BURNOUT

Don't let your family's health needs fall by the wayside

What causes burnout?

Impossible deadlines, demanding bosses, abusive colleagues, unpaid overtime: all factors that can lead to a burnout. But when it comes to mental health in the workplace, the influence of home life must also be considered to get the full picture.

New research from Concordia University and the University of Montreal proves that having an understanding partner is just as important as having a supportive boss.

The study, published in the journal Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, surveys 1,954 employees from 63 different organizations and shows that a multitude of issues contribute to mental health problems in the workforce.

The research team polled participants to measure factors like parental status, household income, social network, gender, age, physical health and levels of self-esteem. They studied these elements alongside stressors typically seen in the workplace, such as emotional exhaustion, poor use of skills, high psychological demands, job insecurity and lack of authority.

Turns out mental health in the workplace doesn’t exist in a vacuum: it’s deeply affected by the rest of a person’s day-to-day life. And vice versa.

The study shows that fewer mental health problems are experienced by those living with a partner, in households with young children, higher household incomes, less work-family conflicts, and greater access to the support of a social network outside the workplace.

Of course, factors within the workplace are still important.

Fewer mental health problems were reported when employees are supported at work, when expectations of job recognition are met, and when people feel secure in their jobs. A higher level of skill use is also associated with lower levels of depression, pointing to the importance of designing tasks that motivate and challenge workers.

“This is a call to action,” says senior author Steve Harvey, professor of management and dean of Concordia’s John Molson School of Business. “Researchers need to expand their perspective, so that they get a full picture of the complexity of factors that determine individuals’ mental health.”

For lead author Alain Marchand, professor at the University of Montreal’s School of Industrial Relations, it’s all about adopting a holistic view. “To maintain a truly healthy workforce, we need to look outside the office or home in simple terms to combat mental health issues in the workplace.”

Keep your family's needs in mind

Don't overlook the importance of their health and health insurance

Family health insurance Ohio

What kind of coverage does your family need? 
What can you do if there is a pre-existing condition in your family? 
What does all the small print mean? 

With the cost of health insurance steadily on the rise, your family is in need of affordable Family Health Insurance Ohio. No doubt you have some questions and concerns, so you will be relieved to see that the Solidarity Health Network has your answers and solutions.

Common questions about 

family health insurance Ohio

As you struggle to ensure the safety and wellness of your family, you have unearthed a lot of questions that still need answers:

• Whether you have existing health conditions among your family members or whether you are simply seeking to provide a safety net in the event of a health crisis, you need someone who can evaluate your individual family and offer informed advice.
• You may not have thought this was a problem, particularly if your family doesn’t currently have a diagnosed disease like cancer or Diabetes. But you can quickly find out that even simple statistics like high blood pressure or a too-high BMI (Body Mass Index, an obesity measurement) can quickly disqualify your family from coverage with some insurance providers.
• If you have been comparing the offerings of various insurance companies, you already know that the small print and details and exceptions can be complex to the point of being downright incomprehensible. You don’t want to select an insurance plan only to find, at a time of crisis, that your plan has exclusionary clauses and won’t help the immediate issue.
• You might be able to find a health coverage plan that seems affordable from month to month, but you need to assess the benefits and risks of having the high deductible that often goes with those plans. If your family finds itself facing a health crisis, the high out-of-pocket costs can outweigh the supposed benefit of the low monthly cost you elected for the insurance plan. How do you know what will be the right balance for your family?

Still unsure? Contact Solidarity Health Network for more information.

Source: What Causes Burnout?: Universite de Montreal

Source: Family Health Insurance Ohio: Solidarity Health Network

Source: Picture: Hearts in Healthcare

Working long hours can be related to diabetes

People who work long hours — more than 55 hours per week — in a low-status and poorly paying job are 30 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than people who work a “normal” schedule of 30 to 45 hours per week, according to a study published online last week in Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

The increase in risk was observed even after taking into account such diabetes-related risk factors as age, obesity, physical inactivity, smoking and shift work. 

People with high socioeconomic jobs who put in those same long hours were not found to be at increased risk, however.

As a commentary that accompanies the study points out, most public health efforts for preventing type 2 diabetes focus on reducing obesity and increasing physical activity. This study’s findings suggest that work-related factors — particularly work schedules — may also need to be addressed to reduce the incidence of diabetes both here in the U.S. and globally.

The CDC report also notes that the incidence of type 2 diabetes continues to climb among many subgroups of Americans, especially blacks, Hispanics and people with low levels of education.Diabetes statistics are sobering. Globally, an estimated 285 million people have type 2 diabetes, and that number is predicted to jump to 439 million by 2030. Last week, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the incidence of type 2 diabetes appears to have plateaued in the U.S.  Yet it still remains unacceptably high. An estimated 8.3 percent of American adults aged 20 to 79 have the disease — a rate that has more than doubled since 1990, when it was 3.5 percent.

A meta-analysis

As background information in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology study explains, many previous studies have reported an association between long working hours and factors known to contribute to diabetes, such as physical inactivity, poor diet, stress, sleep problems and depression. But only a handful of studies have looked at the direct association between long working hours and the incidence of type 2 diabetes, and their results have been somewhat equivocal.

The authors of the current study decided to test the hypothesis that the reason those previous studies’ results didn’t agree was because the studies were looking at people working in different types of jobs. They searched the medical literature for the best studies conducted to date on the topic. They identified four published and 19 unpublished studies involving more than 222,000 men and women from the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Finland, Sweden and Denmark. They then pooled the data from all those studies.

An analysis of the entire group of 222,000 workers revealed that the risk of type 2 diabetes was the same for those working more than 55 hours as for those working 35 to 45 hours per week. But when the socioeconomic status of the workers’ jobs was taken into account, a different finding emerged. People who worked long hours in jobs with low pay and low status  — but not those who worked long hours in jobs with high pay and high status — were almost a third more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who worked fewer hours.

Possible reasons why

Why long working hours raises the risk of diabetes primarily in people doing low-status, low-paying jobs is unknown. It could be, say the authors of this study, that long hours in the work lives of people in such jobs are simply markers for other hardships that are having an effect on the workers’ health. Or it could be that people in low-paying jobs have less control over when they work their long hours, and thus those hours may be more disruptive to their pursuit of healthful behaviors, like getting a good night’s sleep.

Of course, this meta-analysis used data from observational studies, which means it is unable to prove cause and effect. Still, the findings are troubling, particularly given recent trends in work hours. U.S. workers, particularly those in the bottom wage brackets, have increased their work hours considerably over the past three decades. In 2007, the average U.S. worker devoted 1,868 hours to his or her job (or jobs), an increase of 181 hours (or 10.7 percent) from 1979, according to the Economic Policy Institute. That’s the equivalent of an extra 4.5 weeks per year.

And it’s even worse for workers in the lowest fifth of the wage distribution. In 2007, they were working 22 percent more hours than in 1979, an increase of more than 400 hours — or 10 weeks — per year.

You can read the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology study in full on the journal’s website.

Source: MinnPost- UCare

IDEAS FOR FAMILY HEALTH AND FITNESS DAY- SEPTEMBER 27TH

With Family Health & Fitness Day approaching (September 27th), we are excited promote the positive impact that exercise can have on multiple aspects of a child’s life such as improving memory and test scores. Here are some tips on how to make this year’s Family Health & Fitness Day the best it can be:

Schedule time

In today’s busy world, we so often rely on our calendars as a reminder. That being said, adding time to exercise with your kids is a great way to make it happen. However, that exercise doesn’t always have to be a trip to the gym or track. On Saturday mornings when the weather is nice, bike to breakfast. Another idea is to have a daily idea jar, where your child can pick the activity once a day. It could be a family whiffle ball game, or a walk in the park. Exercise is medicine – take your daily dose.

Less screen time

Take your child’s favorite video game outdoors by creating an obstacle course with different levels and challenges to keep your child engaged. If you are watching TV, have a commercial break challenge – during commercials dance, do push-ups or sit-ups. 

Invite friends to join

Exercise doesn’t have to be between just you and your child. Now that all the kids are back from summer camp and family vacations, you could have a monthly neighborhood hike or kickball game. The more the merrier! Even a trip to the local park can create an opportunity to get kids moving with their parents. Frisbee, hide and seek or playing a game of tag. The key is to keep it fun!

Use healthy foods to fuel your child

Exercising with your child can also lead to a talk about making healthy eating choices. Try celery with peanut butter (no sugar added) instead of cookies, or carrots with hummus instead of potato chips. Also when exercising remember to bring water to hydrate!

Source: Mom TRENDS: TIPS FOR FAMILY HEALTH & FITNESS

Simple Self-Tests That Can Save Your Life

These at-home, do-it-yourself exams can often reveal more about your health than high-tech diagnostics. 

Doctors often tout the high-tech diagnostics that now comprise much of the practice of medicine. These include lab analyses of tissue and blood, ultrasounds, angiograms, magnetic imaging, thermal imaging, visual scopes, and all manner of rediologic scans. 

But sometimes a simple at-home, do-it-yourself exam can reveal more than the most advanced (and expensive) screenings. You don't have to be a doctor to perform these tests. You simply need to know what to look for.

The best part?

Because these self-tests are so easy to do, they can catch medical conditions early, before they become serious, even potentially saving your life. The other big advantage besides convenience is that they cost absolutely nothing. 

Of course, if you do find something suspicious, you'll want to consult your doctor for confirmation and treatment. 

Keep in mind that self-tests don't replace proper physicals and diagnosis by your doctor.

Check Fingernails

Nails that are white near the cuticle and red or brown near the tip can indicate kidney disease. Fingertips that are blue or clubbed can b a symptom of lung disease. This would likely be accompanied by other symptoms such as breathing impairment. These signs also can occur in toenails.

Hand Test

Put your hands together in a prayer position with the palms and all fingers pressed flat against each other. If you can't do that, or the pinky fingers wont lay flat, it may be a sign of rheumatoid arthritis. 

Finger-to-Nose Test

Sit or stand and hold one arm straight out in front, index finger pointing forward. Close your eyes and touch your nose with your index finger. Then do the same with the other arm. Try it a few times, when you're rested and alert and have not been drinking. If you keep missing, it may be a sign of a neurodegenerative disease such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's or Huntington's disease.

Stretch Test

For people who are middle-aged or older, this is a quick way to test the flexibility of arteries, which is important for heart health. Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front, toes pointing up.  Bend form the hips and try to touch your toes. If you can't get anywhere near your toes, you may be at higher risk for heart attack, stroke, or deep vein thrombosis.

Pulse Test

Put two fingers on your pulse on the wrist and tap the rhythm with your foot for a minute. Or place two fingers on the side of our neck and tap out the rhythm with your other hand A rhythm that is irregular, skipping beats, pounding, or fluttering, is called arrhythmia.

Most often, it means that blood flow is restricted by plaque in the arteries and the heart has to work harder to pump blood, or there can be an electrical malfunction in the heart.

Either way, it's a sign of increased risk for heart disease and stroke. Irregular heartbeat can often be controlled by medications. 

Breathing Test

The ability to exhale is an indication of lung health, and you can test yourself in two ways. Light a match in a room without drafts and let it burn halfway down. Hold it six inches away and, with your mouth wide open like you were at the dentist, try to blow it out. If you can't, there could be a respiratory problem.

Another test: Take a deep breath and exhale as quickly as you can, emptying all the air in your lungs. Taking more than 5 seconds to exhale not counting the time to breathe in) means it's time to get checked by your doctor. 

Hernia Test

If you have chronic pain in the abdomen, here's how to tell if i's a hernia: Tense your muscles as though you're having a bowel movement and feel the painful area with your hand. If you can feel a bulge of intestines through abdominal muscles, it could be a hernia, which requires prompt medical attention.

If, on the other hand, you feel no bulge, you have strained abdominal muscles, which is usually not a serious condition. Give them a rest and the pain should go away. 

Reflex Test

An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), with symptoms such as unexplained weight gain and feeling cold, especially in the extremities, is a common problem, especially in women over 60. As a test, sit on the edge of a table or chair high enough to keep your feet above the floor, and check your own reflexes.

Give a sharp tap on the tendon between the bottom of the knee cap and the shin bone. If your lower leg doesn't immediately kick upward, or takes a while to sink back to its starting position, your thyroid is to take your temperature when you first wake up in the morning If it is consistently under 98.6 degrees, that could include hypothyroidism. 

Shaky Hand Test

A thyroid gland that produces too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroididm) can make you feel anxious-even panicky- and cause unexplained weight loss. This is a quick way to check: Stretch one hand out in front, palm down. Put a sheet of paper on the back of your hand and see if it shakes. Some movement is normal, but if it's pronounced, or the paper falls off, it could mean your thyroid is working overtime, especially if you have other symptoms but are otherwise healthy or under age 40.

Nail Bed Test

Most often caused by an iron deficiency, anemia means the blood is not delivering enough oxygen throughout the body. Symptoms can include feeling tired, cold, dizzy, and irritable, having a headache or being short of breath.

Here's a quick test: While holding one hand higher than your heart, press firmly on a nail bed. It will turn white- then let go. If it takes more than two seconds for its pink color to return, indicating the blood returned to that spot, you likely have anemia, especially if other symptoms are also present. 

Palm Test

Open the palm of your hand and check the deep lines. Are the creases pale?

This could be due to an iron deficiency, which is common in women, Low iron can cause fatigue, reduce immunity, and harm the ability to concentrate. 

Mole Test

Count the number of moles on your entire body. You'll need a mirror or the help of a partner. If you have more than 50, you're at increased risk for melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. This means you should see a dermatologist at least once a year for a skin check. 

Eye Test

If you notice a thick white line circling the edge of the iris (the colored part of the eye), it could be a sign of high cholesterol. Pull down your lower eyelid and look inside. If you see bumps that look like cobblestones, it can indicate an allergy, most commonly involving dust, pet dander, or mold. 

*Source: Health Radar- September 2014 Issue

FRIENDS ARE WAITING: DRUNK DRIVING AND IT'S IMPACT ON LIFE INSURANCE

By now you've probably seen Budweiser's adorable, positive anti-drunk driving commercial featuring the Budweiser puppy. If not, watch here for another great episode from Budweiser:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eubWYPhcEEo

As Budweiser points out, when you drink and drive, you can leave your loved ones behind.  This also impacts your ability to get life insurance, and provide for your family if something were to happen to you. 

Here are a few things to keep in mind before the next time you plan on going out drinking with friends. This information should remind you to remember those you may  leave behind, and what you can do to help them if something traumatic were to happen:

Why does DUI – DWI 
Affect Life insurance?

When you apply for life insurance, it isn’t just your health history that the insurance company is looking at. They are also looking at behavioral factors, which includes potentially dangerous hobbies, a history of injuries, and prior episodes of drug and alcohol abuse. They will also look closely at you criminal background and driving histories, as these are indications of potential substance abuse sufficiently severe that law enforcement had become involved.

DUI – DWI comes under this category. It is substance abuse in combination with the operation of a motor vehicle, and this represents a high level risk factor. The insurance company must consider the possibility that premature death is greater if there have been one or more episodes of DUI – DWI.

Can I purchase 
Life Insurance After a DUI?

A couple factors your underwriter would take into consideration are how often you drink now and your GGT (Gamma Glutamyl Transferase) levels from your blood profile. There is a question on every life insurance application that asks how often you drink alcoholic beverages, what type, and how many ounces. Normally, if you say that you have a glass of wine 5 times per week with dinner, that’s fine, but if you once had a DUI, that could be a red flag for the underwriter.

Then from the blood work, they do a GGTP test, which measures the level of irritation in the liver. If you take a lot of medication or drink a lot, your GGT level may be elevated. According to MedHelp.org, normal levels are from 2-65 U/L. If your number is above 65 and you had a DUI, your underwriter could look at that as an indication that you drink more than you are owning up to on the application. Then he/she would most likely order a CDT. If that is positive, you’ll be declined.

But if your DUI was a one time incident more than 5 years ago and you rarely drink now, you should still qualify for the best rates with most carriers. There are a handful of carriers who won’t allow a DUI in the last 10 years, such as Minnesota Life and Lincoln Benefit. Stay away from these two carriers if your DUI was between 5-10 years ago. AXA is another super stringent carrier on this issue.

Will I be Declined 
Because of My DUI?

Most insurance carriers stipulate that if you have had a DUI or DWI in the past 5 years, you cannot qualify for their best health ratings, such as preferred elite or super preferred, or preferred. Some examples of these carriers are American General, Banner Life, Genworth, ING, West Coast Life, and Met Life. If your DUI or DWI was more than 5 years ago, however, it will be overlooked, so long as all signs point to you being a responsible person who doesn’t abuse alcohol.

DUI – DWI and 
Life Insurance Rates?

In order to deal with the increased risk that DUI – DWI poses for insurance companies, your life insurance premium rates will be adjusted accordingly. If you have had a previous episode, rates will be based on the following:

• The number of DUI – DWI events in your past
• The severity of those events
• How recent the last episode was
• Any efforts at rehabilitation since the last occurrence

Obviously, the more recent and more frequent the episodes are, the higher the premium rates will be. A recent episode, in combination with one or more previous events, could result in prohibitively high life insurance premiums.

For more information about 
DUI-DWI's impact on 
Life Insurance, contact your 
local insurance representative.

*Source: Why Does DUI - DWI Affect Life Insurance?; DUI- DWI and life insurance rates, term life insurance saver- Kevin Mercadance

*Source: Can I purchase Life Insurance After A DUI?; Will I Be Declined Because of My DUI?, How a DUI Affects Your Ability to Get Life Insurance, Huntley Wealth Insurance Agency, Chris Huntley

KEEP YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME

Managing sports concussions properly can prevent long-term damage.

*Photo credit: Robert F. Bukaty, Maine high school football panel develops four-class proposal: http://bangordailynews.com/2012/05/30/sports/footb...

Sometimes, just watching a football tackle can make your head hurt. And all those hard hits can take a toll on even the best athletes in the form of concussions. "A concussion occurs when the brain moves forcefully inside the skull, resulting in temporary impairment of overall neurological function," says J. Britten Shroyer, MD, Sports Medicine Orthopaedic Surgeon, University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center.

While there are ways to reduce the risk of concussion by wearing proper-fitting helmets, athletes may not be able to avoid them entirely. Here, our experts answer some common questions about this injury.

QUESTION: How is a concussion diagnosed?

ANSWER: "A concussion is often assessed on the sidelines by a coach or team physician asking a series of questions that can help evaluate orientation, memory and ability to concentrate," Dr. Shroyer says. "We grade them on a scale of 1 to 3. In some cases, a physician may perform a CT scan to check for a brain bleed, which could require surgery."

QUESTION: What are the treatment options?

ANSWER: If the concussion is significant, brain rest may be recommended.  "Typically that requires no school-work or screen time for a few days to a week, depending on the severity of the concussion," says Dan Ellenberger, Director of the EMS Training & Disaster Preparedness Institute at UH Ahuja Medical Center.

QUESTION: When is it safe to start playing again?

ANSWER: Athletes shouldn't return to play until they are fully recovered and a physician releases them, Ellenberger says, "After that we do a graduated return to activity to test how players are doing until they are able to fully return to their sport," Ellenberger explains. "This helps minimize the chance of multiple concussions."

Source: myUHAhujacare- Fall 2014- Keep Your Head in the Game

Can Diet Soda Make You Fat?

CAN DIET SODAS MAKE YOU FAT?

A recent story published by NBC thinks so. 

Researchers trying to figure out whether artificial sweeteners really do make people fat think they’ve found a possible explanation — they may disrupt the bacteria in some people’s bodies.

Their findings may shed light on why studies often contradict one another, with some finding that people who drink lots of diet drinks are more likely to be obese, with others finding they may help people keep weight off.

Their answer: it may depend on what kind of gut bacteria you have to start with.

They found clear evidence that artificial sweeteners, including saccharine and sucralose, can affect gut bacteria, which in turn affect how food is digested and metabolized. Mice and a very few people given artificial sweeteners for the first time showed distinct changes in the way their bodies processed sugar.

It’s not a final answer, but the study, published in the journal Nature, may point research in a new direction. “Our findings suggest that non-caloric artificial sweeteners may have directly contributed to enhancing the exact epidemic that they themselves were intended to fight,” they wrote in their report.

“I think we must stress that by no means are 

sugary drinks healthy."

“By no means do we believe that based on the results of this study are we prepared to make recommendations as to the use and the dose of artificial sweeteners,” said Eran Segal of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, who worked on the study. But, he added, “In none of these experiments have we seen any beneficial effects.” He said the findings should at least prompt closer examination of the very widespread popularity or artificial sweeteners.

How could artificial sweeteners, which have no calories, affect metabolism? Segal pointed out that bacteria in the guts of both mice and people digest compounds that animals normally cannot, and they could thrive on chemicals that would not normally be used as food by people or animals.

It’s another example of how the microbiome — the population of microbesliving in and on our bodies — can have huge effects on health.

Most of the study was done in mice. They fed the mice large amounts of sweeteners of all kinds and measured their gut bacteria and tested their metabolisms. Bacteria living in the intestines and colon are known to help digest food, and more and more studies are showing they can affect obesity and even appetite, as well as a tendency to disease.

Mice fed the sweeteners had definite changes in both gut bacteria and metabolism. Sugar did not have the same effect. To make sure it was the gut bacteria, the researchers removed bacteria from mice that had not eaten sweeteners, and grew them in lab dishes along with artificial sweeteners. They then put these sweetener-fed bacteria into new mice. The new mice began to show the same changes in metabolism as mice directly fed sweeteners.

The main flaws? Artificial sweeteners seemed to encourage a group of bacteria called Bacteroides and seemed to kill off another group called Clostridiales. Scientists are just beginning to understand what kinds of bacteria people have living inside their digestive systems and what balance might be healthy. But having too many Bacteroides and too few Clostridiales is a pattern sometimes seem in people with diabetes.

The researchers used mostly saccharine in their controlled experiments, but they said in early tests the mice responded the same whatever sweetener they used – saccharine, sucralose, aspartame or others. This baffled them, because the sweeteners are chemically very different from one another.

It’s worth more research, they said.

Mice are different from people, of course, but they tried the experiment in a small group. Seven people who did not normally use artificial sweeteners were given large amounts for a week. In four of them, their blood sugar shot up and they had other changes to metabolism associated with weight gain and pre-diabetes.

Larger studies have also suggested similar patterns – some people are adversely affected by sweeteners, while others are not. It may be a very individual thing, Segal said.

"Water is the best drink 
to control our blood sugar.”

“We are identifying many foods which are considered as healthy food to have potential adverse effects for large subsets of individuals,” he told reporters in a telephone briefing. Genetic differences already demonstrate that some people can smoke tobacco with little effect, while most develop heart disease or cancer.

“What was super-striking and interesting to us was that we could predict ahead of time (who would be affected by the sweeteners),” Segal said. They profiled the microbiomes of their volunteers and found two distinct patterns. While everyone’s microbiome is different, there were larger overall patterns, and these predicted who would be affected by the sweeteners, Segal said.

“I think we must stress that by no means are sugary drinks healthy and that sugary drinks should be brought back as a healthy part of our nutrition,” added Eran Elinav, who led the research.

Researchers not involved in the study were skeptical, but most said it’s worth looking into more.

“The study is based primarily on mouse experiments and only sevenhuman subjects were studied,” said endocrinologist Dr. Katarina Kos of the University of Exeter in Britain.

“Meanwhile, these findings support the widespread understanding that water is the healthiest drink option and that we should avoid sweet and sweetened drinks. Water is the best drink to control our blood sugar.”

*Source: How Can Diet Soda Make You Fat? Study May Explain It- Maggie Fox, NBC News