BalancedLIVING Fall 2013
It’s Time to Think Positive pp. 6
Why Fitness Really Matters pg. 9
ard To Those H g n ri e u s q Con Break Habit old mmon C o C e h t Avoid mell Quiz Taste & S
BalancedLiving Fall 2013
MINES & Associates 10367 West Centennial Road Littleton, Colorado 80127 800.873.7138 www.MINESandAssociates.com
A word from your Employee Assistance Program... Welcome to the fall issue of Balanced Living. It is important to remember that old saying “old habits die hard.” That’s why in the interest of keeping balanced this season we want to help you break away from bad habits, and develop some good ones along the way. This fall conquer your daily routine and let our tips help you find ways to think positive, renew your drive to stay fit, and even get the kids to bed earlier so you have more time to relax. And don’t forget, if you find yourself in need of some support in your quest for balance this season, please don’t hesitate to call your Employee Assistance Program. – The MINES Team
. . . . . . . . C re d its . . . . . . . Momswhothink.com Change Your Child’s Night Owl Tendencies pg. 4 How to Avoid the Common Cold pg. 5 Wellness Library Health Ink and Vitality Communications © 2013 Why Fitness Really Matters pg. 9 Take the Taste and Smell Quiz pg. 14 Krames Staywell It’s Time to Think Positive pp. 6-7 Depression is More than Feeling Blue pg.8 Conquering Those Hard to Break Habits pp. 10-11 www.EatingWell.com Seasonal Recipe: Zucchini, Fennel & White Bean Pasta pg. 15 Nolo Legal Press Financial Tips for the Holidays pp. 12-13 How Do Thieves Steal an Identity? pg. 13
ChooseWell
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Perspectives on Organizational Wellness
From Wellness to Wellbeing
Tune in to discuss what other organizations are doing to improve their members’ health.
Physical Wellness
Occupatio
Stress Reduction?
nal Welln ess
Emotional Wellness
Team Building
Eating Right
Fitness and You
Our 2013 webinar series is focused on how you can create a wellness-driven workforce. This year, our BizPsych team will be hosting four panel-discussion webinars regarding different aspects of wellness. We are inviting our clients, partners, and key stake-holders to share their experiences, perspectives, and highlight how their program sets them apart from other wellness programs. To receive updates visit: MINESandAssociates.com/webinar
Broadcast 1: Physical Wellness April 17th 10am - 11am MST
This discussion encompasses nutrition, physical fitness, stress, and how to avoid unhealthy habits like smoking, excessive drinking, and drugs.
Broadcast 2: Occupational Wellness
July 17th 10am - 11am MST
Explore the importance and impact of having a culture that promotes having a positive attitude in the workplace. Discover strategies to build a culture that embraces meaningful recognition, practices the art of appreciation and offers ways to support and enrich career development.
Broadcast 3: Emotional Wellness September 18th 10am - 11am MST
How good are you at being aware of your emotions, accepting your feelings or managing your emotions? Relationships, stress, self-esteem, and life outlook are all factors that play a role in managing our relationship with ourselves and with others in our personal and professional lives. In this session, we will explore ways to enhance your emotional well being.
Broadcast 4: From Wellness to Wellbeing November 20th 10am - 11am MST
How does wellbeing differ from wellness? We’ll explore a few new trends in wellness. You may even be able to create a huge shift in the overall health of your organization after this! Come learn how to take a pulse on your organization’s current level of wellness and develop a plan to move it to optimal levels of wellbeing.
Think you have something to contribute to one of these webinars? We’d love to hear from you. Shoot us an email at communications@minesandassociates.com and let us know what you’d like to share.
www.MINESandAssociates.com | 800.873.7138
Change Your Child's Night Owl Tendencies Many of us have trouble adjusting our internal schedules to meet society’s demands. This is particularly true in the stereotypical case of the night owl, who never wants to sleep and never wants to get up and running. As adults, we have to take responsibility for our own sleep choices. But what do we do when our children are night owls and we need them to go to school wide-eyed and ready to learn?
Go to Sleep at Night
Children need to have a fairly rigid schedule when it comes to sleep. If your night owl has trouble falling asleep at a reasonable hour or getting up at being alert at one, then you need to consider the amount and quality of their sleep. School aged children should get at least ten hours of sleep a night whether they are in elementary school or high school. In fact, studies show that teens are more likely to have trouble regulating their sleep patterns than younger children. If your child has trouble falling asleep at night, make sure that they have a firm bedtime.
Help them to prepare for this bedtime by: * Cutting out caffeinated foods and drinks after about four in the afternoon. * Feeding them a healthy, but light dinner. * Limiting sugary or fatty snacks before bedtime. * Limiting excitement in the hour before bedtime-this includes television and internet time. * Setting a routine in place. This last is particularly important because it will help your child’s body to learn to prepare for sleep when it is triggered by the routine. Do not allow your child to alter their bedtime on the weekends either. Try to keep irregularities out of their schedule when you can, as that will make it easier to train their bodies to respond the schedule you have set for them.
Wake up in the Morning
The second part of the sleep equation is getting up. As with bedtime, your child should be on a schedule for this. Do not allow them to sleep in on weekends or during holidays, as this will upset the schedule you have been trying to create by reinforcing their night owl tendencies. Instead, wake your child up on time every morning with an alarm clock. Go ahead and check on them a few minutes after the alarm clock has rung in order to ensure that they are getting out of bed. One way that you can help your child be more alert in the morning is to expose them to as much sunlight as possible. So keep the curtains open in their room and throughout the house. Copious amounts of sunlight will help to reset their internal clock, notifying the brain that it is time to be awake and alert. Finally, help your sleepy child out with a healthy breakfast. This will get their body firing on all systems and help to prepare them for the day. M
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How To Avoid The Common Cold It’s back to school season, which means that it’s actually getting to be cold and flu season. Along with a backpack full of new and interesting homework assignments, your child may be bringing a little something extra to the door next week. Nearly one fifth of the U.S. population attends or works in the school system making the school a prime site for the incubation and transfer of disease epidemics. The most common of these diseases is the rhinovirus or the common cold. It is an endlessly mutating virus that cannot be cured with antibiotics, but instead roams the halls of school building and lies in wait for your children and their immune systems.
Avoiding Germs The germs that cause colds can live for up to a full two hours once they have been transferred to a surface such as a doorknob or table. They live where your children live. The idea that you can completely avoid exposure to these germs is unrealistic. It is even more unrealistic to believe that you can arrange for your children to avoid them. They’re everywhere after all. So what can you do to protect your children and your home? The answer is simple. You must practice the basic methods of cold prevention and teach your children to do the same. You must prepare to wage war against this omnipresent disease.
Killing Germs • The best way to combat cold and flu season is to avoid exposure where you can and to kill germs where you cannot. • Begin by avoiding obviously sick people and the things that they touch. Teach your children to not to share food, for example. • Next, be aware of what you touch. Try not to touch your face with your hands since the eyes, nose, and mouth are the areas of your body that are most vulnerable to infection. Your hands are one of the most active parts of your body when it comes to germs. • Wash your hands regularly and correctly with hot water and soap. Scrub for fifteen to twenty seconds when you do so. You can also opt to use a hand sanitizer with an alcohol base, but an antibiotic hand sanitizer will not help to combat colds. • Similarly, you should make sure that high traffic surfaces in the home are cleaned frequently and thoroughly with alcohol or bleach. • Finally, if you feel a cough or a sneeze coming on, try to catch it in a tissue so as to protect the people around you. If you cannot then cover your mouth and nose using your elbows and not your hands. This will keep you from spreading germs from your mouth or nose to your hands and then to whatever you touch next. • The last thing you can do to protect yourself and your children from colds is to make sure that you are all healthy. This means you need to eat right, exercise, and get enough sleep during cold and flu season. M Fall 2013 Balanced Living 5
It’s Time to Think Positive Picture a rose bush in full bloom. What did you notice first: the roses or the thorns? A rose bush has plenty of both. But if you focused on the roses and overlooked the thorns, you were thinking positive. There is a lesson here. Thinking positive is a choice. It’s a decision to appreciate the roses in your life (loved ones, favorite activities, and relaxing moments) while letting go of the thorns (stresses, disappointments, and losses). This doesn’t mean pretending to be happy when you’re not. If you’re upset, it’s important to deal with and talk about your feelings. Thinking positive means choosing to fill your mind with positive thoughts. Your reward will be a calmer, more hopeful attitude.
The benefits of staying positive “A positive outlook is necessary to prevent depression, to get along with others, and to feel better about yourself and your life,” says psychologist Norman Abeles, Ph.D., past president of the American Psychological Association and an expert on mental health. If you have health problems, it’s important not to get stuck down in the dumps. “A negative attitude makes you feel worse physically. It increases your stress, which worsens your pain and drains your energy,” says Dr. Abeles. On the other hand, “a positive attitude helps you relax and feel more competent” when dealing with everyday challenges. Dolores Gallagher Thompson, Ph.D., director of the Family Center at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif., says adults dealing with health problems become sad that they can’t do everything they used to. At that point, some decide they can’t ever be happy again. “I call thinking that starts spiraling downward ‘pre-depression,’” she says. “When you start to feel this way, it’s time to change your thinking. If you don’t, eventually you will become depressed.” 6
Fall 2013 Balanced Living
How to change your mind If you tend to count your worries instead of your blessings, it’s time for a fresh approach. Here’s how to start thinking more positively. • Reason with facts, not feelings. Changes in your life can make you feel uncertain and anxious. You may then fear the worst. “Step back and get the facts,” says Dr. Gallagher Thompson. “Talk to an expert, such as your doctor, and find out exactly what you can expect. Then ask yourself, ‘If this was happening to somebody else, what advice would I give them?’” • Stay connected. Keep in touch with friends and loved ones and be open to developing new friendships. Volunteering your time and keeping active in clubs or faith-based groups will help you focus on others more than yourself. “Spend time with positive people who are living active, fulfilled lives,” says Dr. Abeles. • Plan for your happiness. Schedule time for pleasant activities as often as possible. Having something to look forward to will keep your spirits up. • Become a problem-solver. Don’t just wish problems would go away. Take steps to solve them as quickly as possible, asking for support and help from others. • Find the silver lining. Give yourself time to adjust to change or loss. Change can bring new opportunities: Be open to them. “Your life won’t be the same, but it likely can be better than what you imagine,” says Dr. Gallagher Thompson.
Challenge your fear about getting older From the time we are young, many of us dread growing older. This is partly because negative images of seniors — as grumpy, disabled, and forgetful — are everywhere, from greeting cards to TV commercials, says Becca Levy, Ph.D., a Yale University psychologist and researcher of stereotypes related to aging. If you accept these negative images as true — and apply them to yourself — you may start believing you’re less capable than you really are. To fight these stereotypes, Dr. Levy suggests asking, “Does this idea really apply to me — or are there examples of older people who are different?” She adds, “Think about positive role models for successful aging, if not in your immediate circle, then in books you’ve read or movies you’ve seen.” Likewise, if you make a mistake or forget something, don’t dismiss it as “just old age,” advises Dr. Levy. “These negative phrases stay with us. The real reason for what you are experiencing could be only temporary — such as tiredness, hunger, or having a lot on your mind.” The bottom line: “Question your deeply held beliefs about aging and screen out the negative.” You are what you believe you are. Give yourself credit for the wisdom and maturity you’ve gained through the years. M Fall 2013 Balanced Living 7
Depression Is More Than Feeling Blue Depression is not “all in your head.” It is a real illness that saps your energy. It can leave you feeling sad, hopeless, lonely, and guilty. It is related to a chemical imbalance in the brain and to certain traits such as low self-esteem and pessimism. Some kinds of depression may be inherited.
Doesn’t Everyone Get Depressed? When someone close to you dies, you lose a job, your marriage ends, or you just have a bad day, it’s normal to feel blue. The difference between depression and feeling down is that normal feelings of sadness gradually lift. They do not interfere with your life for long. The amount of time you feel sad depends on the situation. Even with a major loss, some people might start feeling better within a few weeks. Their sadness doesn’t usually affect every part of their lives. When your feelings persist or when they affect you in ways that don’t seem consistent with the loss, it could be a sign that you’re suffering from clinical depression .
What’s It Like to Be Depressed? The difference between depression and feeling down is how severe the symptoms are and how long they last. To help you determine if you are depressed, answer these questions. • Do you often or usually feel sad, anxious, or “empty”? • Do you sleep too little or too much? • Has your appetite shrunk, and have you lost weight? Or do you have a bigger appetite, and have you gained weight? • Have you lost interest in activities you once enjoyed? • Are you restless or irritable? • Do you have persistent physical symptoms, such as headaches, chronic pain or constipation, that don’t respond to treatment? • Do you have difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions? • Do you often feel tired or lack energy? • Do you feel guilty, hopeless, or worthless? • Do you have recurring thoughts of death or suicide? See your doctor if you answered yes to three or more of these questions and have felt this way for longer than two weeks, or if the symptoms interfere with your daily routine. One of the most painful parts of depression is feeling that it is somehow your fault or something that you should be able to control. But depression is an illness. It is no more your fault than allergies or arthritis. It’s important to talk with your doctor about your feelings, especially if you have thoughts about dying or suicide. Once you do talk to your doctor, he or she can determine whether you are depressed and decide what kind of treatment may work best for you. For other sources of help for depression, look in your local telephone Yellow Pages under Social and Human Services. This section lists some of the many people available who can help you overcome this illness. Getting treated can make a huge difference in your life. Eight out of 10 depressed people who get professional help feel better, and the effects of treatment on some people can be dramatic. M
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Why Fitness Really Matters Chances are you’ve heard about the benefits of exercise. You may even have promised yourself to become more active as soon as you find the time. Perhaps you aren’t aware, however, of just how crucial an active lifestyle is to your health and wellbeing. “Simply put, inactivity is hazardous to your health,” says James M. Rippe, M.D., cardiologist and founder and director of the Rippe Lifestyle Institute in Boston. “Study after study has shown that being inactive nearly doubles your risk of heart disease.” What does that mean in simple terms? Leading an inactive life increases your risk of heart disease as much as if you smoked a pack of cigarettes a day, according to Dr. Rippe.
Way too busy Although most people agree activity is good for them, many have a difficult time working it into their daily lives. “A lot of people get confused about the distinction between moderate physical activity and exercise,” says Dr. Rippe. “Many normal daily activities qualify as being moderately physical. Also, most people make the mistake of trying too hard. Whatever you choose to do should be pleasurable, and you should feel calm, happy, and relaxed afterward.” It’s not necessary to make time each day for continuous, intense exertion, Dr. Rippe adds. Rather, you can accumulate this activity in short sessions throughout the day and still receive health benefits. While some experts may disagree about how vigorous activity should be, Dr. Rippe notes there’s no disagreement about the health benefits of any activity. “If you’re currently inactive, some activity is clearly better than none,” he says. “If you’re already slightly active, more activity is better than a little.”
Activity is critical
The time is now
Incorporating activity into your daily routine can prevent or alleviate many chronic conditions besides heart disease -- high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, some types of cancer, and osteoporosis, to name a few.
The best news is that it is never too late to adopt a more active lifestyle.
Consistent activity is a potent antiaging strategy, too. “While some people accept a decreased ability to move easily as a natural consequence of aging, ‘use it or lose it’ applies here,” Dr. Rippe says. “Regular physical activity is the best way to maintain optimal function throughout your life and improve your mobility, flexibility, strength, balance, walking speed, and reaction time.”
Along with activities that promote cardiovascular fitness, such as walking or cycling, you can add all sorts of leisure activities (dancing, bowling), indoor work activities (vacuuming and sweeping the floor), outdoor work activities (gardening, washing the car) and recreational sports (golf, volleyball). You have hundreds of choices for healthful activities.
Being active also helps you stay mentally fit. “It provides a chance to sort out problems and relieve stress. In turn, stress reduction can help reduce your risk of a wide variety of other illnesses, from arthritis to the common cold,” he says.
Most people who have difficulty sticking with health-promoting measures probably make them too complex to follow, says Dr. Rippe.
“Physical activity is the closest thing to a magic bullet we have,” says Dr. Rippe. “If this were a medicine, people would think it was the most incredible medicine available. In fact, it is, and it’s available now, to everyone, for free. Take advantage of it.” M
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Conquering Those Hard-to-Break Habits If you want to lose weight, quit smoking, improve your diet, or change practically any other bad habit, roll up your sleeves. “Habit change is work,” says Matthew A. Budd, M.D., retired assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and co-author of “You Are What You Say.” Why? Some habits that are the hardest to break are deeply embedded emotionally. Through food, for example, we learn how to soothe ourselves, beginning in infancy. “At an early age, we learn that food, comfort and security are all connected,” says Dr. Budd. “That’s why some adults overeat when anxious.”
Dig deep To break stubborn bad habits such as overeating, “you need to get behind the emotion that’s driving the behavior,” says Dr. Budd. What to do first: “Determine recurring circumstances that drive you to food or any other substance,” he advises. If you notice you head to the vending machine whenever your boss gives you a new project, think about what’s causing the anxiety that’s causing you to eat. If it’s fear of failure, ask for help from someone else rather than seeking solace through food. Drink a glass of water or meditate and take a few deep breaths to shore up your confidence. “Only when you address the emotions underlying the addictive or habitual behavior can you really begin to produce positive results,” says Dr. Budd.
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Create a game plan Once you’re aware of the emotions driving habitual behaviors and you’ve developed strategies to deal with particularly troublesome habits, you can develop a practical plan that can help you accomplish your goals, such as losing five pounds by your birthday or giving up smoking. During this planning stage, trouble-shoot to design a doable behavior-change plan. If, for example, you want to give up high-fat takeout dinners but don’t have time to cook, make sure you stock your kitchen with low-fat meals, prepared salads, and fruits and vegetables each week so you’ll have easy, healthy meals on hand.
Snap back after a slip Once you've put your plan into action, beware. There will be times when you don't stick to it -- perhaps you'll eat too many dip-laden potato chips at a holiday party. Don't despair. "To slip is to be human," says Dr. Budd. Instead of giving up on your plan and reverting to bad habits, use the suffering that's associated with the slip as a learning opportunity so you can avoid it in the future. Ask yourself what caused the slip? Was it something practical -- such as going to the party too hungry, then standing by the potato chip bowl all night? Or was it something emotional, such as feeling stressed about a work project? Once you've nailed what caused the slip, "let the slip go and forgive yourself," says Dr. Budd. But before you resume your behavior-change plan, "see if it's in your heart to honestly recommit," he says. If so, strengthen your strategy and fortify your resolve by seeking emotional encouragement from a support group or a network of friends. The help they provide can be a powerful motivator. "If you have other people watching your progress, you'll be less ready to break that commitment," says Dr. Budd. "But if it isn't in your heart to recommit, be honest about it because, otherwise, you'll just suffer more." Timing is important when committing or recommitting to a behavior-change plan. "The ideal time to make a habit change is when your motivation is high and when your life is relatively predictable," says Dr. Budd. A less-than-ideal time is when you're starting a new job, moving, switching careers, or attending lots of social events. Your best bet: "Select a time that's a relative clearing in your life," says Dr. Budd. M
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Financial Tips for the Holidays A little budgeting during the holidays can save you from financial disaster. Consumers spend more money during the holiday season -- that is, the three months before New Year’s -- on presents, travel, and entertaining, than at any other time of the year. And much of that buying is done on credit, at high interest, which can lead to major debt and finance problems for months or even years to come. To keep your cheer intact before and after the holidays, we’ve compiled a few tips that will help you be generous without inviting disaster.
Shopping Tips: If you want to save money, this is the time to make your resolutions -- not after the New Year. Cut your gift list. The easiest way to reduce how much you spend during the holidays is to exchange gifts with fewer people. You might even talk to some people in advance and agree that you won’t exchange gifts but will get together to do something you both enjoy -- such as taking a stroll downtown to see the holiday lights. Or, some families agree to a limited gift exchange, with each person responsible for buying for only one other person (rotating randomly every year). Find alternatives to purchased gifts. Be creative: Homemade treats, a coupon for your services (such as baby-sitting, yard maintenance, or whatever your skills include), a family photo, or a tax-deductible contribution to a charity are all thoughtful gifts. Make a budget. Once you’ve figured out who you want to buy gifts for, determine your overall budget and decide how much you want -- and can afford -- to spend on each person. This will help you avoid the temptations of last-minute impulse buying. Spend within your budget. Stick to your budget. This takes tremendous discipline, and you may want to enlist help. Shopping with someone who can provide a voice of reason is the best way to keep from overspending. Get started early. Good deals are often available before the official holiday shopping season starts -- supposedly on the day after Thanksgiving, though it seems to get earlier every year. Prices are usually lower, you have more time to take advantage of online or mail order bargains, and you can find some great deals on models that are being phased out toward the end of the year. Look for good gifts that are also good buys. Before you hit the mall, learn about the features and options available on particular products, especially expensive items such as cameras, video equipment, sporting goods, stereos, and computers. Read up on different makes and models so you won’t be swayed by the more costly recommendations of zealous (and commission-hungry) salespeople. Once you’ve narrowed the field, look for bargains. Studies have shown major price variations -- often 50% or more -- in the same area for identical products, especially audio-video and computer equipment. Don’t assume that prices are always lower in catalogs or on television shopping channels, no matter what their ads claim. Know the store’s return policies before you buy. Because sales help is often transient during the holiday season, and temporary employees may not be fully informed of store policies, ask the clerk to write the refund policy on the receipt if it’s not printed there. Avoid buying unnecessary warranties. Resist the pressure to buy an extended warranty or service contract for most products. Extended warranties often duplicate the product’s existing warranty and are rarely worth the extra cost. 12
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Keep records of all your purchases. To make sure you stay on track, keep all sales receipts. Receipts will also come in handy when monitoring your credit card statements. It’s nice to get a gift receipt for your recipients, too -- they’ll enjoy the gift even more if they can trade it in for something that fits or suits them better.
Be Smart When Choosing Payment Methods When it comes to paying for your holiday largesse, follow this advice: Pay by cash, check, or debit card. The best way to avoid finance charges from credit card bills is to use your credit card only when you have to. Pay by cash, check, or debit card whenever possible. Pay off your credit card bill quickly. Avoid large interest payments by paying off your credit card bill in full. If you can’t do that, pay as much of the bill as you can each month. Consider transferring the balance to a low-interest card. Look for low-interest credit cards to which you can transfer your credit card balance. You’ll save yourself a bundle if you pay off your $1,000 balance at 6.9% a year rather than 18% per year. But be careful. People who constantly juggle cards often get into financial trouble. And too many open and closed accounts may lower your credit score. For information on credit cards and credit card debt see Nolo’s Banking & Credit Card area. M
How do thieves steal an identity? Identity theft starts with the misuse of your personally identifying information such as your name and Social Security number, credit card numbers, or other financial account information. For identity thieves, this information is as good as gold. Skilled identity thieves may use a variety of methods to get hold of your information, including:
Dumpster Diving: They rummage through trash looking for bills or other paper with your personal information on it. Skimming: They steal credit/debit card numbers by using a special storage device when processing your card.
Phishing: They pretend to be financial institutions or companies and send spam or pop-up messages to get you to reveal your personal information.
Changing Your Address: They divert your billing statements to another location by completing a change of address form.
Old-Fashioned Stealing: They steal wallets and purses; mail, including bank and credit card statements; pre-approved credit offers; and new checks or tax information. They steal personnel records, or bribe employees who have access. Pretexting: They use false pretenses to obtain your personal information from financial
institutions, telephone companies, and other sources.
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Take the Taste & Smell Quiz More than 200,000 persons visit a physician for a smell or taste problem each year. Many more smell and taste disturbances go unreported. Find out how much you know about smell and taste disorders by taking this quiz, based on information from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
Questions
1. People are able to distinguish four main types of tastes: sour, sweet, salty, and bitter. True/False
5. Hormones can affect your taste and smell. True/False
2. You are able to recognize a taste through your sense of 6. Most doctors diagnose smell disorders by using a smell. True/False “scratch and sniff” test. True/False 3. Taste disorders are more common than smell disorders. True/False
7. Losing your sense of smell or taste can be annoying, but it doesn’t pose any risks. True/False
4. All taste and smell disorders are caused by injury or illness. True/False
8. Losing your sense of smell or taste can be an early warning sign of more serious illness. True/False
Answers
1. True. The taste cells are clustered in the taste buds of 5. True. Other causes of taste and smell disorders include the mouth and throat. Many of the small bumps that can polyps in the nasal cavities, sinus infections, or dental be seen on the tongue contain taste buds. problems. Loss of smell and taste also can be caused by exposure to certain chemicals such as insecticides and 2. True. If you hold your nose while eating chocolate, for by some medicines. Radiation therapy for cancers of the example, you will have trouble identifying the chocolate head and neck also can cause chemosensory disturbances. flavor -- even though you can distinguish the food’s sweetness or bitterness. That’s because the familiar 6. True. The patient scratches pieces of paper treated to flavor of chocolate is sensed largely by odor. So is the release different odors, sniffs them, and tries to identify well-known flavor of coffee. each odor from a list of possibilities. 3. False. Smell disorders are more common. A loss of smell is the most common problem, but other problems include misreading or distorting an odor. Smell and taste disorders rarely occur together. 4. False. Although many other people do develop smell and taste problems after an injury or illness, some people are born with them. Upper respiratory infections are blamed for some chemosensory losses, and injury to the head can also cause smell or taste problems.
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7. False. A person with faulty smell or taste is deprived of an early warning system that most of us take for granted. Smell and taste alert us to fires, poisonous fumes, leaking gas, and spoiled food and beverages. Smell and taste losses can also lead to depression. 8. True. Chemosensory problems may indicate illnesses such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, malnutrition, and some degenerative diseases of the nervous system such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and Korsakoff’s psychosis. M
SEASONAL RECIPE
Zucchini, Fennel & White Bean Pasta • • • • • • • • • • •
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed 2 medium zucchini 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive-oil, divided 1/4 teaspoon salt 8 ounces (2 cups) whole-wheat penne or similar short pasta 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 cup cooked cannellini beans, plus 1/2 cup bean-cooking liquid, pasta-cooking liquid or water 2 plum tomatoes, diced 3/4 cup crumbled hard goat cheese 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves Freshly ground pepper to taste
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. 2. Cut fennel bulb in half lengthwise and then slice lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick wedges. Quarter zucchini lengthwise. Toss the fennel and zucchini with 1 tablespoon oil and salt. Arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Roast, turning once, until soft and beginning to brown, about 20 minutes. 3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta; cook until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. 4. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat. 5. When the vegetables are cool enough to handle, coarsely chop. Add the vegetables, beans, and bean-cooking liquid (or other liquid) to the pan with the garlic and place over medium-low heat. Drain the pasta and immediately add it to the pan. Toss thoroughly and add tomatoes; toss until just warm. Remove from the heat and stir in cheese and mint. Season with pepper. Makes approximately 3-4 servings. Nutritional analysis (per serving): 515 calories; 22 g fat ( 7 g sat , 11 g mono ); 22 mg cholesterol; 63 g carbohydrates; 20 g protein; 12 g fiber; 350 mg sodium; 990 mg potassium. Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (48% daily value), Calcium (34% dv), Folate & Potassium (28% dv), Iron (27% dv), Vitamin A (25% dv), Magnesium (17% dv). Carbohydrate Servings: 3 Fall 2013 Balanced Living 15
Helping you keep
your balance
Your Employee Assistance Program is here for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week It’s confidential, FREE, and available to you and your family. For information or confidential assistance call 1-800-873-7138