Your Dry Skin Could be Eczema

Living in Idaho exposes you to certain environmental factors that can affect the dryness of your skin. The dry air and strong winds can be damaging to exposed skin and can reveal skin conditions you previously may not have noticed due to the moisture in the air. Eczema is one of those skin conditions. According to the National Eczema Foundation, over 30 million Americans are diagnosed with it. Eczema is a general term for rash-like skin conditions. Symptoms include itching, redness, and sometimes skin will blister or peel. It most often appears as a mild, moderate, or severe itch that can affect different parts of your body. This itch can be so intense you scratch your skin until it bleeds, which can make your rash worse. This leads to inflammation and is known as the itch-scratch cycle.  

Signs and Symptoms of Eczema:

• Dry, sensitive skin
• Intense itching
• Red, inflamed skin
• Recurring rash
• Scaly areas
• Rough, leathery patches
• Oozing or crusting
• Areas of swelling
• Dark colored patches of skin

Common causes:

• Long hot showers/baths
• Dry environment
• Perspiration from exercise
• Low humidity
• Stress

 Other causes and triggers:

• Shampoos, dish-washing liquids
• Molds
• Dandruff
• Dust mites
• Bacteria or virus
• Hormone fluctuation
• Food allergens

Treatment - Take good care of  your skin!

1. Moisturize every day.
2. Wear cotton or soft fabrics. Avoid clothing that is rough or tight.
3. Use mild soap or non-soap cleanser.
4. Pat dry your skin with a soft towel- do not rub.
5. Apply moisturizer within 3 minutes of a shower or bath to lock in moisture.
6. Use a humidifier.
7. Keep your fingernails short to keep scratching from breaking the skin.
8. Keep a clean house free of dander and dust.

Common Moisturizers

Aquphor®, Cetaphil^®, Curél^®, Eucerine®, Exederm, and Petroleum Jelly.

For more information go to http://nationaleczema.org/eczema/

Adults and Vaccines: You Still Need Them

 

                Can you remember the last time you got a vaccine? This may be an indicator that you are due for some boosters. The CDC recommends that adults between the ages of 19-64 receive a seasonal flu vaccine, and boosters for Tdap, Hep A, Hep B, HPV, Meningitis, Pneumococcal, and shingles vaccines. According to the CDC, only 1 out of 5 adults are receiving their pneumococcal and shingles vaccines. Additionally, only 1 out of 6 received their Tdap vaccine within 7 years to protect against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough).

      So why should you get these vaccines? Here are just a few reasons why.

• High risk- Many diseases like influenza, and pertussis are common in the US, and can spread easily. This is especially the case in schools and densely populated places.

• Complications- If you have a chronic health condition or weakened immune system, you may be at risk for complications from vaccine preventable diseases. Some examples of complications are long-term illness, hospitalization, or even death.

• Spreading Disease- Most vaccine preventable diseases are contagious like the flu, meningitis, and whooping cough. Getting your recommended vaccines will help stop the spread of these diseases.

• Protection- When you get your vaccine you are not only protecting yourself, but others as well. Many people that cannot receive these vaccines, due to medical conditions like pregnancy or cancer treatment. This also helps in protecting newborns, who are very vulnerable to these diseases but are too young to be vaccinated.
• Missing work/school- Vaccines help keep you healthy and reduce the chance of missing work or school. Many of us have tentative schedules and cannot afford to be absent from work or class.

• Missing out- Spending time with family, friends and hobbies can be significantly reduced if you’re in bed sick.

• Price- Being sick costs money. You’ll have to take into consideration medical visits, treatments, time off work or school, and traveling to healthcare providers.

• Traveling- If your job entails traveling internationally or you just love to travel, this puts you at risk for certain diseases. If you are traveling internationally make sure to get traveling advice. You may need additional vaccines.

• Peace of mind- Knowing that you've been vaccinated before a disease becomes an outbreak in your area can put your mind at ease. You don’t want to be caught in the mess of sickness.

• Feeling Healthy- There are more than a handful of diseases that you can be protected against with a simple vaccine. 

       You can get your vaccines at your doctor’s office, health departments, pharmacies, and some workplaces even offer them. Don’t let something as easy as a vaccine pass you by. Get vaccinated!

Healthier Fast Food

With busy schedules and fast food all around us, it’s hard to fight the urge to stop for a quick bite before our next task. Although fast food is not the healthiest choice, you can still make healthy choices while eating out. It’s okay to indulge in the occasional french fry craving as long as it doesn’t become a habit. The reason behind this logic is, usually fast food is low in nutrition and high in trans fats, saturated fats, sodium, and calories. All you need is to arm yourself with the right information, to pick the healthiest food choice.

Let’s take a moment to compare recommendations from the American Heart Association and what you get in a serving of fast food. One serving of potato snackers from White Castel contains 10 grams of unhealthy trans-fat which is 4x’s more than the daily. The recommendation is only consume less than 2 grams of trans-fat per day. A single Double Whopper with cheese, medium fries, and an apple pie from Burger King contains more saturated fat than you should consume in 2 days! Don’t be discouraged just yet, these tips can help steer you down the right path to keep your fats and calorie consumption down when eating fast foods.

Tips for low fat and low calorie meals

1. Make careful menu selections- Read the descriptions on the menu. If the dish indicates it is deep-fried, pan-fried, basted, batter-dipped, breaded, creamy, crispy, scalloped, Alfredo, or in cream sauce this meal will be high in calories, fats, or sodium.
2. Drink water with your meal- 32-oz of soda contains 425 calories! Try instead adding a little lemon to your water.
3. “Undress” your food- Ask for your sandwich without the mayonnaise or get the ketchup, mustard, and mayo in the packets so you control how much is on your sandwich. Ask for the sauces on the side and spoon small amounts onto your food.
4. Special order your meal- If your food is going to be fried or cooked in oil/butter, ask for it broiled or steamed.
5. Eat mindfully- Consciously chew each bite. Feel the different textures and enjoy each flavor in each bite. This helps your body to recognize when you’re getting full, relaxes you and the end result is you feel more satisfied.

What to AVOID

1. Super sized portions- These can easily run up to 1,000 calories so choose meals with the least amount of calories and do not super-size anything. Usually a single fast food serving provides enough for two meals so divide it in half before you start eating and take the other portion home.
2. Salt- Fast food is very high in sodium which increases your risk factor for high blood pressure.
3. Bacon- Even though you may want to add bacon to your hamburger for a little special taste, bacon has very few nutrients but high in fat and calories.
4. Buffets- Most people overeat at buffets so they can feel like they got their money’s worth. Let your stomach catch up and wait at least 20 minutes before getting seconds to make sure you’re still hungry.

The Big Burger Chains

Less Healthy choices 1.    Double-patty hamburger with cheese, mayo, special sauce, and bacon 2.    Fried chicken sandwich 3.    Fried fish sandwich 4.    Salad with toppings such as bacon, cheese, and ranch dressing 5.    Breakfast burrito with steak 6.    French fries 7.    Milkshake 8.    Chicken “nuggets” or tenders 9.    Adding cheese, extra mayo, and special sauces

Healthier choices 1.    Regular, single-patty hamburger without mayo or cheese 2.    Grilled chicken sandwich 3.    Veggie burger 4.    Garden salad with grilled chicken and low-fat dressing 5.    Egg on a muffin 6.    Baked potato or a side salad 7.    Yogurt parfait 8.    Grilled chicken strips 9.    Limiting cheese, mayo, and special sauces

The Big Fried Chicken Chains

Less healthy choices 1.    Fried chicken, original or extra-crispy. 2.    Teriyaki wings or popcorn chicken 3.    Caesar salad 4.    Chicken and biscuit “bowl” 5.    Adding extra gravy and sauces

Healthier choices 1.    Skinless chicken breast without breading 2.    Honey BBQ chicken sandwich 3.    Garden salad 4.    Mashed potatoes 5.    Limiting gravy and sauces

  

The Big Taco Chains

Less healthy choices 1.    Crispy shell chicken taco 2.    Refried beans 3.    Steak chalupa 4.    Crunch wraps or gordita-type burritos 5.    Nachos with refried beans 6.    Adding sour cream or cheese

Healthier choices 1.    Grilled chicken soft taco 2.    Black beans 3.    Shrimp ensalada 4.    Grilled “fresco” style steak burrito 5.    Veggie and bean burrito 6.    Limiting sour cream or cheese

Subs, Sandwich and Deli Choices

Less healthy choices 1.    Foot-long sub 2.    High-fat meat such as ham, tuna salad, bacon, meatballs, or steak 3.    The “normal” amount of higher-fat (cheddar, American) cheese 4.    Adding mayo and special sauces 5.    Keeping the sub “as is” with all toppings 6.    Choosing white bread or “wraps” which are often higher in fat than normal bread	Healthier choices 1.    Six-inch sub 2.    Lean meat (roast beef, chicken breast, lean ham) or veggies 3.    One or two slices of lower-fat cheese (Swiss or mozzarella) 4.    Adding low-fat dressing or mustard instead of mayo 5.    Adding extra veggie toppings 6.    Choosing whole-grain bread or taking the top slice off your sub and eating it open-faced

Asian Food Choices

Less healthy choices 1.    Fried egg rolls, spare ribs, tempura 2.    Battered or deep-fried dishes (sweet and sour pork, General Tso’s chicken) 3.    Deep-fried tofu 4.    Coconut milk, sweet and sour sauce, regular soy sauce 5.    Fried rice 6.    Salads with fried or crispy noodles

Healthier choices 1.    Egg drop, miso, wonton, or hot & sour soup 2.    Stir-fried, steamed, roasted or broiled entrees (shrimp chow mein, chop suey) 3.    Steamed or baked tofu 4.    Sauces such as ponzu, rice-wine vinegar, wasabi, ginger, and low-sodium soy sauce 5.    Steamed brown rice 6.    Edamame, cucumber salad, stir-fried veggies

Italian and Pizza Restaurant Choices

Less healthy choices 1.    Thick-crust or butter-crust pizza with extra cheese and meat toppings 2.    Garlic bread 3.    Antipasto with meat 4.    Pasta with cream or butter-based sauce 5.    Entrée with side of pasta 6.    Fried (“frito”) dishes

Healthier choices 1.    Thin-crust pizza with half the cheese and extra veggies 2.    Plain rolls or bread sticks 3.    Antipasto with vegetables 4.    Pasta with tomato sauce and veggies 5.    Entrée with side of veggies 6.    Grilled (“griglia”) dishes

http://www.helpguide.org/life/fast_food_nutrition.htm

http://www.dairyqueen.com/PageFiles/325/dq-combos-chicken-grilledchicken.png?width=&height=810 

Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis

Seasonal allergic rhinitis is also known as Pollen Allergy or Hay Fever. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases estimates that about 26 million Americans suffer through chronic seasonal allergies; the annual cost of which is $2.4 million,
 according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Individuals who have seasonal allergies typically exhibit these symptoms to a particular allergen:

·         Runny nose

·         Sneezing

·         Itchy eyes

·         Congestion of the nose

·         Red and watery eyes

These symptoms are mostly brought on by an allergic reaction to pollen, this is heightened during certain seasons. An allergy is a specific reaction from your body’s immune system to a normally harmless substance. 

What is Pollen?

            Pollen is produced by various plants in order to fertilize other plants. Although these pollen grains are normally too small to see with the naked eye, they can form into larger visible clusters. A common misconception is that people with seasonal allergies are allergic to flowers but this is not true for most. Plants that don’t have showy flowers such as trees, weeds, and grasses are the most common inducers of allergic reactions. Other airborne allergens include, house dust mites, pet dander, and cockroaches. These pollen's will drift with the wind for many miles, so even if weeds and offending plants are removed from certain areas, there is still a chance for them to grow back.

Weeds that produce the largest amounts of Allergenic Pollen:

• Ragweed
• Sagebrush
• Red root pig weed
• Lamb’s quarters
• Russian thistle (tumbleweed)
• English Plantain

     Trees that produce pollen:

•       Oak
•       Ash
•       Elm
•       Hickory
•       Pecan
•       Box Elder
•       Mountain Cedar

 Diagnosis & Treatment

If you believe you have seasonal allergies there are many things you can do to relieve your symptoms.

First, make a visit to your health care provider and describe your symptoms. An allergy test may be helpful. Allergy tests help to distinguish what kind of pollen's your body has made allergens to. This test can be done in one of two ways, a blood test or a skin prick test.

Second, get treatment. Your healthcare provider will tell you what the best route will be for you to get treated. Some common medicines used are antihistamines, topical nasal steroids, cromolyn sodium, decongestants, or allergy shots. For mild symptoms the most recommended treatments are over the counter medications which are usually antihistamines.

Remember that contact with pollen's can be nearly unavoidable but symptoms can be aided by medicines. Speak to your health care provider to see what is recommended for you.

Sources:

1.      http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/allergicDiseases/Documents/PollenAllergyFactSheet.pdf

2.      http://www.niaid.nih.gov/_LAYOUTS/NIAID.Internet.Controls/SearchResults.aspx?getfields=description&q=seasonal+allergies&access=p&output=xml_no_dtd&client=default_frontend&oe=UTF-8&site=default_collection&ie=UTF-8&ulang=&sort=date:D:L:d1&entqr=3&entqrm=0&start=10

3.      http://web.a.ebscohost.com.byui.idm.oclc.org/ehost/detail?sid=7dc3c848-ea8e-4573-8f42-8bee3a5c2e9b%40sessionmgr4003&vid=1&hid=4214&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=cin20&AN=2002025943