health and fitness 2013

L ‘Observateur WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2013 3HEALTH & FITNESS

New year, new youTake the opportunity to make a fresh start

The flip of the calendaryear is the perfect opportuni-ty to make personal andlifestyle changes.

One of the most popularresolutions that people makeis to improve their healthand exercise routine so theycan make a fresh start andget into better shape. Now isthe time to develop fitnessgoals for a new you this newyear. Despite your best inten-tions and resolutions torevamp your fitness routineeach year, it's easy to slipback into your pre-newyear's resolution bad habits.The best way to avoid thistendency is to create anactive lifestyle plan thatworks for you and will keepyou motivated.

Here are a few tips to get afresh fitness start and makesure that you stay active thisnew year.

Establish fitness goalsand write them down.Setting manageable goalsand writing down an exer-cise plan that is realistic andworks for your lifestyle willhave a positive impact onyour overall quality of lifeand motivate you to keepgoing. As you check back onyour plan each day, it willhold you accountable andmake sure that you're contin-uing to follow the road you'vemapped out for yourself.

Pick an app that moti-vates you. No matter whatyour fitness interests are,there's an app for you: Pickyour pleasure ... yoga, run-ning, weights or cardio, and

you can find apps thatinspire and motivate youwith workout ideas and tips.If you're also looking towatch your food intake, thereare a myriad of apps that canhelp you keep track of whatyou're eating each day.

Freshen up your work-out wardrobe. As you

refresh your exercise rou-tine, you'll go through work-out gear more quickly thanbefore. Treat yourself bybuying yourself some newexercise gear that will bene-fit your routine and makesure you maintain it.

Join an exercise groupor find a workout partner.

Working out alone in a gymis not for everyone. Exer-cisers should choose anactivity they enjoy doing,that keeps them excited andcan be sustained over a longperiod of time. Additionally,having a support system tomotivate you will help youstick with the program and

see long-term results - find agroup or buddy who has sim-ilar goals to you.

With every new obstacle,find alternatives that willbring you closer to attainingyour goal.

Never give up. It's a newyear, and it's time to get mov-ing.

More baby boomers and olderadults are taking a proactiveapproach to heart health. Living aheart-healthy lifestyle in your goldenyears and dealing with any type ofdiagnosis head-on is the smart wayto keep your heart pumping strongfor many years to come. Followingthese five easy steps can help youtake control.

• Exercise your heart by stayingactive.

Increasing your heart rate throughdaily exercise can help keep yourheart healthy and help you livelonger. Good heart-healthy activitiesinclude walking, swimming andbicycling. Stay motivated by exercis-ing with a friend.

• Eat heart-healthy foods.Fresh fruits and vegetables are fan-

tastic for heart health - make it yourgoal to eat a variety of colors everyday. Whole grains and fish rich inomega-3 fatty acids are good choicesalso.

• Consult your doctor about heart-healthy supplements.

As we age, sometimes our bodiescan't absorb vitamins and mineralsas well as when we were younger.Many people take vitamin D and alow-dose aspirin daily once they hittheir 50s or 60s. Ask your doctor forrecommendations.

• Schedule your annual physical.An annual physical is the corner-

stone of preventative care. At yourappointment, make sure you get yourblood pressure and cholesterolchecked. Have your doctor explainwhat those numbers mean for you.

• Don't be afraid to ask questions.No matter what, when it comes to

the health of your heart, ask ques-tions. If you are diagnosed with aslow heartbeat and need a pacemak-er, talk with your doctor about youroptions and determine if a pacemak-er that is approved for use in an MRImay be right for you.

Marilyn Rose of Richardson,Texas, ate healthy, exercised regular-ly and scheduled yearly physicals,but at age 80 she frequently felt tiredand short of breath. Rose was sched-uled for an echocardiogram, a hearttest that allows the doctor to see themovement of the heart, and it wasthen that she learned she had a con-dition called bradycardia, or a slowheartbeat. Rose needed a pacemakerto help her live a full life, but she

learned that historically, pacemak-ers have not been approved in theU.S. for use with MRIs. She was con-cerned – she knew at her age the like-lihood that she might need an MRI atsome point was high.

After talking with her doctor andasking plenty of questions, Roselearned that the FDA had approvedthe first pacemaker that was fit foruse in the MRI environment. Today,after getting her pacemaker, she'sfeeling great and is back to her regu-lar life, swimming, knitting and play-ing with her five grandkids. Herfriends call her the "Energizerbunny," and with her pacemaker shesays she feels better than she didbefore. For Rose, asking the rightquestions made a life-changing dif-ference.

Rose's story is just one example ofhow the decisions you make todaycan impact your health tomorrow.She is now part of an educationalcampaign called "Join the PaceMakers" because she wants to shareher experience and help inform oth-ers about heart health and theiroptions when it comes to choosing apacemaker.

Whether you want to take on yourgolden years with a heart-healthyoutlook, or you are a child of agingparents and you want them to live along, full life, these tips can help youreach your goals. If you know some-one who needs a pacemaker, youhave an opportunity to make a differ-ence. Learn more at www.JoinThePaceMakers.com.

4 L ‘Observateur WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2013HEALTH & FITNESS

Heart-healthy tips for boomers and beyond

L ‘Observateur WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2013 5 HEALTH & FITNESS

Whether it's a few extrahairs in the sink or a com-pletely bare scalp, baldnessis a common issue for manypeople – not just men.

Balding generally refers tohair loss from your scalp,usually caused by genetics,environment, various med-ications or an underlyingmedical condition. It is oftencharacterized with a reced-ing hairline and thinningcrown near the temples andmid-anterior scalp.

The word "alopecia" is themedical term for hair loss.Androgenetic alopecia, a typ-ical pattern of male baldnessbeginning at the hairline andgradually receding, is themost common form of hairloss, accounting for morethan 95 percent of the casesin men. A quarter of thosemen start seeing signs of

hair loss before they reach21. But there are also severalhundred diseases that in-clude hair loss as a primarysymptom. By age 35, two-thirds of American men willexperience some degree ofnoticeable hair loss, and byage 50, about 85 percent ofmen have significantly thin-ning hair.

Most people dealing withbaldness have hair follicleswith an inherited or geneticsensitivity to dihydrotestos-terone, a derivative or by-product of testosterone. Hairfollicles that are sensitive tothis hormone begin toshrink, which over timeshortens the lifespan of eachaffected hair follicle. Event-ually, these follicles preventhair from growing altogeth-er, resulting in a bald spot.

Even though baldness is

perceived to be a male condi-tion, women actually makeup 40 percent of Americanhair loss sufferers. Hair lossin children is also more com-mon than most people thinkand currently is responsiblefor about 3 percent of allpediatric office visits in thecountry.

Balding can be slowed oreven stopped if caught earlyenough. Many experts agreethe best results happen whenyou begin treatment as soonas possible after the hair lossbegins.

There are several ways totreat and handle alopeciatoday, most of which areindicated by the severity orprogression of the disease.While some people let theirbaldness naturally run itscourse, others use hairstyles,makeup or clothing to cover

the condition. There are alsomedications and surgicalprocedures available to treatand prevent hair loss, butindividuals should alwayscontact their doctor to firstdiscuss their options beforepursuing any treatment.

The most popular over-the-counter (non-prescription)topical hair regrowth treat-ments approved by the Foodand Drug Administrationcontain minoxidil, includingRogaine.

Allegan, Mich.-based Per-rigo is a pharmaceuticalcompany that manufacturesand distributes most of theover-the-counter medica-tions found under store-brand labels at leading re-tailers, grocers, club storesand pharmacies. The compa-ny recently received ap-proval from the FDA to mar-

ket an over-the-counter,store-brand minoxidil 5 per-cent foam for men, whichcompares to the active ingre-dient in Men's Rogaine.

The company also marketsstore-brand minoxidil 5 per-cent topical solution (extrastrength for men) and minox-idil 2 percent topical solution(regular strength for men),as well as minoxidil 2 per-cent topical solution forwomen, which compares tothe active ingredient inWomen's Rogaine.

Researchers believe thatminoxidil works in part bypartially enlarging the hairfollicles and reversing theshrinking process. By en-larging follicles, the growthphase of the hair cycle is pro-longed, allowing the hair tobecome longer and thickerlooking.

Hair loss no longer an inevitability

Winter can stretch fora very long time inmany areas of thecountry, and with theextensive cold oftencomes the temptationto let weight loss goalsfall by the wayside.

If you've set out tolose weight and gethealthy in 2013, but arenot sure how to keepgoing another month,much less the rest ofthe year, take advicefrom Registered Dietit-ian Anika DeCoster,program manager ofthe 90-Day Challengefor Life Time Fitness,The Healthy Way ofLife Company. In itsthird year the nationalweight loss contest hashelped a total of 58,000

people lose a cumula-tive 145,000 pounds.

"A great weight lossprogram provides acombination of theright exercise, nutri-tion and lifestyle fac-tors, including stressmanagement and goodsleep," DeCoster said."In addition, I've no-ticed that those whosucceed in losing themost weight take theirefforts further in orderto win the competi-tion."

She said adopting thefollowing five strategiescan improve yourchances of winning atweight loss.

• Find your motiva-tion.

You can't lose weightbecause your doctorsaid to, or your spousehinted you should, or aclose friend passive-aggressively suggestedit.

"Real winners spendtime thinking aboutand identifying theirown motive for losingweight," DeCoster said."The more emotion youput into something, themore likely you'll com-mit for the long term.-Spend time reflectingand understanding whyyou'll stop at nothing toachieve your overallgoal."

This doesn't meanyou have to face yourweight loss challengealone, DeCoster added.

"But acknowledgethat you are the onlyone to actively changeyour behavior."

• Learn how andmake it a habit.

"As the saying goes,'motivation is what getsyou started, but habitsare what keep yougoing,'" DeCoster said.

Forming healthy life-style habits will lead tolong-term weight losssuccess. But makingchanges takes work andtime.

"Most people knowwhat they need to dobut often prevent theirown success becausethey never take thetime to learn how,"DeCoster said. "For ex-ample, you might wantto eat healthier andknow that you shouldeat more vegetables,but if you don't knowstrategies to add morevegetables to your diet,your success will be

limited."Do your research or

hire a coach to help youlearn about sound nu-trition and exercise.

• Write your goaldown, and publicizeit.

A 2007 study fromDominican Universityin California reportedthat people who puttheir goals in writingare more successfulthan those who thinkabout them. Successrate increases furtherby making those goalspublic. Participants inthe study who merelyconsidered their goalssucceeded 43 percent ofthe time, whereas thosewho wrote goals downincreased their successrate to 64 percent.Those who wrote downtheir goals and report-ed their progress week-ly to a friend succeededan average of 76 per-cent. Thanks to the

Internet, you can shareyour progress via socialmedia. In fact, a studypublished this monthin Translational Behav-ioral Medicine revealedthat participants in aweight loss programwho also used Twitteras a support tool lostmore weight.

• Take a "beforephoto. "

You might want toskip this step, but don't;real winners take be-fore photos seriously -Abefore photo is thestarting line, the bench-mark to stay motivatedand be reminded ofhow far you've come.DeCoster said photosshould show as muchskin as you would in aswimsuit and shouldcapture front, back andside views.

"When you are theone losing weight, itcan be hard to see thedaily metabolic changethat is going inside ofyour body," DeCostersaid, adding that alongwith the photo makesure you jot down start-ing weight and meas-urements.

• Focus on goodbehaviors to master,not bad behaviors tostop.

Make your weightloss journey a positiveone.

"Instead of tellingyourself you reallyneed to stop eating fastfood for lunch, focusmore on planning andpacking lunches in-stead. Instead of tellingyourself you can't have


Winning weight loss tips

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any sweets, remind yourself you'rechoosing healthier rewards,"DeCoster explained.

The shift may seem subtle, but thepayoff to the approach results inlong-term lifestyle changes.

If these tips from competitiveweight loss winners aren't enough,entering a weight loss competitionyourself could fortify your resolve. A2009 study published in the journalObesity concluded that team-basedcompetitions can successfully reduce

BMI and obesity rates within partici-pating groups.

"Group dynamics can boost weightloss success," said DeCoster, whose 90Day Challenge kicks off Feb. 9( w w w. l i f e t i m e - w e i g h t l o s s.com/90day). "Sharing your expecta-tions with teammates and having ateam hold you accountable, whilesupporting you at the same time fos-ters a no-fail atmosphere andinspires you to achieve a healthy wayof life."


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Remember when you werea child and the world was big– full of adventure and possi-bility? You ate your favoritecereal for breakfast, lunchand dinner and at the end ofevery day, your mom wouldmake you take those littlemulti-flavored vitamins usu-ally shaped like a popularcartoon character. You didn'tnecessarily understand whyyou had to take these, butyou always did what yourmom told you – becausemother knows best.

Now you're older, a littlewiser, and you still take yourvitamins every day – at leastyou should. But how do youknow if the vitamins you'rebuying are right for you? Youknow you're different. Youknow your nutritional needsaren't the same as yourfriends, neighbors, and co-

workers.You are keenly aware of

how much sleep you need tofeel vital, which snacks getyou through the slowly tick-ing minutes of the after-

noon, and how much exer-cise is required to stay ontarget. But do you under-stand the crucial role vita-mins play in your individualhealth?

Dr. Brian Dixon does.As executive director of

scientific and clinical affairsat USANA Health Sciences,Dixon extensively studiesthe body's evolving need for

vitamins and understandsthe important functions theyplay in an individual'shealth. His primary focus ison the aging process, antiox-idants and detoxification.

"Dr. Linus Pauling, theonly person to win twounshared Nobel prizes, saidit best, and even coined aterm regarding this issue:orthomolecular medicine,"Dixon said. "That means get-ting the right molecule ornutrient, at the right time, inthe proper or correct dose."

Since you're not like any-one else, why would yourequire the exact same nutri-tion as everyone else? Youdon't. And that's where a toollike the USANA's TrueHealth Assessment comes in.The program assessmenttakes you through a series ofquestions and then deter-

Your nutritional needs are as unique as you


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mines the best nutritionalsupplements and vitamins tosupport your specific healthneeds. It's the perfect instru-ment to help you discoveryour nutritional needs aswell as provide you with apersonalized lifestyle planthat evolves as you do.

Your lifestyle has an enor-mous impact on your nutri-tional needs, but generallyspeaking, your body requiresdifferent nutrients duringthe distinctive phases ofyour life.

Your 20s and 30s –a roaring good time

During these decades, youmay be relatively healthy, butyou're busy building acareer, starting a family andenjoying a rigorous sociallife. During this time period,you could benefit from vita-min B12 for energy, vitaminC to boost the immune sys-tem and melatonin to get re-

storative sleep – all areimportant when burning thecandle at both ends. Pre-ventative measures, such asadding essential fatty acidslike omega-3s into your diet,are a good idea as well.

Your 40s – wherefabulous meets red flags

Even though 40 seems to bethe new 30, this is the timeframe when both men andwomen usually develop anincreased risk of heart dis-ease. Go on the offense bygetting annual checkups, set-ting dietary restrictions andgetting plenty of exercise.Adding heart-smart nutri-ents like vitamin C, folic acidand vitamin E to your dailydiet may help promote goodcardiovascular health.

50 and above – a goldenera of health awareness

At 50 and above, your life

experience starts to takephysical form. This is theage when major health prob-lems are most likely to arise.Women 50 and older are sub-ject to a higher risk of osteo-porosis and should considercalcium and vitamin D forstronger bones. Eyesight de-terioration is common inboth men and women, so vit-amins A, C, and beta-car-otene can be helpful in main-taining vision. And don't for-

get, after years of wear andtear, a supplement with glu-cosamine can aid in jointhealth.

The nutrients listed aboveare by no means a compre-hensive guide, but instead anoverview on how supple-ments are designed to fit ageand activity. These recom-mendations are a startingpoint for most peoplebecause vitamins are alsounique to each individual's

lifestyle choices within thoseage categories. A tool likeUSANA's True HealthAssessment can help pin-point your singular nutri-tional needs at any age.

"At its very simplest, we allrequire the same essentialmicro- and macro-nutrients,"Dixon said. "However, we areall unique and have differenthealth goals and needs. TheTrue Health Assessmentmakes it easy to achieveboth."

You are one of a kind. Yournutritional needs are, too. Nolonger are you a child beingcoaxed to take your cartoon-shaped vitamins. Mom knewbest, and now so do you. It'stime to be accountable foryour own wellness. Make theeffort to discover your specif-ic health needs and decidewhich nutritional productsare right for you. The goodnews is you don't have to doit alone. The USANA TrueHealth Assessment can help.


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Eighty percent of infec-tions are spread by dirtyhands, and when you're athome, limiting your expo-sure to germs with an activehand cleaning schedule canbecome a familiar endeavor.

But it becomes a differentmatter when you're out inpublic, where hand-washingisn't as routine and germsare more prevalent becauseof the number of people car-rying different bacteria. For-tunately, avoiding germswhile you're away from homeis becoming easier as morebusinesses and public loca-tions are providing optionsfor employees and visitors tokeep their hands clean.

Keep an eye out for theseways during peak cold andflu season and throughoutthe year to help protect your-self from germs while you're

away from home:

• Hand sanitizer solu-tions – Many businesses areinstalling dispensers in en-tryways and congregatingareas. While hand sanitizersolutions don't literally cleanhands because they don'tremove organic matter, suchas grease, dirt and blood,they do neutralize germs,especially when you're in alocation where a sink andsoap aren't always handy. Formaximum effectiveness,make sure to rub your handsuntil fully dried.

• Educational signseverywhere – During thecold and flu season, and atmany other times of theyear, you may notice signsposted on entry doors, hang-ing in bathrooms and even

near service desks educatingthe public on everythingfrom the proper method ofwashing hands to effectivelycovering a sneeze and reduc-ing the spread of germs. Fora refresher, the AmericanMedical Association and theAmerican Academy of Fam-ily Physicians promote TheFour Principles of HandAwareness:

1. Wash and dry yourhands when they are dirtyand before eating.

2. Do not cough into yourhands.

3. Do not sneeze into yourhands.

4. Above all, do not putyour fingers into your eyes,nose or mouth.

• Germ-targeting prod-ucts – Numerous studiesshow that using paper towels

rather than hand dryers ismore hygienic. This is usual-ly attributed to the fact thathand dryers, themselves, areoften not properly sanitizedand in fact don't thoroughlydry the hands, but insteadblow warm, moist, contami-nated air around, potentiallyspreading germs. This year,you may even notice publicrestrooms stocking en-hanced hygiene paper towelproducts like the distinctlygreen-colored Cascades An-tibacterial paper towels,which releases a safe activeingredient when wet handscontact the dry towels, elimi-nating over 99 percent ofbacteria on hands.

• Increased availabilityof flu shots – More andmore public settings areoffering flu shots for walk-

ins at convenient hours. TheCenters for Disease Controland Prevention recommendspeople 6 months and olderreceive the flu shot everyyear. People who have asth-ma, diabetes and chroniclung disease, are pregnant orover the age of 65 – or livingwith or caring for peoplewith these conditions – arehighly encouraged to get theflu shot.

Businesses, governmentlocations and other publicsettings are using these andother methods to help visi-tors prevent the spread ofgerms. Of course, whenyou're outside the homeworking at the office, goingto school, staying in a hotelor visiting a hospital, keep inmind it's up to you to takehygiene "into your ownhands."

Preventing the spread of germs away from home

When a person is inpain, he or she will seekoptions to attempt toreduce or eliminate thepain. For minor painslike headaches, muscleaches and smallwounds, often over-the-counter drugs can helpreduce suffering. Butpeople with chronicpain may have tosearch for other solu-tions.

More than 100 millionAmericans suffer fromchronic pain, at a costof $600 billion a year inmedical treatments andlost productivity, ac-cording to a 2011 In-stitute of Medicine re-port. As of Jan. 1, 2013,the Centers for Med-icare and Medicaid Ser-vices started payingproviders without for-mal training in painmedicine to diagnoseand treat chronic pain.

The American Soc-iety of Anesthesiolo-gists advises againstreceiving care fromproviders withouttraining in treatingchronic pain becausepatient safety can beseriously compro-mised. In addition tojeopardizing patientsafety, untrained pro-viders lower the qualityof health care and canincrease the risk forfraud and prescriptiondrug abuse. Untrainedproviders lack the suffi-cient education andtraining needed toproperly prescribe opi-oids, according to theWhite House Office ofNational Drug ControlPolicy.

Clifton Phillips, 44, ofBowie, Md., has painthroughout his body. He

suffers from osteo-arthritis, migraineheadaches, a herniateddisc and a pinchednerve in his lower back,which causes discom-fort and burning in hisfoot. For three yearsPhillips workedthrough the pain beforehe sought help from anorthopedic doctor whoprescribed opioid painmedications for him.However, Phillips soonbecame dependent up-on the medication andsuffered significantside effects.

Treatment of chronicpain is complex and canbe associated with sig-nificant complications.This is due to the poten-tial for severe side ef-fects from some of themedications used totreat pain and the an-atomy and delicatestructure of the spineand nerves upon whichmany chronic pain in-terventions are per-formed. Knowing thathe couldn't sustain asuccessful lifestylewhile taking the highlyaddictive opioid meds,Phillips looked for al-ternative treatmentoptions through hisneurologist who re-ferred him to a highlytrained anesthesiolo-gist pain medicinephysician.

"I encourage otherssuffering from chronicpain to do your due dili-gence, research youroptions and don't beafraid to ask questionsabout treatments," Phil-lips said. "I feel safeknowing a physicianwho specializes in painnot only safely adminis-ters my pain treat-

ments, but also is ableto diagnose and workwith me to develop acustomized and effec-tive pain treatmentplan."

Specialized painphysicians have theeducation and trainingto accurately diagnose,evaluate and treatchronic pain patientsusing a comprehensiveapproach includingmedications and painprocedures. Treat-ments can range frommedical management,physical therapy andpsychological therapy,to interventional thera-pies and other alterna-tive medical treat-ments. These therapiescan be risky and re-quire the skill of anes-thesiologists or otherphysicians who possessthe training and knowl-edge to provide safe,competent and appro-priate care. These phy-sicians complete a one-year multidisciplinarypain fellowship in addi-

tion to their post-doc-toral training, accord-ing to the ASA. A painphysician, like an anes-thesiologist, is a pa-

tient's best solution tofinding a well-trainedprovider to treat chron-ic pain conditions, sim-ilar to what Phillips

was experiencing.Dr. John F. Dom-

browski, an anesthesi-ologist pain medicinephysician and execu-tive director at theWashington Pain Cen-ter in Washington, D.C.,began giving Phillipssteroid injection thera-py for a month. Today,Phillips is completelyoff opioid pain medica-tions and reports theburning in his foot sub-sided, making him ahappier person.

"I look forward tobeing more sponta-neous and enjoying mylife. I believe with thesetreatments, this couldbecome a reality," hesaid.

To learn more aboutpain treatment, visitphysician-paincare.com.


Those afflicted with chronic pain need not suffer in silence

Cold and flu season ison its way, often mark-ing its arrival with thatfirst throat tickle, be-fore exploding into ahacking cough.

Coughing is a naturalreaction to an airwayirritant, the body'sattempt to expel foreignsubstances, or a symp-tom indicating an un-derlying medical condi-tion.

A cough is a familiarsymptom of a widerange of conditions -from the common coldto bronchitis.

Identifying the typeand cause of yourcough will help youdetermine treatmentand get you on the fasttrack to kicking yourcough.

Types of coughs

Coughs fall under twocategories: productiveand nonproductive.

Productive (alsoknown as wet) coughsproduce phlegm ormucus that comes upfrom the lungs ordrains down the back ofthe throat. A wet coughcan be a symptom ofthe common cold, in-fluenza, bronchitis andeven pneumonia.

"For symptoms asso-ciated with illnessessuch as the commoncold or flu, coughinghelps remove mucusand irritants from yourlungs and airways,"said Dr. Brian M.Levine, general practi-tioner and cough spe-

cialist from southernCalifornia. "So it's bestnot to suppress these

coughs."Nonproductive (also

known as dry) coughsdo not produce phlegmor mucus and can makeyour airways, throat orchest sore, causing dis-comfort and disruptingsleep.

This type of coughcan be a cold and flusymptom but is alsooften a result of asthmaor allergies.

"A person sufferingfrom asthma generallyexperiences a dry, non-productive cough," saidLevine. "Allergycoughs, due to the con-striction of airways bypollutants such aspollen, cigarette smokeor animal dander, arevery similar to asth-ma."

Chronic cough is acough that lasts longerthan six to eight weeks,which can cause physi-cal problems such asdamage to the vocalcords, rupture of smallblood vessels in the air-

way, fainting spells,hernias or even brokenribs.

"A long-lasting coughmay be the sign of anunderlying condition,such as asthma, post-nasal drip or gastroe-sophageal reflux dis-ease," said Levine. "De-pending on the cause ofthe chronic cough,treatment may includeantihistamine allergymedications, inhaledasthma medicine, ant-acids or antibiotics. Acough lasting for sever-al weeks can also be anindicator of whoopingcough, which is a high-ly contagious conditioncharacterized by in-tense coughing that canlead to breathing re-strictions, dry heaving,and vomiting. If acough lasts for morethan a few weeks, aphysician should beconsulted."

Treatments

"There's a wide selec-tion of over-the-countertreatments available tohelp ease coughingsymptoms," said Le-vine. "Expectorants,such as guaifenesin,thin the mucus block-ing the airways makingit easier to cough up,relieving chest conges-tion. Dry coughs can betreated with a coughsuppressant, such asd e x t ro m e t h o r p h a n ,which simply lessensthe urge to cough pro-moting comfort andbetter sleeping. I rec-ommend many of the'store-brand' coughmedications at leadingretailers and pharma-

cies, such as Tussincough syrups andguaifenesin. These pro-ducts are regulated bythe FDA and use com-parable active ingredi-ents, but cost signifi-cantly less than thebrand names."

Perrigo is a Michi-gan-based -pharmaceu-tical company thatmanufactures and dis-tributes most of theover-the-counter med-ications sold understore-brand labels atleading national retail-ers, club stores, grocersand pharmacies. Ac-cording to Perrigo,these products are theprimary treatmentsavailable over-the-coun-ter for cough:

• Wet cough relief:Guaifenesin (compareto: Mucinex), Tussincough syrups that arelabeled as containingan expectorant such asguaifenesin (compareto: Robitussin)

• Dry cough relief:D e x t r o m e t h o r p h a n(compare to: Delsym),night time and day timeproducts that are la-beled as containing acough suppressantsuch as dextromethor-phan (compare to:NyQuil and DayQuil)

"If you continue tocough for a prolongedperiod of time, yourrespiratory symptomshave worsened, or youhave difficulty breath-ing, I suggest schedul-ing an appointmentwith your doctor imme-diately, so he or shemay evaluate you andsuggest the best courseof treatment for yoursituation," Levine said.


Cough clues: Identify and treat your cough


Today's busy familiesare always on the go,which means less timefor shopping, preparingand eating food. How-ever, there is one thingyou can't skimp on nomatter how fast you'regoing, and that's foodsafety. From groceryshopping to reheatingleftovers, you can useseveral tips to ensurethat the food you eatisn't going to make youor your family sick.

The Institute of FoodTechnologists has aplethora of informa-tion for consumersabout how to preventfoodborne illnessthroughout the year.

To make sure the foodyou bring home is assafe and delicious as itwas at the store, it'simportant to know thebest way to pack andtransport your gro-ceries.

In a video on the IFTwebsite, bit.ly/VTwhE5, JenniferMcEntire, PhD, a foodscientist and microbiol-ogist offers some ad-vice:

Pack similar foodstogether in order to

avoid cross contamina-tion – the transfer ofpathogens between onefood to another. Forexample, pack producetogether in one bag,and meats in another.Pack a bag of frozenfoods and another onefor dry goods.

If you're a fan ofreusable bags, makesure you're keepingthem clean. Wipe themout, or even throw themin the washingmachine on a regularbasis to keep themgerm free. Some re-usable, thermal bagscan keep foods hot orcold for up to a coupleof hours, so make surethese bags are free fromholes or tears. It's im-portant to wrap meatsin a disposable bagbefore placing them ina reusable bag in orderto avoid spreadingpathogens. If you can,bring two reusable bagsto keep meats and pro-duce separate.

Whether you cook allyour food for the weekon Sunday or haveextra left at the end of ameal, for many fami-lies, leftovers are the

key to solving the prob-lem of "what's for din-ner." Some foods, likecasseroles, chicken sal-ad and foods with manydifferent spices, caneven taste better thenext day once all the fla-vors meld together.Proper handling canensure that leftoverskeep that "first bite"taste, as well as stayingdelicious and bacteria-free.

It's important toremember to keep threethings in mind when itcomes to leftovers:refrigerating, storing,and reheating. Thevideo which can befound on the Food Factspage at bit.ly/RN0mWjoffers several tips onhow to safely savorfoods a second timearound.

Refrigerating

To save energy, firstcool your food beforeplacing it in the refrig-erator. You can speedup the cooling processby chilling food in anice bath or cold water,setting it in front of afan, or dividing it into

smaller portions thatcan be placed into shal-low containers. Thetemperature in yourrefrigerator should beat 40 degrees Fahr-enheit (0 degrees Cel-sius) or lower. It's bestto use a thermometer tomake sure you have thecorrect temperaturerather than relying onrefrigerator controlsand displays. The key isto store leftovers quick-ly, within two hours ofcooking (one hour onhot summer days or inwarm climates).

Storing

Thin-walled metal,glass or plastic shallowcontainers (no more

than 2 inches deep),bags, foil and plasticwrap are ideal for stor-ing leftovers. Cookedmeat can be storedthree to four days in thefridge, while uncookedground meats, poultryand seafood will lastonly a day or two. Rawroasts, steaks andchops (beef, veal, lampor pork), as well ascasseroles, veggies andsimilar side dishes andpie can be refrigeratedfor three to five days. Ifyou have a lot of left-overs, you may chooseto freeze them, whichcompletely halts bacter-ial activity, so food canstay safe and usable forseveral months.Freezer temperature

should be at 0 degreesFahrenheit (-18 degreesCelsius).

Reheating

Using a food ther-mometer is the bestway to ensure food isheated to a safe temper-ature. Most foods, espe-cially meats, should beheated to 165 degreesFahrenheit (74 degreesCelsius) in the center.It's safe to leave steak orother whole cuts of beefor lamb a little bit rarewhen you reheat them,as long as they were ini-tially cooked at a hightemperature to sear theoutside and kill bacte-ria on the surface of themeat. Bring sauces,soups and gravies to aboil. Never reheat left-overs in crock pots,slow cookers or chafingdishes.

When reheating in amicrowave, use a lowerpower setting to reheatand to avoid overcook-ing.

For some fast facts forfast heating, whileusing the microwaveoven, check out this IFTvideo: bit.ly/PjUyl0.

Food safety from store to table


Today we tend to takefor granted the techno-logical advances thatmany of us use to seeeach day – light, thin,stylish prescriptioneyeglasses that correctour vision so we canlive life to the fullest.But imagine what yourlife would have beenlike a hundred yearsago if you couldn't seeclearly. Your optionswere to either simplylive with the debilitat-ing condition or wearrudimentary spectaclesthat allowed you to seeclearly straight ahead,but limited your peri-pheral vision.

"Each day, millions ofpeople wake up andgrab their prescriptioneyeglasses to start theirday off with near-per-fect vision," said JeffHopkins, senior manag-er at Carl Zeiss Vision,a pioneer in eyeglasslens technology for 100years. "When you thinkback to what it was liketo have vision problemsjust a century ago, it'samazing how far we'vecome. Today, prescrip-tion eyeglasses aretechnologically ad-vanced, widely avail-able and affordable."

A look at the last 100years of optics historyshows how much pre-scription eyeglasseshave changed, and whattrends are developingfor the future.-

• Before 1900: Jeep-ers, creepers – theseglasses aren't helpingmy peepers

Prescription eyeglasswearers today haveclear vision across the

entire surface of thelens, but that was notalways the case. Before1912, prescription eye-glasses had a muchmore restricted field ofclear vision. For manythis meant vision wasonly clear when look-ing directly ahead. Asyou moved your eye toone side or the other,the view was increas-ingly blurry. Seeingsomething in the per-

iphery required morethan a glance – you hadto turn to look at it.

• 1912: Goodbye tun-nel vision, hello pre-cision eyeglass lenses

On April 1, 1912, CarlZeiss produced the firstprecision eyeglass lenscalled Punktal, whichallowed many wearersto see across the entiresurface of the eyeglasslens right up to the

edge, making previouseyeglass lenses obso-lete. No more "tunnelvision" effects orstrained necks fromhaving to move yourhead back and forth allthe time.

• 1920s to today:Talking 'bout my gen-eration's ... style ofeyeglasses frames

Before Punktal, eye-glasses were usually

tiny, because a largerlens size only meantmore peripheral blur.Punktal's wider fieldsof view allowed the cre-ation of larger, morediverse eyeglass framestyles. Long gone arethe days of the pince-nez glasses that wereheld on one's face bypinching the nose, typi-cally found before the1920s. Since then, manystyles have emerged tohelp define genera-tional fashion. Brow-line frames, such as theones worn by MalcolmX, were popular in the1950s. In the 1960s, styl-ish women comple-mented their beehivehairdos with cat-eyeframes. Horn-rimmedframes were popular inthe '40s through the '60s,with popularity boom-ing again in 2012.

• 21st century:Lenses created andcustomized just forme

Advancements con-tinue in prescriptioneyeglass lens technolo-gy, with the focus onoptimizing the visionexperience for eachindividual person. Thisstems from the idea

Historical breakthroughs have changed vision health


KYMC

that even if two people have thesame prescription, they might havedifferent visual needs based on theshape of their face, the style of theireyeglass frames and even their dailyactivities. Customized lenses likeZEISS Progressive Individual 2 aredesigned precisely for each uniquevision situation, and are based onpersonal parameters, integratingtheir prescription, their frames andthe way they fit, and their personalneeds for near, intermediate and dis-tance vision into a unique personal-ized design.

• 2012: Seeing is believing withonline vision screening

Today there are more options than

ever for checking your eyesight,including screening your visionfrom the convenience of your homecomputer.

For example, Zeiss offers a freeonline vision screening tool thatallows visitors to test their visualacuity, contrast vision and colorvision, and can be used as a guide tohelp you quickly and easily deter-mine if it's time to get a professionaleye exam at your local eye careprovider. The screening and resultsare completed within five minutes orless.

"The future is bright for visiontechnology. Over the next 100 years, Ihave confidence we'll be seeing bet-ter than ever," concluded Hopkins.

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