Category: Brandpoint Health

2018-04-10T07:01:00

(BPT) – By Jamie Schanbaum, GSK spokesperson, U.S. Para-athlete and meningitis survivor

Before I contracted bacterial meningitis in 2008, I had never heard of it. I didn’t know how it was transmitted, what the symptoms were or how to help prevent it. After spending seven months in the hospital and losing all my fingers and both legs below the knee, I learned as much as I could about meningococcal disease. Now I want others to know what I didn’t.

1. Meningococcal meningitis, often referred to as meningitis, is an inflammation of the protective membranes, or meninges, covering the brain and spinal cord.^[1]
2. About one in 10 people carry the bacteria, Neisseria meningitidis, that can cause meningitis. These bacteria live in the back of the nose and throat. People who have the bacteria without any signs or symptoms of the disease are called “carriers.”^[2]
3. Meningitis is uncommon but can be fatal. About one in 10 people infected with meningococcal disease will die.^[3]
4. About one in five meningitis survivors will suffer long-term disability, such as loss of limbs (like me), brain damage, deafness and nervous system problems.^[4]
5. Young adults, including college students and those living in close quarters, are at increased risk for meningitis due to close contact with each other, sharing drinks or eating utensils, kissing or even just coughing.^[5],[6] I was 20 years old and in my first semester at the University of Texas when I contracted meningitis. I didn’t know about this increased risk.
6. Early symptoms may be similar to those of a cold or the flu, but can progress quickly and can be fatal, or cause disability within 24 hours.^[7],[8] Symptoms can include fever, headache and stiff neck as well as nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and confusion.^[9] Everyone’s symptoms can be slightly different, however. For example, I had nausea and vomiting, but also felt exhausted. My hands and feet were extremely sensitive to touching cold objects, like the sink faucet and tile floors. In just 14 hours, I went from thinking I had the flu to being admitted to the hospital. My experience may not be the same as others, so it’s important to know all the possible signs and symptoms and to seek medical help quickly.
7. There are five different vaccine-preventable serogroups of meningitis – A, B, C, W and Y. Groups B, C and Y are the most common groups of meningitis in the U.S.^[10]
8. There are two different types of vaccines needed to help protect against the five vaccine-preventable serogroups of meningitis.^[11] It’s important to know that even if you’ve had a vaccine for serogroups A, C, W and Y, you need a different vaccine to help protect against serogroup B.^[12]
9. Despite the availability of serogroup B meningococcal vaccination since 2014, less than 10 percent of teens and young adults have been vaccinated, even though serogroup B accounts for 30 percent of all meningitis cases in the U.S.^[13],[14]
10. The CDC says all 11- to 12-year-olds should be vaccinated against meningitis A, C, W and Y and recommends a booster at age 16. Additionally, the CDC says teens and young adults (ages 16 through 23) also may be vaccinated against meningitis B, preferably at 16 through 18 years of age. Though vaccination may not protect all recipients, it’s the best way to help prevent the disease.^[15],[16]

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2018-03-28T17:15:00

(BPT) – The kidneys play an important role in maintaining our overall health. While these bean-shaped organs perform multiple functions, a primary role is filtration, critical to clearing waste such as urea and to keeping the body’s fluids and electrolytes in balance. Good kidney health is essential for everyone, yet today, more than 30 million adults in the U.S. have chronic kidney disease (CKD), and there has been little new innovation to treat kidney disease in over a decade.[1]

So how does diabetes, an all-too-common cardiovascular and metabolic (CVM) condition, impact our kidneys? The most common causes of CKD are diabetes and high blood pressure.[2] For those with diabetes, the body does not make enough insulin or use normal amounts of insulin properly. Because of the high levels of sugar in the blood, the millions of tiny filtering units within the kidney are overused and damaged, leading to chronic loss of kidney function and, eventually, diabetic kidney disease. Diabetic kidney disease can lead to end-stage renal disease, which requires dialysis or kidney transplantation, further increasing the already elevated risk in diabetes for cardiovascular-related death.[3] Even with an estimated 1 in 3 people with type 1 diabetes and half with type 2 diabetes eventually developing CKD, there have been no recent breakthrough treatments for this disease.[4]

March is National Kidney Month, and it stands as a reminder of how important it is to not only take care of our kidneys and live a healthy lifestyle, but also to continue to research new ways in preventing, treating, and ultimately curing such life-threatening and widespread disease.

“Diabetic kidney disease continues to devastate communities worldwide, driven by rising diabetes incidence,” said James F. List, M.D., Ph.D., Global Therapeutic Head, Cardiovascular & Metabolism at Janssen Research & Development, LLC. “This condition is chronic and progressive with severe impact on a patient’s overall health and well-being. To have a meaningful impact on the fight against kidney disease, we need to focus our research on addressing diabetes, the primary cause of this disease.”

CKD often goes undetected until it is at an advanced stage. According to the National Kidney Foundation, the following steps can be taken to help protect the kidneys and improve overall health:[5]

1. Get tested: Ask your doctor for an albumin-to-creatinine ratio urine test, or a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) blood test annually if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, are over age 60, or have a family history of kidney failure.
2. Monitor and limit NSAIDs use: Pain medicines, such as NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), may alleviate your aches and pains, but they can harm the kidneys.
3. Cut processed foods: Processed foods can be an unhealthy source of sodium, nitrates and phosphates, and have been linked to kidney disease, among other diseases.
4. Exercise regularly: Being active for at least 30 minutes a day can also help control lower blood sugar, which is vital to kidney health.
5. Control blood pressure and diabetes: Monitoring and managing blood sugar levels can slow the progression of kidney disease.

Kidney damage caused by diabetes can occur slowly and can go undetected over many years. However, you can take these easy steps to protect your kidneys, so act now.

2018-03-29T15:29:00

(BPT) – With spring having officially begun, many eager homeowners and landscape professionals across the country will roll up their sleeves and reach for their shovels to start projects that require digging this season.

During the transition into “digging season,” Common Ground Alliance (CGA), the organization dedicated to protecting underground utility lines, people who dig near them, and their communities, reminds homeowners and professional diggers that calling 811 is the first step toward protecting you and your community from the risk of unintentionally damaging an underground line.

Every digging project, no matter how large or small, warrants a free call to 811. Installing a mailbox or fence, building a deck and landscaping are all examples of digging projects that should only begin a few days after making a call to 811. Calling this number connects you to your local one-call utility notification center.

According to data collected by CGA in a phone survey in February, millions of American homeowners will likely do DIY projects involving digging this year, but 36 percent of them do not plan to make a free call to 811 before digging. Extrapolated to the full population of U.S. homeowners, approximately 48.3 million people will dig this year without first calling 811.

A utility line is damaged every nine minutes in America because someone decided to dig without making a call to 811 to learn the approximate location of buried utilities in their area. Unintentionally striking one of these lines can result in inconvenient outages for entire neighborhoods, serious harm to yourself or your neighbors, and significant repair costs.

As a result, CGA offers the following tips to make sure you complete your project safely and without any utility service interruptions, so you don’t become a statistic.

Here’s how the 811 process works:

1. One free, simple phone call to 811 makes it easy for your local one-call center to notify appropriate utility companies of your intent to dig. Call a few days prior to digging to ensure enough time for the approximate location of utility lines to be marked with flags or paint.

2. When you call 811, a representative from your local one-call center will ask for the location and description of your digging project.

3. Your local one-call center will notify affected utility companies, which will then send professional locators to the proposed dig site to mark the approximate location of your lines.

4. Only once all lines have been accurately marked, carefully dig around the marked areas.

There are nearly 20 million miles of underground utility lines in the United States, which equates to more than a football field’s length of utilities for every person in the U.S. Your family depends on this buried infrastructure for your everyday needs including electric, natural gas, water and sewer, cable TV, high-speed Internet and landline telephone. With that much critical infrastructure underground, it’s important to know what’s below and call 811 before digging.

To find out more information about 811 or the one-call utility notification center in your area, visit www.call811.com.

2018-04-09T12:01:00

(BPT) – “As a doctor, I want patients to have open conversations with me about any symptoms they may experience without feeling uncomfortable,” said Dr. Howard Franklin, MBA, vice president of medical affairs and strategy at Salix Pharmaceuticals. “But, I understand that patients may sometimes choose not to talk about symptoms they find embarrassing.”

Such is the case when it comes to discussing bowel movements. For people who experience abdominal pain and diarrhea, it is important to discuss these symptoms with your doctor as they may be signs of irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBS-D).

A report published by the American Journal of Gastroenterology found that up to 75 percent of individuals living with irritable bowel syndrome may be undiagnosed. You are not alone.

For the up to 16 million Americans living with IBS-D, it is often an uncomfortable disorder that can reduce a patient’s quality of life. IBS-D affects twice as many women as men and often occurs in people younger than 45. It can cause interference with daily activities and avoidance of certain foods.

If you’ve experienced these symptoms, Franklin offers two important steps you can take.

Understand the disorder

IBS-D is a disorder of the large intestine and though the precise cause is unknown, it is believed that there are various factors that can play a role in creating symptoms. Stronger, longer muscle contractions in the intestines and poorly coordinated signals between the brain and the intestines are all possible causes for IBS-D. Often, IBS-D is triggered by food, caffeine, stress, carbonated drinks, artificial sugars or infectious diarrhea.

Changes in bacteria in the gut have also been linked to symptoms of IBS-D. In a healthy state, the microbiome and the human host have a mutually beneficial relationship as the host intestine provides the bacteria with an environment to flourish and the bacteria provides physiological stability. A change in the number of bacteria and in their type can disrupt this relationship.

Talk to your doctor

Don’t hesitate to initiate the conversation with your doctor if you experience symptoms of IBS-D.

It’s time to talk to your doctor if:

* Your abdominal pain keeps coming back at least one day per week in the last three months

* The frequency of your bowel movements, and/or the way your stool looks has changed

Here are a few ways you can prepare for a conversation with your doctor:

1. Write down your symptoms and triggers.

2. Make a list of all your medications.

3. Plan questions in advance, such as: What are the likely causes of my symptoms? Should I make any changes to my diet or lifestyle? What treatment options do you recommend for me?

There is no need to suffer with IBS-D in silence. Speak up to your doctor and, together, find ways to manage the disorder. For more information about IBS-D, visit www.LetsTalk-2.com.

2018-04-02T09:01:00

(BPT) – U.S. residents logged 1.7 billion trips for leisure purposes in 2016, according to the U.S. Travel Association, and this number will likely grow in 2018. Whether you’re traveling for leisure or business, you shouldn’t lose sight of nutrition. It’s common to think, “Hey, I’m on vacation, so I can throw my healthy diet out the window.” Wrong. Traveling can throw the body for a loop with time zone changes, shifts in sleep schedules and the availability of fast, convenient and highly processed foods.

Use these five easy steps to make sure you stay healthy on the go this year.

1. Pack healthy snacks.

Dining while on the go usually translates to getting a quick hunger fix that involves processed, high-fat foods. Make a conscious effort to pack healthy snacks. Apples and nut butter, pretzels and hummus and dried, no-sugar-added fruit are a few healthy options.

2. Lighten your luggage.

It’s all too common for travelers to try to max out the weight of their checked luggage, which often weighs in at 50 pounds. Carting around heavy luggage and bags can take a toll on the body.

One easy way to lighten your load is to condense cumbersome toiletries. For instance, look at the prescription medications and dietary supplements you’re packing. A 2018 Wakefield Research study, conducted for Vitamin Packs, found that more than half — 51 percent — of respondents tote along five or more different types of pills when they’re traveling. And with age comes ailments. Baby boomers are the pill pack mules, with 64 percent taking five or more types of pills along for the ride when they travel, compared to only 35 percent of millennials who bring the same amount.

The good news — you can leave dietary supplement bottles and days-of-the-week pillboxes at home. Look for personalized vitamin subscription services, like Vitamin Packs (www.vitaminpacks.com), that combine customized dietary supplements into individual daily packs that can easily tuck into your carry-on luggage.

3. Don’t forget essential nutrients.

The introduction of personalized nutrition has made it much easier (and lighter) to bring your vitamins and supplements with you when you travel. It may not always be convenient to grab a bright orange pepper or a bowl of fresh spinach while on the go. Therefore, your body may be craving folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin A, lutein, and just about every other phytonutrient.

“We shouldn’t sacrifice our nutrition simply because we’re away from our kitchen,” commented Elizabeth Somer, registered dietitian, author of “Eat Your Way to Happiness” and Vitamin Packs medical advisory board member. “I always pack nutritionally rich go-to snacks when I’m away from home and pack a multivitamin that delivers the essential nutrients my body needs to perform at its best.”

4. Keep your blood flowing.

If you’re planning a U.S. cross-country flight this year, direct flights can leave you sitting for five hours or more. These long periods of sedentary travel can lead to blood clots. Before you go, check with your doctor about adding an omega-3 supplement to your diet to maintain healthy blood flow.

5. Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate.

Water should be your No. 1 travel companion. Pack a reusable water bottle, so you can quickly fill up at water fountains located in many airports, train stations and bus stops.

As you take to the air, road or track this year, make nutrition a top priority. Your body will thank you and it will give you the energy you need to enjoy your time wherever your travels take you.