December 2015 - Health Beat

It’s New Year’s Eve. Will you be going out or staying in?

Posted on December 31, 2015 by Flushing Hospital

NYE party -78818827 Everyone knows that New Year’s Eve is the most popular night of the year to party. It is a night to go out with family and friends to celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of a new one. Some people prefer to spend a quiet night at home though. The reasons are varied but commonly people don’t want to spend the money, don’t like the crowds, and think that the night is much a-do about nothing.

Which do you prefer?

All content of this newsletter is intended for general information purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult a medical professional before adopting any of the suggestions on this page. You must never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment based upon any content of this newsletter. PROMPTLY CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN OR CALL 911 IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY.

Are You Experiencing The Holiday Blues?

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Flushing Hospital

The holiday season may be a time of happiness for many but for others it can also be the time of year that they are likely to feel depressed.

Financial stress, increased alcohol or food consumption, Seasonal Affective Disorder and loneliness are common contributors to depression during the holidays.

While the source of depression may vary from person to person, there are chronic behaviors and health problems that are widely recognized as symptoms of the disorder. Some of these include:

Fatigue
Insomnia
Sleeping excessively
Loss of interest in activities or hobbies that were once enjoyable
Loss of appetite
Difficulty concentrating
Feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness

People who experience bouts of depression during the holidays can reduce these symptoms by:

Asking for help when holiday stressors become overwhelming
Moderating alcohol consumption
Spending time with loved ones
Exercising
Eating a healthy and balanced diet
Getting enough sleep
Practicing relaxation techniques such as yoga or meditation

If symptoms of depression persist or progress into self-harming thoughts, please seek the help of a mental health professional immediately. It is important to remember there is no shame in receiving assistance from mental health professionals; they will help you to identify the source of your depression and offer several options for treatment.

To schedule an appointment with a mental health professional at Flushing Hospital Medical Center, please call 718-670-5316 or 718-670-5562

Waist Training – Is It Safe?

Posted on December 29, 2015 by Flushing Hospital

The latest trend to achieve a slimmer waist is inspired by a practice that is over 500 years old.

Waist training is a practice that requires women to wear a corset, similar to the ones worn in the Victorian era, for extended periods of time in an attempt to achieve an hour glass figure. Endorsed by celebrities, waist training is popping up all over social media, with many women trying to reduce or contour their midsection, but does it work?

Proponents of waist training believe that wearing a corset for hours at a time will permanently mold their waist into a desired, slimmer shape. Medical experts disagree, however, stating that after the constricting garment is removed, your body will eventually return to its natural form. Believers of waist training also say that garment increases sweating, which results in weight loss, but doctors claim it is not possible to perspire so much that it will shed inches off of your waist line.

Regardless of whether or not waist training is effective, there is no debate that it can cause serious damage to a woman’s health. Wearing these cinching devices can move or squeeze internal organs, causing serious damage, including compressed lungs, crushed or displaced organs, or fractured ribs. These problems can result in difficulty breathing, digestive issues, and general pain.

While waist training is certainly appealing because it seems like a quick fix to shrink your waist, doctors encourage maintaining a healthy diet and incorporating a fitness regime focused on strengthening your core as a much safer and healthier alternative.

Motor Vehicle Accidents and the Holidays

Posted on December 24, 2015 by Flushing Hospital

christmas car-458146831 What time of the year are you most at risk of getting into a motor vehicle accident?

The odds of getting into an accident increase during periods when there are more cars on the road, such as rush hour, or when during periods of inclement weather. But when the number of alcohol impaired drivers increase, the odds skyrocket.

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 36 fatalities occur per day on average in the United States as a result of crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver. At certain times of the year, such as holidays, those numbers rise dramatically. For example, during the Christmas season, an average of 45 fatalities involving an alcohol-impaired driver occurred each day, and soars to 54 per day over the New Year’s holiday.

New Year’s Eve is more than just the last day of every year; it is also the holiday with the most arrests made by law enforcement agencies across the United States for suspected drinking and driving.

Flushing Hospital wants to remind everyone not to drink and drive and to exercise good judgment while on the road this holiday season.

Does One Part Alcohol + One Part Breast Milk = Bad For Baby?

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Flushing Hospital

Women have been warned not to consume alcohol during pregnancy. There is sufficient research that confirms drinking alcohol, while pregnant, poses several, avoidable risk to an unborn baby. However, the risks of consuming alcohol while breastfeeding are not as well defined.

Breastfeeding mothers often receive conflicting advice about whether their alcohol consumption can have an adverse effect on their baby. This leaves mothers with more questions than answers. A good resource to start looking for answers is the La Leche League. Their article, The Womanly Art Of Breastfeeding says: The effects of alcohol on the breastfeeding baby are directly related to the amount the mother ingests. When the breastfeeding mother drinks occasionally, or limits her consumption to one drink or less per day, the amount of alcohol her baby receives has not been proven to be harmful.

The League further published:

Alcohol passes freely into mother’s milk and has been found to peak about 30 to 60 minutes after consumption, 60 to 90 minutes when taken with food. Alcohol also freely passes out of a mother’s milk and here system. It takes a 120 pound woman about two to three hours to eliminate from her body the alcohol in one serving of beer or wine. The more alcohol that is consumed, the longer it takes for it to be eliminated. It takes up to 13 hours for a 120 pound woman to eliminate alcohol from one high-alcoholic drink.

Opposing research from the Mayo Clinic suggests that breast-fed babies, whose mothers drank, as few as, one drink a day may present with impaired motor or development and that alcohol can cause changes in sleep patterns.

Also, to dispel any notion that encourages drinking alcohol to improve milk production. Facts show that the presence of alcohol in breast milk can cause the babies to drink about 20 % less

If you have consumed more than the legal amount of alcohol to drive a vehicle, you have consumed more than the recommended amount of alcohol to safely breastfeed. Moms should be mindful that the level of alcohol in her blood, matches the level of alcohol in her breast milk.”

Research has shown that breast-feeding is an optimal way to feed your newborn and is recommended until a baby is at least age one. If you have questions on what method to use to when deciding how you will feed your baby.

How Much Bacteria is your Baby’s Pacifier Holding?

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Flushing Hospital

The pacifier is the saving grace for many new parents to soothe their crying baby. However, what parents may not know are the germs harbored on the pacifier could be causing more harm than good to their baby’s health. If you have noticed your child is more prone to being diagnosed with strep throat and ear infections, the pacifier maybe the culprit.

Germs are not just on the surface of the pacifier. The porous rubber top of the pacifier is likely to grow bacteria from the inside out. Research conducted at the Tulsa Wellness Care Center found standard lab cultures produced strep bacteria, various strains of staph and the bacteria that cause pneumonia. The pacifier samples also produced the yeast that causes thrush. Thinking you can clean or disinfect the pacifier for continual use? Not necessarily. Even after washing and boiling a pacifier, these bacterias build a resistance under a complex structure called ‘biofilm’ and continue to harbor and grow. Surprisingly, the life expectancy of a pacifier, even after continual cleaning and “disinfecting”, is only two weeks.

So after this information, what should a parent do? Quit cold turkey? Cry it out? Here are a few helpful tips to ease the distress for both parent and baby:

Take it away early- newborns have a sucking reflex due to hunger, but by three months of age, it’s non-nutritive. Instead, try soothing your baby rocking or holding them.
Make it taste bad- Once they are older, they have developed their taste buds and are biased to certain tastes. Parents have tried vinegar or lemon to make it taste bad, but once it becomes unappealing, your child may be pacifier-free.
Take it away gradually- using it only for naps can be helpful and then gradually letting go the need for it.
Cut the tops off of the pacifier- an unconventional method, but possibly helpful. Place them strategically where he or she may find them and they will realize they are no longer able to use.

A healthy, happy baby will appreciate your caution in the long run.

How long can viruses live outside the body?

Posted on December 18, 2015 by Flushing Hospital

517019433 virus sneeze We have all seen the news reports about the tiny, disgusting germs that are on the surfaces we all encounter every day in our homes and places of work. With cold and flu season upon us, preparations are now being made by many to prevent transmission of viruses, but before you go through drastic measures, there are some important facts about viruses that you should know, such as how long do viruses live on our phones, doorknobs, and keyboards?

There is not one answer to this question. The life of a virus (technically, viruses are not alive) depends on what type of virus it is, the conditions of the environment it is in, as well as the type of surface it is on.

Cold viruses have been shown to survive on indoor surfaces for approximately seven days. Flu viruses, however, are active for only 24 hours.

All viruses have the potential to live on hard surfaces, such as metal and plastic, longer than on fabrics and other soft surfaces. In fact, infectious flu viruses can survive on tissues for only 15 minutes. Viruses tend to also live longer in areas with lower temperatures, low humidity, and low sunlight.

How long these germs are actually capable of infecting you is a different story. In general, viruses are not likely to be a danger on surfaces very long. In fact, while cold viruses can live for several days, their ability to cause infection decreases after approximately 24 hours, and after only five minutes, the amount of flu virus on hands fall to low levels, making transmission much less likely.

The best defense against active viruses remains thorough hand washing. In addition, wiping down surfaces with anti-bacterial or alcohol-based cleaners will help kill viruses and decrease the chances of transmission.

Hover Board Safety Tips

Posted on December 14, 2015 by Michael Hinck

Hover-boards are the hot new toy, but how safe are they? These self-balancing scooters are on the top of every kid’s (and some adult’s) list to Santa this year, but as these unregulated travel devices rise in popularity, so too have trips to the Emergency Department due to hover board related accidents.

Hospital ERs across the country are reporting a series of injuries, from scraps and contusions, to fractures and sprains, to even head injuries resulting from hover-board accidents. These toys can reach maximum speeds of 15 miles an hour and falls from them can cause significant harm. All you have to do is go to You Tube, Twitter, or Instagram and type in #HoverBoardFalls to see how dangerous hover-boards can be if the rider (or parent, if the rider is a child) does not take proper precautions.

Hover-board price and quality vary greatly so read online reviews from previous buyers before purchasing one. Also, because they are so new to the market, there are no national safety standards for hover-boards. Until regulations are in place, riders should follow the same safety guidelines they would for riding a bicycle, including wearing a helmet, elbow and knee pads, wrist guards and/or gloves.

Other tips to follow before getting on a hover-board include carefully reading the instruction manual to learn how to properly operate it. Also make sure to adhere to all safety rules, including age and weight recommendations.

It is a good idea to have a “spotter” with you when you first attempt to ride your hover-board in case you fall. Lastly, riders should not use their hover boards in the street or on public walkways to avoid seriously injuring themselves or others.

Like everything else, hover-boards can be a lot of fun if they are used responsibly. Happy and safe hovering!

Fire Safety Tips for The Holiday Season

Posted on December 11, 2015 by Flushing Hospital

Fire Safety-494529483 We tend to cook and decorate more during the holiday season. These activities if not exercised with caution and safety can lead to burn injuries, which is one of the most common problems emergency rooms face at this time of year. Doctors are requesting that people pay close attention to potential hazards that can result in burn injuries and avoid them by following these safety guidelines:

Do not leave food unattended on the stove or oven for extended periods of time.
Avoid wearing loose garments around flames by the stove or fireside.
Keep flammable objects such as pot holders, paper towels or utensils made of wood away from the stove.
When buying a real tree make sure that it is green. Also remember to water your tree if it is real – a dry tree is a fire hazard. If purchasing a synthetic tree be sure to check for a label that reads “fire resistant.”
Keep trees away from fire places or radiators.
Never leave candles or oil burners unattended.
Keep gifts and wrapping paper away from fireplaces.
Have chimneys cleaned and inspected each year.
Make certain that smoke detectors are working.
Always have a fire extinguisher within reach.
Do not overload extension cords.
Inspect holiday lights to make certain that wires are not cracked or frayed.

Please keep your holiday season safe and accident free by following recommended fire safety guidelines. For a list of further safety tips please visit the National Fire Protection Association’s website www.NFPA.org .

Do The Holidays Stress You Out? Follow These Tips

Posted on December 10, 2015 by Flushing Hospital

Holiday stress 518171227 The holidays are supposed to be about joy and merriment, but for many they can become a very stressful time of year.

The average American spends 42 hours a year on holiday activities including, shopping, wrapping presents, decorating, attending holiday parties, and traveling from place to place. Often, these extra activities get squeezed into our already busy schedules.

Our schedules are not the only thing being squeezed during the holidays; so too are our wallets. The holidays promote gift giving, but to what extent? Buying something for everyone on your list can be a very stressful situation, especially when you are on a budget.

To help you enjoy avoid holiday stress and enjoy this very special time of year, try following these simple tips:

• Take Calm-Down Breaks. Soon after you awake, close your eyes, take several deep breaths and meditate or just relax. Quieting down your mind before you begin your day can help it get off to a great start and things will flow for you.

• Create the Holiday You Want – When the holidays come around, you may find yourself getting pulled in many different directions. Don’t give in to outside pressures. Decide how do you want to spend your time and resources. Consider what is most important to you and what memories you want to create.

• Stick to a Budget – Unfortunately, so many people cause their own stress by overspending during the holidays. Try to start saving for the upcoming holiday season early in the year. Sit down and look to see what you can really afford before you start shopping.

• Be Generous With Your Heart – One of the best ways to stay calm, content and cheerful this time of year is to act generously with your loved ones, co-workers and friends. This doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of money though.

• Get Moving – One of the best ways to overcome stress during the holidays or any other time is to exercise regularly. Physical activity not only boosts your fitness and energy levels but can also elevate your mood.

• Eat Healthy- Inevitably, at this time of year, you’ll be constantly tempted with sweet, empty-calorie treats. But to be your most energetic, focused and happy self, it’s best to avoid the sugary snacks and eat healthier options.

Hopefully, by following these recommendations, your holidays can be calm, relaxing and fun.