General Health Articles

In the News Movember – Part II

(Continued from Part I…)

One of the most recognizable symbols of Movember is the mustache, often referred to as the “Mo.” Growing a mustache during November is an easy and visible way to show support for men’s health, spark conversation, and raise awareness. Encourage your male employees to participate in a ‘Grow a Mo’ Challenge, where they grow and groom their mustaches throughout the month.

Creating opportunities for education is a powerful way to raise awareness about men’s health issues, and a Lunch and Learn session offers a perfect setting to do so. Hosting an informal educational session during the lunch hour allows employees to learn about critical men’s health topics in a relaxed and comfortable environment.

Invite a healthcare professional, such as a urologist, oncologist, mental health expert, or fitness trainer, to give a talk about pressing issues like prostate cancer, testicular health, mental wellbeing, or general fitness and nutrition tips. These topics are often neglected, and having a knowledgeable speaker can help demystify them while encouraging employees to be proactive about their health.

A Movember Fundraising Day is an exciting way to engage everyone in the office, raise awareness, and make a tangible contribution to the Movember cause. Choose a day during the month where the workplace comes together for fundraising and awareness activities. This could include a “Wear Blue for Men’s Health” day, where employees show support by wearing blue and making a small donation.

Pair this event with fun activities like raffles, bake sales, and casual dress day.

Healthy Living Best Healthy Living Tips

Not everything having to do with diet, exercise, and healthy living must be complicated or time-consuming. There are plenty of things that you can easily do to help shift your mindset towards living healthier.

Here are the top 10 things that you can do to live healthier and feel good about yourself. 

1. Eat Fresh Foods. Eat fresh rather than processed foods. Ask yourself, “Does this come from Nature?” If the answer is NO, then eliminate it from your diet.
2. Take up a sport. It doesn’t have to be complicated, just something that you are comfortable with and gets you moving.
3. Maintain a healthy lifestyle. If you are a parent always on the go, ensure that your healthy choices fit into your busy schedule
4. Start a food diary. Write down everything you eat and once you do you can see where and what you need to cut from your diet.
5. Avoid fad diets. Opt for a healthy lifestyle. Fad diets are a quick fix, whereas overall good health will sustain you.
6. Set goals. Give yourself a sensible time-period to cut fast food from your diet.
7. Get active. Use the stairs instead of the elevator, use the furthest parking spot away from where you are going, and get moving daily in some way.
8. Five-a-day rule. Follow the five-a-day rule when it comes to fruits and vegetables.
9. Socialize with like-minded people. You’ll start to think like them and be inspired by them.
10. Be good to yourself. Take your time and reward yourself regularly for achieving your goals.

In the News Fall Wellness Tips – Part II

(Continued from Part I…)

Moisturize your skin. Harsh temperatures can make your skin dry. Also, you still should be wearing sunscreen. 

Buy in-season food. Beets, broccoli, cabbage, eggplant, kale, pumpkin, broths, roasted squash, roots and sautéed dark leafy greens are all great choices. 

Stay active! It can be easy to just sit around all the time, but it’s important to get in some movement throughout the day. Raking leaves or shoveling snow counts. 

Wear layers and protect your body from the dropping temperature. Make sure you have gloves, a scarf, earmuffs, a winter coat, warm socks, and snow boots.

Do some “spring cleaning” in the fall. Clean out your closet, organize that back room, and rid yourself of things you don’t need.

Prepare your home for possible extreme weather conditions. Do you have a shovel and/or snow blower? Do your flashlights have batteries? Is your heat working okay? Being prepared now can cause less stress in the future should situations arise.

Get some books to read and shows to watch. Who doesn’t want to sit by the fire on chilly winter nights and read a good book or binge-watch some Netflix?

Be kind to yourself. The holidays can cause weight gain, the shorter days can cause low mood, and the flu season can cause sickness. Listen to your body and give it what it needs, and don’t beat yourself up! Try reframing negative thoughts into positive ones.

In the News Fall Wellness Tips – Part I

Transitioning from those long, summer nights to shorter, fall evenings can be quite stressful on your physical and mental health. 

To help ease the change, here we offer you these fall wellness tips. 

Start taking a Vitamin D supplement. We get most of our Vitamin D from the sun, so our intake decreases when the weather is colder since we spend most of our time inside during the fall/winter seasons. If you find you are not getting outside much, a Vitamin D supplement can boost your mood and immune system! 

Take some time to yourself. Autumn and winter are the Earth’s way of telling us to slow down. Start a journal or track your moods to get more in touch with how you are feeling.

Get your flu shot and yearly check-up. Self-explanatory! No one likes sniffling and aching and sneezing and coughing getting in the way of life.

Boost your immune system. You can do this by drinking plenty of water, washing your hands often to prevent sickness, and eating nutritious foods.

Get yourself ready for Daylight Savings Time. Go to bed earlier when you can, especially the week before the clocks change. Longer periods of darkness = longer periods of sleep!

Make some plans for the cold months. In the winter, we tend to hibernate if we don’t have things to keep us busy.

(Continued in Part II…)

In the News Blood Cancer Awareness Month – Part II

(continued from Part I…)

Lymphoma –

Lymphoma is the general term for cancers that develop in the lymphatic system. Lymphoma originates in developing B-lymphocytes and T-lymphocytes, which have undergone a malignant (cancerous) change. This means that they multiply without any proper order forming tumors, which are collections of cancer cells. These tumors cause swelling in the lymph nodes and other parts of the body. Over time, malignant lymphocytes (called lymphoma cells) crowd out normal lymphocytes and eventually the immune system becomes weakened and can no longer function properly. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes more than 40 different types of Lymphoma.

Myeloma –  

Myeloma, also known as multiple myeloma or plasma cell myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells (mature B-lymphocytes) that usually arises in the bone marrow. Myeloma develops when plasma cells undergo a malignant (cancerous) change and become myeloma cells. These myeloma cells multiply without any proper order, forming collections known as tumors that accumulate in different parts of the body, most commonly in the bone marrow and on the surfaces of different bones in the body.

Myeloma cells secrete chemicals that stimulate other bone marrow cells to remove calcium from the bone. As a result, bones can become weaker, more brittle and break more easily.