Is Coffee Your Drink?
Caffeine is a stimulant; it makes us more alert and can give a sometimes much-needed boost of energy. But too much caffeine can also cause unpleasant effects that may be more serious in some people. Healthy adults can probably manage 200-400 mg of caffeine a day safely. That is the equivalent of 2 to 4 cups of coffee. Some people may be more sensitive to caffeine than others. Pregnant and nursing women should limit their caffeine consumption. Some medications may interact with caffeine so check with your doctor or pharmacist about any medications you are taking.
Caffeine is an addictive substance. This means that your body will develop tolerance and you may find that you need to raise the amount of caffeine you drink to achieve the same levels of alertness or energy. Because caffeine is a stimulant, people who consume more than 400 mg a day may find that they develop a range of symptoms including:
- Insomnia
- Nervousness
- Restlessness
- Irritability
- Stomach upset
- Fast heartbeat
- Muscle tremors
These symptoms can be reversed if you reduce your caffeine consumption. But remember, because caffeine is addictive you may want to cut back slowly to avoid withdrawal symptoms such as headaches. Too much caffeine can also leave you dehydrated, so it’s important to also drink water when consuming caffeinated beverages. If you want to know more about the caffeine levels in your drinks, the Mayo Clinic provides information on the caffeine levels of coffee, tea, soda, and energy drinks.
Reprinted from NEA Today, Winter 2012
Women’s Health, Women’s History Part Two
As Women’s History Month comes to a close we want to share with you five great resources for women’s health information all year round.
- WomensHealth.gov is a project of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Women’s Health. It is one-stop shopping for women’s health issues with links to the latest women’s health news and research. It also provides links to other sites of interest.
- Women’s Health on MedlinePlus is part of the Medline system from the National Library of Medicine. Medline provides links to the latest research (in understandable terms) for a range of health issues. It includes a medical encyclopedia and a medical dictionary and is great if you are trying to understand new or complicated information.
- CDC’s Women Health pages are the public offerings of the Office of Women’s Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Here you can find resources for women’s health across the lifespan as well as links to public health campaigns for women’s health.
- WHO Women’s Health pages provide an international perspective on women’s health. Here you can find resources on women’s health in developing and developed countries.
- The Coalition of Labor Union Women’s Health pages provide links to women’s health resources, many of them from unions as well as union allies.
Whatever your women’s health question there is an answer out there. If you can’t find it here, try one of our favorite places online. And if you have a favorite resource please tell us by submitting a comment below.
Women’s Health, Women’s History
Today, March 8, is International Women’s Day. Depending on where you live in the world, this day may be recognized with fanfare or it may pass unnoticed. I want to use this day to reflect on some ongoing challenges to women’s health in the United States.
In 1977 I started college in Boston. I soon came across what was one of the first commercially printed editions of Our Bodies, Ourselves. It was a transformative encounter. For the first time women had access to clear, accurate information about how their bodies worked and what to do when it didn’t work right. That book helped spark my passion fo helping people get accessible, actionable health information.
Fast forward to 2012. Our Bodies, Ourselves is on the web and on Facebook! It still serves as an excellent resource for women seeking to take charge of their health. And while much has improved for women’s health since that first edition was published, here are a few alarming women’s health facts.
- Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women (and men) in the United States. In 1970 the leading cause of cancer death was breast cancer, followed by cancer of the intestine.
- Breast cancer is the next leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States. Improvements in diagnosis and treatment have pushed it from the number one position it held in 1970.
- Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women, ahead of cancer. It was the same in 1970.
The list could go on. Since Our Bodies Ourselves was first printed in 1970 many things have changed. What has not changed is that women need to take responsibility for their own health. Being healthy is not something that anyone can do for us. And if there is one lesson that International Women’s Day teach us, it is that women can and should take responsibility.
For an international perspective, read the guest blog from our NEA colleague, Jill Christanson.
Eat Right with Color
Today marks the first day of National Nutrition Month, and theme this year is “eat right with color”. I love this year’s theme because it promotes a very simple message that can do wonders to improve a person’s diet. The message can also be easily translated to kids of all ages.
A few years ago I did some work on nutrition education for elementary school children and found that one of the easiest messages for young kids to understand was to “eat the colors of the rainbow”. The message is simple, clear, and gets kids excited about adding more variety to their diet.
It’s also really easy to incorporate the concept into a lesson plan about colors or the spectrum of visible light. First, think about the colors of the rainbow, which I always remember as “Roy G. Biv”. Or in other words: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet. I recently learned that Indigo is no longer recognized as part of the color spectrum, so for our purposes let’s leave it out.
With some help from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, who sponsors National Nutrition Month, I came up with a list of foods that fall within the colors of the rainbow:
- Red (contain nutrients that may help maintain a healthy heart, vision, immunity and may reduce cancer risk):
- Cherries, cranberries, pomegranate, red/pink grape fruit, red grapes and watermelon, raspberries, strawberries, beets, red onions, red peppers, red potatoes, rhubarb and tomatoes
- Orange (contain nutrients that promote healthy vision and immunity and reduce risk of some cancers):
- Apricot, cantaloupe, grapefruit, papaya, orange, tangerine, carrot, orange bell pepper, sweet potato and butternut squash
- Yellow (contain nutrients that promote healthy vision and immunity and reduce risk of some cancers):
- Mango, peach, pineapple, lemons, yellow watermelon, yellow bell pepper, yellow corn, yellow summer squash, yellow tomatoes
- Green (may contain antioxidant potential and may help promote healthy vision and reduce cancer risks):
- Avocado, green apples, grapes, honeydew melon, kiwi, lime, artichoke, asparagus, broccoli, green beans, green peppers, green onions, pears, zucchini and leafy greens (spinach, kale, swiss chard)
- Blue (may have antioxidant and anti-aging benefits and may help with memory, urinary tract health and reduced cancer risks):
- Blackberries, blueberries, raisins, black currants, elderberries and prunes
- Violet (may have antioxidant and anti-aging benefits and may help with memory, urinary tract health and reduced cancer risks):
- Eggplant, purple cabbage, purple-fleshed potato, plums, figs, purple grapes, purple kohlrabi and purple carrots
I hope you can use the list as a guide to teach your students about nutrition, or just to make your own plate a little healthier. For more nutrition education ideas, check out HIN’s Healthy Steps for Healthy Lives program materials.
Also, if you’ll be in Memphis for the 2012 NEA Education Support Professional Conference next week, come by and check out my session; I’ll be presenting Saturday, March 10th on why and how ESPs can improve school food. Hope to see you there!
Talking the Talk Means Walking the Walk
Hello, again! Well,
after my first blog went live, I decided to celebrate and go back to Weight
Watchers that evening for the first time in months.
I know, I know.
It was a pretty boring way to celebrate an
exciting new venture. But I figured that
if I am going to add my two cents worth about health issues, I had better get
back on track with my own. By the time I
got to the meeting I was late and almost didn’t go in. (Making creative excuses about things like
that is my specialty.) But I overcame
the urge to leave and made it through the door feeling like the Prodigal
Daughter. I didn’t weigh in, but at
least I got started. Again. I’ll weigh in next time.
Managing my weight has been a life-long struggle for
me. People who have been successful in
keeping their own weight under control call it a “journey,” but for me, the
word “trial” fits much better. Webster’s
Dictionary (definition 3) calls a trial a “test of faith, patience, or stamina
through subjection to suffering or temptation.”
Now, tell me that definition isn’t on the nose as it applies to weight
management!
One of the programs NEA HIN is working on is geared toward
helping NEA members figure out how to get healthier by being more active and
making better food choices. I bet the
word “trial” fits a lot of your own efforts to get healthier, as you try to
find time during your packed schedules to take the focus off of others and put
it on yourselves. So, soon we will have some tools you can use to make it a
little easier.
I will keep you posted occasionally on my own progress in
getting into better shape, and, hopefully, knowing that the challenge isn’t
yours alone will make it a little easier for you to do, too. During the holidays, take a little time to do
something nice for yourself. My husband
and I are celebrating our 20th anniversary on December 30th,
and we’re heading to Annapolis (where we got married) to pause and figure out
how we can make the next 20 years even better.
And I promise to keep my eyes on the celebration calories…
More later. Bette
Is It Reliable?
In the era of a 24/7 news cycle and multiple online and off line sources of information, we are often left wondering “is this accurate?” This may be particularly true in the areas of health treatment and prevention. There is so much information out there that it can be hard to sort through it all. One place to start is Healthfinder.gov from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Healthfinder can be your one stop shop for health information or it can be a source of reliable links for exploring further. While not a substitute for the advice of a medical/health professional, Healthfinder can help you prepare for that discussion with basic information or the latest research.
One way to start is to enter some simple information that allows the site to customize its advice. For example, I am a female in my early 50s. The site then provides some reminders on basic, preventive care such as shots and screenings that I need to do. It also lists a few areas, such as a bone density scan that I should ask my doctor about. If I was younger, it would not remind me about the bone density scan. I can also use the site to get information on general health for a another person such as child or an aging parent.
In addition to the general information it provides, Healthfinder can be searched for information on a range of topics. A search on the summer topic of sunscreen yields two pages of results including information on proper application, regulatory news, and even an e-card that I can send to a friend. More complex topics also yield multiple results. Recently I went looking for information on a rare type of cancer. I found plenty, including a news story on two new and promising drugs.
The site also features additional tools such as activity trackers, menu planners and links to external site with credible information. One nice feature here is that all external links are clearly marked so you know when you are leaving the site. Finally, the site offers content in Spanish.
So the next time you are wondering where to go for good health information, one of your first stops should be Healthfinder.gov. Now tell us where you go for health information.
Is that a word game?
HAV. HBV, HCV…No, they are not different versions of mechanical devices! Thay are actually the acronyms for 3 very common, yet very serious, viral diseases.
These are the 3 most common viral hepatitis infections worldwide. Hepatitis is literally an inflammation of the liver caused by a virus. According to a recent study conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), viral hepatitis (hepatitis caused by a few specific viruses that primarily attack the liver) is a leading cause of death that claims the lives of 12,000-15,000 Americans each year. You could be one of them!
The HHS study indicates that 3.5-5.3 million Americans are living with viral hepatitis and do not know that they are infected. The disease can exist in the body for decades without producing symptoms. Therefore, 65%-75% of Americans remain unaware of their infection and go untreated.
Of the 3 most common types of hepatitis infection, 2 are vaccine preventable. HAV (hepatitis A) and HBV (hepatitis B) have vaccines that are available to both children and adults. HCV (hepatitis C) does not have a vaccine, and is–not surprisingly–the most common form of hepatitis infection.
So, what can you do to learn more and protect yourself?
1. Find out more about hepatitis and the vaccines available to you. A few great resources include:
- Talking About Adult Vaccination
- Childhood Vaccination
- CDC – Viral Hepatitis
- NEA HIN – Viral Hepatitis
2. Speak to yoru health care provider about viral hepatitis testing and whether you are eligible for the HAV and/or the HBV vaccines
To vaccinate or not to vaccinate? Is that a question?
In recent years, some parents are choosing to abstain
from vaccinating their children. Many
claim that there is no need, as most of the vaccine preventable diseases are
rare or seemingly eradicated. Recent
outbreaks of these diseases, however, indicate otherwise.
Last year (2010) the U.S. witnessed an epidemic of
Pertussis (also known as Whooping Cough).
This disease, vaccine preventable, was once considered an illness of the
past. The seeming eradication of Pertussis was due to high vaccine rates across
the nation. Most recently, however,
those rates have experienced a decline. Decreased vaccine rates among children
and low rates of booster vaccination among adults is believed to be the reason
Pertussis reached such high levels last year.
So, if 2010 was the year of Pertussis, then is 2011 the
year of Measles? According to a recent outbreak alert from the CDC (U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention), this seems to be the case. Through the first 5 months of 2011, the U.S.
has seen more Measles cases than it has since a peak in 1996. CDC has confirmed 118 cases of Measles, 105
of which have been imported from foreign countries by travelers to and from the
U.S. What is more alarming is that of those 105 cases, not one person was
vaccinated for Measles! The majority of
these were individuals who either personally abstained from vaccination due to
philosophical reasons, or were children whose parents claimed religious or
personal exemptions.
While there may be very sound reasons to abstain from
receiving a vaccination for yourself or your child, research indicates that
many parents choose not to vaccinate due to fear or lack of knowledge about
certain vaccines. It is very important
that each parent is well informed and educated about the purpose, safety and
importance of protecting their children and our communities against vaccine
preventable diseases. A choice to not
vaccinate affects more than just your child.
According to the CDC, the largest outbreak of Measles
this year occurred among 21 people in a small community where many children
were unvaccinated due to parental concerns about the safety of the Measles
vaccine (MMR). That outbreak resulted in
the exposure to and infection of Measles to many people who were unable to
receive a vaccine, including 7 infants too young to be vaccinated.
When it comes to vaccination, you do have a right to
choose, but you should choose wisely.
Deciding whether to vaccinate your child should be the result of
knowledge and understanding. Please,
take the time to understand the purpose, safety and importance of vaccinations,
for you and your child. The Childhood Vaccination and Talking About Adult Vaccination brochures are a
great source for basic information. The
CDC website is also a terrific resource for in depth vaccine information. Finally, your family healthcare provider will
be able to answer any questions or concerns you may have, and to help you make
an informed decision on whether to vaccinate or abstain.