BREAST CANCER AWARENESS

 

    October has been designated as Breast Cancer Awareness month since 1985. Almost every community in the United States will feature breast cancer awareness and prevention activities, fund raisers for breast cancer research, and educational activities for breast cancer survivors. As the color pink proliferates across towns and cities in the U.S., may these events and fund raisers serve as the catalyst for breast cancer prevention, and as reminders of the importance to continue to fund much needed research into a type of cancer for which there is still no definitive cause and no predictable cure.

    There are two areas of focus when discussing breast cancer, those areas being prevention of getting breast cancer, and the course(s) of action to be taken if breast cancer is detected. The issues surrounding a deeper understanding of prevention of breast cancer is mitigated by a vast compendium of breast cancer research literature that can demonstrate correlations with genetic and environmental factors that may contribute to higher indices of breast cancer in certain groups of individuals, but the research falls short of finding definitive causes for breast cancer.

    Since the 1930’s, the incidence of breast cancer has risen from 1 in 50 women to 1 in 8 by the year 2000. Many research studies have documented the correlations between environmental factors such as chemicals, toxins, and petrol products with the rise in breast cancer cases. Chemicals such as pesticides, parabans, household cleansers, smoke and fuel emissions, food additives and food colorings, cosmetics, hair colorings, and many other commonly used products have all been linked to the increased incidence of breast cancer.

    With the risks of breast cancer increasing in populations of both women and men, what can an individual do to help prevent their own chances of contracting breast cancer? Perhaps the best forms of prevention are to discuss your options and choices with your physician, to visit and get materials from the local chapters of breast cancer awareness and education groups, and to read the latest research data on breast cancer and breast cancer prevention. The few suggestions listed here are for fairly simple lifestyle changes that could contribute to breast cancer prevention.

 

1. Use Organic Cosmetics: Many personal care products, cosmetics, body lotions, shampoos and conditioners, hair dyes, and sun tan lotions contain chemicals that have been linked to breast cancer and other types of cancer, such as skin cancer.
   

    

2. Eat Organic Food: The hormones added to milk, the hormones given to beef, pigs and chickens, the food colorings put into meat and other food products, the pesticides used to grow produce faster, and the fertilizers used in commercial farming all have chemicals that have been linked to breast and other types of cancer.

    

3. Eliminate Plastic Containers: When plastic is heated even slightly, the plastic decomposes into carcinogenic materials that are linked to breast and other types of cancer. It is best to use a paper towel to cover food for the microwave, to not drink any liquids out of plastic bottles, and to eliminate plastic storage containers for food and drinks.
   

    

4. Eliminate Tanning: A small amount of sunlight, about 10 to 15 minutes accumulated per day, gives the body a sufficient amount of vitamin D to be healthy. However, extended and unprotected exposure to the sun’s rays or use of a tanning bed has been linked to both breast cancer and skin cancer.
   
5. Increase Dietary Beta-carotene: Many leafy green vegetables, dark blue and red fruits, and deep yellow and orange vegetables are high in the cancer preventing beta-carotenes. Some examples of these are spinach, blueberries, yams, cherries, and carrots.
   

    

6. Exercise More: There has been some gratifying research that shows the relationship between exercising regularly and reduced rates of breast cancer. In addition, people with higher body fat indices have been correlated to having higher rates of breast and other types of cancer.
   

    

Xeroscape and Organically Garden: When developing your own garden, landscaping, and flower beds, be sure to use plants and flowers that are indigenous to your area. Do not use pesticides and chemicals that can leach into the aquifers and come into contact with your skin and lungs.

DID YOU KNOW THAT COOLER WEATHER COULD TRIGGER WEIGHT GAIN?

 

    As the first official days of fall return, the days become shorter, night comes earlier, and the temperatures become cooler, everyone’s body changes accordingly with the new, developing seasonal variations. In long past human eras, the cooler weather and shorter daylight hours triggered an automatic biological response that signaled the human body to eat more and store energy for the approaching months when food would not be as plentiful, similar to the biological processes triggered in bears about to hibernate.

    This may have proved useful for the survival of the human species thousands of years ago, but the same triggered processes of eating more to assure human survival have lost necessity now. Recent medical research has shown that the average person has a seasonal weight gain of five to ten pounds every fall and winter. Often these slight variations in weight gain go unnoticed, but the pounds gained may not be lost during the summer months, and over time these increases in weight can result in health problems.

    Instead of throwing away discretion at the pull of a biological imperative, people can make choices that will result in working with natural seasonal human biorhythms while maintaining healthy weight for their body. For example, if the cooler weather and shorter days increase a person’s appetite, then he or she can give in to the urges to increase food intake, but choose healthy, low calorie snacks and natural foods that are big on nutritional value. In addition, the cooler weather can be an impetus to exercise more often outdoors.

    Here are a few suggestions for working within the boundaries of human seasonal body fluctuations and maintaining one’s health without unnecessary weight gain.

 

1. Eat Edamame- Edamame is the shelled soy bean which can be boiled, steamed, or stir-fried. Edamame is high in protein, fiber, B vitamins, folate, and vitamin K, while maintaining low calories.
   

    

2. Combine Hummus with Vegetable Snacks- Hummus is the Mediterranean chickpea dip that also has garlic, tahini, and olive oil. The chickpeas provide fiber, proteins, folate, and vitamins, while garlic boosts the immune system. Olive oil has important fats that aid in developing healthy hearts. The vegetables will provide a host of vitamins, fiber, and minerals to your diet.
   

    

3. Eat More Asparagus- Local fresh asparagus is ready for harvest at the end of the summer and provides a very low calorie treat. Asparagus can be cooked many ways and is high in vitamin C, fiber, and folate.
   

    

4. Add Cinnamon to Foods- Cinnamon can be used as a spice in foods at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and has been prized as a healthy spice for thousands of years. Cinnamon can aid in weight loss and also serves to lower blood sugar, even to the extent of helping to lower blood sugar in diabetics.
   

    

5. Eat Berries and Yogurt- Berries are low in calories, high in fiber which aids in reducing the bad type of cholesterol, and are full of vitamin C. In addition, berries are natural anti-oxidants that fight all types of free radicals. Yogurt contains natural probiotics that are good for skin, digestion, and aid female reproductive health.

    

6. Drink Lots of Water- Drinking at least eight large glasses of water per day can have great health benefits. Water flushes toxins out of the body while also serving to hydrate internal organs. Since 85% of the human body is water, it is important to hydrate throughout the day. An eight ounce glass of water before every meal will help the feeling of satiation develop faster during eating and help the body to regulate urges to eat more.

    

• To read more interesting articles on similar subjects, go to the Health Care Credit Union Association Web site at www.hccua.com.

 

JOB SATISFACTION AND PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING TIPS

 

As the unemployment lines are growing everywhere in the United States and the media is full of businesses going under, many workers are afraid of their financial and employment future. Although there is no sense in worrying about situations that have not occurred, everyone could benefit from having a few professional networking strategies in place to use before anything traumatic happens in their career pathway. Even if you are satisfied with your current professional position, these suggestions could help you to retain your current position and progress in your professional career path.

 

1. Dress as a Professional- Every day and for every professional encounter, it is in your best interest to look your personal best and professional. Each profession has a standard for dressing, and while a career in fashion design would mitigate different attire than one in banking, the standards that are set for each profession should be followed and exceeded. Humans are 85% visual, and you can capitalize on your worth by following professional dress codes and looking your daily best. The added benefit of dressing well is that you may even feel more self-confident and exude professionalism.
   

    

2. Join Professional Associations- All professions have their associations, unions, and networking events. If you join the appropriate associations for your profession, you will be on important mailing and invitation lists. Even if you do not particularly enjoy networking events, in this economic climate where jobs are tenuous, it would be in your professional best interest to be an active member or leader in such groups and to attend as many events as possible.
   

    

3. Foster Collegial Relationships- It could be a good exercise to sit down and make a list of your professional contacts from previous jobs, professional schools and universities, client contacts, and even neighbors and relatives. After you make the professional contact list, develop a timeline of meetings for you to continue and update your relationships. These meetings can be individual luncheon dates, group get-togethers with employees with whom you worked in the past or after work meetings with allied professionals.
   

    

4. Join Social Networking Services- In this day, almost every business has linked in to one or more of the social networking services to market their branding or to achieve free cyber advertising of their products or services. There are many Web sites that will keep the media savvy professional connected, and also others that can aid if you are looking for a new job. Some examples are: LinkedIn and Plaxo that are professional sites for sharing resumes, Monster and USAJOBS for job searches, and MySpace and Facebook for social networking. Be sure to keep all personal information and pictures that might hurt your chances of employment off of your professional pages as employers are now looking at your profiles at sites such as Facebook prior to even giving you an interview.
   

    

5. Be A Lifelong Learner- Continue to grow and develop as a professional by taking new classes, getting new certifications and licenses in related professional fields, and by enrolling in adult education classes that can make you more marketable in the career arena. As you receive new certifications or pass courses, be sure to inform Human Resources, your current supervisors, and to list all of them on your resume.
   

    

Update Your Resume- In addition to the above mentioned suggestion of being a lifelong learner, be sure to keep your resume updated with your current position and professional responsibilities. If any of your collegial contacts asks for a copy of your resume, be sure to send the updated version within a 24 hour timeframe. You may want to have several paper copies of your resume ready to take to professional meetings and conferences.

SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT INSOMNIA

 

    Insomnia was first recognized as an Anglicized word in 1623, so the state of sleeplessness has been around for many centuries to plague humans. The definition of insomnia is the inability to obtain sufficient sleep or the inability to maintain sleep for an adequate amount of time, or both. In 2007, the United States Department of Health and Human Services estimated that approximately 64 million people living in the United States regularly suffer from insomnia, but the percentiles are probably higher since not everyone seeks treatment. Indeed, some scientific studies have estimated that 30% - 65% of the general public is affected by some sort of insomnia, and 10%- 15% of the population in the U.S. has chronic insomnia. So what is this disease that affects so many people?

    In actuality, insomnia is more of a symptom of many diseases and not one particular disease. The three types of insomnia have been defined as transient insomnia, acute insomnia, and chronic insomnia, and each type of insomnia has different attributes.

Transient insomnia has the duration of a few days to a couple of weeks, and is characterized by lack of adequate sleep that causes impaired psychomotor functioning during waking hours. This type of insomnia is often caused by another disorder, changes in the sleeping environment, and changes in environment such as jet lag. Acute insomnia is defined as the inability to adequately sleep over a prolonged period of time, usually three weeks to six months, and is most often attributed to severe depression, stress, and/or anxiety. Chronic insomnia is the type that lasts for years, is caused by another disorder, and has the long-term consequences of decreased functioning on all levels during waking hours, muscular fatigue, lack of mental acuity, and may cause hallucinations and mental disorders.

In addition to the three types of insomnia, scientific sleep research has determined that the onset patterns of insomnia are related to the etiology. More simply stated, when the insomnia occurs in the sleep pattern, or circadian rhythm, of an individual may be related to the cause of the disease. There are three times during the nightly sleep cycle when insomnia can occur, and those are onset insomnia, middle insomnia, and late insomnia. Onset insomnia occurs when people have difficulty falling asleep, and that is often associated with anxiety disorders. Middle insomnia is characterized by wakefulness in the middle of the night and the inability to return to sleep. This type of insomnia is often associated with chronic pain or other types of medical illnesses. Late insomnia is characterized by early morning wakefulness with inadequate sleep, and this type is most characteristic of depression. Although there may be different types of insomnia, the characteristics of the disease remain similar.

The characteristics of insomnia may include one or more of the following symptoms:

• Difficulty falling asleep
• Awakening during the night without returning to sleep
• Awakening too early in the morning
• Not feeling well rested after a night’s sleep
• Day time fatigue
• Sleeping during the day
• Heightened anxiety
• Depression
• Irritability
• Accident prone
• Headaches
• Attention difficulties
• Trouble focusing and maintaining focus
• Gastrointestinal symptoms
• Preoccupation with sleep
• Lack of libido

 

Some of the recent medical research as reported by Johns Hopkins Medical Center show some people to have genetic predispositions to insomnia, especially in twin sleep studies. However, the prevalence of research shows insomnia to have many possible causes. Here are a few of the most common causes of insomnia:

• Medications, drugs, and stimulants, such as amphetamines, caffeine, and some herbs
• Nicotine
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Restless Legs Syndrome
• Hormone shifts, especially in women preceding menstruation and during menopause
• Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
• Depression
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
• Alcohol
• Medical conditions
• Changes in environment or work schedule
• Changes in circadian rhythms
• Eating late in the evening
• Aging
• Travel, such as jet lag or changing time zones
• Neurological disorders
• Environmental stimulants, such as noise or light
• Recurrent nightmares

 

With all of the personal, medical, and environmental hazards that might cause insomnia, it is no wonder that at some time in their lives, one third of the U.S. population will experience some type of insomnia. What are the standard treatments for insomnia?

    Before insomnia can be treated as a disease, it is important to have a medical examination by a physician who can determine whether the insomnia is a symptom of a larger problem, such as other medical diseases, mental illnesses, a side effect of medications or drugs, or an environmental problem. There are both pharmaceutical interventions and behavioral adaptation procedures that can be used for the treatment of insomnia. Since there are dangers of becoming tolerant to sleeping aid medications, the behavioral adaptations and strategies are suggested to be used first. These strategies include behavioral interventions, cognitive therapy, environmental interventions, sleep restriction therapy, patient education, relaxation therapy, acupuncture, and hypnosis.

    If these interventions and strategies are not helpful in readjusting sleep patterns, then the last resort would be to use short-term sleep aid medications. Because all sedative drugs have the possibility of dependence and tolerance, and some of these drugs will result in physical withdrawals, caution is used in the administration of sedatives over time. There is conflicting research studies that show both the helpful aspects and the hindrances of common medications used to treat insomnia. In fact, a meta-analysis of many sleep studies involving the use of common sleep medications was reported in the Journal of Internal Medicine, and the results showed that chronic users of hypnotic medications for insomnia did not sleep better than those who were not medicated, and sometimes they reported poorer sleeping patterns!

Due to the prevalence of many severe side effects from the hypnotic medications used to treat insomnia, the issues of tolerance and dependence, the discomfort of withdrawal, and the loss of potency of the medications over time to actually treat insomnia, it is best to only use medications for a short period of time.
These are decision-making plans that need to be discussed with a physician, and together you can develop a variety of strategies to be employed for improving sleep. The long-term treatment options of behavioral and therapeutic interventions should be used in conjunction with short-term medication options to break the cycle of insomnia.

    There are some natural and herbal interventions that have shown to improve sleep in people suffering from insomnia, and these come without the medication side effects experienced from psycho-sedatives. Some of these common herbal remedies are valerian, melatonin, chamomile, lavender, hops, and passion-flower, with valerian appearing to be the most effective. A glass of warm milk produces an enzyme that also induces sleep, as do enzymes in other foods, such as turkey.

    If you are experiencing insomnia that is persisting over time, the first step is to visit a physician for a diagnosis on the etiology of the disease. You can work with your physician to develop a plan of action that will be acceptable to your individual needs, and one that treats the genesis of your particular type of insomnia.

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DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU CAN UPGRADE YOUR HOME ENERGY SYSTEMS AND APPLIANCES AND RECEIVE A TAX BREAK?

 

    There are very exciting ways to upgrade your home and business energy systems, go green, and receive federal and state tax breaks through 2010. Not only will you receive money refunds and tax breaks, but the home improvements will also keep giving to you in terms of monthly savings on your energy bills! Here’s how you can maximize your benefits, help the environment, and keep saving money over time.

 

    The federal stimulus laws allow homeowners to get up to a 30% tax credit on the cost of energy efficient windows, doors, water heaters, air conditioners, doors, insulation, roofs, and furnaces. There is a maximum of $1500 per year, but if you go over the maximum amount for this year, you can use the remaining tax credit in 2010 as long as the item is installed prior to 12/31/2010.

 

Another federal tax credit adds to your savings by allowing for up to 30% of the cost of solar water heating, solar energy systems, solar power, small wind energy systems, and geothermal heat pumps if they are installed prior to 2016. After these systems are installed, your energy bills could go down to almost a fraction of your previous bills.

 

Under Section 179 of the tax code, there have always been tax credits for business improvements. However, the stimulus package doubled the amount of allowable deductibles for businesses that purchase new equipment or furniture through the end of 2010. The amount for the business improvement deductibles goes to a maximum of $250,000 per year for the next two years, so now would be the time to also get upgrades installed into your business.

 

Most states are also offering generous energy rebates, and many of the local energy companies are giving rebates for going green as well. If you put together all of the federal, state, and local tax credits and rebates, the energy savings are colossal! This is the time to upgrade all of your energy needs, get new windows and doors, purchase a solar hot water heater and get free hot water after costs, and make the upgraded changes to your home with the financial help from the federal government, state government, and local providers.

 

For more information from state sources, contact your county or state governments. For information on the federal energy tax credit, go to the Web site: energystar.gov/taxcredits.