Month: April 2019

2019-04-15T11:01:00

(BPT) – Americans have a long-standing love affair with grilling. This relationship started many years ago. Our ancestors first learned to cook over an open flame, and today grilling has become a year-round lifestyle choice with many preferring to cook outdoors on the grill.

Why do Americans love grilling so much? The reasons are wide ranging. Some grill to relax. The backyard is their escape, and the flame calms them. Others barbecue for nostalgia. The grill is a time machine to the best childhood moments. Many grill for the sheer joy of cooking. The sizzle on the grates, the smell rising to the sky, the juices dripping on the coals.

As we enter peak grilling season and celebrate National Barbecue Month in May, the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association looks to grilling celebrities to discover why we love gathering around the flame and to ultimately encourage everyone to grill this summer and beyond.

1) Boog Powell, I grill for nostalgia: Orioles legend and professional barbecuer Boog Powell loves to grill because of a childhood experience. “I started grilling when I was 10 years old when my dad, brother and I made a big slab of ribs on a homemade grill on a family camping trip. It was probably the best ribs and the best barbecue that I’ve had in my life. I have been hooked on barbecue since then, and I still love it, more now than ever before,” adds Powell.

2) Tobias Dorzon, I grill for my health: Tobias Dorzon, former professional football player, professional chef and champion of Food Network’s “Guy’s Grocery Games” grills for the health benefits and delicious flavor. Dorzon notes, “Grilling is a healthier alternative because it burns the fat off meats and it uses less oil. Plus, grilling takes less time to cook and it keeps all the nutrients and flavors throughout your food.”

3) Christie Vanover, I grill for fresh air: Christie Vanover, owner and operator of Girls Can Grill, loves grilling because it allows her to spend time outside. Vanover says, “My motto is ‘Anything that can be cooked in the kitchen can be cooked on a grill.’ I grill year-round, because I love being outdoors and soaking up the fresh air.”

4) Matt Pittman, I grill to bring people together: Matt Pittman, celebrity grilling expert and owner of Meat Church BBQ, “grills to bring people together and make great memories. Our lives center around food. What better way to spend time with friends and family than outside cooking and sharing a great meal.”

5) Mad Dog & Merrill, we grill for entertainment: Internationally recognized and self-proclaimed “Grillologists” and the hosts of the TV series “Midwest Grillin’,” Mad Dog & Merrill clearly love to grill. “We started grilling for the fun of it all. Now 35 years later, we enjoy teaching backyard grillers how to think out of the box, experiment on the grill, and become ‘Grillogists’ of their own.”

6) Stan Hays, I grill to help people: Stan Hays, co-founder/CEO of Operation BBQ Relief, uses his grilling skills to help those in need when disaster strikes. “I have always enjoyed cooking from a young age, but it wasn’t until I graduated college that I really became obsessed with grilling. I now look for all opportunities to use my grill and smoker. There is something so satisfying about using fire to feed your friends and family, and I’ve even found a way to use my passion for grilling to feed people in need.”

For more reasons, tips and tricks, recipes and information on grilling, visit www.whyigrill.org.

2019-04-15T10:01:00

(BPT) – Trying to make ends meet, dealing with credit card and student loan debt and paying unexpected bills while saving for retirement can be challenging regardless of where you are in life. It’s not surprising that personal finances are employees’ number one source of stress, according to MetLife’s 17th Annual U.S. Employee Benefit Trends Study (EBTS). Luckily, there are a few basic steps you can take to ease your anxiety and improve your financial future.

Planning is key

Contrary to what you may think, financial wellness has less to do with the size of your bank account and more to do with taking charge of your money. Simply put, it is three key things:

1. Having control over day-to-day finances;

2. Being able to absorb unplanned expenses; and

3. Creating a plan to fund future goals and then staying on track to meet them.

Perception versus reality

With today’s strong job market, tax cuts and household income gains, many employees are feeling confident about their personal finances, with over 63 percent reporting they feel this way. It turns out, however, there is a disconnect between perception and reality. Findings from the EBTS more fully illustrate the extent of the problem:

* Personal finances are the number one source of stress for employees

* 49 percent of employees report living paycheck to paycheck

* Only 50 percent of employees are directly allocating part of their paycheck to a savings account

* 30 percent of employees with a defined contribution retirement plan have dipped into it.

Many of us may prioritize the short-term over the future by inadequately budgeting, neglecting to save a portion of each paycheck, or dipping into retirement plans to cover immediate financial needs, such as credit card debt. These actions suggest an inability to balance unexpected costs with planning for the future, which are two key elements of financial wellness.

Separating myth from reality

Figuring out how to manage your finances can be overwhelming, especially if you are struggling to meet your daily expenses and facing student loan debt. Taking small steps now can make a big difference in the future. To start, it is important to dispel some popular misconceptions.

1. I pay all my bills, so I don’t need a budget.

Only 60 percent of employees have a budget or plan for how to spend their money on an ongoing basis. Budgeting helps you better understand your cash flow and enables you to free up extra money for long-term goals or big-ticket purchases.

Action: Whether you prefer a notebook, a spreadsheet or an online tool, put together a budget and stick to it.

2. That won’t happen to me.

Whether it’s a new transmission or a broken arm, things happen and, when they do, unexpected bills follow. The employee benefits you receive at work may be able to help.

Benefits such as life, disability and auto insurance can offer protection if the unexpected occurs. Voluntary products such as critical illness insurance, accident insurance and hospital indemnity plans can help address unplanned out-of-pocket medical costs.

Action: Investigate your benefit options and see what is available to you.

3. It’s too early (… or late) to save for retirement.

Just over half, 57 percent, of employees report being on track to achieve their financial goals. And just 31 percent are on track for reaching their retirement savings goals.

In your 20s, it seems like there’s plenty of time to build retirement savings. Conversely, as you approach 60, you may wonder if you’re too late. The truth is it’s never too early or too late to work toward a more secure retirement.

Action: Begin saving as soon as you start working and, if necessary, take advantage of catch-up contributions once you are over 50.

The key to building your financial wellness is remembering it’s a process that takes time, but working through these steps can decrease anxiety now and brighten your future. You may also want to investigate whether you have access to a financial wellness program at your workplace. As employees look for more help in this area, an increasing number of employers are offering resources, education and support.

2019-04-12T14:41:00

(BPT) – Imagine a thief gets your credit or debit card and decides to go on a shopping spree. The thief tries to buy a flat-screen TV, a new computer and a diamond ring. You have no idea this is happening, until you get a phone call from your bank or an alert from your mobile banking app. How did they know to flag these specific transactions as fraud instead of other things you have purchased?

Artificial intelligence is at the heart of this process.

How you stay protected while shopping

A sophisticated anti-fraud detection system, known as Visa Advanced Authorization, uses artificial intelligence to look for possible fraud every time you insert, tap, touch or click to make a payment. It doesn’t know your name or exactly what you’ve purchased, but sees activities and patterns to learn what typical purchase behavior looks like.

How well does this work?

Advanced Authorization analyzed more than 124 billion transactions and prevented an estimated $23 billion in fraud in 2018 alone. That’s no small feat considering there are more than 3.3 billion Visa cards available worldwide that can be used at nearly 54 million stores.

The moment you pay at a store in person or online, the artificial intelligence gathers hundreds of pieces of information about the transaction, analyzing more than 500 unique factors that may indicate fraud. Some of the information analyzed includes:

* Has the account been used at this store before?

* What type of transaction is it — in-app, contactless, chip or magnetic stripe?

* Is the spending pattern out of the ordinary for the account?

* If a purchase is being made in person, is the location of the store unreasonably far from the location of a recent in-store purchase?

In about a millisecond, this information is assessed and fraud is rated on a scale of 1 to 99. The higher the number, the more risky the transaction. The risk score is then sent to the cardholder’s financial institution, where the decision is made to either approve or decline the transaction.

Some people may long for the days when life was simpler and more analog. However, artificial intelligence is having a big impact in the effort to prevent credit and debit card fraud and is becoming more sophisticated every day. It’s fast, accurate and efficient, but also enables highly intelligent predictive analytics to help identify and prevent fraud before it can happen.

For many, this is yet another example of technology continuing to play a larger role in our lives — perhaps this time for the better.

2019-04-12T10:23:37

(BPT) – Spring. The time of year when, as poet Alfred Lord Tennyson famously said, a young man’s (and woman’s) fancy “lightly turns to thoughts of love.” That is, of course, if you’re not sneezing, coughing or dealing with itchy eyes. Spring allergies seem to get worse every year. Is there anything you can do to avoid them?

Yes, says allergist Dr. Todd Mahr, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). “You might feel like suffering from allergies is going to happen every spring no matter what, but there are ways to help alleviate your symptoms.”

These 8 tips will help you enjoy the season instead of sitting it out indoors.

1. See an allergist. Before the season kicks in, make an appointment with an allergist to find out exactly what is causing those itchy, watery eyes. Discovering the allergen that you’re reacting to is the first step in treating it. The ACAAI’s Allergist Locator can help you find a board-certified allergist in your area.

2. Find out if it’s allergies or asthma. Or both. The symptoms from asthma can be similar to those of allergies. Allergies plus asthma can be a one-two punch for some allergy sufferers. Almost 75 percent of asthma sufferers also have allergies. Your allergist can diagnose what’s causing your symptoms and offer suggestions for treatment, so you can start living the life you want to live.

3. Consider allergy shots … They may be the best way to treat tree, grass, mold, dust mite, cat and dog allergies. Allergy shots are immunotherapy. That means your allergist will gradually give you increasingly larger doses of whatever you’re allergic to. There are also tablets that melt under your tongue to treat allergies to ragweed, grass pollen and dust mites. Both forms create a tolerance within your immune system.

4. … or get a prescription. Research has shown that most allergy sufferers find prescription medications more effective than those they can get over the counter. But most people don’t go in search of a prescription. An allergist can discover exactly what you’re allergic to and prescribe the right medication to ease your symptoms.

5. Start medication before the season hits. Don’t wait. Much like successful pain management involves getting in front of pain before it kicks into high gear, by taking your allergy medications before the worst symptoms develop, you’ll be doing a lot to alleviate those symptoms.

6. Commit to a thorough spring cleaning. It’s not just to give the house a fresh look after the long winter. A deep clean will reduce allergens like mold, which build up in basements and other areas where you might not go every day. It’s also a great way to get rid of the pet hair and dander that have built up in places like your sofa. Wash throw rugs regularly, too, in hot water.

7. Wash the day away before going to bed. Take a shower and wash your hair before hitting the hay to rinse away pollen and other allergens you’ve picked up during the day. Similarly, wash your sheets and bedding once a week in hot water.

8. Use the AC. It’s tempting to throw open the windows and let that fresh spring air waft into the house. The only problem is, pollen and other allergens will waft in with it. Instead, use your air conditioner and make sure the filter is clean. Change your filter every three months and use one with a MERV rating of 11 or 12.

With a few commonsense tactics, you can get ahead of your allergies and keep them in the rear-view mirror all season long.

ACAAI allergists are board-certified physicians trained to diagnose allergies and asthma, administer immunotherapy and provide patients with the best treatment outcomes. For more information and to find relief, visit AllergyandAsthmaRelief.org.

2019-04-11T17:06:56

(BPT) – Having a baby is a wonderful experience, but for many women, health issues can cause them to second-guess their ability to become a mom. Women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may feel as though pregnancy is out of the question. This isn’t necessarily true.

In the U.S., 1.6 million people have IBD — a group of disorders that include Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Of those, roughly half are women who will consider getting pregnant one day. When it comes to IBD and planning for a family, it’s natural to have questions and concerns.

“The IBD Parenthood Project provides guidance to women with IBD on the continuum of care and best practices for managing their IBD throughout all phases of family planning: trying to conceive, pregnancy and postpartum,” says Dr. Rajeev Jain, gastroenterologist at Texas Digestive Disease Consultants. Led by the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) with support from the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation and the patient support network Girls With Guts, this program aims to empower women with IBD, their loved ones and health care providers to have open conversations about preconception, pregnancy and post-delivery care.

Dr. Jain offers answers to the most common questions he receives from women about IBD and family planning:

1) What are the top concerns women with IBD have when planning for a family?

Answer: Many women with IBD are concerned that they won’t be able to achieve a healthy pregnancy and worry about factors such as IBD medication being harmful to their baby. Studies show that women who have their Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis under control, and who have never had surgery, can get pregnant at the same rate as other women. For women to have a successful pregnancy, their IBD should be under control; avoiding a flare is the most critical aspect to achieving a healthy pregnancy.

2) What types of health care providers should a woman see to ensure she has a healthy pregnancy?

Answer: Pregnant women with IBD should work with a maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) subspecialist who will coordinate care with her delivery provider and gastroenterologist (GI). A pregnant patient with IBD should be monitored by both a GI, who has a clear expertise in IBD, and an obstetric provider, ideally an MFM subspecialist, with further assistance from other care providers. An obstetrician (OB) or MFM subspecialist should lead pregnancy-related care, and the GI should lead IBD care, with excellent communication among all providers consulted during pregnancy.

3) What is an MFM subspecialist?

Answer: An MFM subspecialist is an OB with an additional three years of formal education who is board-certified in maternal-fetal medicine, making them highly qualified experts and leaders in the care of complicated pregnancies. An MFM subspecialist is distinct and different from a “high-risk OB.”

4) Are IBD drugs harmful to take while trying to get pregnant or during pregnancy?

Answer: Most women who are in remission when they get pregnant stay in remission throughout pregnancy. Stopping medication can cause a flare, which is a risk to a healthy pregnancy. Treating IBD with the appropriate medication may help reduce a woman’s risk of a flare and can help lead to a healthier pregnancy.

5) Will my children have IBD?

Answer: Up to 3% of children with one parent who has IBD will develop the disease (this means about 97% will not get IBD).

6) Are women able to breastfeed while on IBD medication?

Answer: Yes, in many cases, mothers with IBD who breastfeed can simply follow standard nutritional recommendations, which may include increasing the amount of food in her diet or adding omega-3 fatty acids.

To download the patient toolkit and learn more about pregnancy and IBD, visit www.IBDParenthoodProject.org.

AGA’s IBD Parenthood Project is funded through support from UCB, a global biopharmaceutical company.

2019-04-10T12:01:00

(BPT) – It’s easy to accumulate a lot of things throughout your life. From clothes and household goods to antiques and treasured keepsakes, decades of living often means decades of stuff. When you get to a certain age, it can be smart to start downsizing your belongings.

Sometimes downsizing is inspired by a move and other times it’s simply a proactive effort to keep a home clutter-free and make things easier for the next chapter of life. Although it can feel overwhelming, with a few smart steps, the process can be easy and even enjoyable. Use these eight tips to get started:

Sort it out: Creating a system before organizing and downsizing can help the process go smoother. This can be as simple as getting large boxes and labeling them with Keep, Donate, Gift or Throw Away.

Enlist some help: Ask your spouse or kids to help you go through your items and decide what to keep and what to get rid of. Some items that you find difficult to part with may not be things that your children want: books, figurines, antique furniture and silver servingware. Keep a few meaningful mementos, but consider parting with the items your kids aren’t interested in inheriting.

Think about safety: Whether you’re moving into a new home or preparing to age in place, it’s important to consider safety factors as you age. Clutter is a trip hazard for seniors, so keep this in mind as you go through items. It might be time to get rid of throw rugs, exposed cords and cut down on end table clutter to make room for a lamp that provides extra light.

Consider your new space: If you’re moving, evaluate how much space you will have in your new home to help decide what to keep. That massive claw-foot couch might not be suitable for a modest living room. Smaller storage space might mean getting rid of clothing you haven’t worn for over a year or consolidating printed photographs by transferring them into digital files and storing online for easy access by family.

Memory care concerns: Juliet Holt Klinger, senior director of Alzheimer’s and dementia care at Brookdale Senior Living, says if a loved one is moving into a memory care community you want the new space to be as comfortable and familiar as possible. “Set up the new apartment as close to the layout at home as possible. For example, put the nightstand on the same side of the bed and decorate the room with familiar items,” she suggests.

Peruse paperwork: Take this opportunity to get paperwork in order. Invest in a file cabinet and organize important documents, such as your will and advanced care directives. It’s also smart to have electronic records of these types of documents and have a conversation with loved ones who need to be aware of their existence.

Make some money: After you have sorted through all the rooms in your home, consider having a garage or estate sale. This is a great way to make extra money off of things you otherwise no longer use. Alternatively, take items to a consignment store or sell your goods online using a site like eBay, Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace.

Support a good cause: Take your unwanted items to a family in need or a local nonprofit. These can benefit a number of good causes you can feel good about. List items and get a donation slip so you can consider it as a deduction come tax time.

No matter the specific reason, it can feel great to downsize and organize your belongings. To learn more about memory care and assisted living, visit Brookdale.com.

2019-04-10T12:01:00

(BPT) – “MS is on My Mind when I need to miss my husband’s 50th high school reunion.” … “MS is on My Mind when my brain checks out at 2:30 in the afternoon and all I can do is stare out the window.” … “MS is on My Mind during the few moments I am free from my wheelchair skiing in Colorado.”

These are just a few of the sentiments shared by people affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) who completed the statement: “MS is on my mind when…” as part of the MS On My Mind (MSOMM) initiative sponsored by EMD Serono. The initiative encourages people living with MS to authentically reveal the reality of their lives by visiting MSIsOnMyMind.com and submitting their MSOMM experiences.

EMD Serono in collaboration with nationally renowned artist and MS On My Mind campaign creative director Lydia Emily Archibald, are sharing artwork based on select patient and caregiver submissions that compellingly illustrate the personal triumphs and frustrations of those impacted by MS. Archibald, who was diagnosed with MS in 2014, has been inspired to create unique works of art that depict individual experiences on canvas. To date, submissions have focused on a wide range of topics including impact on loved ones, mobility, physical symptoms and cognition.

“MS might strike in the form of frustration and struggle, yet trigger moments of sincere gratitude and accomplishment. All submissions to date have been equally compelling and relatable,” said Archibald. “I am honored to have the opportunity to use them as inspiration and look forward to continuing to create more pieces of art. The submissions continue to move me, and I encourage all members of the community to keep them coming! We’re in this together!”

The submissions will ultimately lead to a “Call for Solutions” issued to leading MS advocacy organizations. Every submission has a purpose and end goal — to ensure experiences identified by the community, like issues with mobility or cognition, are addressed and ensuring the MS community feels they are playing an active role in the development of impactful solutions.

EMD Serono will continue the partnership with Archibald throughout 2019. She will create murals at select MS advocacy events across the country, including Tampa, San Diego and Charlotte, where she will ask attendees to help her paint murals and submit their own MSOMM experiences. Following these events, EMD Serono and Ms. Archibald will attend the American Academy of Neurology congress in Philadelphia this May, where she will speak to advocacy groups about her involvement in the community and the MSOMM initiative.

MS is a chronic, inflammatory condition of the central nervous system affecting nearly 1 million people in the US.

MSOMM is sponsored by EMD Serono and Lydia Emily Archibald is being compensated for her role as the campaign creative director.

2019-04-10T08:01:00

(BPT) –

Donna Matlach struggled with asthma for years, but it wasn’t until she noticed how much it was interfering with simple, everyday tasks that she realized she needed to do something about it. That’s why the mother of four became a patient advocate for people with severe asthma. “I noticed that I started getting more winded taking walks and had trouble laughing at my family’s jokes,” said Matlach, a ballroom dancer and grandmother of 11. “Each year, my asthma symptoms seemed to be getting worse. My moment of truth — the asthma Aha! moment that prompted me to take action — was when I got breathless bending down to tie my shoes. That’s when I realized, this is enough, it’s time to find out what’s really going on. This isn’t just asthma.”

She was determined to find out why her symptoms weren’t getting better while taking the usual asthma medications. At the worst state of her asthma condition, she found herself relying more and more on rescue inhalers to breathe. Matlach also traveled across the country and saw dozens of specialists in search of someone who could provide answers.

After countless visits and tests, Matlach finally had an answer. She was diagnosed with eosinophilic asthma, a form of severe asthma linked to eosinophils, a type of white blood cell.

“Daunting as it sounded, I was glad to have a diagnosis. You can’t give up and you need to try everything to find answers. I was relieved when I finally got my asthma better controlled,” Matlach said. “I encourage others to talk with their doctors to find out what treatment plan is the right one for them.”

Matlach’s journey with severe asthma continued long after finding her own treatment plan. She became passionate about educating more people about the condition. Matlach went on to establish the Severe Asthma Foundation, a nonprofit organization built to bring to light the prevalence of severe asthma and to help educate patients, caregivers, healthcare providers and advocates.

Stories like this are not uncommon. Asthma affects more than 20 million people in the U.S. and up to 10 percent of them have a severe form. Almost 50 percent of people who have severe asthma have an increase of eosinophils in their lungs, which can cause more frequent asthma attacks.

Signs of severe asthma may include:

1) You have symptoms that cause wake-ups at night and interfere with your daily activities

2) You’ve experienced two or more asthma attacks in a year

3) You’ve made one or more trips to urgent care, the emergency room or a hospital

If someone has had an “asthma Aha!” moment, they can take action, visit asthma.com, download the asthma e-guide to track their asthma, gain better control and have a more meaningful conversation with their doctor.

“Getting the right treatment at the right time for severe asthma is important because repeated asthma flare-ups and inflammation caused by long-term uncontrolled asthma may lead to lung damage,” said Dr. David Slade, M.D., a national asthma expert, pulmonologist and GSK Medical Affairs Lead on Asthma.