Do Not Shake the Salt

DO NOT SHAKE THE SALT, SO YOUR HEART CAN BE MORE HEALTHY

Salt, the flavoring used around the world and once considered more valuable than gold, actually increases your blood pressure.  So how does salt cause this rise in your blood pressure?  It causes this by actually causing your body to retain excess fluids which in turn causes your heart to work a lot harder than it really needs. 

The recommendation for keeping keep your heart healthy, is for people to aim to not to eat any more than 1,500 to 2,400 milligrams of sodium per day which is equal to about that pinch of salt grandma threw into her recipes.

Wow, not much when you actually break it down to something that can be visualized.  If you actually read the sodium amounts on the packaged food, you will get an idea of how much you really are getting into your system each day.  But don’t limit yourself to just reading that box of crackers or rice but even the frozen foods we all dearly love.

Do you add additional salt to any of these:

 Popcorn?

French Fries?

Fried Potatoes?

Beer?

Any type of meat?

Watermelon?

Apples?

Cantaloupe?

Before you add extra salt to something you are eating, taste it first as you might be surprised that it doesn’t actually need that extra amount you added.  Or if it lacks taste, try adding pepper, garlic, or other types of seasonings without added salt, to bring out the taste.  If the food you are eating, like a fruit, just tastes better with salt, try to adjust your taste buds to do without the extra sodium.

Make your heart healthier.

Why Do You Smoke

WHY DO YOU SMOKE?

There are many reasons why people smoke.  I will list some: 

·         COMFORT: Most people feel a sense of comfort from the smoking of a cigarette.

·         TENSION:  Do you feel the need to smoke after an argument, or when you are having a tough day? Maybe you feel that smoking relieves the tension when you are upset or depressed?

·         WEIGHT CONTROL:  Many people will use the smoking of a cigarette so they do not eat desert.

So, instead of snacking, you smoke.

·         STIMULATION:  Does smoking help you to concentrate?  Does it boost your energy?

·         FITTING IN TO A GROUP:  So, you want to be like everyone else?  Hmmm……..

TRUTH

Chemicals found in the tobacco and during the cigarette processing enter the blood stream through the lungs, or the buccal membranes of the mouth, and attach to the pleasure sensors in the brain to produce a sense of euphoria and well-being. Your body thinks it is pleasurable, while the actual result is damage to the rest of the body. Your body develops a need, or addiction, for the pleasurable feeling, which explains why you crave them when you do not have them.

REASONS TO QUIT SMOKING

·         Early Death:  Smoking does affect your lifespan.

·         Heart Attack and/or a Stroke is far more likely to occur in a smoker.

·         Lung Cancer – there is a good reason to quit.

·         You Can Be in Control of Your Own Habits, and not be a slave to a cigarette.

·         Your body ages quicker, your skin looks older, faster if you smoke.

·         Smoking is more addictive than many illegal drugs on the market.

·         Second hand smoke can cause:  asthma attacks, ear infections, coughing, sneezing, bronchitis, pneumonia, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).  There are more, but, these are the most common.

As you can see, it makes a difference to your lungs when you smoke, whether you feel it or not.  Is this really what you want to do to your own body? 

STAYING HEALTHY IS A GOOD REASON TO QUIT SMOKING.  Over time, you will be able to breathe easier, maybe walk without coughing, and your lungs may not burn at night when you lay down to sleep. You may even be able to play sports or outside games without getting winded. Adding a daily exercise regimen will improve the results you see.

EOS cannot make the claim that you will fully recover the health you had previous to starting smoking, because that really depends on how often you smoked, how many years, how deeply you inhaled, and how much damage has already been done to your body. But the sooner you quit, the lesser the damage done, and the more likelihood your body can compensate and completely recover its previous health.

  AND DO YOU LIKE HAVING EXTRA MONEY??????

The price of one pack of cigarettes can buy a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread. It can put gasoline in your car, so you can go to work.  There are so many items you can buy with $6.00. 

I did an interview with our Administrative Assistant, Joe Lobert, on his past experience with smoking cigarettes.  Joe describes it like this, “As a former cigarette smoker, I know that it gives pleasure to smoke.  The nicotine triggers the pleasure centers of the brain, making it very difficult to break the habit.”  Then Joe went on to explain why he finally quit, “I almost died from bronchitis and I was a single parent.  I did not want to leave my child behind without a parent to take care of him. I know for a fact that the smoking of cigarettes is what caused my bronchitis. I have not had bronchitis since I quit.”

The owner of EOS, Kat Parmer, quit in 1993 because she had suffered pneumonia 9 times in less than three years. Her doctor warned her that smoking was going to kill her, if she did not quit. She states, “I am much healthier now at 61 than I was when I was 38, the only way I can explain it, is because I quit smoking.”

Needless to say, this is a non-smoking facility. All the staff at Employee On-Boarding Specialties would like to see more healthy people as we continue to work in the occupational health world.  Life is precious, and we all should not only value our own life, but those around us. 

Sources:  WebMD and the Center of Disease Control and Prevention.

Sources:  Interviews with Employee On-Boarding Specialties, LLC

Blackout Wednesday

BLACKOUT WEDNESDAY

“Wow, what’s that all about?”  Statistics show that binge drinking and drunk driving increase during the holidays, beginning with Thanksgiving Eve, which is now termed “Blackout Wednesday” in many cities.  That day has become high-risk for young people.

AMS encourages everyone to make a plan for getting home safely before you even leave to start your evening.  Law enforcements will be running sobriety checks along the roadsides everywhere.  Always have a designated driver assigned for the evening.  Reports show that over the holidays, starting with Halloween, that high risk drivers will increase at least 33%.

Some people persist in drinking and driving based on myths about how the body reacts to alcohol and its ability to overcome the effects.  Alcohol affects the brain and body long after you stop drinking.  Any alcohol that remains in the stomach and intestine continues to enter the bloodstream and circulate through the body.  This means judgement and coordination can be affected for hours after you have taken your last drink.

The average alcohol driver arrested on the highway has a blood alcohol concentration of .20% more than double the level for intoxication in most states.  This percentage is equivalent to 14 beers in a four hour period for a man weighing 180 lbs. 

In 1997 the world’s leading provider of alcohol testing technologies for the criminal justice was established, the Alcohol Monitoring Systems, Inc. (AMS).  In 2013 the company launched the SCRAM GPS which helps people who have alcohol in their systems to not drink and drive.  AMS employs approximately 156 people worldwide and is a privately held company located in Littleton, Colorado.   You not only have to worry about your own life, but, the life of the other people in the vehicle with you and the other people on the road. 

So, Pay Attention!  Let’s think about the other lives that can be saved by not drinking and driving.  You might not care about yourself, but, there are children, mothers, fathers, and grandparents who want to continue with their lives.  

The staff of EOS believes that everyone should have a safe and joyous season, by having someone else drive.  And if you see a friend or family member drinking, take their keys and please offer them a ride home.  So, next year, they can have a happy holiday with you, instead of you toasting to their memory.

Employee On-Boarding Specialties

Source: Alcohol Monitoring Systems, Inc.

Source: CAIP (a non-profit agency that provides alcohol education).

Needle Phobia

Needle Phobia

Fear of Needles

Are you one of those people who get nervous and scared when you go to the doctor for shots or lab work? As a Medical Assistant or Phlebotomist, one of their many jobs is drawing blood or giving shots. It is very important to keep the person comfortable and calm during these times.

There are several ways to do this, from a patient stand point. Some things that may help are: counting to yourself, closing your eyes and take deep slow breathes, try to relax and not tense up, as well as asking questions and keeping the conversation going smoothly.

Once people become over anxious, issues start to arise that may prolong the process.  If someone were to come in and pass out on the floor or in a chair or perhaps get sick, the procedure may have to be rescheduled. Keeping others relaxed, calm, and comfortable is an important task. Making sure of the patient’s safety is a key component.

How bad does that needle really hurt?  When you get a shot or a blood draw there is a slight pinch pain that goes along with it, sometimes even a small burning if a medication is given. Most of the pain people feel is physiological or believed, but not necessarily the true action felt. A shot normally takes about 10 seconds where as a blood draw, when done correctly, is typically done in about a minute. The one thing you never want to do when getting a shot or having blood drown is to tense up.  When you tense up, your muscles tighten, which makes it harder for the medication to be administered, which can cause bruising and if done while having blood drawn can make it harder for the blood to be taken and can result in a longer draw time.

“AHHHH! Ouch that hurts!!”

“I haven’t administered the shot yet, please relax.”  If you or someone you know has done this, you may not realize the discomfort you have added to the situation. Being able to control your own feelings and actions can be a true benefit for the process. Just keep things in perspective and be aware of your surroundings. This would be the most helpful aspect that you can contributed to your visit.

All of us at Employee On-Boarding Specialties are trained and will help you through those times of stress.  If you come to us for a blood draw or a vaccine shot, we will keep you calm and get the job done in flash.