There is growing evidence that head injuries suffered on the field could be contributing to long-term damage among former players.

Researchers say head trauma from concussions can lead to a degenerative disease called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), resulting in depression and other psychological effects.

via American Football: Fears Over Player Safety.

An Emergency Exit Strategy is Critical

eap-exit-wall-placardWhat is an Exit Strategy?

An Exit Strategy is a plan for exiting a building or structure in an emergency. When entering a building, it is critical that you locate at least two ways out, keeping in mind that the way you came in (usually the front door) may not be the best way out.

via Frequently Asked Questions.

Drugs and The Workplace, Not Good Friends

Drugs-and-the-WorkplaceBeing under the influence of anything while at work can affect reaction time and reflexes, which can be disastrous. People who work under the influence cause accidents are often the ones who are injured. In fact, industries with the highest rates of drug use are the same as those that are the highest risk for injury in the first place. This includes construction, mining, manufacturing and wholesale.

According to OSHA, there are five separate elements that ensure a drug free workplace. These five elements are: 1) A policy that does not tolerate it. 2) Supervisor training. 3) Employee education. 4) Employee assistance. 5) Drug testing. OSHA concludes with the fact that there must be consideration for employee rights to privacy and that many workers with substance abuse problems can be returned safely to the workplace provided they have access to appropriate treatment. With the right addiction treatment program anyone can fully recover, with that drugs and the workplace can be taken care of and have no more problems.

via Drugs and the Workplace | Addiction Treatment Programs | Arizona Rehab.

Tips to Control High Blood Pressure

tsc-high-blood-pressure-mdnHigh Blood Pressure Risk Factors

It is important to keep your blood pressure under 140/90 mm Hg. Blood pressure higher than that is considered dangerous. Below is a list of high blood pressure risk factors. People with any of these risk factors should have their blood pressure checked every time they visit their doctor. For those who fall into several risk categories, experts recommend purchasing a blood pressure cuff and a stethoscope and taking your own pressure reading every week.

  • Cigarette smoking or being exposed to secondhand smoke on a daily basis
  • Diabetes (a fasting glucose higher than 125 mg/dL)
  • Kidney disease
  • Family history of hypertension
  • Being obese or overweight
  • Leading a physically inactive, sedentary lifestyle
  • Men over the age of 45
  • Women over the age of 55
  • Taking oral contraceptives
  • Elevated cholesterol levels
  • Frequently consuming alcoholic beverages
  • Being African American

via Tips to Control High Blood Pressure.

Smoking Shortens Life Span By At Least 10 Years

ap-women-smoking-4_3_r536_c534People who smoke take at least 10 years off their life expectancy, a new study has found.On the other hand, those who kick the habit before age 40 reduce the excess risk of death associated with continued smoking by about 90%, according to the study in Thursdays New England Journal of Medicine.

via Study: Smoking shortens life span by at least 10 years.

The Risk of Mindless Eating

food-sandwichWhat does it mean to mindlessly eat?

Most of us don’t overeat because we’re hungry. We overeat because of family and friends, packages and plates, names and numbers, labels and lights, colors and candles, shapes and smells, distractions and distances, cupboards and containers.

Studies show that the average person makes around 250 decisions about food every day – breakfast or no breakfast? Pop-tart or bagel? Part of it or all of it? Kitchen or car? Yet out of these 200+ food decisions, most we cannot really explain. Mindless Eating shows what these decisions are and how to make them work for you rather than against you.

via Mindless Eating.

Knowing Your Numbers Could Save Your Life

Know_NumbersIf the oil light comes on in your car do you ignore it or do you bring it to a mechanic to tell you what’s wrong and how to fix it? It’s the same way with your health except you can replace the car but not your health. That’s why it’s so critical to know and monitor your target numbers.

Below are the healthy ranges to work toward. You’ll often see these written out with clinical terms like mg/dL and mm Hg. Your medical provider can explain those terms. For you, the important thing is the numbers themselves:

  • Blood Pressure – less than 120/80
  • Cholesterol Total – below 200
  • LDL – below 130
  • HDL – above 50 for women – above 40 for men
  • Triglycerides – below 150
  • Glucose (fasting) – between 70 and 99
  • BMI – between 18.5 and 24.9

It’s important to monitor your numbers regularly by getting an annual physical, blood work and reviewing them with your doctor. It’s to late after you are sick because much of the damage to your body will not be repairable.

via Know Your Numbers.

America’s High Blood Pressure Burden

High-Blood-pressureHigh Blood Pressure is often referred  to as “The Silent Killer”. Here are the facts:

  • About 1 in 3 U.S. adults—an estimated 68 million people—has high blood pressure.
  • 69% of people who have a first heart attack, 77% of people who have a first stroke, and 74% of people with chronic heart failure have high blood pressure.
  • High blood pressure is also a major risk factor for kidney disease.
  • High blood pressure was listed as a primary or contributing cause of death for about 348,000 Americans in 2008.
  • Costs directly attributable to high blood pressure for the nation total almost $131 billion annually in direct medical expenses and $25 billion in lost productivity.
  • Less than half (46%) of people with high blood pressure have their condition under control.
  • Almost 30% of American adults have prehypertension—blood pressure numbers that are higher than normal, but not yet in the high blood pressure range. Prehypertension raises your risk of developing high blood pressure.
  • Reducing average population sodium intake from 3,300 mg to 2,300 mg per day may reduce cases of high blood pressure by 11 million and save 18 billion health care dollars annually.

via CDC – DHDSP – High Blood Pressure Facts.

Coronary Heart Disease – 10-year risk

heart_disease

Since it’s beginning in 1948, the Framingham Heart Study, under the direction of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), has been committed to identifying the common factors or characteristics that contribute to cardiovascular disease (CVD). They have followed CVD development over a long period of time in three generations of participants.

Here are the Coronary Heart Disease Predictors:

  • Age
  • Diabetes
  • Smoking
  • JNC-V blood pressure categories
  • NCEP total cholesterol categories
  • LDL cholesterol categories

Click on the link below to calculate your risk of coronary heart disease.

via Coronary Heart Disease 10-year risk Framingham Heart Study.

Healthy Aging – Safe Exercise

exercise-heart-surgerySAFE EXERCISE PRACTICES

  1. Obtain medical clearance to exercise.
  2. Stop exercising if you feel pain.
  3. Don’t exercise when you are injured, sick, or running a temperature.
  4. Don’t over_strain during exercise.
  5. Don’t hold your breath during exercise.
  6. Always warm up.
  7. Always cool down.
  8. Drink plenty of water before, during and after exercise.
  9. Avoid heavy meals for about 2 hours before energetic exercise.
  10. Use sun screen, hats, visors, and sunglasses during outdoor daytime exercise. Think safety at all times (for example, should you be wearing fluorescent colors? Is it too cold, too wet, too stormy, too polluted, too hot, and/or too humid for safe exercise?)
  11. Use the right equipment and wear the right clothes for exercise (dress in layers, wear fabrics that allow heat to escape, wear good shoes).
  12. Work at an effective, yet comfortable, intensity level. You should be able to carry on a normal conversation while working out.
  13. Use good posture during exercise.
  14. Stop exercise and consult your physician immediately if you experience any of the following:
  •  chest pain or tightness in the chest, neck or throat;
  • considerable difficulty breathing;
  • abnormal heart rhythm; nausea’ dizziness, light headedness, or visual
  • interruption; excessive cold sweat; or extreme or lasting weakness or fatigue (after exercise)

via Safe Exercising.