**J U N E 2 0 0 2**

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**LET'S TALK**

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| ####### FALL 2003 HEALTHY BODIES ● SOUND MINDS ● A SAFE PLACE TO WORK |
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# World AIDS Day December 1, 2003

AT THE END OF 2002, approximately 38.6 million adults and 3.2 million
children were living with HIV, and during the year, 5 million new people
became infected with the virus. The theme of World AIDS Day 2003 is
Stigma and Discrimination. In many parts of the world, discrimination
prevents known HIV-infected people from securing a job or caring for
their families. Discrimination can cause isolation and prevent people
with HIV/AIDS from seeking or obtaining treatment that could save their
lives. If you would like confidential information about HIV/AIDS,
contact the CDC AIDS Hotline, 24 hours daily at **800-342-243**7; **TTY,
800-243-7889**. For additional information or publications on HIV/AIDS
in the workplace, contact the CDC National Prevention Information
Network at **800-458-5231**, M--F, 9 a.m.--6 p.m. ET, or visit
*www.cdcnpin.org.*

Do You Have a Healthy Attitude?

Studies show optimism and a good social network can improve your
physical well-being.

A POSITIVE ATTITUDE, faith and good relationships with others can make
you healthier, experts agree. No one's sure exactly how some of these
factors contribute to good health, but study after study shows they do.
"People who are basically optimistic feel better and live longer than
those who aren't," says James S. Gordon, M.D., founder and director of
the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, DC.

A positive attitude depends on genetic influences, upbringing, health
habits, social connections, emotional support and spiritual involvement.
You can\'t change some of these factors, but you can learn new ways of
thinking and behavior to help maintain a positive mind-set --- and live
a healthier life.

"Your beliefs about a particular situation are very important in terms
of your immune system's response to stress.

The more optimistic you are, the higher the level and function of key
immune cells in your body," says psychologist Suzanne Segerstrom, Ph.D.,
an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky. "While a stronger
immune system doesn\'t necessarily mean you feel better, it does affect
how easily you get sick, or how well you respond to or recover from
illness or surgery."

So does having a good connection to family, friends and acquaintances.
In general, social ties guard against stress and contribute to a
positive attitude. Researchers have proven that they also help you
survive major illnesses and heal more quickly. "A strong social support
system encourages better health habits," says psychiatrist Redford B.
Williams, M.D., director of behavioral research at Duke University
Medical Center. Company can also ward off depression.

Experts warn, however, that some people feel more comfortable being
alone. If forging ties to family and friends actually stresses you out,
you're better off respecting your need for solitude rather than trying
to become someone you're not, suggests Dr. Segerstrom. "As you practice
healthy habits, you affect your health, positively," says Dr. Gordon.
"You soon feel the results of your efforts. That reinforces not only a
positive attitude, but also the control you now have over your life ----
to make it the best it can be."

What's new

## Late-Breaking Health News

\>\> **On-the-job social support is associated with lower blood
pressure** during the workday and smaller blood pressure increases
during job-related stressful moments, according to a study of New York
City traffic enforcement agents.

The study of 70 male and female agents ages 22 to 58, published in
*Psychosomatic Medicine,* was consistent with previous research that
suggests having contact with a socially supportive person at work
reduces cardiovascular reactions in threatening, high-stress situations.
The researchers also found males and females had different preferred
sources of social support. Lower blood pressure among females tended to
have a link with immediate-supervisor support, while males tended to
benefit from

coworker support.

\>\> **Skin cancer threat is greatest for older men** and individuals
with multiple risk factors. A 15-year study of 1.3 million Americans
found 44 percent of those diagnosed with melanoma, a potentially fatal
skin cancer, were white males older than 50.

Researchers at the American Academy of Dermatology also found men of any
age with a changing mole or fair skin were most likely to have skin
cancer. Other risk factors for anyone include having fair skin, a family
history of a changing mole or a family history of skin cancer.

Skin cancer is a large and growing problem in the United States: Nearly
half of all new cancers are skin-related. This year, more than 1 million
new cases will be diagnosed, and it's estimated the disease will claim
9,800 lives.

FALL 2003 2

**\>\> CHILDREN WHO HAVE PRESCRIPTIONS FOR ONE OR MORE ASTHMA
MEDICATIONS** have fewer visits to the emergency room (ER) for asthma
than those who haven't been prescribed such medications, according to a
new study by the University of Michigan Health System.

The study of 19,000 children with asthma looked at the frequency of
children's asthma-related ER visits, and how rates of ER visits vary by
age, gender, race and prescriptions for fast-acting "rescue" medications
as well as long-term preventive asthma drugs.

More than 4 million American children younger than 18 have an asthma
attack each year, and more than 200,000 children are hospitalized for
asthma-related problems annually.

*See your physician for guidance and advice regarding a specific health
condition.*

#### VITALITY-ON-DEMAND

A world of additional health information available via your computer.

You may think of this publication as just a newsletter. But would you
believe it's also an access index to one of the largest databases of
family health and personal self-care data around? With our free
Vitality-on-Demand (VOD) service, you can get

all of the information you need any time you want it!

**Look for this symbol VOD 000 throughout the newsletter for topics**

**you would like to learn more about.**

**Placing your VOD order is simple. And it's free.**

**Via the Internet:** Visit our home page at *www.vitality.com* and
press

the Vitality-on-Demand button. Enter the three-digit VOD number from

this newsletter, or you can search by keyword.

##### SPECIAL REPORTS

**540** How to Quit Smoking

**541** Sensible Weight Loss

**542** Lowering Your Cholesterol

**543** Reducing Your Stress

**544** Walking for Fitness

**545** Workstation Comfort

**546** Fixing an Aching Back

**547** Start An Exercise Program

**548** Controlling Allergies

**549** Lowering Health-Care Costs

**550** Living With Arthritis

**551** Dealing With Headaches

**552** High Blood Pressure

FALL 2003 3

Could You Be at Risk?

###### The Dangers of Lead Poisoning

LEAD POISONING CAN AFFECT ANYONE, but young children are most likely to
be harmed. Almost one million children ages 6 and younger have enough
lead in their blood to cause health problems.

##### THE DANGERS

□The younger the children, the more vulnerable they are to lead's toxic
effects.

□A pregnant woman's exposure to lead can harm her unborn child.

□Lead affects children's developing brains and nervous systems,
resulting in mental and behavioral impairments.

□Most children are poisoned in their homes by swallowing dust
contaminated by lead from peeling or damaged lead paint.

□Children playing outside can be poisoned by lead in soil from paint
that has peeled from outside walls and other sources.

□Remodeling projects in well-cared-for older homes have caused some of
the most serious cases of lead poisoning.

##### WHAT YOU CAN DO

□If your home was built before 1978, assume the paint contains lead and
have your home inspected.

□Keep children and pregnant women out of the room during any repair work
that involves paint.

□Clean wood floors and windowsills with detergent to remove any dust
with lead in it. Thoroughly clean after you paint or remodel your home.

##### TESTS FOR EXPOSURE

The only way to find out if your children have lead poisoning is with a
blood test taken in doctor's offices and clinics.

For more information, call the Lead-Safe Information Center at
**800-424-LEAD.**

####### More Good Reasons to Quit Smoking

MOST PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF THE MOST OBVIOUS HEALTH RISKS OF SMOKING,

such as heart disease and lung cancer. But many lesser-known health
problems are

associated with the habit ---and some affect the smoker's family
members.

##### For Yourself

□A study of 1,000 people reported in the *Archives of General
Psychiatry* found heavy smokers were almost twice as likely to develop
major depression than infrequent smokers.

□Women who smoke more than 10 cigarettes a day are 40 percent more
likely to enter menopause early, according to a study reported in the
*Journal of Clinical Epidemiology.*

□Women who smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day had 3-1/2 times the risk
for ectopic pregnancy as nonsmoking women, according to a study reported
in the *American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.*

FALL 2003 4

□A study of more then 9,000 older people showed current smokers had the
largest decline in tests of mental ability as compared with former
smokers and nonsmokers, according to researchers at the American Academy
of Neurology.

□Smokers with type 1 diabetes have a greater risk for high blood
pressure, heart disease, kidney disease and stroke than nonsmokers with
the disease, according to a study in the *American Journal of
Hypertension.*

□In a study of 377,481 women, those who had smoked for more than 20
years had a 24 to 39 percent higher risk of rheumatoid arthritis.

##### For Your Family

□People married to smokers have double the risk of ischemic stroke,
compared with those who live with nonsmokers.

□Preschoolers whose parents smoke are six times more likely than
children of nonsmokers to say they'll smoke later in life, according to
the American Heart Association.

□A study of 8,500 women found that children of mothers who smoked during
pregnancy had more ear infections.

□Children whose mothers were exposed to secondhand smoke during
pregnancy are more likely than other infants to have genetic defects
similar to those associated with leukemia and lymphomas.

####### Maintaining Your Mental Equilibrium

OVER TIME, CHRONIC STRESS AND ANXIETY can cause a hormonal chain of
events that can lead to illnesses such as heart disease, depression and
ulcers. Out-of-control stress also can impair your job performance and
drain your energy. But you can take steps to deal with your physical
response to stress. "Performing a daily de-stress routine can
effectively counteract stress and anxiety, so the results of stress
don't build up and cause problems," says Gerald W. Vest, professor
emeritus of sociology at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces.

##### STRESS RX

□BELLY BREATHING. For immediate stress relief, Vest recommends placing
your left hand over your heart, your right hand on your belly and
breathing deeply. "By observing the rise and fall of your breath, you'll
naturally begin to relax," he says

□ARM YOURSELF. Massage your right shoulder with your left hand. Then
feather down your arm with gentle soothing motions. Repeat on the other
arm. "The nervous system is connected to all the cells of the body. By
soothing the skin of your shoulders and arms, you'll immediately start
to relax," says Vest.

□SAVING FACE. For quick stress relief, Vest recommends lightly massaging
your temples, smoothing your eyebrows and massaging your cheekbones and
jaw. Also, spend a few seconds pinching and stretching your ear lobes, a
typically tense area.

FALL 2003 5

**Eating omega-3 fatty acids** from fish and plant sources can protect
your heart. These healthful fats make blood less likely to form clots
that cause heart attacks, and they protect against irregular heartbeats
that cause sudden cardiac death. Food sources include mackerel, lake
trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna, salmon, tofu, soybeans, walnuts
and flaxseeds. **VOD 284**

*American Heart Association, Dallas, TX.*

**People who live in neighborhoods built before 1974** are more likely
than those in newer areas to walk a mile, one study found. The older
neighborhoods usually have sidewalks, a dense network of streets and a
mix of residences and businesses,

all of which may encourage walking instead of driving.

*Self, 350 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10017*

**Stale makeup can cause infections.**

Discard mascara after three months; facial cleanser and moisturizer
after six months; and concealer, lip gloss, loose powder, powder
blusher, powder eye

shadow and toner after one year.

*Cooking Light, 2100 Lakeshore Drive,*

*Birmingham, AL 35209*

**Pay attention to the speed at which you talk.** You may have a habit
of speaking too slowly if people often interrupt you. Or you may speak
too quickly if people

often say, "whoa, wait a minute."

*When the Little Things Count \... And They Always Count by Barbara
Pachter, Marlowe and Co., 2001*

**Fifty-eight percent** of American investors use newspapers to help
them make financial decisions; 52 percent, a financial planner or CPA;
41 percent, financial Web

sites; 30 percent, stockbrokers; and 14 percent, Wall Street analysts.

*USA Today, 7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA 22108*

FALL 2003 6