Good Health News • November-December • 2013
Good Health News
November-December • 2013 Volume 6 Number 2
In This Issue Take the Winter Stress Away ................................Page 1 US FDA Regulating Food For Animals ................................Page 2 Nutrition Tool For Parents & Flu Statistics Re-evaluated ................................Page 3 Here's What People Have to Say About LIFE ................................Page 4
Take the Winter Stress Away
Health in Motion director Natan Gendelman gives his advice on staying relaxed and destressed as we enter the season of winter.
Good morning everyone! Hope you’re having a happy start to the winter!
With chillier weather, earlier darkness and various holiday errands, it is easy to accumulate fatigue and stress in the winter season. How should we deal with stress? The first tip that I have to give for managing stress is to schedule your own life well. A long time ago I was watching an interview with Queen Latifah. She mentioned that she would set up her own tentative deadlines; so that she would not miss the actual deadlines she has to meet. This was her way of not driving herself crazy with the stress of having to do things at the last minute. My second advice is, if you feel very stressed or nervous about things, just stop and pause. Leave whatever you are working on; sleep on it to wait till you have a refreshed mindset to return to the assignment. One great story that I have heard is that a general in an English army made a decision to sleep because he felt the need of it in the middle of a significant war. After he woke up, he led his troops into victory. I’ve also heard of a Jewish folklore, where King Solomon tested his most trusted minister by asking him to bring a certain magical ring, one that, by looking at it, would make a happy man become sad and a sad man become happy. To his surprise, the minister brought a ring which on the outside read, “This shall pass,” and on the inside read, “This too shall pass.” I think this is extremely wise. Thirdly, remember to set aside time to deal with your own emotions. Don’t keep it in and go through days and nights being bound up in your own stress. Go exercise. Go somewhere quiet and scream to let out your emotions. Set yourself free by letting go of worries, fears and stress. Last but not least, watch what you eat. Avoid junk foods and beverages. These unhealthy snacks cause harmful effects on the nervous system and can even bring the body to a collapse with long-term intake. Choose to eat fresh fruits and vegetables that will nourish and replenish you in the cold and dry weather. Good luck on maintaining a healthy stress-free lifestyle this winter! Thank you and I am looking forward to another lovely snowy season!
Health in Motion Rehabilitation (416) 250-1904) www.healthinmotionrehab.com
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Good Health News • November-December • 2013
General General Health Health
∂ U.S. Food and Drug Administration Starting to Regulate Food for Animals Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/26/health/fda-moves-to-regulate-food-for-animals.html
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. has taken the first
steps to prevent illness of farm animals and pets through governing the production of farm animal feed and pet food for the first time. This comes after a widespread case of pets dying in the U.S. after eating contaminated dog and cat food. The product had melamine, a plastic compound, mixed in the food. Officials at the agency said that this new regulation is aimed at preventing people from becoming sick from handling contaminated animal food and animals from falling ill after eating it.
Ask Good Health News
These new standards are being included in the Food Safety and Modernization Act, a landmark food safety bill. If passed, it would regulate the production of feed for millions of farm animals such as chickens, pigs and cows in the U.S.
These rules would require manufacturers to produce written plans of avoiding food-borne illnesses, like salmonella, and proof that they are being put to effect. Production plants would need to have protective procedures in place at crucial locations where problems are likely to occur. Cooked food will have to be dealt with for an appropriate length of time and at the right temperature. Facilities will have to be hygienic and the people working there will have to uphold standards of cleanliness. This proposal does not address antibiotics in animal feed. There have been warnings from researchers that the practice might create antibiotic resistance in humans.
Do we have to wear hats and mittens in the winter? How many of us just cringe when we think about the multi-layered winter outfits that we would have to pile on a few months a year? Is it essential to put a hat on or put on those inconvenient mittens? As much as we find it troublesome to put on extra layers, the right clothing does go a long way in preventing hypothermia, a condition in which the body temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism (35.0 °C (95.0 °F). While wearing fur-lined coats, scarves and sweaters to keep our body warm is important, it is as important to cover our head and hands, as heat loss from these areas are significant too in cold weather.
This proves especially true for infants, where the head is larger relative to the rest of the body than in adults. The face, head and chest are the most sensitive body parts to changes in temperature. As for the hands, muscles in the fingers may show symptoms of mis-coordination and move slower when exposed to excessive coldness. Pain or numbness in the hands decreases agility and could increase the risk of accidents. This winter, prevent frostbite by protecting yourself head to toe when experiencing snowy landscapes or outdoor sports. Stay warm folks!
Health in Motion Rehabilitation (416) 250-1904) www.healthinmotionrehab.com
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Good Health News • November-December • 2013
Nutrition Tool for Parents Launches Online – Nutri-eSTEP www.enabledkids.ca
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/nutrition-tool-for-parents-launches-online-1.2251500
Parents, do you often wonder whether you are feeding your child the right stuff? No stress! There has been a new comprehensive tool that has launched online: Nutri-eSTEP (http://www.nutritionscreen.ca/). This new website helps parents decide what food helps their child grow and develop while preventing obesity and chronic diseases. It aims at educating about healthy eating and motivating families to take action in improving eating habits. The questionnaires and web tools take less than ten minutes to complete, but the advice and results given are valuable in helping the participants understand what they are doing well in, where there is room for improvement and what additional healthy eating tools there are out there. The website is divided into three sections for three demographics: parents or caregivers of toddlers that are 18 to 35 months old; parents or caregivers of preschoolers that are 3 to 5 years old; older adults 50 years and older. The questionnaire includes questions about typical food choices, eating behaviours, as well as physical activity. The easy-to-answer multiple-choice questions are fast to finish and quickly identify potential nutrition problems in young children and the elderly. These questionnaires have been provided to parents in certain clinics or public health centers before, but were not available to the public. Parents could receive written feedback and tips from registered dieticians and follow up links to videos and kid-friendly recipes on the website. This website is managed by EatRight Ontario, operated by Dietitians of Canada.
Flu Death Statistics Reevaluated in Canada The Public Health Agency of Canada issued recently: “Every year, between 2,000 and 8,000 Canadians die of the flu and its complications.” The statistics are frightening, however according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s recent investigation, Dr. Michael Gardam, director of the infection prevention and control unit at the University Health Network in Toronto said, “This is a scientific guess. This is not the truth.” He explained that no one knows exactly how many people die after being infected with the flue virus. There are no body counts, lab tests or autopsies. How do we get those numbers then? Gardam pointed out that the “2,000 to 8,000” numbers come from mathematical formulas that are developed from estimates about death and flu. Different equations churn different solutions. A particular model counts all respiratory and circulatory deaths (deaths from heart and lung failure) as flu deaths. Another model assumes that every extra death that happens in the winter compared to in the summer is a flu death. This means that deaths from winter accidents are attributed to flu deaths as well. In an official response, the Public Health Agency of Canada stated that it is important to inform Canadians about these death statistics because “Canadians should get their seasonal flu shot to prevent infection and to prevent infection by hand washing, cough etiquette and staying home when sick to prevent spread.”
Health in Motion Rehabilitation (416) 250-1904) www.healthinmotionrehab.com
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Good Health News • November-December • 2013
Learning Independent Function Everyday. That's LIFE.
what people have to say ∂ Here's about our LIFE Program: “Our daughter, Maggie, was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy when she was 17 months old, though we expected this diagnosis much sooner. In the four weeks that we’ve been here, Maggie and we have learned so much and she has accomplished amazing things. She can roll, sit and crawl – all the things that she tried her best to do before but not properly. She can now transition from the floor to sitting, to being on her knees, to stand and she is even
Mini Program For: kids 0-12 & 12-15 with CP, ABI or stroke Frequency: 1-3 times a week, 2-3 hours/day Duration: Ongoing as needed
Maxi Program For: kids 0-12 & 12-15 with CP, ABI or stroke taking steps with very little support both with and without a walker. We were Frequency: 5 times a week, 3-5 hours/day told to get a wheelchair before we came! Overall, we can’t say enough about Duration: 4 weeks Natan and the staff here at Health in Motion. From functional rehabilitation, to Contact us if you are interested in booking for massages, communication and diet advice, they have it all covered. We’re so Nov-Dec 2013. 2014 dates are also available. grateful God led us here to support our little Maggie. Thank you so much!” For more information, visit our website: www.healthinmotionrehab.com.
Daniel + Amanda, Nashville, TN, U.S.A. ∂ Nothing can be built up on disability.
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