Tag Archives: heart health

General Safety Issues

TOP TWENTY-FIVE SAFETY ARTICLES OF THE WEEK: MARCH 1 (GUEST POST)

Posted by Erin Raub in Weekly Roundups of Safety.com

I am happy to announce that Blog4Safety made the list of top twenty-five safety articles again!  Our thanks to Sam Banai, who submitted the article: “How To Outfit Your Business for Winter.” pb

seatbelt for pregnant womenThis pregnancy seatbelt is not only safe, but allows for (more) comfortable third-trimester driving. Finally!

Welcome to another week of the blogosphere’s best safety & security news! There were a lot of important tip posts this week, so I tried to round out the seriousness with upbeat safety news, too. For example, did you know that a U.K.-based company has developed a harness seatbelt for safer driving (or car riding) while pregnant? Ladies, the third trimester just got a little bit less uncomfortable.

I hope you enjoy my favorites. As always, if there’s something I missed, please let me know in the comments.

Home Safety

  1. Martine at Dainty Mom shares her top tips for keeping your home and family safe. I really appreciate her emphasis on simple, clean things we can all do, like choosing healthy foods and chemical-free cleaners.
  2. Fire safety crosses international borders. Seasoned home inspector Brent from Homes Extra asks important questions in his fire safety test. Is your family safe?

Family & Child Safety

  1. If you’ve ever worried about what to do in the case of anaphylactic shock, you can’t miss Caroline’s post over at The Grateful Foodie on four missed anaphylaxis emergency care opportunities.
  2. When Inhabitots mentioned the world’s first seatbelt designed for pregnant women, it was all I could do not to shout YES! It looks more like a race car harness than your standard belt, and is designed to keep mother and baby safe in the event of an accident.
  3. Did you know that heart disease kills more women than breast cancer? Read all about heart health – for men and women – over at Safety Mom.
  4. Admittedly, growing pains are not so much a safety concern as a question of your little one’s comfort and happiness. But we all want to minimize our children’s pain, so The Parent Report has some easy tips on what to do if your child is experiencing growing pains.
  5. File this one under obvious-but-forgotten: if your child has special needs, is in public school, and has and IEP, Judy Safety Source reminds us that he or she should have a personalized emergency evacuation program.
  6. If anyone has ever taken care of your child, you probably know how awkward/hard/uncomfortable/stressful (take your pick!) it can be to relay your wishes in a way that doesn’t make you seem… well, kind of nuts. Sierra from Common Sense Media has some really great, really sane tips on how to communicate screen time rules for every occasion.
  7. Have you checked your credit report lately? Dennis from iKeepSafe tells you why you need to run regular reports, and how you can do it with minimal headache.
  8. Doreen from SAF Baby has some really solid tips this week on healthy, easy habits your family can adopt to prevent obesity.
  9. What to expect when you’re expecting – and you already have a dog? The Parent Report collaborated with doggie guru Dr. Stanley Coren to give us some good tips on introducing your new baby to your furry baby.

Senior Safety

  1. Change is constant, but it’s also hard. And change is particularly difficult for seniors, who are experiencing major transitions, like the death of a spouse or loss of independence. Aging Wisely gives some good advice on how not to handle transitions for the seniors you love.
  2. This week, Susan from Help! Aging Parents also reminded us that it’s never too soon (or too late) for a refresher on the signs of stroke and learning proper emergency response to a stroke.

Online & Data Security

  1. Robert from McAfee reviews one of the sneakiest – and most rampant – Craigslist scams out there today. Seller beware!
  2. Aleksandr of We Live Security clues us in on a major hacking scheme against European banks – that’s been going on for a year!
  3. Consumer Reports reminds us that we should never ignore a data breach letter. Take the (free) steps to avoid identity fraud, and save yourself a bundle of stress and money down the road.
  4. Patricia Vance, President of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), hops over to the Get Game Smart blog to school parents on how to read game ratings – and why they matter.
  5. It’s easy to demonize cyberbullies, even the pint-sized ones, but Tim from uKnowKids has a great point: is your child a cyberbully without knowing it? Remember, even well-intentioned kids can get swept up into peer pressure. Sometimes all it takes to turn bullying around is a bit of parental guidance on netiquette and The Golden Rule.
  6. And while we’re on the topic of kids and their roles in cyberbullying, Sameer from the Cyberbullying Research Center reports on a very encouraging trend: young students are now using plays to combat cyberbullying.
  7. Graham from Naked Security (hmm… wonder what that office looks like!) gives it to you straight about Adobe’s record three Flash Player security updates in February.
  8. Good news doesn’t always make headlines, but Last Watchdog Byron has the details on some new, cutting-edge technology to beat the bad guys.
  9. WebProNews summarizes some of the findings from HP’s newly released 2012 Cyber Security Risk Report.

Work Safety

  1. Blog4Safety brings us a timely guest post from Saam Banai on how to outfit your business for winter safety. Keep your employees and customers safe during this final month of winter!
  2. Steve from The Safe Workplace posts summaries of OSHA and state OSHA significant citations that have proposed fines over $100,000 every week. Check out some of the citations from the week ending February 23rd – and make sure your workplace isn’t on the list.
  3. Pamela at Income Therapy has some 10 rock-solid tips on best safety practices for the workplace.

Thanks, Erin, for including us in this list of very interesting and helpful articles! Pat

General Safety Issues, Health Issues

LOVE YOUR HEART! HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

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What better day to remind you that February is American Heart Month than on Valentine’s Day?  We made the announcement of this annual health observation at the first of the month.  However, it is such an important subject that we want you to be aware of the problems that come with heart disease. 

First, you must know the warning signs of a heart attack:

  • Chest discomfort.  It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of the chest that last more than a few minutes.
  • Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
  • Discomfort in other areas of the upper body.  This can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.

Other signs may include breaking out in a cold sweat, lightheadedness, or nausea.  Women may experience other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea /vomitting, and back or jaw pain.

Heart attacks strike someone every 34 seconds.  When the blood flow bringing oxygen to the heart muscle is severely reduced or cut off completely, a heart attack occurs. Please don’t ignore the warning signs.  Every second counts.  Call 9-1-1 or get to the emergency room; however, if you call for an ambulance, medical attendants can begin life-saving treatment, and the hospital will be expecting you, so you will get treatment faster than if you are driven by someone else. 

Please take care of your heart, and the ones you love, too.  Remind them to exercise, eat healthy, get the right amount of rest, and less stress in their lives.  We only have one heart, so let’s take care of it. 

From all of us at Blog4Safety, and Texas America Safety Company, have a great and healthy Valentine’s Day!

Source: Ft. Worth Star Telegram

 

General Safety Issues, Health Issues

FEBRUARY – AMERICAN HEART MONTH

We can say goodbye to January; we hope that it was a wonderful first month of the New Year for everyone!  The month of February brings Valentine’s Day, on the 14th, with thoughts of expressing your love for your spouse, children, boyfriend/girlfriend, those who are dear to you, by remembering them with a special card, gift of candy or flowers, or doing something thoughtful for them.  February is American Heart Month, and the best gift we can give ourselves and those we love is to be “heart-healthy” in our daily lives. 

The first Friday in February is “Wear Red Day.”  Americans nationwide will take women’s health to heart by wearing red to show their support for women’s heart disease awareness.  Most of us have lost loved ones to heart disease and stroke.  Women may not respond to the warning signs of an heart attack, as they may be different from the symptoms men experience when having one.  Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S.  One in every three deaths is from heart disease and stroke, equal to 2,200 deaths per day.  In September, 2011, a national initiative began to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes in the next five years. Million Hearts  has the support of multiple federal agencies and key private organizations, including the American Heart Association, American Pharmacists’ Association, the YMCA, Walgreens and United Health Care.  This group will be pursuing commitments and participation from many more partners in health care, public health, industry and government. 

Here are some things you can do to protect yourself and loved ones from heart disease and stroke.  First, challenge your family and friends to take the Million Hearts  pledge at www.millionhearts.hhs.gov.  Here’s some other suggestions to help:

  • Know your ABC’s:
  • Ask your doctor if you should take an Aspirin each day.
  • Find out if you have high Blood Pressure or Cholesterol, and if you do, get effective treatment.
  • If you Smoke, get help to quit.
  • Take control of your heart health by following your doctor’s prescription instructions.
  • Make your calories count by eating a heart-healthy diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables and low in sodium and trans fat.
  • Select fat-free, one per cent fat, and low-fat dairy products.
  • Cut back on foods containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils to reduce trans fat in your diet.
  • Choose lean meats and poultry without skin and prepare them without added saturated and trans fat.
  • Exercise!  Try to be physically active for at least 30 minutes each day.  Take the time – you deserve it – and you will feel better for it! 

Know these signs of a heart attack.  According to the National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute, these may mean that a heart attack is in progress:

  • Chest discomfort.  Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back.  It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
  • Shortness of breath; may occur with or without chest discomfort.
  • Discomfort in other areas of the upper body.  Symptoms may include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach.
  • Other signs may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea, or lightheadedness. 

Regardless of where you live in this big world, we hope you will take care of your heart, and it will take care of you.  Keeping healthy through exercise and proper diet is a good way to prevent heart disease and other illnesses.  Love your family and friends by loving your heart!

General Safety Issues, Health Issues, Hearing Protection, Uncategorized

WORKPLACE NOISE MAY DAMAGE YOUR HEART

It is a proven fact that persons who work in loud places for long periods of time can suffer loss of hearing, but researchers are now saying that they may also risk developing heart disease.  Can you imagine spending eight or ten hours per day working in an atmosphere where you have to yell at each other to be heard?  More than twenty million Americans work in noisy industrial settings. 

A new finding from animal research also shows evidence that too much noise can be bad for the heart; however, some scientists suggest that the changes may be no more than part of the body’s general response to stress.  Research over the past twenty years suggests that noise exposure contributes to high blood pressure, which has been apparent in studies.  It makes sense that the excessive noise can be as stressful to the body as extreme physical exercise or high-anxiety. Noise increases the body’s level of adrenaline and cortisol, (stress hormones), meaning that your heart could be affected.  Whether at the factory or on a construction site, noise at work is a known health hazard, with studies showing it increases hearing loss, sleep problems and psychological stress, but what about the heart? 

Currently, researchers have analyzed data on more than 6,0000 working adults, age 20 and older, to see if those working in a loud environment for at least three months have a higher risk of heart disease and related problems.  Data was taken from a large ongoing study called the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which included interviews of participants about their health and lifestyle, as well as work situation.  They were given medical exams, as well.  The findings were striking – after taking into account several factors that are known to increase the risk of heart problems, (age, smoking, and overweight), researchers discovered that workers in loud environments were twice as likely to have heart disease compared with those in quieter settings.  They were almost three times as likely to have chest pain (angina).  The link was particularly strong for people under 50, who were between three and four times more likely to have angina or heart disease.  These workers’ “bad” cholesterol levels were not particularly high, nor were their overall blood pressure readings.  However, they were twice as likely to have high diastolic blood pressure (the lower number on a blood pressure reading).  Raised diastolic pressure has been linked to a higher risk of heart disease. 

Workplace noise is an occupational hazard that managers and employers should be concerned about.  It should be discussed by workers with their managers for prompt corrective measures, not only because it could possibly lead to heart disease, but more importantly, it can cause hearing impairment.  There are not too many options to reduce noise hazards in the industrial setting.  The most straightforward is wearing of earplugs, which can lower noise intensity by 20-30 decibels.  Finding the connection between industrial noise and heart disease is perplexing; some researchers think that noise is the stressor, so maybe that is where it all starts.  More research is being done on this important subject, but in the meantime, this study provides extra incentive to take precautions, such as wearing earplugs or safety earmuffs, to minimize noise exposure.

General Safety Issues, Health Issues

HEALTHY HEARTS ARE IMPORTANT!

We began the month of February asking everyone to wear red on Friday, February 4, to help everyone be aware of taking care of our hearts, and stating that heart disease is the #1 killer of both men and women in the United States.  Midway through February, we again talked about keeping our hearts healthy.  What better way to end the month than to again express the importance of this subject – keeping the very most vital organ in our body in good shape. 

Everyone should discuss their heart health with a physician.  He/she should know important things about their patients – family history, blood pressure, and other risk factors that need to be watched.  Also, too much sodium intake should be avoided.  Healthy people should consume a maximum of 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day, which equals 1 Tablespoon.  Those with high blood pressure or other risk factors should not consume more than 1,500 milligrams per day.  Over 75% of sodium consumption comes from pre-processed foods. 

Your primary care manager can determine what risk factors you might have.  Age (men over 45, and women over 55), tobacco use, inactive, diabetes, and overweight/obese, are all risk factors; family history cannot be changed, but tobacco use, weight, and high cholesterol can.  Your physician will order a lipoprotein test, an analysis that breaks down cholesterol into four groups:

  1. Total cholesterol;
  2. Low density lipoproteins (LDL), “bad” cholesterol;
  3. High density lipoproteins (HDL), “good” cholesterol;
  4. Triglycerides.

Fasting prior to this test is required in order to ensure an accurate reading.

Total cholesterol values over 200 may indicate an increased risk for heart disease.  However, LDL levels better predict risk factor for heart disease.  Those with known heart disease (previous heart attack or peripheral vascular disease) or diabetes should have levels under 100.  LDL over 130, with two or more of the above risk factors, is abnormal.  An LDL over 160, with one or fewer of the risk factors, is also abnormal.  HDL cholesterol more than or equal to 60 takes away one risk factor and decreases your risk for heart disease.  Levels under 40 add a risk factor.  Normal triglyceride levels are under 150.  However, as with other components of the lipid test, fasting less than 9-12 hours may alter triglyceride results.  The best policy is to sit down with your doctor and let him explain these results in detail so you understand exactly where you stand. 

Also, here’s news about the  importance of training kids in CPR.  It is important for both adults and kids to know how to administer this life-saving procedure.  Here are the facts:

  • Effective bystander CPR, provided immediately after sudden cardiac arrest, can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival.
  • 85% of cardiac events happen in the company of family and friends.
  • The incidence of out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest in high school athletes ranges from .23 to 1 death per 100,000 high school athletes in the U.S. annually.
  • Studies have shown that children as young as 9 years old can learn and retain CPR skills.
  • About 5,900 children 18 years old and under suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest each year from all causes, including trauma, cardiovascular causes and sudden infant death syndrome. 

Last, but not least, I want to leave February heart health tips for you with a recipe that I found on the North Carolina State Health Plan website:

“RECIPE FOR A HEALTHY HEART” 

Preparation Time: Depends on you

Level of difficulty: Easy to moderate

Ingredients:

1 ounce of prevention

1 or more motivated individuals

Lbs of healthy weight (remove large amounts of fat)

Well-balanced nutrition

4-6 servings of exercise/week

Blood pressure management

Less than 200mg cholesterol/day

Controlled blood sugar (glucose), if diabetic

A pinch of stress management

Moderate alcohol consumption (O optional)

O tobacco (for best results) 

Instructions: Combine the above ingredients on a regular basis, you will feel better, and your heart will thank you!

General Safety Issues, Uncategorized

LOVE YOUR HEART

As we are halfway through National Heart Month, February, we hope you have considered what you can do to become Heart-Healthy, if you haven’t already started to do so.  Heart disease is the leading cause of death of both men and women in the United States.  Regardless of your age or gender, now is the time to think about the “rest of your life”.   The America Heart Association recommends that you know your cholesterol and triglyceride numbers as well as you know your shoe size or 401(k) balance.  It’s wise to watch your calorie intake, and try to stay with the six food groups recommended by the USDA and American Heart Association.

The best Valentine gift that I’ve ever received was having my husband still here with me.  One day last May, he began having chest pains and shortness of breath.  A trip to the emergency room revealed that his cardiac enzyme levels were extremely high.  An ambulance journey to a larger hospital and cardiac cath lab indicated that he had 95%, 90%, 60% and 40% blockage in arteries to his heart.  He had successful open-heart surgery with four bypasses.  After weeks of cardiac rehab therapy, he is back on the golf course, and ready to start a new garden this spring!  It was very lucky that he had this warning, which averted a possible heart attack and/or heart damage.

Cardiovascular disease of the heart and blood vessels develops over time (beginning in childhood), and occurs when arteries develop atherosclerosis, a buildup of plaque inside them.  This buildup reduces blood flow in arteries.  When plaque becomes fragile and ruptures, blood clots can form.  If arteries to the heart or brain are blocked, heart attack or stroke can be the result.

Controlling cholesterol and triglyceride levels can save lives.  By choosing healthier diets and developing a regular exercise routine, you can be on the road to better heart health.  Know your family history, reduce stress in your work/home, if you smoke-STOP, don’t consume too much alcohol, and have your blood pressure checked regularly.  If you are overweight, try to find a healthy way to lose weight.  Regular checkups are the key to maintaining good health.

If you or someone you are with complains of chest discomfort, squeezing or tightness in the chest, aching in the back, neck, jaw, stomach, call 911.  Other signs of heart problems are being sweaty, clammy, or chalky.  Many people have been brought into emergency rooms thinking they had a case of indigestion, later to discover they are having a heart attack.  It is better to be safe than sorry.

There are many resources that can help you with planning proper nutrition, exercise, and all the necessary information to help your heart health.  Now is the time to take action by making lifestyle changes if necessary.  It will be worth it in the long run.  Remember to “Love your heart!”