December 5th-11th is National
Hand Washing Awareness Week Can you believe one of the easiest and most inexpensive preventative medicine strategies is literally available at your fingertips and costs less than one penny? According to the CDC, "the most important thing you can do to keep from getting sick is to wash you hands." Hand washing can prevent not only common diseases like colds, but also more serious diseases like hepatitis A and infectious diarrhea. The facts:
- 2/3 of adults wash hands after using the bathroom.
- 1/2 of adults wash hands after cleaning up after pets.
- 1 in 3 wash hands after sneezing/coughing.
- Less than 1 in 5 wash hands after touching money.
- 1 in 3 Ecoli cases is caused from not washing hands.
By frequently washing your hands, you wash away germs that you have picked up from other people, contaminated surfaces, or animals. The simple act of consistently performing this basic task will make a big difference in your office and home.
Click here to download a free hand-out to share with your employees on proper and frequent hand washing.
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5 Tips to Help You Stay Healthy this Holiday Season
While crowded shopping malls and holiday parties certainly increase our risk of getting sick this time of year, there are many precautions you can take to stay healthy. Here is a few:
1) Wash your hands frequently. To avoid getting sick, frequently
wash your hands with warm water and soap or hand sanitizer.
2) Sleep. Avoid the temptation to cut back on sleep, even missing
an hour or two of sleep per night can wear you down.
3) Maintain a healthy diet. Take very small servings of high calorie
dishes, fill up on veggies and save calories for your favorites.
4) Exercise. Despite your growing to-do list, now is not the time to
take a break, regular exercise will keep off the holiday weight.
5) Don't forget about your mental health. Stress affects your
immune system and can make you crabby. Set aside some
time for yourself, even if it's just 15 minutes per day.
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It's Not Too Late to Book Your Company's 2010 Flu Vaccinations
Cases of the flu are already starting to pop-up across the country and it won't be long before we start seeing more widespread flu activity. But while flu season is officially underway, that doesn't mean it is too late to get a flu shot. The fact is now is a great time to schedule your company's flu shot program, if you haven't already.
Flu season typically peaks in January or February and can last as late as May, so getting vaccinated now will still help protect your employees and company through the peak of flu season and beyond. The CDC recommends getting a flu shot as the number one way to protect against influenza.
Click here to learn more about on-site flu vaccination programs.
To schedule a flu shot program, please call 877.292.5546, ext. 101 or email mtexidor@affiliatedphysicians.net.
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Ask Dr. Nemetz!
Dr. Nemetz is the Medical Director of Affiliated Physicians and he is here to answer your questions. Ask any health related question and your answer could appear in next month's wellness newsletter.
Q: I recently took my physical. My overall cholesterol was good but my triglycerides were too high. How do I lower that number?
A: Don't sweat too much over a mildly elevated triglyceride level, as long as the other cholesterol numbers are good, and the other cardiac risk factors are being taken into account-cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, lack of exercise, obesity, and family history of early heart disease.
If you lose weight and exercise more you can influence the triglyceride level, but much of it reflects your body's normal metabolism, and so it can be substantially inherited. A very high triglyceride level increases your risk of pancreatitis, which can be serious, but the heart disease risk of high triglycerides is not that great. Prescription medications are available if it becomes important to substantially reduce triglycerides, but this is rather uncommon.
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Last Chance
to Book Your
2010 Flu Shot Program!
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On-site Wellness Programs
Research shows that on-site wellness programs help to:
Lower healthcare costs
Decrease absenteeism
Improve employee productivity
Increase job satisfaction
Educate employees on health
 or call 877.292.5546, ext 176 |
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