Organize Your Health

(ARA) – As kids head to summer camp or back to school this fall, moms everywhere will be digging through their files searching for immunization records and other health information. Some will find exactly what they need with just a few flips through an organized file cabinet. But many busy moms will be sifting through piles, shoe boxes, or drawers full of papers trying to find the most recent health records.

Managing health information, making appointments, keeping track of medications, and monitoring self-care recommendations are just a few of the routine tasks of today’s family health advocate, a role often played by mom. In addition to managing their kids’ health and their own, many moms are also in charge of managing health matters for their spouse or partner, and sometimes an elderly parent or other relative.

Taking care of yourself and your family can be overwhelming at times. Mayo Clinic suggests five tips for managing your family’s health:

1. Ask yourself a few questions.
Take a few minutes to sit down and figure out the questions you’ll most likely be asked in the event of an emergency or in common healthcare situations. If your child’s school nurse called today and asked for his health history, what details would you be able to provide? If your mother fell in the shower, would you have access to critical information needed by emergency caregivers?

2. Get organized.
It seems that health information is never where you need it, when you need it. An online tool like the Mayo Clinic Health Manager gives you the opportunity to store and update personal health records and those of your family members. This free and secure online application gives you a place to store medical information and receive real-time individualized health guidance and recommendations based on the expertise of the Mayo Clinic. You can give access to family members or your doctor and use the tool no matter where you receive medical care. The Mayo Clinic Health Manager isn’t just a place to store and organize your health information, it helps you become more active and engaged in your healthcare.

3. Make doctor visits more efficient.
The time you spend with your doctor is typically brief, but valuable. Take advantage of your time by arriving to the appointment prepared. Before you go, write down any questions you have so you don’t forget to ask them. Bring a list of any medications, vitamins and supplements you’re taking.

“I truly appreciate when my patients are actively engaged and informed about their health,” says Dr. Sidna Tulledge-Scheitel, a primary care physician. “The Mayo Clinic Health Manager can help patients share information more easily with their doctors and manage their own health better between office visits.”

4. Know and use your history to be more proactive.
Use the Mayo Clinic Health Manager to track wellness visits and immunizations for you and your family, as well as to gain control of medication schedules and chronic condition symptoms. Sharing this information with your doctor could help determine future treatment.

5. Build your health assets.
Finances, retirement savings and home equity are all viewed as long-term personal management projects, but people don’t often see their health the same way. Look at your health as a long-term investment and take steps to quickly address any issues while maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

For more information on the Mayo Clinic Health Manager and how to manage your family’s health, visit MayoClinic.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Vision Tips

(ARA) – If you’ve ever come in from a day sailing, picnicking or lying on the beach and your eyes felt tired, sore and gritty, you likely experienced ultraviolet radiation (UVR) overexposure. It’s critical to protect your eyes from the sun’s damaging rays to decrease your risk of developing serious vision issues such as cataracts and age-related macular degeneration, the leading causes of blindness.

Maintaining vision health can be especially important for women. In fact, a report from the National Women’s Health Resource Center (NWHRC), “Women and Healthy Vision,” shows that women are at higher risk than men of having vision problems.

“Studies show women tend to live longer than men, putting them at a higher risk for developing eye issues that become prevalent with age,” says Elizabeth Battaglino Cahill, a registered nurse and executive director of the NWHRC. “It is important for women to understand the facts when it comes to sun exposure and eye health so that they can better prevent unnecessary sun-related damage.”

Understanding ultraviolet radiation
There are three ranges of UVR: UV-C, UV-B and UV-A. The most damaging form is UV-C, but luckily it’s absorbed by the Earth’s atmosphere and doesn’t reach your eyes.

The second kind of UVR is UV-B rays. Exposure to these rays is closely linked with photokeratitis (a kind of sunburn of the cornea and iris), cataracts, pterygium (a white or creamy growth attached to the cornea) and even a form of eye cancer called squamous cell cancer. The third type of UVR is UV-A. Although laboratory studies find it can damage the retina (the light-sensitive membrane that covers the back of the eye), very little UV-A reaches your retina because most is absorbed by other parts of the eye. Still, some researchers suspect it may contribute to cataract development.

How to protect your eyes
Think sun exposure and eyes and you probably think sunglasses. While wearing sunglasses is definitely a good idea when it comes to eye protection, not all sunglasses are created equal. Look for sunglasses that transmit no more than 1 percent UV-B and 1 percent UV-A rays. Sometimes the information on the glasses will say they block at least 99 percent of the UVR.

Other things to look for when selecting a pair of sunglasses include:

* Lenses large enough to completely cover the eye and prevent as much light as possible from entering through the edges of the glasses. Wrap-around sunglasses are best.

* Gray lenses, because they provide the greatest protection.

* Darker lenses, particularly if you spend a lot of time exposed to UVR.

If you wear contact lenses, don’t toss the sunglasses. The best way to protect your eyes from the sun is a combination of quality sunglasses, contact lenses (if you wear them) and a wide-brimmed hat.

Protecting children’s eyes
Just as significant exposure to the sun in childhood is a leading risk factor for skin cancer in adulthood, so, too, is it a risk factor for later eye damage. In fact, researchers estimate we receive 80 percent of our lifetime exposure to UVR rays before age 18.

Additionally, children’s eyes transmit more UVR rays to the retina than adults’, increasing their exposure and risk of later eye damage. That’s why it’s so important to protect children’s eyes. While sports glasses offer important safety benefits, they’re designed to protect a child’s eyes from injuries, not from the sun.

It is best to teach children to wear a hat that shades their eyes as well as a pair of sunglasses. Use the stroller hood and try not to walk directly into the sun, pick the shaded side of the street if you can and while at the park, pool, or beach, try to keep little ones in a shaded area.

For more information and a free copy of the “Women and Healthy Vision” report, visit
www.healthywomen.org.

Courtesy of ARAcontent