In this issue:

Have you received your flu shot? There's still time!

Cardiovascular Health:

Cholesterol — it's not all bad

Behavioral Health:

High anxiety

Respiratory Health:

You can exercise if you have asthma

Breathing techniques when you have COPD

Have you received your flu shot? There's still time!

Unpredictable. That's the best way to describe flu season, which officially began in late October.

It's impossible to know what the 2011-12 flu season has in store for us. What we do know is that the flu is a highly contagious respiratory illness that can cause mild to severe illness and can even be fatal. Every year, more than 200,000 people are hospitalized with the flu. The best way to protect yourself and your family is to get vaccinated every year.

Even healthy children and adults can become very sick from the flu and spread it to family and friends. You can pass on the flu before you even know you are sick!

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that everyone over the age of 6 months get vaccinated. Those at higher risk for serious complications include:

People age 65 and older
Children younger than 5, but especially children younger than 2
People with health conditions such as asthma, chronic lung disease, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, as well as kidney, liver, and neurological disorders
Pregnant women

Others who should get a flu shot:

Health care workers
Residents of nursing homes or other long-term care facilities, as well as family and friends who have contact with a resident
Caregivers of young children, especially children under 6 months, who are at the highest risk of flu-related complications

The sooner you get a flu shot, the sooner you'll be protected. However, experts agree, it's never too late to get a flu shot.

If you have questions about getting a flu shot, be sure to talk to your doctor. To locate a physician in your area, visit www.upmchealthplan.com and click on Find a Doctor.

Note: Not all people should receive the flu vaccine. Talk to your doctor to find out if this vaccine is right for you.

High anxiety

For the past eight months, Bill could not stop worrying. And he wasn't just a little bit worried. He was really concerned about a lot of things — his finances, his health, his family's safety. He couldn't keep his mind on anything else.

Bill's worrying was preventing him from sleeping and eating well. He was convinced that something bad was coming, but he just didn't know what it would be. Bill's wife always said he was a worrier, but Bill knew that things were different this time.

It's likely that Bill is suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). People with GAD experience chronic, exaggerated worry and tension for at least six months. They usually expect the worst, and they worry excessively about money, health, family, or work, even when there are no signs of trouble. Their worrying is often unfounded and more severe than the normal anxiety most people experience. People with GAD are unable to relax and often suffer from insomnia. Many also have physical symptoms, such as fatigue, trembling, muscle tension, headaches, irritability, or hot flashes.

GAD can run in families and may worsen during stressful periods. There are several treatments for the disorder, including:

Anti-anxiety medications, such as buspirone, benzodiazepines, or antidepressants.
Behavioral therapy, which uses relaxation techniques to change anxiety-causing behaviors. For example, one technique trains patients in a special breathing exercise involving slow, deep breaths to reduce anxiety. Another technique — exposure therapy — gradually exposes patients to what frightens them and helps them cope with their fears.
Cognitive behavioral therapy, which teaches patients to react differently to situations and the bodily sensations that trigger anxiety symptoms. Patients also learn to understand how negative thinking contributes to their symptoms and how to change their thoughts so that symptoms are less likely to occur.

If you think you are suffering from GAD, contact your doctor. Help is available.

Source: Mental Health America

Breathing techniques when you have COPD

If you know how to control your breathing, you can stay calm when you're short of breath. Pursed lip breathing and breathing from your diaphragm can both help. These breathing methods prevent or reduce the air trapped in your lungs and allow you to breathe in more fresh air.

Pursed lip breathing:

Breathe in slowly through your nose for 1 count.
Purse your lips as if you were going to whistle.
Breathe out gently through pursed lips for 2 slow counts (breathe out twice as slowly as you breathe in). Let the air escape naturally — don't force the air out of your lungs.
Keep doing pursed lip breathing until you're no longer short of breath.

Breathing from your diaphragm:

Put one hand on your upper chest and the other on your belly just above your waist.
Breathe in slowly through your nose — you should be able to feel the hand on your belly moving out. The hand on your chest shouldn't move.
Breathe out slowly through your pursed lips — you should be able to feel the hand on your belly moving in as you breathe out.

Being short of breath can feel scary, but do not panic. It helps if you know what to do:

Stop and rest in a comfortable position.
Lower your head and shoulders.
Breathe in through your nose and blow out through your mouth.
Breathe in and blow out as fast as necessary.
Begin to blow out more slowly and for a longer time. Don't force it. Use pursed lip breathing if you find it helpful.
Slow your breathing down.
Begin breathing through your nose.
Begin doing diaphragmatic breathing.
Stay in this position for 5 minutes longer.

How to cough up phlegm: controlled coughing:
People with COPD usually have extra phlegm (mucus) in their lungs. If you have phlegm, cough it up. If the phlegm stays in your lungs, it can clog your smaller airways, making it hard to breathe. The phlegm could also become infected, so it's important to get it out. Controlled coughing helps you clear the phlegm from your lungs. Here's how to do it:

Sit down and make yourself comfortable.
Lean your head forward slightly.
Place both feet firmly on the ground.
Breathe in deeply from your diaphragm (push your belly out while you breathe in).
Try to hold your breath for three seconds.
While keeping your mouth slightly open, cough out twice. You should feel your diaphragm pushed upward while you do this. The first cough should bring up the phlegm, and the second cough should move it toward the throat.
Spit the phlegm out into a tissue. Remember to check the color. If the phlegm is yellow, green, or brown, or has blood in it, call your doctor. Throw out the tissue right away.
Take a break and repeat these steps once or twice if necessary.

Source: The Lung Association

Weight and your risk for heart attack

Excess body fat is not good for you, especially if a lot of it is at the waist. People who have excess weight are at higher risk for heart disease and stroke even if they have no other risk factors.

Extra weight increases your heart's work. It also raises blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels, and lowers HDL ("good") cholesterol levels. Carrying extra weight means you are more likely to develop diabetes. But, the good news is that losing as few as 10 pounds can lower your heart disease risk.

If you are overweight, you are not alone. Between 60% and 70% of Americans are either overweight or obese. An "obese" person is someone who is significantly above his or her ideal healthy weight. Being obese puts you at a higher risk for health problems such as heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, and more.

What's the best way to lose weight? There's nothing more to it than burning more calories than you eat. Wise food choices can help you eat fewer calories and daily physical activity helps you burn off some of the calories you consume. These tips can help:

Keep portions smaller than your fist.
One way to control overeating is to reduce portion sizes. For most foods, a reasonable portion is one-half to one cup — about the size of a woman's fist. Even if your fist is larger than that, it is still a handy measuring tool that goes everywhere you go. Just keep your portions smaller than your fist. For meat, chicken, and fish, the portion should be the size of a deck of cards. And for vegetables, you can have as much as you want.

Control your hunger with foods that are filling and low in calories.
Foods like soup, salad, fruits, and vegetables can help fill you up without adding a lot of calories. These foods will satisfy your hunger and help you lose weight. High-fiber foods, such as fruits and vegetables, make you feel full, and because they digest slowly, they help you feel satisfied longer so you eat less.

Track what you eat.
When you keep track of what you eat, you're more likely to meet your food goals. Studies show that keeping a food log or diary helps people lose weight and keep it off.

Get more exercise.
Regular exercise is important for keeping your heart healthy. Increasing your physical activity may help you lose weight and strengthen your heart at the same time.

Even taking off a few pounds can provide you with cardiovascular benefits, so every step in the right direction is a step toward healthier living.

Source: American Heart Association

Cholesterol — It's not all bad

Like many things, in moderation, cholesterol is a good thing. It is just one of the many substances created and used by our bodies to keep us healthy.

Cholesterol comes from two sources: your body and food. Your liver and other cells in your body make about 75% of blood cholesterol. The other 25% comes from the foods you eat.

A cholesterol screening measures your level of HDL and LDL. HDL is the "good" cholesterol which helps keep the LDL (bad) cholesterol from getting lodged in your artery walls. A healthy level of HDL may also protect against heart attack and stroke, while low levels of HDL have been shown to increase the risk of heart disease.

If you need to increase your HDL, studies show that regular physical activity can help your body produce more of it. Reducing trans fats and eating a balanced, nutritious diet is another way to increase HDL. If these measures are not enough to help you reach your HDL goal, your doctor may prescribe a medication specifically to increase your HDL.

LDL cholesterol is the "bad" cholesterol. When too much of it circulates in the blood, it can clog arteries, increasing your risk of heart attack and stroke. LDL cholesterol is produced naturally by the body, but many people inherit genes from their mother, father, or even grandparents that cause them to make too much. Eating saturated fat, trans fats and dietary cholesterol also increases LDL.

High cholesterol is one of the major controllable risk factors for coronary heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. As your blood cholesterol rises, so does your risk of heart disease. If you have other risk factors (such as high blood pressure or diabetes) as well as high cholesterol, this risk increases even more. The more risk factors you have, the greater your chances of developing heart disease. Also, the greater the level of each risk factor, the more that factor affects your overall risk.

If high blood cholesterol runs in your family, lifestyle modifications may not be enough to help lower your LDL. Everyone is different, so work with your doctor to find the treatment plan that's best for you.

Source: American Heart Association

You can exercise if you have asthma

The main goal of asthma treatment is to help you maintain a normal and healthy lifestyle, which includes exercise. You can play a big part in this by following your asthma action plan, taking your medications as directed, avoiding triggers, and monitoring your symptoms and lung function.

Experts recommend that you get 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week. If your asthma symptoms prevent you from participating fully in activities, you should talk to your doctor. A small change in your asthma action plan may be all you need. There are some steps you should take before exercise to help keep an asthma attack at bay:

Check with your doctor about whether you need to use an inhaler before you exercise. If your doctor says yes, always use your inhaler before beginning exercise.
Warm up before and cool down after exercise.
If it's cold outside, exercise inside or wear a mask or scarf over your nose and mouth.
If you have allergic asthma, don't exercise outside when pollen counts are high or when air pollution is high (you can check online for these statistics).
Don't exercise when you are sick with a respiratory infection, like a cold.
Exercise at a level appropriate for your fitness condition.

Maintaining an active lifestyle is important for both physical and mental health. Keep in mind that asthma is not a reason to avoid exercise. When your asthma is properly controlled, you should be able to enjoy the benefits of an exercise program without experiencing asthma symptoms.

Activities that may be good for a person with asthma are those that involve short, intermittent periods of exertion:

Volleyball
Biking
Gymnastics
Walking
Baseball
Running on a treadmill
Wrestling
Swimming

Exercises that may cause problems for people with asthma are those that require long periods of exertion:

Soccer
Long distance running
Basketball
Field hockey
Cold weather sports such as ice hockey, cross-country skiing, and ice-skating

But, if your asthma is well-controlled, all of the activities on this list are possible. If you have an asthma attack during exercise, stop! Use your quick-relief medication. If your symptoms go away completely, you may restart the exercise. If your symptoms return, stop the activity again and repeat your quick-relief medication. Call your doctor for guidance.

Have you received your flu shot? There's still time!

High anxiety

Breathing techniques when you have COPD

Weight and your risk for heart attack

OBESITY STATISTICS

Cholesterol — It's not all bad

You can exercise if you have asthma