For Your Health. For Your Life.

Have you already given up on your resolutions for this year? Don’t worry—it’s a great time to start over. Your UPS health and wellness site has up-to-date information about why it’s more important than ever to quit smoking, how to lower your blood pressure, and how to avoid falls at home or work.

Cancer: Not Just Blowing Smoke

Your Blood Pressure: Keep it Under Control

Safety: Tips to Avoid Falls at Home

Cancer: Not Just Blowing Smoke

Chemicals in second-hand smoke can be harmful in many ways. Where there’s smoke—there may be cancer. Tobacco smoke contains more than 60 chemical compounds that are known or suspected to cause cancer. Nonsmokers exposed to second-hand smoke absorb nicotine and other toxic chemicals just as smokers do. Besides cancer risk, exposure to second-hand smoke can lead to:

• Coronary heart disease
• Respiratory problems including coughing, phlegm, chest discomfort and reduced lung function
• Increased incidence of middle ear infections in young children
• Lower respiratory tract infections, such as pneumonia and bronchitis
• Increased number and severity of asthma attacks in asthmatic children

If you’re finally ready to stop spreading harmful chemicals to your friends and family, find out more about the Quit for Life Program.

Sources: BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois, www.bcbsil.com and the American Cancer Society

Other resources:
Kaiser Permanente Preventive Cancer Screenings

Your Blood Pressure: Keep it Under Control

If you’ve been diagnosed with high blood pressure—or even pre-hypertension—it’s important to do all you can to keep your blood pressure under control and at the reading recommended by your doctor. You may not notice symptoms of high blood pressure from day to day. However, it can take a serious toll on your health over time. High blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure, kidney failure and other health conditions. Take steps to lower your blood pressure today, and have a much healthier future.

• Lose weight, if needed. Losing extra pounds can make a difference. For some people, weight loss may be all that’s needed to lower blood pressure. For others, losing weight may reduce the amount of medicine needed to manage high blood pressure.
• Take it one step at a time. Reduce fats as well as overall calories. If you can’t resist desserts, eat only a half portion. Try adding fiber and vegetables to your diet to help you feel full. Talk with your doctor about ways to lose weight and stay healthy.
• Be physically active. Exercise goes hand in hand with losing weight. Even if your weight is on target, you still need regular physical activity. Besides lowering your blood pressure, it can make you feel and look better. An exercise plan also can help reduce your risk of heart attack and other health conditions. Try biking, running, walking or swimming. Remember to check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program.
• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Include four to five servings of vegetables in your diet, as well as four to five servings of fruits daily. Also eat whole-grain foods, and two to three servings of low-fat dairy products. You should limit fish, poultry or other meats to two or fewer three-ounce servings each day.
• Choose foods low in salt. Use less salt when you cook and don’t add salt at the table. Try sprinkling different spices on foods to add flavor. And be sure to read nutrition labels for sodium content. You may be surprised to see high levels in foods you’d never consider to be “salty”.
• Limit your alcohol intake. If you drink, limit your daily alcohol intake to no more than one drink for women or two drinks for men. Ask your doctor about the effect of alcohol on your blood pressure and any possible interactions with your medicine.
• Take your medicine as directed. Don’t skip any prescribed high blood pressure pills just because you don’t feel any symptoms. Pay attention to any side effects that may occur, such as dizziness, sleepiness or some other problem. Don’t stop taking your medicine, but be sure to tell your doctor about side effects right away. Your doctor may recommend changing your current medicine or the dosage.

Source: UnitedHealthcare

Other resources:
Blood Pressure Calculator
MedicineNet High Blood Pressure Quiz
American Heart Association Blood Pressure Quizzes

Safety: Tips to Avoid Falls at Home

Falls are the most common cause of accidental death and injury in the home. As we get older, we may have mobility, balance or sight problems, which can increase the risk of falls. Taking the following precautions can make your home safer — for you and your family.

1. Install a second railing. You’re safer going up and down stairs if there is a railing on each side of the staircase.
2. Mark trouble spots with bright tape. The first and last steps on staircases are high-accident zones. Areas with furniture that sticks out are also trouble spots. Applying strips of bright tape makes these areas easier to see.
3. Light the way. Install lights in halls and stairways. Plug-in nightlights can be used anywhere there’s an outlet.
4. Put grab bars in the bathtub. Installing grab bars in the shower or alongside the tub gives you something to hold for balance. Adding nonskid strips or mats on the shower and tub floor reduces the risk of slipping.
5. Get bath safety items. Try a tub seat or sliding board for extra support, or use a showerhead extension. These items allow you to bathe without having to move around the shower or tub.
6. Invest in a personal alarm. A personal alarm can be triggered if you fall or are in trouble. With the push of a button, the alarm sends a signal. In turn, this alerts someone to call and see if you need help. If no one answers the phone, selected family members, friends or emergency services are notified.

Source: Aetna IntelliHealth, www.intellihealth.com

Other resources:
National Safety Council
BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois® Prevent Back Injury Fact Sheet