National Minority Health Month

April is National Minority Health Month and a time remind ourselves of the need to focus on some of the health disparities that have become all to common in the United States. While I have previously discussed the growing prevalence of chronic diseases and the fact that many of them are preventable, per the CDC:

Though health indicators such as life expectancy and infant mortality have improved for most Americans, some minorities experience a disproportionate burden of preventable disease, death, and disability compared with non-minorities.

Here are some statistics from the CDC Health Disparities and Inequalities Report – United States, 2011:

Time Limited Prevention/Wellness Programs – Can they Work?

One of the new things I am seeing for employer based prevention or wellness programs is vendors offering companies some time limited program or single event. It seems like a great idea and easy way to step into the space. It goes something like this:

our wellness program is a 12 week based game that will get your people involved and active.

While this is all well and good and develops off the latest “gaming theory”, changing behavior is hard, but its even harder as one extends time. Sure its great to get a rah rah event, try to get everyone fired up and go spend 8 or 12 weeks  doing the activity, but what happens when the activity ends?  To truly move a populations’ health

Diabetes Alert Day

March 22 is Diabetes Alert Day.  Diabetes, and in particular, Type 2 diabetes is a disease that is affecting more and more Americans every day.  Once a disease typically seen only in older adults we now have children living with this illness. All of us should learn all we can about Diabetes, how to prevent it, how to treat it and how to live with it.

Here are a few statistics:

• 23.6 million Americans have diabetes — 7.8 percent of the U.S. population. Of these, 5.7 million do not know they have the disease.

• Each year, about 1.6 million people ages 20 or older are diagnosed with diabetes.

• The number of people diagnosed with diabetes has risen from 1.5 million in 1958 to 17.9 million in 2007, an increase of epidemic proportions.

• It is estimated that 57 million adults aged 20 and older have pre-diabetes. Pre-diabetes is a condition where blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be called diabetes. Studies have shown that by losing weight and increasing physical activity people can prevent or delay pre-diabetes from progressing to diabetes.

If you or someone you know has diabetes, you can get a lot of excellent information at The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Diabetes Education Program website.

Improving my Health and Prevention Score by Playing Soccer

This week, after about a 20 year hiatus, I joined an organized soccer league and played my first game.   Soccer became a serious sport for me in the 10th grade when I had the opportunity to live in the Netherlands while may father was on Sabbatical. After returning, I played for our high school team and one of the California state teams before going to college where classes ultimately got in the way of playing on the college team. Post college I continued to play in leagues for a number of years, but ultimately stopped except for some coaching of children’s teams.

While soccer continues to be a growing sport in the U.S. and is played by many children, it has not been able to catch on as well as a commercial venture. It is a great game nonetheless and I was very excited to get back into an organized league versus playing a few pickup games at the local fields.
Not only is soccer great exercise,

News Coverage of The Prevention Plan Sold at Sam’s Club

The announcement that Sam’s Club is selling The Prevention Plan received a lot of news coverage, here is just some of it….

Getting options to the individual consumer so they can take control of their own health is the future.

For Many, It’s all About the Social – Building a Culture of Health

Developing a culture of health at an organization is not something that one can do overnight.  It takes time, energy and thoughtfulness. At U.S. Preventive Medicine we have spent the last 3 years building our organization around our mission, Making the World a Healthier Place.  That includes all of us at USPM as well. Our own experience and that of our customers around the world have been used to modify and improve upon our product. As I walk around the office I get real world feedback on a daily basis.

So what are some of the ideas that you may wish to consider for your company:

HIV/AIDS and Access to Treatment

HIV/AIDS is a devastating illness that in the United States and much of the developed world has become more like a chronic disease though the effective use of various medications. While we must do all we can to prevent the spread of this illness, for those that are already living with HIV/AIDS, the availability of treatment is critical. The video below from the Topsy Foundation was awarded a Cannes Gold Lion award in the film category at the 57th Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, and shows why access to treatment is so important:

Here is a link to some information regarding HIV/AIDS and prevention from the CDC National Prevention Information Network (NPIN).

National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.  This year, over 142,500 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer and nearly 51,400 will die of the disease. From the website here are some screening recommendations:

Early Detection
If you are at average risk for colorectal cancer, start having regular screening at age 50.  If you are at greater risk, you may need to begin regular screening at an earlier age. The best time to get screened is before any symptoms appear. Use this guide to help you discuss screening options with your health care professional. Consider one of the following:

Screening intervals for tests that find pre-cancer and cancer:

• Colonoscopy: Every 10 years
• Virtual colonoscopy: Every 5 years
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy: Every 5 years
• Double-contrast barium enema: Every 5 years

Screening intervals for tests that mainly find cancer:

• Fecal occult blood test (FOBT): Every year
• Fecal immunochemical test (FIT): Every year
• Stool DNA test (sDNA):

Here is a video that explains a colonoscopy:

Last year I hit the magic age of 50 years old and had my colonoscopy.  It’s one of the screenings you should speak with your physician about.

The Motivator – A Summer Backpacking Trip to Yosemite

So I dream a little bit about long ocean voyages, hikes to the wilderness and other outdoor adventures, in fact I believe I have always been a soul longing for adventure. Somewhere I heard there may be some genetic component to this urge to see whats over that hill, but in the end does it really matter?

As my son’s have gotten a bit older we have planned new backpacking trips to stretch the envelope so to speak.  This coming summer we just arranged for a trip to Yosemite. It took a bit to get a wilderness permit and the original trail we tried for was full for multiple days, but in the end through perseverance and flexibility, we got another one and now have the final planning, preparation and dreaming before we go.  Joining us will be my brother and his three sons and my nephew; a great crew to spend time with.

Yosemite is a beautiful place and I camped there a few times as a child and teenager, but now its out of Yosemite Valley and into the backcountry, away from retailers, restaurants, facilities crowds and into, pack it all with you, obtaining clean water, watching out for bears and Leave No Trace.Here’s where we’ll be going in to the backcountry at Cathedral Lakes Trail.

So what does this have to do with motivation?

American Heart Month and Cholesterol

So do you know what your cholesterol levels are?  Or the difference between LDL and HDL? Well here’s a video to watch for American Heart Month.  If you don’t know your numbers, you may want to get them checked out.  Speak with your doctor…