GLAUCOMA AWARENESS MONTH

January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month, an important time to spread the word about this sight-stealing disease.

Glaucoma is called "the sneak thief of sight" since there are no symptoms and once vision is lost, it's permanent. As much as 40% of vision can be lost without a person noticing.

Glaucoma is the leading cause of preventable blindness. Moreover, among African American and Latino populations, glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness, and it is more prevalent. Glaucoma is 6 to 8 times more common in African Americans than Caucasians.

Over 4 million Americans, and nearly 70 million people worldwide, have glaucoma. Experts estimate that half of them don't know they have it. Combined with our aging population, we can see and epidemic of blindness looming if we don't raise awareness about the importance of regular eye examinations to preserve vision.

source: http://www.glaucoma.org/

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM ALL OF US AT HARBOR HEALTH SERVICES

TAKING CARE OF THE CAREGIVERS

Do you have a family member who is caring for a loved one? These caregivers often don't recognize when they are in over their heads and often get to a breaking point. After a prolonged period of time, caregiving can become too difficult to endure any longer. In the short term, the caregiver can usually handle it. But in the long term, help is needed. A typical pattern with an overloaded caregiver may unfold as follows:

• 
  
  One to 18 months: The caregiver is confident, has everything under control and is coping well. Other friends and family are lending support.


• 
  
  Twenty to 36 months: The caregiver may be taking medication to sleep and control mood swings. Outside help dwindles away and except for trips to the store or doctor, the caregiver has severed most social contacts. The caregiver feels alone and helpless.


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  Thirty-eight to 50 months: Besides needing tranquilizers or antidepressants, the caregiver's physical health is beginning to deteriorate. Lack of focus and sheer fatigue cloud judgment and the caregiver is often unable to make rational decisions or ask for help.

It is often at this stage that family or friends finally intercede and find other solutions for care. This might include respite care, hiring home-health aides or putting the disabled loved one in a facility. Without intervention sooner, the caregiver might become a candidate for long-term care as well.

Have you and your spouse made a promise to eac other that you would never put the other in a nursing home? You might want to reconsider such a pact. Care-giving spouses will often sacrifice themselves to care for a disabled partner. The care-giving spouse might not ever place their partner in a nursing home because of the guilt that would arise from breaking such a promise. Often, the care at the nursing home is better than that previously provided by the deteriorated spouse. It is best to have a plan in place before this occurs.

Especially with the holiday season upon us, caregivers feel even more stress - with planning, shopping and participating in holiday activities. This is a perfect time for family and friends to step up and provide some respite time and care-giving help. Whether it is provided personally or arranged as a gift of services to be provided by a professional respite company or home care provider, it is a welcome gift.

If you are the one providing daily care for a loved one, you owe it to yourself to seek help. Take care of yourself and your needs, both physically and mentally. Seek out professional help that will ease your burden and look for community service organizations that offer respite help. Take a few minutes to find help you need, and enjoy this holiday season.

source: www.the timesherald.com

25 SUPER SNACKS WITH 100 CALORIES OR LESS


1. 1/2 cup slow-churned ice cream


2. 6 cups microwave popcorn


3. mini quesadilla - 1 oz low-fat cheese over corn tortilla and microwave


4. 1/2 cup cottage cheese w/cantaloupe


5. three crackers w/low-fat cheese
6. fourteen almonds


7. 6 whole grain pretzel sticks


8. baked apple


9. cheese-stuffed pita pocket - whole grain pita stuffed w/ 1/2 oz skim ricotta


10. half a baked potato with 1 tablespoon salsa


11. frozen yogurt sandwich


12. frozen banana pop


13. 20 pistachios


14. 1 cup tomato soup


15. 1/3 cup dry oat squares cereal


16. 1 cup grapes


17. smoked salmon pinwheel - smoked salmon spread with low-fat cream cheese and rolled up


18. 1 cup jicama sticks with salsa for dipping


19. blueberry smoothie - 1/3 cup nonfat plain yogurt, 2/3 cup frozen blueberries and ice


20. 1/3 cup edamame


21. 3/4 cup frozen mango cubes


22. eight baby carrots with 2 tablespoons hummus


23. 3/4 cup apple slices w/thin layer of peanut butter on each slice


24. 1/2 cup non-fat plain yogurt w/sunflower seeds


25. 1/2 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt w/a drizzle of honey





source and recipes: http://www.webmd.com/

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM HARBOR HEALTH SERVICES

6 HEALTH TIPS YOUR DOCTOR WISHES YOU WOULD FOLLOW


With the goal of optimum health in mind, here's what doctors wish all patients would do:


1. BUILD A STRONG DOCTOR-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP. Some people think a doctor is a doctor, so what's the difference? You can have 10 different doctors with 10 different treatments that are equally good. However, if you start intertwining the treatment recommendations of multiple doctors, the result can be a recipe for disaster. Without continuity of care, there can be a big difference in the quality of care.


2. FOLLOW THE DOCTOR'S ORDERS. If you are put on a medication and it has a side effect you don't like, don't just stop taking the medication without calling. It is not uncommon for patients to do that...then return for their follow-up visit a month later and tell their doctor then that they have stopped taking the prescription.


3. WATCH YOUR DIET AND EXERCISE. The most important things that any of us can do to stave off many diseases is to eat healthful, nutritious foods and move more. When patients are given a written diet plan with specific foods to eat and specific foods to avoid - with instructions to keep a daily food journal for review at the next visit - there is a much better chance of success. This holds true for exercise as well.


4. KEEP A RECORD OF YOUR MEDICATIONS WITH YOU. Medications can have negative interactions when combined. Patients should make a list of not only every medication they take - including over the counter drugs - but also the specific conditions for which they are taking each one. A copy should be given to each physician, the patient's health care proxy, kept with important documents, as well as in the patient's wallet.


5. MAKE A LIST OF THE TOP TWO OR THREE THINGS TO DISCUSS. With so little time for not only an exam but also all your questions, it is easy to forget some of the particulars you thought about a few days ago that you wanted to discuss. When the doctor asks "Is there anything else?," that list will provide the answer.


6. REMEMBER, THE INTERNET IS JUST A TOOL. It can be a very good - or very bad - tool. Don't believe everything you see online, and go to reliable sites to do an independent research. Read blogs, reviews, and reactions with an open mind.





source: http://www.recordonline.com/

HEALTH TIPS: MANAGING ANXIETY DISORDER

If you think you may have an anxiety disorder - characterized by an intense fear of a person, place or situation - you should visit your doctor to have your condition evaluated and confirmed.

Once an anxiety disorder has been confirmed, the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health suggests how to manage:

• Join a support or self-help group




• Take anti-anxiety medication that your doctor prescribes. Do not stop taking the medication before you speak with your doctor.




• Share your feelings and experiences with a mental health professional or clergy member.




• Practice meditation or another form of stress management.




• Get regular aerobic exercise.




• Avoid caffeine, illegal drugs and over-the-counter cold medications.




• Seek support of family members and close friends.

source: http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/