You and Your Health and Safety

Health Awareness Plans Informative May Seminars

Now that spring is in the air, celebrate the new season by learning more about how to get and stay healthy with these seminars sponsored by the Health Awareness Program. Unless otherwise noted, you can register for all classes at the Health Awareness Program offices, Suite 100, 1015 Chestnut Street, or call 5-6319 to reserve your seat.

Heart Healthy Eating Program

Making heart healthy eating part of your lifestyle is a crucial step towards preventing and treating high blood cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. Come to these sessions presented by registered dietitians from Jefferson's Dining With Heart program to learn how to handle all types of eating situations, including meals at home, restaurant eating, social situations, the workplace, and eating on the run. Class dates are Tuesday, May 7, 14 and 21, from noon to 1 p.m. Preregistration is required and there is a $35 fee for the series.

Eat and Learn at Carolina's Restaurant

Carolina's Restaurant, one of Jefferson's Dining With Heart restaurants, is sponsoring a monthly speaker's series from 7 to 9 p.m. at Carolina's suburban location, 333 Belrose Lane, Radnor. Preregistration is required and there is a fee for the meal. This month features:

• "Sports Nutrition" ­p; Learn how what you eat and drink influences your physical performance from Jefferson Hospital's John McShane, MD, director of primary care sports medicine and team physician for the Philadelphia Eagles, and Barb Whedon, RD, outpatient dietitian, department of nutrition and dietetics. They will cover the nutritional concerns of athletically active people and address topics such as fluids and hydration, what, when and how much food to eat for optimum performance, and supplements on Tuesday, May 7.
• "Understanding the Myths and Facts About Menopause" ­p; Let Joan H. Zeidman, MD, from the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Bryn Mawr Hospital, a member of the Jefferson Health System, separate menopause fact from fiction. She will discuss subjects including the relationship of menopause to heart disease and osteoporosis, managing menopause symptoms, and hormone replacement therapy on Tuesday, May 21.

For more information or to register, call Carolina Restaurant's Denise Bennett at 1-610-293-1000 or the Health Awareness Program at 5-6319.

"Sun Sense Is No Nonsense" - free seminar

May is National Skin Cancer Awareness Month. Join Kenneth E. Wasserman, MD, clinical instructor of dermatology, to learn the causes, prevention methods and treatment options for skin cancer on Thursday, May 2, from noon to 1 p.m., room 203, Jefferson Medical College.

"Healthy Snacking for Kids" - free seminar

Feeding children healthy food is very challenging with the abundance of snack foods available in grocery stores. Let Maureen Boccella, RD, department of nutrition and dietetics, give you options for healthy snacking using homemade treats as well as store bought convenience foods, on Wednesday, May 8, from noon to 1 p.m., room 203, Jefferson Medical College.

Stroke Awareness Month Activities

The Health Awareness Program, together with the department of neurology's Stroke Center, is offering the following events in recognition of Stroke Awareness Month in May.
On Monday, May 13 and Wednesday, May 15, pick up information on stroke risk and prevention at the Atrium booth from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"What You Need to Know About Stroke" - This free lecture, presented by Toby R. Mazer, MPH, program administrator/coordinator for the Stroke Center, will cover stroke risk, prevention and the latest treatments on Tuesday, May 14 from noon to 1 p.m., room 105, Bluemle Life Sciences. Call the Health Awareness Program at 5-6319 to reserve your seat at the lecture.

Getting the Most From Your Pelvic Exam

Women on their way to the gynecologist's office for a pap smear or for treatment of a vaginal discharge should keep in mind that douches, spermicides and over-the-counter medications for yeast infections can camouflage symptoms and affect test results, making it difficult for your doctor to make an accurate diagnosis. Hee Ok Park, MD, a Jefferson gynecologist, advises women not to use any kind of vaginal medication or douche for at least two days before a pap smear or other pelvic exam and to refrain from intercourse on the morning of the exam and the night before.

Wrist Guards Don't Protect Skaters From Fractures

Protective gear for rollerbladers may not be that protective at all. Jefferson researchers, led by orthopaedic surgeon Peter Sharkey, MD, found that wrist guards do little to prevent fractures of the wrist and forearm when a skater falls forward on outstretched hands. Wrist guards do serve a purpose, however. Like knee pads, they prevent abrasions. While the choice of whether to wear wrist guards when rollerblading is up to each individual, there's only one choice when it comes to protective head gear ­p; always wear a helmet.

Females: Hormones Can Cause Poor Sleep

Women, are you in the dark about how quality of sleep is vulnerable to fluctuating hormones? Early in the menstrual cycle when progesterone levels are low, women get less deep, restorative sleep. Mid-month ovulation triggers high levels of progesterone, making women sleepier. For PMS sufferers, the opposite occurs. Elevated progesterone levels may actually cause changes that disrupt sleep. Progesterone levels then plummet with the onset of menstruation, setting off a night of insomnia for some. Menopause brings little relief. Lack of estrogen in the later years results in hot flashes, triggering several awakenings during the night, says Sharon Schutte, MD, a specialist at Jefferson's Sleep Disorders Center.

Changes during pregnancy, such as the increased need to urinate at night, disrupt normal sleep patterns and sleep quality, and thus sap daytime energy. By the twelfth week, pregnant women get less of the deep sleep that restores the body, less dream-state sleep that rejuvenates the mind and spend more time awake at night. Through the second trimester, many women seem to adapt and feel better. But in the third trimester, sleep fragmentation and wakefulness return.

Relax With a Free Spring Concert

Need to get away from it all for a while and just be entertained? A free concert may be just what the doctor ordered. Come to the annual spring concert of the Thomas Jefferson University Choir and Orchestra on Friday, May 10 at 8 p.m. at Jefferson Medical College's McClellan Hall, 1025 Walnut Street. The choir will perform W.A. Mozart's Requiem, with additional works by George Gershwin and other American composers. Robert T. Sataloff, MD, DMA, professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Jefferson, is the founder and conductor of the choir, which is composed of physicians, nurses, students, employees, alumni and spouses within the Jefferson community. This concert is free and open to the public. For further information, call 215/545-3322.

Safe and Healthy Travel Strategies, Part 2

In March, Jefferson's Travel Medicine Staff offered travel tips to help you stay healthy when flying or sailing to your vacation spot. This month, they serve up health hints you should consider once you're at your vacation destination to make sure you return with happy memories, not an illness.

• When flying across time zones, allow one day for your body clock to readjust for every time-zone change. Despite varying research results and disagreement by medical experts on dosage recommendation, some frequent flyers swear by melatonin pills to help counteract the effects of jet lag. Save your money, says Valerie Godzieba, CRNP, RN. You can acclimate your body to time-zone changes more naturally by eating and sleeping according to local time.
• Your body needs time to adapt to high altitudes in order to minimize the symptoms of altitude sickness, characterized by nausea, headache, fatigue and insomnia.Tobacco, alcohol and excessive food aggravate altitude sickness.
• Take food and water precautions to guard against Hepatitis A, typhoid fever and traveler's diarrhea when traveling outside the U.S. Drink bottled beverages only, served straight up (ice is a potential source of contamination). Avoid food sold by street vendors, as well as raw and uncooked foods, including green salads and cold salads. Be sure that all dairy products have been pasteurized. Toast your trip with beer or wine; alcohol in mixed drinks doesn't kill organisms.