HealthShare

Questions about LYME Disease?
1.. Lyme disease is transmitted by the bite of a tick, and the disease is very prevalent across the United States and throughout the world.
2. Lyme disease (DRG 867) is a clinical diagnosis and may cause infection of multiple organs and produce a wide range of symptoms and should be used as a differential diagnosis in rheumatologic and neurologic conditions, with symptoms similar to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Somatization Disorder, and any difficult-to-diagnose multi-system illness.
3. Fewer than 50% of patients with Lyme disease recall a tick bite or the “bull’s-eye” rash that is considered classic.
4. Many screening test can be unreliable. By definition, a screening test should have at least 95% in sensitivity as a result.
5. A vaccine for Lyme disease is currently unavailable.
6. When used as part of a diagnostic evaluation for Lyme disease, a “western blot” test should be performed by a special laboratory that is specifically known to read and report on Lyme results.
7. There are 5 subspecies of the Lyme spirochete (Borrelia Burgdorferi), over 100 other strains are known in the USA with 300 strains worldwide.
8. There has never been a study supporting that a 30 day antibiotic treatment would cure chronic Lyme disease. Short treatment courses (30 days) often have upwards of a 40% relapse rate.
9. Chronic Lyme disease requires prolonged treatment until the patient is symptom-free. Relapses may occur and often retreatment is required.
10. Lyme disease has been called “the great imitator” and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of many patients with symptoms of rheumatologic and neurologic conditions.
BEST ADVICE: Be your own best advocate and be open and persistent with your doctor regarding your symptoms. Keep a detailed written record that includes prescribed treatments and their effects.

Can You Pass This Balance Test?

According to STEADI (Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths and Injuries) more than 27,000 people over 65, die as a result of falls, which is 74 every day all year long. Only 1 in 4 reports falls to their doctors during any appointment.  It is very important to let your doctor know if you are slipping, unsteady or falling, even occasionally.  There may be many reasons for falls but ALL are important, as part of your health history.  They may mean more to your doctor than you think, as part of your total healthcare picture. Slips and fall may be the symptom of many things including, medication interaction, poor eyesight, and a neurological imbalance, and inner ear infection, loss of sensation in your feet and legs or even poor shoe selection.

Thanks to Dr. Steve Morris, for sharing the following. Gait Test with us at his Life Long Learning presentation. So, dig out a pencil and answer the following questions. You get a point for every YES answer.   Zero is the BEST score!…..Now be HONEST

1. Have I had a slip or fall in the past 12 months?

1. It has been suggested I use a cane or walker at any time.

1. I sometimes feel unsteady when I walk.

1. A family member says they are worried I might fall.

1. I need to push on arms of a chair to stand up

1. I have trouble judging the depths of curbs.

1. I often need to get to the bathroom very quickly.

1. I have lost sensation in my feet.

1. Family has been asking me to “stand up straight”.

1. Some of my medicines make me feel light headed.

1. I take medicine to help me sleep.

1. I don’t swing my arms when I walk.

Now if you are able to honestly able to all these questions and can get a ZERO your chances of a slip or fall in the next year are very low.  However, if your score is 4 or more you need to let your MD know and start a personal campaign to improve.  According to a study done by Reuters Health, step training focused on improving gait and balance may help prevent falls among the elderly. In this study the analysis of seven previous studies, with a combined total of 660 older adults, found that interventions to improve stepping skills cut the rate of falls roughly in half.  The best fall prevention, suggests that older adults would benefit from exercises designed to help maintain balance during everyday activities like getting out of a chair or avoiding obstacles on a sidewalk, said senior study author Stephen Lord of the University of New South Wales in Sydney, a leading expert in fall prevention. Check into classes or workouts (many easy to follow and available online) that improve your ability to recover when balance is lost.  That way trips or slips don’t turn into falls. Strength and balance are most important for physical functioning. So as we are finding, in many things in our lives Prevention is best.  So, first step is to put down your test and stand up without holding on to your chair and Step Lively.

Brain Gain Made Easy ……….in 7 Steps

1. Step it up, physical exercise helps prevent illnesses that can lead to memory loss by releasing a protein needed by the brain for healthy nerve cells.
2. Try a Mediterranean diet that has shown a 20 decrease in memory problems, as it has lots of fruits, vegetables, and fish and uses good olive oil.
3. Engage your brain just like good physical exercise; mentally challenging activities will keep your mind sharper.
4. Stay social, stay engaged in your life. Studies prove that the more social connections someone has in their life the better they are at enhancing and preserving mental acuity.
5. Sleep better. If your sleep is restless (causing lower concentration) here are few ways to help: no big meals, caffeine, alcohol 3 hours prior to bedtime and try to get into and out of bed at regular times.
6. Lower your stress. High levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, prevents the brain from moving data out of the “memory bank” Add yoga, meditation and maybe even massage to your routine..
7. STOP smoking. Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor and may cause small stokes in the brain, so  keep looking into all available  quitting solutions until you find one that works. 

                               PUT YOUR PILLOW IN THE DRYER!

A suggestion for any morning that you wake up with a runny nose, a cough or a stuffy head.   Put your entire pillow in the dryer. Yep!

We all drool and cough into our pillow(s)  at night.   We take medicines during the day when we are feeling badly and then  go back to sleep on a pillow where the germs have been a play and multiplying all day, right!?

So, put pillow (s) in dryer 15 minutes on High as soon as you wake up and before you make the bed.  Plan to routinely put pillow(s) in dryer whenever you wash your sheets, especially during the winter months.

Killing the germs will give YOU the edge on getting better faster…………a  Health Share Promise.

We are blessed to live in SCCL, an Active Senior Living community.  We have the ability to preserve our health and safety by being vigilant, aware and responsible for OUR OWN Health.

Number one avoidable problem is substance abuse among individuals over 65. Abuse results from misuse of alcohol and/or over-the-counter and prescription drugs. Misuse of drugs refers to underuse, overuse, or erratic use of legally prescribed and/or over-the-counter drugs.  Mixing alcohol with most medications is contraindicated as alcohol makes many medications either more or less potent.  Your MD is counting on the accurate dispensing of medications for your success of your overall healthcare plan. Beyond the physical and mental health risks, frequent heavy drinking also is linked with personal problems  and having relationship troubles.  If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation and measure. This means an average of one to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women. (A drink is one 12 oz. beer, 4 oz. of wine, 1.5 oz. of 80-proof spirits, or 1 oz. of 100-proof spirits.)  Drinking more alcohol increases such dangers as alcoholism, high blood pressure, obesity, stroke, breast cancer, suicide and accidents. Aging lowers the body’s tolerance for alcohol.  Older adults generally experience the effects of alcohol more quickly than when they were younger.  Alcohol is a factor, for example, in about 60% of fatal burn injuries, suicides and homicides as well as many slips and falls: 50% of severe trauma injuries ( broken hips & knees etc) and 40% of fatal motor vehicle accidents.

 Depression:  Consider asking your doctor about a depression anxiety screening questionnaire if you have any question that you or a loved one seems to becoming more depressed or anxious. Remember too  that alcohol is a depressant and muscle relaxant.

Stop Smoking.  Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States. About 8.4% of adults aged 65 or older still smoke cigarettes in the last survey in 2010