143956 St. Vincents NL 02.06 - St Vincent`s University Hospital

FUN BRAIN TEASER
Try to work these out at your coffee break.
1. ECNALG
2. R_E_A_D_I_N_G
3. KNEE
LIGHT
4. MAN
BOARD
5. HE’S/HIMSELF
6. CYCLE
CYCLE
CYCLE
7.
CHAIR
8. T
O
U
C
H
WINTER MEDITERRANEAN
SOUP
Ingredients:
4 carrots
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic
1 medium courgette
4 sticks celery
6 oz mushrooms
1 large potato
1 tin plum tomatoes (chopped)
* 1 teasp.sugar
1 litre veg. stock (made with cube)
1 tbls. Olive oil
Herbs
Bay leaf
Tbl. Fresh basil
1 teasp. Cumin (ground)(optional)
1/2 tsp. Chilli paste (optional)
I NFORMATION
AND
H EALTH N EWS
FOR
Issue 44 / February 2006
HEALTH MATTERS
New Year’s is the season for making commendable resolutions.
Unfortunately, most research shows that approximately 80% of
resolution-makers become resolution-breakers within three
months.The vast majority of resolutions fall into two categories:
1) increased amounts of exercise and 2) weight loss.To increase
the likelihood of being part of the 20% of people that achieve
long-term success with your resolutions, it is important to
understand the health benefits associated with them.
Booklet is available on stand in the Main Entrance.
Regular physical activity can add healthy and active years to one's
life. Studies continue to show that it is never too late to start
exercising and that even small improvements in physical fitness can
significantly lower the risk of premature death. Regular exercise
can help protect you from a wide range of age-related diseases,
can improve your mood and help in stress
management.The health benefits of exercise
are multi-faceted and include, preventing
heart disease and stroke by strengthening
your heart muscle, lowering your blood
pressure, raising your high-density lipoprotein
(good cholesterol) levels and lowering lowdensity lipoprotein (bad cholesterol)
levels, improving blood flow, and increasing
your heart's working capacity. Regular
weight-bearing exercise promotes bone
formation and may prevent many forms of
bone loss associated with aging. Regular
physical activity can improve your mood and
the way you feel about yourself.
Researchers also have found that exercise
is likely to reduce depression and
anxiety. In addition, we all know when
physical activity is combined with
proper nutrition, it can help
control weight and prevent
obesity, a major risk factor for
many diseases.This is because
physical activity helps to reduce body fat by building or preserving
muscle mass and improving the body's ability to use calories. For
the greatest overall health benefits, experts recommend that you
do 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic activity every day.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE TO HEALTHWISE?
Weight loss is one of the most common New Year’s resolutions,
especially amongst females.Whilst most people embark on this
resolution as their clothes have become a little snug due to the
excesses over the Christmas period, weight loss to within the
normal weight range has considerable health benefits.
Answers on page 2
(Tin of chickpeas (rinsed) can be added to make a meal)
*To counteract acidity of tinned tomatoes.
CITIZENS INFORMATION
STAND, IF IN DOUBT CHECK IT OUT!
Would you like to check out your entitlements.Visit the
Citizen Information Stand in the Main Hall, SVUH any
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Method:
Chop vegetables in bite sized pieces. Sauté (fry gently) in olive oil on
large saucepan for five min. Cover with greaseproof paper and lid.
Add vegetable stock, tin of tomatoes and sugar. Bring to boil (add tin
of chick peas at this stage, if using). Add bay leaf, cumin and chilli
paste. Simmer for 20 mins. Add chopped basil – check for
seasoning.
Serve with fresh crusty bread/brown soda bread.
HAVE YOU SEEN THE
BOOKLET “LETS TALK”?
Your health is important - make it personal. A guide
to becoming more actively involved in your healthcare.
The booklet, developed by the Irish Society for Quality
and Safety in Healthcare aims to provide Healthcare
users with information about:
• What to expect from your Healthcare Team
• How to discuss concerns about healthcare services
• Tips for improving Healthcare Management
• Suggested questions to ask Healthcare Team
HEALTHWISE PLAN 2006
Deadline for articles
Distribution Date
April 14th
End May
July 14th
Early September
October 13th
Early December
Contact Denise Comerford at 4956 or email [email protected]
S AINT V INCENT ʼ S H EALTHCARE G ROUP
Research shows that obesity is becoming one of the fastest
growing health epidemics in Ireland. Obesity is defined as having a
body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater. BMI is your weight in
kilos divided by your height in metres squared.The BMI for adults
should be between 20 and 25, in order for your weight to be
considered ideal for your height. Under 20 is underweight, and
over 25 is overweight. Shockingly, research shows that one in
eight Irish people are obese (>30 BMI) and every second person
is overweight (>25BMI). Recent trends highlight that the number
of obese people is doubling every 10 years and the problem is
becoming increasingly prevalent in younger people.
CONTENTS
Health Matters
1
Avian Flu
SVUH Flu Vaccine Programme
Competition Winner
Brain Teaser Answers
2
2
2
2
New Year’s Resolutions – Support
HEAL
• Trying to lose weight
• Pilates
National No Smoking Day
3
3
3
Contribute to Healthwise
Let’s Talk Booklet
Brain Teaser
Soup Recipe
Citizen’s Information Stand
4
4
4
4
4
Obesity is directly associated
with a number of serious
diseases including diabetes,
heart disease, many forms of
cancer and high blood pressure,
and accounts for at least 2,500
deaths in Ireland each year.
Increases in obesity over the
past 30 years have been
paralleled by a dramatic rise in
the prevalence of diabetes,
which is described as by the
World Health Organisation as
the “scourge of the 21st
century”.
Diabetes is a chronic condition
that occurs when the pancreas
does not produce enough
insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it
produces. Hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar) and other related
disturbances in the body’s metabolism can lead to serious damage
to many of the body’s systems, especially the nerves and blood
vessels.There are two basic forms of diabetes:Type 1: people with
this type of diabetes produce very little or no insulin.Type 2:
people with this type of diabetes cannot use insulin effectively.
Most people with diabetes have type 2. Globally, around 85% of
people with diabetes have been classified as type 2 diabetics and
of these, 90% are obese or overweight. Clearly obesity is a global
problem that knows no boundaries.
Therefore, if you are one of the people that are struggling with
maintaining your New Year’s resolutions to get fit and achieve a
healthy weight, don’t give up, think of the health benefits!
Catherine Sweeney, Post Doctoral Research Fellow with
Rheumatology Group, E.R.C.
AVIAN INFLUENZA
NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS – SUPPORT
Influenza is a common viral infection that occurs in the winter
months in the northern hemisphere. It causes the ‘flu and
symptoms can include sore throat, headache, runny nose, aches
and pains, high temperature, shivering and sweating.The virus is
spread from person to person via secretions from the
respiratory tract. In most cases, the infection is treated with
paracetamol and bed rest and the illness will resolve within seven
to ten days. However in the very old, the very young and those
with chronic medical conditions, influenza may be more severe,
and these people may need to be hospitalized.
SVUH Flu Vaccination Programme
264
Nursing Staff
The influenza virus is capable of changing its structure, in order
for it to survive. Usually the changes that occur in the virus are
very slight, and the virus present in the community each winter is
quite similar to that from the previous year.Therefore many
people will have some protection against infection. However,
occasionally the virus can undergo significant change in its
structure and the resulting virus is very different to that
previously seen. In this case, people will have no natural immunity
to the infection, and widespread infection can occur throughout
the world – this is called a pandemic.There were three
pandemics in the last century – in 1918, 1957 and 1968. The best
known, and most severe of these was in 1918, when the ‘Spanish
‘flu’ caused the deaths of fifty million people worldwide.
91
Medical Staff
129
Allied health professionals
190
General support services
Readers of Newsround have commented on
how useful the ‘Tips to help lose weight and
keep it off’ are. Here are some more tips from
Vivien Reid, MSc. Clinical Specialist Dietitian
182
Administration staff
•
Eat fruit; don’t drink it. Two and a quarter apples
contain the same calories as a 300ml glass of apple
juice.
•
Take some ready peeled pieces of mandarin,
strawberries or other fruit to the cinema instead of
popcorn. Popcorn has 480 calories per 220g container;
200g of strawberries have just 64.
‘Avian influenza’ is a strain of influenza virus that infects birds,
such as chickens and migratory wild birds. It is unusual for avian
influenza to cause infection in humans, and if it does occur, it is
normally a very mild infection. However, the strain of bird ‘flu
circulating in Asia at present (known as H5N1) has been
transmitted to humans and caused very severe infection, with a
high death rate.The end of 2005 had confirmed 142 cases of
avian influenza in humans confirmed in Asia, with 74 deaths.The
risk of humans becoming infected with this strain is very small
and close contact with infected birds is required. Human to
human spread is very uncommon. However the main danger
from avian influenza is the risk of the H5N1 strain combining
with a human strain to cause a ‘new’ influenza virus that could
spread readily from human to human.We would have no natural
immunity and a pandemic could occur, with millions of people
becoming sick.
The Irish government has a plan in place to cope with such a
pandemic, if it should occur. However,
at present we have a much higher
likelihood of being infected
with ‘human’ influenza, rather
than avian influenza.
Healthcare workers
have a higher risk of
infection, as they may
be exposed to influenza at
their place of work. All
healthcare workers,
particularly those with
chronic medical conditions
such as lung or heart
disease, should attend
Occupational Health to get
the ‘flu vaccine every year.
This also helps to protect
vulnerable patients from
getting the flu. There is no risk of
getting the ‘flu from the ‘flu vaccine, so
don’t let that old wives’ tale
stop you from getting
protected against the ‘flu!
Suzy FitzGerald,
Department of Microbiology.
H E A L
Department of health recommended that all Healthcare staff
should have the flu vaccine.
Healthy Eating..........Active
The following is a breakdown of the uptake of the flu vaccine in
SVUH as at January 2006.
TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT!
524 staff who have contact with patients had the vaccination.
This very successful programme offered by Occupational Health
Dept. is offered from October to January each year.
Answers to Brain Teasers
•
Chewing sugar-free gum after lunch gives you the
psychological message that mealtime is over.
•
You may have a slower metabolism that others and a
tendency to put weight on quickly. It’s better to accept
this and work extra hard to stay in shape than moan
and get bigger.
1. Glance backwards
2. Read between the lines
3. Neon light
•
4. Man overboard
5. He’s beside himself
6. Tricycle
7. High chair
•
8. Touchdown
Winner of the Christmas “Name the
Christmas Carol” Competition is:
•
•
Martina McCarthy from the National Cancer Registry.
Congratulations.
Martina receives a voucher for dinner, bed and breakfast for two
in Bewley’s, Leopardstown, Co. Dublin
Sponsored by SNAP Printing.
Get label savvy.
Reduced-fat and lowfat do not mean a food
or drink necessarily is
low in calories.
Vegetables and fruit,
which are large in
volume but low in
calories, allow us to eat
more yet still shed
pounds.
Ban alcohol for six days
a week. It adds
calories and loosens
your resolve to eat
well and exercise.
It’s an old tip but a
good one …. never go
food shopping on an empty stomach.
The Irish Heart Foundation recommends that we take about 30
minutes of activity i.e. brisk walking, swimming or dancing on most
days of the week to keep fit.
Spring is coming. Evenings are getting longer.
Enjoy those spring flowers!
Get that pedometer out!
PHYSIOTHERAPY
DEPARTMENT INTRODUCES
NEW PILATES CLASSES
Qualified Instructor: Michelle Slevin
Time: 5pm and 6pm.
Location: Assembly Hall
€65 for 6 classes
No. of people per class 8
Michelle Slevin is a qualified physiotherapist and also a qualified
certified STOTT Pilates Instructor. In her classes she will focus
on the core postural muscles that help keep the body balanced
and are essential to providing support for the spine.
The Benefits of the Pilates Method
When practised regularly, a Pilates
workout will:
Improve joint mobility and flexibility,
making you walk taller and feel
slimmer
Improve strength and muscle tone
giving you a strong and supple spine
Achieve a flatter tummy
Help respiratory, lymphatic and
circulation problems
Make you less prone to injury when
playing sports or other physical
activities
Improve your posture
•
Keep small 30g packets of mixed nuts and raisins in the
glove compartment of your car. Nibble these instead of
pulling over for a garage chocolate stop.
Make you feel mentally and physically relaxed and energized.
•
Opt out of the cereal and breakfast bar craze. They’re
not healthier than ordinary biscuits, raise blood sugar
levels rapidly and soon have you craving more.
NATIONAL NO SMOKING DAY
•
Low-fat yogurts aren’t necessarily good for you. Many
have up to four teaspoons of extra sugar. Look out
for low-fat, sugar-free options.
•
Think of your family. Every healthy
change you make at home
can improve the
health of your
family, as well as
helping you lose
pounds.
- ASH WEDNESDAY 1st MARCH
Look out for details of events on this day –
remember there is support for quitting – call
extension 4958.
Next 6 week Stop Smoking Course starts
Tuesday 11th April 7pm in the Education
and Research Centre.
Free nicotine replacement therapy for staff
availing of support.