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Welcome to the Community Health newsletter, brought to you by McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital. Twice a month, Community Health brings to your mailbox timely medical news and health and wellness information that matter to you and your family. To visit the McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital Web site, >> click here.
Is cost keeping healthy foods out of your kitchen? When you think about eating healthfully, are dollar signs the first things to pop into your head? Recent research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition examined how lowering the price of healthier foods could impact shoppers’ grocery carts. More than 1,100 shoppers in New Zealand received either a 12.5 percent discount on healthy foods, tailored nutrition education, a combination of the two or no intervention at all. After six months, people paying the lower prices bought approximately 1.7 more pounds of healthy food a week compared to those not receiving a discount. Almost two-thirds of the additional healthy purchases were fruits and vegetables. Researchers agreed that pricing strategies could be an effective way to improve diets, and with two-thirds of the nation classified as overweight or obese, every bit helps. While you wait for lower prices to be a reality, check out the National Institutes of Health’s “Healthy eating without overspending” to find cost-saving tips for buying and preparing healthy foods. Spring into action—carefully Spring is just about here and before you know it, you’ll be headed out to get some much-needed fresh air—and exercise. Do your best to prevent injuries with these simple steps: Wear proper shoes. Athletic shoes should provide shock absorption and stability, and have proper sole contour and flexibility. They should be comfortable from the first step and need no break-in time. Buy the appropriate shoes for your sport. Start slowly. Learn which activities are best for you. Gradually build the time and intensity of your workouts to avoid overuse injuries like tendinitis. Warm up; cool down. Spend five to 10 minutes before your workout on an easy activity that uses the same muscles you’ll use during your workout. You should warm up before vigorous activities like running but also before less vigorous ones like golf. Stretch your Achilles tendon, hamstrings and quadriceps. Do slow and sustained stretches—no bouncing. End your workout with a light walk to allow your heart rate to slow. Treat aches and pains. Tending to minor injuries promptly can help prevent them from becoming major or permanent ones. For minor sprains and strains, follow the RICE procedure: Rest, Ice (apply to area for 20 minutes several times a day), Compression (with an elastic bandage) and Elevation (raise injured area above the heart). Give your brain a break Your brain uses sleep to refuel, but can your memory also get a boost while you’re awake? Results of a small study published in Neuron suggest it can. In the study, participants were shown a pair of images: A face with an object and then a face with a scene. After each pair, participants were asked to rest. They were asked not to sleep and weren’t aware that their memory would be tested. Before the activity began, during the activity and during the resting periods, researchers took functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans to measure activity between the brain’s hippocampus and neocortex—parts of the brain known to play a significant role in memory. It’s believed that long-term storage of memories results from the transfer of information from the hippocampus to the neocortex. After the resting periods, participants were given a memory test. The results? Those with a higher interaction between the two brain areas during rest performed better during the memory test. In our electronic world, it’s easy to keep working around the clock, but this study shows that taking a break could help you retain more information and actually improve your performance at work or school. Is your employer keeping you from good health? With a tough job market and a constant threat of downsizing looming, employees are doing everything they can to keep their employers happy and their paychecks coming in. But what happens when you’re feeling under the weather? Can you count on your employer to understand your health issues? According to a national survey by the American Psychiatric Association, more than 40 percent of employees believe their employers are supportive about them seeking care for health issues. But that leaves a large group of workers who worry their employers aren’t supportive. These people are most concerned when it comes to seeking help for mental health issues. Of the people who believed their employers were unsupportive, 76 percent worried their work status would be affected if they sought treatment for drug addiction, 73 percent for alcoholism and 62 percent for depression. Even more surprising: More than half of people thought they’d be looked down on for getting help for conditions like diabetes and heart disease. Research shows that when people receive the care they need they’re healthier and more productive, something that employers should cheer about. So if you’re dealing with any health issue, rely on the confidentiality of your human resources department and be sure to get the help you need. Check out McCullough-Hyde's hospital happenings! Plan to attend our Lunch & Learn program, "Eating For Good Health," presented by Nancy Schmidt, clinical dietitian coordinator, on Thursday, March 25, from noon to 1 p.m., at McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital. Call 513-524-5420 to reserve your spot in this free program.    Visit McCullough-Hyde's at www.mhmh.org and click on "Calendar" for a complete event listing, including our monthly Lunch & Learn series. McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital offers vascular ultrasound screenings Monday through Friday. Vascular ultrasound screenings could help you avoid possible stroke, heart disease or death. Call 513-524-5400 to schedule your appointment. A physician's order is not required, and test results are sent to you and your physician. Cost for all three ultrasounds (abdominal, carotid and legs) is $75. Effective September 22, McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital has the following visitation restrictions: - no visitation by anyone under age 14 - no visitation by anyone who's ill with respiratory symptoms, including a fever, cough, etc. Read Hot Health Topics on McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital’s Web page: Visit www.mhmh.org and click on HealthWise.
	McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital 110 N. POPLAR ST. / OXFORD, OH 45056 / 513-523-2111 / www.mhmh.org Community Health is designed to provide general health news and wellness information. This information is not designed to, nor should it, be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your physician before undertaking any form of medical treatment or nutrition or exercise program.
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