Ofstead & Associates

Did You Know? Flu Fact

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:34:03 +0000

Did you know that healthy adults can be spread the flu one day before symptoms appear, and five days after their sick? Therefore, it’s possible to spread the flu before you even know if you are sick.

To help prevent the flu, use good hand hygiene practices, respiratory ettiquite, and social distancing.

Wash Your Hands!

admin — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 19:57:35 +0000

There has been a lot of talk about the H1N1 influenza pandemic these past few months. One of the ways to stay healthy and protect yourself and others from the flu and other germs is simply to wash your hands. Easy, right? Not according to a study by The Minnesota Department of Health done at the Minnesota State Fair. They found that only 67% of adults wash their hands. Children were worse, with only 58% of them washing.

So how DO you wash your hands? What’s the “proper technique”? Follow these steps for a thorough wash:

1. Wet hands with warm water

2. Soap up

3. Scrub your hands well

4. Rinse your hands with warm water, fingers pointing down

5. Dry vigoursly with a paper towel

6. Use the paper towel to turn off the water and open the door

“Why Flu Matters”

admin — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:30:33 +0000

Click the following link to watch a short video brought to you by Families Fighting Flu.

Why Flu Matters

Caralyn’s Pick: Surgery Videos

Caralyn — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 22:25:18 +0000

Do you like watching the intense scenes of medical drama on TV shows like ER or Gray’s Anatomy? Have you ever wondered what a heart transplant procedure really looks like? If so, you might want to explore MedlinePlus’s surgical procedure webcasts (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/surgeryvideos.html). There are hundreds of surgeries available to watch online, ranging from a caesarean birth to total knee replacement. Note to sensitive viewers: these hour-long webcasts can be very graphic, since they depict actual surgeries. If you are really interested in the steps taken during the procedures, you can download a transcript of the webcast as a PDF.

Many hospitals and clinics have similar surgical videos available online. For example, Allina Hospital & Clinics (based in Minnesota) has several webcasts available online (http://www.allina.com/ahs/news.nsf/page/orlive).

Happy viewing and learning!

Caralyn’s Pick: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Caralyn — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 22:16:26 +0000

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (http://www.dhhs.gov/) contains 11 different agencies, including the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Its mission is “To improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans.”

AHRQ’s web site is filled with excellent resources for a range of audiences. Some of my favorite picks include:

-Effective Health Care Program (http://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/index.cfm). This section of the AHRQ web site contains information for consumers about a range of health conditions and procedures. I reviewed the summary guide about treating prostate cancer, and found it full of helpful and easy to understand information. Many of the summary guides are available as audio files, too. There is also a useful glossary of medical and statistical terms.

-Technology Assessments (http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/techix.htm ) and Evidence-Based Practice reports (http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/epc/epcseries.htm). These documents represent massive literature reviews, and they often contain tables with detailed descriptions of related literature. It’s worth browsing through the lists of reports to see if there are any available on topics of interest to you.

The AHRQ’s web site is rich and deep. These are just a few of my favorite spots–please feel free to let me know if there other areas that I might like to explore.

Peanut Butter Salmonella Scare

admin — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:44:34 +0000

The U.S. Drug and Food Administration, The Centers for Disease Control, along with the Minnesota and Connecticut Departments of Health recently confirmed that it was indeed salmonella causing the nationwide food illness scare. The source was contaminated peanut butter and peanut paste produced by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) at its Blakely, Georgia processing plant.

For more information please visit the following websites:

http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/Salmonellatyph.html

http://www.cdc.gov/socialmedia/

http://pbrecallblog.hhs.gov/

Hear advice from FDA’s Dr. Stephen Sundlof on what to eat during the peanut butter scare:

FDA Dos and Donts During the Peanut Butter Scare

Are You a “Cyberchondriac”?

admin — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:52:13 +0000

A recent study performed by a team at Microsoft concluded that people are searching the internet for health related information and diagnosing themselves; often with inaccurate diagnoses. For example, someone with a headache could think that they have a tumor, after online investigation.

515 employees at Microsoft were surveyed and about one third of them confirmed that they “escalated” their searches after an initial diagnosis to explore more serious, and rare, aliments.

It’s important to remember that online medical advice should not replace the advice of your physician. Experts say if you are concerned about your health, go see a doctor.

To read the story from BBC News, visit here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7758183.stm

HFCS Revisited: The Big Question Answered

admin — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:41:49 +0000

Recently, it has come to the nation’s attention that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) may be causing the obesity epidemic sweeping across the United States. The popularity of the last blog entry on HFCS was astounding. It seems as though everyone is searching for the truth on this sugary stuff, so I thought another posting with a little scientific proof would be helpful.

Findings in a supplemental issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition say that there is no evidence that the syrup makes you gain more weight, when compared with other sugars. However, that does not mean that is not a contributing cause. It is widely used in soft drinks and processed foods, which largely make up the typical American’s diet.
It has been established that HFCS does not make you gain more weight than any other sugar. However, evidence suggests that there is a link between this sugar and kidney disease and heart disease.. More research still needs to be done on the topics, before any definite conclusions can be made.

To read the full article on the findings, please visit the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition:http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/88/6/1716S?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=hfcs&andorexactfulltext=and&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIT

To learn more about the campaign promoting HFCS, please visit:

http://www.hfcsfacts.com/

National Influenza Vaccination Week!

admin — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 18:28:05 +0000

National Influenza Vaccination Week kicked off last Monday, December 8. The week wraps up on Sunday, December 14. This week is geared towards those who have not yet been vaccinated. Remember, flu season doesnt usually peek until February and that leaves plenty of time to still get vaccinated this year. Here are some of the events planned:

* Tuesday, December 9: Childrens vaccination day

* Thursday, December 11: Seniors vaccination day

* Friday, December 12: Health care worker vaccination day

A recent study by RAND found that of all adults by mid-November 2008, only 30% have gotten a flu shot. 17% of adults still intend to get vaccinated, but a whopping 53% of U.S. adults have no intention of getting vaccinated.

Please visit the CDC’s website for more information.

Caralyn’s Pick: Mayo Clinic Housecall E-Newsletter

Caralyn — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:24:11 +0000

A few months ago, I subscribed to a free, weekly, electronic newsletter from the Mayo Clinic. It’s appropriately (and funnily!) called Housecall. Each issue has a featured topic, like Lung Cancer, Stress, Long-Term Care, and there are links to information about the featured topic on the Mayo Clinic web site. In addition, each issue of the newsletter has links to:

-Health-related stories written by Mayo Clinic staff

-Healthy recipes

-”Ask a Specialist” forums

-Podcasts

I always find at least one or two items of interest in each of the Housecall newsletters. Plus, the Mayo Clinic web site has nifty features that allow you to increase the text size of web pages and email articles to other people. Even though it is heavily-branded by Mayo, the information is consistently strong and written in accessible language. In fact, MedlinePlus (a previous Caralyn Pick!) will often link to information from the Mayo Clinic’s website.

Here’s the link to use if you’d like to subscribe to Housecall (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/housecall/HouseCall).

Happy reading and learning!