The Pulmonary Press

MedGroup

January 2011

Help Yourself Overcome Grief

Recovering from the loss of a loved one takes more than time. It helps to understand what happens when people grieve.

Many grievers go through stages similar to those a dying patient experiences when coming to terms with the prospect of his or her own death. These stages, as identified by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, include denial, anger, bargaining for more time, depression, and finally, acceptance. The following suggestions offer good places to start on the road to recovery:

  ►  Write a farewell letter that highlights your loved one’s strengths and weaknesses. Gaining a realistic picture of your relationship may help you let go.

  ►  Develop a personal tribute to your loved one. If he or she liked to garden, for example, plant a favorite tree that will continue to serve as a symbol of your love.


  ►  Share what you’re feeling with good friends or a bereavement group, and record your thoughts in a journal. Grief accumulates if you deny what you’re feeling.

► Anticipate special holidays that will remind you of time spent with the person who died, and organize activities with other people to avoid loneliness.
The AARP Booklet: On Being Alone

Salt from Shakers

Who is likely to salt food more…the one who prepares it, or the person who eats it?

The cook usually puts five times more salt in the food being prepared than the person who salts to taste. That’s because salt added to cooked food has a stronger taste.

So if you’re trying to wean yourself away from salt, but the flavor is hard to give up, ask that none be added during cooking. Then when you sprinkle it on to taste, you’ll be cutting back by 80%.
The University of Texas Lifetime Health Letter

How Clean is Your Toothbrush?

Your toothbrush is crawling with germs. Researchers at Hiroshima University examined toothbrushes collected from 150 children and concluded that most carry more than a million bacteria. Even a thorough rinsing and rubbing of the bristles only halved the number.

It might make sense to replace your toothbrush after you’ve been sick to avoid re-infection, and to keep your toothbrush to yourself.

The Myth: You lose most of your body heat through your head
A military study many years ago tested the loss of temperature in soldiers when exposed to very cold temperatures. They found rapid heat loss in the head – and so the idea that we lose heat through our heads was born. But what they didn’t tell you was that the soldiers were fully clothed except for their heads. This obviously skews the statistics considerably. The fact is, completely naked, you lose approximately 10% of your body heat through the head – the other 90% is lost via the other parts of your body.

High-fat Meals Could Make Asthma Worse
British Researchers presenting at the 2010 American Thoracic Society International Conference suggest asthma patients should be advised to forego high-fat meals. They studied 40 patients who were randomized to receive either a high-fat, high-calorie meal containing about 1,000 calories (52% of which were from fat), or a low-fat, low calorie meal containing about 200 calories and 13% fat. Sputum samples collected before the meal and four hours afterward were analyzed for inflammatory markers and pulmonary function tests were performed.

The study showed that a high-fat meal increases airway inflammation and reduced the response to the bronchodilator albuterol.
AARC RC Currents, August 2010 page 85

Weighting on the Holidays
The average American gains seven pounds from November to January.

Heart Attack Signals
Heart attack is the number one killer in the United States. Many heart attack victims die needlessly—because they do not receive emergency care in time. Those who reach the hospital have a much greater chance for survival. Here are the Heart Attack Signals to look for:
► Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the center of the chest, lasting 2 minutes or longer.
  ►  Pain may spread to shoulder, neck or arms.
  ►  Severe pain, dizziness, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness of breath may also occur.

Emergency Action:
► Recognize the heart attack signals
  ►  Stop activity and sit or lie down
  ►  Act at once if pain lasts for 2 minutes or more
  ►  Call the emergency medical service or have someone take you to the nearest hospital emergency room. If you are with someone who has the signals, expect a denial.

Insist on getting help if the signals last longer than 2 minutes.