=========================== JeffNEWS, November 15, 1994 =========================== You and Your Health `Pound Pool' May Help Keep Your Weight in Check During the Holidays ------------------------------------------------------------------- Do you need an incentive to avoid that annual holiday weight gain? The Health Awareness Program has an offer you shouldn't refuse. Here's how it works: o Pre-holiday weigh-in - Tuesday, November 22, from noon to 1 p.m. and 5 to 6 p.m., outpatient nutrition services, Suite 110, 1015 Chestnut Street. o Contribution to the "pound pool" - Each participant contributes $5. o Post-holiday weigh-in - Tuesday, January 10, from noon to 1 p.m. and 5 to 6 p.m., outpatient nutrition services, Suite 110, 1015 Chestnut Street. Come at the same time you did for the pre- holiday weigh-in, wearing similar clothes. o Those who gain weight lose their $5, but they can deduct that amount if they wish to sign up for the Weigh to GoSM, Healthy Eating or Cooking a la Health programs. o Those who maintain weight or lose no more than five percent of their original weight split the money in the pound pool. Those who maintain weight will also be eligible for a drawing for a Dining With Heart restaurant gift certificate. To register, stop by the Health Awareness office at Suite 100, 1015 Chestnut Street, or complete the registration form you received in interoffice mail and return by Friday, November 18. Joslin Offers One-Day Classes in Diabetes Basics ------------------------------------------------ Adults with diabetes will benefit from a one-day class, "The Basics of Diabetes Management," on Tuesday, November 29, from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., at the Joslin Center for Diabetes at Wills and Jefferson. The class will also be offered on Tuesday, January 10. The center is located on the sixth floor of 211 S. Ninth Street. You'll receive invaluable information on insulin and medications, blood glucose monitoring, prevention of complications, nutrition, exercise, and coping with stress from Joslin's multi-disciplinary staff. You may bring a nondiabetic family member or close friend with you to class free of charge. Just notify us when you make your own reservation. If you have a blood glucose meter, please bring it along because you'll have an opportunity to ask questions about its use. The cost of the program is $50, plus a fee for a take-home book - $2.95 if you don't take insulin, and $8.50 if you do - payable when you register that morning. You'll receive a 33-percent discount on parking if you park at the Wills Eye Hospital garage on Ninth Street between Walnut and Locust streets. Just have your ticket validated at the security desk inside Wills Eye Hospital's main entrance. Participants are asked to bring their own lunch, which can be kept in a refrigerator on the premises. Space is limited. To reserve your place or for further information, call Gary Scheiner, MS, diabetes class coordinator, at 215-928-3147. No Butts About It: You Can Leave an Old Friend Behind ----------------------------------------------------- On Thursday, November 17, break away from the pack by participating in the Great American Smokeout. For 18 years, the American Cancer Society has been encouraging smokers to kick the habit by giving up cigarettes for one day. Within 24 hours of smoking that last cigarette, the chance of heart attack is reduced, oxygen and carbon monoxide levels in the blood return to healthier amounts, and blood pressure and pulse rate drop. Jeffersonians are invited to visit the Health Awareness booth in the Atrium between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to pick up their smokeout survival kit. Men and the Cutting Edge ------------------------ For many African-American men, a daily shave may result in something more serious than a few nicks and cuts. "Since African-American men have curly facial hair, it can often curl back into the skin and cause folliculitis, or an inflammation of the hair follicles," says Jefferson dermatologist, Sylvia Hsu, MD. If inflammation occurs, it's best to avoid shaving until the irritation subsides. If the condition persists, however, Dr. Hsu suggests visiting a dermatologist. "A topical antibiotic or, in more serious cases, an oral antibiotic will be prescribed to treat the inflammation." Men who experience folliculitis frequently may want to switch to an electric razor, since it does not cut as close to the skin as a regular razor and therefore causes less skin irritation. Should You Self-treat Vaginal Infections? ----------------------------------------- When the Food and Drug Administration approved over-the-counter drugs for yeast infections a few years ago, many women saw this self-treatment method as a way to avoid a trip to the doctor's office. While non- prescription medication may indeed be a convenient godsend for women, Hee-Ok Park, MD, obstetrics and gynecology, cautions that similar symptoms can also be associated with sexually transmitted diseases, which can be transmitted to others and damage a woman's fallopian tubes. "If you've been diagnosed by a physician or had yeast infections before and are fully aware of the symptoms, then treating the vaginal condition yourself is fine," says Dr. Park. "But if your symptoms do not respond to medication within a reasonable time, or keep recurring, seek medical attention." Alcohol: Heart Medicine Or Heart Menace? ---------------------------------------- In addition to its ability to increase the levels of "good" cholesterol, a new study suggests yet another reason why a cocktail a day can keep the cardiologist away. Heart attacks are caused by blood clots, and alcohol increases the amount of a clot-busting enzyme in the body. The study found that people who imbibed in two or more drinks a day had higher levels of a natural anticlot substance called tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) than those who rarely or never drank alcohol. Is it true that something pleasurable may actually be beneficial? Yes and no. The key is moderation. "A little alcohol may be good, but a lot isn't better," says Jefferson cardiologist Albert N. Brest, MD. "Too much alcohol can damage your heart muscle, raise blood pressure and cause cardiac rhythm disturbances. There are also compelling links between alcohol use and liver disease and accidents of all sorts." The decision of whether or not to drink is one each individual must make on their own. But, says Dr. Brest, despite what studies show, if you don't drink at all or only occasionally, it would be a mistake to start in hopes of doing your heart good. There are safer and better ways to protect your heart's health - through a low-fat diet, regular exercise and not smoking - than through the use of alcohol. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Information provided by: Editor, JeffNEWS (215) 955-6204 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------