Wednesday, November 28, 2012

What is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)?




WELLNESS WEDNESDAY
November 28, 2013






What is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)? COPD is a lung disease that makes it hard to breathe.  It is caused by damage to the lungs over many years, usually from smoking COPD is often a mix of two diseases; chronic bronchitis & Emphysema. According to Wikipedia, worldwide, COPD ranked as the sixth leading cause of death in 1990. COPD is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. and the economic burden of COPD in the U.S. in 2007 was $42.6 billion in health care costs and lost productivity. COPD gets worse over time. You can’t undo the damage to your lungs, but you can take steps to prevent more damage and feel better. I myself have battled with bronchitis for many years and find myself breathless sometimes when I take the stairs at work. Even though I have not been diagnosed with the disease, I feel that I have many of the systems. Anyone who has COPD understands the importance of listening to your body and to know your limits. Medline Plus suggests a few tips you can to make breathing easier:

·         Quitting smoking is the most important step you can take to prevent or slow damage to your lungs—it is never too late to stop smoking. 
·         Avoid conditions that may irritate your lungs, such as indoor and outdoor air pollution, smog, cold dry air, hot humid air, or high altitudes.
·         Take rest breaks. Schedule short rest breaks during household chores and other activities. An occupational or physical therapist can help you find ways to do everyday activities with less effort.
·         Stay as active as possible, and get regular exercise. Try to do activities and exercises that build muscle strength and help your cardiovascular system if you get out of breath, wait until your breathing returns to normal before continuing.
·         Eat well
Eat Good nutrition is important to keep up your strength and health. Problems with muscle weakness and weight loss are common in people with severe COPD. People with COPD who are very underweight, especially those with emphysema, are at higher risk of early death than are people with COPD who have a normal weight.
·         Seek education and support Treating more than the disease and its symptoms is very important. You also need educating yourself and your family about COPD and your treatment program helps you and your family copes with your lung disease.
·         A support network of family, friends, and health professionals. Learning that you have a disease that may shorten your life can trigger depression or grieving. Anxiety can make your symptoms worse and can trigger flare-ups or make them last longer. Support from family and friends can reduce anxiety and stress and make it easier to live with COPD.
·         Take the medicines prescribed by your doctor. If you use a metered-dose inhaler (MDI), be sure you know how to use it properly. A self-reward system, such as a night out to eat after staying on your medicine and exercise schedule for a week, can help keep you motivated.
·         Your treatment plan. Following a treatment plan will make you feel better and less likely to become depressed.
·         Discuss pulmonary rehabilitation with your doctor.

Hearing you have COPD can be incredibly tough, but it’s far from a helpless situation. Starting today, you can learn ways to improve your breathing and slow the progression of the disease! Re-read this article and get started breathing better!

contact Nancy Larson at my.healthiswealth@comcast.net 

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Happy “THANKS”giving




What are you most THANKFUL for this Thanksgiving? Research shows, there are benefits to giving thanks – not just gratitude for what we have, but expressing gratitude to those who bless us. Consider the benefits below, and then set out to write a “gratitude letter,” or verbally tell that special person what they mean to you.  This could be a new holiday tradition that empowers you to impact someone who deserves your heartfelt appreciation. What does gratitude do for you?
  • It boosts your immune system.
College students who kept gratitude journals for three weeks were less likely than their peers to catch colds or flu. Many Facebook friends have been writing daily thankfulness this November, keep it up… it helps you put things into perspective.
  • It strengthens relationships.
Expressing gratitude to the people in your life leaves them feeling appreciated. This past weekend my husband gave me the weekend off! HE took care of all the daily responsibilities and more…he wanted me to feel special and important to him, and I DID! Everyone wants to feel acknowledged for the good they contribute. Gratitude and adoration promotes goodwill and inspires more of it.

My husband and I had to ask ourselves…how long since we have thanked the teacher who puts up with our children? When is the last time we thanked our parents for loving and nurturing us through those sick days as a child? How long since we have thanked the kid who delivers our newspaper in all kinds of weather, or the mailman?

We are quick to criticize, but so slow to give praise where it is deserved. But why should we take time to thank these people?
Noticing what’s good in your life keeps you from over-focusing on what you think is not so good. Whenever you begin to feel down, ask yourself, “What can I be grateful for? Or “who am I grateful for?
I challenge you to create a new gratitude ritual that will strengthen bonds and relationships: It’s called the “attitude of gratitude.” Try doing it this Thanksgiving over your holiday dinner – get the whole family involved. Start with choosing someone you are grateful for. Who in your life has impacted you, believed in you, or helped you in ways that cause your heart to overflow with appreciation? Now share you gratitude for them; maybe they are sitting at the table with you…
 
I am thankful for my parents, Bill & Martha Holland who gave me life.

 

 May you have a blessed holiday~

Happy “THANKS”giving





What are you most THANKFUL for this Thanksgiving? Research shows, there are benefits to giving thanks – not just gratitude for what we have, but expressing gratitude to those who bless us. Consider the benefits below, and then set out to write a “gratitude letter,” or verbally tell that special person what they mean to you.  This could be a new holiday tradition that empowers you to impact someone who deserves your heartfelt appreciation. What does gratitude do for you?
  • It boosts your immune system.
College students who kept gratitude journals for three weeks were less likely than their peers to catch colds or flu. Many Facebook friends have been writing daily thankfulness this November, keep it up… it helps you put things into perspective.
  • It strengthens relationships.
Expressing gratitude to the people in your life leaves them feeling appreciated. This past weekend my husband gave me the weekend off! HE took care of all the daily responsibilities and more…he wanted me to feel special and important to him, and I DID! Everyone wants to feel acknowledged for the good they contribute. Gratitude and adoration promotes goodwill and inspires more of it.

My husband and I had to ask ourselves…how long since we have thanked the teacher who puts up with our children? When is the last time we thanked our parents for loving and nurturing us through those sick days as a child? How long since we have thanked the kid who delivers our newspaper in all kinds of weather, or the mailman?

We are quick to criticize, but so slow to give praise where it is deserved. But why should we take time to thank these people?
Noticing what’s good in your life keeps you from over-focusing on what you think is not so good. Whenever you begin to feel down, ask yourself, “What can I be grateful for? Or “who am I grateful for?
I challenge you to create a new gratitude ritual that will strengthen bonds and relationships: It’s called the “attitude of gratitude.” Try doing it this Thanksgiving over your holiday dinner – get the whole family involved. Start with choosing someone you are grateful for. Who in your life has impacted you, believed in you, or helped you in ways that cause your heart to overflow with appreciation? Now share you gratitude for them; maybe they are sitting at the table with you…
I am thankful for my parents, Bill & Martha Holland who gave me life.
 

 May you have a blessed holiday~


Contact Nancy Larson @my.healthiswealth@comcast.net

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Not feeling well? Could be your work environment…


 WELLNESS WEDNESDAY
Common sense tells us a bad work environment is bad for our health. Recent research is beginning to quantify this notion and shed some light on exactly how our environment impacts our emotional and physical health.  Findings from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index® (WBI) and the Health ways Well-Being Assessment™ (WBA) are starting to bring more clarity about the work environment a person is experiencing.  These include: job satisfaction, job overload, co-worker issues, technology, supervisor issues, training, and resources.
 If the work culture does not support workers in these areas there will be a social and emotional impact that reduces the chances they will take care of themselves.  This results in more risk factors and higher disease prevalence, which adds to health-related costs and leads to deterioration in their work performance. 
How to have a Healthy work environment…
The county government has taken the lead to improve the work environment of their employees by creating a worksite wellness program. The goal is to improve the health of employees and to inspire other employers to do the same. With our county health rankings being 84 out of 92 counties, we need to be proactive in making a difference. As the Employee Health Coordinator, I am confident that a difference is being made. The following is some easy steps we took to start a wellness program and increase employees’s moral and create a healthier work environment:
·         share an understanding that a healthy work environment not only benefits employees through improved health and wellness but also benefits customers, shareholders and communities
·         take a comprehensive approach to promoting health and wellness
·         encourage workers to take responsibility for their own health, safety and wellness and contribute to creating a healthy work environment
·         create environments that make the healthy choice the easy choice
·         provide information and resources to assist their workers to make healthy lifestyle choices and to achieve and maintain good health
·         promote work-life balance and make work a healthy life experience
·         create a healthy physical, social and psychological work environment as a core business goal

How will a healthy work environment benefit my bottom line you ask?

Research shows that healthy people working in a healthy environment is key to business success. That’s because a healthy workplace improves productivity and reduces employers’ costs.
A healthy workplace will:
·         Improve employee health outcomes
·         Make it easier to attract and retain qualified employees
·         Lower absenteeism
·         Reduce health benefit costs
·         Enhance morale
·         Reduce risk of injury
·         Improve job performance

There are many interesting findings on how work environment affects well-being, these are only a few.  Is there anything you can add, even if it is just observational?  What would you do about it at your worksite?  I look forward to your responses.