health – Page 6 – Risk Management 365

What Is Mental Health?

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.

Over the course of your life, if you experience mental health problems, your thinking, mood, and behavior could be affected. Many factors contribute to mental health problems, including:

Biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry
Life experiences, such as trauma or abuse
Family history of mental health problems

Mental health problems are common but help is available. People with mental health problems can get better and many recover completely.

Early Warning Signs

Not sure if you or someone you know is living with mental health problems? Experiencing one or more of the following feelings or behaviors can be an early warning sign of a problem:

Eating or sleeping too much or too little
Pulling away from people and usual activities
Having low or no energy
Feeling numb or like nothing matters
Having unexplained aches and pains
Feeling helpless or hopeless
Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual
Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared
Yelling or fighting with family and friends
Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships
Having persistent thoughts and memories you can’t get out of your head
Hearing voices or believing things that are not true
Thinking of harming yourself or others
Inability to perform daily tasks like taking care of your kids or getting to work or school

via What Is Mental Health? | MentalHealth.gov.

Allergies

Allergies are among the most common chronic conditions worldwide. Allergy symptoms of allergies range from making you miserable to putting you at risk for life-threatening reactions.

According to the leading experts in allergy, an allergic reaction begins in the immune system. Our immune system protects us from invading organisms that can cause illness. If you have an allergy, your immune system mistakes an otherwise harmless substance as an invader. This substance is called an allergen. The immune system overreacts to the allergen by producing Immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies. These antibodies travel to cells that release histamine and other chemicals, causing an allergic reaction.

Allergy Symptoms

An allergic reaction typically triggers symptoms in the nose, lungs, throat, sinuses, ears, lining of the stomach or on the skin. For some people, allergies can also trigger symptoms of asthma. In the most serious cases, a life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis (an-a-fi-LAK-sis) can occur.

A number of different allergens are responsible for allergic reactions. The most common include:

• Pollen

• Dust

• Food

• Insect stings

• Animal dander

• Mold

• Medications

• Latex

via Allergies | AAAAI.

Quick tips to a healthier back

Following any period of prolonged inactivity, begin a program of regular low-impact exercises. Speed walking, swimming, or stationary bike riding 30 minutes a day can increase muscle strength and flexibility. Yoga can also help stretch and strengthen muscles and improve posture. Ask your physician or orthopedist for a list of low-impact exercises appropriate for your age and designed to strengthen lower back and abdominal muscles.

Always stretch before exercise or other strenuous physical activity.
Don’t slouch when standing or sitting. When standing, keep your weight balanced on your feet. Your back supports weight most easily when curvature is reduced.
At home or work, make sure your work surface is at a comfortable height for you.
Sit in a chair with good lumbar support and proper position and height for the task. Keep your shoulders back. Switch sitting positions often and periodically walk around the office or gently stretch muscles to relieve tension. A pillow or rolled-up towel placed behind the small of your back can provide some lumbar support. If you must sit for a long period of time, rest your feet on a low stool or a stack of books.
Wear comfortable, low-heeled shoes.
Sleep on your side to reduce any curve in your spine. Always sleep on a firm surface.
Ask for help when transferring an ill or injured family member from a reclining to a sitting position or when moving the patient from a chair to a bed.
Don’t try to lift objects too heavy for you. Lift with your knees, pull in your stomach muscles, and keep your head down and in line with your straight back. Keep the object close to your body. Do not twist when lifting.
Maintain proper nutrition and diet to reduce and prevent excessive weight, especially weight around the waistline that taxes lower back muscles. A diet with sufficient daily intake of calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D helps to promote new bone growth.
If you smoke, quit. Smoking reduces blood flow to the lower spine and causes the spinal discs to degenerate.

via Low Back Pain Fact Sheet: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

Eat Well, Exercise, Moderate Alcohol Intake, Don’t Smoke, And Live Longer

Following four healthy behaviors was associated with a lower risk of death in this analysis of data from 16,958 people who took part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III Mortality Study. Researchers collected information on lifestyle behaviors from the participants between 1988 and 1994 and followed the group until 2006 to determine who died. Each healthy behavior was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of death during the study follow up, but people who had all four healthy behaviors had some dramatic reductions in their risk of death. People who ate a healthy diet, got enough exercise, drank moderate amounts of alcohol, and did not smoke had a 63% lower risk of all-cause death, 66% lower risk of death from cancer, 65% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, and 57% lower risk of death from all other causes during follow-up compared to people who did not have any of these healthy behaviors. While many people had at least one healthy behavior, only 4.8% of the participants had all four.

via Eat Well, Exercise, Moderate Alcohol Intake, Don’t Smoke, And Live Longer | Rodale News.

How Can I Protect Skin From the Sun?

Nothing can completely undo sun damage, although the skin can sometimes repair itself. So, it’s never too late to begin protecting yourself from the sun. Follow these tips to help prevent sun-related skin problems:

Apply sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or greater at least 30 minutes before sun exposure and then at least every 2 hours thereafter, more if you are sweating or swimming
Select cosmetic products and contact lenses that offer UV protection
Wear sunglasses with total UV protection
Wear wide-brimmed hats, long sleeved shirts, and pants
Avoid direct sun exposure as much as possible during peak UV radiation hours between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Perform skin self-exams regularly to become familiar with existing growths and to notice any changes or new growths
Eighty percent of a person’s lifetime sun exposure is acquired before age 18. As a parent, be a good role model and foster skin cancer prevention habits in your child
Avoid tanning beds

via Sun Safety Tips.

5 Easy Steps to Living Long and Well

Living past 90, and living well, may be more than a matter of good genes and good luck. Five behaviors in elderly men are associated not only with living into extreme old age, a new study has found, but also with good health and independent functioning.

The behaviors are abstaining from smoking, weight management, blood pressure control, regular exercise and avoiding diabetes. The study reports that all are significantly correlated with healthy survival after 90.

via Gentlemen, 5 Easy Steps to Living Long and Well – New York Times.

Meditation: A Simple, Fast Way to Reduce Stress

If stress has you anxious, tense and worried, consider trying meditation. Spending even a few minutes in meditation can restore your calm and inner peace.

Anyone can practice meditation. It’s simple and inexpensive, and it doesn’t require any special equipment.

And you can practice meditation wherever you are — whether you’re out for a walk, riding the bus, waiting at the doctor’s office or even in the middle of a difficult business meeting.

via Meditation: Take a stress-reduction break wherever you are – Mayo Clinic.

Accommodating an Aging Workforce

With more baby boomers postponing retirement, the effects of an aging workforce are becoming a concern for many organizations. By 2020, it is projected that 25% of workers will be over the age of 55, and since older workers are more likely to have disabilities, employers will have to adjust to meet the shifting needs of their workforce. According to a survey by the Disability Management Employer Coalition and Cornell University’s Employment and Disability Institute, most employers recognize the issue. Just over 85% said they were very or somewhat concerned about the impact of an aging workforce. However, their concern has not translated into universal action-—64% of businesses have not considered the aging workforce in designing absence and disability management programs. To close this gap, researchers suggested that employers concentrate on certain key elements of disability management, including practicing flexibility in scheduling and work location, maintaining and enhancing benefits, implementing wellness and return-to-work programs, instituting proactive safety checks, making certain physical and strategic accommodations for older workers, and improving corporate communication and culture to take an aging workforce into consideration.

via Accommodating an Aging Workforce | Risk Management.

What is E. coli?

Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria normally live in the intestines of people and animals. Most E. coli are harmless and actually are an important part of a healthy human intestinal tract. However, some E. coli are pathogenic, meaning they can cause illness, either diarrhea or illness outside of the intestinal tract. The types of E. coli that can cause diarrhea can be transmitted through contaminated water or food, or through contact with animals or persons.

via CDC – General Information – E. coli.

Truck Drivers and Sleep Apnea

Truck drivers must have adequate restful sleep to be safe and effective at their job. According to the FMCSA says that up to 28 percent of all U.S. CDL holders have sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is a danger to everyone, truck driver and others alike. Sleep apnea is a condition where the upper airway narrows or closes during sleep. This causes a person to wake repeatedly during his/her sleep, which makes their sleep not restful.

via Truck Drivers and Sleep Apnea.