Abermed Health and Wellbeing Issue 15 January 2012

8/3/2019 Abermed Health and Wellbeing Issue 15 January 2012

1/8

January 2012Issue 15

Our purpose is to protect and improve health

Welcome to Januarys edition

We hope you all enjoyed lots of festive fun and we wish all our readers a very Happy and Healthy New Year!

This month we have an article about getting your sleeping patterns back to normal after the holidays and

an article on how to approach New Year health resolutions.

We also have an article for all you travellers that gives you some information about Yellow Fever.

Were delighted to include an article by Dr Steve Boorman, Medical Director Abermed Occupational

Health Services which was originally published in December by the Chartered Institute of Personnel

and Development (CIPD).

THE ABERMED HEALTH PROMOTION TEAM

Inside this issue:

Yellow Fever 2

The festive partys over . . . 3

The stocking filler thats good for you 4

One in six of us are likely to have a mentalillness at some time 6

New Year - ring in the changes! 7


2/8

January 2012

TravelHealth

Yellow

Fever

WeveallheardofYellowFeverassomany

countriessuchasKazakhstan,Egyptand

NigeriaimposeYellowFevervaccinationentry

requirementsandthevaccinationisrecommendedfor

traveltoahostofothercountries. Manyofusdont

knowverymuchmoreaboutthediseasesohereisan

opportunitytolearn...

YellowFeverisanextremelydangerousviraldisease

andit

is

usually

transmitted

by

the

bite

of

the

Aedes

aegyptimosquito. Thediseaseismainlyfoundin

tropicalareasofAfricaandalsoinSouthAmericaand

yourTravelHealthAdvisorcanprovideyouwithalist

ofcountrieswherethereisariskofYellowFeverand

alsothecountrieswhich imposevaccinationentry

requirements.

YellowFevertakesaboutthreetosixdaystoincubate

withsymptomsappearingintwostages. Theinitial

flulikesymptomscaninclude:

headache

chills

nauseaandvomiting

achingmuscles

backache

appetiteloss

hightemperature

Thesesymptomsusuallyimproveafterafewdaysbut

approximately15%ofsufferersdevelopthemore

serioussymptoms

of

the

second

stage

which

can

include:

abdominalpain

vomiting

recurrenthightemperature

jaundice

kidneyfailure

bleedingfromthemouth,nose,eyesor

stomach(therecanbebloodinfaecesorin

vomit)

Approximately50%

of

sufferers

who

reach

the

second

stagewilldieofthediseaseandtheotherhalfwill

recoverandwillnowbeimmunetothedisease.

ThereisnoantiviralcureforYellowFeverandsoany

treatmentconcentratesonthecontrolofsymptoms

whichcanrangefromparacetamoltoblood

transfusionsorkidneydialysis. AnyonewithYellow

Feverisencouragedtodrinkenoughwatersothat

theydonotbecomedehydrated.

Afterlearningabouttheunpleasantsymptomsand

seriousnessofthediseaseitsarelieftoknowthat

thereis

an

effective

vaccination

that

you

can

receive

whichwillprotectyoufromYellowFeverforatleast

tenyears. Youwillneedtohaveyourvaccinationat

leasttendaysbeforeyoutravel andyourvaccination

certificatewillnotbevaliduntiltendaysafteryou

havereceived yourvaccination.

Itsalwayswisetoavoidbeingbittenbymosquitoes

whereveryouaretravelling,soavoidexposureto

mosquitoesanduserepellentswithaDEETor

Picaridin

base.

It

is

also

important

to

ensure

that

your

roomiswellsecuredwithwindowscreens,mosquito

nets,andairconditioning. Ifoutdoors,wearclothing

toprotecttheskinfrommosquitobitessuchaslong

sleevedtopsandtrousers. Rememberthatunlike

malarialmosquitoes,themosquitoesthatcangive

youYellowFeverbiteduringdaylighthours.

Consultyour

Travel

Health

Advisor

if

you

need

to

knowmoreaboutYellowFever.

Page 2Abermed Health and Wellbeing


3/8

January 2012

Thepartysover...

andnowitstimefor

somerest

WeveallenjoyedourselvesovertheholidaysandnowwefindourselvesinJanuaryandthepartyiswellandtrulyover...

Itshardgoingbacktoworkafteranextendedbreakand

especiallyifyourworkingdayisalongone. Overthe

festiveseasonyoumayhavegotusedtoirregularhours

andstayeduplatersocialisingandenjoyedacosyliein

thenext

morning.

Nowyourebackatwork,itseasytofeeltiredandlacking

energyasyourinternalbodyclockissooutofsync. Our

bodiesneedsleepinthesamewayasweneedfoodand

wateranditmaytakealittlewhiletogetbacktoyour

normalsleepingpatternandstartfeelingfresheraftera

goodnightssleep.

Allofushavetosleepbecausesleepplayssuchan

importantroleinbraindevelopmentandevenafteronly

one

sleep

deprived

night

it

becomes

harder

to

concentrate.

Weallneeddifferentamountsofsleepbutmostadults

requireaboutseventoeighthourssleepanight.

However,ithasbeensuggestedthattherightamount

ofsleepforyouistheamountthatleavesyoufeeling

wideawakeandnotdrowsythenextday.

Thereareanumberofthings

youcandotohelpyoursleep

patternsgetbackorimproveon

existingbadsleepinghabits:

Dontdrinkalcoholnearyour

bedtime,itmayhelpyoufeel

sleepybutyouwonthaveafull

nightsuninterruptedsleepand

maywakeearly.

Dontgotobedfeeling

hungrybutdonteatalarge

mealshortlybeforeretiring.

Foodsthatarehighincarbohydratessuchasbreador

cerealwouldbeideal.

Ratherthan

vigorous

exercising

before

you

turn

in

for

thenight,youcouldtrysomeyogaexercisessothat

youarefullyrelaxed.

Reserveyourbedforsleepinginanddontplay

computergames,listentomusicorwatchTVand

letyourbodyrelearnthatwhenyouhitthesack,

itstimetogotosleep. Ifyoucantsleep,getup

andfindsomethingtooccupyyourselfandthentry

againwhenyoubegintofeelsleepy.

You

may

be

tossing

and

turning

and

worrying

about

all

theworkyouneedtocatchuponorfeelingstressed

aboutthepostChristmasbillsthatwillneedtobepaid.

Ifworryiskeepingyouawakethengetupandtry

writingalistofwhatyouneedtodoandthengoback

tobed organisingyourthoughtsintoalistcanhelpto

easeanxieties.

Trysomebreathingexercisestohelpyourelaxsuchas:

Breatheusingyourabdomenandnotyour

chest,throughyournoseforthreeseconds,

thenbreathe

out

for

three

seconds.

Pause

for

threesecondsbeforebreathinginagain.

Practisethisfortenminutesatnight.

Onceyouarebacktogoingtosleepandgettingupata

regulartime,yourbodyclockshouldstarttogetback

ontrackandyoullsoonbesleepingwellandwaking

feelingrefreshed.

Ifyouhavetroublegettingtosleepeverynightover

aprolongedperiodoftimeandyoualwaysfeeltired

thenextday,thenyoushouldvisityourdoctorand

seekadvice.



4/8

January 2012


Thestockingfillerthatsgoodforyou!

M

anyofourolderreaderswillrememberfindinganeasypeelertangerineorsatsumastuffedintotheir

ChristmasStocking

but

todays

youngsters

might

not

consider

this

to

be

much

of

atreat.

However,

satsumasreallyareeasytopeelanddivideintosegments,theydontcontainseedsandaredeliciouslittle

spheresofnutrition.

SatsumasarebrimmingwithvitaminCandarealsoagoodsourceoffibre,aswellashavingalowglycemic

index(carbohydratesthatbreakdownslowlyandreleaseglucosegraduallyintothebloodstream).

Satsumasaresucculentandsweettastingbutdonthaveahighcalorificvalue(onemediumSatsumahasabout

25kCal)andsoareaperfectsnacktobrightenawintersday. Satsumasarelowinsaturatedfat,cholesterol

andsodium

but

do

contain

folate

and

potassium

which

can

help

to

boost

the

bodys

immune

system.

Ifyouaretryingtogiveupsmokingthenatastysatsumaisanidealsnacktoenjoyandkeepyourhands

occupiedwhilstyouarehavingamomentofnicotinecraving! Theyareeasytocarryaroundandeatatworkor

onajourneyandcontributetowardsourfiveadayoffruitandvegetables.

Satsumasareoneofnatureswintergiftstousthatweshouldwelcome theycantakeusbacktothoseexcited

ChristmasmorningswhenweemptiedthecontentsofourChristmasStockingandabrightlittleeasypeeler

rolledoutfromtheheel. Theycontinuetodeliverajuicytasteofsunshineonacoldwintersday.

FluisnotagoodwaytostarttheNewYear!

Afluvaccinationwillhelpprotectyoufromseasonalflu.

Flucanmakehealthypeoplefeelreallypoorlyforaweekormore. Itsmuchworsethanhavingabadcold.

Flucanincreasetheriskofdevelopingotherseriousillnessesandasmallnumberof individualsmayhave

residualsymptomsformanymonthsfollowingaflu infection. Afluvaccinationwouldreducethelikelihood

ofthishappening.

Anoutbreakofseasonalflucanseriouslyimpactonstaffabsenteeism.

Thefluvaccinationisreallyeffectiveanditssafe.

Tolearnmoreaboutinfluenzaandfindanswerstovariousfrequentlyasked

questionsaboutfluvaccinationspleaseseetheAbermedwebsitewww.abermed.com

Abermed

Flu

Force

a

defence

against

seasonal

flu.

Forfurtherinformationpleasering01224788800

[email protected]


5/8

Oneinsixofusarelikelytohaveamental

illnessatsometimeinourlives.

I

tisperhapsdepressingthatwhenaseniorleaderhasthecommonsenseand

couragetoopenlydeclareamentalhealthissue,thatinsteadofusingthe

opportunitytohighlightthepositiveactionsthatcanbetakenourmedia

insteadfocusonthedisastrousimpactonshareprices,thattheillnessof

LloydsCEOtriggered.

WehavecomealongwaysinceBernardinoRamazzini(16331714),considered

to beafounderofoccupationalmedicine, firstdescribedtheharmtoworkers

fromcertainarduousoccupations,butdespiteincreasingrecognitionofthe

positiveimpacts

of

good

work

in

recent

years

mental

ill

health

is

still

fraught

withmisunderstandingandstigma.

Itishardtoencourageworkersofthebenefitsofopendisclosureandtoexpect

managerstosupportandcarefortheirstaff,whenthepublicimageofaseniorfiguredeclaringtheir

issuesisassociatedwithfailureanddisaster.

Mentalillhealthiswidelyfeared,andyetremainscommon

placepeoplearesurprisedwhenyoutellthemthatthey

aremorelikelytohaveamentalillnessthantohaveacar

accident!It

is

easy

to

blame

managers

for

being

uncaring

andfailingtolisten,butavoidanceisasimpledefenceto

avoidexposure toproblemsorissuesthatmanagersoften

feelillequippedtodealwith.

Whilstresearchingthelinkagebetweenhealthfactorsand

productivity/efficiencyintheNHS,ourresearchteam

foundstrongevidencethatsimplyfeelinglistenedto

wasakeyfactorthatstronglyinfluencedthelikelihoodof

needingtimeoffsick.Respect,trustandtakingthe

opportunitytoaskiseverythingOK?donotcost

employersgreatlytoinvestinbutmakeasignificant

contributiontoengagement.

ThisisgoodforthewellDavidMcLeod,ChairofthegovernmentsEmployeeEngagementTaskForce,

highlightedinhisworkthepositivevaluetobusinesssuccessofpositivecommittedemployees,butitis

alsoaninvestmentthatpaysoffwhenworkersbecomeillparticularlywithmentalhealthissues.

Knowingtheirmanagerswellenoughtorecognisethatamanagerwillbesupportiveandseektohelp

whenneededisthefirstkeystepinminimisingtheadverseimpactsofcommonmentalhealthissues.

Continuedonnextpage.


January 2012

TakingtheopportunitytoaskIseverythingOK?

DrSteveBoormanMBBSMRCGP

FFOMFRCPFRCN


6/8

Oneinsixofusarelikelytohaveamentalillnessatsome

timeinourlives.(continued)

Wealso

forget

that

much

of

our

waking

life

is

spent

at

work.

Raising

awarenessamongworkersandmanagerstoenableearlyrecognitionof

thebehaviouralchangesassociatedwithcommonmentalhealthdisorders

issimplygoodpractice.Menparticularlywilloftenignoreandminimise

symptomsearlyinterventionandsupportareimportantinreducingthe

likelihoodofsevereillnessandenablingearlyreturntonormalfunction.

Healthservicesareincreasinglybeingimprovedtoprovidesupporttothose

withmentalhealthdisordersbuttoaccessthissupportemployeesneed

tofeelthatdoingsowillnotimpairtheircareerprospectsorrelationships

withtheir

employers.

WhateverthetruecircumstancesoftherecentillnessoftheChiefExecutiveofawellknownbank,thetone

ofthereportingsurroundingit,suggeststhatourmediacoulddoalotmoretorecognisetheunfortunate

impactofstigmatisingmentalillness.

Iampleasedtosee theCharteredInstituteofPersonnelDevelopment(CIPD)recognisingthisand

developingsimplepracticalguidelinesformanagers.Attheendofthedaythisisntaboutexpecting

managerstobecomeparttimepsychiatristsnomorethanweexpectthemtobeorthopaedicsurgeons

whendealingwithanemployeewhohasfallenover! Showingrespectandcare,andhelpinganemployeeto

accesssupport

and

care,

are

part

of

managing

agood

business.

This

should

not

be

regarded

as

something

extraorunusualwith1in6ofuslikelytohaveamentalillnessatsomepoint,equippingmanagersto

recogniseandmanageiscommonsense!

DrSteveBoormanMBBSMRCGPFFOMFRCPFRCN

MedicalDirectorAbermedOccupationalHealthServices


January 2012

Forthcoming Health News and

Events for January 2012In January, Abermeds Health Promotion Team

will be concentrating on the following issue:

New Years Resolutions &Lifestyle Improvements

If you would like to know more about

Abermeds Health Promotion servicesplease telephone 01224 788800 or email

[email protected]

Men

will

often

ignore

and

minimisesymptoms.


7/8

January 2012


NewYear timetoring

inthechanges!

W

ell,itsthattimeofyearagain,whenwecross

thepsychologicalbarrieroftheoldyearandinto

thenew;fullofhopeandideasonhowwewouldliketo

improveourhealthandwellbeing. Dontfeelbadabout

anyoverindulgenceduringthefestiveperiod,afew

daysdoesnotmakeorbreakayear. Whatshappened

hasbeenandgoneandallwecaninfluenceiswhatwe

dofromhereonin.

Makingchangesbasedonapositiverationale(e.g.Im

worthlooking

after)

provides

far

more

secure

foundationsforchangethanthosebasedonguiltor

shame(e.g.IfIdontdoitImabadperson). The

formerrationalemayhelpusbemorecompassionate

aboutoccasionalslipups,helpingustogetbackonthe

horseagain;whereasthelatterincreasestheriskof

selfcriticism,givingup,orindeedpushingourselvestoo

hard(i.e.almostlikeapunishment,asopposedtoa

benefit).

Thefollowing

are

some

suggested

pointers

on

how

to

go

aboutpreparingforandimplementingchangesthatare

realisticandhealthy:

Defineyourcurrentproblem(s)andbespecific

e.g.snacking=toovague;snackingonbiscuits/crisps

intheeveningtime=morespecific;overweight=too

vague;twostoneoverweight(forsomeoneofmy

gender,height,age)=morespecific.

Assessyourreadinesstochange. Ifyouare

ambivalentabout

making

the

changes,

then

the

level

ofcommitmentrequiredmaynotbethere.

Totryandgeneratemotivation,developreasons/

rationaleformakingchangese.g.wantingtobe

healthierforchildren,wantingtolowerblood

pressure,mybodyispreciousandIwanttolookafter

itetc. Writethesedownsotheycanbereferredtoif

yourcommitmentwavers.

Chooseoneproblemtoworkonfirstalthough

problemsmay

be

linked

e.g.

over

weight

due

to

snackingandunfitduetolackofregularexercise.

Inwhichcaseitmaybesensibletotackleboth.

Defineyourgoal(s). Goalsshouldbespecificand

realistic. Sopeatingcrisps/biscuits=toovague;

snackingonlyallowedonSaturdaynight=more

specific. Loseweight=toovague;lose2stoneover

thecourseof3months=morespecific;Loseastone

inaweek=unrealisticanddangerous!

Definetheministeps/actionsneededtowork

towardsyourgoalse.g.goforabriskwalkthreetimes

aweek(forfirst2weeks,thenincrease);dont buy

insnacks

when

doing

your

weekly

shopping;

join

the

gym;joinaclub(e.g.weightwatchersetc.);research

healthysnackalternatives.

Notedownpossibleproblemsyoumayencountere.g.

Illstartoffwell,butgiveupafterafewweeks,

donthavethetimeorIlleatjunkwhenstressed.

Preparestrategiesforovercomingproblems. You

couldstartchangeswithafriendsoyoucanmotivate

eachother. Timetableweeklyactivitiesandadjust

othercommitments.

Dont

shop

when

yourre

hungry

orstressed. Keepremindersoryourreasonsfor

changehandy(photo/picture/helpfulquoteetc)and

becarefulnottouseunrealisticimagesasthesecan

backfireandgeneratedisappointment.

Ifyoulapsedontbetooselfcritical,askyourself,

WhatwouldIsaytoafriendwhomIcarefor?,and

takeonboardthesameadvice.

Keepadiaryandreviewprogress occasionallyand

updategoals

as

necessary.

Rememberwhenmakingany

significantdietaryorphysical

exercisechangesyoushould

consultyourdoctoror

relevanthealth

professionalinthefirst

instance,especiallyif

youareawareofhaving

anyunderlying

health

conditions.


8/8

Abermed Health and WellbeingPage 1

January 2012

Page 9

LifestyleZoneOurnewonlinehealthandwellbeingresource

A

bermedwill

soon

be

launching

our

new

and

exciting

online

wellbeing

resource,

Lifestyle

Zone.

Subscriberswillbeabletofindonlinearangeoffitnessandhealthsupportavailableincluding:

PersonalisedTrainingProgramme

WeightManagementPlan

HealthyEatingandNutritionalAdvice

StressManagementTechniques

10MinuteWellnessPlans

GeneralInformationandAdvice

National

Discounts

and

Services

Companiesandorganisationsthatsubscribetothewebsitewillbeabletoofferitsresourcestotheir

employeesandtheirfamilies.

Itsagreatwaytostartahealthynewyear!

Tofind

out

more

about

this

exciting

new

resource

please

contact

Kelly

Paterson.

Tel:01224788800

Email:[email protected]


Abermed Health and Wellbeing Issue 15 January 2012

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