With temperatures in the single digits, the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department asks residents to use caution when dealing with the cold weather.
During the cold weather, stay indoors whenever possible. However, if you must go outside, dress warmly in layered clothing, including a hat, a scarf or knit mask to cover your face and mouth, sleeves that are snug at the wrist, mittens, a water-resistant coat and water-resistant boots. Avoid exertion, as cold weather puts an extra strain on the heart. People with heart disease or high blood pressure should follow their doctor’s advice about shoveling snow or performing other activities in the snow. When outside, avoid walking on ice, and keep your steps and walkways as free of ice as possible.
Be on the lookout for signs of hypothermia and frostbite, two common cold weather-related health problems. Warning signs of hypothermia, which is abnormally low body temperature, include shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech and drowsiness. If you detect symptoms of hypothermia, seek medical care immediately. Get the victim into a warm room and remove any wet clothing. Warm the center of the body first with an electric blanket, if available. Otherwise, use skin-to-skin contact under loose, dry layers of blankets, clothes, towels or sheets. Warm beverages can help increase the body temperature, but do not use alcoholic beverages.
Warnings signs for frostbite, or an injury to the body caused by freezing, include redness or pain in any skin area, white or grayish-yellow skin, skin that feels unusually firm or waxy and numbness. If you detect symptoms of frostbite, seek medical care immediately. Get the victim into a warm room, and immerse the affected area in warm – not hot – water. Do not rub the frostbitten area with snow or massage it, as this can cause more damage. Do not use a heating pad, heat lamp or the heat of a stove, fireplace or radiator for warming, as the frostbitten areas are numb and can be easily burned.
These procedures are not substitutes for medical care, and all emergencies should be reported to a physician or health care provider.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Smoking Cessation Classes in Lexington, Kentucky
The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department wants smokers to start the new year by stopping an old habit.
The health department is offering two classes designed for people who want to quit smoking. One class will be held 5:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesdays beginning Jan. 11 at the Public Health Clinic North, 805A Newtown Circle, while the other will be 5:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesdays beginning Feb. 2 at Tates Creek Public Library, 3628 Walden Drive. To sign up for one of the classes or for more information, call 288-2423.
“Cooper-Clayton classes are one of the most effective methods we can offer a person who wants to quit smoking,” said Angela Brumley-Shelton, Community Education and Tobacco coordinator. “They work well because they provide social support and education and use nicotine replacement products. These three things work together to give a participant the best chance at stopping smoking for life.”
The Cooper-Clayton Method to stop Smoking provides 12 weeks of education and support sessions that have been proven effective for smokers no matter how long they’ve used tobacco products. The class requires a $50 registration deposit that will be reimbursed upon completion of the program if the person has completed all 12 classes and has remained smoke-free. Participants will receive nicotine replacement therapy products, such as nicotine gum, patches and lozenges, at no cost as long as they are smoke-free after the third week of the program.
The health department also uses the KY QUITLINE at 1-800-QUITNOW.
The health department is offering two classes designed for people who want to quit smoking. One class will be held 5:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesdays beginning Jan. 11 at the Public Health Clinic North, 805A Newtown Circle, while the other will be 5:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesdays beginning Feb. 2 at Tates Creek Public Library, 3628 Walden Drive. To sign up for one of the classes or for more information, call 288-2423.
“Cooper-Clayton classes are one of the most effective methods we can offer a person who wants to quit smoking,” said Angela Brumley-Shelton, Community Education and Tobacco coordinator. “They work well because they provide social support and education and use nicotine replacement products. These three things work together to give a participant the best chance at stopping smoking for life.”
The Cooper-Clayton Method to stop Smoking provides 12 weeks of education and support sessions that have been proven effective for smokers no matter how long they’ve used tobacco products. The class requires a $50 registration deposit that will be reimbursed upon completion of the program if the person has completed all 12 classes and has remained smoke-free. Participants will receive nicotine replacement therapy products, such as nicotine gum, patches and lozenges, at no cost as long as they are smoke-free after the third week of the program.
The health department also uses the KY QUITLINE at 1-800-QUITNOW.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
UK's Health Literacy Initiative
UK's College of Communications and Information Studies has partnered with various organizations to sponsor six public forums on health literacy. The next forum is scheduled for December 2.
All of the forums are recorded and will be posted at the UK CIS site.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Health Dept encourages Flu Shots as Number of Cases increase
As of November 30, Lexington has 38 confirmed cases of the flu so far this season, which the health department reports is higher than normal compared to previous years. In 2008, there were no confirmed cases as of the end of November, while in 2007 there were two. The numbers from 2009 were higher than normal because of H1N1. The flu season traditionally hits its peak in January/February.
The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department has issued a recommendation encouraging everyone ages 6 months and older to get a flu shot, which covers both the seasonal and H1N1 strains of the flu, to help keep from getting sick this fall and winter.
“Not only is a flu shot quick and easy to receive, it’s also the best way to fight the flu,” said health department spokesman Kevin Hall.
A total of 19 of the 38 confirmed cases are in children, and the health department is encouraging all parents to make sure their kids help fight the flu with a vaccination. In addition, the health department urges pregnant women to get a shot since young babies are not able to get vaccinated. The flu shot will not only protect the mother-to-be but will also protect the baby during its first six months.
Flu shots are available at the Public Health Clinic North (805A Newtown Circle and Public Health Clinic South (2433 Regency Road). No appointment is necessary. Flu shots cost $25, and Medicaid, Medicare B, cash, checks and credit cards are accepted.
The Primary Care Center at 650 Newtown Pike is prepared to make appointments for its regular patients to get their flu shots by calling 288-2307.
For additional information, find the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department on Facebook, call the flu hotline at 288-7529 or visit www.lexflucrew.com.
The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department has issued a recommendation encouraging everyone ages 6 months and older to get a flu shot, which covers both the seasonal and H1N1 strains of the flu, to help keep from getting sick this fall and winter.
“Not only is a flu shot quick and easy to receive, it’s also the best way to fight the flu,” said health department spokesman Kevin Hall.
A total of 19 of the 38 confirmed cases are in children, and the health department is encouraging all parents to make sure their kids help fight the flu with a vaccination. In addition, the health department urges pregnant women to get a shot since young babies are not able to get vaccinated. The flu shot will not only protect the mother-to-be but will also protect the baby during its first six months.
Flu shots are available at the Public Health Clinic North (805A Newtown Circle and Public Health Clinic South (2433 Regency Road). No appointment is necessary. Flu shots cost $25, and Medicaid, Medicare B, cash, checks and credit cards are accepted.
The Primary Care Center at 650 Newtown Pike is prepared to make appointments for its regular patients to get their flu shots by calling 288-2307.
For additional information, find the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department on Facebook, call the flu hotline at 288-7529 or visit www.lexflucrew.com.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Grand Opening
FYI --
Jan 3 - Exhale Studios pilates and yoga studio Opening Day, 234 E. Main Street, Richmond www.exhalestudios.us
Hope you can make it!
Jan 3 - Exhale Studios pilates and yoga studio Opening Day, 234 E. Main Street, Richmond www.exhalestudios.us
Hope you can make it!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Smoking Cessation: the Heroic Quitter
This article appears in the November issue of http://healthandwellnessmagazine.net
by Charles Sebastian
The many studies and mind-boggling statistics of smoking related to cancer and other life-threatening illnesses should come as no surprise in 2010. If you have lived with or been close to anyone who has suffered through addiction and illness related to smoking, the subject of tobacco misuse is perhaps all the more poignant. Anti-smoking campaigns beginning in the 1980’s with Yul Brynner and continuing with films like The Insider, began to awaken the public to the grave dangers of abuse and the law-bending tactics of big companies trying to turn a buck at the cost of many lives.
I could go on and on with the many tales surrounding stopping smoking and the disastrous effects caused by this ravaging addiction. I could inundate you with the glaring statistics against smoking and the questionable ethics that allow tobacco companies to thrive, mislead and kill. Mind you, the right to smoke should be afforded everyone; liberty means one can make a choice for themselves. Liberty, however, does not mean foolishness, rather liberty is based on responsibility for self and others and transcends self-absorbed behaviors. For those desperately trying to quit in the face of statistics against it and the host of health problems they may have already contracted, my hats off. For those seeing the bigger picture: maybe your loved ones want you around, maybe your family cannot afford your addiction, perhaps each drag is taking you away from your full potential to help others; I agree. It is this deeper dimension one must question if the addiction is truly to stop, not the statistics and ongoing rationale for acting out patterned behaviors. After all, the most absorbed addicts often spend their last days smoking through trachea holes and dragging around oxygen tanks and still, quitting is not an option.
There are two elements that need to be addressed in the quest for true freedom. The first deals with the stress and anxiety we all live under. As stress goes up, whatever the root cause may be, addictions tend to increase. There are two ways of handling this: eliminate or diminish the stressor and be less affected by the stressor. If work has you so stressed that you function under constant duress, get another job or find a calming and strengthening discipline like meditation, yoga, tai chi or swimming to calm the body and allow the excess energy built from stress to dissipate and streamline. This applies to any other stressful lifestyle that urges the body to create more energy through stress without the physical release of the energy. This unused energy becomes dark and resides in the body until the body screams for relief. Energy is the true currency of our lives and must be regulated through an understanding of its nature and how it animates us, affects moods, and allows us to do what we need to do to survive. Smoking darkens and clouds the energies of the body, our physical vessel, and this vehicle of consciousness further disengages from us. Whatever discipline you need to find, find it. It will be essential to reclaim your true and healthy self.
The second major factor has to do with self-image. Most addicts start their long trial of addiction innocently enough, by seeing a picture of themselves participating in the activity leading to addiction. This, then becomes part of identity and life experience to be replayed again and again to remind oneself of the identity creation. Media helps this along with ads like the Marlboro Man and macho beer campaigns, all pocked with subliminal and not-so-subliminal sexual imagery, aligning tobacco and alcohol with the body’s natural desires. These toxic ads are created by people who know the mind will associate the product with innate cravings, linking smoking, liquor, food, sex and even prescription drugs with desires inherent. What was once meant as moderate usage is suddenly brought to an extreme through the mind-loop of false-need.
The way out of the chasm of dependence and desperation is to change the image of self. When we all can envision ourselves not as the slaves of addiction because we feel insignificant with no control over our lives, but as heroes in the charge of making lives better, we have found our way. When the focus shifts from self to others, from “me” to “us,” we are on track with our true purpose: service. It is service and a moment-by-moment surrender to the needs of others that resolves us to the One, whatever form that may take on a personal level. It is with this revelation of our oneness and its companion symptom, service, that addictions are shed as faint memories and our deeper, inexplicable purpose can be met for our collective destiny.
Charles Sebastian is a dance instructor, massage therapist and martial artist. He teaches a free Tai Chi class at Arthur Murray Dance Studio every Thursday at noon. Newcomers welcome.
by Charles Sebastian
The many studies and mind-boggling statistics of smoking related to cancer and other life-threatening illnesses should come as no surprise in 2010. If you have lived with or been close to anyone who has suffered through addiction and illness related to smoking, the subject of tobacco misuse is perhaps all the more poignant. Anti-smoking campaigns beginning in the 1980’s with Yul Brynner and continuing with films like The Insider, began to awaken the public to the grave dangers of abuse and the law-bending tactics of big companies trying to turn a buck at the cost of many lives.
I could go on and on with the many tales surrounding stopping smoking and the disastrous effects caused by this ravaging addiction. I could inundate you with the glaring statistics against smoking and the questionable ethics that allow tobacco companies to thrive, mislead and kill. Mind you, the right to smoke should be afforded everyone; liberty means one can make a choice for themselves. Liberty, however, does not mean foolishness, rather liberty is based on responsibility for self and others and transcends self-absorbed behaviors. For those desperately trying to quit in the face of statistics against it and the host of health problems they may have already contracted, my hats off. For those seeing the bigger picture: maybe your loved ones want you around, maybe your family cannot afford your addiction, perhaps each drag is taking you away from your full potential to help others; I agree. It is this deeper dimension one must question if the addiction is truly to stop, not the statistics and ongoing rationale for acting out patterned behaviors. After all, the most absorbed addicts often spend their last days smoking through trachea holes and dragging around oxygen tanks and still, quitting is not an option.
There are two elements that need to be addressed in the quest for true freedom. The first deals with the stress and anxiety we all live under. As stress goes up, whatever the root cause may be, addictions tend to increase. There are two ways of handling this: eliminate or diminish the stressor and be less affected by the stressor. If work has you so stressed that you function under constant duress, get another job or find a calming and strengthening discipline like meditation, yoga, tai chi or swimming to calm the body and allow the excess energy built from stress to dissipate and streamline. This applies to any other stressful lifestyle that urges the body to create more energy through stress without the physical release of the energy. This unused energy becomes dark and resides in the body until the body screams for relief. Energy is the true currency of our lives and must be regulated through an understanding of its nature and how it animates us, affects moods, and allows us to do what we need to do to survive. Smoking darkens and clouds the energies of the body, our physical vessel, and this vehicle of consciousness further disengages from us. Whatever discipline you need to find, find it. It will be essential to reclaim your true and healthy self.
The second major factor has to do with self-image. Most addicts start their long trial of addiction innocently enough, by seeing a picture of themselves participating in the activity leading to addiction. This, then becomes part of identity and life experience to be replayed again and again to remind oneself of the identity creation. Media helps this along with ads like the Marlboro Man and macho beer campaigns, all pocked with subliminal and not-so-subliminal sexual imagery, aligning tobacco and alcohol with the body’s natural desires. These toxic ads are created by people who know the mind will associate the product with innate cravings, linking smoking, liquor, food, sex and even prescription drugs with desires inherent. What was once meant as moderate usage is suddenly brought to an extreme through the mind-loop of false-need.
The way out of the chasm of dependence and desperation is to change the image of self. When we all can envision ourselves not as the slaves of addiction because we feel insignificant with no control over our lives, but as heroes in the charge of making lives better, we have found our way. When the focus shifts from self to others, from “me” to “us,” we are on track with our true purpose: service. It is service and a moment-by-moment surrender to the needs of others that resolves us to the One, whatever form that may take on a personal level. It is with this revelation of our oneness and its companion symptom, service, that addictions are shed as faint memories and our deeper, inexplicable purpose can be met for our collective destiny.
Charles Sebastian is a dance instructor, massage therapist and martial artist. He teaches a free Tai Chi class at Arthur Murray Dance Studio every Thursday at noon. Newcomers welcome.
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