healthy start july 2014

JUNE-JULY 2014 Vol. XVI FREE

HealthyStartMeet the New

Oldest American

Men's HealthMonth Goes Out

with a Bang!CDC Encourages African-AmericanWomen to ‘Take Charge And Test’

At 116, Black SouthArkansas woman namedoldest American

/ JUNE-JULY 2014 / HealthyStart

healthbriefs

- Health benefits of eggs -

Eggs for eye care

Eggs contains of cartenoid agents lutein and zeax-anthin which works effectively for the prevention ofmacular degeneration, by which our eyes will besafe and healthy. These agents also decreases therisk of cataracts formation.

Supplies proteins

For building the muscles and to repair the tissues inthe body proteins are required in large. Eating eggwill offer good amount of proteins.

Increases the calcium

Boiled eggs contains of vitamin D that is requiredadequate for the healthy structure of bones andteeth. This vitamin increases the absorption levelsof calcium and hence maximizes the calcium levelsin the body.

Daily egg

The existence of monounsaturated and polyunsatu-rated fats in the eggs in the place of saturated fatsprevent your heart diseases, strokes and blood clotproblems eat an egg on every day with out neglect,reports a survey.

Top benefitsof eating eggs

for health

Summer travel health tipsSummer is here and for many inWisconsin, that means getting outof town to escape the heat.

According to Airlines forAmerica, air travel is ex-pected to hit its highest levelin six years this summer,with about 210 million pas-sengers expected fly U.S.

airlines between June 1 and Aug. 31. Thatincludes nearly 30 million travelers on in-ternational flights.

With travel comes planning, includingwhat we want to wear, which attractionsto visit and how long we'll be gone. Butwhat people often neglect to considerwhen planning their vacation is theirhealth.

Unfortunately, mishaps can happen whilein a different city, state or even country,and it is important to be prepared.

Here are five tips to make sure your sum-mer vacation goes off without a health-re-lated hitch:

1.) Think ahead: If you have chronichealth issues, make sure you get acheckup before you leave and let yourphysician know where you are planning totravel. Before you go, make sure you haveenough medication to last the whole tripor plan where you can go to refill yourprescription. The U.S. State Departmentrecommends carrying a letter from yourphysician describing any medical condi-tion and any prescription medications, in-cluding the label name of any prescribeddrugs. And don't forget to pack your med-ication in your carry-on luggage.

2.) Consider destination-specific healthrisks: The Centers for Disease Control andPrevention recommends you get any dis-ease-specific vaccines, medications ormedical advice for international travel atleast four to six weeks in advance of yourtrip. Doing so allows any vaccines youmay need to have time to take effect (andsome vaccines require more than onedose). If you are visiting several countriesor countries with a variety of health risks,or if you have a pre-existing health condi-tion, you may need to see a clinician whospecializes in travel medicine. To find alocal care provider who can help you, visithttp://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/find-clinic.

3.) Download health apps: Mobile healthapps for smartphones and tablets are oneof the fastest-growing segments of app de-velopment, giving people better access to

health care information when they're onthe go. Mobile apps, such as United-Healthcare's Health4Me app, make it eas-ier to contact a registered nurse,download your insurance ID card and lo-cate nearby physicians or emergencyrooms.

4.) Check your insurance coverage: If you are traveling overseas, check to seeif your insurance is valid where you aregoing. Contact your health insurancecompany and check your benefit docu-ments. Many do offer some coverage, butthere may be limitations based on your lo-cation or the type of medical care re-ceived. You may want to consider gettingsupplemental traveler's medical coverage– policies that can cover a variety of serv-ices including emergency care, which

5 Health Tips To Be More Productive At Work profitable

ou know that yourhealth is impor-tant, but did youknow that improv-ing your health alsoimproves your per-

formance at work. It’s true!When it comes to performanceat work, good health isn’t justfor athletes and constructionworkers. It’s important for usdesk jockeys too.

Plenty of studies demonstrateyou’re at your most productivewhen you take a short breakwhen performing long tasks. Itgives your brain a chance to re-fresh and your body a chance tostretch out. Unfortunately, itcan be difficult to take a 5 or 10-minute break every hour of the day.Here are a couple of tips to keep youhealthy and productive even whenyou’re tied to your desk for most of theday.

1. Drink Lemon Water

Drink an eight-ounce glass of waterwith half a lemon squeezed into it.Why? When you drink lemon juiceyour liver breaks down waste more ef-ficiently and helps alleviate bloating,gas, constipation and general bodyaches.

2. Drink More Water

You’ve heard that you need to drinkeight 8-ounce glasses of water everyday, but that isn’t true for everyone.Some of us need even more water tofunction at optimal levels. The Insti-tute of Medicine says that most menneed about three liters of water a dayand most women need around 2.2liters per day. Eight 8-ounce glasses ofwater is only 1.9 liters, so womenshould be drinking about nine glassesper day and men should be drinkingabout twelve glasses of water per dayto maximize their hydration and per-formance.

3. Take Time To Stretch

One of the reasons it’s a good idea toget away from your desk is to get yourblood flowing again. If you can’t getaway, you can still improve your circu-lation by stretching at your desk. Thefresh blood and oxygen makes yourbrain function better and helps relieveneck and shoulder tension.

■ Start with your back straight andcross your right arm over your chest.You’re trying to reach a spot behind

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Y

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By Dustin Hinton, BIZTimes



A

he month that just endedwas National SafetyMonth. The theme wassafety: But how can we

make our communities safer when wedon’t understand the dangers or wherethey arise from?

How can we prevent the onset of a dis-ease we don’t yet fully understand?

In an age where equality is idealized,many have lost sight of the significancethat differences play in health.

Lisa Carey, a breast cancer specialist atthe University of North Carolina re-ports, different races possess differentbiological ecosystems that require dif-ferent amounts and different types ofmaintenance in order to stay healthy.

While many African Americans areaware of the health problems thatplague their community, few under-stand the reason for such ailments andfewer still are equipped with informa-tion to prevent the onset of such condi-tions.

In 2012, the American Diabetes Associ-ation (ADA), reported that 9.3 percentof the American population was diag-nosed with diabetes. 13.2 percent ofnon-Hispanic Blacks were diagnosedwith having diabetes, a 42 percent in-crease above the prevalence of diabetesin the general population.

The illness is characterized by thebody’s inability to either produce orutilize insulin to the extent that itachieves healthy blood sugar levels.According to the ADA, in 2012, it wasthe seventh most listed underlyingcause of death on birth certificates.This does not include undiagnosed dia-betics.

Many lifestyle variables, such as highobesity rates, can account for part butnot all of the higher prevalence of dia-betes in the African American commu-nity. Studies have identified severalgenetic markers that could reasonablypoint to a higher predisposition to thedisease.

According to Dr. Cam Patterson, chiefof cardiology and director of the McAl-lister Heart Institute at UNC, suchmarkers, “suggest that carbohydratemetabolism should be different in theAfrican-Americans in our populationcompared to Caucasians.”

Patterson proceeds to explain thatAfrican Americans disproportionatelypossess inhibited genes that signal glu-cose metabolism. In other words,African Americans are disproportion-ately predisposed to the disease whencompared to other ethnicities.

African Americans’ predisposition tothe disease does not stop there. Stud-ies show that dark pigmentation reactswith environmental factors leading tomalnutrition in key nutrients responsi-ble for glucose metabolism.

JUNE-JULY 2014 / HealthyStart /

T by Stephen Boadus, AtlantaDailyworld

your left ear with your right hand. Bring your chin intoyour right shoulder and hold the pose for 30 seconds.Repeat this stretch on the other side. Doing thisstretches the muscles in the back of your head andhelps keep migraines and tension headaches at bay.

■ Stretch your neck and upper back by placing both ofyour hands on the back of your head and interlockingyour fingers. Relax your neck and keep your backstraight. Let the weight of your hands bring your headforward. Hold for 30 seconds.

■ Place your right hand on your hip and raise your leftarm towards the ceiling. Hold that pose and bend yourupper body to the right. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat onthe other side of your body. This pose stretches youroblique muscles and helps open your rib cage, allowingair to circulate more efficiently.

■ Finally, stand up and place both hands in front ofyou and on your desk. Take a couple of steps backwardsso you’re bent slightly forward at the waist with yourarms are extended and face pointed at the floor. Holdfor 30 seconds.

4. Eat Protein

Instead of snacking on chips or candy throughout theday, stick to snacks that are high in protein. Proteinhelps keep your blood sugar levels stable. Snacks highin carbohydrates cause your sugar levels to spike andeventually crash. The crash saps your energy and causesyou to feel sluggish and tired. Replacing donuts andcandy bars with high-protein snacks helps regulate yourblood sugar and allows you to be at peak performanceall day long.

5. Ditch Your Chair. Maybe.

Sitting in a chair all day promotes poor posture. Poorposture restricts blood flow, nerve function and canlead to lower back, shoulder, and upper neck pain. Youcan try swapping your chair for an inflatable exerciseball or switch to a standing desk. Of course, you couldalways keep your chair, practice good sitting posture,and make sure to get up and move around for a bitevery hour or two. Whatever you choose, make surethat you’re comfortable or your productivity will fall off.

5 Health Tips To Be More

Productive AtWork profitable


African Americans’ predisposition to diabetes

Jeremy Bandele


AD HOLD OVER

national newsBush's Daughter Leads Global Health Group

arbara Bush was struck bywhat she saw when she ar-rived in Africa more than adecade ago as her father,then-President George W.Bush, unveiled a plan to

combat AIDS: Hundreds of people werewaiting in the streets for antiretroviral drugsthat were readily available in the UnitedStates for years.

"I think that enraged me," said Bush, a 32-year-old New York resident. "That experi-ence really is what opened me up toconsidering global health as a career path formyself."

Bush, twin sister Jenna Bush Hager and fourothers went on to create Global Health Corpsin 2008. The group places young profession-als and recent college graduates in fellow-ships with health organizations in the UnitedStates and Africa for a year of service to im-prove health care access.

The knowledge and medicine are available toprevent millions of deaths around the world,"and yet we aren't using it well enough to doso," Bush said.

She spoke to The Associated Press on Fridayas Global Health Corps planned to welcomeits sixth class of fellows at Yale University formore than two weeks of training. Selectedfrom a pool of nearly 5,000 applicants, theincoming class of 128 fellows — the largest

ever — is from 22 countries.

Bush said that after that experience in Africain 2003, she became "obsessed" with globalhealth, taking all the courses she could be-

fore graduating from Yale in 2004. Sheworked for Red Cross Children's Hospital inCape Town, South Africa, and interned forUNICEF in Botswana before helping to cre-ate Global Health Corps.

Fellows have diverse backgrounds. Archi-tects in Rwanda designed better air flow sys-tems at a health center to prevent the spreadof tuberculosis, and now the plan is beingimplemented around the country, Bush said.In Malawi, supply chain experts were able toreduce instances of running out of prescrip-tion drugs in one district by 28 percent, shesaid, noting that mothers often walked milesonly to find critically needed drugs out ofstock even though they were available in thecountry.

Bush said she doesn't see herself running forpolitical office, laughing as she called thatidea "very, very unlikely." She noted thereare different types of service and that herwork as chief executive for the global healthnonprofit suits her personality.

With the latest recruits, Global Health Corpshas 450 fellows. They are rising up the ranksof organizations and government ministries,creating a network of leaders who can shapepolicy and create organizations to fill gaps inhealth care, Bush said.

"I think that's what's exciting to us, thepower of this network," she said. "I think wehave big dreams for what they will do withtheir career."

--By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN -APNEW HAVEN, Conn.

B

ealth and HumanServices (HHS) Secre-tary Sylvia Burwell an-nounced today thatabout 76 millionAmericans in private

health insurance plans are newly eligi-ble to receive expanded coverage forone or more recommended preventivehealth care services, such as a mammo-gram or flu shot, with cost sharing, be-cause of the Affordable Care Act. Thenew data were released in a report fromHHS today.

Under the Affordable Care Act most health plansmust cover a set of recommended preventive serv-ices like screening tests and immunizations at noout-of-pocket cost to consumers. This includes Mar-ketplace private insurance plans.

“Today’s findings are just one more indicator thatthe Affordable Care Act is delivering impact for mil-lions of people nationwide,” said Secretary Burwell.“Seventy-six million is more than just a number.For millions of Americans, it means no longer hav-ing to put off a mammogram for an extra year. Or itmeans catching a problem early enough that it’streatable.”

Today’s data are broken down across states, age,race and ethnic group. For example, the reportfinds that approximately 30 million more womenare now eligible to receive coverage for the recom-mended preventive services with no out-of-pocketcosts. Altogether, a total of 48.5 million women areestimated to benefit from free preventive services.Covered preventive services for women include well-woman visits, screening for gestational diabetes, do-mestic violence screening and counseling, andFDA-approved prescription contraception with nocost-sharing.

Recent evidence from the IMS Institute for Health-care Informatics (IMS) shows that an additional24.4 million prescriptions for oral contraceptiveswere dispensed with no co-pays in 2013 comparedto 2012, translating to an estimated $483.3 millionreduction in out-of-pocket spending by women.

Of the 76 million Americans with expanded accessto free preventive services:

418.6 million are children receiving expanded pre-ventive services coverage for immunization vaccinesfor children from birth to age 18; vision screening;hearing screening for newborns; behavioral assess-ments; obesity screening; and height, weight, andbody mass index measurements.

429.7 million are women receiving expanded pre-ventive services coverage for cervical cancer screen-ing, mammograms for women over 40,recommended immunizations, healthy diet counsel-ing for women at higher risk for chronic disease andobesity screening and counseling; cholesterol andblood pressure screening; screening for HIV; de-pression screening; and tobacco-use screening;well-woman visits, screening for gestational dia-

Affordable Care Act helps 76 millionAmericans with private coverage

access free preventive services


In this July 10, 2003 file photo, Barbara Bush, right, rides with her parents, U.S. PresidentGeorge W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush, as they tour the Mokolodi Nature Reserve out-side Gaborone, Botswana. In interview with The Associated Press Friday, June 27, 2014,Barbara Bush said that

H


Summer travelhealth tipsmight require air evacuation.

5.) Pack a travel health kit: In ad-dition to any prescription medica-tions, make sure to pack a first aidkit with bandages, antiseptic, painreliever/anti-inflammatories, mo-tion sickness medication and bugrepellent.

Summer vacations should be aboutmaking great memories with yourfamily and friends. In order to re-ally enjoy your trip, err on the sideof caution and make sure yourhealth is protected before youleave.

Dustin Hinton is president andchief executive officer of United-Healthcare of Wisconsin.


Top benefits of eatingeggs for health

Coline

The nutrient coline in the egg low-ers the problems of nervous systemand cardiovascular system, it alsoregulates the brain and helps forthe better function.

Good fats

The amount of good fats present inthe eggs lowers the cholesterol re-lated problems and doesn’t impactthe lipid though they are consumedmore in a day.

Natural vitamin DThe one food that contains of vita-min D are eggs, here the D vitaminindicates the natural vitamin.

Prevents breast cancer

To decrease the chance of gettingbreast cancer, it is needed to eateggs in a regular manner. Makesure food is encompassed with theeggs to kick off many other prob-lems too.

Eggs for hair and nail health

Eggs contains of sulphur and vita-min B12, which are the major com-pounds for the hair and nail health.If you have the problem with rapidhair fall due to insufficientamounts of sulphur try to eat eggsregularly.

--beautyhealthtips

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Women save nearly $500 million on oral contraception out-of-pocket costs

drug that blocks the actionof the enzyme Cdk5 couldsubstantially reduce braindamage if administeredshortly after a stroke, UTSouthwestern Medical Cen-

ter research suggests.

The findings, reported in the June 11 issueof the Journal of Neuroscience, determinedin rodent models that aberrant Cdk5 activ-ity causes nerve cell death during stroke.

“If you inhibit Cdk5, then the vast majorityof brain tissue stays alive without oxygenfor up to one hour,” said Dr. James Bibb,Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Neu-rology and Neurotherapeutics at UT South-western and senior author of the study.“This result tells us that Cdk5 is a centralplayer in nerve cell death.”

More importantly, development of a Cdk5inhibitor as an acute neuroprotective ther-apy has the potential to reduce stroke in-jury.

“If we could block Cdk5 in patients whohave just suffered a stroke, we may be ableto reduce the number of patients in ourhospitals who become disabled or die fromstroke. Doing so would have a major impacton health care,” Dr. Bibb said.

While several pharmaceutical companiesworked to develop Cdk5 inhibitors yearsago, these efforts were largely abandonedsince research indicated blocking Cdk5long-term could have detrimental effects.At the time, many scientists thought aber-rant Cdk5 activity played a major role in thedevelopment of Alzheimer’s disease andthat Cdk5 inhibition might be beneficial asa treatment.

Based on Dr. Bibb’s research and that ofothers, Cdk5 has both good and bad effects.When working normally, Cdk5 adds phos-phates to other proteins that are importantto healthy brain function. On the flip side,researchers have found that aberrant Cdk5activity contributes to nerve cell death fol-lowing brain injury and can lead to cancer.

“Cdk5 regulates communication betweennerve cells and is essential for proper brainfunction. Therefore, blocking Cdk5 long-term may not be beneficial,” Dr. Bibb said.“Until now, the connection between Cdk5and stroke injury was unknown, as was thepotential benefit of acute Cdk5 inhibition asa therapy.”

In this study, researchers administered aCdk5 inhibitor directly into dissected brainslices after adult rodents suffered a stroke,in addition to measuring the post-stroke ef-fects in Cdk5 knockout mice.

“We are not yet at a point where this newtreatment can be given for stroke. Never-theless, this research brings us a step closerto developing the right kinds of drugs,” Dr.Bibb said. “We first need to know whatmechanisms underlie the disease beforetargeted treatments can be developed thatwill be effective. As no Cdk5 blocker existsthat works in a pill form, the next step willbe to develop a systemic drug that could beused to confirm the study’s results and leadto a clinical trial at later stages.”

Currently, there is only one FDA-approveddrug for acute treatment of stroke, the clot-busting drug tPA. Other treatment optionsinclude neurosurgical procedures to helpminimize brain damage.

Additional UT Southwestern scientists

from the Department of Psychiatry whocontributed to this study were lead authorand former postdoctoral researcher Dr.Douglas Meyer; postdoctoral researcher Dr.Melissa Torres-Altoro; Instructor Dr. Flo-rian Plattner; and former postdoctoral re-searcher Dr. Janice Kansy.

The work was supported by grants from theNational Institutes of Health. Pharmaceuti-cal company Boehringer Ingelheim pro-vided the Cdk5-inhibiting compoundindolinone used in the study.

This work is just one of numerous cutting-edge stroke research studies taking place atUT Southwestern, where patients have ac-cess to the newest treatments and clinicaltrials due in part to the stroke center’s re-cent Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Cen-ter certification. This designation is thehighest level of certification for stroke careby The Joint Commission. UT Southwest-ern’s Robert D. Rogers Advanced Compre-hensive Stroke Center offers the mostadvanced treatment available from a multi-disciplinary team of vascular neurologists,endovascular specialists, vascular surgeons,neuro-radiologists and neuro-intensivistswho are on call 24 hours a day to treatstroke patients.

Source: Southwestern Medical Center

A


Blocking Key Enzyme Minimizes

Stroke Injury

New Data Brief Reveals Characteristicsof Uninsured Minority Men

wisconsin news

ost Wisconsin hospitals areunlikely to be penalized forhigh rates of patient infec-tions, based on preliminarydata released by the federalgovernment and analyzed by

Kaiser Health News.

The report shows 65 hospitals are subject to thepenalties for high infection rates, complicationsand patient injuries.

But of those 65, only 26 had scores bad enough tobe at the most serious risk of losing 1 percent oftheir Medicare payments from October throughSeptember 2015.

Scores from the Centers for Medicare and Medi-caid Services are based on a two-year period,from the beginning of 2012 to the end of 2013.The preliminary scores come from June 2012 toJuly 2013, which means final scores may be dif-ferent in October.

The penalties are a part of the federal health careoverhaul law designed to improve patient safetyand overall health outcomes.

Hospitals at most serious risk of facing thepenalty are located throughout the state includ-ing Milwaukee, Green Bay, Madison, Eau Claire,Kenosha, Wausau, Appleton, Racine andRhinelander. There were 761 hospitals nation-wide ranked.

It's too soon to know how many hospitals in thestate may end up being penalized until the finalreport comes out later this year, said Kelly Court,chief quality officer at the Wisconsin Hospital As-

sociation. Court said Wednesday that the WHA isadvising hospitals to be aware of the preliminaryreport but not overreact to its findings, given thatit's preliminary.

"There is a way for those numbers to go down,"said Kim Sveum, spokeswoman for St. Mary'sJanesville Hospital, one of the 26 with scoresmaking it more likely they will be penalized. "Thefinal report will contain two years' worth of dataand is what will be used as the basis for penalties.We're confident once the expanded data set isused, our score will improve."

For smaller hospitals such as St. Mary'sJanesville, just one infection can have a large im-pact on the score, Sveum told the JanesvilleGazette in a story (http://tiny.cc/u1k0hx ) pub-lished Wednesday.

Information from: The Janesville Gazette,http://www.gazetteextra.com

Most Wisconsin hospitalslikely won't face penalty


MWritten by Wis-consin GazetteThursday, 26June 2014 20:15Parkwood Lodge

Planned Parent-hood of Wiscon-sin will close its family planninghealth center in Fond du Lac on Sept.25. The closing is the fifth resultingfrom the elimination of funding sup-port by Gov. Scott Walker and the Re-publican-led Legislature.

The closure will result in the loss ofhealth care services for about 1,104patients who relied on the clinic forlifesaving cancer screenings, breastexams, birth control, annual exams,pregnancy tests, STD testing andtreatment, HIV screening and refer-rals.

Planned Parenthood will maintainhealth care services in 22 health cen-ters across the state. Patients im-pacted by the new closure will bereferred to Planned Parenthoodhealth centers in Oshkosh and WestBend.

“Continued patient care is our toppriority,” said Teri Huyck, presidentand CEO of PPWI. “Health centerstaff are working with the affected pa-tients to identify health care alterna-tives to minimize the impact of theclosures.”

Planned Parenthoodclosing clinic

he U.S. Department ofHealth & Human Serv-ices' Office of MinorityHealth issued the fol-lowing news release:

A new data brief released by theOffice of Minority Health at theU.S. Department of Health andHuman Services during Men'sHealth Month examines the char-acteristics of uninsured adultmales by race and ethnicity, usingthe most recent data from the 2012American Community Survey.Findings from the survey, whichinclude information on social andeconomic factors, such as povertyand education level, that influenceinsurance coverage, should be con-sidered in developing strategies toincrease insurance coverage andaccess to care for minority adultmales.

The survey findings provide addi-tional information on the patternsof uninsurance among non-elderlymales prior to the establishment ofthe Health Insurance Marketplaceand the expansion of Medicaid eli-gibility under the Affordable CareAct (ACA).

Highlights of the survey findingsinclude:

Among uninsured adult males,ages 19-34, Latino and AfricanAmerican males exhibited thehighest estimates of uninsurance.

More than 70 percent of AfricanAmerican and White uninsured

adult males and nearly 60 percentof Asian and Latino uninsuredadult males have a high schooldiploma.

A high proportion of uninsuredadult males across all racial andethnic groups reported family in-comes at or below 100 percent ofthe Federal Poverty Level (FPL).

A high proportion of uninsuredLatino adult males (81 percent) re-port having a full-time worker inthe household.

Uninsured African Americanmales reported the highest propor-tion (60 percent) of family incomeat or below 100 percent of the Fed-eral Poverty Level (FPL).

A high percentage of uninsuredadult Asian (28 percent) andLatino (24 percent) males also re-

side in a limited Englishproficient household.

A lower percentage ofuninsured Latino (6percent) and Asian (5percent) males experi-ence disability (versus12 percent of White and11 percent of AfricanAmerican uninsuredmales).

While data from the2012 ACS survey showsdisparities among unin-sured males, throughthe Affordable Care Act,progress has been madein increasing access toaffordable health carecoverage:

Over the course of thefirst Health Insurance

Marketplace enrollment period,more than 8 million people wereenrolled as part of the ACA.

New data from the Kaiser FamilyFoundation shows that as many assix in 10 people who purchasedhealth insurance through the Mar-ketplace were previously unin-sured.

Accordingly to recent Gallup data,the most dramatic drops in the in-sured rate were among AfricanAmericans, Latinos and low-in-come Americans.This type of data and knowledge

about uninsured minority malescan help inform targeted interven-tions and outreach efforts to im-prove enrollment opportunities forminority men in health insurancecoverage, including the open en-rollment periods for the Health In-surance Marketplace.

Over the past several decades, ournation has made vast improve-ments in scientific knowledge,public health and health care. Thehealth status of racial and ethnicminority men still lags behind thegeneral population. Increasing in-

Citizen Action of Wisconsin criticalof Governor Walker's refusal to

take extra Medicaid dollarsMADISON, Wis. (WXPR) -- A report bythe Democratic leaning Citizen Actionof Wisconsin challenges Governor ScottWalker's refusal to accept federal Medi-caid money for BadgerCare has resultedin higher health insurance costs herethan elsewhere.

During a media call with reporters lastweek, Citizen Action Director RobertKraig said with increased transparencyfrom Obamacare, they were able togather data on what other states arepaying versus here.Kraig says threeconclusions came out of the data. "Andwhat jumped out of that report is thattaking the Medicaid money, having arobust rate review and having prior ap-proval for insurance rates which a num-ber of states have done, and anotherone which would require a Constitu-tional Amendment which is an electedinsurance commissioner."

The pro-Obamacare organization’s re-port finds that the average Wisconsinresident will pay over $250 more peryear because of failure to accept thefunds for BadgerCare, while having arobust system of reviewing insurancerates could have reduced rates as muchas $747 a year for the average individ-ual plan.

A report from the Walker Administra-tion to legislators said Wisconsin'sMedicaid program shows a $93-milliondollar deficit. Walker and other Repub-licans say the money to pay from thefederal government is not there tobegin with.

As you might expect, Democrats backthe Citizen Action claims and Republi-cans do not.

T

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At 116, Black South Arkansaswoman named oldest American

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A southArkansas woman celebrated her 116th birth-day Friday with cake, a party and a new title— she’s now officially the oldest confirmedliving American and second-oldest person inthe world, the Gerontology Research Groupsaid.

Gertrude Weaver spent her birthday at homeat Silver Oaks Health and Rehabilitation inCamden, about 100 miles southwest of LittleRock. This year’s festivities included the newaward from the Gerontology Research Group,which analyzed U.S. Census records to deter-mine that Weaver is the oldest living Ameri-can, rather than 115-year-old Jeralean Talley,who was born in 1899.

The research group, which consults with theGuinness Book of World Records, found thatthe 1900 Census listed Weaver as 2 years old— putting her birthday in 1898, said RobertYoung, the research group’s database admin-istrator and senior consultant for Guinness.

That makes Weaver the second-oldest personin the world behind 116-year-old MisaoOkawa of Japan and the 11th oldest person ofall time, he said.

“Normally, 116 would be old enough to be theworld’s oldest person,” Young said. “There’skind of heavy competition at the moment.”

Weaver was born in southwest Arkansas nearthe border with Texas, and was married in1915. She and her husband had four children,all of whom have died except for a 93-year-old son. Along with Census records, theGerontology Research Group used Weaver’s1915 marriage certificate, which listed her ageas 17, to confirm her birth year, Young said.

Although no birth record exists for Weaver,she celebrates her birthday each year on July4 and did the same this year. At her 115thbirthday party last year, Weaver was “wavingand just eating it all up,” said Vicki Vaughan,the marketing and admissions director at Sil-ver Oaks.

“Most people want to know, ‘Well, can shetalk?’” Vaughan said. “Her health is startingto decline a little bit this year — I can tell a

difference from last year, but she still is upand gets out of the room and comes to all ofher meals, comes to activities. She’ll laughand smile and clap.”

Weaver first stayed at the Camden nursinghome at the age of 104 after she suffered abroken hip, Vaughan said. But Weaver recov-ered after rehabilitation and moved backhome with her granddaughter, before return-ing to the nursing home at the age of 109.

Weaver cited three factors for her longevity:“Trusting in the Lord, hard work and lovingeverybody.”

“You have to follow God. Don’t follow anyoneelse,” she told the Camden News this week.“Be obedient and follow the laws and don’tworry about anything. I’ve followed him formany, many years and I ain’t tired.”

List of world’s oldest people with confirmedages

The Gerontology Research Group has con-firmed the ages of more than 70 living super-centenarians — or those who are 110 andolder. Nearly all are women, and most are lo-cated in North America, Europe and Japan,where proof-of-age records are more readilyavailable.

Here are the 10 oldest people in the worldwhose ages have been validated by the group:

1. Misao Okawa, 116, Japan

2. Gertrude Weaver, 116, United States

3. Jeralean Talley, 115, United States

4. Susannah Mushatt Jones, who turns 115on Sunday, United States

5. Bernice Madigan, 114, United States

6. Emma Morano-Martinuzzi, 114, Italy

7. Antonia Gerena Rivera, 114, United States

8. Ethel Lang, 114, England

9. Nabi Tajima, 113, Japan

10. Blanche Cobb, 113, United States

--By Jill Bleed, AP newpittsburghcourieronline.com

Gertrude Weaver, right, talks with her son Joe Weaver, Thursday, July 3, 2014at Silver Oaks Health and Rehabilitation Center in Camden, Ark., a day beforeher 116th birthday. The Gerontology Research Group says Weaver is the old-est person in the United States and second-oldest person in the world. (APPhoto/Danny Johnston)


Men's Health Month Goes Out with a Bang

s June comes to a close,Men's Health Network(MHN) reflects back onMen's Health Month(MHM) and the 20th an-niversary of the Congres-

sional passage of National Men's HealthWeek (NMHW).

Highlights of the month included a specialWhite House briefing recognizing the im-portance of men's health, the launch of theMen's Health Online Resource Center, anda formal meeting of the Dialogue on Men'sHealth.

On June 25, the "Men's Health Month andMy Brother's Keeper" briefing was held toa packed auditorium at the White House.The briefing addressed such critical men'shealth issues as cardiovascular disease andmental health, and was streamed live onthe White House website. Featured speak-ers included Broderick Johnson, Assistantto the President, White House CabinetSecretary and Dr. George Askew, ChiefMedical Officer, Administration for Chil-dren & Families, HHS.

"We were very excited to see the WhiteHouse plan and host a briefing on the im-portance of men's health during Men'sHealth Month," said Brandon Leonard, Di-rector of Strategic Initiatives at Men'sHealth Network. "We are encouraged tofind agencies and the executive branch en-

gaged in the health and wellbeing of menand boys."

"Men's health is a very quiet epidemic inthe United States that has not been recog-nized as well as in other countries," said DrRamon Antonio Perez, FACS, DAB, aMen's Health Network's board of advisorsmember. "This epidemic does not only af-fect men, it affects the whole family."

This important awareness period wasbuilt around the four pillars of Awareness-

Prevention-Education-Family, and has en-couraged the development of thousands ofhealth awareness activities throughout themonth of June, both in the USA andaround the globe. Corporations, hospitalsystems, clinics, the faith-based commu-nity, the public sector, and others use themonth of June to highlight their servicesand reach out to men and their families.

"Men's Health Month is an opportunity tocelebrate all the men and boys that are im-portant in our lives," said David K. Popiel

MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicineat George Washington University. "As aphysician, I am reminded to ensure thatmy male patients are informed of theirhealth and seeking their best mental andphysical well-being, which means they areempowered to take ownership of their ownhealth, lead active lifestyles, and havemeaningful positive relationships withthose around them."

Additionally, MHN launched the Men'sHealth Resource Center which is designedto be the go-to location for those lookingfor practical, accessible information onmen's health. The website features infor-mation about male health including re-sources on cancers, cardiovascular disease,parenting, and sexual and mental healthconcerns among many others.

"It always helps to do research when yoususpect you have a health issue," said Dr.Salvatore Giorgianni, science advisor toMHN. "The Resource Center contains sci-entifically accurate material and will func-tion as a trusted friend, providing relevantinformation to help men, as well as theirfamilies and partners, learn about preven-tion and make informed decisions abouttheir health care needs."

At the close of the month, the Dialogue onMen's Health, featuring key thought lead-ers within the health community, met to

men’s health

A


Highlights from Men's Health Month, celebrated each June.


women & childrenBlood test for breast

cancer comes step closersimple blood test which couldhelp predict a woman’s chanceof developing breast cancer isin development, after new re-search uncovered a genetic“early marker” of risk, scien-

tists have said.

The genetic signature, whichcan be picked up by a bloodtest, was encountered instored blood samples ofwomen who went on to de-velop breast cancer.

Experts said that the find-ings were “promising”, andcould mean that one daywomen would be able toknow early on if they are at ahigher risk of breast cancer,allowing them make lifestylechanges, sign up for moreregular screening, take drugsto cut their risk, or considerpreventative surgery.

The discovery was made by researchers atUniversity College London. Initially, a ge-netic signature was discovered in the bloodof women who had an inherited predisposi-tion for breast cancer, because of mutationsto the BRCA1 gene.

These inherited mutations are the cause ofaround 10 per cent of breast cancers. How-ever, scientists were then “surprised” to dis-cover that the same genetic marker waspresent in the blood of women who did nothave the mutation, but did go on to developbreast cancer.

Professor Martin Widschwendter, head ofUCL’s Department of Women’s Cancer, saidthat the gene signature was able “predictbreast cancer risk several years before diag-nosis”.

“The data is encouraging since it shows thepotential of a blood-based epigenetic test toidentify breast cancer risk in women withoutknown predisposing genetic mutations,” hesaid.

The blood samples analysed in the newstudy, which is published in the journalGenome Medicnie today, were collected sev-eral years before the development of breastcancer, and taken from two large cohorts ofwomen.

It is still unclear whether the genetic marker,produced by a process of change to the gene

called methylation, is just an indicator ofbreast cancer risk, or is actually involvedwith the progression of the cancer itself.

Breast cancer remains the most commoncancer in the UK, with new cases in around48,000 women every year. It kills more than11,000 women annually. Prevention is seen

as crucial, and any future blood test could bea hugely useful tool to identify women mostat risk.

Dr Matthew Lam, senior research officer atthe leading charity Breakthrough BreastCancer, which has launched its own majorresearch project into the causes of breastcancer, said the discovery of a new geneticsignature could allow for more accurate as-sessment of breast cancer risk.

“These results are definitely promising andwe’re excited to learn how further researchcould build on these findings,” he said. “Thiscould mean that in the future a woman maybe able to have a simple blood test to look forthis DNA signature, and therefore know ifshe is at a higher risk of developing breastcancer. If she does have this signature, shecould then work with her doctor to explorethe options available to help her take controlof her own risk. These could include lifestylechanges, tailored breast screening, risk-re-ducing drugs or surgery.”

However, Dr Kat Arney, science communica-tion manager at Cancer Research UK, cau-tioned that while the findings were“intriguing”, more research would be neededto understand how the gene changes affectedbreast cancer risk, before the findings couldbe turned into a new screening test.

--independent.co.uk

Easy tips to helpwomen to focus on

their own healths the caretaker of thefamily, sometimesMom is so busy watch-ing over her spouseand children, she for-gets to take care of her-

self. This is the perfect time of yearfor women to focus on their ownhealth, especially as schedules slowdown for the summer months.

Taking a moment to pause andthink about ways to improve heroverall health is the best way tomake certain a woman has thestrength and energy to also care forher family, says Kim Raver, mother and ac-tress on FOX's hit show, "24." Plus, concen-trating on health can help women achieve abeautiful look, looking her best at all timesof the year.

Raver has the following three tips to helpwomen improve their overall health:

1. Schedule those doctor appointments. During the busy school year, it's easy to for-get about visiting the dermatologist, gen-eral practitioner, gynecologist, dentist andeye doctor. Even if you don't have a medicalconcern, scheduling a general checkup

might discover a health issue that doesn'thave any symptoms.

2. Keep your skin looking healthy with sun-screen. The sun's rays can cause early signsof aging and even melanoma. Give yourskin the protection it needs while still en-joying the outdoors by using a sunscreenwith an SPF rating of at least 15. Be sure toapply the sunscreen frequently if you'replanning to be outside for an extended pe-riod of time. And if you want to looktanned, consider using a tanning lotion or

AA


By News 2 Staff

Did you know that tooth decay isthe most common childhood dis-ease? Cavities are almost 100 per-cent preventable when childrenhave access to prevention, educa-tion and treatment services, yetone-third of children ages 6 to 8have untreated cavities in a perma-nent tooth.

National Toothbrush Day is June26 and serves as a reminder of howimportant a little brush is to a per-son’s health.Here are five important tips forusing your toothbrush and main-taining good brushing habits:

1. If you were still wearing a heavycoat the last time you replaced yourtoothbrush, you’re definitely over-due for a new one. Toothbrushesneed to be replaced when they getfrayed and worn, which is typicallyevery three months. Vigorousbrushers will probably need to re-place their toothbrush more fre-quently.

2. Select soft bristles over hard onesunless otherwise instructed by yourdentist. Soft bristles are more pli-able and can get between teeth eas-ier. Hard bristles can makebrushing painful and may also wearaway gums and tooth enamel.

3. It may be tempting for teethingtots, but don’t let young childrenchew on the toothbrush head. Itdrastically shortens the life of thebristles.

4. To maximize the effectiveness ofbrushing, pick up your toothbrushright after a meal. It helps removethe food debris that bacteria feedon. Use a small dot of fluoridatedtoothpaste and you’re giving yourteeth a dose of fluoride right whenthey need it most.

5. Bedtime brushing equals bettersleep. Repeating a relaxing bedtimeroutine (including brushing yourteeth, of course) eventually getsyour body programmed to startwinding down for sleep.

Always rinse off your toothbrushafter you've used it and let it dry be-fore using it again. And, don'tshare your toothbrush with others;you don't want to exchange mouthbacteria.Remember, a regular check up with

your dentist is as important as anannual physical. If you are afraid ofthe dentist and only make an ap-pointment when you are in pain,think of this – regular preventivecare is not painful and it will helpprevent painful visits in the future.Good oral health is very importantto your overall good health.

About DentaQuest?

DentaQuest is a leading U.S. oralhealth enterprise, providing cost-ef-fective dental benefit managementfor groups, individuals, Medicaid,CHIP, Medicare Advantage, andhealthcare marketplaces. Throughour emphasis on prevention, Den-taQuest is creating an environmentof better oral health for more than21 million members across theUnited States. DentaQuest is a part-

National Toothbrush Day:Tips for a healthy smile


CDC Encourages African-American Women to ‘Take Charge And Test’

n honor of National HIV TestingDay (NHTD), the Centers for Dis-ease Control and Prevention(CDC) has released an expandedsuite of materials for TakeCharge. Take the Test ™. This na-tional HIV testing campaign is

for African-American women between theages of 18-34 to encourage them to gettested for HIV and reduce their risk of HIVinfection.

Despite an encouraging decrease in newHIV infections among black women (21%between 2008 and 2010), if the currenttrend continues, 1 in 32 black women will beinfected with HIV in their lifetimes.

The new campaign materials highlight fam-ily, love and relationships as reasons to gettested, and present empowered blackwomen who are proactive managers of theirsexual health. National HIV Testing Dayprovides an opportunity to raise awarenessabout how African-American women canprotect themselves and their partners fromHIV by getting tested, using condoms, andchecking with their health care providerabout medicines that prevent and treat HIV.

Getting tested for HIV is easier than ever.You can ask your doctor for a test, or youcan check the HIV Testing Site & Care Serv-ices Locator, call 1-800-CDC-INFO, or textyour ZIP code to “KNOW IT” (566948) for anearby testing site. Health insurance usuallycovers the test, and some sites offer freetesting, or you can also use one of the FDA-approved home testing kits.

CDC has a multi-channel approach to dis-tribute campaign messages that relies on

our partnerships, mobilization of communi-ties, and myriad digital and social mediatactics. Some items, such as Web banners,may be downloaded from the campaignWeb site.

We hope you will support the campaign andhelp us extend the reach of these importantcampaign messages. Here’s what you cando:Share this blog with your network.Download and distribute campaign materi-

als. Show your support for the campaign bydownloading digital banner ads from ourcampaign Web site to add to your organiza-tion’s Web site and social media channels.Request printed posters, cards and

brochures from CDC to distribute at com-munity events and to provide to local venuesin your city by sending an e-mail request [email protected].

Incorporate Take Charge. Take the Test. ™materials into community events and educa-tional presentations. Help us underscore theimportance of getting tested for HIV, seek-ing treatment if needed, and the adoption ofhealthier behaviors that can reduce HIVrisk.Support the campaign on Social Media

Channels. Help us promote the campaign onFacebook. Like the Act Against AIDS Face-book page to stay abreast of the latest ActAgainst AIDS news, and share and/or re-spond to our posts Example Facebook post:CDC expands Take Charge. Take the Test.,an HIV testing campaign for black women!#TakeChargeAndTest

Join the conversation on Twitter. Follow our@TalkHIV account. Use the campaignhashtag #TakeChargeAndTest for relatedconversations Example tweet: CDC encour-ages black women to #TakeChargeAndTest.

Share pictures on Insta-gram. Tag pictures fromHIV testing and relatedcommunity events with thecampaign hashtag,#TakeChargeAndTest ™

Spread awareness on Pin-terest. Repin Take Charge.Take the Test. ™ images toyour boards. Search Pinter-est for #TakeCharge-AndTest.

Create a short PSA! Createa 6-second PSA on Vine, ora 15-second PSA on Insta-gram to promote HIV test-ing among black women!

Videos can be taped and uploaded directlyfrom your phone. Tag videos with#TakeChargeAndTest

Knowledge is power in the fight againstHIV. Help us share the knowledge in allcommunities; together, we can end this epi-demic.

To learn more about Take Charge. Take theTest. ™, please visit the campaign’s Website. Check out CDC’s other testing cam-paigns on the Act Against AIDS Web site.

For inquiries about Take Charge. Take theTest. ™, email [email protected] See more at:

http://blog.aids.gov/2014/06/cdc-encour-ages-african-american-women-to-takechargeandtest-for-nhtd.html#sthash.bfvOcWYO.dpuf

I

downloaded by hospital sys-tems and shared with thou-sands of health careprofessionals.(http://www.menshealthnet-work.org/library/mens-health-progress-1994-2014.pdf)

- MHN's #ShowUsYourBluecampaign resulted in hundredsof people participating by post-ing photos on social media orshowing their support througha digital Blue Ribbon.(http://twibbon.com/sup-port/mens-health-awareness)

- The Men's Health MonthTwitter chat focused on the im-portance of taking control ofyour health and prevention anddrew over 7 million impres-sions from 1200 tweets over thehour.

- MHN executed a successfulcoast-to-coast Get Old RadioMedia Tour with Dr. Jack Wat-ters and Dr. David Gremillion.The interviews leveraged Men'sHealth Month and highlightedkey improvements in men'shealth and closing the gap withwomen's longevity, as well asresources to age well and livelife to the fullest.

- Key thought leaders in publichealth such as Bill Corr (DeputySecretary of the Department ofHealth and Human Services),Dr. George Askew (Chief Med-ical Officer, Administration forChildren and Families at HHS),Dr. Howard K. Koh, (AssistantSecretary for Health, HHS),

and Dr. Kara Odom Walker(Deputy Chief Science Officerin the Office of the Chief Sci-ence Officer at the Patient-Cen-tered Outcomes ResearchInstitute, contributed articles tothe popular Talking AboutMen's Health blog.

- Proclamations from gover-nors and mayors were issuedestablishing Men's HealthWeek in their jurisdictions.These can be found at:http://www.menshealth-month.org/week/proclama-tion.html

About Men's Health Network Men's Health Network (MHN)is a national non-profit organi-zation whose mission is toreach men, boys, and their fam-ilies where they live, work, play,and pray with health preven-tion messages and tools,screening programs, educa-tional materials, advocacy op-portunities, and patientnavigation. MHN is the pro-moter of Men's Health Monthand Men's Health Week inJune. Men can learn moreabout their health throughMHN's new online resourcecenter, www.menshealthre-sourcecenter.com. Learn moreabout MHN at www.men-shealthnetwork.org and followus on Twitter @MensHlthNet-work and Facebook atwww.facebook.com/men-shealthnetwork.


Men's Health Month Goes Out with a Bang


United for a Purpose:Local Milwaukee HIV Organizations

n observance of the 2014 Na-tional HIV Testing Day on Fri-day, June 27th, MilwaukeeHealth Services Inc. (MHSI)Early Intervention Program(EIP) is hosting a collaborativeHIV testing event with the

Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin,UMOS and Diverse and Resilient from10AM to 4PM at Martin Luther KingHeritage Health Center located at 2555N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

The Centers for Disease Control andPrevention (CDC) encourages everyoneto know their status.

Of the more than 1.1 million people liv-ing with HIV in the U.S., an estimatedone in six do not know that they are in-fected and only one and four has theirvirus under control with treatment.[1]

According to the Wisconsin Depart-ment of Health Services, the City ofMilwaukee accounted for 44% of Wis-consin’s HIV diagnoses in 2013 butonly 10% of Wisconsin’s population.That same report showed that at theend of 2013, the following seven zipcodes accounted for more than 50% ofprevalent HIV cases: 53204, 53208,53215, 53212, 53209, 53206 and 53202but 32% of the City’s population. It isestimated that another 600 Milwaukeeresidents are not aware of their HIV in-fection.[2]“The primary objective of the event isto provide access to health care serv-ices, community resources, and educa-tion that will empower and enrich thelives of the community we serve. Thiswill in turn impact the awareness of

HIV,” says Ericka M. Sinclair, ProgramDirector of the Early Intervention Pro-gram at Milwaukee Health Services,Inc. Everyone is welcome to attend.Patients will have access to a range ofservices that would include HIV andSTI testing, health education and in-surance benefit assistance. There willbe snacks, door prizes and incentivesfor those who attend.

To learn more about the 2014 NationalHIV Testing Day Event or how to getinvolved contact Ms. Ericka Sinclair at414-267-4352 or Email:[email protected].

The Early Intervention Program atMilwaukee Health Services, Inc. isfunded by Health Resources ServicesAdministration’s Ryan WhiteHIV/AIDS Program.

The mission of MHSI is to provide ac-cessible, quality, primary and relatedhealth care services to Milwaukee resi-dents, with the continuing emphasis onmedically-underserved families and in-dividuals. MHSI operates the MartinLuther King, Jr. Heritage Health Cen-ter at 2555 N. Dr. Martin Luther KingDrive and Isaac Coggs Heritage HealthCenter at 8200 W. Silver Spring Drive.

[1] CDC. HIV Surveillance Supplemen-tal Report, Vol. 18, No. 5; October2013. Data are estimates and do not in-clude U.S. dependent area.

[1] Wisconsin Department of HealthServices HIV/AIDS Surveillance An-nual Review, 2013: Addendum City ofMilwaukee, April 2014.

I

Pharmacy salesboost major

drugstores in June


By The Associated Press •Published: July 6, 2014Advertisement

A jump in pharmacy rev-enue fueled June sales

growth for two of the na-tion’s largest drugstorechains, and they maystart adding gains fromthe health care overhaullater this year.

Walgreen Co. and RiteAid Corp. said Thursdaypharmacy revenue fromtheir established storesclimbed more than 11percent at Walgreen and5 percent at Rite Aid lastmonth. Walgreen runs thenation’s largest drugstorechain with 8,215 stores.Rite Aid ranks third with4,754. The company in themiddle, CVS CaremarkCorp., doesn’t reportmonthly results.

Overall, Walgreen’s rev-enue from established

stores rose 7.5 percent inJune, while Rite Aid’sclimbed about 4 percent.Slower growth from theretail area outside thepharmacy tempered the

pharmacy gains.

Last month included oneextra Monday and one lessSaturday than June 2013,and Walgreen cited that asa factor behind its growth.

■ Join Forces on June 27th for National HIV Testing Day■ Free HIV Testing – Take the Test, Take Control

Melanin, the naturally pro-duced chemical most re-sponsible for pigmentationin human skin, hair andeyes is responsible for pro-viding protection againstthe absorption of harmfulUVA and UVB rays.

The academic journal “JPharmacol Pharmacother,”article “Vitamin D: The‘Sunshine’ Vitamin,” byRathish Nair and ArunMaseeh, professes thatmelanin in addition toblocking the rays damagingeffects also prevents theabsorption of sunlight,from which the skin pro-duces Vitamin D which islargely responsible for theproduction of insulin.Dr. Gyongyver Soos of the

Department of ClinicalPharmacy, University ofSzeged, Szeged, Hungary,has detailed that the phe-nomenon accounts for dia-betes diagnosis being morepopular in the winter thanin the summer.

One can conclude thatAfrican Americans requirea higher amount thanlighter skinned ethnicitiesof Vitamin D supplementa-tion to counteract the Vita-min D productioninhibiting effects of highmelanin content. Thiswould in part allow for thebetter functioning of in-sulin producing glands,and thereby decrease thelikelihood of developing di-abetes.

Jeremy Bamidele is a for-mer faculty member atRancho Santiago Commu-nity College in Californiaand currently lives inPhiladelphia, Pennsylva-nia where he is completingGraduate School at theUniversity of Pennsylva-nia. He has been pub-lished in the NewPittsburgh Courier, Exo-dus News, and ThyBlack-Man.com. He can bereached at

African Americans’ predisposition todiabetes


Walgreen Co. and Rite Aid Corp. said phar-macy revenue from their established storesclimbed more than 11 percent at Walgreenand 5 percent at Rite Aid last month.


There May Be Such a Thing as Too Much Exercise

pression screening; and tobacco-use screening; well-womanvisits, screening for gestational diabetes, domestic violencescreening and counseling, and FDA-approved contraceptionwith no cost sharing.

428.1 million are men receiving expanded preventive serv-ices coverage for recommended immunizations such as flushots, colorectal cancer screening for adults over 50, healthydiet counseling for those at higher risk for chronic disease,obesity screening and counseling, cholesterol and bloodpressure screening, screening for HIV, depression screening,and tobacco-use screening.

To read today’s report visit: http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/re-

Affordable Care Acthelps 76 millionAmericans


spray instead. Raver recom-mends keeping the sunscreenin your makeup bag ordrawer as a reminder toapply it every morning beforeapplying makeup.

3. Use products that addresshealth and beauty. Smilinghas been found to help lowerthe heart rate and can reducethe body's reaction in stress-ful situations, according to astudy conducted by re-searchers at the University of

Kansas. A healthy mouth isan important part of ahealthy body.

Adding these three simplesteps to your routine thissummer won't be a big dis-ruption to your already busymom schedule. Plus, they canhelp you improve yourhealthy lifestyle so you canhandle the stress and hectichappenings of the upcomingschool year with a smile onyour face.

Courtesy of Brand Point.

Easy tips to helpwomen to focus on

their own health(continued from page 9)

s there a limit to the benefits of ex-ercise? Two studies suggest that, forcertain people, keeping to a moder-ate physical activity regimen may bebest for heart health.

By Health Editor

One study found that a schedule of intenseworkouts actually boosted the risk of deathfrom heart attack or stroke in older peoplewith pre-existing heart disease, while theother found that young men who did a lot ofendurance exercise were at higher risk forheart rhythm problems later in life.

However, one expert unconnected to thestudies stressed that, on the whole, exerciseis good medicine.

“Folks with heart disease should continue toengage in some form of daily physical activ-ity,” urged Barbara George, director of TheCenter for Cardiovascular Lifestyle Medicineat Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola,N.Y. But she said moderation is key.

“You shouldn’t feel you have to become amarathon runner to reap the benefits,”George said.

The first study was led by Dr. Ute Mons ofthe German Cancer Research Center in Hei-delberg, Germany, and included more than1,000 people. Most of the participants werein their 60s, had stable heart disease andwere tracked for 10 years. About 40 percentexercised two to four times a week, 30 per-cent worked out more often, and 30 percentexercised less often.

Compared to those who got regular exercise,the most inactive people were about twice aslikely to have a heart attack or stroke, andwere about four times more likely to die ofheart disease and all causes, the researcherssaid.

However, Mons’ team also found that thosewho did the most strenuous daily exercise

were more than twice as likely to die of aheart attack compared to those who exer-cised more moderately.

The second study was led by Dr. Nikola Drcaof the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm,Sweden, and included more than 44,000Swedish men, aged 45 to 79. All of the menwere asked about their physical activity levelsat ages 15, 30, 50 and during the previousyear. Theirheart healthwas thentracked for anaverage of 12years.

Those who haddone intensiveexercise formore than five

hours a week when they wereyounger were 19 percent morelikely to have developed a heartrhythm disorder called atrialfibrillation by age 60 than thosewho exercised for less than anhour a week.

That risk increased to 49 per-cent among those who did morethan five hours of exercise at age30 but did less than an hour aweek by the time they were 60.Participants who cycled orwalked briskly for an hour ormore a day at age 60 were 13percent less likely to developatrial fibrillation.

The studies were published on-line May 14 in the journal Heart.

Another expert said the findingsshouldn’t alter standard recom-mendations.

“It is not standard practice torecommend strenuous activityto individuals with coronary

heart disease,” said Dr. Nieca Goldberg, di-rector of the Tisch Center for Women’sHealth at NYU Langone Medical Center, NewYork City. “This study, although interesting,does not change current recommendationsfor moderate physical activity in coronary pa-tients.”

For her part, George said it’s clear that a

moderate exercise program can provide realbenefit for everyone.

“A large body of scientific research has con-sistently shown that a sedentary lifestyle isone of the risk factors for cardiovascular dis-ease, which includes heart disease, and thatbecoming more physically active can de-crease your risk by as much as 50 percent,”she said.

Current American Heart Association guide-lines advise 30 minutes of moderate-inten-sity aerobic exercise most days a week or 20minutes of vigorous activity three days aweek, George added.

And in a journal editorial, a team led by Dr.Lluis Mont of the Hospital Clinic ofBarcelona, Spain, agreed with the two U.S.experts.

“The benefits of exercise are definitely not tobe questioned; on the contrary, they shouldbe reinforced,” the team wrote. But studieslike the two published in Heart are fine-tun-ing recommendations for exercise, to “maxi-mize benefits obtained by regular exercisewhile preventing undesirable effects — justlike all other drugs and therapies,” the edito-rialists said.

More information

The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and BloodInstitute offers a guide to physical activity.

--HealthDay News

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healthy start july 2014

Documents

health apps

international travel

air travel

travel medicine

preexisting health condition

variety of health risks

calciumboiled eggs

healthrelated hitch