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**J U N E 2**

**LET'S TALK**

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| ##### SUMMER 2003 HEALTHY BODIES ● SOUND MINDS ● A SAFE PLACE TO WORK |
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**J U N E 2**

# Understanding Depression

**WE ALL EXPERIENCE VARIATIONS IN OUR MOOD** ---sadness, the blues or
the normal grief that accompanies the loss of someone you love. However,
severe or prolonged depression that interferes with your ability to
function, feel pleasure or maintain interest in daily activities is not
a mere case of the blues.

**EVERYONE GETS DOWN IN THE DUMPS FROM TIME TO TIME**.

But you may suffer from clinical depression if a feeling of sadness or
loss of interest in life and friends lingers for two weeks or more.

A combination of factors causes depression. Some cases are triggered by
a stressful experience, such as the death of a spouse or loss of a job.
Some illnesses, such as cancer, also can cause depression, as can
alcohol and drug abuse.

## Signs of Depression

A person who's depressed will have at least three or more of these
symptoms

every day, all day, for at least two weeks:

□ Loss of interest or pleasure in ordinary activities.

□ Feeling sad, blue or down in the dumps.

□ Fatigue and lack of energy.

□ Sleep problems, including waking up early in the morning.

□ Change in eating habits that results in weight loss or gain.

□ Being anxious, pessimistic or worried.

□ Feeling guilty, helpless or worthless.

□ Thoughts of death or suicide, or a suicide attempt.

**Getting Help**

Up to 80 percent of depressed people can be treated successfully. Most
people

receiving treatment for depression begin to feel better in two to four
weeks.

Recognizing that you could be depressed is the first step toward feeling
better.

The usual treatment involves an antidepressant medication and/or
psychotherapy.

If prescription medications are part of your treatment, take them as
prescribed and don't stop taking them without consulting your doctor.

## Self-Help Steps

Try these self-help steps in addition to taking medication or going to
counseling:

□ Exercise regularly. Walking, bicycling, jogging, dancing and doing
other aerobic

exercise can improve your mood.

□ Don't abuse substances. Alcohol and illegal drugs are closely linked
to depression.

Their use can contribute to or worsen your condition.

□ Talk to someone. Talking with a friend, family member or EAP about
events and situations that are causing you stress can help you gain
perspective.

In the Know

# Late-Breaking Health News

**\>\> Not just for kids.** Shots (immunizations) to help head off
diseases aren't

just for kids. Adults need to be safe from diseases, too.

A flu shot may help you avoid getting the flu. You won't get the flu
from a flu shot.

A rubella (German measles) shot can help you avoid birth defects. You
may need to get a rubella shot before you get pregnant. Ask your doctor.

A hepatitis B shot can help prevent liver infection. You may be at risk
for hepatitis B if you answer yes to any of these questions:

□ Do you work with blood or body fluids at your job?

□ Have you had more than one sexual partner recently?

□ Do you inject illegal drugs?

□ Have you recently had a sexually transmitted disease?

A tetanus shot can help prevent lockjaw. This illness can be fatal.
Adults should have this shot every 10 years. If you get a cut or wound,
you may need to get a shot sooner. Stay healthy by getting the shots you
need. Ask your doctor if you need any shots.

**\>\> Chicken pox vaccine can save lives.** A chicken pox vaccine has
been available

since 1995, yet people who could have received the vaccine are dying
from the disease. The vaccine is recommended for almost everyone over
age 1 who may be susceptible to the infection, including adults who
didn't have it as children. Chicken pox is especially hazardous for
adults --- about 55 percent of those who die from it are older than age
20.

**\>\> MORE AGGRESSIVE TREATMENT OF CHOLESTEROL RECOMMENDED.**

The National Institutes of Health suggests new guidelines for high
cholesterol (the desirable level is less than 200 mg/dl) that would
effectively triple the number of Americans using prescribed cholesterol
drugs. The new guidelines also encourage physicians to make an added
effort to identify people at risk of high cholesterol by using a test
called a lipoprotein profile as the first test for high cholesterol. The
researchers also suggest Americans limit saturated fats to 7 percent of
total calories and increase their intake of soluble fiber, contained in
legumes (such as beans and peas), cereal grains, fruits and vegetables.

Summer 2003 2

# 

# 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

# 10 Steps to Good Child Care

IF YOU'RE CHOOSING A CHILD-CARE PROGRAM, experts at the American Academy
of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Association for the Education of
Young Children offer 10 recommendations:

**1.** Check whether the program has a state license. This is a must.

**2.** Visit the center. While you're there, check whether staff members
appear

to enjoy caring for the children and whether the children appear happy.

**3.** Ask to see a written discipline policy. Be certain that no
physical punishment of any kind is ever used.

**4.** See whether the staff can easily view and supervise all children,
whether they're inside or outside.

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**5.** Look for the appropriate level of staff. The AAP says there
should be one adult per three infants less than 24 months old, one adult
per four children 25 to 30 months old, one adult per five children 31 to
35 months old, one adult per seven children 3 years old and one adult
per eight children 4 and 5 years old.

**6.** Avoid programs that use television as a baby sitter.

**7.** Does the center's design protect children? Check locations of
electrical outlets, watch for heavy or sharp objects, and be sure
outdoor play areas use impact-absorbing material.

**8.** Be certain there is a designated diaper-changing station with a
sink, separate from the rest of the center. Watch to see if staff
members wash their hands after changing diapers.

**9.** Ask about the staff's training. Ask when the staff was last
trained in first aid, and in prevention of injury and infection.

**10.** Ask for a brochure or list that explains all costs you might
incur.

# Math Phobia Is a Multiplying Problem

##### A lot of kids need help to divide and conquer

Is your daughter frustrated by fractions? Is your son puzzled by
percent-ages? If so, count your family among the millions who may have
math phobia --- now listed as a learning disorder by the American
Psychiatric Association.

Many of us think math phobia is more common among girls than boys. But a
University of North Carolina study of test scores shows that it may
strike both genders almost equally. The largest gender difference
between boys and girls was late in high school, and that was only 1.5
percent.

**What can parents do to help head off math phobia?**

###### MAKE IT ADD UP

**What can parents do to help head off math phobia?**

□ Teach your child that math isn't just a system of obscure skills they
must master through drills and memorization. It's a way to make sense of
relationships --- between parts and wholes, shapes and sizes, or
beginnings and endings. It helps us find patterns in the way the world
works.

□ Show children math's role in daily life. "Let them hear you figure out
the time you need to leave to get to the movies on time," says educator
Marilyn Burns, author of Math: Facing an American Phobia.

□ Focus on grasping concepts. Educators say that's just as critical as
finding the right answer. "Real math is messy," Ms. Burns says. "Anyone
who works with budgeting, for example, is dealing with uncertainty and
variability."

□ Don't hand down a poor attitude toward math. It won't help to say, "I
was never any good at math either." Instead, say, "Let's look at that
together."

Summer 2003 4

###### Your Safety

# Essential Eye Safety

THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS SUFFER EYE INJURIES EVERY YEAR. The following
guidelines can help you protect yourself and your family.

##### Home Protection

Almost 110,000 Americans suffer eye injuries in home accidents every
year. Potential hazards are posed by household cleaning products, power
tools, fertilizers, weed killers, power yard equipment and chemicals. To
protect your eyes, wear plastic safety goggles when working in the
house, yard or with power tools.

##### Sports Protection

Nearly 44,000 Americans suffer sports-related eye injuries every year.
Most of these injuries occur while people are playing basketball,
baseball and racket sports, but any sport with a ball or projectile is
hazardous to the eyes.

To protect your eyes:

□Wear sports frames with features such as padded or rubber bridges.

□Wear helmets with face guards when playing football, ice hockey, roller

hockey or other high-impact sports.

##### Child Protection

More than 160,000 U.S. children suffer eye injuries every year. To
protect your children's eyes:

□Don't buy poorly designed toys with sharp, pointed or rough edges.

□Don't buy poorly constructed toys made of brittle materials that could
shatter.

□Select toys appropriate to children's ages. Toddlers under age 2
shouldn't have toys with stick handles. Those under age 6 shouldn't play
with darts, arrows, slingshots or other missile-throwing games or toys.

*Source: American Optometric Association, St. Louis, MO.*

**Now's the time to fight osteoporosis,** no matter what your current
age. Because bone density drops after the mid-30s in both men and women,
it's important everyone do weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, on
a regular basis and eat more diary products to boost their daily calcium
and vitamin-D intakes.

**VOD 275**

*University of Washington Health Sciences and Medical Affairs, Seattle.*

**Schedule any surgery you need for the early morning.** Your doctor
will be more alert and less hurried than late in the afternoon. Also,
you won't have to worry about the doctor being delayed because of an
earlier patient.

Debra Jailiman, M.D., clinical instructor of dermatology, Mount Sinai
School of Medicine, New York, NY.

**Adding four slices of pepperoni** to your pizza adds 108 calories to
your meal.

*Men's Health, 33 E. Minor St., Emmaus, PA 18098, 10 times a year,
\$20/yr.*

Summer 2003 5

**One study found these three factors** had the most influence on
whether someone liked his or her aerobics class: the instructor's
fitness level, the instructor's ability to communicate instructions, and
liking other participants in the class. Less important were the
instructor's enthusiasm and the time and place of the class.

*Research at Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green.*

**The most productive people keep asking themselves,** "What's the

most valuable use of my time right now?" You should, too --- and you

should ask this question every hour. Whatever your answer, you should
focus on that particular task.

*Focal Point by Brian Tracy, Amacom, 2001, \$21.95.*

**J U N E**

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| *Information published in Let's Talk is the opinion of the sourced    |
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| other matters should be made after consultation with the reader's     |
| professional advisers. All models are used for illustrative purposes  |
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Summer 2003 6