Health

by Jill Fleming, MS, RD/LD
 
The key to permanent weight loss is to adopt healthy lifestyle choices that, with consistent repetition, become habits.  Most of us would love to lose our excess body fat quickly, but our real goal needs to permanent weight loss.  When you go on a restrictive diet, you will not be able to follow it for very long. Any weight you lose while feeling deprived will quickly return once you go off of the diet.
You should never go on a diet that you cannot follow for the rest of your life. Focus on making healthy choices most of the time, while still enjoying occasional guilt-free treats. Here are seven simple lifestyle choices you can add to your life today to help you reach your goal of permanent weight loss:

by Jill Fleming, MS/RD,
Dietitian at Veterans Memorial Hospital
 
Did you know that by adding a few specific foods to your diet, you can lose weight, improve your memory and prevent heart disease?  The good news is that these foods actually taste good too.  They are nuts, purple berries and red grapes.  
When choosing nuts, the best option is raw nuts. These are the nuts that you will find in the baking isle of your grocery store. When you look at the ingredient list, there will only be one item listed, such as: almonds. All nuts are good for you, but walnuts are one of the best choices for your health.
Since nuts are a good source of monounsaturated fats, they have been found to help decrease fat accumulation around the abdomen and lower LDL cholesterol, which will decrease your risk for heart disease. Many nuts are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which help your heart by preventing dangerous heart rhythms that may lead to a heart attack.

By Jill Fleming, MS/RD,
Dietitian at Veterans Memorial Hospital

by Jill Fleming, MS, RD/LD, Veterans Memorial Hospital

The United States is currently experiencing a large multi-state outbreak of measles linked to an amusement park in California. More than 100 people from 14 states. (AZ, CA, CO, IL, MI, MN, NE, NY, OR, PA, SD, TX, UT, WA) have been confirmed as having measles. As of now, there are no confirmed measles cases in Iowa.      
“This national measles outbreak has brought the protection provided by vaccinations back into the spotlight,” said Lisa Moose, RN, Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care/Allamakee County Public Health Director.  “It’s always important to keep your vaccinations up-to-date, but during times like this, when we know a virus is circulating in many states, it’s especially critical to check with your health care provider to be sure you and your family’s vaccinations are current.”

Individuals who experience any type of chest pain need to take that pain very seriously and seek medical assistance. There is always the possibility that pain may be caused by a heart attack or some other form of heart disease and must not be ignored. Immediate medical attention is the only way to stop or decrease the damage to the heart.
The common signs and symptoms of a heart attack include the following:
• Any type of chest pain. It may be a crushing pain, a feeling of heaviness such as an elephant standing on one’s chest, or even a squeezing of the chest.
• Pain that radiates down the arm, or other areas of the body such as the neck, jaw or shoulders.
• Weakness or shortness of breath, nausea, light headedness and/or possible sweating.

February is Heart Month.  Veterans Memorial Hospital is encouraging the public to learn the American Heart Association’s new “Hands Only CPR.”  This simple, new way of performing CPR is very easy to do and effective for the victim.
According to the American Heart Association, sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death with nearly 400,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occurring annually in the United States.  89% of people who suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest die because they don’t receive immediate CPR from someone on the scene.  
The American Heart Association has found Hands Only CPR to be as effective as conventional CPR for sudden cardiac arrest at home, at work, or in the public—doubling or even tripling a victim’s chance of survival.
Since 80% of cardiac arrests happen in private or residential settings, learn these simple steps for performing Hands Only CPR to help save the life of someone you love:
• Call 9-1-1 immediately

 Over 950,000 Americans die each year from cardiovascular disease. Since February is National Heart Month, Veterans Memorial Hospital provides the following facts and tips on heart health:
• 250,000 people die within one hour of onset of a heart attack.
• 60-70% of those individuals are male.
• Heart disease is the number one killer of American women and men.
• 75-80% of cardiac arrests happen in the home.
• Bystander CPR does improve the outcome once someone has arrested.
• Traditional CPR courses are not reaching those who live with high-risk populations.
• Rapid defibrillation is the most important treatment for victims.
• For every minute delay in defibrillation there is a 10% loss for chance of survival.
• In the case of heart attack, “Time is Muscle.”

by Jeff Mitchell, EMT-P
Veterans Memorial Hospital EMS Coordinator
 
How to Dress for Being in the Cold
Wear several layers of loose-fitting clothing to insulate your body by trapping warm, dry air inside. Loosley woven cotton and wool clothes best trap air and resist dampness. The head and neck lose heat faster than any other part of the body. The cheeks, ears and nose are the most prone to frostbite.  Wear a hat, scarf and turtleneck sweater to protect these areas.

The dry air experienced during the winter months is an integral factor in creating dry skin problems. Heating systems to warm homes and offices, most commonly forced-air heat, wrings even more moisture out of the already dry air. This dry air can take moisture right out of the skin and causes the top layer, which is made up of dead skin cells, to flake.
What can a person do?
• Use a cool mist vaporizer or humidifier to replace the moisture in the air. Fewer static electricity shocks will be given off of light switches and clothes won’t crackle or stick to the body.