Winter 2017 Midwest
S I M P LY W E L L We l l n e s s T i p s a n d E n c o u r a g e m e n t f ro m H e a l t h A l l i a n c e
Helpful Resources Anytime Nurse Line
1-855-802-4612 Diabetes
• American Diabetes Association, diabetes.org • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cdc.gov/diabetes • National Diabetes Education Program, ndep.nih.gov • For Kids, kidshealth.org (search for “diabetes”) Asthma
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, www.nhlbi.nih.gov (search for “asthma”) • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cdc.gov/asthma/inhaler_video • American Lung Association, lung.org/asthma • For Kids: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, aaaai.org (search for “kids”) Know Which Cold Meds Are Safe for Your Condition—p. 1 Feast on Fruits and Veggies This Flu Season—p. 3 Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup—p. 4 Be Prepared when Sickness Strikes—p. 5 Seasonal Affective Disorder—Back Cover
Using Antibiotics Safely:
What You and Your Doctor Can Do Some illnesses have distinct symptoms, but many share symptoms with other types of illnesses. This can make it tough for your doctor to tell what’s wrong without doing a test.
strep test, which involves swabbing your throat and tonsils to collect bacteria.
Viral infections include: • Colds • Flu • Most coughs and bronchitis • Sore throat not caused by strep
The best thing you can do to prevent antibiotic resistance is to only take antibiotics as your doctor prescribes. Don’t save some of your antibiotic for the next time you’re sick or use a family member’s leftover medicine.
Strep throat is one bacterial infection that is hard to diagnose without a test. That’s why before prescribing an antibiotic, your doctor should always do a rapid
To learn more about antibiotic safety, go to CDC.gov/GetSmart/Community
The rapid strep test helps make sure you don’t take an antibiotic for a type of infection it can’t cure. Taking antibiotics when you don’t For example, bacterial and viral need them might seem harmless, but infections often have similar symptoms, but their causes and how the misuse or overuse of antibiotics can lead to antibiotic resistance, they’re treated are different. • Bacterial infections are caused by which can be very dangerous. bacteria and can be treated with Antibiotic resistance happens when antibiotics. bacteria change in a way that makes the medicine trying to cure or • Viral infections are caused by prevent an infection less effective. viruses and can’t be treated with The bacteria survive and multiply, antibiotics. which causes more harm. Each year Bacterial infections include: in the U.S., at least 2 million people become infected with bacteria that • Strep throat are resistant to antibiotics, and at • Staph infection least 23,000 people die from these • Sinus infection infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. • Some pneumonia
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Know Which Cold Meds Are Safe for Your Condition Even with healthy meals, regular exercise, proper handwashing and plenty of sleep, pesky viruses can still sneak into your life. And when they do, it’s good to know which over-thecounter cold medicines are safe to take with your chronic condition.
Some cold meds and painkillers are dangerous to take with chronic conditions because they interact with either the medication you already take or with the condition itself. Here is some need-to-know info for keeping your cold symptoms in check while also managing a chronic condition. High Blood Pressure When you have high blood pressure, it’s important to know which drugs could make your blood pressure higher. Decongestants, which help take away your stuffiness, work by narrowing the blood vessels in your nose to reduce swelling and make breathing easier. But the narrow vessels can also make blood pressure higher. If you already have high blood pressure, avoid decongestants and multisymptom cold and cough meds that contain decongestants, unless your doctor tells you differently. Antihistamines, which are commonly used to fight allergies and can help relieve a runny nose, are usually safer than decongestants for people with high blood pressure. Some common painkillers can also raise your blood pressure. Non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like ibuprofen and naproxen, can increase your blood pressure by making you retain water and forcing your kidneys to work harder. Some multisymptom cold meds contain NSAIDs, so make sure to read the label of everything you take.
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Acetaminophen is typically the safer painkiller for people with high blood pressure.
Diabetes Controlling your blood pressure is also key to keeping your diabetes in check, so you should generally avoid drugs containing decongestants or NSAIDs and stick to antihistamines and acetaminophen, unless your doctor tells you otherwise. Oral decongestants not only raise your blood pressure, but they also can increase your blood sugar, so it’s doubly important to read all labels and know what is in the cold medication you’re considering. In general, pills are safer than syrups for people with diabetes because pills are less likely to have carbohydrates. Syrups could contain sugar, so try to stick to oral pills or find sugar-free syrup.
Asthma Having asthma can worsen your cold symptoms, and cold symptoms can trigger an asthma flare-up. It’s important to know how to manage those symptoms when you have asthma and catch a cold. If you have a cold, you must continue taking your asthma medication as your doctor prescribes and follow your Asthma Action Plan for a flare-up. You can also ask your doctor about over-the-counter cold meds to see if one might help your situation. Early monitoring is key, so tell your doctor right away if you think you have a cold.
Every case is different, so talk to your doctor and pharmacist before deciding which cold medicine will best meet your needs. It’s important to get plenty of rest and to stay home if you can to help avoid spreading the virus to others. 2
Feast on Fruits and Veggies This Flu Season Along with all the snowy weather, winter is also the time of year when flu and cold season is in full swing. The best protection for the flu is to get the shot, but here are some other ways you can help your body be its healthiest this winter and all year long.
Rally®*, our easy-to-use digital health experience, features online missions and challenges to help you reach your health goals with support and rewards along the way. Rally has a mission that focuses on helping you eat more fruits and veggies.
The nutrients in fruits and vegetables can help your body be better prepared to fight off a cold or the flu. Colorful fruits are packed with vitamins and minerals to help you stay your healthiest. For example, citrus fruits and bell peppers have lots of vitamin C. And spinach and carrots are great sources of vitamin A (along with other nutrients).
It also has plenty of other missions to help you with nutrition, exercise, sleep and stress management, which are all areas that could help your body be more prepared if a nasty virus strikes. To get started, go to HealthAlliance.org.
You should cover half your plate with fruits and veggies each meal to help make sure you’re getting the nutrients you need. Eating well-balanced meals is essential to your health, so make sure you’re eating food from other food groups, too. *If you don’t have internet access, health surveys, selfmanagement tools and rewards are also available by mail or phone. To participate, call the number on the back of your ID card.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate shows the basic food groups that make up a healthy meal. Learn more at ChooseMyPlate.gov.
Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
Servings: 4 Serving size: About 1 1/2 cups
8 cups chicken stock or fat-free, lowersodium chicken broth 2 4-ounce skinless, bone-in chicken thighs
Preparation
1 12-ounce skinless, bone-in chicken breast half
1. Combine the first 3 ingredients in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 20 minutes. Remove chicken from pan; let stand for 10 minutes. Remove chicken from bones; shred meat into bite-sized pieces. Discard bones.
2 cups sliced carrots 2 cups sliced celery 1 cup chopped onion 6 ounces uncooked medium egg noodles 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper Celery leaves (optional)
2. Add carrot, celery and onion to pan; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add noodles, and simmer for 6 minutes. Add chicken, salt and black pepper; cook for 2 minutes or until noodles are done. Garnish with celery leaves if desired. Recipe from myrecipes.com Nutrition 423 calories; 7.7 g fat; 2.2 g saturated fat; 42.2 g carbohydrate; 44.4 g protein; 4.8 g fiber; 171 mg cholesterol; 474 mg sodium; 98 mg calcium; 3.3 mg iron.
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Be Prepared When Sickness Strikes Chronic conditions can be hard to manage on a good day, so adding an illness into the mix can really throw your body and your normal routine out of whack.
Having a chronic condition doesn’t necessarily mean you’re more likely to get sick, but you could have a higher risk of developing complications (like getting pneumonia after having the flu). Getting sick could also make your condition temporarily worse. For example, if you have diabetes, it can make your blood sugar harder to control. If you have asthma, it could increase your asthma symptoms or trigger an attack. Make a Sick-Day Plan When you get sick, you don’t want to guess at what changes you should make to your daily routine. Make a plan with your doctor so you’ll know exactly what to do. Being prepared can help you feel better during your illness and help you avoid any dangerous swings in your condition. Your sick-day plan should include: • How to adjust your diet, fluid intake or medication* • Changes to your monitoring schedule (like taking your blood pressure or testing your blood sugar) • When to call your doctor or get care • Daytime and after-hours contact information for your doctor
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Go to HealthAlliance.org/Disease-Management to learn more about sick-day plans.
If you have asthma, you should already have an Asthma Action Plan in place that tells you what to do if you have flare-ups, including those caused by being sick. If you don’t have an Asthma Action Plan, download the form from HealthAlliance.org/DiseaseManagement and fill it out with your doctor. Get 24/7 Health Advice If you’re battling an illness and aren’t sure if you should see a doctor (and it’s not an emergency), call the Anytime Nurse Line at 1-855-802-4612 for advice. You can also get tips on managing your chronic condition while sick. The Anytime Nurse Line is for health-related questions only. For benefit questions, call the Customer Service number on the back of your ID card.
*Never stop taking your regular medications without talking to your doctor first.
Protect Yourself from Flu If you haven’t gotten a flu shot this year, it’s not too late. Get the shot as soon as possible to protect yourself and those around you. Health Alliance covers flu vaccines at 100 percent at in-network pharmacies and providers, but if you get the shot at a doctor’s office, you might have a copay for the office visit. 6
PRESORT STD US POSTAGE PAID CHAMPAIGN, IL PERMIT NO 488 301 S. Vine St. Urbana, IL 61801
Health and wellness or prevention information Health Alliance Medicare is a Medicare Advantage Organization with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in Health Alliance Medicare depends on contract renewal. This information is not a complete description of benefits. Contact the plan for more information. Limitations, co-payments and restrictions may apply. Benefits and copayments/coinsurance may change on January 1 of each year.
Seasonal Affective Disorder: More than Just the Winter Blues With the shorter days and cold, gloomy weather that winter brings, it’s normal to feel a little down sometimes. But if you feel drained of energy, moody and not like yourself every winter, you may be suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD is a type of depression triggered by changes in season, and it starts and stops around the same time each year. For most people, it begins in the fall and lingers through the end of winter. There is no proven cause, but many scientists believe a lack of sunlight during the winter months is to blame. Here are some common symptoms of SAD. Some people experience most of them, but others only have a few. • Anxiety • Irritability • Sadness • Loss of interest in activities you normally enjoy • Withdrawal from social activities • Lack of energy and extreme tiredness • Trouble concentrating • Heavy feeling in the limbs • Increased need for sleep • Craving for carbohydrates • Weight gain
There are a few types of treatments for SAD. A common one is light therapy, which involves sitting near a device with a bright light for a certain amount of time each day. Some people with diabetes or who take certain medications shouldn’t use light therapy because of the possible risk of eye damage, so talk to your doctor before starting this treatment. Some people are prescribed antidepressants for SAD, either as a sole treatment or in addition to light therapy. If the winter is affecting you and it’s more than just a case of the blues, you don’t have to tough it out alone. Talk to your doctor to see if you might have SAD so you can start treatment and start feeling like yourself again.