Get Your Flu Shot Now!

doctor with female patientEdward Hospital Physician Dr. Jonathan Gibson says, ” First it’s back to school, then comes flu season.”

About this time of year doctors begin talking up the importance of flu shots, and with good reason – it’s an antidote that can reduce your chances of catching a flu virus by 70 to 90 percent.

You know you should get one, but when?

Flu shots are typically offered starting in September and October, slightly ahead of the usual October-May flu season. If you get it too early, will it wear off before the flu season ends? Although the flu season doesn’t peak until about January or February, a flu shot administered in early fall should carry you through most of the season, says Dr. Jonathan Gibson, MD, a primary care physician with Edward Medical Group.

“The earlier in the season you get your shot, the less likely you are to catch the flu,” says Dr. Gibson. “It’s also important to note that the vaccine can take up to two weeks to become effective.” Read more

5 Nutrients to Feed Your Brain

This information came from the Shaklee Corporation’s e-newsletter that was published on 9/26/14:Ancient people thought the brain was used for cooling the body but not much else.We now know that our brains play a critical role in almost everything we do: thinking, feeling, remembering, working, playing—and even sleeping. The brain makes up only 2-3 percent of our body weight but consumes up to 20 percent of the body’s energy and oxygen.

 

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Mark Your Calendar! Plan To Attend and Share!

Click here to download flyer.

Healthy Lombard will be asking Senior to share for our cable show, Health Local, their Life Long Lessons (on how to stay healthy and enjoy life).  We look forward to seeing you at the fair!

Researchers Shed Light on Asthma's Mysteries

SHIRLEY S. WANG shared this article in the Wall Street Journal Newspaper on Sept. 22, 2014.  I found it very informative.
Researchers are making interesting new discoveries about a particularly confusing type of asthma.

Doctors increasingly are recognizing that as many as half of asthma sufferers have a form of the lung disease known as nonallergic asthma. Some medications that help control symptoms of the more familiar allergic asthma aren’t as effective in nonallergic patients.

There is still much that isn’t understood about allergic asthma, which is brought on by an overactive response of the body’s immune system to food, pollen and other allergens. Even more mysterious is the cause of nonallergic asthma, which doesn’t involve an immune-system response. Symptoms for both forms of the disease typically include constricted airways, wheezing and coughing.

Read more…

Researchers also continue to discover substances in the environment that appear to increase the risk for developing asthma. One of the latest studies, from New York’s Columbia University Medical Center, found an association between asthma rates and phthalates, chemicals used in many plastic products that have raised health concerns.

The scientific hunt for the causes of asthma reflects concern about the puzzling rise in rates of the disease. In the U.S., the percentage of the population diagnosed increased in 2010 to 8.4%—or more than 25 million adults and children—from 5.5% in 1996, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some 1.8 million people visited a hospital emergency department in 2010 for asthma-related treatment.

Scientists studying nonallergic asthma say greater understanding of the molecular pathways in this form of the disease could lead to new targets for drug development.

Stefan Worgall, chief of the pediatric pulmonology, allergy and immunology division at Weill Cornell Medical College, and his colleagues recently discovered that when a normally occurring type of fat, known as sphingolipids, isn’t embedded properly in the cell walls in the lungs of mice, the airways constrict.

In a related experiment, they administered a drug to inhibit sphingolipid production in tissue taken from a healthy human lung. The tissue showed the same type of constriction as seen in the mice, the study found. The report was published last year in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Dr. Worgall says the finding could help explain why obesity is a risk factor for asthma. Obese people tend to exhibit abnormalities in sphingolipids, he says.

Currently, Dr. Worgall and his team are measuring sphingolipid levels in the blood and breath of asthmatic children. Early findings suggest the levels appear abnormal, he says.

Jeroen Douwes, director of the Centre for Public Health Research, at Massey University in New Zealand, believes nonallergic-asthma patients might have particularly sensitive nerves in the lungs that tell the brain at a lower-than-normal threshold that a noxious substance is in the air and airways need to be constricted.

 

 

Walk or bike to work to increase happiness

Walking to work is not only good for your body; it may also benefit your psychological health, a new study from England suggests, FOX News reports.

In the study, the researchers analyzed information from nearly 18,000 commuters in England who answered questions about their well-being, such as whether they experienced feelings of worthlessness, unhappiness or sleepless nights in the last few weeks. Based on those answers, the researchers gave each participant a well-being score. Participants completed the survey for at least three consecutive years between 1991 and 2009.

People who walked or cycled to work had higher well-being scores than those who drove. In particular, people who drove to work had a 13 percent higher likelihood of feeling that they were constantly under strain and unable to concentrate, compared with those who walked or cycled.

The findings held even after the researchers took into account factors that could affect well-being, such as household income, overall health and whether the participants had children.

What’s more, people who switched from driving to walking or cycling to work tended to experience an improvement in well-being, the study found.

“These results appear to suggest that avoiding car driving may be beneficial to well-being,” the researchers wrote in the Sept. 15 issue of the journal Preventive Medicine.

First human case of West Nile virus reported in DuPage County in 2014

west nileThe DuPage County Health Department announced on Monday the first reported human case of West Nile virus (WNV) in DuPage County in 2014. The case is a male Naperville resident in his 50s. He was treated as an outpatient and his symptoms have improved.

 The Health Department reminds residents that despite the cool, rainy weather they should continue to protect themselves against mosquito bites and prevent contracting WNV.

 Check the Personal Protection Index (PPI) widget on the Health Department’s website at www.dupagehealth.org/PPI to get the most up-to-date information on WNV activity.

 WNV is transmitted to people by infected mosquitoes.  The best way to prevent WNV is to avoid mosquito bites:

  • Use insect repellent when you go outdoors.
  • Avoid the outdoors from dusk to dawn, when the mosquitoes that transmit WNV are most active.
  • If outdoors, wear long sleeves and pants from dusk to dawn.
  • Empty standing water from items outside your home such as flowerpots, buckets and kiddie pools.

Read more

Take action to prepare in September

September is National Preparedness Month and the DuPage County Health Department reminds residents that this is a good time to prepare for unexpected events by assembling an emergency supply kit for their homes.

 The Health Department works hand-in-hand with municipalities and other organizations throughout DuPage County to prepare for public health emergencies, including events that require the distribution of medications and other medical supplies to safeguard all county residents. This year’s national theme for September is “Be Disaster Aware, Take Action to Prepare.”

In the event of an emergency, these items are recommended for a home supply kit:

  • One gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
  • At least a three-day supply of non-perishable food and a manual can opener
  • Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a weather radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
  • Flashlight and extra batteries
  • First aid kit; extra blanket
  • Whistle to signal for help
  • A dust mask to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
  • Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
  • Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities; learn the location of gas, electric and water shut-off locations and how to turn them off
  • Cell phone with chargers, electrical power converter or solar charger
  • Family and emergency contact information
  • Remember pets will need food and water

Why students need eye exams

eye examThe Daily Herald Newspaper posted this good advise on August 25, 2014:

As students head back to school, the American Optometric Association is reminding parents to schedule a comprehensive eye exam, NBC-South Bend reports.

One in four students in kindergarten through sixth grade has an undetected vision problem, which can interfere with their ability to read and learn, the group says.

It’s best to get your child’s eyes checked once they start kindergarten.

Although some schools do vision screens, complicated vision problems are often overlooked. A comprehensive eye exam can catch a lazy eye, farsightedness or even more serious problems that need to be diagnosed early.

Some key signs to look for this school season, if you think your child might have a vision problem, include often getting headaches or a child who does well on tests but doesn’t pay attention in class because he or she can’t see the board.

Be extra cautious against WNV over Labor Day

County residents are reminded to be extra diligent during the approaching Labor Day weekend and protect themselves from mosquito bites that could lead to West Nile virus (WNV) infection. The Health Department has raised its Personal Protection Index (PPI) from level one (low) to level two (moderate) because of an increase in the number of mosquito batches testing positive for WNV.

Level two indicates that there are high numbers of infected mosquitoes in most areas, which could potentially increase the likelihood for human cases to appear. At this time, there have been no confirmed human cases of WNV reported in DuPage County this year. Level two cautions residents to drain any standing water around their homes and defend by wearing an insect repellent containing DEET when outdoors, especially during prime times of mosquito activity like between dusk and dawn.

 

County residents will be enjoying the great outdoors and traveling during the Labor Day weekend and they are advised by the Health Department to be cautious, but not curtail any outdoor plans.

The Health Department encourages residents to follow the “4 Ds of Defense,” which include draining standing water, using insect repellent to defend yourself, dressing with long sleeves and pants to cover your skin and being especially careful between dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active.

The PPI widget provides a real-time snapshot of WNV activity, which ranges from zero to three, zero meaning there is no risk and three announcing a high level of risk with multiple confirmed human cases of WNV.  View the PPI widget at  www.dupagehealth.org. Many community partners including townships, municipalities and park districts, also have posted the PPI widget on their websites. Residents who click on the widget will be linked to the Health Department’s “Fight the Bite” page for additional information.  The Health Department monitors WNV activity by collecting and testing mosquitoes in traps located throughout the county.

Fitness for Body & BRAIN

adultmainpage-r2You are invited to experience something NEW!
Peggy Kinst of Ageless Grace &
Tami Neumann of
VIRTUAL DEMENTIA TOURS
are inviting you to experience demonstrations of
AGELESS GRACE…
“timeless, fun fitness for body & BRAIN”…that “almost anyone can do!”…in a chair… based on the Science of Neuroplasticity and Movementplus

VIRTUAL DEMENTIA TOURS
designed to give you a hands-on insight into of how it feels to have Dementia.

Demonstrations every 30 minutes on September 6, 10am - 4pm
beginning with Ageless Grace at 10:00am

HOPE COVENANT CHURCH
14401 West Avenue, Orland Park, Il