The following article appeared in today’s Alliance Review.
Published by: Shannon Harsh, Alliance Review
February 26, 2014 at 3:00 AM
The following article appeared in today’s Alliance Review.
Published by: Shannon Harsh, Alliance Review
February 12, 2014 at 3:00 AM
(Left to right) Teresa Lattanzi, Dr. Debra Lehrer, Senior VP Planetree Leadership, and Susan Lucas, Director of Public Relations/Foundation at ACH, hold signs representing the one in three women who die each year in the United States due to heart disease.
Alliance Community Hospital is offering a FREE, four week smoking cessation program in conference room 1-B at the hospital. Classes are held on four consecutive Thursdays, January 9 – 30th, from 6 – 7 PM. Smoking cessation patches are NOT being offered as part of the program. For information or to register please call 330-596-7125.
By Kelly Tomasic, M.D. Family Physician,Alliance Community Medical Foundation, LLC
It’s finally here, the summer weather we longed for during the dead of winter. Flip flops and shorts have made their yearly reappearance, along with swimsuits and sun screen. Beaches are once again littered with sun-worshipers and family barbecues. While we may love basking in the heat, too much exposure to extreme temperatures can produce disastrous and sometimes deadly results.
Heat-related illnesses are a result of an individual’s inability to regulate his or her body temperature in hot weather. Heat exhaustion and Heat stroke are among the most common. Individuals at greatest risk of developing Heat exhaustion or Heat stroke include: infants and children up to 4 years old, people 65 and older, and individuals who over-exert during work or exercise, are overweight, ill or on certain medications.
Heat exhaustion may occur after an individual has developed dehydration (a loss of electrolytes due to excessive perspiration and insufficient fluid intake) and to being exposed to high temperatures for several continuous days. Heat exhaustion is also associated with a high heat index, a measurement of how hot we feel when humidity levels and air temperature are combined. Individuals who live in urban areas may be at a greater risk of developing heat exhaustion during a prolonged heat wave, especially if there is a high heat index and poor air quality. This is known as the “heat island effect,” a process in which asphalt and concrete store heat during the day and only slowly release it at night, thus causing higher nighttime temperatures.
There are two main causes of Heat exhaustion: water depletion, which may cause an individual to have excessive thirst, weakness, headache, or loss of consciousness, and salt depletion, in which an individual may experience vomiting, frequent muscle cramps, or dizziness.
The most common signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion include: confusion, dark-colored urine (an indication of dehydration), dizziness, fainting, fatigue, headache, muscle cramps, nausea, pale skin, excessive sweating and a rapid heartbeat.
If an individual is suffering from heat exhaustion, it is vital to get him or her out of the heat immediately. If it is not possible to go inside, move the individual to the nearest cool and shady place so he or she can rest. Other recommended treatments include: having the individual drink plenty of non-caffeinated and non-alcoholic beverages, removing tight or unnecessary clothing, taking a cool shower or bath, and using fans or ice towels to cool down the body. If the individual is still suffering after 30 minutes, contact a doctor as untreated heat exhaustion can progress to heat stroke, which may damage the brain and other vital organs, and in some cases, cause death.
Heat stroke is a result of prolonged exposure to high temperatures. Dehydration may also be a contributing factor. Heat stroke causes an individual’s body temperature controlling system to fail. It commonly affects infants and children up to age 4, adults over age 65 and individuals with chronic health conditions, but may also cause problems among healthy young athletes. Other groups at risk include: people of any age who don’t drink enough water and people who drink excessive amounts of alcohol.
The most characteristic symptom of heat stroke is a core body temperature above 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Other symptoms include: throbbing headache, dizziness and light-headedness, lack of sweating despite the heat, red, hot, and dry skin, muscle weakness or cramps, nausea and vomiting, rapid heartbeat, which may be either strong or weak, rapid, shallow breathing, confusion, disorientation, staggering, seizures, and unconsciousness.
If an individual is suffering from Heat stroke, immediately call 911 or transport him or her to a hospital. As with Heat exhaustion, move the individual to an air-conditioned environment or a cool, shady area and remove any unnecessary clothing. Focus your attention on cooling down his or her body temperature. This can be accomplished by fanning air over the patient while wetting his or her skin with water or by applying ice packs to armpits, groin, neck, and back. These areas are rich with blood vessels close to the surface of the skin and may aid in reducing the individual’s body temperature faster. If it is possible, immerse the patient in a shower or tub of cool ice water. If emergency response is delayed, call the hospital emergency room for additional instructions. Untreated Heat stroke may progress to coma or heat-related deaths due to kidney failure, heart failure or heat-induced brain damage.
When temperatures reach record highs, finding ways to stay cool are your best defenses against Heat exhaustion, Heat Stroke and other heat-related illnesses. Simple lifestyle changes may help to make the summer months more bearable.
Medicincenet.com offers the following tips for staying cool during the summer:
*Sources: Kelly Tomasic, M.D, webmd.com, Ohio Department of Health, medicinenet.com, MayoClinic.com
Review Photo/Kevin Graff
The following article appeared in today’s Alliance Review.
Ailing from allergies? 2013 expected to be bad allergy year
By Shannon Harsh – The Review – Published: May 22, 2013
Could you be at risk for Colon Cancer? Take our risk assessment now! http://www.achosp.org/patient-services/center-for-digestive-health/are-you-at-risk-for-colon-cancer
March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month. Learn more about Colon Cancer and the importance of Screening for Colon Cancer HERE. During screenings, the doctor will look for polyps (pah-lips) or signs of cancer. Polyps are small growths that can become cancerous over time.
Your doctor will decide how often you will need to be tested, usually once every 10 years, or sooner depending on your personal risk for colon cancer. It’s important for you to talk with your doctor to understand your risk for colon cancer, the guidelines you should follow for testing, and whether you need to start having the tests at age 50 or earlier.
Regular colorectal cancer testing is one of the most powerful weapons for preventing colorectal cancer or finding it early, when it is easier to treat.
Removing polyps can help prevent colorectal cancer from ever starting. Cancers found in an early stage (while they are small and before they have spread) are more easily treated. Nine out of 10 people whose colon cancer was discovered early will be alive 5 years later, and many will live a normal life span.
All too often, people don’t have regular screening tests done. This allows the cancer can grow and spread without being noticed, like a silent invader. Early on, colorectal cancer typically doesn’t have symptoms. And in many cases, by the time an individual has symptoms, the cancer is advanced and very hard to treat.
To find out if you could be at a higher risk for Colon Cancer, answer a few short questions HERE.
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