**Welcome to the New**

**Let's Talk**

THE FOH EAP IS PLEASED TO INTRODUCE the new *Let's Talk* newsletter. In
keeping with the FOH motto, Healthy Bodies, Sound Minds, A Safe Place to
Work, the newsletter has expanded its focus to include all aspects of
health and wellness. The increased size allows us to provide twice as
much content on mental health and wellness topics that can help you and
your family be healthier, happier and more productive. One of the most
exciting additions to *Let's Talk* is Vitality-on-Demand. Wherever you
see the VOD symbol and three-digit code, you can access more in depth
information on that topic by visiting www.vitality.com. There you will
find a rich archive of articles. VOD is available 24 hours a day, and
it's free!

Reducing Stress to Beat Heart

Disease

MENTAL STRESS DOES MORE THAN DIMINISH YOUR SENSE OF WELL-BEING; it also
can increase your risk of heart disease. "Evidence points to stress as a
significant

risk factor," says James Blumenthal, Ph.D., professor of psychology at
Duke

University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. Studies suggest
chronic stress is a hormonal chain of events that can ultimately
increase blood cholesterol and

blood pressure, two traditional risk factors for heart disease. In
addition, studies show acute stress from catastrophic events, such as an
earthquake or September 11th, can trigger heart attacks in people with
pre-existing heart disease. Fortunately, you can keep chronic stress
from taking a toll on you. Try these suggestions to manage stress and
keep your heart healthy.

**Downsize Stress**

**GET PLENTY OF EXERCISE**. Stress can affect clotting factors in the
blood making

it more sticky, thereby increasing your risk of heart disease and
stroke.

"But evidence suggests physical activity can counteract that," says
Blumenthal.

For heart health, aim for at least 30 minutes of moderately intense
physical activity, such as brisk walking, every day or most days of the
week.

**BOLSTER YOUR SUPPORT SYSTEM**.

Research suggests that having a strong structural-support network ---
such as

being married, having someone you can talk to and trust or belonging to

one or more organizations or a religion--- can reduce your stress level
and,

thus, your risk of heart disease.

**SEEK TREATMENT FOR CHRONIC DEPRESSION OR ANXIETY**. "Both these

stresses can increase your risk of heart disease, or dying from the
disease if

you already have it," says Blumenthal. Studies suggest chronic anxiety
can

increase the risk of sudden cardiac death. To reduce your anxiety level,
try stress-reduction techniques such as yoga, walking meditation,
traditional meditation or

guided imagery. Experiment until you find one that works for you. If
none of

these techniques suffice, ask your doctor about taking medication for
anxiety.

**In the know**

# Late-Breaking Health News

**More than 28 million U.S. adults suffer from migraine headaches,** yet
less

than one-half seek medical treatment or use the latest prescription
medications,

according to a study published in *Neurology*. The study found that
millions

of migraine sufferers treat their pain with over-the-counter medications

such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen and pain relievers containing caffeine

(Excedrin or Anacin). While such medications work effectively for many

migraine sufferers, researchers recommend medical care for those who
experience

high levels of pain or significant limitations in their daily
activities.

\>\> **Doctor-patient communication represents a vital first step in
treating clinical depression.** A study in the *Journal of the American
Medical Association*

revealed that only the observational skills of a physician asking the
right

questions can ensure a reliable diagnosis of depression.

The World Health Organization estimates that major depression alone was
the fourth-leading cause of disability worldwide in 1990, and will soon
be second only to heart disease as a disability cause.

No blood test or X-ray can determine whether someone suffers from
depression.

A trained interviewer must make the diagnosis based on a patient's
response to a series of questions. A high percentage of depressed
individuals don't mention their depressed states to their doctors or
attribute their ailments to feelings of depression. So a third to a half
of patients with major depression go untreated.

**\>\> SMOKING IS LINKED TO MORE SEVERE BACK SYMPTOMS.** Among people
with

spinal problems, those who smoke have more severe symptoms and poorer

physical and mental health, including a higher rate of depression,
according to

a report in the journal *Spine*. Researchers analyzed the impact of
smoking on spinal symptoms and general health in a group of nearly
25,500 patients treated for such problems. Symptoms were rated severe in
50 percent of smokers, compared with

37 percent of nonsmokers. Depression was found in 54 percent of patients

who smoked, compared with 37 percent of nonsmokers.

VITALITY-ON-DEMAND ITALITY-

**A world of information available via phone, fax, or 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 text 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 VOD 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

DEMAND

## DIGEST

**The right way to floss:** Take 18 inches of floss and wind the bulk of
the thread lightly around the middle finger. Wind the rest around the
same finger of the

opposite hand. Maneuver the floss between teeth with your index fingers
and thumbs. Don't pull it down hard against your gums. Bring the floss
up and down several times forming a C shape around the tooth, being sure
to go below the gum line. **VOD 051**

*Academy of General Dentistry, Chicago, IL.*

**Time to lighten up.** Eighty percent of Americans are overweight in
2002, compared with 76 percent in 1998, 69 percent in 1994, 64 percent
in 1990 and 59 percent in 1986.

*Harris Interactive, Rochester, NY.*

**Ninety percent of women** who had cosmetic surgery were satisfied with
the results, yet their overall body image didn't improve, one study
found.

*Research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine,
Philadelphia.*

**Substitute spaghetti squash for pasta** and you consume 80 percent

fewer calories and lots of vitamin A.

*Self, 350 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10017, monthly, \$15/yr.*

**Pack a travel-size container of moisturizer** or hand lotion in

your carry-on bag if you're taking a long flight. The cream can
counteract

dry air on the plane.

*Organize Your Business Travel! by Ronni Eisenberg with Kate Kelly,
Hyperion, 2001,*

*\$10.95.*

**Hold your stretches for 30 seconds** if you're younger than 40, but
hold them for 60 seconds if you're 40 or older. Your muscles become less
pliable as you age, so you need to stretch them longer.

*Men\'s Health, 33 E. Minor St., Emmaus, PA*

*18098, 10 times a year, \$20/yr.*

s e l f - c a r e

Understanding Domestic Abuse

### GEST

**THROUGH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE**, an abuser establishes power and control
over another person. Such behavior occurs when the abuser feels entitled
to control his victim. Acts of such violence generally fall into one or
more of the following categories:

**PHYSICAL BATTERING**. The abuser's attacks can range from bruising to

murder.

**SEXUAL ABUSE**. Physical attack by the abuser is often accompanied by,
or

culminates in, sexual violence, with the victim forced to have sexual
intercourse

with the abuser or take part in unwanted sexual activity.

**PSYCHOLOGICAL BATTERING**. The abuser's psychological or mental
violence

can include constant verbal abuse, harassment, excessive possessiveness,

isolating the victim from friends and family, deprivation of physical
and economic resources and destruction of personal property. Domestic
abuse often begins with

behaviors such as threats, name calling, violence in the victim's
presence (such

as punching a fist through a wall) and/or damage to objects or pets. It

may escalate to restraining, pushing, slapping and/or pinching --- and,
ultimately,

punching, kicking and sexual assault. It may even become
life-threatening,

with serious behaviors such as choking, breaking bones or weapon use.

**Abuse Checklist**

Study the following questions. Think about how you're being treated and
how

you feel. Remember, it's abuse when one person scares, hurts or
continually puts

down the other person. Does your partner\...

\_\_ Embarrass or make fun of you in front of your friends or family?

\_\_ Make you feel like you can't make decisions?

\_\_ Use intimidation or threats to gain compliance?

\_\_ Tell you that you're nothing without him or her?

\_\_ Treat you roughly --- grab, push, pinch, shove or hit you?

\_\_ Call you several times a night or show up to make sure you're where

you said you'd be?

\_\_ Use drugs or alcohol as an excuse for saying hurtful things or
abusing you?

\_\_ Blame you for how he or she feels or acts?

\_\_ Pressure you sexually for things you aren't ready to do?

\_\_ Make you feel like there's no way out of the relationship?

\_\_ Prevent you from doing things you want, such as spending time with
your

friends or family?

\_\_ Try to keep you from leaving after a fight or leave you somewhere
after a

fight to teach you a lesson?

If any of these are happening in your relationship, seek help
immediately.

*For more information, call the Domestic Abuse Project at 800-793-5975.
If your life is in danger, call the police or 911.*

For your information

Complementary Health-Care News

\>\> Low vitamin-C concentration in the bloodstream may be a risk factor

for stroke, especially in men with high blood pressure or who are
overweight, according to a study published in *Stroke: Journal of the
American Heart Association.*

Men with blood vitamin-C levels in the lowest quarter had a 2.1 times

higher risk of any type of stroke compared with men in the highest
quarter.

The likelihood was higher for men who also had hypertension or were

overweight.

Men in the lowest quarter had a daily vitamin-C intake roughly
equivalent

to the vitamin C in half a glass of orange juice. The vitamin possibly

inhibits artery clogging and lowers blood pressure.

**\>\> St. John's wort appears to interfere**

**with a cancer drug.** St. John's wort, often taken as an
over-the-counter

remedy for mild depression, decreased blood levels of one chemotherapy

drug by about 40 percent in a study at the Rotterdam Cancer Institute in

the Netherlands. This effect lingered for more than three weeks after
patients

stopped taking the supplement. The herb interfered with P450,

an enzyme the body uses to break down about half of all drugs.

Because of this, researchers believe St. John's wort may inhibit many
other widely prescribed medicines, including drugs that treat heart
disease and seizures and prevent organ rejection after transplants.

**Middle-aged men who are depressed or anxious** are more than three
times as likely to have a fatal stroke than middle-aged men who aren't
depressed. Stroke is the third-leading cause of death in the United
States, ranking behind heart disease and cancer. **VOD 053**

*American Heart Association, Dallas, TX.*

**Eating certain fruits and vegetables** helps you consume the
recommended

eight glasses of water per day. For example: A slice of watermelon
equals more than a glass of water.

*Real Simple, Rockefeller Center, New York, NY 10020, 10 times a year,
\$19.95/yr.*

**For the best results,** use the right size stability ball for
crunches. Your

hips should be no lower than knee height when you sit on the sphere.

*Self, 350 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10017, monthly, \$15/yr.*

**Showing their age.** Forty-eight percent of baby boomers say the signs
of aging they notice first are graying hair and balding; 22 percent,
poor eyesight; 13 percent, weight gain; 11 percent, wrinkles; 3 percent,
age spots; and 2 percent, memory loss.

*Impulse Research Corp., Los Angeles, CA.*

**Including a verb in your greeting** when you answer the telephone
helps you sound less harsh." Jane Wilson speaking" or "This is Jane
Wilson" sounds better than just "Jane Wilson."

*Rules for the Wired by Marjorie Brody, Career Skills Press, 1999, \$8.*

**Add more fiber to your diet** by including a variety of grains. Eat
barley, brown rice, bulgur, corn tortillas, couscous, oatmeal, rye, rye
crackers, whole-wheat pasta and wild rice.

*Better Homes & Gardens Lightstyle, 1716 Locust St., Des Moines, IA
50309, three times a year, \$4.99/issue.*

**VOD**

**The Federal Consortium EAP provides assessment, counseling, referral,
training and consultation to federal employees and agencies throughout
the United States**. **For more information about our program call the
number listed below.**

*Information published in* Let's Talk *is the opinion of the sourced
authors. Personal decisions regarding health, finance, exercise and
other matters should be made after consultation with the reader's
professional advisers. All models are used for illustrative purposes
only.*

*Copyright © 2002 Health Ink & Vitality Communications. All editorial
rights reserved.*