HEALTH

HEALTH CHECK

Your Health Deser ves ExtraCare

How many of you reading this have heart? Not a heart but have heart. February is recognized as American Heart Month, and red is worn to represent and bring recognition to it. This month delves into cardiovascular diseases and reminds us of ways to combat it. So, back to my first question. How many of you have heart? The heart to assist in the battle against cardiovascular disease by raising awareness and spreading the word about the multiple ways to prevent it.

COMMON CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES:

• Coronary Artery Disease • Heart Attack • Stroke • Arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms) • Heart Failure • Congenital Heart Defects (an individual born with a cardiac defect) • Cardiomyopathy (pertains to the heart muscle making it harder for your heart to pump blood to the rest of your body) • Peripheral Artery Disease (narrowing of the peripheral arteries serving the legs, stomach, arms and head)

COMMON RISK FACTORS FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE:

• Age • Family history • Poor diet/Obesity • Lack of exercise • High blood pressure • High cholesterol • Smoking • Diabetes • Stress • Gender (Males are at greater risk; women are after menopause) HOW TO HELP IMPROVE OR PREVENT IT:

• Do not smoke • Healthy diet (low in salt/ saturated fat) • Exercise (at least 30 minutes a day) • Lower/manage stress • Maintain a healthy weight • Stay in control if diagnosed with diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure

WHEN TO SEEK EMERGENT MEDICAL CARE:

• Chest pain • Slurred speech • Shortness of breath • One sided facial droop • Fainting • Weakness or numbness on one side of the body

Be aware emergent symptoms may not present the same for all, so if you are experiencing something out of your normal and it concerns you then please seek medical advice. Your heart health is extremely important. Remember you only have one, so take good care of it. More information on cardiovascular disease can be found at https://www.heart.org/ and CDC.gov.

COMMON SYMPTOMS:

• Chest pain, chest tightness, chest pressure and chest discomfort • Shortness of breath • Pale gray or blue skin color • Pain, numbness, weakness or coldness in your legs or arms (the vessels in these areas may be narrowed) • Fainting or near fainting • Swelling in the legs, abdomen, or areas around the eyes • Pain in the neck, jaw, throat, upper abdomen or back • Fluttering in your chest • Racing and/or slow heartbeat • Lightheadedness and/or dizziness Don’t judge each day by the har vest you reap but by the seeds you plant. - Robert Louis Stevenson

Patrice Graham is from Atlanta, GA. She completed her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing in 2012. She has worked as a bedside RN for 8 years. She specializes in Medical Surgical, Intensive Care, Perioperative, Women’s, Pediatric, and Neonatal nursing. In 2017, she returned to school and graduated with her Master’s of Science in Nursing in 2019. Currently, Patrice is pursuing her Doctorate of Nursing Practice while continuing to be at the bedside for her patients.

Authors Authors Corner Corner

“What Daddy Didn’t Know”

by Lance Brazelton

“ What Daddy Didn’t Know” (The Letters of a Fatherless Child), is an autobiography by Lance Brazelton, a twenty one-year-old African-American with a talent for arts. The stor y is about how he overcame his childhood trauma while on the verge of becoming a statistic. According to the United States Census Bureau, 24 million children in America (one out of ever y three) live in biological father-absent homes. Statistics prove that fatherless children are at a higher risk of: incarceration, suicide, teen pregnancy, dropping out of high school, committing crimes, and running away from home. The stor y is told through letters written to his biological father ; and the letters are written out of the inspiration of poems and songs he has written throughout his lifetime. Brazelton highlights the moments in his life when a father figure was needed the most, and stresses how decisions were most important in his adolescent years.

www.lancebrazelton.com Email: info@lancebrazelton.com Cell: (256)701-0091

We Thank You for Your Service Remembering September 11thWhere were you when 9/11 hit

by Rodney C. Stone

During the morning hours of September 11, 2001, my Company, Alpha Company 1-5 Infantr y, was located at a MOUT training site in the training area called Rosenberg, located on JBLM, WA (formerly known as Fort Lewis). That morning, Alpha Company 1-5 Infantr y, 25th Infantr y Division, was in the middle of a training mission preparing for the Brigades’ deployment readiness certification. The National Training Center (NTC) held the deployment readiness certification in Barstow, CA. An immediate call was transmitted over the radio by the Company Commander’s Radioman to end the current training mission and for all platoons and attachments to assemble in the middle of the MOUT site. The Company Commander directed all personnel to the center of the MOUT site. The Company Commander then informs ever yone there was an attack on the World Trade Center in New York, and the unit was pausing the exercise for the rest of the day. Details of the attack had not been released to the public; however, the news stations updated information as the stor y continued to develop. The September 11, 2001 impact, personally affected ever yone in my unit at that specific moment. Specifics of these effects were disbelief, frustration, sorrow, and then anger. Personally, the 9/11 attack was frustrating because it created a dynamic shift in the responsibilities of other units and leadership responsibilities. These responsibilities created an environment that enforced micromanagement and increased training OPTEMPO. The effects of 9/11 altered the mindset and perspectives of the Soldiers who I was ser ving within Alpha Company 1-5 Infantr y. The 9/11 attacks stalled my career progression due to personnel being shifted to other units on the militar y installation and forming the first STRYKER Brigade. Once I was moved to another unit to fill a leadership slot, the STRYKER Brigade assembled many Soldiers who were “fenced in” for three years to the STRYKER Brigade until after the deployment to Iraq. Stabilizing longer than six years not only stalled my career, but the shift to another unit re-started my time on the installation. My time was re-started, but the personnel shift made it more challenging to compete for higher leadership positions. In the present times of the post 9/11 era, we rely on the change in the language of laws to regulate criminal offenders’ actions and create a community of extremely sensitive people. These sensitive people initiate actions when people from other ethnicities are “comfortable” in their skin and with who they are as a person. The culture of the United States has once again become complacent as a result of these law changes and federal security acts. One example of the national security act is the Patriot Act. The Patriot Act authorizes law enforcement officers to deter or charge individuals for terrorism acts in the United States. In summar y, I retired from Active Duty Militar y Ser vice with 26 Years of honorable ser vice in September 2015. The years of Honorable Ser vice is a culmination of ser vice in both the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps. Recently, I completed my Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership from Brandman University in June 2020. The journey for this accomplishment has not been an easy one; however, I wanted my leadership experiences and skillsets to be validated and count toward another career. In my opinion, the last strong era of militar y leadership was in 1995 when a lot of Senior Officers and NCO’s retired from active duty militar y ser vice. These leaders reflected leadership from Vietnam and Post-Vietnam due to the high performance and detailed expectations of junior leaders and officers. During this time, leaders did not tolerate mediocre performances and complacency due to the ambiance and lessons learned from the Vietnam War. Lessons of this magnitude rarely exist today as a result of the internet. If leaders of this magnitude existed in 2001, I believe the world trade center’s attack would not have happened. There has not been any other war won in 100 hours by the United States Since 1991.